Page 54 of A Tempest of Shadows

“He might not live here, but he uses the woods often,” I said. “Have you seen anyone dressed all in black and wearing a hood covering their entire face except the mouth and nose?”

He gave an odd little shrug of his hands. “I see many in the woods, especially lately. The forest has been far busier. I don’t know why.”

“The amsirah are being pushed out of their homes and having to supplement their food supply,” Ellery said. “They’re hunting more, and because of that, the animals have traveled deeper into the woods, or at least most of the bigger ones have, which means the amsirah are also traveling deeper.”

“Oh,” Farley said and rubbed at his nonexistent chin. “I doubt the guy you’re looking for was the one who shit himself. He got scared too easily to be a robber. All Cryton did was this.”

The poltergeist spun on me, dropped its mouth until it was a vast, gaping hole, and screamed so loud my hair blew back. My ears rang as a fetid stench wafted over me.

I closed my eyes against the blast of wind Farley created until he shut his mouth again. When I opened my eyes, it was to discover Farley zipping behind me before stopping in front of me again.

“You didn’t shit yourself.” Farley grinned at me before floating over to Ellery again. “At least this one’s not a pussy. Good job, Lery.”

Ellery rolled her eyes. “Just what I’ve always wanted, your approval, Farley.”

“You know it made your heart sing.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t you have better things to do?”

He looked about as affronted as I guessed a poltergeist could. “Of course I do. I’ll see you later.”

“Looking forward to it.”

The surprising thing was, I believed she meant it.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Ryker

When Farley vanished into the trees, I turned to her. “Why did he call you Lery?”

“Many call me Lery. It’s my nickname.”

“And how do you know that delightful creature?”

“I met Farley thirteen years ago, when I was ten. He tried pulling the same crap with me as he did with you; I used a stick to beat him. We’ve been friends ever since.”

“You’ve been coming this deep into the woods since you were ten?”

She winced a little. “That’s to stay between us; my mother doesn’t know. My father did, but she would not have approved.”

“So, you’ve always had a death wish.”

She bristled before turning away and starting back into the woods. “I don’t have a death wish.”

“You played in these woods as a kid and intervened on behalf of Mouse.”

“That would mean I have an amputation wish, and I don’t have that either. I just don’t think children should have their hands cut off. I think most would agree with me.”

“Yes, they would.”

“I started exploring these woods because I was curious about the things in them, and I’ve gotten to know many of the creatures and spirits well over the years.”

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m smarter than a cat.”

Maybe that was true, but she was too impulsive, daring, and impudent for her own good. It would get her in a lot of trouble or killed if she didn’t rein it in, but she was very much like Xanthus… no one was going to break or control her.