Page 13 of A Simple Truth

“Oh, Finn, come on, we were joking. We didn’t mean to...” Yanush apologetically said as I put my cloak on and stormed out of the tent into the freezing night, crashing into Zora and Motra.

“What was that about?” Zora asked, confused as she glared at the now-hushed girls.

But my legs had already carried me farther and farther away from camp, until I found myself by some old pine trees near a small, half-frozen creek. The rushing, clear waters reflected the cold gleam of the stars.

I let a couple of tears slide down my cheeks as my glossy gaze trailed to a broken branch floating downstream.

I was no better than that. Floating in life like a leaf, a branch, ripped by the rough autumn winds and carried into the unknown.

Ever since I had escaped, I fought so hard to regain what little control I could have over my life. I clawed my way to existence, to freedom. But now? Now that I could finally make a difference, now that I actually had theabilityto enact justice and revenge, I couldn’t even control my own damn body. It shutdown each time, my subconsciousness ruling over me without any consent or agreement.

The worst part of it all? I was running out of time. Like acid, Viyak’s bearded smile burned into my mind while my heart crumbled into pieces. I ran my sleeve across my cheek, wiping the remaining moisture from my face. The chill winter air filled my lungs as I took a large breath, soothing the panicking creature within me.

I didn’t have the option to fail. I never had the chance to give up, to quit. Even broken down and defeated, I would stand.

I wouldn’t falter.

8

GIDEON

Iscratched the silky feathers of the large, black raven sitting on my desk, her head tilting in appreciation. The piles of unorganized papers gave me an irritating headache as I took another look at them. My tired face turned bitter as I stared at one letter in particular. The broken wax seal brought nothing but an unpleasant feeling to my stomach.

“When it rains, it pours, doesn’t it, Liriya?” My eyes met the black, beaded eyes of the bird. I sighed heavily as I got up, clearing off the desk and putting that stupid invitation away. I ran my hand through my hair, letting out a heavy scoff and making a mental list of the never-ending tasks I had to take care of before leaving again.

The flap of my tent opened wide as the one person I least expected to see appeared in front of me.

“Hello, General,” Finn said, her voice tense, but airy. My brows furrowed in concern, noticing the slight reddish tint of her beautiful eyes.

“Finn, to what do I owe the pleasure?” My voice laced with curiosity.

“I’d like Heart Piercer back,” she stated. At my confused look, she explained, “It’s my Basalt Glass dagger. You’ve returned most of my weapons, but conveniently failed to return that one,” she accused.

“Planning on murdering someone?” My words failed to be as upbeat as I intended.

“Not yet. But it’s mine, and I want it back. Or am I your prisoner?” She clenched her jaw tight. I rubbed my brow, closing my eyes for a minute. The escalating headache was now pounding.

“No, you will have your weapons back tomorrow,” I replied, giving up on the hope of a pleasant conversation. “Any otherdemandsyou have for me?” I narrowed my eyes on her.

“Yes. You owe me one more thing…” she started.

Well, someone is certainly entitled,I wanted to say, but held back, motioning with my hand for her to continue.

“That day in the valley when I shot you, you said you had some information about the Rock Quarry slaves. What was it?”

“Do you truly wish to know?” I asked, clasping my hands as I rested them on my folded knee.

“Yes, I wouldn’t be asking otherwise.” Her lips turned into a thin line.

“Suit yourself, then. The Mad Queen is using slaves to complete her army of dead soldiers for the war she’s been carefully planning for the past twenty years. Our dear Lord Inadios, whom you’ve already met, has been her key supplier. Anything else Iowe?”

“Yes. Why aren’t you freeing them?” She shook her head. “You have an army of Destroyers. You have the power to free them. There are people suffering and dying with every day that passes, while you just pick and choose who to save. You have the means to save them all, so why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

I exchanged a glance with Liriya, who was now casually perched on my chair, intriguingly listening in.

Getting berated by a snarky assassin was not on my to-do list today. But before I could answer, she added,

“Lack of action is still a choice, General. So, you are choosing to let them die.”

---