Page 17 of A Simple Truth (the Freckled Fate #2)

16

GIDEON

O rest swirled the water in his goblet, his lip curling bitterly as he took another sip—the only sign of his ever-growing enragement, one that I fully shared.

The terrified performers jumped and hopped to avoid the small streaks of fire the half-drunk Destroyer generals sent their way. Their loud squeals and stifled screams mixed with the generals’ loud, obnoxious laughter jabbed at my ears. The few remaining musicians played eagerly, filling the large hall with noise.

My eyes vigilantly followed Andrias and Servos, along with their Seconds as they fully delved in the entertainment. They were so oblivious to the deadly Destroyer sitting just across from them, planning their demise, as they lounged and filled their bellies to the brim. The whispers of the rebel town burned to ashes were already settling in people’s minds. Just a week ago, a lively town, now turned into nothing but a crossed-out name on the map.

“What? Not participating in the festivities?” Lachlan approached us, taking a seat next to me.

“What is it that you need, Lachlan?” I asked, fully aware that unlike the rest of the generals, he was indeed sober, waiting for this precise moment. He lounged back on the chair, our eyes observing the chaos erupting at the end of the room as fire sent by Andrias landed on the large bass, quickly devouring the instrument.

Prick.

“War is coming, Gideon.” Lachlan’s voice became more somber as his eyes turned to me. But I ignored his piercing look while watching the other two generals. “And I don’t plan on losing.” He ran his fingers through his slick, greasy hair, pausing long enough that I quietly added,

“ And? ”

“ And I for one don’t like being a service dog for the Creators…Queen or not,” he continued. I scoffed at that but waited—waited for the truth to rise from all the smoke. “You know well, Destroyers ruled over Creators, ruled over Royals. They didn’t obey their commands. They—” He slightly tilted his head towards the generals afar. “We were just kids when the Order fell apart. But now, we have our own armies, and unlike them, we have money and titles beyond generals. Perhaps we should ponder what the Destroyers' purpose in this war is,” he spoke softly, though each word was laced with a tinge of edginess.

“What is it that you are insinuating, Lachlan?” I prodded further, until he’d break. But he took the bait faster than I expected as he blurted out,

“Don’t be so coy, Gideon. You are a Justice Wielder, that’s not a secret to anyone. You very well know what that means. We all know what that meant at one point for Destroyers.”

“Perhaps. But the Order is gone. Long live Queen Insanaria...”

“Gone, but not forgotten. Destroyers used to rule them all; we were both feared and revered. We used to sail the oceans, bring riches, and now… obeying a Creator? Rebels killing us? Our men dying for a Creator ?” he retorted. Dangerous, poison-laced words; ones I’d been meticulously engraining in him ever since he became a general.

“You know, Lachlan, this conversation is starting to feel a lot like treason,” I commented with a noncommittal tone.

“A lot to say, coming from the man who was raised by the Destroyer who stabbed the Emperor in the back,” Lachlan scoffed, demanding the unspoken answer, but I didn’t delight him with my glance as I continued to watch the frazzled servants struggling to put out fires that were now spreading to the carpets and curtains.

“Careful there, Lachlan, my uncle did more for Destroyers than you’ll ever do,” I replied calmly, though my voice was sharp, threatening.

“Yet, you didn’t hesitate to kill him the moment you had the chance,” Lachlan countered with a challenge.

I took a long breath, calculating as I carefully said,

“And who says I won’t do the same thing to you?” I turned to face him, but he met my darkened gaze with determination.

“That’s a risk I am willing to take. Better that than slowly rotting in the desert, serving Creator scum.” He bitterly frowned at the mention of his territory. Territory that he was assigned based on my secret suggestion to Hosam. The corner of my lip tugged upward as pieces I had cautiously juggled for years landed in the right places.

I stood up, adjusting the cufflinks on my dress shirt, nodding goodbyes to the drunken generals. Lachlan stayed seated, watching my every move. At last, I lowered my eyes at him as I said,

“When the time comes, Lachlan, and it will come. The True Order will be restored.”

“I shall be patiently waiting,” said Lachlan, satisfied with my answer.

Three…two…one… In a blink, Orest’s figure appeared like a shadow, slithering into the unlit room. I knew he had been following me from the moment I had left my quarters. He trailed me clandestinely of course, in the careful, observing fashion that only my Second could do.

And though I was aware that he waited in the hall for more than thirty minutes before entering, I had somehow wanted another moment here, alone. In these quarters that even after all these years were reminiscent of her. The curtains on the walls were partly opened, letting in the cold glare of the moon through the dusty windows. The four-post bed was methodically made; the well-crafted vases on her nightstands were empty; and the previously bright, floral wallpaper was now faded.

“Orest.” I acknowledged him without turning around. My eyes locked on the untouched vanity, now empty of her miniature chests full of jewelry and trinkets that she occasionally let me play with; the little, rounded chair that she sat on so many nights reading, while I laid in her bed, pretending to be asleep. Somehow, this room remained untouched, frozen in time. Even the small tassels on the covers of the plush pillows that I spent numerous nights playing with, laid there unmoved.

“Is this her room?” Orest asked.

“Yes,” I answered, taking another deep breath of her lingering rose smell, though now mixed with old dust. There was no heartache, at least not anymore; just a simple sadness mixed with gratitude for the little time we had together. For the moments of brief happiness and love.

I rested my hands behind my back, taking one last glance at the empty dresser in the corner, and the hidden safe under the floorboards that used to be filled with her weapons—ones she kept in secret from her husband.

At the thought of him, my eyes blackened.

He truly was her downfall through it all.

And now I was faced with the same decision, one I promised I would never make. My thoughts without my permission drifted to the freckled woman, hundreds of miles away.

“He was sincere, if that’s what you were wondering,” Orest said, pulling me out of the deep abyss of my thoughts.

“But nonetheless, you still disagree,” I added, turning to him. Orest straightened a bit, not used to the light weight suit replacing his usual gray armor.

“I do. Lachlan has no loyalty; he has no honor. He’s greedy and he will take the first chance to betray you if it benefits him. You realize he doesn’t want the True Order to be returned. He is power hungry and doesn’t like that the Mad Queen dislikes him. She rejected his request to be the Commanding General, and now he is just looking for other ways to get what he wants.”

“Lachlan is an opportunist. He will always stay on the winning side. That’s why we need him just as much as he needs us,” I replied.

“He is also a sexist and a discriminatory pig. We could do without him. Plus, he will never fight alongside mages, unless it’s to overtake and enslave them,” Orest countered.

I smiled sadly, taking one last glance around the room before locking the door once more, putting the disturbed memories back to sleep.

“We are starting a war, Orest. A civil war. One we lost terribly twenty-three years ago. And I am not planning on losing it again. Truth is, we need allies, and we need armies. I don’t see anyone else lining up at our door with motivation to betray the Queen. And Lachlan’s army, though not ideal, is the largest one of all.”

“He publicly disgraced Zora and left her at the altar, Gideon. Is this alliance worth so much to you that you are so ready to forget that?” Orest’s words, though spoken calmly, still stung.

“Zora has approved of this alliance, Orest. Perhaps your concern comes from a personal matter. One that I must assure you has no grounds, though I definitely understand it, especially now...” I reassured as a certain freckled face popped up in my head involuntarily, those emerald eyes like poison, intoxicating my soul.

“My feelings for Zora have nothing to do with this, you know that,” Orest opposed.

“Yes, but if it makes you feel any better, Zora has my permission to kill him if he pisses her off.”

Orest chuckled unevenly, his frame easing as we walked out of the secluded chambers at the very top of the castle.

“Then he won’t even last a day,” he said with a certain optimism in his voice.