Page 1 of A Rising Hope (The Freckled Fate #3)

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GIDEON

D ead.

They were all dead.

Rows of lifeless bodies, women and men, were all crucified on the cursed, black vines. Their faces frozen in agony and shock. Their torn, rotting corpses were high in the sky, plastered against the soft pink and azure of the quickly approaching dawn.

Blood rushed through my body, and I counted silently.

There had to be hundreds of them here.

It was butchery.

It was horror.

It was Insanaria.

The reek of rot and death slithered up my nose, filling my lungs with decay.

I narrowed my eyes. Between the staggered rows of unrecognizable bodies, shadows moved. Almost indistinguishable amid the morning fog surrounding the old manor my armies were occupying. I let the rage simmer, power rising to the surface, ready to strike at any moment. But I stood still, watching the shadows grow thick and slippery as if they were alive. Within a breath, they reached my boots, swirling up my legs like enormous snakes.

“Gideon . . . ” Zora’s voice warned behind me, and though it was almost a whisper, I could feel the shouting alarm in her tone. My blood thrummed, fire inching to the surface. Goosebumps covered my skin as the temperature plummeted. With a seamless motion, I drew my sword, the blade lighting up with silver flames as the shadows reached above my face, entirely dimming the first morning light.

Eerie laughter echoed through the dead bodies, vibrating through the fog that now encapsuled me. I cast a sharp look into the nothingness. The chilling sound of her wicked laugh ricocheted from all sides. The flames on my sword bit at the dark shadows swirling around it, hissing at its magic.

“General.” Queen Insanaria appeared out of thin air. As if a shadow herself, she was pale, her hair in a tight knot with a large hat twisted to the side. As a Creator, she was no doubt otherworldly beautiful, but even she wasn’t immune to the touch of time, as small frown lines decorated her face.

“Insanaria,” I snarled. She gave a dismissive glance at my drawn sword, letting out a bored scoff at the flames.

“I’ve come in peace,” she finally said, as our eyes locked. Her deep chestnut eyes matched the rich color of her hair, lest be for the silver streaks outlining her face.

“I think this crowd of the dead might disagree.” Mutual disdain painted across our faces.

“Oh, General, since when are you so sentimental? You know as well as I do, people, lives, are just a common currency of any war. Knowing that and considering that the rest”—She gave a slight nod to the still slumbering camps of my armies—“of your precious, credulous crew are alive and well, for now, of course . . . You should really sound more grateful,” she uttered carelessly.

“What is it you want?” I snarled through my teeth, jaw locked, shoulders tensed.

“I think you’d agree that I’ve let you run around playing your boyish rebellion for quite some time now. Unfortunately for you, I’ve grown tired of feeding your delusions.”

“Do you have a point, or do you just enjoy hearing yourself talk?” I gave her a half smirk, half snarl. She returned the gesture.

“What kind of villain would I be if I didn’t enjoy giving elaborate speeches?” She gave me a poisonous smile, shadows swirling like vipers around her arms as she raised her hand closer to her face, weaving between them. “But all right,” she said, jaded, after I didn’t reply. “You are a straight-to-the-point man. I always respected that about you, General, unlike Hosam or that fool Andrias, who just liked to spew bullshit. I’ll reason with you your way.” She looked at her nails, contemplating. Her lungs expanded in a full breath, inhaling the dark shadows through her nose.

Her eyes returned to mine. Vicious, ready to strike, not hiding the power she held within, as she declared, “I have a deal for you—one I would highly advise you take.”

I let her see the amusement on my face at such a notion.

“Offering a deal to your enemy already? When I’ve only just begun my conquest? Come on Insanaria, you’ll have to play harder than that. Desperation is a terrible look on you.”

She sneered at my words, letting shadows curl around her fingers. A glimpse of anger flashed across her face, illuminated by my silver flames.

“You know nothing of desperation, General. Though now I remember why I never made you the commanding general. It’s that arrogance in you, like poison tainting what little reason you have.” She tilted her head to the side, observing the flaming sword, the giant blood ruby glistening at the hilt. “You naively mistake my kindness for desperation, General. Unlike you, I do not wish for your people to suffer?—”

“No, you’d rather have your people suffer instead. Until you’ve drained and killed them all. Why bother with Destroyers—our magic is not of any use to you.”

She shrugged, not denying the fact. But it was that unwavering stretch of her lips in that smug, evil smirk that sent my heart racing. Whatever she was hiding, whatever secrets she had woven, I had seconds to figure it out. My thoughts raced a million miles an hour, each cell sounding an alarm. I honed my magic, ready to attack.

“I guess that’s the principle in question, General. Who do you care about more? The well-being of Destroyers or Magic Wielders?” The shadows swirled around, the fog became a thick, oily darkness, making it almost impossible to breathe. She took a step closer, my fire reflecting in her hatred-filled eyes as she pierced me with her menacing glare. “Surrender, and I’ll let you rule over the Destroyers. I will let you be their king, and together, we shall rule over Esnox in power.”

“And if I don’t feel like being a puppet to the Mad Queen?” I retorted, keeping my rising ire at bay.

“Oh, I think your young nature prevails your reason because I don’t think you understand, General. There is no other option. There is no negotiation. This is my only offer. Otherwise, your people will suffer and, unfortunately, die. So, I would highly recommend you to consider it.”

I gave a pointed look, lowering my head closer to her as I matched her hostile glare.

“I must decline,” I hissed as shadows crawled over my skin, air running dangerously low in my lungs.

“Ah, see, I was afraid that would be your answer, General. It’s a shame, but I truly hope you reconsider.” With a snap of her fingers, the shadows parted briefly to the open window at the manor.

The window to my bedroom.

The window leading to where Finnleah was peacefully asleep.

My heart dropped to my feet and magic exploded, burning the shadows.

That single blink.

The glance towards the open window cost me.

The Queen was gone. As if made of thin air, she disappeared between the smoke.

If not for your people’s sake, at least for hers. Her words drifted through the burning darkness. My powers lunged, searching for her, but it was too late. The shadows incinerated with a flash.

“Gideon?!” Zora shouted, coughing through the fumes. Her words were muffled by the drumming in my ears, the blood rushing past making me deaf.

I was already running. Running faster than I ever had.

Heart frozen mid-beat as I crossed the fields, then flew up the curved staircase to the top wing of the ancient manor.

My mind focused on only one thing. Chanting her name as if it were a spell.

Finnleah. Finnleah. Finnleah. Finnleah .

The large door flew off its hinges as I ripped it open.

No. No. No. No. No. No

No. No. No. No.

No. No. No!

The long curtains billowed with a gust of wind from an open window.

An agony filled scream erupted from my chest as my eyes beheld the empty bed. Tousled sheets dropped on the floor where my heart, my soul, my wife was only minutes ago.

“FINNLEAH!” I roared into the emptiness; my voice broken and hoarse. My muscles trembled, knees ready to buckle, and pure desperate rage tore through every cell in my body.

But none of it would bring her back.

She was gone.

Her lingering smell was the only memory of her presence.

“Finnleah!” I shouted again, air wheezing out of my lungs, choking me. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” My lungs collapsed, and my head hit the ground. Knuckles turned white as I fisted my hair. Pure horror, one I had never known before, ripped through me.

She was gone.

Taken. Taken by the fucking Mad Queen.

Taken.

That word cleaved, shattering my heart into a million pieces.

Flames burst from my eyes, and fire swallowed the bedroom. Mercilessly, the incandescent silver infernos devoured everything in their path. Pillows stuffed with feathers exploded. The long-draped sides of our canopy bed incinerated within a blink. The faded wallpaper turned into dust. Ash blinded me. Its bitter taste filled my throat, settling deep into my lungs. Wrath clawed and curled in me, but unruly fear triumphed, churning my intestines raw as fire destroyed the empty room.

But raging infernos weren’t enough to protect me from the brutal reality that carved a hole in my soul.

The Queen took her from me.

I failed.

I fucking failed.

My little wildfire.

“INSANARIA!” I shouted into the void. “INSANARIA!” My voice desperately roared through the loud crackling of fire encompassing the room.

My eyes watered as the acidic smoke burned, but I didn’t shield, letting the flames sear the pain within my soul, letting my skin blister and bubble from them. No physical pain would match the agony within.

I wanted to burn. I wanted to obliterate myself.

I wanted to destroy myself, and I would bring Insanaria with me.

She would fucking pay for this.

With a blink, I called upon my fire, the vast, charcoaled ceiling beams crumbled down around me. Previously grand furnishings turned to nothing but piles of ash, swayed by the morning breeze from the wide-open windows and ripped doors.

At last, I stared down at my burned skin, grounding myself with the pain, praying the physical agony would keep my mind from shattering with complete despair.

Only then I noticed a message from the Queen, carved with her magic into my burned forearm as if done with a jaded knife.

A warning and a threat.

You have seven days to surrender, General.

Or she will be the next one to die.

Ruler of all Esnox,

Queen Insanaria