Page 8 of A Simple Truth

“I’m so deeply sorry, Ophelia,” Xentar tenderly said. “He was one of the bravest and kindest men I’ve known. And I will never forget his willingness to serve and fight for what was right. I know nothing will ever replace him. But rest assured, the council will make sure to provide you with anything you or the child may need.”

A few older women stepped inside the house, rushing to her, surrounding her as the Destroyers and Xentar took a few steps back.

I couldn’t bear it any longer. Her grief-filled sobs tore my old scars wide open. I clenched my fist until the ring almost broke my skin, but I forced myself to take a wavering step forward. The women surrounding Ophelia cleared a path for me, as I approached the grieving wife. She looked at me, her eyes were full of deep agony and despair, silver streaks running nonstop down her cheeks.

Agony that I had seen before; that I hadfeltbefore.

I took a short breath, finding the last ember of courage within.

“You do not know me, but I was with Kaius when he died. I promised him I would deliver this to you.” I put the ring down on the table. “He loved you very, very much,” I managed to whisper before promptly turning towards the exit, ready to bolt for the door, wanting nothing more than to leave—to run away from this, to never come back; to never be reminded ofthis…and yet, my body froze mid step.

Shit.

My eyes closed for a second as I painfully bit my cheek until the taste of iron filled my mouth. I willed my voice to still, to not tremble, as I turned just enough to look at her before revealing,

“I too have lost someone I very much loved. That pain…that despair that you are feeling right now…that gaping wound…it will forever leave a deep scar. But even though you might not believe me now, you will survive it. You will be able to breathe freely again one day…Try to not let the grief drown you.” Like it almost drowned me.With that, I fled the house.

I wasn’t sure if anyone had followed me, and I didn’t care about the gawking mages carefully watching me storm past them. I reached the end of the street, and then I ran.

I ran as fast as I could, fighting back the tears that now slithered down my cheeks, ignoring the blinding pain in my leg. I ran past the tall, blooming sunflowers, past the winter slumbering meadows. I ran until I reached the very far edge of the small island.

And then I screamed.

All the feelings that I’d masterfully hidden, that I had promised to deal with later, flooded me, washing away any sense of control.

I screamed and I shouted at the roaring waves of the deep blue ocean crashing onto the tall, sharp cliffs below. The salty air prickled my nose as a heavy stream of tears flowed freely, soaking the ground at my feet.

I screamed until my voice became raspy; until I couldn’t scream any more. Until I was so nauseated, that with one more shout, I would puke. I screamed until I felt nothing but emptiness inside.

I dropped to the ground, the life within me completely depleted. My eyes lingered on the rapidly-gathering, gray clouds, which covered the northern sky as the minutes passed. The icy ocean breeze gently caressed my puffy, reddened face as I laid against the cold earth. My mind, as if purged of all thought and emotion, was left in silence.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d laid like that; how much time had passed since my soul abandoned me with those heart rendering screams. The stinging drops of freezing rain landed on my skin from the dark clouds above. I wished they’d wash away the hurt; drown the hollowness within me. I extended my hand in the air, watching drips of clear liquid slowly roll down my fingers.

What now?

What do I do now…

My thoughts were interrupted by a polite cough. I didn’t have to turn to know that the General was standing just a few steps away from me.

“If you’ve come to gloat that I was wrong and demand my apologies, you’ll be sorely disappointed,” I managed to say as thunder loudly crackled in the storm, another lightning flickered on the horizon lighting up the darkened ocean far below.

“No, I’ve come to make sure you don’t intend to jump off this cliff. People were getting concerned.”

I turned my head at him, giving the General a questioning look, not caring about the dirt now smeared in my tangled hair as the rain pooled in the grass beneath my body.

Without delay, he added, “Well, you don’t quite have the best history ofnotjumping off places, per se.” The General gave me a stiff smile, but I didn’t share the sentiment. I stood up, the gusts of cold winds enwrapped around my wet clothes, piercing me down to my marrow. The General took a step closer to me, now standing only a step away, his large figure towering over me as the sky shook with roaring thunder. But I dismissed his imminence, my eyes watching the endless ocean; its color mixed with the sky, as if it were indeed the end of the world.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the General said as the wild wind ruffled his hair.

“Overwhelming,” I replied. I had never seen an ocean before. It was nothing like the pictures—so much more wild,unpredictable, fascinating. More majestic than anything I’d ever seen.

“Perhaps,” Gideon considered, as he turned his gaze to me. “So, what now?” he asked the question that I had been asking myself for the past hour. “You have delivered on your promise. You now know where the Rebels are, who the Rebels are. And—”

“Is it true?” I interrupted him, my eyes still focused on the curled, white peaks of the giant waves below. “You said I wield raw fire,the strongest form of Destroyer’s fire?”

“Yes, you are a Justice Wielder,” he confirmed, his tone calm and reserved.

“Does it mean I can do the things you do?” I asked.

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