Chapter 42

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Ryker

I'd thought Ellery looked exhausted and battered before; it was nothing compared to now. Shadows encircled her eyes, her blue dress was wrinkled, and strands of dark hair clung to her face.

Her eyes, normally vibrant and full of life, were glazed and bloodshot. She looked like she hadn't slept since the last time I saw her, and she'd lost more weight.

Despite all that, she was still achingly beautiful, and while I planned to keep my distance, my fingers itched to touch her. When this was done, I would get as far from her as possible.

"What happened in there?" I demanded.

Yesterday, unable to stand waiting for her and not knowing anything, I'd gone to the palace and wandered through the bailey while trying to gather information. I'd entered a few taverns and shared some drinks with those who lived in and around the palace.

In the third tavern, I learned from a servant that Ellery was in the palace, still waiting for the king to see her. I'd stuck around for a little while after, hoping they'd finally let her go; they hadn't.

Eventually, the only thing left for me to do was return to the forest and Tucker. She was still okay; they hadn't imprisoned her, even if they'd treated her like shit.

That didn't sit well with me, but I couldn't do anything about it… at least not yet. If things went well, Ivan and my father would no longer hold power in this realm, and no one would be treated like that again.

"I got her back," Ellery muttered. "They made me sit on a bench in the great hall for three days before they finally agreed to talk to me."

All the servant told me was she was waiting to speak with the king; I didn't hear any other details. What was Ivan thinking by doing that to her?

Not only did she not deserve such treatment, but she'd done nothing wrong. Ellery's family weren't aristocrats but held a respectable position in this realm.

Ivan had forgotten that they helped keep this realm fed and running, and my father sought vengeance against her for making me happy for a brief time.

"Did they give you any food?" Tucker asked.

"No," Ellery said. "Thankfully, I knew where a bathroom was from my time at the king's coronation. I drank some water from the faucet in there."

Tucker's breath sucked in, and my eyebrows rose at this revelation. My relationship with Ellery was strictly business now, but I couldn't deny the anger her words aroused.

"But I got her back," Ellery continued. "That's what matters. We gave him half the harvest, and the king also demanded his choice of foals for the season, which will also cost us, but I got her back. They never put her in the dungeon."

"What?" Tucker asked as he walked closer.

"They separated her from the others when she first arrived, took her to a room, and treated her mostly as a guest. She had guards and couldn't go anywhere she could open a portal, but they never put her in the dungeon."

Her gaze shifted to me. "Your father was there. He wanted to take more from us; the king disagreed with him. I don't know what he was after, as he whispered it in the king's ear, but I'm sure he's not happy with the final deal."

"Of course not; he won't be happy until he's destroyed you," I told her.

The words were harsher than I'd anticipated, but I had to battle my impulse to go to her while hatred and wrath swirled inside me at her and for her. Maybe agreeing to work with her to defeat my father and Ivan wasn't my best idea.

Being that close to her indefinitely was bound to wreak havoc on me, but I would do whatever it took to uphold my promise to Leo. I could handle her.

Ellery bit her bottom lip as she looked away. Is she finally regretting our relationship?

I couldn't blame her if she was, but I didn't like the possibility.

"He'll do something again soon," she whispered.

"No, he won't. He'll let you worry for a while. When he thinks you're finally starting to lower your guard and beginning to believe it will all be okay again, he'll make another move. To him, that torment is as much fun as knowing he can make you sit on a bench for three days."

She stared at the trees before her eyes finally met mine again. "I have to get back. My mother is worried, and I promised to tell her everything. I'm so…."

Her words trailed off as she shook her head. I was sure she wanted to eat and sleep, but she'd decided against expressing that.

"We'll meet tomorrow at nightfall," I told her. "We'll start training then."

"Sounds great."

Her face said it wasn't great, but she'd show up. If she didn't, she'd lose her manor and any protection she might have against my father and the king.

Ellery turned away and waved her hand to open a portal. When nothing happened, her shoulders slumped.

She was exhausted and starved. She'd opened a portal to get here but was too weakened to create another to leave.

When she tried again, nothing happened. She didn't look at us as, without a word, she started into the forest without any weapons that I could see.

Compassion tugged at me; I hated feeling any empathy for this woman. However, I wasn't a cold-blooded monster like my father.

I couldn't open a portal into her manor but could return her to her front yard. While I waved my hand, I pictured her front yard, and a portal opened before me.

"Ellery!" I called after her. "This will take you home."

She looked back and hesitated like she was debating whether to use the portal I'd created. In the end, exhaustion must have beat out her pride as she trudged back toward us.

"Thank you," she muttered before walking into it.

I waited a few seconds before closing the opening. Once it shut, Tucker came to stand beside me.

"You could have given her a few days to recover," he said.

"She won't have time to recover once we go to war against Ivan and the aristocrats."

"She's been through Hell, Ryker."

"And it's only going to get worse."