Chapter 47

Ellery

It was only noon,but the forest was so dense here that it seemed much later. The thick canopy of the leaves blocked out most of the sun as the trees drank in its rays.

This time, Ryker caught lunch and skinned it while I built the fire. My mouth watered as I cooked our meal, but I focused on the forest.

The poltergeists were thicker through here. However, they weren't the real danger.

This deep in the Revenant Woods was where the deadliest creatures resided. We ate in silence, put out the fire, and packed up.

"I don't know how far you plan to go or what you hope to get out of today," I said as I slid my quiver onto my back.

"I hope to find the thief who robbed me or some sign of him."

I nodded, but guilt churned inside me. He was looking at the thief who'd robbed him, and if he ever knew the truth, he'd drag me from these woods and straight to the sheriff… or kill me himself.

Because of that, he could never know, but I felt guilty lying to him and taking him on this charade of a quest. I could get him killed if I wasn't careful.

I tugged at the collar of my loose-fitting green shirt as normal breathing became more difficult. Eventually, he'd give up on his quest for the Hooded Robber, especially since there wouldn't be any more robberies and the Hooded Robber was slinking off into obscurity.

Maybe he'd think his prey had left Tempest or assume someone or something killed the Robber. He had to give up no matter what he decided on this issue.

But what if he doesn't?

I gulped at the possibility. He was a stubborn man, determined to destroy the one who stole from him, but he couldn't hunt the Hooded Robber for centuries, years, or months when the Hooded Robber had already vanished.

Ryker would have to give up. He just had to.

And I had to accept that this could go on for months before he quit, which meant months of traveling into some of the worst parts of the forest and putting him at risk for nothing. Sweat slid down my nape.

I hoped I didn't get him killed in the process. I could never live with myself if I did.

Air finally seeped back into my lungs as I tugged at my collar again. He'd be fine; he was far too strong to perish in these woods.

Ryker had also survived the Ghoul War and Doomed Valley. The Revenant Woods were never to be underestimated, but he knew how to handle himself and monsters. Plus, he had me, and I knew these woods well, had survived them since childhood, and would protect him no matter what.

But anything can go wrong, and many have perished here. That's why so many dead haunted this place and how it got its name.

I couldn't imagine Ryker becoming one of the many spirits who haunted this place… and all because of me.

What am I doing?

Maybe it would be better to hand myself over to him and end this before anyone else got hurt, but I couldn't do that to my mother. It would further break a heart already shattered into millions of pieces after she lost my father.

Now, the best I could do was remain silent, hope he gave up on this soon, and keephimalive. And if he died, I would live with the guilt as a punishment for the rest of my days.

That sounded terrible, but it was probably the least of what I deserved for putting myself, Scarlet, and my mother into this mess. What was I thinking when I started this?

And then an image of Mouse—dirty, far too skinny, and mute—flashed through my mind, and I knew what I'd been thinking and hoping to accomplish. He'd nearly lost his hand for stealing, and he was only a child.

Offering myself in his place was the least I could do for him, and stealing to help feed the many others who suffered throughout the realm was the least I could do for them. King Ivan's ruthless policies had put us all in peril.

But no matter how much good the Hooded Robber did, that was all history, and this was the present. If I didn't get out of my head and start paying better attention, it would be my ghost haunting the woods.

Growing up amongst these trees and knowing them well didn't mean the things lurking within the forest couldn't get me too. Only a fool let down their guard in the Revenant Woods… and they would quickly become a dead fool for doing so.

We only traversed another hundred feet into the woods when I caught the faint scent of sulfur. Freezing, I grasped Ryker's arm to hold him in place when he started to move past me.

Beneath my hand, the thick muscles of his corded forearm flexed. Now was not the time to admire the steel rod of strength running through him, but it was impossible not to as I tried not to stroke his warm, oh-so-tempting skin that heated my palm. It caused a strange prickle of awareness to creep down my spine.

It was also impossible not to notice the sulfur stench intensifying.