Contents
Chapter 29. Now: Luca
Overview
On the night before the Citadel assault, Luca decides he cannot proceed without ensuring Maris’s escape. He secretly recruits his tribune, Théo, to steal an inconspicuous medallion and smuggle it across the river, risking treason and the New Legion’s pact. Luca prioritizes Maris over duty, revealing a decisive shift in allegiance.
Summary
In the quiet after Vale’s declaration to take the Citadel, Luca lies awake, realizing the campaign means nothing if Maris Casperia does not survive. Determined to act, he leaves his tent and searches for his tribune to execute a risky plan without informing Commander Vale.
Finding the tribune absent from his own quarters, Luca discovers him asleep with Asinia near Vale’s tent. Luca wordlessly summons him outside, recognizing both the personal risk and the betrayal implied. The tribune, seen unarmored and vulnerable, pledges himself to Luca when asked if he can be trusted.
Luca warns that the request will cross a line Vale cannot defend. The tribune affirms his allegiance to Luca over the legion. Luca asks him to procure a medallion bearing an insignificant name and to get it across the river—an act that constitutes sacrilege and a breach of command, endangering the Consul’s agreement.
The tribune infers the mission is to protect a Magistrate and reveals he suspects Maris’s identity, pressing for enough context to justify the risk. Luca insists this protection is essential to his own survival and purpose, admitting he will “end with her” and that Maris is the only person he trusts.
When asked for his name, the tribune identifies himself as Théo. Luca offers only a single confession: once forced to choose between duty and his heart, he chose wrong. Now he chooses Maris, and Théo’s help will determine whether she lives through the coming assault.
Who Appears
- LucaCenturion of the New Legion; secretly plots to save Maris by ordering a stolen medallion smuggled across the river.
- ThéoLuca’s tribune; lover of Asinia; pledges allegiance to Luca and is tasked with the dangerous smuggling mission.
- ValeCommander of the New Legion; asleep nearby, unknowingly excluded from Luca’s treasonous plan.
- AsiniaSeen sleeping with Théo; her proximity to Vale underscores the risk of Luca’s clandestine request.
- Maris CasperiaMagistrate in Isara and Luca’s beloved; her safety motivates Luca’s plan to secure and deliver a medallion.