Page 12 of A Rising Hope

Perhaps I should’ve known.

Perhaps I should’ve guessed.

Yet as the letter turned to ash, swallowed by the merciless flames, the poisonous truth slithered to the deep abyss of my soul, its darkness extinguishing the last remains of light.

“Are you sleeping?”Zora kicked my foot, glaring. “You are supposed to be watching him,” she spat out, gesturing to the boy resting on the lounger.

“He’s fine. He is already controlling his fire,” I grumped, resting the back of my head on the chair.

“Hmm . . . ” She scoffed with older sibling-like disappointment on her face. I released a long puff, not having any energy left to argue. I straightened up in my seat, rubbing my eyes. The room was filled with warmth, eager to lull me back to sleep. But before I could give another thought to whether it was worth the effort of ascending the stairs leading to my room for an hour of comfortable sleep, the boy grunted. He was awake, his silver eyes cautiously assessing both of us, then the room, then back to us.

“Welcome back, kid.” Zora put on her friendliest smile, replacing her typical intimidating scowl. I sneered at the look, fighting a large eye roll at the sight of my Commander looking almost too friendly. “Whoever you are, you are free. We got thestone out, and your powers are under control,” she stated, not hiding the relief in her voice. “What’s your name?”

“Orest,” the boy’s raspy voice sounded.

“I am Zora. This is Gideon.” She pointed at me with her head.

“I know,” the boy answered, attempting to sit up. He winced from pain, but immediately corrected his composure. If I had blinked in that moment, I would’ve missed that little glimpse of vulnerability. In a split second, his face turned ice-cold, not a grimace or a flinch, or any indication of his pain.

I’d seen many grown men faint and cry out in agony at wounds far less than his, but here he was, dangerously calm and collected.

“You need to rest,” Zora spoke softly, noticing the subtle shift. She adjusted one of the blankets that slipped onto the floor. “You are safe with us, Orest.” She glanced around the room, taking a second to think of anything else she could say to comfort the boy. Unable to find any feasible reassurances that would convince him, she met his gaze once more.

“I am going to get you some sugary tea, okay?” she offered, with a rare kind smile on her lips.

“Where was this pleasantry when I was bleeding out last weekend?” I murmured as she passed me. She mouthed some curses, reminding me exactly where we stood before slipping through the double doors on her way to the kitchens.

When Zora was out of earshot, Orest’s silver eyes turned to me. There was no concern or even a glimpse of worry or fear on his face. Always calculating. Always watching.

“Does she know who I am, what am I?” he asked, his voice calm and steady.

“No,” I replied.

“Why?”

“Not my secret to tell. Though be aware, Truth Teller—kid or not—if you step out of line and hurt people I care about, I will nothesitate to end your life. And you’ve already seen what that could look like,” I warned. His eyes flashed to my cloak, heavily stained with blood that was neither his nor mine.

“Who are you?”

“I am a Destroyer.”

“Yes, but you are something else entirely too, aren’t you?” He assessed me with curiosity, trying to figure out why his powers had no hold over me. “I’ve come across a lot of different people, but no one like you . . .Whatare you?”

The kid was talented, beyond smart, connecting the dots in a way no one had done before.

I let my mouth stretch in an easy smile, bringing my forefinger to my lips in a shushing gesture as steps echoed behind the door. Zora rushed back in with a steaming cup of tea. A large silver spoon clanked against the porcelain with each step.

“I added a few extra cubes of sugar.” She smiled, carefully placing the large cup with its matching saucer on the checkered round table next to the lounger.

“Thank you.” Orest acknowledged the gesture, but he didn’t move. Zora took a step back, giving him space, waiting for him to take a sip, but he didn’t. “Here.” She ran out of patience after a few seconds, grabbing the cup herself. She stirred the tea, letting the steam kiss her cheeks. “You lost a lot of blood. You need to drink,” she tried to convince him. She brought the cup closer to him. “A sip, is all I ask.” Zora brought a spoon full of reddish-brown liquid to his lips.

His eyes darted between me and the spoon, questioning, hesitating. Deciding.

He locked eyes with Zora and took a full sip.

“There we go.” Zora’s shoulders eased as he took a few more sips. “Now, let me go get some cookies for you too.” She yanked another decorative pillow off the chair next to me, using it as atray for him to rest the bottom of the cup as she let him hold it, rushing back to the kitchen.

Orest watched her small figure disappear behind the door.

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