Page 86 of Vicious Princess
“Black and white dragons weaved together, spouting flames towards the sky.”
“The meaning behind it?”
“The black dragon embodies Koren, god of war, and the white dragon embodies Cher, god of wisdom—two eternal companions who go hand in hand, for without wisdom, war would swallow the world.”
A subtle dip of his chin is the only acknowledgment I get.
“How many spirits of the gods does Ekios have?”
“Too many if you ask me.”
His gaze flicks up to my face. I pout and bat my eyelashes innocently.
“Don’t be a smart-ass, because they get punished. Give me a proper answer.”
A hot wave of desire washes over me. “Maybe that’s exactly what I want.” Daegel’s eyes widen a fraction, but before he can say anything, I add, “There are at least three dozen known spirits of the gods that reside in the spirit world adjacent to ours.”
Daegel rakes his bottom lip through his teeth and sits up straighter in his chair. “When was Caligos first established?”
“Three hundred and five years after the Great Continent Separation, which makes it almost as old as the Order of Ezkai.”
“What was the reason for their establishment?”
This is easy. The day after the mission, I spent the whole evening learning everything I could about Caligos.
“A group of fae Decarios didn’t agree with Ezkai General Normand Teel, who ruled at the time, so they left the Order to form their own organization with the goal of besting the Order and the General and leading Ekios into a better future. However, over the years, as more and more fae Decarios and regular fae joined Caligos, their initial idea got replaced with a corrupt one.”
Daegel’s eyebrows rise again.
“Speaking of Caligos,” I say. Bracing my forearms on the table, I lean forwards. “That underground gabling parlor where you took me to see the archers, it belongs to Caligos, doesn’t it?”
He nods. “Yes.”
Before I asked the question, I knew the answer. Yet hearing Daegel admit it out loud still startles me. I can’t stop now, though. I have to know.
“During the mission, all the Caligos we encountered had these elaborate tattoos in a very specific style,” I say. “I noticed that Leti had very similar tattoos on her arms. Is she?—”
Not sure why, but suddenly, I’m anxious to even ask this question.
“Is Leti a Caligos?” Daegel finished the question for me. “Yes, she is.”
I blink at him. “You—youdated a Caligos? Is that even allowed for Ezkai? Did you know she was one?”
Daegel sighs. “I did know, from the very start. Many Caligos walk amongst us as regular folks. You wouldn’t even be able to tell for the most part. Not unless you know what signs to look for.”
I stare at him for a few heartbeats, processing the information.
“You know why they have the tattoos?”
I shake my head.
Daegel unbuttons his leather jacket. I glance around and sit up straighter. He shrugs it off easily, and the moment I lay eyes on his muscled chest and arms, all my thoughts scatter.
Standing up, he turns to show me his naked back. Beautiful tan skin covered in beautiful art. Almost his whole back is marked with black ink weaving together to create a cohesive piece.
I didn’t have the time to admire his tattoos during the training when he was shirtless. He doesn’t give me much time to admire them now either. Quickly, he pulls the jacket back on and sits down in front of me again.
“As you may have noticed, in our society, tattoos carry great meaning. When the Order was first established, they started marking the ranks with tattoos. It’s a sacred, honorable art in Ekios, with only a few having the calling to put ink onto flesh. When rogue Ezkai left the Order to establish themselves as Caligos, they also took the tradition to mark the ranks with tattoos. But because it’s a sacred art and fae are cautious about respecting ancient ways, they couldn’t seek out the ink from the blessed artists. Instead, they made the colorful ink themselves and started to ink their members in their own way. That’s why their tattoos have a very distinct look.”
