Page 65 of A Simple Truth

A minute in the Elven timeline.

That was the sad part about timing—it was never on our side.

39

GIDEON

The moment we crossed the border of the Elvish jungle into the Desolate Desert, I steered Greyfas down, precipitously landing on the cooling red sands. The abundance of luminous stars in the night sky lit up the wasteland, the infinite dunes of rust-colored sand twinkling under their light.

Finnleah hadn’t said a word since we were captured by the elves. Her body was almost limp, and so pale, as if she just saw a ghost.

“We are camping for the night,” I decided, helping her off the saddle. She nodded, her eyes looking dull, without her usual glow. The muscle in my jaw twitched and I contemplated returning back to the damn elves and burning them all just for that. But I swallowed the rising fury, making a quick camp.

Finnleah laid down on the bedroll I’d set up for her, clasping her hands together on her stomach as she stared into the sky. I placed a plate of food right next to her and summoned a small fire nearby to give us a bit of light and heat.

“Eat, Finnleah,” I ordered, forcing my voice to stay relaxed and cool, nothing compared to what was happening inside of me. She just shook her head, refusing. “Fine. Then talk. But youcannot shut down on me like this. You haven’t said a word. What happened?” I gently pushed, laying down on my bedroll next to her, though still giving some space between us. Her eyes were wide open, blinking away minutes. It bothered me more than I was willing to admit, that I didn’t understand a word of what was said between her and what I had guessed was the King of the elves.

I knew a million ways to get answers out of someone; a million ways to torture the truth out of a person. Yet, I laid there, lost on what to do or how to help her now, and that tortured me with no mercy.

But she turned her head to me, her eyes solemn as she said, “He had her eyes.”

I held back whatever questions I had and just listened.

“Tuluma was a princess, and he was her brother,” she spoke again.

“The Elf-King was your maid’s brother?” I probed, hiding my surprise, still looking deep into her eyes. She nodded.

“Turns out her father, the previous King, exiled her.” Finnleah let out a long sigh. “You know, I wouldn’t have even known that she had a brother if she hadn’t commented once that I played chess as shitty as her twin-brother.” She smiled yet her smile held a touch of anguish, reliving precious memories carved within her. “He was looking for her. That’s why they were in those woods. He was told he’d find her there and instead, he found me.” She returned her eyes to the stars, lying motionless. “Rather a terrible consolation prize…” But before I could object to that statement, she continued,

“And you know the worst part of all this? I am so angry, so resentful. I shouldn’t be. She cared for me. She loved me in the way she knew how, and she died protecting me. Yet, I feel so defeatedly angry because she never told me anything. She’d told me a thousand and one nymph stories and a million legendsand songs. She spent hours playing stupid games with me each day and night, and she taught me about everything. Everything except about her. She told me my entire life that she’d outlive me one day, and then she just died. Dead. Murdered, killed, whatever you want to call it but, in the end, she is gone, and I can’t ask her a single question. And I have so many questions. Like why she never told me I was a Destroyer. Did she know? Did she hide it on purpose because she hated Destroyers? Why did we never settle? Why were we constantly running away?” She rubbed her face. “My parents were dead, but do I have grandparents? Or uncles or aunts? Who were my parents? Did she know them? I mean, she didn’t even give me their names, Gideon. A simple name would suffice. First, last, I wouldn’t care. Just a name…but no, instead she called meDaughter of the Dead. Who names a kid that?! I mean hell, I was just short of giving up my soul to an insect-like creature for a couple of answers most people are born knowing. Why did she never tell me of her family? Of her brother? Why did she never tell me anything?!” Her hands ran through the sand as it slipped through her fingers. “But she’s gone now, and I’m left behind to pick up all the pieces, and there is nothing left for me except hope that I’m putting the pieces together correctly. The truth is I don’t even know what the puzzle is supposed to look like in the end.” Finnleah paused, looking at the million stars above. “She must have been so, so lonely. She didn’t have anyone,” she whispered, as sadness filled her voice.

“She had you,” I counted, offering a sliver of comfort.

“That doesn’t count, I was an infuriating child.”

“More infuriating than you are now?” I nudged her with my elbow, sending her a half smile. My heart finally eased as she glared back in familiar fashion. “If it makes you feel any better, I knew both of my parents and my extended family and who I was from the very start, but truth be told, I too often wonder what itis supposed to look like in the end. Especially now that most of them are gone too. That’s the thing about the dead; they move on, leaving only ashes behind.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice...” she whispered with a touch of sorrow into the night. “Sometimes I think I’d enjoy being dead.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” I immediately opposed, my heart cleaving in half at the unspoken truth her words carried. “Can’t torment me if you are dead. And we both know how much you enjoy that.”

“You underestimate me, General. I’d find a way even then.” She twisted her head back to me, considering. “Though, I do enjoy seeing you, my detested enemy, cry occasionally.”

“The only tears you bring to me, Finnleah, are those of pure joy,” I sneered at her. “But ‘enemy’?” I theatrically gaped. She just shrugged. “Is that truly what I am to you now?” I shook my head in amusement.

“What? Are we not enemies, General?” She drew out.

“Oh, come on, Daughter of the Dead, we are at least forced allies. We make a good team; you can’t deny that.” I nudged her with my elbow.

“Good team? We are the worst team there is, General.” She scoffed. “We have no stone, we got possessed by a bunch of demons, the ‘all-knowing’ creature was such a bizarre experience, that I’m not even sure I’ll ever understand what actually happened there. Either way, it was a complete waste of time at best since we got no answers. We also got captured and almost started a whole new war with the elves I don’t need to remind you that the last time the Destroyer-Elvish war happened; it left this giant desert in its place and that was just over the last six days. We have no plan on what we are going to do with Insanaria, or how to win the war. We were sent here for answers and we accomplished nothing. In fact, we are comingback with more questions than before. That makes us a terrible team.”

“Blasphemy!” I dramatically replied, steadily pulling her out of the dark abyss she had spiraled into. “As far as I remember, we did find out the stone is not lost, it’s destroyed. That’s an important piece of information; if something was created once, maybe it can be created again? The creature was just as helpful as I expected. And shall I remind you that weavoidedthe war and justwalked awayfrom the Elf-King himself, with no one harmed? Case in point, we are a great team. You take on elves, I take on demons…” I couldn’t resist as I ran my fingers against the back of her bandaged hand next to mine. “Though I have to say, we are both pretty terrible against humidity and prickly vines.”

Her hand didn’t retreat at my light touch, and my stomach tensed with thrill and excitement as I gazed at her while she looked far into the stars.

“You gambled our lives today and won,” I stated, amazed by her, unable to tear my eyes away, taking in every little thing about her, as if I were an animal, parched and starved, devouring every single bit.

“Well, turns out Tuluma didn’t lie. He did play shitty.” She softly smiled and that smile made my heart cartwheel,twice.

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