Navir sat down, leaning back as he rubbed his eyes. Dalius watched, quill in hand. Martin was almost scared to know what the Acting High Elder saw in Indenuel’s memories.
Navir straightened. “If this had been anyone else, even a fellow High Elder, I would have strongly suggested revoking all titles and sticking him in the dungeon for twenty years, mark or no mark.” Martin’s chest tightened. “What he said was true. He had no sympathy or guilt when he killed those two people.”
Fadrique shook his head. “And since he’s the Warrior?”
“Clearly that’s impossible. We cannot imprison the man who’s going to stop this war.”
“The prophecy did not prepare us for this,” Fadrique said.
Martin rubbed his forehead with one finger, feeling overwhelmed. “Even after everything that happened during the Day of the Devil? Indenuel didn’t care?”
“The only guilt he felt was when Matteo figured it out,” Navir said.
Martin’s eyebrows raised. “Matteo knows?”
Navir nodded, tapping his fingers against each other, a look of deep concentration on his face. “Indenuel’s use of the corruptive powers, combined with not feeling guilty afterwards, is a cause of deep concern.”
“Let alone how his soul was in such a state that the devil himself possessed him,” Fadrique said.
“Nothing will matter.” All four High Elders turned to look at Cristoval, who was talking as though he was fully aware of the situation, even though his eyes were still flitting around. “The end of the war will come either way. None of the outcomes are ones we want.”
A chill traveled through Martin’s body. Most of what Cristoval said nowadays made no sense in the context of the conversation, but this was completely different. Martin turned to Dalius, who was as surprised as anyone.
“I’m sorry, what?” Fadrique asked, his voice loud compared to Cristoval’s soft one. Cristoval muttered again to himself. Fadrique leaned closer to listen. “What about the end of the war.”
“So hot. So deadly hot. I’d never live there. Not like here. So nice here. Water, plants, food. No one can survive in the desert. Why are they living in the desert?” Cristoval said.
Navir shook his head, sitting up. “We must give Indenuel five lashings and a night in the dungeon.”
“Be reasonable, Navir. The boy was just possessed by the devil himself. Don’t you think that’s punishment enough?” Martin asked.
“We mustn’t go easy on him,” Navir said. “He committed a remorseless double murder.”
“The devil certainly didn’t go easy on him. He’s had enough punishment. If he feels no remorse, there is little else we can do. He feels bad enough, so we use that to help the corruption get out of his body.”
“And if he kills again?” Fadrique asked.
“He won’t,” Martin said. “There was a lot of resentment between Indenuel and Andres. Lola too. Indenuel’s bond with the children is strong.”
“Strong enough to kill,” Dalius mumbled as he kept up with the meeting notes.
“We must set up some sort of boundaries at least to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Fadrique said.
“It won’t. I know it won’t,” Martin said. “The children’s safety being threatened was the only thing that drove him to murder.”
Navir shook his head, looking incredulous. “This goes against my better judgement. He murdered two people, using all the corruptive powers, and we’re not sending him straight to the dungeon with at least ten lashings on his back.”
“What would it look like if we did?” Martin asked. “The Cathedral, the pinnacle of this beautiful city, has been damaged. Kiam is getting closer to winning this war. Indenuel is the only hope some of these people have because the story of defeating these marked individuals has caught on. If we lock him in the dungeon, we might as well break the already floundering morale of our people.”
“And if we let him go of murder, what will stop him from murdering again?” Navir asked.
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“You honestly think he’s going to murder again?” Martin asked.
“Indenuel convinced himself those people needed to die, and he killed them with no remorse.” Navir said. “That line of flawed logic is far more terrifying to me than the actual murders.”
“He and Tolomon have a close bond,” Martin said. “I would trust Tolomon with my life, and in many instances have done just that. So we get Tolomon to keep an eye on him. Report him if he attempts to do anything like this again. Take away Indenuel’s ability to swear him to secrecy.”
“Where was Tolomon when this was all happening, anyway?” Fadrique asked.
“Recovering from grey death,” Navir said, mulling this over. “Even Graduates are allowed a mistake or two when recovering from something like that.”
“If we make Tolomon his warden as well as his bodyguard, I truly believe Indenuel will never murder again.”
Navir nodded. “That might work. And as a Graduate, Tolomon would be perfectly capable of stopping Indenuel from committing any more crimes.”
Martin tapped the desk with his knuckles. “Are we in agreement?”
The other three High Elders nodded. Cristoval stopped mumbling, staring ahead, for once strangely silent.
“Let’s bring him back in, then. Assess the damage to his soul,” Navir said.
***
Tolomon was not asked to leave when he came in with Indenuel. They listened to the sentencing. The situation Indenuel placed on the High Elders was a difficult one. Having Tolomon act as both bodyguard and warden was reasonable. Tolomon nodded in agreement to everything Navir asked of him.
“And you no longer have the right to swear Tolomon to secrecy,” Navir finished.
Indenuel’s snort was soft. “I was never going to do that again anyway.”
His bodyguard let the tiniest smile of pride cross his face.
“Tolomon? Do you agree to what has been asked of you?” Navir asked.
He bowed. “I agree, sir.”
Indenuel wasn’t that surprised. Tolomon would agree to anything the High Elders requested, even if they asked him to go to Hell and come back. Indenuel honestly wouldn’t be that surprised, either with the High Elders asking him to go to Hell, or for Tolomon to return from such a journey.
Tolomon stayed in the study but remained by the door as Navir had Indenuel stand again. “Now, let us see this mark again.”
Indenuel was confused. Had the High Elders already seen the mark? He realized he’d been out for quite a while and already confessed to Martin. There were probably multiple times they could have checked the mark.
He swallowed his pride as he slipped his shirt off, sensing the coldness from the mark even still.
Dalius stood and moved around the desk before giving the mark a critical look. He then reached forward, touching the marks each individually before closing his eyes and pulling. Indenuel winced as black whispers filled the room. It was still too recent, and his hands shook in fear. With a final jerk, the whispers disappeared, and the mark left his chest. Indenuel gasped, then looked down, seeing his chest completely free of the mark. After almost two weeks of constant meditation, it was gone with a simple tug from Dalius. He touched it, feeling the warmth.
Dalius opened his eyes and smiled. “The mark is gone, and I consider you cleansed. My prayer is it will never return in any form.”
He slipped his shirt on again. “I will try, High Elder Dalius.”
“Let us see what damage this has done to your gifts.” Navir reached out and took Indenuel’s hands. Navir closed his eyes, and Indenuel looked at the floor. He already bore his soul, so more prodding by Navir and the rest of them was just another thing that needed to happen.
Navir nodded, dropping Indenuel’s hands. “Thank you for your honesty today. Your tree powers have eroded enough that I am concerned, but it is nothing that can’t be perfectly healed in another month or so. I pray Kiam doesn’t decide to invade us any time soon.”
Indenuel’s heart dropped. Navir might have said it as a joke, but he realized once again he oversaw ending this war. With the confession done, he needed his powers back to their full strength.
Fadrique was next. He stared at Indenuel, keeping his emotions in check as he grabbed his hands. Indenuel felt a small resentment having Fadrique check him, though he was in no position to choose. Fadrique gave Indenuel a look, one that assured him he hated this just as much as he did.
Fadrique closed his eyes and assessed the corruption in his soul. It was far quicker as he dropped Indenuel’s hands and opened his eyes. “Whatever you used of the corruptive weather control was out of instinct. Thunderstorms, though uncommon, are not rare in Santollia City. I might need a few sessions to get him back to what he once was. Maybe only one. He is…” Fadrique stopped himself, then gave Indenuel the smallest look. “You are still one of the most powerful weather controllers I have ever come across.”
Indenuel’s eyebrows twitched in surprise. Of everything that happened today, he didn’t expect Fadrique to compliment him. The man turned away as Dalius finished writing something down before stepping forward, grabbing his hands with his ink splotched ones. He closed his eyes, sensing him, a frown tugging at his face. He prodded harder, and it was to the point where Indenuel felt uncomfortable when Dalius finally let go.
“There’s no corruption.”
Navir frowned. “Impossible. Cristoval said demons were shrouding his face, and none of the good souls could enter.”
Dalius shook his head. “That wasn’t Indenuel’s doing. It must have been the devil. You are still as strong as ever.”
“Even after what happened on the Day of the-” Indenuel hesitated, still terrified to even mention the devil.
“Yes. Even with that. Even with pushing Andres closer to Hell. You have no corruption in you.” Dalius looked deeply troubled. “That means most of it was all the devil’s doing. He wants your soul, Indenuel. Stay as far away from him as possible.”
Indenuel nodded. Dalius shook his head as he wrote down the report. Martin appeared, and Indenuel recoiled a little. He was not looking forward to this. He used corrupted pain the most, and he was terrified of what Martin would sense. Instead of grabbing his hands, Martin extended his own hands toward Indenuel, palms up. Indenuel hesitated before placing his hands in Martin’s. Martin gave him a tiny smile before he closed his eyes. Indenuel looked up at the ceiling, simply waiting.