I push on. “Are you aware that your family is kidnapping children, drugging them, and selling them?”
He looks startled. Or pretends to.
“That’s the first time I’m hearing about it. I swear.”
I search his face for truth. I don’t find any.
I don’t believe anything about him anymore.
“I don’t know who you are,” I whisper. “I don’t know the man who keeps claiming he loves me, but keeps treating me like a precious toy.”
His voice turns quiet. “Phoenix, it breaks my heart to see you look at me like that.”
The words are soft.
But they feel like a trap.
“This was a mistake,” I say.
Me coming here.
Letting him use my body as a way to fix what’s unfixable.
Allowing him to lie to me for so long.
Finally, he gets off me. I scramble to my feet and look for my clothes.
“You won’t avenge your family if you’re dead,” he says, watching me dress.
“At whose hand?” I snap. “Yours?”
He simply glares at me.
I shove my arms into my torn jacket. “From the start, I admired your ambition and how self-assured and accomplished you were. It’s a shame to see that all of it was a lie. I may not have the honorable reasons of becoming the Ezkai General, and I’m sure there would be more devoted champions who would serve Ekios better than I ever will. But at least I’m not a fucking coward and a puppet.”
I don’t wait for his answer.
I don’t look back as I slam the door shut behind me.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
PHOENIX
When I get back, everyone’s asleep.
I try to get some sleep, too. But anytime I close my eyes, my thoughts grow so loud I can only dream about falling asleep. My body can’t stop trembling from all the adrenaline. I try very hard not to think about what just happened.
I toss and turn for hours in my large, empty bed. The mattress that was once comfortable now feels hard as a rock.
The sky’s still dark when I finally give up on getting sleep and roll out of my bed.
I bathe in cold water and get dressed. I find an outfit hanging on the wardrobe door that Vera picked out for me. It’s a two-piece black suit, all sharp, straight lines and metal sequences that look like armor. Even though I’m wearing a fancy suit, I look like a warrior. It’s a small comfort, but comfort nonetheless.
Vera knows me well. I hope this is a sign she still supports me as her chosen champion.
Without waiting for the morning or anyone to wake up, I leave for the Trial of Truth.
I wander the streets of Jaakii until the sun rises and it’s time.
