My Blood Mage System

48  Strength and weakness, part 2

The next time Cael came was an hour later. This time, he appeared with food. A mere sight of the bowl of broth in his hands made Ginevra's stomach grumble and her face cringe in distaste.

Food for the ill was even worse than food for prisoners. At least they could hope for some bread.

"Don't you have someone else to run errands, Cael?" Ginevra asked venomously. "Are you going to feed me, too?"

He eyed her with narrowed eyes. "Will you behave if I unbind you?"

"Yes," Ginevra lied without batting an eye.

Cael nodded and went to sit on the ground near Ginevra's bed. "Then feeding you it is. As for other people to do the job… I suppose I just have nothing better to do. Father decided to camp here for a short while, to let people rest. Since no one wants to play dice with me, I might as well spend time with one of the few girls in the camp." He smirked at her.

It wasn't one of the leering looks Ginevra sometimes caught from her soldiers. Too friendly for that. She bristled all the more because of it.

"I hope you don't expect me to jump you because you threw me a couple of smiles."

"No, I will just dream about it at night." Cael carefully scooped up a spoonful of broth and moved it towards Ginevra's lips. "Eat up!"

Ginevra clenched her teeth in indignation. 'I have to get stronger,' she reminded herself.

Lifting her head to catch the spoon with her lips was an effort, and not merely a physical one on the side of her exhausted body.

When Ginevra swallowed the lukewarm liquid that severely lacked salt, she caught Cael's gaze on her lips. She reflexively pressed them together, and that gaze shot to her eyes instead. It was darker now than a second before, and that darkness filled her body with an unfamiliar heat.

"I think I should unbind you, after all. Truly… It would be exceedingly idiotic from you to attack me. I bet you could barely sit even unbound. I likely would have to feed you, anyway."

"Just do it," Ginevra seethed.

With a soft, almost defeated sigh, Cael put the broth away for a moment and went to unbind the ropes that circled her wrist. This took him several curses and a cantrip, but in the end, the ropes slid free.

Ginevra immediately sat up. As soon as her head hit the highest point, the tent around swam, and her body grew heavier than lead. Ginevra fell back with a pained grunt, feeling her jostled injuries aching worse than ever.

"I told you." She didn't look at Cael's face, but she just imagined the smugness. His voice certainly didn't lack it. "Really, Father was being paranoid when he ordered to have you bound. You won't defeat a chicken as you are now. By the time you will be able to stand up, we will already be somewhere with better prison cells than this tent."

"Your father is only wise. Since you escaped somehow… If you had this power all along, why did you even let yourself be captured? To spy on my forces?" Ginevra turned towards Cael and asked the question that had been bothering her for a while now. "How did you manage that? You were in a shock collar, and I've personally searched you for any magic items!"

Cael perked up. "Personally?" He swallowed. "Um. Well, you forgot to kiss me. Then you would've found an amulet in my mouth."

Ginevra's face contorted in pain. Whether it was from her wounds or his words, she couldn't tell. But her pride was hurting badly, that was for sure.

It was fine to be defeated. She was not the strongest person in the world. She merely survived in it, becoming slightly more powerful with each passing day.

It was much worse to make a mistake. And she made plenty. Ginevra couldn't even blame Cael for this. This was her mistake. His power, though, was another thing entirely. There was certainly more to Cael's story than what she had heard.

If anyone could've bought this sort of power, Enzo would've done it long ago, even if he'd have to sell his soul. Though maybe he failed because he never had a soul to trade.

Meanwhile, Cael moved back to the breakfast. "Let me help you up," he said, reaching for Ginevra's pillow.

With some effort from both sides, Ginevra ended up half-sitting with the pillow serving as her support. Cael still had to hold the bowl in front of her as she ate, but at least Ginevra could manage her spoonfuls.

Even if each took a minute.

She cursed herself and her weakness ten times over, and that she was so weak in front of Cael was a hundred times more vexing. His strength threw her feebleness into a sharp contrast.

"So, Ginevra," Cael asked suddenly. "Do you know anything important about Enzo's plans? Would he attack Oliveira again? Does he hide a secret regiment of two hundred soldiers and a dozen mages in his sleeve?"

Ginevra almost choked on her broth. But the question was a welcome diversion. It was better to feel a tortured prisoner than a sick person being cared for.

Because this was exactly how it looked like.

"I won't tell you just because you told me a few nice words, either, Cael."

He nodded seriously. "What stops you? Honor? Fear? Some perverse loyalty?"

Ginevra ate several more spoonfuls in thoughtful silence. With each answer, she felt like a warrior losing another piece of armor. More open, more vulnerable…

More light. More free.

"Because I might lose to you, or to anyone else, but I would never again crawl on my knees with a white flag in hand. If you want answers, Cael, you will have to break my back for them."

Cael frowned. His jaws pressed together.

He said nothing more after this. Merely fed Ginevra, poured her water, tied her up again and left after telling her to call to guard if she needed anything—like an urinal.

All for the best. He was an enemy. Any kindness on his part was a ploy.

To wish for him to smirk at her again was a foolishness worth a dozen lashes.

I'm such a moron. I didn't press a button to activate new privilege tiers last month, so now they won't activate until NEXT month. That is, June! JU-NE!

Soooo lame. I really wanted to surprise you with a big fat privilege. Now I have to wait another month. :< Thank you for patience.

Garessta