Page 48 of A Simple Truth

“You never asked,” I shortly replied, losing the tad bit of bravery I conjured to speak about my past.

“Please accept our deepest condolences,” Lady De Villiar gently offered. “It is a shame that the war has a way of claiming the best of our people. Rest assured, we’d love for you to consider us as part of your family if you ever feel inclined to do so.” Her words somehow pierced me straight to the heart, and all of a sudden, I felt a lump in the back of my throat.

“Yes, we might not be blood relatives, but you shall always have a home here,” Lord De Villiar stated. “Plus, I am sure Gideon, and the rest of the Destroyers are happy to have another Justice Wielder amidst their kind.”

“Most definitely,” Gideon courteously agreed.

“And what do the Magic Wielders make of it?” Fleur turned to Xentar, who was caught still turning all the foods preposterous colors at Aurelia’s requests.

“It shows unity. True Order always starts with a powerful, Justice wielding couple,” Xentar answered. Suddenly, the mashed potatoes were glued to my throat in a half-swallow at his words, and I almost choked. Gideon stifled his laugh, refilling my cup after I chugged the sweet juice, washing down the half-stuck food. “Now that we have one, it brings more assurance to the Magic Wielders of its restoration.”

“With Finn, and now Lachlan’s alliance,” Lord De Villiar proceeded, “It seems things are lining up well.”

“Lachlan’s alliance is helpful.” I didn’t fail to notice the half snarl coming from Orest at the name. “But we expect even more Destroyers to join our cause, when Gideon sends out his call,” Orest added.

“Why would other Destroyers join the Rebels?” I questioned surprised at his words.

“They might not join the Rebels per se, but some will follow the rightful heir to the Destroyer Empire, should he make his claim,” Orest explained.

Noticing my still-puzzled look, Zora, bored by the conversation, blurted out,

“Gideon is the Emperor’s son.”

27

FINNLEAH

The Emperor’s son?

Likethedead Destroyer Emperor? Who ruled Esnox before the Great Betrayal? My eyes widened in realization as I looked at Gideon, stunned at the information.

The General took a long sip from his cup, savoring the liquid before swallowing.

“Abastardson.” He gave Zora a cautionary look, but she ignored it.

“The onlyson, and theonlyheirexisting and carrying the First Destroyer lineage. They will follow you,” she insisted.

My eyes were still glued to the General, for the first time, noticing the uncomfortable shift in his posture, as if he too was not eager to bring up his heritage.

I turned my eyes to Xentar, busy eating his salad, and purposefully changed the subject.

“So how did you befriend a Destroyer, considering you are a Creator?” I asked him. Xentar dabbed his mouth with a cloth napkin in his lap as he replied.

“Well, we were both fifteen and he, in his Destroyer nature, went off to hunt and kill me for sport—” Xentar smiled at mewith his gold eyes. “Destroyer teenagers are jerks, Finn, you wouldn’t have liked him then.”

I don’t even like him now,I wanted to say but didn’t. Xentar continued.

“It was clear to him that I was way better looking than he’d ever be.” Zora and Orest snickered near him, giving minor agreeing comments about Gideon’s menacing looks. “So, unable to live with the truth, he surrounded me with flames, as tall and as thick as the walls of this house. But instead of killing me, he told me to run north, and to never return, which I did. Next thing I knew, Liriya brought me money, food, and a letter. Six months later, he finds me by the Cursed Forest, drops off another three kids, and tells me I am to take care of them. Naturally, since we were already ‘sharing’ kids, I figured this relationship was serious.”

Gideon smiled tenderly, as if reminiscing that day. Xentar chuckled, exchanging a warm glance with him of deep-rooted friendship.

“So yes, I’d be careful if I were you.” The Creators’ leader wickedly grinned at me. “First, he looks like he is about to kill you, but it’s all just a ploy. Next thing you know, you’ll be stuck taking care of a bunch of children for him and waiting for a letter with further instructions to come.”

My jaw ached, unused to this much smiling. I turned to a relaxed-looking Zora.

“What about you? How did you join the rebellion?”

“Oh, it was very simple for me. Gideon and I grew up together, so his charm and theatrics didn’t work very well on me. I knew he was up to something, so once I was out of that dreadful engagement, I asked to join—”

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