Page 15 of A Simple Truth (the Freckled Fate #2)

14

FINNLEAH

“ A re we not waiting for the others?” I asked Zora as we walked past the training rings to the farthest corner of the camp, far into the fields, where the wet grass trailed past our knees.

“No. Today is going to be just you and me,” Zora replied.

“Why?”

“Because I think we can both agree, it’s time for you to learn to summon fire.” My brows crawled up at her words, but I silently nodded in agreement, ignoring the anxiety exploding within me. “And who would be a better teacher than the girl that can’t summon fire at all?” Zora sarcastically chuckled, opening her palm and summoning what looked like a ball of heat, almost invisible to the eye, except for the slightly murky sphere. “This is what heat looks like. Just like some humans are stronger than others, so are Destroyers. We all range in the depth of our powers with what level of temperature and heat we can summon. There is a certain hierarchy to our powers. Destroyers that can only summon sparks are the lowest level, then heat summoning Destroyers, such as myself. Then we have the fire summoning—Bombers and Shapers—depending on whether they can shape the fire into objects or not. Most of the Ten are Shapers. Then there are the raw fire wielders, such as you and our dearest General. Justice Wielders, such as you two, are wild cards. They can do it all, and then some. Your heat shields are impenetrable, your fire can turn things into ashes with a blink of an eye or a snap of a finger, the shaping ability is a lot more grand, and so on. Oh, and unlike any other Destroyers, you can also suffocate fires.”

“Okay.” I nodded, absorbing all the information, hesitating to ask the one question that had been floating in my mind from the moment I had learned I possessed the powers.

“It’s the biggest honor for Destroyers to serve in the army. Most of us that enlist are Bombers and Shapers. If other kinds want to serve and pass the trials, which very rarely happens, are usually the ones assigned to run the logistics of the army or our nurseries. As you can tell, we strive for order and structure.”

My mouth opened and then closed in hesitation.

“Ask,” Zora ordered, raising her brow at me.

I took a short breath. “Are the powers hereditary?”

“Yes. While the degree of powers will vary person to person, you cannot be a Destroyer unless one of your parents is. And chances are, both of them were. Destroyers don’t marry outside their kind often, or ever, actually.”

“Does that mean one of them was a Justice Wielder?” I asked. A little shiver ran through my body as my mind clung to one truth I had finally learned about my parents.

Destroyers. All this time.

“Males carry the Justice Fire gene; however, it doesn’t mean that they wield it. Raw fire is rare. Very rare,” she paused, her eyes scanning mine, looking for something that I could not understand before she continued, “And it is even more rare in females. Like, once in a generation kind of rare, Finn,” she said, as if there were something more behind the words. “It is the original fire that the runaway goddess gifted to her eldest son in its pure form thousands of years ago.”

Zora kept on talking, but my mind wandered, lingering on that simple truth.

They were Destroyers. My parents, somehow, all this time, were Destroyers.

For twenty-three years, I had imagined their shadowy figures in my head. As a child, I had often stared at the other children’s parents, wondering if mine looked similar to them, but no matter how hard I had tried to imagine, they were always these faceless, shapeless creatures. Yet somehow, I could now envision their statues, dressed in that dark silver armor, wielding fire, swords at their sides…

“Are you listening?” Zora asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t know,” I sincerely answered, as we took a seat at the trunk of a large fallen tree.

“Didn’t know what?”

“About my parents. I grew up with a maid, and the only thing I knew of my parents was that they died. I don’t know their names or who they were. I never knew they were Destroyers.”

“Oh.” Zora paused, taking another look at me. “Want to talk about it?”

I swallowed hard, shaking my head. Words couldn’t bring back the dead, but deeds could honor them. “Teach me to summon the fire.” I nervously scratched my arm.

“Every fire starts with a spark.” A corner of her mouth lifted upwards in a crooked smile as she snapped her fingers and tiny sparks of fire appeared in front of me. I snapped my fingers, repeating after her, only to see defeating nothingness being summoned. We tried a few more times with just as fruitless results. The Commander adjusted in her seat, deciding to take a new approach.

“Close your eyes,” she commanded. “Now, look deep within yourself and feel for that magic. Some Destroyers feel it as a bucket, or a lake, that you can dip into and source the fire out of. It’s always there, a part of you.” I peeked from one of my eyes, seeing Zora’s eyes closed, and her hands out. “Just imagine dipping your hand into the water.” And as if on cue, she moved her hand, summoning a ball of heat.

I took a long, deep breath, shutting my eyes once more, looking deep within, behind the thick walls, behind the closed doors and dusty locks. But there was nothing. Empty and solemn. Only the occasional rustling of chains echoed within.

“There is nothing.”

“Keep looking,” Zora encouraged.

I dove even deeper through my mind’s void halls; the halls I only vaguely remember seeing before. I trailed my finger down the cold, stone-like walls, meandering down the spiral stairs leading into nothing but an abyss.

“There is nothing,” I replied again, trying to keep frustration at bay.

“Keep. Looking,” Zora cheered on with a stern voice, and I dutifully listened, shutting my eyes once more.

I had never been so deep within the fortress of myself, but I walked farther and farther, through what felt like mazes of my own self. The dark halls narrowed, creeping shadows, warning me, chasing me out. My heartbeat increased with every step, shivers running down my body. My mind sounded alarms, begging, threatening me to stop, as my body dizzied.

“Keep going,” Zora instructed, as I felt her hands hold on to mine, not realizing that my body was violently shaking.

I ignored the little beads of cold sweat dripping past my brow, sliding along my prickly skin. I was now absolutely blinded by the darkness, relying on nothing but touch as I descended another set of stairs, shocked when, at last, I felt what must have been a door.

“Almost there,” Zora shouted, but her voice sounded distant, as if she was miles away, muffled and faint. I felt a tug, as if someone was pulling my soul out from the darkness closing in, suffocating me. My mind began shutting down completely, but I fought back, past the shadows, through the absolute terror as my hands pulled on the small, round doorknob.

A loud and bright flash painfully blinded my eyes, quickly replaced by the soothing darkness.

“Thank gods!” Motra’s loud voice pulled me back to consciousness, as I slowly opened my eyes. Rays of what now looked like afternoon sun slipped past the ten female figures hovering over me. My arm moved on instinct, shielding my eyes from the sun.

Zora’s figure dropped to the ground near me, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“What happened?” I asked, confused, raising myself up just a bit until I rested on my elbows. I was no longer seated. Instead, I laid against the warm ground. I took another assessing look at the concerned faces still warily staring at me, only now noticing Lulu’s glance down to the ground by my feet. My eyes widened in realization—where the wilted winter grass used to be, now was nothing but singed dirt. I stood up, trying to ignore the growing nausea and the excruciating headache. The Ten reluctantly stepped aside as my eyes widened even more, though this time in complete shock, as I took a few steps out of the hovering circle.

It wasn’t just the ground I had laid on. The entire field was now burnt to a complete crisp.

I sharply turned my face to find Zora amidst the Ten, sitting on the ground, exchanging silent looks with the rest of the women. Only then did I notice her hands shaking a bit as she ran her fingers up and down the chain at her hip.

She caught my gaping stare, her words cutting through the heavy silence.

“Well, the good news is it seems you finally found your source.”

The loud clanking of silverware was the only sound accompanying our early dinner. What was usually a lively event was now dead silent. I took another bite of mashed potatoes, forcing myself to eat despite the nausea creeping up my throat. My eyes glanced up only to see a bunch of eyes lowered to the ground.

Gia scooted closer to me as her bright face gently winced.

“Well, Finn, today has been an odd, but truly a great day. A little bit terrifying, but I think we should all be celebrating that you are learning to source your fire.” She smiled as cheerfully as possible at me, but I grimaced at her.

“What was terrifying about it?” I now took another look around.

“Well, let’s just say we could have been mourning today.” Ashe twisted her fork into the rubbery deer meat.

“What?”

Cass hesitantly sipped her water as the twins, for once, seemed more lip-tied than Lulu herself.

“See there, girl, you almost died today, and damn nearly took Zora with you—”

“But I—”

“And who knows how many more if we hadn’t made it there in time,” Yanush added.

“You wield a lot of raw fire. Not just a spark or two,” Tori said, flinching.

“Oh, she does have raw fire alright, but it seems that it’s more of a rabid animal with a mind of its own, willing to kill her and anyone around when disturbed without its permission,” Ioanna hissed.

“But I—” I tried to explain. I tried to understand.

“We will try again tomorrow,” Zora interrupted me, her words earning her a few stern glances.

“Zora, perhaps we should consider waiting until Gideon comes back. He would be able to control it…if things get out of hand.” Motra’s lips turned into a thin line.

“It is a wise thing to do.” Cass shook her head in agreement.

But Zora didn’t listen to anyone as she stared at me, assessing, considering.

“No, we will try again tomorrow.” She narrowed her eyes at me, determined, despite the disapproving looks of the Ten. And I silently agreed with her.