Chapter 21

Ryker

I skiddedto a stop in the middle of the forest as the thick fog created a blanket amid the trees. The Robber controls fog too.

It was the one weather element I couldn't control. I could wield lightning and thunder, rain, wind, and snow but not fog.

Who is this guy?

The question ran through my mind while I searched the woods, but I couldn't see beyond the trees three feet away. I hunted for footprints, but when I came across the river, I knew the Hooded Robber was gone.

My mind spun as I tried to process how he'd managed to get away from me. The Hooded Robber was smaller than I'd expected butfaster and a lot more powerful.

How is there another lightning bearer in this realm that no one else knows about?

Word of another lightning bearer would have spread like wildfire through Tempest. Lightning bearers were rare and admired. Not even Leo, his soon-to-be-crowned brother, or my father were lightning bearers.

It was just me and now the immortal who had robbed and evaded me; I seemed to be one of only two who knew that. And the other was a complete thieving mystery.

They couldn't have fought in the Ghoul War. They most likely would have exposed themselves against those monsters.

This meant they were either young, wealthy, lucky, or hiding in the Revenant Woods to avoid recruitment. I was leaning toward young, as it was only a matter of time and danger before the Robber used their power in front of others.

He could have grown up in the woods. Maybe he'd lived in them since he was a child, and that's how he avoided the war that took so many others.

But why would they care about money and distribute it to the towns if they were wood rats?

It was a good question, and when I caught the Robber, I would discover the answer to it and all my other questions.

I ran a hand through my hair and tugged at its ends as the fog dispersed. A ghost floated through a tree and into me. I didn't blink as the ghost passed through me, turning my insides to ice before the spirit drifted out and vanished into the trees.

Turning away from the woods, I returned to where I first discovered the Hooded Robber. He'd escaped me this time, but it wouldn't happen again.

The next time I tracked him down, I would know what to expect; this time, he'd stunned me with his ability to wield lightning. It wouldn't happen again.

And when I did get my hands on them, I was going to rip that hood off and answer my curiosity about the thief before taking them to Samael. I had no idea what would happen once they discovered another lightning bearer in the realm and didn't care.

That was for Samael and Ivan to figure out. I was just going to capture the bastard and make him pay.

I arrived where I'd found the Hooded Robber kneeling next to a tree. When I walked over to the trunk, I spotted the pixie door.

It was so carefully and perfectly carved into the trunk that it was almost impossible to distinguish the door from the tree. It was a perfect hiding spot.

Bending, I opened the door and smiled when I spotted my chest inside. I pulled it out and flipped open the lid. Much of the carisle remained within, but some was missing.

What did they do with it all?

I was sure some of it went to The Hollows and other towns. Those amsirah were too loyal to the Robber not to be reaping the benefits of his thieving, but there was no way the Robber hadn't taken some for themselves.

They wouldn't get any more.

Lifting the chest, I tucked it under my arm and carried it out of the woods to the edge of The Hollows. Thin, bedraggled, and exhausted immortals didn't notice me as they passed.

The giant encouraged others to wrestle him, but he had fewer takers than when I saw him a few weeks ago and far less of a crowd. He would have to find a new occupation or move on soon.

I studied the street while plotting my next move. The Hooded Robber must be one of the immortals in The Hollows or another town, but trying to prove that was more difficult than I'd anticipated.

He also used the Revenant Woods to keep himself and his stolen treasures hidden. Turning, I studied the woods that many in The Hollows and other towns knew well. They'd grown up beside the forest and often hunted their dinner from it.

I'd never spent a lot of time in the forest and had zero desire to do so, but if I was going to find the Hooded Robber, I would have to figure these woods out. However, they had a lot of secrets that many knew far better than me.

I could try hiring one of them to help me, but I doubted they'd accept. They weren't turning on the Hooded Robber for the reward, and I didn't see them agreeing to help me for money.

It was a place to start. Trudging out of the woods, I kept the chest against my side as I hunted for someone to help me navigate the Revenant Woods.