Page 102 of An Archer's Redemption

The palisade, once strong with waist-thick logs and tall as any man, now lay in shambles. At the center, the tavern rose, though much of its roof had caved beneath the weight of winter’s many snows. Beyond, the rubble of the Ranger headquarters lay buried beneath a blanket of white.

No Rangers practices in the yard.

No villagers milled about.

No one stirred.

“How am I supposed to rebuild all of this?” My billowing breath spoke more loudly than my words.

The unmistakablethwackof an axe against wood nearly made me soil my breeches. I scanned the barren town, desperate to spot some movement—any movement.

There. .. on the southern edge . . .

“Ho, the Ranger!” an aged man’s voice echoed against the mountains.

I covered my brow with a hand and squinted against the sun. A withered form a few hundred yards away waved with one hand. The axe in his other hand hung limply toward the ground.

I raised a hand, then chided myself for waving back at the only other human I’d seen in days. Clearly, the man was chopping firewood or logs to build something.

Someone was doingsomething.

I was no longer alone.

The hope that had dimmed when I first stepped out from the forest flickered back to life as I secured my cloak about my frozen shoulders and strode toward the solitary figure.

Chapter 44

Jess

“Majesty, we are now investigatingninemysterious deaths. Each appears to have been a vicious attack by a wild beast that occurred in a different location and against a random member of their community.”

“Have you discovered any pattern to the deaths?” I asked.

The High Sheriff shook his head. “We have looked at this from every conceivable angle and found no commonality regarding sex of the victim, station, occupation, or any other measure we use. In some cases, the victims were torn apart by massive claws, like those of an enormous bear. In others, the attacker was a raptor or other bird of prey.”

Sheriff Cribbs folded his hands and stared across the table. His eyes were lined with dark circles, and his normally well-kept uniform was as disheveled as his ragamuffin hair.

I strummed my fingers against the wood of the Council table as I mulled over his report. “Chancellor Marks, any word from your ravens? Or our network of ears?”

“Actually, Majesty, something interesting arrived by raven just before the Council assembled. I have not had time to route it to my people for further review, but it may provide us another avenue of inquiry.” He reached into the leather folio containing sheaves of parchment, removed a tiny scroll, and read,

“The dead innkeeper in Oliver was angry at the Order’s local Priest and his speeches about the Crown. Rumor has it, he was stirring up a small group to chase the Priest out of town before he was killed, though none of that group will speak of him or their plans. This was overheard in the dockside tavern by a barman.”- V

Treasurer Dask scoffed. “Are you suggesting a wild bear was angered by the man’s hatred for a Priest? That may be the most ridiculous thing ever spoken at this table.”

Cribbs chuckled, but his smile didn’t reach his weary eyes. “It does sound far-fetched. Is that all we have?”

Ethan held my gaze, despite the others’ reactions. “On the surface, Treasurer Dask is right. This sounds ridiculous, but we have little else to go on. I suggest the High Sheriff have his men in each town revisit their interviews and ask about the Priests and their speeches. Local Constables may already know of royalist passions but failed to link them to the killings.”

Cribbs leaned forward. “Majesty, I can have my men ask quietly in their respective towns, but this whole thing sounds like a child’s fever dream.”

“It sounds like dreamsIhad as a child, thanks to stories our dear High Chancellor told me before I was sent to bed.” I looked from Cribbs to Ethan. “But the Chancellor is right—we have little else to go on, and asking a few questions seems simple enough.”

Cribbs nodded once. “Yes, Majesty. I’ll send birds when we finish here.”

“Good,” I said, squinting at the upside-down writing on the parchment stretched before Ethan that detailed our lengthy agenda. “What is next, Chancellor?”

“Trade with Melucia and Vint. Our representatives—”

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