Page 125 of A Rising Hope

The loud rushing water of the canal below the old stone bridge muffled the racing beat of my heart. I clenched the reins of my mare tighter.

The dark walls of Svitar lingered dreadfully on the horizon.

Orest’s mare huffed near me, her hoof pawed the cobblestone as we waited.

“You shouldn’t have come,” I hissed under my breath to Gideon lounging on a horse behind me. “You are supposed to be dead, and one look at your face and they will know you are not.”

“I am starting to suspect you wish me to actually be dead with how many times you mention it,” he taunted, sending me a playful look, but at my wrathful stare, he tugged the hood of his cloak lower. “They won’t suspect a thing—I am one of your mysterious guards, see?” He pointed to the standard Destroyer armor he wore; his easily recognizable swords replaced by a large, round shield on his back. “Or perhaps if you prefersomething different, I could play the role of an overprotective lover, Empressconsort.” His mouth stretched in a smug smirk, and Orest stifled his smile.

“You don’t need to pretend. Youarean overprotective lover.”

“You say it like it’s a flaw, but I take it as a compliment.”

“You take everything I say as flattery, so that doesn’t say much.”

“What can I say, I am a whore for those lips of yours moving,” Gideon snickered.

“He is not here.” Orest scowled, cutting the lighthearted conversation short.

“Cowardly prick,” Gideon snarled. His look immediately shifted with cold abhorrence, watching the three figures slowly approach. The sound of the clicking hoofs echoed through the night growing louder by the seconds. Soon they were close enough where I could decipher their faces even on this cloudy night.

We knew the odds of Zora’s father taking the meeting were low, somewhere near impossible, as Zora stated. But when he replied to Zora’s letter, accepting a meeting, I had foolishly hoped that he, himself, would show up.

But approaching us were three of his lackeys instead.

“We have brought a message from general Thynirite,” one of the riders called out.

I gave Orest a slight nod. He raised his open palm up, allowing them to approach. My mouth went dry, but I squared my shoulders, forcing my voice to steady.

“It’s rather disappointing that general Thynirite couldn’t make it. I was hoping to speak with him directly,” I remarked, holding my chin high. Though this was not the first time I had acted in my title, the weight of people’s futures depending on this conversation was heavy on my chest.

“He sends his regards,” the leading soldier answered.

“He is preoccupied with war preparations, though he doesn’t expectyouto understand what that entails.” One of the riders sneered at me, clearly displeased to be conversing with a woman.

“So did he send you with a message or did you travel this whole way to deliver a poorly thought out jab?” I didn’t let him frazzle me, sending a relaxed half smile instead.

The soldier scoffed at my words as if it was below him to reply to my question.

“Yes, I have a message from him. Feel free to write it down lest you forget. General Thynirite declines your offer of a treaty and looks forward to seeing your armies starve and your dragons perish should you pursue your offense. He also offers you advice and says if you were smart, you would surrender now and accept his rule. Should you accept his generous offer, he will allow you a place in court . . . ” He paused only for a moment with a snide look on his face, adding, “They’re always in need of someone keeping the fire burning in the ovens.”

His companion looked agitated, annoyed that he was even out here to begin with.

“Listen lady, one Justice Wielder is already dead, and if you are smart, you’ll learn from that and keep your life, but if not, the same fate awaits you ahead. Raw fire or not, most Destroyers”—His eyes darted between Orest and Gideon, repulsed—“have no desire to follow an unknown self-proclaimed queen and her rumored dragons.”

I opened my mouth, but it was the loud series of claps from Gideon that made us all turn to him.

“Gentlemen, what a performance.” His voice was sharp and smooth, like the edge of a blade. But his glower alone already told me they weren’t going to leave this place alive. He took off his hood, his eyes sparked with flames. “Ah, did you truly think I was dead? Not verysmartof you. Should’ve taken thetreaty when you had a chance, because you see mywifeis a lot more patient and kinder than I’ll ever be.” He pulled his horse forward until it was next to mine. Each click of the hooves like a deadly countdown of the last seconds of their lives. “My wife was concerned for the innocent people that would burn should we enter the city by force, but I don’t share the same concern. You deserve to go up in flames for the words you said.” Without so much as a warning, Gideon incinerated two of the three, leaving alive the one that hadn’t yet uttered a single word. The two horses spooked, void of their riders, ran free, but Gideon held the last rider in the suffocating hold ofUtradecend.

“Tell general Thynirite, Gideon Bellator bent his knee for the true Destroyer Empress, and will ensure the world does so as well.” Gideon loosened his hold just enough for the rider to frantically nod. “Go.” He released him and the rider galloped, metal horseshoes sparking against the ancient stone in his wake.

“Well, that went as good as I could have hoped.” Orest murmured indifferently. I sighed, pulling on the reins, turning the horse back to the army camp preparing in the valley.

“Actually, fuck it. I’ll tell him myself,” Gideon snarled, incinerating the last rider even from this distance, leaving the frantic horse to gallop towards the city walls alone.

“Great, now they will think that it was me who burned them.” I turned to glare at him, but he was already striding ahead.

“Trust me, my love, by the time I am done with them, they’ll be begging foryouto burn them.” Gideon kicked his horse into a trot. “Send a note to the smuggler, we are heading out tomorrow morning.”

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