Chapter Twenty #2
The Good King had covered his bases so well, twisting the story so that the populace revered him as savior. His version showed him victim to the rebels. Hero, rather than villain, to the realms. And I chose to believe him.
Hollowness swelled. Anger consumed to the point of desolation.
It’s a special kind of torture to face the lies that let you sleep at night.
If I were being honest with myself, pieces of my beliefs had been fragmenting and falling apart for a while now.
I had stitched them together to keep me under the banner of loyalty.
The deceptions across the realm had burrowed as deep as my own heart.
I shuttered the black hole yawning inside me. I had to get back to Delah before they made her an official Vestal Anchor, my fear for her dramatically surging. I moved away from the general, despite a deep desire to remain near. I was overwhelmed, untethered.
“Nolan is a master of illusions. His expertise is deception.”
I put my head in my hands, restraining a scream that threatened to sever the air. “I had no idea. And Xuri…” I shook my head. Perhaps we had both lost a mother to Nolan’s Glint. If my lies were what previously kept me warm at night, then my anger would now do the job.
“She has handled the loss of Ilayah with much grace. Though the grief still aches,” he responded. His care for Xuri pointed to something much deeper between them. A pang of disappointment layered onto my overwhelm.
The general assessed me before responding. “I know this truth is painful. It’s a lot to take in. You of all people have the right to rage.”
Yet, anger could be directed and used. Mine went toward planning my retribution and Delah’s escape.
Delah was likely safe for now, but she wouldn’t be for long.
My only hope at rescuing her was to keep my end of our bargain and use my magic to strengthen the Liberation.
The effects of the lies coiled around me.
Nolan had let me believe the Liberation was behind my parents’ demise.
It was him all along. I wouldn’t let him take any more from me.
“Well, well, well!” A boisterous voice slashed into the moment. A man as tall as the general sauntered up, his arms crossed genially across his chest. He stopped next to Judd, facing me, oblivious to his intrusion. I welcomed the distraction.
Where the general’s dark coloring aligned with his perpetual scowl, this man’s blond hair matched his lighthearted air.
The sides of his shaved head faded into a messy top knot, like one of the ice hunters from the glacial hinterlands.
The hint of a grin showed through his neatly trimmed beard.
His blue eyes held a spark of amusement.
“You must be who everyone’s talking about, causing all the chaos around here.
The defecting Not-Dreki.” He held out his hand.
“I’m Finn, the General’s second. You can call me Finn. ” He said with a wink.
My mouth twitched, trying not to smile. I shook his hand against my better judgment. “The name is Ruin, or Rue actually.”
He took a halfstep back, assessing me. “That’s not your real name. What is it truly?”
He seemed vaguely familiar, but the feeling passed with the onslaught of his rudeness. “I see the rebels live up to the rumors of being mannerless heathens.”
He smiled broadly. “I’ve been called worse. But I can’t call you Ruin, also known as Rue. How about Rebby? Still in the R family, but has a better ring to it. Now that you’re a rebel and all.”
“You might find a dagger in your back if you call me that again.”
“Have to have your daggers for that to happen.” He clapped the general on his back.
“I see you are getting our newest recruit in shape. Can’t believe you’d start without me.
” The general rolled his eyes as he rolled up his sleeves.
His exposed forearms flexed as he casually gripped his canteen.
I swallowed hard, looking away, anywhere but in their direction.
“We just finished an hour of sparring. If you care to join us next time, you might want to wake up earlier.”
“I had a late night!” Finn’s eyebrows rose suggesting the antics of the night before. I had to suppress rolling my own eyes at him. “Well, in that case, tomorrow we can see how talented you are with a blade, Rebby. We won’t have much time before we head to see the Nereid Queen.”
The general sheathed his swords and turned to me. “Not bad this morning. Especially in light of the Surveille.”
I warmed under his praise and began gathering my things. “Where are the Nereids?” I inquired.
The general quirked his head to the side. “They never let you leave Haluma did they? You’ve never heard of the Nereid Realm?”
Shame needled me, but I stood straighter. “Will you answer my question?” I arched my brow.
A lopsided smile bloomed across his jaw revealing a shadowed dimple. “It’s the underwater realm of ocean nymphs and sirens. You are going to be the means by which we get there.”
I stopped breathing.
He took a halting step toward me. “What is it?”
I fiddled with the edge of my leathers, anything to avoid eye contact when I admitted my deficiency. “I can’t swim,” I mumbled.
Finn’s guffaw had a family of birds taking flight. I winced.
The general threw his wooden sword at Finn, who retreated at the assault.
“How does a water wielder not know how to swim?” He gently pried, no mockery in the question.
I still couldn’t look him in the eye. “I grew up in Haluma, and as you already noted, I was not permitted to leave. It’s a realm surrounded by mountains and forest and hills. Not… water.”
He wiped a hand down his face. I could almost hear him groan. “I’ll teach you.”
My neck twinged from the speed at which I jerked to meet his gaze. My shock and confusion lay bare across my face. I scrutinized his expression, yet I detected no annoyance as I’d expected.
“One of our Primes, Gemma, can assist with making sure you know how to keep us breathing. I will ensure you know how to swim.” His sincerity destabilized me.
I swallowed my embarrassment, grateful for the small kindness of his offer. I busied myself with my canteen, seeking to hide the grin that fought its way forward. Working with a Prime and expanding the use of my magic had me feeling like a little girl on her birthday.
“If you have any books on the Nereids, I would love to read them.” Having been sequestered in Haluma, and my entire education biased toward the Good King and his agenda, I knew little about the rest of the realms.
Judd softened, thinking. “I’ll have some dropped off for you this afternoon. And if you’re anything like Xuri, I’ll get you some of her pining-maiden stories as well.”
I internally flinched at his mention of the Prime. What was the nature of their relationship? I forced the muscle in my jaw to relax. “I do enjoy a little romance to pass the time. Especially if there’s a single-bed situation,” I coyly responded.
He stared at me with a knowing twinkle. “Consider it done.”
I took a swig of water at the same moment hairs on the back of my neck prickled.
Darkness captured my attention as shadows swam across the fields, blotting out the gleaming sun.
The air around us stilled and my body responded before my mind understood, freezing beneath the cold power that draped across Aphellion.
We slowly peered skyward. My canteen dropped to the ground, water gurgling out of it.
Dread leached from my bones as I beheld the monsters.