Chapter 978 Eighty One Days

• "Benjamin is far too full of himself," Caelun muttered, the laugh that slipped from his throat colder than steel. "By the time he bothers to interfere, Finneas will be nothing but a puddle of blood. I once thought Benjamin unfathomable, wiser than the rest of us combined. Turns out he's just another fool."
• "Caelun," Selene whispered, eyes bright with a sudden spark of possibility, "could Benjamin simply be stalling—afraid to cross our master outright yet duty-bound to attempt a rescue? Maybe this delay is his way of threading that needle."
• Caelun froze. His gaze flicked from his junior sister's earnest face to the distant figure of Benjamin, who lounged beneath the shade of a silver poplar, murmuring sweet nothings to Leaina. A thoughtful shadow crept across his features.