Page 51 of A Rising Hope (The Freckled Fate #3)

51

FINNLEAH

“ I must say, this is quite the turn of events.” The Queen’s vile snicker made my skin itch. She stepped out of the shadows. “Here I was just thinking I needed a way to break these shields, and you show up to help. There is truly no kinder soul.” She gave me a nod, as if thanking me for my generosity.

“Where is he?” I kept my voice calm, but let my eyes convey a silent warning to her.

“Oh, he is rotting somewhere, I am sure.” The Queen waved me off. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, scrutinizing me. Though she didn’t mention it, I knew she felt it too, the foreign power within me. “What an odd love match you two are. He sacrifices himself to keep me away from you, and you waste it all by showing up,” she cackled. “I must say, I am entertained. It is not often you come across fools blinded by such love. It’s rather admirable. To die for love. Romantic even.”

Priya scoffed, unbothered.

“And who is this?” The Queen turned to her. “Have you brought me a gift to trade?” She assessed Priya with the same vile look. “I am touched, but I have no need for Truth Tellers. In fact, I have no need for any of you now. I’ve got everything I need right here.” Insanaria snapped her fingers, and a few droplets of blood floated above her hand. Her face strained, but she wielded the drops to hover in the air.

My brows lifted, recognizing Gideon’s magic. The taste in my mouth turned sour.

“Ah, what a pleasant feeling it is. After all these years, triumph, success . . . ” The Queen drawled, “I am almost saddened you will never experience that feeling of victory.”

So, are we killing this bitch or what, Freckles? Priya’s voice knocked in my head as she nudged me.

Do you sense him? I threw a thought back.

Freckles . . .

Is he alive, Priya?

My powers can’t find him. She didn’t lie. I appreciated it, but my chest pierced with a shooting ache.

I tried to keep my heart still, but it only drummed louder, eager to get out, to race, to run and find him. Dead, alive, I didn’t care. I needed to find him.

“I must say I hadn’t planned to have an audience, but perhaps it’s for the best to have someone witness my ascension. To witness the precise moment that I become a god.”

“Ugh, for fuck’s sake,” Priya snarled near me. And two things happened at once.

Her poisonous daggers flew towards the Queen.

“Hmm.” The Queen’s shadows caught the daggers only an inch away from her face. She waved her pointer finger and the daggers turned in the air, now pointed at Priya. “What a nuisance you have become.” She rolled her eyes. “Two is a crowd, anyway.” The Queen smirked, letting the blades fly at Priya as shadows swirled near her feet, ready to drag her body away from mine.

“No,” I objected. At first, my voice was quiet, thoughts still lost in the depth of my soul as despair wrestled with hope. “No,” I repeated, this time direct and clear. My shields rose to their hottest degree. The daggers immediately melted against them.

The Queen turned to me, amused at my assertive stance.

“No?” her voice mocked me.

“No,” I replied in a firm tone. I met her stare, eye to eye. “You don’t get to hurt anyone anymore,” I uttered with as much conviction as I could summon.

“Oh?” The Queen’s eyes darkened as she narrowed in on me. “So the hero finally stands up to the villain.” She clapped dramatically. “I am so deeply touched.” The Queen took a long inhale, glancing at her surroundings as more shadows gathered like a midnight storm. Priya’s voice loudly knocked and yelled in my head, but I ignored her words. My eyes locked on the Queen, not blinking.

“ Freckles . . . ” Priya warned, standing near me, her daggers drawn as she watched the whirlwinds of the inky black shadows closing in on the sky, swallowing the light little by little. She didn’t move, wouldn’t be able to, not with my fiery shield tight around her, keeping her in place.

“Yes, listen to your friend’s warning, Lost Destroyer. A reasonable person would walk away . . . ” The Queen paused, her eyes assessing, piercing me to my soul. The corner of her mouth turned down as she added, “But broken hearts don’t listen to reason, do they? Lost and wounded, they drive us to madness, insanity.” Insanaria stated, aware of Priya’s fierce eyes on her, of her silent warnings to me, but the Queen watched me, and I observed her. “Love is an ugly feeling. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. Can’t you see it for what it truly is? Like a siren, it lulls you away from safety under the guise of something grand. It charms you to lower your weapons, to take down your shields, only to drop the mask when it’s too late, showing the true poisonous nature of it. Do you truly think it’s worth dying for?”

“Perhaps not dying, but definitely worth killing for.” I smirked at her, letting the flames spark in my eyes against the darkness. “But I have not come here to save him. Gideon and I are bound for eternity. Whether we have this life or another, that is of no difference to me. You, on the other hand, are limited only one precious little life to live. And where love might falter, justice never does.”

“That we do agree on.” The Queen returned a dangerous smile, and with a blink of an eye, she let the shadows lunge for us.

I let the fire explode within me. But not before I shot a thought, a silent command to Priya.

Find him.

Wild infernos erupted from me, as if I was hell itself. Red flames like beams of the strongest sun poured from my eyes, my mouth, my nose. I let myself burn, the depth of my powers having no restraint. The shadows swirled and hissed, but they stood no chance.

I closed my eyes, gathering one large blast as I burned the peaks of the cliff, bringing the mountain down. The castle crumbled, stones and rocks falling into the water below. A distraction big enough for Priya to sneak pass through all the shadows. She ran, jumping and climbing over the falling rocks like the most graceful panther. I burned brightly, calling on all the darkness upon me. Letting it devour me.

My eyes quickly darted to the crumbling castle. Priya’s copper eyes flashed. Blood rushed in my ears, and I forced myself to focus, letting myself fall into a trance, calling, searching, wielding my powers, until I felt Insanaria’s presence. I didn’t see her, but my Seer powers could find her, could feel her magic.

I closed my eyes, taking a measured breath.

Breath in.

Breath out.

I calmed my roaring mind. The wild thundering of the storm of shadows quieted as I focused. My thoughts slipped into the dark abyss, letting my powers take over.

For a better life, Finnleah. I whispered to myself.

A split-second move.

I reached for the dagger hidden on my back, sending Heart Piercer straight through the burning flames mixing with the wild shadows. The sharp Basalt Glass was lost between the shadows for only a moment.

I walked, burning a path forward, letting magic of the Basalt Glass guide me.

The dagger had found its mark, wedged deep into the Queen’s shoulder. She staggered a few steps back and snarled as her hand twisted the dagger free.

“I believe that’s your dagger,” I said loudly against the storming shadows. “I prefer Heart Piercer for the name though, but God Killer will do.”

The Queen snapped her fingers at the shadows, and I let my fire settle down.

“It’s rather a shame you missed.” She wiped the seeping blood from her light canvas shirt off her shoulder right above her heart. Her eyes paused on the dark red glistening on her fingers.

“I’ll work on my aim next time.” I counted the seconds, waiting, hoping, praying.

The Queen had shadow-walked in space, just as I hoped, and I didn’t shield.

I needed time. I needed time for Priya to find Gideon, to help him.

Perhaps one of us couldn’t defeat her. But the three most powerful beings in Esnox could.

I felt Heart Piercer pointed at my back.

“Aren’t you quite the hero? . . . Always courageous, always looking for a way to save the world. Ah, how poetic?” The Basalt Glass blade dug into my skin, breaking it just deep enough to where its magic blocked my fire, but I didn’t move. “You think the world is worth saving?” The Queen gripped my hair, tightening her clasp on the dagger. “I was once like you. I thought the world could be a better place too. I believed that good was always stronger than evil with every cell of my body.” She tilted her head, mouth stretched in a deep scowl. “People often forget that nobody is born a villain. No child is born hoping to bring destruction and absolution. No, none of us dream to be a villain. But day by day, year by year, life strips away any ounce of goodness that we were given, until we see good for what it truly is—an illusion. You think the world is worth fighting for? You think that people deserve to be saved? I shall kill you, but you will not die a hero’s death to carry hope beyond the grave. No.” She shook her head. “No, before you die, I want you to see the truth. To suffocate on hopelessness as it fills your heart. To suffer as I have suffered. So let me show you the truth.” She snapped her fingers, and the shadows swallowed us whole.