Page 91 of A Simple Truth

Until tomorrow then?

Until tomorrow.

I held on to his letter, not ready to let go as I plummeted straight into my pillow. No longer able to hold my eyes open for a moment, my mind slipped into a dream, longing for tomorrow.

55

GIDEON

The water in my bathtub had long gone cold, but I didn’t care. I stayed for hours, rereading every single sentence she wrote, memorizing each word, each curve of her horrific handwriting.

When I had written earlier amidst the suffocating darkness, I didn’t expect her to write back. And yet, when she surprisingly did, her scribbles awoke my inner soul from slumber; drew me out of the abyss, as life itself bloomed within me.

I really miss you, Gideon.

Sheactuallymissed me and, in fact, admitted to it in writing.

A boyish smile crept up my lips. A smile that stayed even as I cleaned my blood-stained armor, even as I climbed into my bed, even as I closed my eyes, attempting to fall asleep.

The girl that carved my heart out and stole it, missed me.

And for once, the gloomy world seemed brighter.

56

GIDEON

Iwatched as fifteen men pulled on one of the chains connected to the enormous being.

“Does it ever stop?” I scowled as the creature, as large as a dragon, screeched loud enough to burst our eardrums.

“It doesn’t like being separated…” one of the men yelled back. A few men swore as the creature tugged on the chains, making them falter. Similar to Glides, this creature was made of claws and bones, but instead of mist and shadows, it was comprised of thick, leathery, black flesh.

“So, it’s a mother then?” I presumed.

“Yes, we are attempting to saddle the offspring,” Andrias’s commander mumbled, walking alongside me as I cautiously trailed around the creature. It was not surprising that Queen Insanaria was also building an air force.

“How many dead?” I asked, looking for weak points of the being's build.

“No successful riders yet.” The commander's face turned sour at the mention.

“Well, that’s a shame. Fire?” I continued questioning the soldier as I sent a careful nod to Orest, standing by the door.

“Their skin can withstand high temperatures, though they do not like it.” The soldier scoffed. Unknown to my guide or the soldiers, I sent a small, untraceable heat wave down to the creature, curiously observing its reaction. It paused the screeching finally, turning its large, bony head towards me. The empty eye sockets glared back at me, and I returned the stare, smiling.

“How many offspring?” I asked my guide.

“A hundred here, and we have a hundred more soon to hatch.”

I kept my surprise well-hidden, my face reflecting nothing but the half-bored look of the Destroyer General.

“Riders or not, they all follow the mother, and the mother obeys the Queen. So as long as we allow the hatchlings to hatch, we should have an air force either way,” the soldier added. “Imagine what complete chaos one creature like her can do? Now, with hundreds of them, the Elves won’t stand a chance.”

“Of that, I am sure.” I glanced at the creature’s curved teeth, which were as large as my arm, ready to tear us to pieces.How wonderful…But I should’ve held on to my sarcasm, because the soldier didn’t stop blabbering.

“And we only have one mother, but I’ve heard rumors that the seas are covered with them. Though, the amount of human flesh they require to maintain is a bit concerning. We’ve been feeding it half-decomposed bodies and some of the prisoners, but the creature never seems to be full.”

Fucking hell.I held in an eye roll.There goes the missing piece to the lost slaves. I let out a large breath.

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