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Chapter 26: The fool\'s choice

*Fool. An absolute, gods-forsaken, fool.*

This thought beat in Gianni\'s head for the last ten hours. He rarely regretted his decisions, but now he had a reason to regret one.

The night\'s attack could\'ve been much more disastrous than it was. The intruders used a sleeping spell to put his sentries to sleep without raising an alarm. If they were left to roam unchecked, come morning, Gianni could\'ve woken up with half of his army lying in their tents with slit throats. Instead, there were only a dozen of dead, mostly the sentries, and a few wounded in the turmoil that followed.

Gianni didn\'t know what Cael forgot in the courtyard when the enemy was there, but it was a stroke of divine luck for his soldiers, and a demonic misfortune for Cael himself.

*I should have never taken him with me. What have I thought? What I\'m going to tell Emilia now? She will tear me apart with bare hands and would be right.*

Gianni wanted to scream. Instead, he had to maintain the visibility of stoic composure—a beacon of calm for his soldiers. He had to order his men to gather the camp and keep marching on, twice as vigilant now.

He had sent scouts to follow the traces of intruders, but they have returned within hours, empty-handed. Cael\'s Sending Amulet functioned, but he didn\'t accept Gianni\'s messages. There was nothing Gianni could do for his son now, except for winning this war.

His army moved out with sunrise and crossed the border with Nuvoloso and stopped in front of the first village before noon.

It was just a few houses huddled together, with fields surrounding it from all sides. No people were in sight. Did they hide in that forest on the horizon? Were those houses empty, or did they hide another ambush?

From the height of his horse Gianni looked at the village, then at his soldiers. They stood, waiting for a command.

Gianni pressed his lips together. He had little time, and no place to take risks. This was an inevitability of war. The village would have to burn.

He raised his hand and opened his mouth, but before the first words of a spell could leave his lips, a cawing shout attracted his attention.

"Gianni Oliveira! Gianni Oliveira!"

Gianni\'s eyes shot up to see a crow circling around their establishment, shouting in a woman\'s voice. A crow that reeked of magic.

Near Gianni, baron Ignazio Vespertino raised his arcane bow, grinning. This man and his regiment of archers had only reached Gianni this morning, but he was glad to see them. Vespertino was one of the very few allies who didn\'t abandon Gianni with excuses in fear of Enzo.

Gianni wasn\'t sure if Ignazio knew what fear was at all.

"Oh, a target practice?" he asked, smirking. "I heard crows are not much worse than pigeons in a soup."

Gianni raised a hand to stop him. "Don\'t. I think this is a messenger." He raised his head towards the bird and shouted. "I am Gianni Oliveira!"

The bird cawed and glided towards Gianni, landing gracefully on its raised arm. It tilted his head and eyed him with a beady black eye for a second.

"Well? Why have you been searching for me?" Gianni asked.

The crow spoke in the same female voice. It clearly was mimicking someone else\'s speech. "Gianni Oliveira. Give him this message, remember his response. This message. Message."

"What is it?"

The crow\'s voice changed, and Gianni froze. His heart froze, too, clenching in this voice\'s grip. So unruffled and unconcerned on the surface, despite the tenseness Gianni could hear from within. Just like always. Cael was so much better at hiding his feelings than Vittorio. One day, he would be as good as a lord should be. It was a pity he lacked in other talents of a lord.

"Father, I… I have failed you. Ginevra Nuvoloso has captured me. I\'m now her hostage, but I\'m fine. For now, at least. Come to Rocca Albornoziana, before that changes. This is the place she is going to conquer… Before going to Sanremo di Mare."

If Cael would survive that long…

"Ginevra?" Ignazio whistled. "Was she the one who attacked you that night? I heard she was as ruthless as her father… What a sorry way for a young woman to live! She should be dancing on balls, not fighting in wars."

"She\'s no woman," Gianni spat out. "She\'s a monster, Enzo\'s flesh and blood."

He turned towards the messenger and looked the bird in the eye. There was only one choice for him… Even if it would be the one that would damn him. His hand clenched, and he imagined it was strangling Ginevra\'s neck.

"I will come, Nuvoloso. I will come, and we will fight. Then you will regret this."

He pushed the messenger bird off his hand, and it took into a flight. After another circle around Gianni\'s army, it turned towards the horizon.

Gianni watched its flight with narrowed eyes. Then he turned to his lieutenant, Federico di Malavolta.

"Send your best, fastest scouts with Sending Amulets after this bird. Turn the rest of the army towards Rocca Albornoziana, and send a messenger ahead with a warning."

"Understood. But we won\'t reach the fortress today unless we march into the night, Captain," Federico said. "Maybe we should leave the supply wagons here, so we could race Ginevra to it."

A part of Gianni wanted to, but it was a foolish, emotion-driven part. It already put him in this predicament.

"No. We will march with normal speed and double the lookouts."

*Fool me once—shame on you. Fool me twice—shame on me.*