Chapter 87
Volumes 1 - 3 of DOTBATVB are available uncensored on ko-fi!
And in that moment—though Fiona could not know it—the second binding that had held Caligo’s mind snapped apart.
Suddenly, Caligo felt a clarity like surfacing from deep water, a liberation that left him breathless.
The world grew sharper. Reason began to assert itself. As though waking from a drunken haze, Caligo’s consciousness steadied and grew clear.
With his newly clarified consciousness, he took in the chaos around him.
“That woman’s appearance has roused the beast!”
“State your name and affiliation! The Commander will not let this pass!”
The shouts, clamorous and dense, assailed her ears.
“You ask who I am?”
Would this actually work? Were harsher trials yet to come for them both? But in this moment, anger outweighed fear.
“I am the Grand Duchess of Aquileia, you fools!”
The moment she hurled this declaration from the depths of her being, Jayden appeared. Seated upon his horse, he surveyed the chaos, taking in the situation. After a moment, he gazed down calmly at Fiona, still held in Caligo’s embrace.
“So this is the cause of the commotion.”
Jayden was armed in gleaming armor and helm. His immaculate appearance, so starkly contrasted with Caligo’s, only stoked her fury further. He lifted his visor slowly, his gaze icy.
“What is the meaning of this in a sacred military encampment, Fiona? And to leave the castle without permission.”
Jayden’s voice was cold with anger. His cruel gaze traveled from Fiona to Caligo.
He might dismount at any moment and resort to violence. Fiona tapped Caligo’s arm, slipped down, and positioned herself before him, hiding him behind her. His massive form could scarcely be concealed, but she wished to show where her loyalties lay.
“We shall discuss consequences later. For now, return quietly to the castle.”
Yet for reasons unknown, Jayden did not unleash his fury. Instead, he issued the command in a low voice. Fiona had no intention of obeying.
“No. Having witnessed this, I cannot simply leave.”
A vein pulsed in Jayden’s forehead.
“Do not be obstinate. The army is no place for your tantrums.”
“At the very least, remove those chains. He offers no resistance. This is too cruel.”
“He would have been released when battle commenced. Until then, he cannot be freed—he might break rank. There is also the risk of flight.”
“Caligo will not flee. Had he wished to, he would have done so long ago.”
Did they not understand, even after witnessing him crumple iron like paper? Caligo wore those chains not because he could not escape.
They likely knew as well. Only now, having seen it with their own eyes, did fear take hold.
“Fiona… you have no authority to interfere in military matters. Return to the castle. Now.”
His tone was imperious, but if she were cowed by such words, her pride might as well die.
“Why have I no authority? I am the Grand Duchess—appointed by the Emperor and installed here by your own hand.”
She understood little of noble customs, even less of their politics and intrigues. But she repeated what she had overheard.
Caligo had, after all, been granted the title of Grand Duke. Nominally at least, he had been given the power and authority to govern this land.
His condition prevented him from wielding that authority—but if he chose to assert it, the justification existed.
“If the kings learn how you have treated the Grand Duke, what then? When they realize this is all a sham, will they demand their share of the northern territories?”
The scraps she had gathered during her audience with the Emperor proved useful. She sensed Jayden’s composure waver. He spoke through gritted teeth.
“I have already told you, this is no place to discuss such matters. Not when that beast—”
“No, Jayden.”
Fiona cut him off.
“I have the right, as Grand Duchess, to protect the Grand Duke. I am taking Caligo with me. I know nothing of your training—that, you may sort out yourself.”
Fiona’s eyes, fixed upon Jayden, were half-wild.
An unnameable aura emanated from her, and no one dared intervene. Was this the bearing of one prepared to face death? Her gaze promised ruin to any who touched her, and so no one drew near.
Even Jayden, gripping his reins until his fingers might have snapped, did not stand in her way.
It was a strange moment. No one detained them. The ranks parted on either side, yielding a path.
Had they refused, Fiona had been prepared to raise an even greater clamor, to unleash a more ferocious tantrum.
Leaving the training ground in its deathly silence, Fiona seized Caligo by the wrist and walked on without a word.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.