Chapter 75

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

Ellery

My mother was not happy with me when I told her about the plan to rob the king. She was less happy with Ryker.

She demanded to talk to him, but I managed to talk her out of it. That would be a very bad idea, and while I doubted she could annoy Ryker as much as me, there was no reason for them to argue over this. I believed we could do this robbery and wanted to do it… something she didn't like hearing.

While there was a good possibility the caravan might not enter the Revenant Woods, if it did, I believed we could succeed in stealing from it. If all went well, we'd get away with a lot of money… and if all went wrong, we'd lose our lives.

I'd debated not telling her about our plan but decided it was better she knew. Not only would she realize what I'd done if we succeeded and word of the robbery started spreading, but if things went wrong and they discovered my identity, she had to be ready to leave here.

If I had my way, she'd go to Tucker's encampment the day of the robbery and return home if we were successful, but she refused. She said she would leave as soon as anyone arrived, but there was too much work for her to be away.

I liked this response about as much as she liked my determination to get my hands on the king's money—no, it was amsirah money.

"You're putting us all at risk by doing this," she told me.

I pulled my black shirt on over the bandages I'd used to bind my breasts. It had been months since I donned the Hooded Robber outfit, but it felt right as I tugged the shirt down.

"I put us all at risk by falling in love with Ryker. This is all the consequences of one action."

An action that I never could have seen coming or understood the consequences of until they all landed on my head. And now, it was time to try to regain control of our lives.

"It's only a matter of time before we lose everything," I reminded her. "The taxes will keep rising, the duke will come after me again, and the king will push us out. We might as well do what we can to take down the king and all his minions before then."

"You're talking treason."

I sat on the bed to pull on my black boots and looked up at her from under my lashes. "Dethroning the king is the only way any of us will survive in Tempest. While the curse remains in place, we're trapped here, at their mercy, and there's nothing we can do to stop it… except getting enough money to raise an army."

"Why doesn't Ryker fund it?"

"And how would he do that without his father, the king, or someone else noticing he's draining his funds? He has his mother's property, but it would draw suspicion if he sold it. His father knows he'd never willingly let it go."

She huffed as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Besides, there's not enough; I already asked," I told her. "He'll fund some of it, but he can't fund it all."

"And if this plan doesn't work?"

"At least we tried." I finished tying my boots and rose. "I know you're disappointed in me. I know what I've done goes against everything you believe in, and you didn't raise me to be like this, but I became the Hooded Robber to help those in need and make a difference in their lives. Working with Ryker, I might be able to save us all. He's powerful?—"

"Not as powerful as you."

"One day, that will come into play, but not yet. He's afraid of what will happen if my abilities are revealed."

"They'll hunt you."

"Yes. I'm growing stronger though; my training with him has honed my powers more."

She bit her lip as she studied me. "Is that a good thing?"

"I don't know," I admitted, "but it's happening."

I hated the uneasiness in her eyes. She was still mad and disappointed in me, but I had no doubt she loved me deeply.

"I'm sorry about this," I whispered. "Really, really sorry. When I started this, I never imagined it would spiral so far out of control. I intended to help feed the hungry and get back at our oppressors a little. I never thought through the consequences of my actions."

"But those things brought you to Ryker."

"Yes."

"And you wouldn't change them because of him."

"I should want to change them, but I don't, even if he does hate me now. Maybe I would have met him another way, or something else would have happened between us if I hadn't been the Hooded Robber. I doubt it, though."

"Even if you had met another way and somehow come together, his father still would have ensured it never lasted."

"I know, but he wouldn't have hated me as much as he does now."

"I don't think he hates you."

"I do."

"There's a fine line between love and hate, Ellery. You got on the wrong side of it for a while, but no man spends this much time with a woman he hates."

"He wants something from me."

"They all do, but that doesn't mean they have to spend time with you."

My eyebrows rose at my usually prim and proper mother saying such a thing. "This is different."

"Maybe or maybe not."

When she looked at me again, she sighed. "You're wrong, Ler Bear. I did raise you to be like this. Maybe not a thief, but I raised you to care for others and to stand up for what you believe in, and that's what you're doing. You've always gone your own way; it's what I admire most about you. I can't deny that I'm stunned by your choices and terrified something will happen to you, but I understand your reasons. You're fiercely independent; I would never change that about you. You also have one of the biggest hearts I've ever encountered."

"I got that from you."

My mother smiled wanly before crossing the room and embracing me. She was shorter than me, so I had to bend to hug her, but her arms were strong.

She couldn't pick me up and swing me around like she had when I was a child, but she could still make me feel safe and cherished. Stepping back, she gripped my face between her palms and kissed my cheeks.

"You come home to me," she said.

"I will. I promise you, I will return."

If we failed to get the money, then it would be fine, but I wouldn't break my mother's heart again.

She drew me down and kissed my forehead before releasing me. "Do Scarlet's parents know what she's doing?"

"I don't know. I left that decision up to her."

When Scarlet learned we would commit the robbery, she insisted on going with me. She'd accompanied me on every robbery I'd completed before and refused to miss this one.

At first, Ryker wasn't sure about having her join us until I reminded him that she had more experience with stealing than he did. While she'd never been involved in actually taking any money, she was a great lookout. She could also defend herself.

"Can I talk you out of this?" my mother asked.

"No."

"Could Ryker?"

I snorted with laughter. "He already tried and failed."

Despite my help planning the robbery, expertise in the woods, and perfect success rate, he'd tried to keep me out of this event. There was no way I'd let that happen.

We'd been working together for this, and I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines because he was having second thoughts about using me. He finally caved when Ianto and Tucker agreed I was an asset they couldn't turn away, but only after taking me aside so we could discuss it alone. We both agreed I would only use the abilities everyone knew about, which meant no fog or lightning.

Neither of us could use our lightning or the king would know Ryker was involved in the robbery. Even if I was the one who unleashed the lightning, they would assume it was him as he was the only known lightning bearer in the realm.

A knock on my bedroom door shifted our attention to it. My mother opened it to reveal Scarlet on the other side.

"Do your parents know about this?" my mother demanded.

"Oh, they know, and they're not happy about it. However, they're prepared to leave if it becomes necessary, like you… I hope."

"I'm prepared."

"It's time for us to go," I said as I walked toward them. "The sun's rising."

My mother remained in the doorway, and for a moment, I thought she might refuse to let me leave, but she stepped aside.