Page 10 of Lies That Blemish
You will have to be open to the fact that your father was a monster who tried to kill you and was?—
I stopped reading because it went into the same old story, and I was starting to question my reality, my sanity. Could Kohen be right about my father? Stars, I hoped not. My heart ached at the thought of him marrying Anika, and then I hated myself for still caring.He killed my father and then killed me!Who cared if he knew I would rebirth. That was crazy. He was unhinged and, and… I needed to speak to someone who could give me unbiased advice. I felt my mind splintering at the edges.
‘Young one, I promise you I am not taking his side, but I do think Kohen’s claims deserve further investigation,’Liana said, and I groaned.
‘I don’t like your eavesdropping. I want to be alone!’I snapped at her and then immediately felt bad for it.
Who had I become?
My father. I was becoming my father: cold and uncaring, easy to anger. A single tear slipped down my cheek as I crushed the letter to my chest.
How many lies could you hear before it started to sound like the truth? Especially when they came from the lips of the one you once loved. My heart felt battered from the lies Kohen had burned into it time and time again.
‘He sent a firebomb on our troops at the border today. How about I investigate that?’I asked Liana.
‘After you sent one first,’she countered.‘He’s just protecting his people. Notice he hasn’t hit any civilian buildings, and casualties have been minimal.’
I growled.‘Well, I haven’t either.’I’d been purposefully staying away from Sorak, the city I knew his brothers were in, because I was too soft to kill two young and innocent boys. But if Kohen was hiding out there, I would eventually have to storm the city and take it.
Liana sighed in my head.‘Aisling, you have both been fighting with minimal casualties. Can’t you see this isn’t a real war?’
Her accusation that I was holding back because I still might love him, or that Kohen was doing the same, enraged me.
‘He killed me, Liana. Watched as poison flooded my body, and my heart shut down. All the while whispering sweet nothings in my ear like a lunatic.’
She was silent because I knew she could say nothing after that cold, hard fact.
I tossed the letter into the fire and then left the room. I had an engagement party to go to and a people to convince that I was in love with Alek. The future of this entire empire rested on it.
Chapter 5
Valor
As the night grew longer,the boys slowed, yawning.
“Let’s rest our legs for a bit,” Tej said.
“I’m not sleeping,” I declared as he set his pack down and rolled out his shoulders.
He pinned me with a glare. “Neither am I. I’m not an idiot.”
“I’ll sleep,” Arjun shrugged. “That way, when you’re both dragging, I’ll be the most alert. Wake me when we leave.” He yawned and pulled out his sleeping bag.
Tej and I shared a look, and we both tried to hide our smiles. Arjun was growing on me, but I still most definitely hated Tej.
A loud boom like a cannon rang out then, and I flinched, ducking my head. Tej and Arjun, who was getting into his sleeping bag, barely moved.
“Firebomb.” Tej pointed up. I followed his gaze and saw a giant ball of fire streak across the sky from our side to theirs.
“You’ve never seen the battlefield, have you?” Tej asked in a somewhat disgusted tone.
“I’m fourteen,” I huffed by way of answer.
Tej flicked his gaze to Arjun, who was now fully tucked into his pack. “He was a baby when your father took over our country. Age doesn’t matter.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to waste my breath fighting, so if that’s all you want to do, please be quiet.”
“Oh snap,” Arjun said from deep inside the sleeping bag.
