Page 3 of A Simple Truth (the Freckled Fate #2)

2

GIDEON

“ G ods be damned. Raw fucking fire.” Zora paused, running her fingers through the chain of her weapon, as she stared at the now-scorched tent. Her brows lifted, and the corners of her mouth followed suit, forming a pleasant yet shocked expression.

I let out a long sigh as I turned to Finn, only to see her body sway and her eyes roll. With a quick stride, I closed the distance just in time to catch her as she fell.

This was definitely not how I had planned this day to go; not how I envisioned this conversation would occur.

Every night since last summer, I thought of this precise moment; how it would be filled with excitement and maybe slight relief on both sides a moment of clarity and truth for both of us. Not hatred, rage, anger, and the worst part: shock.

A sour frown crept up my lips as I glared at the missing wall of the tent.

No, this was not at all how I had hoped for things to go.

“Nothing to stare at,” Zora shouted to the curious soldiers still peeking through the giant hole. I held back the growl making its way up my throat as they gawked at the unconscious woman in my arms. “Don’t you have things to do? Or should I give you more chores, Lynenkor?” At her stern voice, they hurriedly dispersed.

“Perhaps we should take her somewhere else.” Orest gave me a sensible look and I nodded, carrying her to my own tent.

Her ashy, tangled hair gently tickled my bare forearms as her body pressed flush against my chest. Although everything had gone wrong, in this moment, it felt so undeniably right to have her right there, against my heart. Her floral scent of magnolia and peony blossoms, complemented by the sweet tartness of lime, settled deep within my lungs with each breath. The sensation was one of which I had been craving since our moment atop the bridge.

Gods , nothing in the world smelled better than her.

I swiftly entered my tent, still holding Finn close, reluctant to lay her in my bed, but with hesitation, I placed her down amidst the scattered blankets and furs. Strangely, it felt so empty without her in my arms. A sensation I couldn't quite reconcile.

“Get her some food,” I barked at no one in particular, incapable of pulling my eyes away from her.

“So, you weren’t lying. I’ll give you that,” Zora mumbled, standing not too far behind me, her arms crossed, as she too stared at Finn’s pale, unconscious form while Orest left the chamber.

“Is she going to be okay?” Xentar asked with concern, taking a seat in the large lounging chair across from the bed.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine. This is common when first learning how to summon fire. Regulating body temperature is a difficult task, and it is incredibly easy to overheat or freeze. Some pass out the first few times they do it because their powers overwhelm them, or they haven’t figured out how to draw from the correct energy source, rendering them unconscious,” Zora replied nonchalantly, adjusting the large, metal spikes in her raven-colored bun.

Orest came back a moment later with a cup of hot tea and a loaf of bread.

“She’s still in shock,” he mumbled to me, passing over the cup.

Shock was the understatement of the century.

She'd completely shut down. The worst part being, I had been the one to push her there. I should’ve eased her into the news. I should have , but, after so many months of waiting, I was so stupidly eager to tell her the truth that I broke her. I scratched my stubble, my eyes lingering on her pallid face and her dark freckles, now appearing even more prominent.

The frustration within me was boiling faster than the water in the cup I was holding.

Fuck.

“Time to wake up,” I muttered impatiently, pinching her perfect, button-like nose and rounded cheeks. Her eyes opened a moment later, a look of confusion immediately replaced by her familiar, murdering glare, directed at me. “Welcome back,” I cooed. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.” I handed her the hot cup of tea. Her lip curled with displeasure as she scowled at me. But after a few minutes of consideration, as she ran her eyes across the people present in the room, she begrudgingly took it, pausing briefly before taking a tiny sip. The herbal water, sweetened by an excessive amount of sugar, swiftly brought back the color to her face. My tense muscles eased a bit at the sight, and I managed to take a few steps back, giving her space as she nibbled on a piece of bread.

“Well, this has been an interesting development,” Xentar whispered to Zora and me. “Truthfully, if I knew I was going to be called a traitor before lunch, I would’ve had a bigger breakfast first.”

“ Traitor and child-defiling monster… My late mother would roll in her grave knowing the company her daughter keeps nowadays.” Zora smirked mischievously, as Xentar and Orest fought back their laughter.

“I'm glad you all find this situation humorous,” I grumbled, scratching the back of my head.

“Oh, look at the bright side, brother, you can’t quite get worse than a monster and child-defiler, so it’s only going to get better from now on.” Xentar muffled a laugh, patting me on the back, pointedly ignoring the scowl I directed at him.

“I think she is still considering murdering you,” Orest said as he exchanged a glance with Finn.

Fantastic.

“As much as I enjoy seeing her unwavering desire to assassinate you, Gideon, it doesn’t get us anywhere.” Zora opened her palm to show Kaius’s ring. “We still don’t know where Kaius is…or how she got the ring.”

“I am not deaf, and Kaius is dead.” Finn's quiet but firm voice sounded as the four of us turned to face her, her words chilling us to the bones.

A part of me knew leaving Svitar that the odds were slim, but we had all held on to the hope that he'd come back; that he would make it. That he’d show up any day now, joking that he was late for dinner.

I ran my hand through my hair, the only moment of weakness I’d allow myself.

“Fuck,” Zora cursed. Xentar let out a heavy breath.

“How?” I asked, forcing my jumbled thoughts in order.

“He was bitten by a Kahor, captured by the Royal Guard, and ultimately died in the Royal Dungeons. I was there with him when he took his last breath. That’s how I got the ring,” Finn replied, her eyes guardedly observing each one of us.

No, this was not how I’d imagined this day going at all.

I’d lost men before, and yet, it never hurt any less. Their names always left a deep scar on my soul. Another drop in the bucket of endless burdens; one I’d carry with me forever.

“We need to tell Ophelia,” Orest murmured, breaking the painful silence. I ignored him as I focused on the freckled assassin before me.

“Why were you in the Royal dungeons?” I interrogated, slipping back into the comfortable role of the ruthless leader; a role I so masterfully played that, at times, it was hard to know when the performance ended, and the truth began.

I tilted my head a bit, watching her warily take another sip of her drink, her shivering finally subsiding. Her deep emerald eyes paused on a small chip in her cup for a moment, calculating. She lifted them back up to me the initial shock and confusion from before was replaced with something deep and ominous as she spoke,

“After the Rebels ”she narrowed her eyes on me at the word “caused the explosion, I went looking for my friend and instead, I found Kaius and the Kahors. We managed to kill one, but we were captured by Royal guards and locked in the dungeons. Kaius died and I was freed.”

“How did you manage to kill a Kahor?” Xentar asked, astounded.

“The same way I considered killing your General —by beheading it,” she answered, rendering Xentar speechless.

“Why were you at the Royal ball?” My voice was harsh and purposefully accusing as I pushed her further.

“I was there with my friends,” Finn replied assertively, detesting the obscure accusation.

“An escaped slave with Royals for friends, who just happened to be invited to the most prestigious event in Esnox? Forgive me if I find that story hard to believe,” I challenged her further, her eyes lighting up with that vile fury again as she glared back, unyielding.

“Not all of us, General , lead a double life, if that’s what you are implying,” she countered sternly, putting down her cup.

“Perhaps you’ll have better luck explaining how you came to possess the Basalt Glass then?” I asked, folding my arms and letting cold uneasiness settle in the air.

“It was gifted to me,” Finn responded.

I scoffed, my eyebrow rising with skepticism as I continued.

“ Gifted ? The rarest material...You were simply given something that people kill and die for? Was it from these same ‘friends’ of yours?”

“No. It was gifted by a different person,” Finn stated as she met my threatening gaze with one of her own. For a moment, we glared at each other as if this was some kind of staring contest; yet, it was more like two wounded animals at an impasse, ready to lash out.

“She is telling the truth, Gideon,” Orest added calmly, aware of the heated stares being exchanged.

“If the generosity of my friends bothers you, General , then I’d suggest having a conversation with your friends about giving you better gifts,” Finn spat out at last, severing the silence between us.

Xentar awkwardly cleared his throat at that comment, while Zora and Orest shared a few fleeting looks.

“But why abandon your friends and go look for the Rebels?” Zora asked.

“A death promise,” Finn responded, turning to face Zora. “To deliver that ring to his family. Kaius is the one who told me to go north, past the Cursed Forest, and find the Rebels.”

At those words, Finn glanced over at me again, scrutinizing me from head to toe. I let her stare as my own eyes darkened like the sky in a summer storm.

“Then you must fulfill your promise,” I declared, earning a displeasing sigh from Zora.

If Finn saw me as a monster, then she needed to understand that some things were worth being a monster for.