Page 88 of A Simple Truth (the Freckled Fate #2)

87

FINNLEAH

I slid down the dune, steadying my bare feet. The sheer, red veil covered my face as I made my way to the guards, adjusting the back strap of my bra where two small throwing blades hid against my skin. It was terrible placement—hard to access, hard to maneuver—but it was the only place on my body I could conceal them considering my revealing outfit.

Better than nothing.

My unbound hair covered the slight bulge the knives had created and night was covering my scars. Just as Nizana, the girl whose clothes I was wearing now, said, the west side of Red Rock Manor was secured by two guards.

“Come on, Nizana, don’t make them mad at you again for being late.” One of them ushered me through the door, and I hurried my steps, glad it was already dark outside. Just as she had explained, there was a long staircase leading down to the compound. But my eyes lingered on the opposite flight of stairs, leading up to the room with the giant picture, where I ultimately wanted to go. But the book had to wait, I reminded myself, as I hastily descended to the room below, knocking three times on the copper door. I uttered the password, just as Nizana had instructed me, and I was let in. It was an enormous gambling den, with a multitude of tables filled with dice, cards, and half-drunken men, served by barely-dressed waitresses.

The urge to burn all those loud, obnoxious men crept up my skin, but before I could act on it, my arm was painfully yanked.

“Who are you supposed to be?” a female seethed through her teeth dragging me away from the den, into the dark corner.

“Nizana, of course,” I answered, softening my voice as much as I could to mimic Nizana’s.

“If you are Nizana, then I am Merlin. And I am not. I’m Anfissa. So let me ask this again, who the fuck are you and where the fuck is Nizana?” She glowered, her nails painfully digging into my arm.

“You are just the person I was looking for. Nizana is freed, and I’ve come to free the rest of you.” I let the flames flicker in my eyes, showing her the extent of my intention. Her eyes widened but not in shock—in pure anger.

“You fucking better not,” she hissed, dragging me out to a room adjacent to the den. There were a few more girls, some of them brushing through their hair and putting on some makeup. She shut the door behind me a second later. “Whoever you are, if they find out we have Destroyers here…you might as well go kill the whole village,” she angrily jeered, as I adjusted my face covering.

“Where is Nizana?” another girl asked, surprised.

“She is free. She is gone. You can all leave and be free,” I explained eagerly, but instead of joyful cheers, a few of them chuckled, giving me a sorrowful look.

“Look around yourself, girl, do you not see that we are here of our own will? We could leave anytime, go back to our villages, if we wanted, and bring shame on them.”

“What?” A puzzled look creased my forehead.

“We are here because we are what’s keeping our villages alive and well fed. We are what’s keeping the bloodshed between the tribes at bay. And while yes, certain times of the week are hard, we do enjoy seeing our people taken care of, and our families prosper. So don’t come in here thinking you are the savior of our poor, pitiful souls. Because you are not,” Anfissa cut short.

I pulled the face covering down as I looked around the room once again.

“I don’t understand...” I started.

But Anfissa grumbled, explaining, “There are six tribes in the Desolate Desert, but only three oases…Nobody wanted to pay tithes for the oases and tribal wars went on, almost making us go extinct until an agreement was reached. Oases would be free of claim, neutral territories, as long as a daughter from each tribe would be given up,” Anfissa explained. “Each one of us is from a different tribe, and we’ve all volunteered to be here. Tribal leaders come here, they bond, and if they want to fuck a neighboring tribal girl, instead of starting a war, they can have us.” She folded her arms. “We all knew what we were signing up for. It keeps our people safe, and our families fed.”

“The fact that Nizana left...” another started, a bit withdrawn. “I don’t know who you are, and they won’t care tonight, but after a while, they will start asking questions.”

“My goal is to deal with them before that,” I honestly answered.

“You can’t use your Destroyer fire,” Anfissa sternly said. “Elves have their wards here. And if they know we have a Destroyer in our midst, they will stop trading with us.” At my confused look, she explained, “We are the descendants of the human army that was scattered during the Destroyer-Elven war, lost in the desert, our ancestors discovered rare diamonds and offered them to the elves in exchange for food. Though we had grain to support farming, nothing grows in this Destroyer-burnt earth. The only reason we all exist is because we assured the elves generations ago that we do not work with Destroyers, nor are we Destroyers. As an act of good faith, they let elves place their wards in all of the six tribes and around. If Destroyers were to come here and use their magic, they’d know, and they would starve us all to death. So, unless your plan involves killing us all, I suggest you keep your powers in check.” She narrowed her dark brown eyes at me.

“Okay…” I replied as my heart raced, my rattling self-preservation screaming and shouting at me, but I refused to regret this decision. “Okay, I won’t use fire, I promise. Do you have any weapons?”

“We don’t. But even if we did, they wouldn’t be much help to you. If you kill one of them, and they are from a rival tribe, there will be a war…You’d have to either kill them all, or not kill any of them.” One of the girls explained, as she took a big gulp out of her goblet.

“Here, take this.” Another one handed me a small bottle and confusion clouded my features. “It’s an antibirthing potion. It needs an hour or so to kick in, so better drink it now just to be sure.”

“We also have all the food and drink.” A girl with long beautiful curls motioned to the marble table across the room, covered with all manner of small dishes. “Sometimes life sucks, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it on an empty stomach.” She gave me a crooked smile.

“Or with a sober mind.” A beautiful dark-skinned girl handed me an opened bottle of what I could only guess was rum. “Honestly, the bidding night is the worst one, I am sorry…” she said as she swallowed the amber liquid in her glass. “Usually, it’s just the tribal leaders. After a while you get to know them, know what to expect, their preferences, but on bidding night, anyone can participate. Any stranger can bid on us, and the highest bidders will get to play. No regular limitations apply either.”

I listened to them explain what to expect, but the longer I listened the more my chest throbbed, my head feeling dizzy.

“It’s good for trade, and a percentage of the money raised from the bidding is given to the poor to allow them to eat too,” a girl with striking long legs added, as she looked solemnly at me.

“An hour or so of our suffering during a bidding night, exchanged for a week's worth of food for a starving family out there? A steep price and yet, one we are all willing to pay.”

“Just think of them when things get unbearable tonight.”

A little silver line ran down my cheek without my permission. I looked at their kind and lovely faces, their eyes slowly dwindling of life. But their inner strength was iron and rock. Compared to them, my courage was nothing but brittle sand.

I stood in a room of women that chose to endure suffering, that gave up a part of themselves each day all for the people that they loved. Perhaps it was their strength or their selflessness that overwhelmed me, as I wiped away another tear.

“It’s okay. First bidding night is always scary, but you’ll be okay. We will all be okay,” another one reassured me.

Though panic and fear choked me within, I willed my voice to steady as I said at last,

“You might not have weapons and you might not be soldiers or assassins, but your bravery is sharper than any blade could ever be. Your selflessness is the fiercest shield that’s ever existed. Your strength is tougher than any steel I have ever seen. And I... I am honored to stand amongst you and help you keep your people safe.”

With that, I drank the anti-birthing potion whole.