Page 70 of A Rising Hope (The Freckled Fate #3)

70

FINNLEAH

W e lounged by what seemed to be an inconspicuous grove of old birch trees. Dressed in a simple skirt and corset, loose braid on my shoulder, I could pass for any other town girl. Priya, on the other hand, refused to go in anything but her leathers, sticking out like a sore thumb, near the casually dressed group.

A drip of sweat rolled down my neck. The large sun blazed above us mercilessly, burning through the last warm days of the season. Gideon scanned the horizon, arms folded, and face deliciously broody. Priya scanned Gideon, disheartened I was sure, again and again, that her powers had no hold on him or me. Whether she had an inclination as to why, she didn’t say and neither one of us was willing to share that truth with her. With anyone, for that matter.

Just him and me, lost to the serenity of the divine bond beyond mortality.

“He should’ve been here by now,” Gideon grumbled after a while. Priya dramatically mimicked his words near me, though she was, too, annoyed at Florian’s delay.

I glared at the five pages of sporadic drawings from just a day prior and really hoped I had deciphered them right.

“This has to be the right spot,” I mumbled, comparing the landscape and the trees to the one he had drawn.

“Oh, gorgeous, of course it is. You and I know a thing or two about finding the right spots, don’t we?” Florian’s beguiling voice sounded a few paces back, I twisted, watching him appear from what looked like a shrubbery area near a dense row of the trees.

I whirled to see his smiling face. My own beamed with a wide grin.

“Florian!” I shrieked. But it was the loud meow that followed that made my jaw drop.

A large red cat with a diamond collar snaked around Florian’s feet.

“ Ray ?!” I dropped to my knees near the purring cat with the smartest eyes, gently caressing his slick fur. “I can’t believe he is so huge.”

“That’s what they all say . . . ” Florian smirked. Gideon growled like a vicious dog. “Oh, were you referring to the cat?” he taunted the male standing near me. “Well, you know me, I never leave a pussy starving. Always purring and coming back for more.”

I had expected Priya to roll her eyes and snap something grumpy at him by now, but she stood silent. A content smirk on her face from seeing Gideon disheveled and leashed as he kept the flames that were eager to obliterate Florian at bay.

“Florian, this is Gideon, my husband,” I mumbled, distracted. I had no time for pleasantries—the red cat allowed me to pick him up, making me grin as he settled in my arms, purring against my chest.

“Oh, we’ve met.” Florian examined Gideon up and down, not even slightly intimidated by his deathly glare. “Bringing your own husband to our secret little rendezvous? I must say I am intrigued; brutes are not usually my type, but I am sure we could make it work. Besides, I am never against sharing, gorgeous, anything to spice up that dull married life.”

I shook my head, too preoccupied to care about whatever this show was, but the fool was going to get incinerated, so I gave Gideon a warning glance. He was pushed to his limits. His nostrils flared, and his face turned menacing as I was sure he’d imagined Florian burst in flames for the millionth time.

“Another word about my wife and your grandfather will be in dire need of a new heir,” he threatened.

“Good to see you too, Florian.” The cat jumped out of my arms, making me immediately regret speaking even a word. “But unfortunately for you, I called you because we are in need of your other skills.” I turned to face him, enlightened to see my friend.

“You wound me, beautiful.” Florian dramatically pretended to stab himself in the heart. Priya scoffed; Gideon snarled. Florian and I just smirked. “What is it that you desire, precious little thing?” he asked.

“We need to be smuggled into Svitar.”

“And by you, you mean you and your Destroyer army?” He paused, though he never dropped the playful demeanor, Florian was far from na?ve.

“Yes,” I answered. There was no point in hiding the truth.

“I must say, reports of the new Destroyer Empress are the juiciest gossip in Svitar. The Dragon Queen and the Protector of Justice . . . And as it turns out, a little freckled rebel.” His eyes curiously met mine. “It’s a twist I didn’t expect.”

“Believe me neither did I. But I want to stop the bloodshed, Florian. I want this war to end. I want the dust to settle and peace to flourish. I want the rumors to be of what outrageous dress the Fashion Corner displayed this week rather than that of upcoming wars.”

“You know I am powerless against a damsel in distress, so I shall help. Now, to make it official, all we need is a passionate kiss to seal the deal.” He winked, getting a rise out of Gideon.

To Gideon’s credit, the man saw through his pretense, but something so primal in him was still riled up, demanding to shred Florian to pieces.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Gideon glowered. “My lips are ready for your caress, Casteol.”

“Touché.” Florian smirked, assessing the group. “I can smuggle a few of you into the city, but there are nuances we must discuss if you plan to breach the walls.”

Florian followed us through the freshly set up Destroyer camp a few miles away from Svitar’s city walls. The ancient, unbreachable citadel stood tall and monumental on the horizon. Florian strode next to me dressed in his crisp white shirt unbuttoned just enough to show off the large floral tattoo on his chest. He hooked his burgundy jacket over his shoulder with his finger, half of his glossy, straight hair tied with a black ribbon. The eccentric golden cufflinks on his wrists reflected in the lazy afternoon sun. He walked with an ease in his step, not concerned by the inquisitive looks sent his way, leaning into his Svitar’s true-royalty charisma.

Gideon led us to the broad three-pole tent that now served as a council room.

“Oh Gideon, I apologize, we must’ve arrived early to our meeting.” Lord De Villiar rose from a large chair near the vast oval shaped table made out of Destroyer’s glass, near him his wife and his daughter.

I winked at Aurelia, excited to see the girl. She awkwardly waved back, earning a scornful glance from her mother.

“No apologies needed; our ally was late,” Gideon stated, his voice too dangerously calm.

“Oh, don’t believe a word this brute says, I arrived just in time,” Florian joked lightheartedly. He took a step ahead of me, extending his hand to Lord De Villiar. “Florian Casteol.”

“Lord Frederick De Villiar.” Frederick shook his hand, pausing as he examined Florian once again. “Casteol, as in related to Valerian Casteol?”

“Yes. My grandfather,” Florian said with a soft smile, not letting the shocked look on Lord De Villiar’s face at the revelation bother him. He turned to the two ladies standing next to the gray-haired lord. “And this charming lady must be?—”

“Lady Fleur De Villiar.” Fleur gave him a very much lady-raised-in-royal-court smile. Her face was a lot more stoic than her husbands at the knowledge of Florian’s identity.

“My absolute pleasure,” he purred, reaching her extended hand as he landed a gentle kiss. He rose, meeting Aurelia’s prying glance.

“And who is this utterly breathtaking little bird?” Florian sweetly cooed, eyes sparkling with excitement as he took another look at the angelic girl, dressed in her stretched out sweaters and long flowy skirts. Her big blue bow accentuated the silver in her long hair. The tight ringlets on the ends perfect as always.

“This is—” I opened my mouth to save Aurelia from Florian, but to my surprise, Aurelia took a step forward from her parents, raising her chin high like the proper lady she was, and extended her hand for a kiss.

“Lady Aurelia De Villiar,” she proclaimed confidently. Florian grinned, not hesitating even for a split second before he gently brushed a kiss against her translucent skin.

“Truly a delight, Lady De Villiar,” he purred, letting go of her hand.

“I like your bow,” Aurelia stated matter-of-factly, “Though it is rather simple, which is not typically my taste. I like my accessories to be louder.”

“Well, I must agree. I’ve taken a liking to yours much more. Perhaps once the boring talk is over, we could trade?” Florian gave her a crooked smile.

“Hmmm . . . ” Aurelia contemplated, taking a second scrutinizing look at Florian’s appearance. “Your bow and one of those cufflinks,” she bargained.

“A lady clearly with good taste. But only one?”

“Two is too much. Accessorizing has to compliment, not overpower, Florian,” she so casually scolded him.

“A bow and a cufflink, it is. Lady De Villiar, you got yourself a deal.” He chuckled, enamored by her.

“Oh good, the band is all together.” Xentar’s upbeat voice sounded as cheerful as I remembered from the first time meeting him as he trudged inside, along with Zora and Orest.

My eyes flashed with prying curiosity at those two. They stood a step unusually close to each other, too comfortable in each other’s presence. I found myself forcefully glaring at Gideon, who just shook his head.

Oblivious little fool. What did he know.

Xentar cleared his throat.

“Oh yes, um, Zora, Orest, Xentar meet Florian Casteol,” I introduced them.

Florian shook the male's hands. He then bowed low, attempting to kiss Zora’s hand who eagerly refused the gesture, grimacing even at the thought of it.

“Look at you, gorgeous, making new friends.” Florian straightened up, adjusting the collars of his shirt, “but I’ll always be your first, won’t I?” He winked at me over his shoulder.

“I’m her fucking first friend, Florian, stay in your lane,” Priya grumped from the long chaise where she plastered her outstretched legs. She rested her elbows on the armrests, hands folded on her stomach. “So, do you all need another moment to discuss the weather, or are you ready to talk about more pressing matters? Because I, for one, am sick of waiting.”

“I wish a lack of patience was your worst trait, but unfortunately, we aren’t so lucky.” Aurelia responded with a bite in her tone.

“The little bird has sharp claws, doesn’t she?” Florian leaned over to whisper in my ear as we watched Lady De Villiar give a reprimanding look at her daughter.

“Apparently,” I fought a little chuckle, enjoying this feisty side of Aurelia.

Priya narrowed her eyes at the girl, though she stayed quiet, which was a surprise of its own.

Xentar took a step closer to Florian and me, joining in on the whisper.

“So how much are you all betting there will be at least one dead by the end of this meeting?”

“We will be lucky if it’s only one dead,” I snickered. Gideon scoffed, overhearing our betting conversation, taking a seat at the table. His head pointed to the chair next to his, asking for me to come sit near him.

“Perhaps we shall begin by discussing what our new ally needs in order to guide our army through the tunnels.” Orest’s voice was calm and collected, his cold glare sobering everyone in the room as we all took a seat around the long, oval table.

“All right.” Florian’s brow perked. “Does anyone have a map handy?”

Gideon passed him one of the scrolls from the open trunk near him.

“Let’s start here,” Florian pointed to the inconspicuous fields on the outskirts of the city.

Sentence by sentence, a plan was formed. Questions from Orest, Zora, Xentar, De Villiars, Gideon and I, cut like a chisel, shaping our strategy.

I sat by my husband near the rest of them as we crafted the blueprint for our victory. A way for us to take the city without the devastating battle and carnage.

“It would have to be less than ten people.” Florian pointed to one of the secret entrances to the city. “Otherwise we risk being detected.”

“Ten will be enough,” Zora declared before anyone could argue.

I looked at her, heart heavy. Both of us exchanged understanding nods. This was her battle. This was her fight to win, and I would follow her.

“If the dragons take down those creatures here”—Gideon pointed to a small field by the Royal Castle—“the damage would be minimal.”

“We would have to draw the fighting in the streets further out here.” Zora pointed to two large squares.

“The Artist Hill will be blocked, and they will blow the bridges the moment we are in the city,” Orest added.

“True,” Florian added, furrowing his brows dramatically, as he tapped his finger on his chin, mocking the serious looks on the Destroyers’ faces in the room. I glanced at Aurelia, who paused doodling with her set of hand-made feathered pens, turning at the sound of Florian’s voice.

“Kinderby River is the deepest river, I could try to help but truthfully, I am not sure if my magic would be strong enough to sustain a bridge for long.” Xentar folded his arms, perplexed.

“We will have enough power to siege the river on our end,” Gideon answered with a cryptic look on his face.

“When the chaos erupts, we need to establish a safe zone for all the women and children caught in the crossfire,” Lord De Villiar chipped in.

The discussion went on and on, occasionally getting stuck until someone would offer a solution.

I leaned back in my chair, looking around the room.

Somehow, each person in the room looked different to me now. Perhaps it was my newly attributed divine powers, but for a moment it was as if I could see their souls, their fears, their hopes. All so different, all so extraordinary.

All the people gathered here had come to win a war. To end suffering. To make a difference for a better life.

Not so long ago, I was alone, grieving the loss of the only family I knew, and now I was in a room full of people that I could call family.

Gideon gave me a comforting squeeze on my thigh.

Are you okay? His powerful eyes silently questioned, noticing my withdrawn look.

Yes , I gave him a slight nod.

But I was more than okay. I felt powerful.

Not because of the magic or powers.

But because I was surrounded by the people I loved.