Page 45 of A Tempest of Shadows

“Ellery?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t defend the Hooded Robber again; if anyone ever overhears you, it could get you killed.”

“I won’t.”

My death would destroy her. She’d barely held on after losing my father, the love of her life, and I was the main reason she did keep it together. She’d give up completely if she lost me too.

The Hooded Robber had done a lot of good, but that hood was now retired. I couldn’t think about all those who would suffer because of that; it would only make me feel worse.

I’d done my best, even if it hadn’t been as much as I’d hoped. More amsirah in the towns would be maimed, driven out to live in the woods, or die, but I had to make sure my mother wasn’t one of them.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Ryker

Almost a week had passed since I last spoke with Ellery and her mother. I sent a messenger yesterday to let them know I’d be arriving this morning to start our hunt for the Hooded Robber.

Having someone who knew these woods better than me could help locate that asshole, and if it didn’t, then it couldn’t harm anything either. Ellery would be safe in the woods; I’d ensure that.

Besides, if she knew these woods as well as her mother claimed, she wouldn’t require my protection and would do fine on her own in the forest. The girl could be foolish and reckless with her appendages, but if she’d grown up in the woods, she was also a survivor who knew how to protect herself.

I pulled my stallion, Xanthus, to a halt outside the manor’s stables. The sun was barely up, but I wasn’t surprised when a young boy with bright red hair slipped out of the doorway to claim my horse; Ellery and her mother must have prepared their staff for my arrival.

I slipped from the stallion’s back and patted his thick neck. When Xanthus shook his head, his white mane flew back and forth, and he stepped away from the boy, who was searching for some way to claim the powerful animal.

Xanthus was a magnificent beast, and I’d had him since he was a foal. With his gleaming black coat and white mane, tail, and forelock, it would have been impossible not to claim him, but I’d quickly learned that no one ruled Xanthus.

He’d proven nearly impossible to break and was far wilder than any foal I’d ever seen. I’d never succeeded in breaking Xanthus completely; I’d gained his trust, and he allowed me to ride him, but I was very aware he had decided to grant me that gift.

And I couldn’t ride him with a saddle or bridle. He wouldn’t tolerate either, and I’d paid for my attempts to try either on him. He responded well to leg and hand commands and never failed me in battle. The horse had more courage than most.

Slipping a treat from my pocket, I fed it to Xanthus before patting his neck again and thanking him for the ride. He snorted in return as he munched his sugar cube.

The boy eyed Xanthus before shifting his attention to me. “How do I get him in the stable, milord?”

“Let him roam; he won’t bother anything.”

“We have mares, milord.”

“Then I’d suggest locking them up, but Xanthus won’t tolerate being stabled.”

The boy blinked rapidly at me before glancing at Xanthus, who stared back at the child as if he understood every word we exchanged. “Ye... ye... yes, milord.”

With that, the boy hurried back into the stables. I gave Xanthus one last pat before leaving him to munch on some grass.

I would take him with me, but off the roads, the trees were too thick and clustered together to ride easily through the Revenant Woods. He’d be fine while we were away for the day.

As I made my way to the front of the manor, I noticed the chipped paint, broken siding, and a missing windowpane. The last time I was here, the home was immaculate. Things had changed since the death of Ellery’s father.

While my father had considered the manor small and pitiful, it was a decent size. It stood two stories high, and smaller rooms spread out from the main structure in a whimsical way. It was as if someone had gotten bored and decided to add to the structure.

Once all white with blue edging, gray and blackening wood poked through the paint to reveal the increasing rot creeping throughout the home. It wasn’t advanced yet, but I saw no sign of anyone attempting to correct it before it got worse, and with the brutal storms that sometimes ravaged Tempest, worse would come quickly.

Behind the manor, acres upon acres of freshly plowed and planted fields stretched toward the low-hanging sun on the horizon. Paddocks of horses, sheep, cattle, chickens, and fat calazars begging to be cooked and served as a delicious meal were set to the right of the sowed fields near the rows of beehives.

Land and livestock-wise, the manor still looked prosperous, and I knew their horses were some of the most coveted in the land. They were known for their beauty as well as being strong, sturdy stock that was easy to train and courageous in battle.