Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ellery
For the most part, our delivery of carisle to the towns was uneventful. We left a lot of the money on the roads and raced back through our portal before most realized we were there.
The caravan hadn’t arrived in some of the towns yet. Now that it was delayed in its pickup, some of the amsirah we saw on the streets weren’t quite as deflated as others.
We didn’t see Ryker when we returned to refill our chest or when we took another one with us. They’d also returned a few times, as our supply was quickly dwindling.
We only had Nottingshire—or The Hollows as the locals called it, because of all the empty bellies—left to deliver money to as we gathered our last chest. This would soon be over, and I was fairly sure I’d collapse when it was.
Ryker and the others must be heading for their final village too, as we’d taken the remainder of the carisle. We should return around the same time.
We’d discussed the order we’d take with the towns before separating; he’d be in Harborlight now. He was aware our last stop was The Hollows.
I cradled the chest against my belly as Scarlet opened a portal. The three of us trudged on to the woods behind the veiled rock.
We had to move swiftly, stay mostly concealed, and get out fast. Nottingshire was the town closest to the palace and the one with the heaviest guard presence.
It was the place where the nobles occasionally climbed off their lofty perches to mingle with the common folk. Usually, it was because they were bored and looking to entertain themselves with the misery of others or because they were looking to get fucked in one of the bordellos.
From our concealed space beneath the trees, it was easy to see the dozen or so amsirah on the streets as they traveled from one place to another. They rarely looked up as they trudged toward their destinations with single-minded focus.
A few horses and carriages maneuvered the street. The merchants at their booths were lackluster in their calls to the passing public, but they still hawked their wares.
“I’ll take the chest out there,” Tucker offered, holding his hands out to me.
“No, we’ll go together,” I said. “No one will notice us; they’re too focused on getting where they have to go.”
“Once someone recognizes you, they’ll all take notice,” Scarlet replied.
“Then we’ll move fast.”
“Ellery—” Tucker started to protest.
“I’m the one with the lightning and who can get us out of there with the least amount of carnage… hopefully. Besides, we only have to go fifteen feet down the road, dump the money, and run back here. Or we can open a portal in the middle of the road and run through it. It will be fine.”
I couldn’t let him go out there on his own. We’d done all the other towns together, and we would do this one too.
“If you get me killed…,” Tucker muttered.
“No one in this town is going to kill you.”
“I’m not talking about this town; I’m talking about Ryker.”
I grinned at him. “He’s all tough and growly like a grizzly, but inside, he’s a teddy bear.”
Tucker gave me a skeptical look. “Sure, if teddy bears liked to rip off heads.”
“Ryker doesn’t like doing that.”
“Hmm,” Tucker grunted.
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing as I bumped his hip playfully with mine. “You might look good without a head.”
“You’re not funny.”
“I’m hilarious. Come on, it will be fine.”
He still looked doubtful but didn’t argue further as we strolled out of the woods and onto the street. I had no intention of going too far; Nottingshire was far too close to the duke for my liking, but it was also the town I’d grown up running around as a kid.
It was a familiar place I loved, and it held many fond memories, even if it made me sad to see what had become of the amsirah living here.
When I was a kid, Nottingshire was a bustling place full of happy immortals who called out greetings, hawked their wares, and smiled as they hurried down the busy streets.
In my memory, I could still see those busy streets full of laughter. At one time, the roads were so crowded that it was difficult to maneuver through the wagons full of goods.
As a child, I’d darted in and out of the crowd. Scarlet and I had dashed around carriages and legs while sprinting toward the Veiled Rock.
We laughed as we joined the other children from Nottingshire there. Together, we pretended to be dragons, princes, and princesses from far-off lands who’d battled monstrous creatures. We always won.
Sometimes, we’d dance at the edge of the forest, aware of the peril within but too invincible to care. If something attacked us, we’d defeat it!
When they called our names, we’d dash back to our parents. Often, we’d get meat pastries, frozen ices, or sticky cinnamon buns before returning home.
I missed those days of licking icing from my fingers while sitting contentedly between my parents. Sometimes, if her parents didn’t come too, I’d ride in the back of the wagon with Scarlet.
Often, the rocking of the vehicle would lull me to sleep. When that happened, my father wouldn’t wake me when we returned home but would instead carry me to bed. With my parents to tuck me in, I’d nestle beneath my blankets, full of sweets and enveloped with love and security.
They were days filled with an innocence I didn’t understand until years after I’d lived them. I yearned for their simplicity again.
Now, those days were gone, and the once crowded and cheerful streets were empty of joy. Few amsirah were on the road, and it wasn’t the crisp November day that drove them inside.
Instead of embracing their lives, they now felt compelled to hide from a world that had turned on them. It saddened me that the remaining children of this town didn’t know the freedom we’d experienced.