Page 7 of A Rising Hope

That moment, that blink, filled with a miniscule flicker of concern—a momentary win. A hook that I reeled in tight. More traitorous words poured out of me, mixing truth with lies.

“Why do you think I’ve hidden my entire life away from him? Why do you think I’ve hidden my powers and identity for this long? I didn’t choose to be a Justice Wielder. I have no desire to wither under his iron hold for the whole of eternity.” My shoulders tensed, and I let a sliver of hatred reserved for her float to the surface, hoping that she’d mistake it for hatred towards him.

“That might be.” She crossed her legs in a relaxed fashion. “But he is not one to share any of his things. And unfortunately for you, you are a one-of-a-kind female Destroyer. One, whatever his reasoning might be—tradition or just his male pride—he still desires,” the Queen countered. Her brow peaked with intrigue.

“You said you were a reasonable woman,” I started. My thoughts clicked like an arrow loaded in a crossbow, ready to fire. “Iama one-of-a-kind Destroyer. Iama Justice Wielder. And you are right. I am his weakness but not in the way you think.”

The Queen gestured for me to continue with her hand, and I reluctantly nodded.

“Perhaps we have more in common than you think,” I reasoned, steadying my heartbeat into a beautiful dark, vengeful melody. “You need him gone, and I want my freedom back from him, from this Destroyer marriage obligation.” I scavenged my mind for any knowledge I had of the Queen, of who she was, of her desire to defy the gods. “I want my own destiny, rather than the ones the gods have determined for me.”

My words found their mark.

“That we do have in common,” the Queen replied.

“So perhaps we might be of help to each other.” I looked at her, hoping for an ounce of luck to be on my side.

“You’d betray your people just like that?” she questioned, with a bit too much dismay for my liking.

“I’d betrayhim,” I corrected. “I said nothing of my people.” I leaned back in my seat, ignoring the little flinch of my body. The chains connecting the Basalt Glass shackles rattled with the movement. My chest froze as a dangerous thought crossed my mind. I forced my muscles to relax.

A gamble.

A dire game of chance.

One that could cost me my life.

I had everything to lose, and everything to gain as I scrambled for the right words, stating, “The Destroyers will never accept a Creator Queen as their ruler, and you already know that.” Sheer will and determination lined my every word. “But they will accept a Justice Wielder.” I met her piercing gaze with mine. “Kill the General, and I’ll be your Destroyer Queen. And together, we shall rule Esnox.”

Surprise and maybe a hint of pleasant amusement colored her face. She dragged her eyes over me, sending an icy chill down my skin. I tilted my chin up and waited, silently counting the slowly passing seconds.

“Aren’t you full of surprises?” The corner of the Queen’s perfect lips tugged upwards. “It is a rather interesting proposition,” she finally responded. “Quite an unexpected one, I must say . . . ” She flicked a piece of lint off her chair, considering. “The General has seven days to surrender, whether he does or not—” Her sharp look lingered on me, still questioning my value to him. “Perhaps we should discuss a longer-term solution after all.”

“Agreed.” I nodded, matching the wicked smirk on her pointed face and shoving the growing nausea far below.

6

GIDEON

Atiny drop of wax slowly slid down the half-burned candle. The only light in the aged cabin was warm candlelight, casting dancing shadows on the rough-hewn walls.

It had been years since I had last seen my half brother. His beard was sprinkled with a few new streaks of silver. The deep wrinkle in between his brows became more prominent, his cheeks more sunken. His body withered notably from the high-altitude sun after so many years.

Godric scoffed a few times now, still not saying a word. He sat across the worn-out kitchen table from me. His large arms folded; muscles tensed; lips pressed flat. His dark brown eyes, so similar to mine, scanned me up and down, not hiding any of his clear repugnance at my presence.

“Why now?” he finally uttered. “What’s changed?” His gaze hardened.

“Perhaps I’ve come to my senses after all these years,” I replied nonchalantly, giving him a light smirk, one I knew would irritate him.

“Bullshit, Gideon,” Godric hissed. “Don’t take me for a fucking idiot. All these years you’ve known. All this time . . . andnowyou show up in the middle of the night suggesting we follow through with the plan?”

“Since when do you care for the reason?” I countered, letting him question me, question my intent, while restraining the rage within, eager to remind him precisely of who I was.

“Since I’ve learned how much of a selfish prick you are,” Godric spat, aggravated. “You do nothing out of the goodness of your heart. Much less sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the world.”

“You paint me to be such a villain.” My weary chuckle rumbled against the loud storm outside.

“If it looks like shit, smells like shit, it probably is shit.” Godric’s thick brow furrowed.

---