Chapter 7

Ellery

I sprintedthrough the woods with Scarlet on my heels. We traveled at least a mile with my arms aching and lungs burning before I set the chest down.

Ghosts hovered and floated nearby, but for the most part, they didn't pay any attention to us. Their chilly presence caused the hair on my arms to rise.

However, I grew up in these woods, and these apparitions didn't scare me. They'd frighten others away, but not me or Scarlet.

My friend removed my bow and quiver from her back as she knelt across from me. I pulled out my knife and jammed the point into the lock on the chest.

I wiggled it around until something clicked. The lid popped open a fraction of an inch, and I replaced my knife in its holster.

Scarlet pulled the chest the rest of the way open and breathed a low, "Wow."

With my knife tucked away again, I shifted my attention to the chest. I nearly fell over when I spotted the amount of gold and jewels inside. I'd robbed over a dozen carriages since first starting this, but I'd never succeeded in taking this much before.

"We have a problem, Ellery," Scarlet whispered. "Whoever this chest belonged to is going to be pissed."

"Ryker Locke."

"What?"

"The chest belonged to Ryker Locke. I saw him in the carriage."

The color drained from Scarlet's face as she leaned back on her heels. "Ellery?—"

"It's fine, Scarlet. He's no different than any other aristocrat or amsirah."

"But he is."

And that was the truth. He was different; everyone in the realm knew it. Ryker was one of the few amsirah who could wield four out of the five weather elements.

Most other aristocrats couldn't do that. I could, something I kept hidden from most, but so many, including my parents, could only wield one or two weathers.

Having control over three weathers was considered a powerful gift, but four of them… well, four made for something truly special in our world. And all five… no one could wield all five… until me.

If anyone found out what I could do, since our abilities ran along genetic lines, I'd probably be married off or bred as soon as possible, and I wouldn't be anyone's bride or conquest. I'd die first.

Immortals almost always married for love and some, like the vampires and lycans, had fated mates. The amsirah didn't have such a thing, but we did love deeply when we fell for another. My parents certainly did.

However, I didn't put it past the King or the aristocrats to force me into a binding commitment with one of them if they ever learned the truth of my abilities. There was a price to pay for being the only weather elemental man or woman ever to wield all five, and I refused to pay it. If I were a man, I'd be a powerful force in this realm, but as a woman, I'd be nothing more than a tool for a wealthy man.

Either that, or they'd fear me and kill me because of it.

I shoved those concerns back into the dark recesses of my mind, where they belonged. I'd made it this far without exposing my abilities, and I would make sure it stayed that way.

There were far more important things to focus on… like hiding this money. We had to ensure no one found it before we got it into the hands of those who deserved it most.

From somewhere to my right, a twig snapped. Lifting my bow from the ground, I removed an arrow from where Scarlet had dropped my quiver and nocked it as Scarlet's eyes, locked over my right shoulder, widened.

Gritting my teeth, I stayed low as I spun, took aim at where the sound came from, and spotted the karadu. The creature, the size of a small bear, had a long snout and bristly, patchy brown hair all over its compact body.

Tusks protruded from beside its snout, and two sharp teeth rose from its bottom jaw to stick into the air. Its claws churned the earth as it stalked toward us with its red eyes blazing.

Its rotund belly swayed with every step, but I didn't kid myself into thinking it would slow this creature down. The karadu was full and weighted down, but these things killed for pleasure, and if it succeeded in slaughtering one of us, it would gladly store our bodies to eat them later.

I wasn't about to let that happen. With a squeal, the creature burst into motion and barreled toward us with the current occupant of its belly sloshing back and forth.

The karadu was fifteen feet away when I released my arrow. It whistled as it shot through the air and straight into one of its beady red eyes.

The karadu squealed as its legs shot out, and it plowed into the ground. Dirt and debris kicked out from underneath it as it skidded to a halt a few feet away.

It released a chuff of breath before going completely still. Rising, I planted my foot against the creature's head and tore the arrow free. I examined the bolt to ensure it was still useable before sliding it back into my quiver.

"Let's go," I said to Scarlet.

Together, we lifted the chest and carried it to a nearby tree we often used to hide things. At the tree's base was a small door that Scarlet opened.

It had been a while since I'd seen a pixie in Tempest. I didn't know why they'd left, but the abandoned pixie home was my favorite hiding spot and big enough to slide the chest inside.

I closed and locked the door before resting my hand against it. I hated leaving such a treasure trove behind, but we'd used this spot before and never lost any of our treasures.

"Now what?" Scarlet asked.

"Now, we change and head to The Hollows. We have to figure out the best way to disperse it without getting caught."

Usually, we left bags of money scattered throughout the town, but there was too much inside the chest for us to do that. Or maybe not; maybe we could disperse it in our normal way, but it would take more time.

And the longer it took, the more likely someone could stumble across the chest and take it. Also, the contents of the chest could fill hundreds of the satchels we normally used, and we didn't have hundreds of them.

We would figure it out, but until then, we had to get out of these woods.