Chapter 54

Ryker

Ellery gawkedat me as I asked this question. Her mouth closed before dropping again.

My mind spun as I stared at the spot before me, where a portal should be but didn't exist. Leo had made me vow to protect the realm and its immortals; he'd known his brother would suck the lifeblood from the amsirah and, in doing so, destroy Tempest.

But I'd come back here too lost in my grief over losing him and fury at the ophidians for what they'd done to me, my friends, and all those who didn't survive their dungeon. I'd returned home done with politics and war; I sought a life of peace, far from all the bullshit.

I'd earned it.

I'd buried myself in women and booze. I'd lived with my father again, something I hadn't done for centuries, and wallowed.

I'd been an asshole too lost in self-pity to see what was happening. Although, no one could have seen this coming.

I should have paid more attention to the realm, its suffering residents, and what Ivan was doing. Leo had told me Ivan wanted to shut Tempest off from the other realms, but I never believed he could do it.

This had taken a lot of power and a lot of magic… something the amsirah didn't possess. Ivan had help with this.

I recalled my father saying he wanted to talk to me soon after I returned to the realm, yet he hadn't done so. I'd assumed he planned to discuss having me lead an army to dethrone Ivan; I certainly had the experience to do so.

What if it was because he was plotting with Ivan to turn this realm into their own giant snow globe of misery? One they could turn over and shake around whenever the whimsy struck just to see where the pieces fell.

And because I went out of my way to avoid him, told him to fuck off every chance I got, and did everything I could think of to earn his disapproval, he'd chosen to keep me in the dark on this. I was sure the day I entered the maze was when he decided to do so.

When I first returned from the Ghoul War and Doomed Valley, he might have assumed things could have changed between us… they never would. I'd hate that man until the day he died, and I'd hate him while he burned in Hell too.

But why would he include me in this? He had to know I never would have agreed to it.

Maybe he thought I would after fighting off the ghouls and enduring Doomed Valley.

It was a good possibility, and he'd soon realized that while I'd changed, it hadn't been how he hoped. I hadn't become a ruthless, heartless bastard like him.

I had no doubt my father would one day turn on Ivan too, but first, I was fairly certain he'd helped that moron establish a realm where they'd become the gods. And what they planned to do to Tempest made my blood run cold.

I'd promised Leo that I would look out for Tempest, but I had no idea how to fix this or if it was possible. I'd felt defeated inside the dungeon, trapped, brutalized, and unable to use my powers; I felt more so now.

"How?" Ellery croaked. "How could they do this? How is it possible?"

"I don't know."

Ellery ran a hand through the hair that had come loose from its braid during the windstorm. It stood out in odd angles around her much paler face.

"What do they plan to do with us?" she whispered.

"I don't know."

"There will be a rebellion."

"If there is, many will die. Ivan will confiscate all the food and ensure there's only enough to support his army. The Ghoul War depleted the king's army; Ivan will care for those who remain in it."

"But don't you know most of them? Didn't you lead them?"

"I know some, yes, but many of my soldiers died in the war. Others were never part of the king's army and were men and women plucked from the farms and the streets. They returned to their lives as soon as the war ended. Ivan's army mostly consists of men and women who have always guarded him; their loyalty has always been to him. I never wanted to know them."

Her eyes were wild when she shook her head, but I saw reality sinking in as she tried to deny it. Her shoulders slumped, and her haunted eyes shifted toward the manor. She had a spot of blood on her temple that, without thinking, I wiped away.

Her eyes came back to me when my finger lingered on her skin. I hated the despair in them, but I couldn't help recalling what it felt like to have her beneath me, the warmth of her kiss, and the way she'd tasted and felt better than anything I'd ever experienced before.

I'd never forget how good she tasted or felt or how she made me briefly forget all the atrocities I'd witnessed and committed. Where all the alcohol and other women had failed to bury the memories since my return, Ellery succeeded.

How had I gone from being lost in her to this? How could things have gone from so good to so bad in such a short time?

An hour ago, everything had been so good. Now, we were facing a horror neither of us could have imagined.

"I have to go. I have to make sure my mother's okay," she whispered.

"Okay."

There was nothing else to say.

Despite the anguish I'd seen in her eyes, she threw her shoulders back and lifted her chin as she stalked from the woods, crossed the road, and stepped onto the lawn as the front door opened. Her mother emerged from the manor and rushed down the steps toward her.

They met in the middle of the lawn and embraced. They both talked simultaneously, trying to reassure themselves the other was uninjured.

From a nearby building, Scarlet emerged and ran across the lawn toward them. The three women embraced as a few chickens wandered out from behind the manor; the windstorm must have damaged their coop.

Placing my fingers between my lips, I whistled for Xanthus… and waited. A stab of alarm hit me in the gut when it took more time than normal for him to come to me.

He was normally fearless, but had the windstorm spooked him and sent him running? I wasn't concerned about anyone stealing him; he'd rip off their arm if they tried, but I couldn't waste time searching for him.

I heard the thud of his feet, and my tensed shoulders relaxed before Xanthus emerged from behind the stables. I had a feeling their paddocks were damaged too, and he'd found a more entertaining way to pass the time than grass.

He galloped toward me before skidding to a halt only a few feet away. Dirt and grass kicked up beneath his hooves as he snorted, bumped me with his muzzle, and sniffed me to ensure I was okay.

"I'm fine," I assured him as I rubbed his muzzle. "And I'm glad to see you are too. Though, I suspect you were getting into some trouble."

He snorted as he bumped me again. I turned toward Ellery to discover her watching us.

"I'm going to get some answers," I told her as I grasped Xanthus's mane and swung onto his back. "I probably won't return tomorrow, but I will be back. Be careful and stay out of trouble."

"Stay safe."

I turned Xanthus away from her and nudged him in the side. I didn't like leaving her here, especially since she tended to rush into things without thinking, but I had to get answers about what happened today.

I would be back. Of that much, I was certain.