Octavius POV

Chapter 22: The unfair fight

Jedediah looked shocked at me, maybe even scared, and it seemed he already made his choice. "I'm going!" He wanted to take a step forward to affirm his own words, but I pulled him back.

"You should first think about this, Jedediah," I hissed to him.

"Think about it?" he said. He spoke and looked at me in a way what was strange to me. It was almost hysterical, just not yet. Maybe mixed-up, but then terrible mixed-up. "Octavius, they want to throw Jacob before the lions! I'm going in that cage and you can't tell me otherwise." Again Jedediah tried to walk towards Cecil. This time I pulled him back even harder, tighten my grip on his shoulders and looked straight in his eyes.

"Jedediah," I said clear. "You can't give up now. We fought so hard against those giants for so many years and now you are just going to give up because of one threat. Jedediah, think for a moment!"

"I am thinking," Jedediah said and suddenly his voice sounded normal again. "I rather lose my proud than Jacob. I have to make sure Jacob doesn't get involved in this unfair fight, no matter the cost."

I sighed one time, not planning to give up. "I hope you understand you will lose so much more than just your pride when you give in now. You will lose the war, your freedom, your land. Don't tell me Jacob is worth all that."

"Are you saying being locked up in some box every night is freedom?" Jedediah immediately said back. "And they can do whatever they want with my land already. All those years they already could do whatever they want to do with us, Octavius. From the beginning. Jacob doesn't deserved to get wrapped in all this." I looked at Jedediah the whole time, but for a moment I didn't know how to replied. "And by the way," Jedediah continued. "You also still care about Agrippa, don't you? Despite your disagreement. Would you let them just throw Agrippa into the cage of the lions?"

I sighed again and let go of his shoulders. I was thinking about what I should say next, and when I finally knew I saw Reginald coming back with two familiar figures in his hands. They were dumped besides us on the table.

"You don't have to be afraid," Reginald said in a fake friendly way. "The lions are locked up in their cage now."

"But now we are finally ending this all," Cecil said very intimidating. "You are both proud men and you would keep your word. So you swear you are going to help us with the lions now, or we are going to throw your friends in the lion's cage." Agrippa looked shocked at the giants, but Jedediah's boy looked at the giants with pure agony.

"What's going on here?" Agrippa asked and finally looked at me. "I have never heard about lions before. And why do you stand so close to that cowboy?"

"Jedediah?" Jacob said softly through Agrippa's words. Jacob only had to looked scared at Jedediah for a few seconds and Jedediah didn't waste a moment anymore. He ignored me and Agrippa, stood protective before Jacob and looked angry at the giants.

"You leave Jacob out of this," Jedediah said clear. "I will help you from now on, but only if you leave Jacob alone."

"Jedediah! Don't!" I shouted before thinking. Two angry faces form the giants and the astonished face from Agrippa were immediately aimed at me, and it was Jedediah who kept on looking to the giants. I tried to ignore the other three and walked to Jedediah.

"Just think about this for a moment," I said to him. "You can't give up now."

"And I definitely cannot give up Jacob," Jedediah replied to me. "If you want to put Agrippa in danger, go ahead, but I won't send Jacob into a lion's cage."

"Nobody gets in that lion's cage," I said strict. "We'll keep on fighting, like we always did." I could feel Agrippa's eyes in my back. I knew I had said to much and Agrippa had to know Jedediah and I worked together before now.

"Enough! I want to know you're choices," Cecil yelled through our conversation. Of course, he was scared we would run away again.

I could read the hesitation into Jedediah's eyes, but I feared he would still make the deal.

But suddenly there was a monkey with keys in his hand who changed everything. The giants immediately turned around when they heard the monkey and the tinkling keys behind them.

"Dexter," Cecil said and for the first time he sounded scared. The monkey looked so innocent when he held the keys up high and then we could hear the lions roar again. The giants ran away and after a short while two lions, two zebra's and a cheetah chased behind them. After them came even a elephant and behind him there was another lion. But this lioness stopped before our table and looked straight at us. I stepped back and also Jedediah took his distance.

But the boy, who first looked so scared, took a step forward towards the lioness. The lion reached out to him and easily smelled at Jacob. The little miniature stood eye to eye with a strong, big lion, without showing fear. Jedediah didn't intervene, but he watched the lion closely, ready to step in when something would happen. But the lioness didn't do anything and after a while she just turned her head and walked away into were the other lions disappeared. Almost at the same time Jacob and Jedediah left a sigh of relieve.

But even now the giants and the lions were gone, I couldn't say I felt relieved. I didn't dare to look at Agrippa, but I knew exactly how he looked at me. I knew exactly what he thought. I knew exactly what he was going to do.

Yeah, chapter 22 is done! :D Lolz, don't get Octavius wrong. He is not suggesting to throw Jacob and Agrippa into the lion's cage, he is suggesting they should keep on fighting against the giants together with Jacob and Agrippa. I thought I should make that clear.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for reading it so far, means a lot to me! Reviews are always appreciated!

See you next week! :D