Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Ellery

Scarlet helped me pack supplies and gear before I mounted Adira and rode out again. Initially, I stayed on the same route the guards traversed when they took my mother to the palace, but I soon diverted from that road and headed for the duke's castle.

I stayed mostly out of the Revenant Woods, but I would battle anyone or anything that tried to attack us. With the king's increased taxes and decree against hunting, more and more amsirah were moving into the woods to flee the tyrannical policies and jail.

That meant more desperate immortals were entering the forest, and robberies were increasing. Most of those thieves were far less successful than I was. Some had found themselves in the king's dungeon, others died, but some got away.

I wasn't in the mood to deal with them, poltergeists, or some other vicious creature today. I wasn't concerned about me, but if Adira died here, her spirit would remain in the Revenant Woods… a place where the souls of anyone or anything that didn't naturally belong became ghosts or poltergeists.

I would avoid that fate for my beautiful mare. I could have opened a portal to the woods on the outskirts of the duke's property and ridden her through, but I decided against doing so as opening portals weakened immortals if we did it too often, and I might have to do it again soon.

When I arrived at the edge of the woods that looked out on the duke's castle, I stopped Adira. Her sides heaved against my legs as I sat there, staring down the road winding toward the castle's outer bailey.

Within the bailey, amsirah played out their daily lives. They hawked their wares or rushed to complete whatever duty they had to fulfill for the duke.

Set on top of a rise, the castle was a sprawling, domineering structure meant to instill fear as it towered over the land. Dozens of stone gargoyles were perched all around the roof and turrets.

They looked prepared to swoop down and unleash death on whoever dared to enter the castle. It was said gargoyles once resided in Tempest, but that was millennia ago, and no one knew why they'd left… or if they were ever truly here. They didn't exist in any other known realm and were believed to be mythical.

Pixies once resided here too, but they'd left for unknown reasons. Unlike the gargoyles, there was proof pixies once lived here. I remembered seeing them.

Lightning rods jutted up from the castle's many rooflines and turrets. The sun's rays glinted off the three moats surrounding the massive structure.

When he built this place, the duke wasn't seeking beauty or grace. Instead, he'd sought to intimidate all who looked upon Locke castle and succeeded.

Outside the looming structure, rolling green farmland ran up and down hills as far as I could see. Many different animals and livestock grazed in the fields or sought shade in the trees at the edges of the property.

The late June sun beating down on the land warmed it as the afternoon crept on. Soon, it would be too hot for the animals to be out of the shade at this time of day, but for now, they were still enjoying the sun.

The lush crops, animals, and verdant grass were the only inviting things about this place. Ryker hated it, and it was easy to see why.

The road cut through two sections of the field, and three riders left the castle to approach the woods. They were far enough away that I wasn't concerned they'd see me dismount and lead Adira deeper into the trees.

I found a place where I could watch the castle while she munched on a large patch of grass sprouting in a small clearing. I didn't bother to tie her to anything; she wouldn't wander far from me, and she had to be free to run if something attacked.

As I worked to establish a small camp, I kept an eye on the castle but stayed out of view of anyone on the ramparts. Even if I could open a portal into the castle, I wouldn't dare. If the duke found me in there, he'd destroy me, burn down my manor, and kill my mother.

However, opening a portal into the structure wasn't an option. Almost every home I knew had a witch or warlock spell or amulet that made it impossible for anyone, who wasn't on the list of acceptable immortals, to open a portal into or out of a home that wasn't theirs.

No, I'd have to sit and wait until Ryker emerged from the castle. After that, all I could do was hope to catch him, and then… and then, I had no idea what would happen.

I tried not to think about it while I worked, but I couldn't stop once I finished and settled in for a long wait. None of my thoughts were good.