Page 52 of A Broken Promise (the Freckled Fate #1)

52

I woke up to the voice rumbling near me in anger.

“You shot me again?” he frustratingly growled. “What happened to letting Fate decide?” he asked, slowly sitting up, wincing as he tried to move his arms. I quickly got up to my feet. He was awake and alert.

Alive, godsdamnit. Alive.

My face filled with annoyance and disappointment as he stood up. A tiny hope that he would indeed die through the night vanished at last.

“No harm was part of your deal, Destroyer. Mine was to allow you to live.” I glared at him, sizing his rising body. After a while, I bandaged his wounds to stop the bleeding last night. A pathetic move I now regretted, as he cautiously eyed the bandages. He moved his hand and I flinched at that gesture. A fire summoning gesture I recognized. And to my ease and satisfaction, nothing happened, not even a single spark.

“You’ve wasted enough of my time. Now take me to the Rebels before I disagree with Fate's decision,” I commanded.

He took another look at me, at Heart Piercer now visibly strapped on my thigh. Our eyes locked, and I growled. “Move it.”

Though annoyance was rising with each of his breaths, a part of me calmed at the knowledge that now I had not one but two bargaining chips.

The Destroyer General with the intel to sell, and Kaius’s papers; all of which I could trade for freeing Viyak.

“You are the one who shot me in both of my legs. How quickly do you think I’ll walk?” he said, tugging on his roped hands, though he started walking. “Did you wield my swords?” he asked intrigued, glancing at the swords wrapped in my blanket. I didn’t reply, but the corner of his mouth rose. “How did it feel?” he asked, now smirking wide.

“It felt like you have a tiny dick and are overcompensating with two swords for it. Now move or I’ll chop it even shorter.”

He smiled wickedly and I debated ending the bargain right there, but he moved, taking a limping step ahead. I followed him close behind. My crossbow, ready to fire at any moment, aimed at his heart. He paused only after a few steps, turning to take another look at me from head to toe, considering; something primal in him shifted as if he sized me up like a predator sizing their prey before an attack.

No, not anymore.

“I missed the first time, but I won’t miss the second,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Or should I demonstrate that I am a better shot now?” I lowered my crossbow until it pointed straight at his manhood. He raised his brow as if daring me to do it. I almost pulled the trigger just to wipe off the roguish smirk of his face, but I paused, realizing I would have to bandage him there and I would rather let him bleed out and die. “Move.” I glared at him and gestured with my eyes to the distance.

“As you wish.” He sarcastically bowed. We started walking towards the unknown horizon.

“How do you know where the forest is?” I finally asked after following his steps in the deep snow for hours, lost amidst the fog.

“I sense it. Don’t you?” He kept walking but I could sense smugness in his tone as my silence confirmed that I didn’t. “Ah, so that’s why you didn’t kill me,” he said out loud, snickering. “And here I thought it was your honor. ”

This was a mistake. I knew it. But Viyak’s starved figure crossed my mind. For him I would do this. But after?

No, after this, no more promises. No bargains. Never again.

I wasn’t sure if I could even keep this one. Luckily for me, the General stayed silent most of the way. We didn’t stop all day, though I could see his limp getting heavier by the hour, his pace slowing down to an unbearably sluggish crawl.

I felt it then. The little tug of damp air laced with just a bit of something I couldn’t wrap my mind around. It dawned on me then…. Magic. Cursed magic, I realized as we stepped onto the threshold of the forest.

“Welcome to the Cursed Forest,” he said, carefully crossing the definitive line between the deep snow and thick yellow leaves rotting on the ground. I followed him hesitantly. Glancing back only once to the valley still covered in a thick fog. The forest wasn’t foggy, and it was also surprisingly dry, I realized. Looking around, only thick trees and shrubbery were spotted around us as we stepped through it all. The trees were large, their roots twisted and wide, but it was the heights of those trees that left me breathless. They were the largest trees I’d ever seen. Their highest tops reached so high, they seemed to touch the sun itself.

I looked up just enough to see that almost no sky was visible through those large, heavily intertwined branches, as if they all were connected with one another. Though it was dry, the air was cold; so cold that even as we walked, I couldn’t stop shivering. Ice was filling my lungs, quickly sucking the life out of me.

We hiked, crossing the wilted leaves and stepping over broken branches.

I kept my eyes on the General most of the day, allowing myself only quick glances to my surroundings. Even with his legs wounded and his left shoulder bandage bleeding through his cloak, the Destroyer moved with grace. I might have stumbled a few times, but he walked as if the whole world was under his feet, and he was the king of it. He might have been my prisoner now, but I had not forgotten even for a second had that he was the Mad Queen’s brutal General. A cruel, wicked General. A Destroyer.

No, he wouldn’t let me forget. His pristinely cut hair, his muscled body, his sharp cheekbones, his strong jaw, his calloused hands and those sharp ancient eyes; everything about him painted the picture of a bloodthirsty monster and his attractiveness was just more proof. A tool to lure you in, to frazzle you, to let your guard down.

I should be scared of him. I knew I should.

And maybe in a way, I was. Though I didn’t want to dwell on it. My body was in complete overdrive around him from stress. Grimacing, I reminded myself that he was just a man, and I should pity him. I despised him for what he was. A truly rotten human, with power and skill to change the world, yet power that was used only to terrorize and hurt people… children .

And now, only good for the answers he had.

No, I wouldn’t be afraid of him.

I watched him pause, taking a breath, slowing down to almost a crawl. I should feel pity, but instead I imagined Heart Piercer slicing through his large back.

I would kill him.

Once I knew what was happening with the Rock Quarries’ slaves, I would sink my dagger straight into his rotten heart, bargain or not.

No, vengeance wasn’t pretty. Vengeance wasn’t meek. Vengeance wasn’t kind.

And neither was I.

I readjusted his wrapped-up swords. I could feel the heat even as my skin just slightly grazed over it. He took a few steps and paused again. I stopped, highly alerted as I looked around, searching for anything that made him stop so abruptly. His eyes narrowed. He too was on high alert.

He was cautious, too aware, and it irked me that it wasn’t because of me. Whatever was in this forest made him pause. Whatever it was, I realized, it was a much bigger threat than the poisoned crossbow arrow pointed at his back, or the sharp Basalt Glass dagger strapped to my thigh .

I listened with him, and I heard nothing. Absolutely nothing, I realized.

Not a cricket, or a bird, nor a deer or a hopping rabbit. I grew up in forests and fields, they were noisy, so loud, but here…Here, I heard nothing, not even the wind.

Only cold, frozen, stale air and deathly silence.

“We camp here for the night. It’s not safe to keep going,” he said, taking a look around and finally resting against the bottom of a large, twisted tree. My face laced with unpleasantry, but I didn’t object as I sat down on the fallen tree across from him.

“How long until we arrive?” I asked, pulling a bag of provisions out.

“Another three days or so. Unless you decide to shoot me again then probably a week or more.” He smirked with arrogance.

“Don’t tempt me, Destroyer,” I snarled back as I threw a piece of bread at him.

He nodded in appreciation.

I sliced a large piece of smoked salmon to make a sandwich for myself and drank just a sip of my water. I didn’t think that it would’ve been a concern with all the snow around, but this forest was dry, and each sip counted if we were going on a three-day journey with only one day’s worth of water supply.

Dinner was quiet and scarce. The tiny rays of sun that snuck past the tall trees were gone. Replaced by darkness and cold. My body shivered nonstop now, a pointless attempt at keeping me warm.

“You should start a fire,” the Destroyer mumbled, resting against the tree with his eyes closed.

“And you should keep your mouth shut or I’ll cut your tongue out,” I spat back. He chuckled.

“If I keep my mouth shut, how shall I give you all the intel you want me for, mage ?” He kept his eyes closed still, though a corner of his mouth tugged upright. It irked me that he called me mage. Not the word itself, but his tone. Like he too knew that I wasn’t one.

“You can write.” I clenched my teeth to stop them from shattering.

My toes were numb, and my nose now covered with the large scarf was runny. Each breath froze my wet lip, but I would rather freeze to death than risk a fire with the Destroyer in my midst.

The swords clanged against each other as I dropped them on the ground, wrapping myself in the warmed-up blanket. Though still shivering, I sighed in relief as my body slowly warmed up thanks to the thick wool.

I kept my eyes open, staring at him and each of his slow breaths.

“If you keep staring at me like that I might turn into ashes.” He smirked, opening his eyes, locking with mine. There was something different about him this time, I realized. Still arrogant and still deadly, yet his gaze was so unlike the day we met.

I raised my eyebrow at him and curled my lip.

“I keep hoping for that and yet you are still here. Talking .” I adjusted my blanket and bags, settling in the cocoon of warmth.

“You know you can sleep. I won’t hurt you,” he said, looking at me. Reassuring. My eyes narrowed at that look.

“Says the person who incinerated a Royal guard within seconds. Yeah, I think I’ll put my trust in someone else.”

“Says the person who shot me even when I was unconscious.”

“You deserved it.”

“Didn’t he?”

He did, but I didn’t reply.

We both stayed quiet for the rest of the night. I wasn’t sure if he was asleep as I fought exhaustion until my eyes couldn’t stay open anymore. Just an hour, I promised myself.