Page 117 of A Simple Truth

“True, and yet there was one before,” he opposed.

“Who?” I asked, the muscle in my jaw tensed.

“The Lady Dynaya. She wielded all of the gifts at once. Magic was mixed all together before she gave it to her kids.”

“You can’t be serious, right now,” I scoffed but he was indeed serious. “The magic mixed because she was a damn goddess, Gideon. An actualgoddess.” I tried to reason with him.

“And who says you aren’t?” he asked, and I stared at him then, exasperated, looking for any sign of that playful smirk or that dancing fire in his eyes to indicate that he was exaggerating, joking, but only grave seriousness laced his darkened eyes.

He actually, truly believed it.

This was insanity.

“Mighty hell, Gideon, I am not a fucking goddess, okay?” My voice didn’t hide my frustration. I winced, trying to adjust in my bed, unable to take a full breath as my side ached even at the slightest movement.

“Goddess or not, you are a Seer.” He moved his finger and the dark blue drop of my blood slithered up his sleeve. “I’ve reassigned you to Xentar. As the only Seer we have, you’ll be under his jurisdiction. He will coach you in your newly discovered gift,” Gideon decreed, his voice slicing like a knife against my flesh.

“You can’t do that.” I shook my head in protest, sitting up, ignoring the piercing pain at my side.

“Actually, I can, and I already did.” He turned his eyes away from me, unwilling to meet my stared full of desperation and anger. “I am assembling the troops and leaving for the War Council today, but I hope you find yourself fit amidst the Magic Wielders. Perhaps they’ll be better company to you then we ever were.” But before I could say another word, he stormed off outside, his black cape wavering with each step, marking his departure.

My body plummeted to the pillow, painfully ripping a few of the stitches out with the motion. But I didn’t care. I welcomed the pain as I laid on his bed, staring into the nothingness.

I should be shocked by the truth he’d revealed.

A Seer…My mind tried to connect all the dots.

Tell me of your dreams, Finnleah.Tuluma’s favorite question for me. One she’d asked me every day since I could remember.

She knew. I clenched my jaw tighter as a new wave of hurt and fury sizzled within me.

She knew.

The elven princess that was my maid knew, and left me in the dark. A bitter, frantic sigh escaped my lips as I pulled the blankets closer.

I’d been betrayed once again.

What a fucking joke my life had become. Or perhaps, it had always been like that and I was just now catching up to it.

“Finnleahthe Seer… Such utter bullshit!” I heatedly murmured to myself, not holding back the mockery. “Finnleah, agoddessof misery and cluelessness,” I angrily mumbled, as panicked frustration mixed with rage choked me until a single streak of silver ran down my cheek.

But I didn’t want to cry.

I was mad. I was frustrated. I was pissed off.

I should yell and kick and shout.

And yet, I felt so alone that even my righteous protector, anger, couldn’t save me now. There were no loud sobs or terrible bawling as I laid there, still. Only tiny drops of my overwhelming emotions, bottled up in quiet tears rolling down my face, soaking my pillow—hispillow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I’ll be strong. Tomorrow, I’ll stand with my chin up. Tomorrow, I’ll wake up and take on this new reality, and I’ll train, and I'll learn, and I’ll figure things out.

But today?

Today, I’ll cry in silence.

And I’ll cry alone.

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