Chapter 17:
Standing up to Him
A loud shout jolts me awake. Horse’s hooves trample the ground beside my head. I leap out of the sleeping pouch before I’m crushed. A raid? Did the Cerillis army find us again?
I search for Trevus. He’s up from his sleeping pouch too, and his sword is drawn.
The horses stampede off into the forest, the noise of their stomping hooves fading away. To my relief, there are no raiders in sight.
“A thief!” Marcellus shouts. Trevus, Giddius and I all follow his voice. Marcellus is wrestling with a thin man on the ground.
Trevus helps Marcellus take control. Marcellus twists the man’s arms behind his back, eliciting a yell of pain before he stills in surrender.
Marcellus forces the man to sit upright at the peril of further twisting his strained shoulders. The thief is hardly a man – closer to a boy.
The boy flinches as Trevus kneels down to search him. He has a wiry frame, blond hair and a soft, thin face. The boy is cast in sharp contrast to Trevus, with his large stature and commanding presence.
Trevus’s search yields only a small pocketknife, closer to a farmer’s tool than a weapon.
“A looter,” Giddius says. “And now our mounts are lost.”
The boy’s face tells a different story to the wild men we encountered before. He’s not a robber who came here to threaten us to hand over our valuables, but rather a thief hoping not to be noticed. I move a little closer, feeling more secure about the whole situation. We’re standing in the spot where they hitched our four horses, but now none of them are in sight.
“’Tis a great loss.” Trevus’s eyes are on the thief, but his mind is far away. If this costs too much time, his father will be dead before we arrive.
The boy’s clothes aren’t ragged like the wild men’s, and his hair is well kempt. He looks about a year or two younger than me, probably living in a nearby settlement. He came to steal while we slept. Marcellus was on watch, and he’s not the most alert. The boy must have tried to sneak past Marcellus like I did, but he got caught after untying the horses. Marcellus’s scuffle with the boy spooked the animals, and now they’re gone.
Giddius picks up Marcellus’s axe. “The punishment for looters is unambiguous in Versillian law.”
The boy’s mouth falls open. Marcellus presses his elbow into the boy’s back, forcing his head down and exposing his neck. Giddius’s going to decapitate him. My stomach roils. How can they take his life over a few horses? I
also attempted to steal Becky, and this boy didn’t come here to hurt us. If Marcellus hadn’t grabbed him, the boy would have fled into the field.
No. I leap in-between them, blocking the trembling boy with my body.
“Jade,” Trevus growls. Giddius still has his axe raised in the air. The mirrored edge reflects the moonlight, boasting its sharpness.
I glance up at the hanging weapon. “Are you going to kill me too, Giddius?”
His brows furrow with fury. If his emotions take over, he could charge past me and attack the boy. I reach out for him, and he takes a step back at the sight of my bare hands. That’s right. Back away, coward.
Marcellus still has the boy’s arms pinned. My glare serves as a warning not to go any further.
“The crimes that boy has committed shall not go unpunished,” Giddius says.
“You might as well toss that axe to the grass,” I say. I’m not going to allow Giddius to murder a second person on this journey.
Trevus steps forward into my space. He’s not afraid of my hands like the others. “’Tis stated in the law that he pay for his crime.”
“To salts with the law! Don’t try mask your revenge as some form of justice. If holding malefactors accountable was so important, Marcellus should plant an axe in your shoulder after what you did to that horseman yesterday. Now back off, Prince of Blood.”
Trevus stiffens at my words. I won’t let him so easily forget about the life he almost smothered. I won’t let any of these men forget the consequences of their unchecked violence.
“Surely you shall not let the little mit dictate to us,” Giddius says.
Trevus’s eyes linger on me. I’m not moving from this spot. I won’t let anyone else die.
He finally speaks. “The boy’s life shall not return our horses, and ‘tis not worth further agitating our sorceress.”
Giddius growls and approaches with the axe. I reach for him again, and he quickly steps to the side, backing away. Though he witnessed my refusal to use my connection on the wild men, deep inside, he still fears what I can do.
I turn to Marcellus and grab his arm. He releases his hold on the boy. The boy falls on all fours, and his wide eyes move up and down my frame before glancing back at Marcellus. I’m shorter than the boy, and much shorter than Marcellus. In my matching oban uniform, he must think I’m a soldier too. He probably attributes that to my confidence standing up to the soldiers with my small size. In reality, I’m just a prisoner who’s learned not to be intimidated by tall men.
The boy is too fearful to move. He has given up resisting in hope of mercy. I indicate with a nod for him to get up and go. I’d prefer he leave before learning that I’m trapped here.
The boy staggers to his feet and takes off in a limping run. I don’t let my guard down until he’s safely out of the range of Giddius’s bow.
“What is your grand scheme now,
oh wise Captain?
” Giddius asks.
I pass both of them, returning to my sleeping pouch.
“We shall walk,” Trevus says.
I sit with the pouch wrapped tightly, bringing my knees to my chest. My mind stays on the boy. His home must be nearby. His parents, if he has them, will surely be glad when he returns.
The wool lining of the pouch keeps the frigid night air away, and the fire offers further warmth. I pay no attention to the soldiers shuffling around the camp. Trevus won’t let Giddius touch me, and even if Giddius chanced it, bruises aren’t that frightening.
The fire blackens the branches. With time, they crack and sink into the pit. My mind hasn’t left the boy. He escaped from all of this with no mark on his life beyond a frightening memory. I envy him. If only I could get away so easily, free myself from this quest that demands my life.
Both Trevus and Marcellus are asleep, leaving Giddius with the final watch before dawn. I haven’t caught any sleep since the boy escaped while I had failed a few days ago. Despite stealing their riding gear and taking off on Becky, they still caught me, and my shirt has a small hole from the tip of Trevus’s blade.
My only opportunity to escape was when the horsemen pursued our party, and a fate with them is far worse than one with Trevus. My best chance won’t come from out running Trevus but from external pressure bearing down upon him.
The men that surround me, Giddius, Marcellus and Trevus, are united to hold me prisoner and fulfill Trevus’s plan. If one of them became an adversary, it would eliminate one guard, and the pressure on Trevus would build. The cracks in the party are already beginning to show.
I watch Giddius from across the fire. My gaze doesn’t escape his notice, receiving a nasty glare in response. Attracting his attention is something that he’d consider stupid, but I’m prepared to make sacrifices to survive. I’ve seen aggressive men like him at their worst, and they don’t scare me.
I approach him, leaving behind the fire that was our only barrier.
He rises to his feet. “Lay back down,
mit
,” he says in a low tone to not wake the others.
I continue forward. My hands are still uncovered. “You should listen-”
He swings at me as soon as I’m in range. His open hand strikes my cheek. The immense force sends me stumbling back, and my butt hits the hard dirt.
I touch my throbbing face, disoriented from the ringing in my ear. My cheek stings like it’s on fire. His slap is harder than my punch.
Giddius stands over me, his large boots inches away from my body.
“You’re only brave enough to do that when Trevus isn’t watching,” I say. “Only I have the guts to actually stand up to him.”
Giddius’s brows furrow. He doesn’t appreciate being insulted, especially by someone he looks down on. “’Tis not cowardice,” he says. “Trevus is the Captain.”
I laugh at his ridiculous excuse. “The captain of an army which neither of you belong to.”
His foot pins my hand to the ground with enough pressure to make it ache.
“I’ll scream,” I say. “Your captain will wake up and reprimand you.”
Goaded on from my words, he steps down on my hand. I scream from the sharp pain. There’s nothing fake about it.
Trevus shoves Giddius off of me. He responded so quickly that I didn’t even see him get up. My sore hand snaps to my chest. It hurts, but I don’t think anything’s broken.
Trevus is in Giddius’s space, just inches away from him. I remember how uncomfortable that made me feel when he first interrogated me. “Do you suppose that our operation will go smoother if our sorceress has a dysfunctional hand?” Trevus says.
Giddius doesn’t step back. “I grow tired of you questioning my actions,” he says.
Trevus glances at me, then at the sleeping pouch. He’s suspicious. “I shall take the watch,” he says.
Giddius steps around him and returns to his seat on the log.
Trevus’s attention is now on me. I’m still holding my sore hand, and my cheek is red.
His eyes move over my form, not sharing the same concern that he had when I was freed from the wild men’s clutches. “Your sleeping sack is there.” He gestures to the other side of the fire. “What is your purpose in being here?”
He suspects I’m at fault, but he doesn’t know the outcome was intentional. “I was talking to Giddius,” I say.
“He does not wish to speak with you.” Trevus bends down to be at eye level. “Do not do it again.”
I nod before standing and returning to my sleeping pouch. Trevus thinks he can control me, but he can’t. I slide down into the pouch, cognizant to rest on the cheek Giddius didn’t hit. A little pain is nothing I can’t handle. I achieved exactly what I desired.
I love it – the change – I like Marcellus and Giddius just seems dangerously bitter – I believe he may be a problem later on, hopefully not though…
Yes Jade! 🙌
@rileysing ohhh
what was the purpose of it tho? did she want to annoy him or just wants attention?
she could’ve just said she went to pee
ateee
Yep
Yes, that’s her best bet. To turn them against each other.
What? You’ve got a better idea that doesn’t include bloodshed?
True
Well, if you want any kind of her remotely helping you in your quest, then yes
😯👏👏👏
It’s not about her getting hurt. She’s sowing conflict between the two. Trevus keeps “taking her side” and scolding him for his actiona. So he’s going to get irritated and eventually turn against him. Then Jade will have her chance to escape while they are fighting each other. That’s her plan.
I love Jade’s recklessness and antics.
@summerlyne_ I think it’s just me then, I’ve never been vocal or loud and taken pain silently, so I suppose I don’t mentally understand verbalising it, so it’s just a me issue when not understanding her reaction, the loudest thing I’ve done to shock pain was going “ow” lol
@iceheartgoldsmile Fair. I think some of it came from shock as well, since she didn’t really see it coming. shock+pain=scream
@iceheartgoldsmile I don’t think it’s ever been stated that she took the abuse silently. I think she can still be strong while vocalizing pain. I do like how she takes it in stride though. Nothing the guys do to her is as bad as what she’s already been through.
@summerlyne_ It would definitely hurt lol, but I meant the scream being real, I’m not saying it wouldn’t hurt or be damaging, just that it’s not the reaction I think of someone who’s been abused and tortured by soldiers in a tower is all 😅
@tryongirl I can’t physically scream lol, but I have had a horse stand on my hand, but I brought that up, on the fact that she’d been abused and tortured up in the tower, then to suddenly scream over that 😅
I mean, she first of all has two hands, and secondly, all she has to do *from my knowledge* is rest her hand on the person so I wouldn’t think that a sore or sprained hand would affect her ability to use her magic that much, if at all
Oh definitely. I would be too. but I also do commend him for keeping his patience, although a lot of that is more than likely because he knows *some* of her past. but I also understand her wanting control and power, especially in her situation. Trevus is by no means dumb, and I think he’s just going along with it to try and avoid more problems so she’ll cooperate
I can’t deny that she set herself up for failure, purposely antagonizing him, but the physical violence wasn’t necessarily her fault
Keep in mind he also has *probally* very heavy boots/shoes on too. Bones are FRAGILE as hell, and a full grown man, probably 200+ pounds, standing on your hand will hurt like a bitch.
No good deed goes unrewarded.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
very clever plan, but I think it’s going to bring her nothing but trouble
You don’t think you’d scream from the full weight of a 200 lb man crushing your hand?
Ah, Mom, reading one chapter and waiting for the next chapter is more difficult than torturing political prisoners
does she want to look hurt so she cant use her magic or pretend she cant?
@rileysing ah I see. I thought I had read the word before but forgot the meaning.
Girl, you were genuinely hurt by someone standing on your hand, a little pain was apparently enough to scream about. She’s really thinking she’s smart, “don’t want people to die” then also “but I’ll create distrust and unease amongst very quick to kill soldiers” sounds fun lol haha
Dang, imagine if she was just walking to go toilet and making casual conversation, “why did you leave your sleeping sack?” “because, I needed pee” lol
really screaming over someone standing on your hand? you went from ‘seen the worst of men’ to ‘owie! my hand got stepped on!’ girl lmao
Girl is really playing with fire…
I plan to survive”, aight, let me just ignore the most murderous of the soldiers
Ah yes, make the murderous soldiers murder each other!
Bitter boy
Damn shes maniputive, its awesome… Trevus must be kind of annoyed with her though. I get the feeling he knows she started that and it wasnt just her being dumb talking to Giddeus.
ensue
Not worth the argument and hate that would ensuw
Boy, shut up murderous mouth
mit?
Thats a smart plan to turn them against each other
Nice! that was well said