Chapter 67 - Sylas and Freya's Fate
The sunrise over the kingdom was beautiful, and Gabriel could see kilometers ahead of him, with two small cities before the horizon. Walking around, he realized there were no beasts near the area, so he opted to prepare breakfast for the long day ahead.
A roar sounded across the mountain range as the wind carried away the smell. Without flinching, Gabriel kept preparing a good portion of food. A shadow covered his body and almost the entire peak as he set his plate.
“Are you hungry as well? I have a few treats… catch!”
Gabriel got up and threw an entire arcane bear down the mountain. As it flew, his lion gryphon jumped over him toward the same trajectory and dove after its food. Getting back almost instantly, Gabriel cared for the creature as it ate next to him.
“Shall we finish this?”
“Rwaaaaaaaar,” the gigantic beast responded.
“It is time, Ahadi.” Gabriel affirmed as he mounted the winged lion.
As Gabriel made his way toward the northern mines, Raphael received the details about the event in Valorheaven. After sharing with the king about Gabriel’s actions and the fact that he questioned people from the emerald mine, the king decided Raphael should be on standby.
“The army is not above the highest nobles. You'll do well to remember that Raphael.”
These are the words the king chose as he ordered Raphael to the north, as an insurance policy in case Gabriel overdid his welcome there. Raphael arrived much sooner than Gabriel. The capital had a few transportation arrays to and from the main cities in the kingdom, facilitating Raphael’s travels to the region. Any mine would be within an hour of his flying speed from there. Unlike Gabriel on Valorheaven, Raphael changed his clothes to look like a regular guard from the operation and walked towards the primary office of the mine.
Looking at them, he recognized the Grand Duke, pacing back and forth and complaining about the king’s lack of warning, a crime punishable by death if done outside the court. Raphael ignored the offense and identified the remaining, among whom Borgia’s son was present.
Interestingly, Borgia brought a whole party to face the most emotional of us. The other is a general and two commanders, all expendable if necessary… Raphael thought, positioning himself at the entrance door instead of one of the sentries.
A few hours passed since Raphael’s arrival until Gabriel was in sight. Borgia and his party left the office and headed toward an open space to welcome the incoming GC, who landed in full battle gear again.
Where is your finesse, Gabriel? Wearing your battle gear will allow the grand duke to realize how serious you are about this… Raphael thought, observing the lion gryphon land and Gabriel as he dismounted.
“General Commander, it is an honor to meet you. It's been a long time.” Borgia said.
Gabriel looked at the fat noble, his clothes adorned with gold, purple silk, and many gold accessories, be it rings, collars, or bracelets. Next to him, a robust youth, his traces reminded Gabriel of the fat noble. Behind them, Gabriel could see three men, all a head above the noble’s height. Their armor was also extravagant, clearly way above the army’s personalization for their titles.
“Grand Duke Borgia, a pleasure to meet you. Is this young man your son? I believe we haven’t been introduced, Gabriel, and you are?”
“Pleasure to meet you, Gabriel. I’m Alfonso Borgia.” the youth responded, extending his hand instead of the usual salute a GC would get. Gabriel paid no mind to this rudeness; Grand Dukes and nobles all around were prideful and pesky, in his opinion. As the hands met, Gabriel could feel the young man trying to suppress him with mana over the handshake. With a gentle smile, Gabriel allowed his core to respond. In a moment, the image before the youth's eyes changed. The gentle blond man with imposing armor and beast transformed into a white giant with black eyes staring at his soul.
How can the difference be so huge?! I have fought and won against both commanders under our house. I'm almost able to beat our general, and I'm still in training! Drenching in sweat and panting, Alfonso retracted his hands, holding them at his chest and looking at his father. Borgia didn't need to ask to realize his son had just tested the GC and failed spectacularly.
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"GC Gabriel, as you know, our time is precious. I was told you came here to discuss a few slaves we bought previously this year."
"Yes, Gran Duke."
"Please, call me Borgia. We both have risen above the honorifics of our position."
"Mr. Borgia, I wish to see the fauns your operation acquired from Valorheaven; here are the books your man offered me. Their names are Sylas and Freya."
Borgia took Gabriel's papers from his hand, looked them over, and handed them to one of the commanders. "Find them and bring them here."
The man looked over them and walked out at a fast pace.
Gabriel's eyes were sharp whenever he looked at the fat man. There was no way he could directly threaten him, but Borgia gave a feeling similar to Raphael's. On the other hand, the man's son was fixated on him even before their challenge.
"While we wait, may you join me for lunch? I'm starving." Borgia exclaimed as he called a servant to ready a table for them.
The back and forth of the conversation could have been more comfortable. They talked about Gabriel's feats and the development of the Astralhaven Kingdom in the past few years. As the desert arrived, Alfonso was shaking from the urge to get back at Gabriel for humiliating before. When the last plate was served, he snapped. His hand hit the table before him, causing all the silverware and the pottery to tremble.
"I have a question for you, GC." Everyone's eyes turned to the young man imposing over the two heads of the table.
"Where have you been for the past two years? Don't you think, as a GC, you should have been in the capital and helping with our kingdom's development? Do you still consider yourself a GC?"
"Pardon my son's baldness, GC. You were young once. You know emotions tend to get the best of us then. Still, the inquiry is valid, and we were all curious to know." Borgia added.
Gabriel could control his emotions when dealing with nobles and bureaucracy, but the subject was still sensitive. The only person who noticed minute changes in his aura was Raphael outside.
"I don't mind his spirit, Mr. Borgia. After my mission to Veridora, the King allowed me personal time. As for whether I'm still a General Commander, that is for the King to decide. Young Alfonso, neither you nor me could resolve this matter."
Raphael laughed at the young noble on the other side of the walls. Gabriel was the most emotional of the GCs, but he had spent years dealing with the court in all matters and situations. He was almost as skilled with his tongue as his sword.
Young Alfonso's head turned red as he sat down, crossing his arms.
"There is no reason to exalt ourselves, Alfonso. The man before us has done a lot to our kingdom. General Commander, bear in mind, so did I…" Before Borgia continued, a servant whispered that both slaves had arrived.
"It would seem our conversation is over. The fauns you are looking for have arrived. Please come."
Gabriel followed the Grand Duke outside the building, where members of the Duke's guard held two leashes. The moment his eyes landed on the first one, his heart skipped a beat. They were on their knees looking down, their arms lightly bent, and their hands between their heads and horns. Their arms caught Gabriel's attention first; there was no fat on them and barely any muscle. From his angle, he couldn't recognize which was Sylas or Freya. The two of them both had recent scars on their backs, and some wounds were still open. As he approached them, they shrank away from his incoming presence. Shaking in fear, one hugged the arm of the other as the second protected the first with his fragile hand and arm. Gabriel's eyes filled with tears he never allowed to drop from his eyes. Looking at the duo before him, he could feel the sincerity behind the faun's actions. Even in such a state, he still wished to protect her. His mind still revolved around the scene before him as Borgia's voice sounded behind him.
"GC Gabriel, as you see, both are healthy. Shall we discuss the payment for them?"
Even though his mind had regained focus, his eyes were still looking at both fauns looking at the sandy and dry ground from the region.
"Sylas, Freya, Bryn… " The moment Bryn's came up, both fauns looked up in despair. With each word Gabriel used, the remaining hope or emotion that had kept them alive so far slipped away.
Their eyes only held a hint of life behind them. Their long hair and trashy beard covered their expressions, but Gabriel recognized that look. He had seen it many times before in the eyes of the husbands, wives, and parents he had to inform during the war.
"Don't worry; he asked me to tell you he is healthy and all right."
One tried to speak, but only strange noises came out of his mouth. He used one of his hands to cover his neck, but nothing helped him finish his sentence. The other one removed his arm from around her, and then, facing Gabriel, she asked as firmly as she could in her situation.
"Ho… How do you know him?"
Pondering about her question, Gabriel recalled he had never aligned with Bryn a method for identifying himself the moment he found them. After some seconds searching his memory, he remembered some of the details Bryn told him.
"Mr. Nkosi did a good job protecting him…" answered Gabriel with a light and gentle smile.
His warmth shook Freya's core; she would never forget that name. Sylas told her Nkosi had taken Bryn from them. He swore the man was good and a mage no less, but she had doubts in her heart; for some reason, the man in front of her, intimidating as he seemed - wearing an armor that seemed so expansive she couldn't even imagine who or what he was - seemed nice. Every rational part of her brain told her she should doubt every word out of humans, a trauma ever since Rowan and Isolde started to punish them without explanation. But her heart beat stronger when she heard Gabriel's voice thone when mentioning Bryn's name. When he spoke about Mr Nkosi, she allowed her husband's words inside her heart for the first time since they separated.
"Thank you…" were her last words before fainting over Sylas and knocking him to the side. Gabriel only heard them because of his close position to Freya; otherwise, they wouldn't have been loud enough for anyone's ear.
Gabriel appraised them both the moment he arrived, realizing that all statuses were close to those of a child because of the injuries and poor nutrition he understood when Sylas was unable to hold his wife’s unconscious body. He helped them both, finally looking back at Borgia, who looked at him angrily. The remaining onlookers had hands covering their mouths or jaws dropping at their display. A single guard had a smile on his face, but no one paid him mind.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Asked Alfonso.
Borgia kept his gaze on Gabriel’s eyes as he walked next to him and Sylas's frail composure. His fat body shadowed both fauns lying on the ground as he used one of his feet to kick them and press them against the floor. He looked at the faces of the fauns under his feet and asked.
"As I said, Gabriel, how much are you willing to pay for these two?"