Page 63 of A Tempest of Intrigue (Tempest of Shadows #4)
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Ellery
I opened a portal into the Revenant Woods and emerged into an area good for buxon hunting. It had been a rough day working with the twenty-two foals we had this season, and I hadn’t stopped to eat lunch.
Since I didn’t like taking food from Tucker’s followers, I intended to bring my dinner to the encampment, along with a little extra for everyone else. I also needed to find some more valovay root for birth control, as I was running low.
Ryker took something to prevent pregnancies too, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. This wasn’t exactly the best environment to bring a child into.
I removed my bow from my back and pulled an arrow from my quiver as I stepped into the shadows of the trees. Blending in with the growing twilight, I didn’t move while waiting for a small, delicious buxon to arrive.
My mouth watered in anticipation of that delicious, roasted meat melting on my tongue. I really should have eaten something sooner.
Five minutes passed before a buxon wandered into view. It emerged from behind a rock and sniffed the ground as it approached.
Lifting my bow, I aimed as I prepared to fire.
“What are you doing?”
The intrusion of a voice from behind me caused me to jump. I hadn’t heard anyone approach, which was a good way to die in this place.
I cursed myself as I spun toward the intruder with my arrow still nocked against my bow. I’d kill whoever was behind me.
Instead, I found myself staring at Farley. His grin revealed all his crooked teeth; they jutted in every direction. No wonder I hadn’t heard anyone approach; he didn’t have a body to make noise with.
“Farley,” I groaned. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
He floated up to peer over my shoulder. I didn’t have to look to know the buxon was gone. They were delicious, but they weren’t stupid.
“Aiming at nothing,” Farley said.
“I’m trying to catch my dinner. If you don’t mind, a little quiet would help with that.”
“Well, excuuuuuuuse me for existing.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“Like what?” he asked in a sulky voice.
“We can talk after I catch my dinner, plus a little something for the encampment. Until then, silence is best.”
“You’re cranky when you’re hungry.”
When I gave him an exasperated look, he kept smiling.
“Can you let me hunt, please?” I asked.
He waved a hand at me. “Go on, kill the innocent animals if you must.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“And proud of it.”
I glowered at him before turning back to the woods and the fading sunlight filtering through the trees. Farley hovered by my shoulder, but I ignored him while waiting for another buxon to emerge.
This time, when one did, I shot a warning look over my shoulder. I couldn’t choke him, but I could ignore him, and Farley hated that.
He kept his mouth closed and red eyes wide in an expression meant to exude innocence, but I knew him too well to believe that. I lifted my bow and arrow again while I waited for the creature to fully emerge from behind the rock half obscuring it.
When something rustled behind me, I glanced at Farley, but his attention wasn’t on me… he’d become riveted on the forest.
Uneasiness crept down my spine as the rustling grew louder and sticks cracked. Someone, or some thing , was crashing through the underbrush as it raced toward us.
Farley rose higher to get a better view of the woods.
“Farley…?”
“I can’t see anything,” he said.
Turning, I aimed my arrow toward the increasing noise a few seconds before Mouse burst out of the trees. He wasn’t the one making such a racket as he was too small, but his wild eyes told me something far worse was coming.
He waved his hands as he raced toward me. A second later, a dozen black dogs surged free of the underbrush.