Page 46 of A Tempest of Revelation
Uncoiling my arms, I shoved the amsirah back as we plunged into the night. I staggered a few more feet before toppling forward while the amsirah hit the ground and bounced a few feet away.
I bit back a groan when I hit the top of the stone steps. Pain lanced through my bruised hip and battered shoulder, but I couldn’t stay down. That amsirah would recover soon enough, and they’d come after me when they did.
Rolling to the side, I pushed myself to my feet and staggered a little when my head spun. The other amsirah had toppled down a couple of stairs. They sat up and shook their head as they tried to clear their mind.
I had to do something and didn’t have much time to figure out what that would be. Without thinking about what could happen and knowing I needed a weapon, I leapt off the veranda and pounced on the amsirah, knocking them onto the stairs again.
My father taught me how to punch, and Ryker taught me to be merciless. I used both their lessons and the adrenaline flooding me to unleash a series of devastating blows to their head, belly, and chest.
The air burst out of them in a loud breath that blew my hair back. Their hands slapped at me as they tried to beat me off them. It was then I realized they’d lost their weapon.
I didn’t relent in my attack. Pulling my fist back, I delivered a devastating blow straight to their face, smashing their head off the step below and knocking them out.
My chest heaved as I sat on their stomach, studying the eyes that rolled into their head, their parted mouth as shallow breaths lifted the chest beneath me, and the blood flowing from their nose.
I should grab the sword and go, but I was too curious about who was beneath the hood. I glanced behind me to make sure we were alone before focusing on the amsirah again.
With deft fingers, I untied the hood and yanked it off. Golden hair tumbled out to frame a bruised but pretty face.
I had no idea who the woman was, but something about her nagged me. I’d seen her somewhere; I just didn’t know where.
It didn’t matter. I didn’t have time to puzzle it out; maybe I could figure it out later.
I tugged the hood back over her head but didn’t bother tying it back on. When she woke up, she could take care of it herself; I had bigger things to worry about.
Rising, I snatched the sword from the ground and ran back up the stairs toward the battle beyond. I would have preferred a bow and arrow, but I’d have to make do with the sword.
Running back inside, I had just gotten behind the pillar again when the loud crack of thunder rent the air. The ground quaked beneath my feet as outside rain cascaded down and lightning flashed but didn’t find its way into the building.
I still had no idea where Ryker was, but he was ready to unleash hell on all those who deserved it.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Ryker
I hadno idea who the immortals with the hoods were, but since they were determined to destroy the king, my father, and the rest of the aristocrats, I had to admire them… even if they would add me to their kill list. What I didn’t like was their chaos, ill-planning, and ambush on some amsirah who didn’t deserve it.
No one had expected this attack, which gave the rebels a bit of an advantage, but not enough of one. The tide was already turning in favor of the guards as they held the insurgents back and slaughtered them.
Keeping to the shadows, I searched for Ellery’s mother, Meredith. As far as I was concerned, they could all kill each other, but I had to get her and Ellery out of here.
I had no idea where my father, the earl, his sons, or Ivan were. I suspected the guards had gotten them safely away before the full chaos unleashed.
Maybe they’d been slaughtered. I doubted it, but I’d love to see their bodies out there amid the carnage.
Enough time had passed that Ellery would have left the hidden room in the garden. She could be here now, but I couldn’t think about that. If I did, I’d search for her, and I’d promised to get her mother out of here.
I was almost halfway around the room and still hadn’t seen Meredith when someone leapt out of the shadows at me. The attacker bellowed as they raced at me with their sword raised in the worst attempt at an attack I’d ever seen.
While I had no weapons, they left themselves completely exposed, and if I did have one, they’d already be dead. Whoever these immortals were, they were completely ill-trained and unprepared.
Widening my feet, I lifted my hands and braced myself for their attack but stepped aside at the last minute. As their momentum carried them past me, I swung my arm down and bashed it off the back of their head.
My blow propelled them into the wall behind me. Their skull thwacked off the stone, and their body went limp before they collapsed to the ground.
Stepping over the motionless legs, I lifted their sword from the floor and hefted it to test its weight. It wasn’t the finest blade I’d ever held, but it was of decent quality and would get the job done.
Though my attacker was easy to take out, they’d drawn the attention of some others to me. At least a dozen eyes, some shining from beneath burlap sacks and others from under the guards’ helmets, focused on me.
