Chapter 55

Ellery

Two weeks passedin which chaos and confusion ruled Tempest. They conducted raids on all the towns and surrounding areas.

Soldiers came to the manor and tore it apart in search of what? I still didn't know.

They left a path of destruction in their wake after we'd finished cleaning and trying to repair the damage the windstorm created. Thankfully, the crops were still too small to have sustained much damage.

We didn't have the money to repair everything, but we'd fixed the paddocks and coop, replaced the lightning rods, and Scarlet's father and I spent a day on the roof, repairing the thatching.

The guards tossed our things around but didn't take anything. They'd come here as a show of power; it was their way of saying they could do whatever they wanted, and we couldn't stop them.

And they were right.

I was sure Ryker's castle and the rest of the aristocrats managed to avoid a raid. They probably sat on their lofty perches, laughing at the chaos they'd sown throughout the land.

They arrested many amsirah, but I didn't know why. None of the passing travelers who stopped to tell us about it knew either.

All the arrested did have a history of criminal endeavors. While I'd been too overwhelmed to notice, many of those they threw into the prison wagons were missing a hand.

So far, no one knew what had become of those poor souls, but I was sure they were rotting away in a cell for past deeds they'd already suffered for. I also had no doubt things were going to get worse in Tempest.

I could go into the towns to see what was happening and try to learn more, but after the raid, I didn't want to leave my mother or the manor behind. Things had been too tumultuous, but they'd settled down this week, and maybe next, I'd make the journey.

So far, none of the travelers we talked to had heard about someone successfully exiting the realm. I suspected some could still leave, like King Ivan and his cronies, but I couldn't know for sure. Ryker was trapped here, so maybe I was completely wrong.

But Ryker had no idea what was coming. He was as astonished by his inability to leave as I was.

Many amsirah had fled into the Revenant Woods to try to build a new life amid the trees. Not a day passed where screams from the forest didn't carry across the land. Many were trying to escape, and many new spirits floated in the woods because of it.

Yesterday, Ivan announced a ban that would affect everyone in the land. When I heard the hoofbeats of the soldiers' horses drawing closer, I braced myself for the worst and wondered if they'd somehow figured out who I was and come to arrest me too.

The contingent of guards rode up to the manor and pulled their steeds to a halt in front of it. They'd dismounted and spread out to nail signs to the trees before one of them crossed the road to us.

He handed my mother one of the signs and walked away without saying a word. Over her shoulder, Scarlet and I read the notice declaring hunting within the woods was now forbidden. Everything in the forest belonged to King Ivan, and anything killed within was the King's property; disobedience would result in death.

"No," I breathed.

Many amsirah had supplemented their food supply with meat from the forest. Most didn't dare go deep into the trees, where the bigger, more ferocious animals lived, but buxon and other small animals usually roamed the edge of the woods and were a good way to supplement meager food supplies.

Without the ability to hunt, starvation would become a bigger issue, and it was already pretty bad.

"That's cruel," Scarlet whispered when the soldiers rode away.

I stared at the sign, my fingers itching to tear it to pieces, but I didn't move. I'd promised myself no more rebellion and meant to uphold my vow.

If they caught me, my mother would also suffer the consequences of my actions, and I couldn't allow that. Instead, I had to stand by and helplessly watch as others suffered, but I had no doubt we would soon suffer too.

Without a word, my mother neatly folded the sign, put it in the pocket of her dress, and walked away. Scarlet and I remained standing together, staring at the dozens of signs hanging every five feet along the trees.

There was no missing them.

"What do we do?" Scarlet whispered.

"What can we do? I can't put the hood back on."

"No, you can't. You'll get yourself killed if you do, but there has to be something we can do."

I looked helplessly at her. "What?"

"I don't know."

And now a new day had arrived as Scarlet and I walked to the chicken coop behind the manor. My mother was already inside, gathering eggs in her basket.

At least, for now, we still had livestock and crops that were doing well. If the weather held, we'd have a great harvest this year and plenty of food to can and sell for the winter.

With the taxes, things would still be lean around the manor, but we should make it through. I didn't get my hopes too high as I suspected Ivan would do something to make things more difficult before then.

I took the basket of eggs from my mother and exited the chicken coop while she remained behind to finish collecting. I closed the gate when the thud of hoofbeats caught my attention.

I braced myself for another round of soldiers but realized this wasn't multiple hoofbeats. It was just one set.

It had been two weeks since I'd seen or spoken to Ryker, but I hadn't lost hope he would return as promised. I hadn't realized how much I was looking forward to his return until I stopped walking, and my heart thudded with anticipation.

It might not be him. You get plenty of solo travelers on the road.

As I thought it, the rider rounded the bend in the road, and Xanthus came into view. The beautiful black stallion's strides ate up the distance as his white mane and tail flowed behind him with every step.

I almost released the basket and ran to him but stopped myself before I acted like a complete fool. That kiss was two weeks ago, and so much had changed since then; I had no idea why he was here. He could be carrying out some new orders from the king.

Besides, while his kiss had left me yearning for more and dreaming of him every night, it probably meant little to him. I'd seen that blonde woman's head between his legs and later watched how he dismissed her at the coronation. And they had been a lot more intimate than a kiss.

With that disturbing realization in mind, I handed the basket to Scarlet and walked to the road to greet him. I had no idea what to expect from him and also had to keep my distance. I was glad to see him, but he was also a big threat to my freedom.