Page 54 of A Simple Truth

“They sure look like it, don’t they?” Xentar chuckled. “But no, they are not made from glass, but they look like that so they can fly undetected. The sun reflects off their bodies like a mirror, leaving almost no shadow. And other than the slight buzzing you might hear, they are quite silent.”

“How did you get them?” I asked, finally bringing myself to touch the creature as I ran my hand across its sectioned body.

“Well, you can’t buy them in a shop. They were created by yours truly.” Xentar theatrically bowed at the waist.

“But these arelivingbeings...” My eyes widened as the realization of what Xentar did to create them came crashing down. But before I could say anything else, he patted me on the shoulder.

“Everyone pays a price in a war, Finn. This was my minor contribution.” He clicked his tongue and averted his eyes away from me, looking towards the pasture, where the creatures peacefully mingled. “But don’t worry, many of them were bred after. So, I am not turning into Insanaria anytime soon,” he joked, yet I could sense a bit of sorrow in those gold eyes.

The General climbed into the saddle, extending his hand to me. I hesitated.

“Nervous?” he asked arrogantly, smirking.

No,I was going to say, but then I would obviously be lying. “A little,” I responded honestly, taking his hand. With one motion, the General’s strong arm easily pulled my body up. I stiffened at the closeness of his body, afraid to take a breath. The General reached forwarded, grabbing the reins resting on the saddle in front of me. I could feel his mouth stretch in a wide smile as he leaned in to whisper into my ear, his warm breath like a feather tickling my neck.

“Don’t be scared. I won’t bite…unless you're into that.”

My face flashed with a hint of pink, but I managed to straighten my back, turning to him with my chin up. “Oh, General, you forget thatIwill,” I snarkily replied as his arms wrapped tightly around me until I was nestled against his body.

“Believe me, I remember.” His sultry chuckle slithered down to my core, and I couldn’t resist my own smile creeping up my lips. He tugged on the large strap against my waist, securing me to the saddle, and then pulled back the reins.

“Hold on,” the General commanded. I wasn’t sure if my heart stopped because his cold nose brushed against the tip of my ear,or because he moved the reins in a wave-like motion that sent Greyfas into a rapid ascension, straight into a wild flight.

My stomach suddenly dropped, the hastily-eaten breakfast quickly disagreeing with the method of travel we had chosen, demanding to come out. I swallowed the promptly increasing saliva in my mouth as bile crept up my throat.

“You’re going to throw up, aren’t you?” Gideon shouted through the icy skies as the wind sped past our ears. I wanted to deny it but couldn’t, only managing to turn my body fast enough to the side as I hurled my guts straight into the clouds. A blink and a small flash of silver fire incinerated my returned breakfast into ash.

I ran my hand against the small goggles on my face, attempting to wipe a bit of condensation from the cold sweat running down my forehead. My greenish, pale face winced, mortified at the trajectory of my puke and the winds gushing around us.

“Well, this is going to be a fun trip,” Gideon roared behind me, and I grimaced again, afraid to look below us.

31

FINNLEAH

Solid ground under my legs felt good. At least for the first hour. Now, hours into the steaming, unwalkable jungle, and I decided I would rather fly.

We had left Greyfas hidden further out, in the place we managed to land. Carrying only a day pack with a few supplies, we ventured deep into the wilderness. I trailed behind the General’s wide back, his shirt drenched with sweat, clinging tightly to his chiseled body. Both of his swords silently cut through the thick ocean of greenery, creating a path for me to follow.

He stopped abruptly, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, while still holding on tightly to his swords.

“Gods, these bugs. I swear, if one more gets into my eye again, screw the wards, I am using the fire and burning them all to the ground,” he grumbled.

“You know, General, there is a thing called blinking, you should try it.” I rolled my eyes at him.

“Keep running your mouth like that, and we’ll see how many of them you end up eating today.” He gave me a fake smile andthen motioned with his eyes to my calf, where a spider as big as my hand was now climbing up my leg.

“Fuck!” I yelped, kicking my foot, shaking off the giant insect.

“Fate’s justice is the sweetest thing,” the General sneered, then pointed at his flask attached to my hip. I chucked it at him, and he thirstily chugged. The bump in his throat moved in slow motion with each gulp, as shimmering beads of sweat rolled down his stretched-out neck.

Who drinks water like that?I scoffed, pulling my eyes away from him.

“Come on, get back to it. We are running out of time.” I hurried him, taking another look at the map and compass I carried. We still had miles to go through the thick vegetation before we made it to our destination. And we had to be there before the sun set. I glanced at the bright sky above us. “Go on, General, or are all those muscles just for show?” I taunted him as he jeered. But soon enough, he moved, his sharp blades effortlessly slicing through the small trees, hanging vines, and bushes—so many bushes. We took a few steps further.

“You certainly seem to be enjoying the so-called show,” he grunted as he cut off a few more branches.

“I never said I wasn’t,” I replied, following him. My eyes slithered down from his muscled lower back to below it, content with the view. The half-crooked smile on my mouth was covered in dripping sweat.

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