Page 34 of A Rising Hope (The Freckled Fate #3)

34

FINNLEAH

“ Y ou write shitty notes.” Priya hissed in her typical fashion, with a bit of disdain in her tone. She chucked the paper on the table. I recognized it immediately—the little note I left for her before I abandoned her, never to return.

“You should really practice your reading if it took this long to read it.” I shot a snarky reply. Priya smirked and so did I, despite the narrowed glares we sent each other.

Her copper wicked eyes scrutinized me from head to toe, pausing on Gideon’s swords I carried. “So, what are you now? Some kind of peasant knight girl?” She stared at the rope tied at my waist, holding up the pants I stole from Godric.

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Assassins are so little in demand, I had to retrain as a peasant knight girl.” I mocked her in return, giving her a theatrical curtsy, simultaneously ignoring the stares from Zora and Orest as their eyes darted between Priya and myself.

“Demand for bad assassins was always terrible, Freckles. Perhaps you should try to be a better one next time.” Priya let out a dramatic exhale.

She stood up, dressed from head to toe in her dark brown leathers. I counted the daggers that she hid. Not a single one missing—a good sign. Poisons on her, tinting the precious jewelry a hue too dark.

“Have they not heard of fashion here, or are you all just poor?” She glared at Zora’s outfit, sauntering through the tent towards us.

My brows bunched up in amusement.

“Come on, Priya, assassin leathers are just so last season.” I tilted my chin up, grinning.

As much as I wished to deny it, I was delighted to see her. And considering I had never seen Priya smirk so much continuously, I would bet my riches on the fact that some twisted part of her was delighted to see me too.

She paused near Orest, and I was sure Zora was going to murder her right now.

“All that talk about me being a Truth Teller, and you just go get yourself one with a dick instead?” Priya clicked her tongue. She shook her head with disapproval and then darted her sharp eyes to me. “Not very womanly of you, Freckles,” she uttered, content to see a flash of surprise on my face at her revelation. “Ah, you didn’t know. Well, that’s a shame. You know what they say, one is on me, two is on you,” she chirped, enjoying the little theatrics.

She sent a cold, warning look to Orest. “Your childish shields are no match for me, boy.” She released a sigh, dismissing him. A chill ran down my spine and her powers, as if claws, reached for my mind.

She tried.

But no longer could.

I let my fire burn the little spider she cast in my direction.

Whether it hurt Priya or not, she didn’t show it, only stepping one step closer.

“I see you’ve been busy.” She threw an inquisitive look in my direction. The only sign of her realization of the shift of power, of my control.

My lip curled up, challenging her, warning her. I was far from the starved and hurt slave she found on the shore of the cold river. My powers itched underneath my skin, ready to lunge, but I held them back, letting only a spark of fire flicker in my eyes as I stared at the stranger who saved my life one summer afternoon.

“Oh relax, Freckles, I’ll behave . . . for now, of course.” She called back her powers, but not before sending Orest a triumphant leer. Her eyes darted back to me. “Wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of your new friends, would we?”

Her arm jerked, and flames sparked at my fingertips.

She scoffed.

“Always so uptight.”

Priya melodramatically moved her thick braid behind her, stowing the dagger to the sewed in sheath on her thigh. She released a long sigh, folding her arms as she looked at the three of us, assessing.

“They do not make slaves like they used to,” she stated, with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“What are you doing here, Priya?” My patience finally ran out and my tone matched the notion. Direct, unwavering, unyielding. “Last thing I remember, you wanted nothing to do with the Destroyers or the Rebellion.”

“Ugh, believe me, I still stand by that.” Her lips turned thin. “But I’ve come to offer you your job back. I must admit nobody washes the laundry as well as you used to.” She stared at Zora, her eyes flashed with a bit of craze, “I’ve killed so many slaves in the last few months for ruining my silks. I simply grew tiresome of it,” she confessed. The muscle in my temple twitched, because I wasn’t sure if she was exaggerating or telling the truth. “I do miss my lavender smelling silks.” Priya dramatically pursed her lips and batted her lashes at me. A blink and her demeanor shifted to the dangerous assassin that she was as she added, “It’s quite the misfortune considering it’ll take ages to replace my silks since that bitch thorn Queen murdered Laviticus.”

“The Queen killed Laviticus?” My brows furrowed deep as her words reached me.

Priya nodded; her eyes darkened with the undeniable craving of revenge. The only confirmation I needed of the truthfulness of her words.

I understood it then.

Priya’s murder list never ended, but this time, it overlapped with mine.

“So, what do you say, Freckles? Are you up for one more adventure?”

Our eyes met.

We had our differences; I knew that. Some scars ran deep enough that perhaps only time could rectify them.

But there was something comforting about having her by my side. Especially now.

Because if I were to tell her I was about to burn the world to ash, she, with a scoff and a hiss, would be the one handing me the match.

And what I was setting out to do was so much worse than flames and burning the planet down. But Priya was just crazy enough to come along without too many questions.

I folded my arms, giving her a slight nod.

“Let’s go kill the bitch.”