Page 79 of A Simple Truth (the Freckled Fate #2)

78

GIDEON

T he obsidian brick of Blackstone castle felt slippery under my fingers as I climbed a few paces up. The winds this high up rustled my dark, short cloak, mingling it with shadows. The wide, murky canal, encircling the castle walls, was ready to devour our bodies should we fall. My eyes locked with Orest’s as I lifted my chin toward a couple of guards patrolling the passage above us. He nodded in confirmation.

A part of me deliberated walking through the front gates, not bothering with these theatrics. And perhaps, I really should’ve considered it, now that my fingers hurt from ascending the slick, tall wall of the castle. Yet, there was something satisfyingly predatory within me, something sinister, to hunt them in the night like that. To not allow for a single warning, a single chance to escape.

It was also somewhat nostalgic for me to come in this way. I had climbed up and down these walls so many times as a kid, escaping the smothering nature of this stronghold in secret.

My hand slipped but I caught myself a second later. A drop this from this height would mean death. But that fact didn’t bother me right now.

We steadily scaled the castle wall, now only a simple jump to the large, stone rails of the small balcony. I motioned with my hand and Orest leapt. The soldiers patrolling tonight did not utter a single word, Utradecend suffocating them just long enough for Orest to slice their throats with clinical precision. He silently set their bodies down while they choked on their own blood in the last seconds of their lives. Orest had always liked to watch their lives slowly be extinguished from their eyes, his cuts were fatal and meticulous with no margin for error.

“Ready?” I murmured, adjusting my hood, he nodded as the fresh blood pooled by his feet.

My eyes scanned the now-empty balcony. I still had vivid memories of this place being filled with a million flowerpots. Diamara used to have a swing right there in the corner too, she’d spend her afternoons watching the beautiful view, enjoying a book. I glanced over to a particularly dark spot across from me. Even after she left, my uncle kept the flowers alive for the longest time, hoping she’d come back, letting their blooms bring color to the black walls of the castle.

Until one day, I had come here with him, only to watch him burn every pot, every plant and blossom to the ground. It was also the first time I had seen him truly in despair.

I kicked the large doors wide open. Orest followed me like a shadow as we marched through the chambers, towards the Emperor’s room. A couple more moves of our blades and the three guards rushing towards us with their swords laid dead, Fate cutting their threads short. I pushed the two golden double doors wide open, walking into the largest bedroom in the castle.

Hosam and his wife startled, already up in their bed, pulling up their covers as pure shock flashed across their faces.

“Pretend it’s a dream. A nightmare, for that matter,” I mumbled to his wife as she gasped, recognizing me immediately as I pulled the hood of my cloak down. Her eyes widened, comprehending their unspoken destinies. “You were always a smart one, weren’t you?”

I motioned to Orest; he gave me a curt nod obeying my silent order.

“Gideon…” Hosam seethed, as the initial shock wore off and ire lingered on his face.

“Uh uh.” I shook my pointer finger at him, and he paused his hand just inches above the secret alarm to the armies below. “Do you want your soldiers to die too, Hosam?” I carelessly cooed at him, and he obediently lifted his hand back up. “That’s what I thought.” My lips stretched with a smug smile.

“What do you want, Gideon?” he spat. The dark moon lit up the spacious room as air laced with beckoning death.

“I’ve come to ask a few questions,” I replied, as I pulled a cushioned chair out, resting my arms and crossing my ankles as I leaned back. “Oh, and to kill you, of course,”

“Think of your uncle, Gideon. What are you doing?!” he hissed, and I gave him a small, obnoxious grin, dragging my eyes to the large, empty wall where a giant portrait of my father used to hang.

“I think it’s rather poetic, isn’t it?” I looked around the room. “You, sleeping in the exact bed my father was killed in. Killed by my uncle , I may add. So, in a way, if you think about it, I am following his footsteps.” I waved with my hand to myself. “Raised by a traitor, becomes a traitor.” I peeked over to the few dead bodies scattered in the room behind the open doors. “Though, by the number of guards you kept here I am assuming you suspected this end.”

“What is it that you want? Ask, and be done with it,” Hosam barked.

“I always respected you, Hosam. And it brings me no joy to kill you now. I think I would’ve enjoyed killing you on the battlefield more,” I replied, carelessly scratching a bit of the stubble on my chin. “But I am in a particularly shitty mood today, and it just seemed to be a better occasion, but I shall respect your wish...” I rested my elbows on the armrests. “A while back, there was a group of Destroyers looking for a female elf in Esnox. Why?” I asked, carefully examining him. A bit of confusion filled his face, but only for a second. His eyes unveiled the truth as he spoke,

“They weren’t hunting the elf. They were looking for the child. The elf was just a nice addition, but it was the child she was with that they were after.”

“Why?” I probed further, my face emotionless, my voice filled with boredom.

“I do not know. The Queen doesn’t tell me all her goals and plans, Gideon. She instructed me to find the child, so we looked across Esnox for a female elf and a child she cared for.”

“Did you ever find her?” I was aware of the answer to this question, nonetheless I still asked.

“We didn’t. I sent a special unit to find them based on the rumors we’d heard, yet they never came back. I dispatched another unit to find out what had happened to the soldiers that disappeared, and they found nothing but scorched fields for miles. The soldiers were gone and so was the elf and the child. We’ve tried looking for her since, but there hasn’t been a single whisper of the elf and a girl with her for years now.”

“Why did the Queen care about her?” I pushed, forcing my voice to stay composed.

“You bastard…you have her, don’t you?” He realized, letting out an almost disbelieving chuckle.

“Who is she?” I asked again, not denying that I had her.

“I do not know, Gideon. But for what it’s worth, you should know the Queen is still looking for her.”

“Hmm…” The nuzzling frustration grew heavier within me, but my expressionless face was ironclad, not letting through even a glimpse of the turmoil. “It’s a good thing I am looking for the Queen then. Perhaps, she’ll be more helpful. Where is she, by the way?”

“The Queen shows herself only when she wants to. You’ll never find her unless she lets you. But you already know that yourself.” Hosam looked through the sheer curtains at the large full moon, letting out a long sigh. “I’ve lived a long life, Gideon. And perhaps it is a gift from Fate that I do not end up witnessing you two obliterate Esnox into nothing.” He turned to me, his old eyes settling on mine, the previous fury calmed, his fate accepted.

I stared at the face of a man whose opinion and advice were once of deep value to me.

“I always wondered what would happen to you. And a part of me is sad that this is the path you are choosing. Your father broke the foundation of Destroyers, but you are set on a path to completely destroy us all.”

“Sometimes in order to build something new, you have to abolish the dreadful old,” I retorted.

“I’ve always kept my eyes closed to your brutality, to that vile darkness within you, ever since you were a kid. And perhaps it is my own downfall for not seeing it sooner. Now your wickedness is spreading like a disease, poisoning us all. Diamara would have been ashamed of what you’ve become,” he uttered, his voice grave.

I would be lying if I said that his last words didn’t sting at all, but I motioned with my hand, pulling on Hosam’s fire power.

“Too bad I have no interest in the opinions of the dead, yours included,” I replied with a casual voice. Hosam’s face turned blue as he struggled against his silky sheets, slowly suffocating. Tears slid down his wife’s cheeks as she fought the sobs, watching him die.

I nodded to Orest, letting him have his turn.

“Are you going to kill my sons?” the wife asked me through silent cries as Orest loosened his hold.

“I’ll give them the choice to follow me or to die,” I responded. She quietly sobbed but nodded. Orest promptly slid a blade into her throat, watching as her body violently shook, her hands panicking, attempting to hold the wound as she bled out until the last flicker of life had finally gone out. “Though loyalty and revenge don’t often coincide,” I muttered, taking a last look at the room and then moving my eyes to Orest. “Anything?”

“Nope,” Orest replied.

“Well, this night is quite a disappointment.” I let out a low growl, boiling frustration was becoming an ongoing theme in my life. “Who is next on the list?”

“Andrias is only a few flying hours away according to these letters. We could be there by morning.” Orest ravaged through the many papers on Hosam’s desk.

“Fuck it. Let’s visit dear Andrias.”