Page 133 of A Simple Truth

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. Killedby 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 thestubble 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 througheven 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.

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