“That was awesome!” Diego shrieked. “The way you did all that, to literally disarm him because the sword was in your shoulder! Holy shit!”

Tolomon still had no emotion on his face. “Come now, Diego, I know what your father thinks of such language.”

“Good thing he’s knocked out, then,” Diego said. “That was seriously so cool! Can I fight you in two years too!”

Tolomon tried to laugh. “If I’m still around. No Graduate makes it past forty.”

“Well yeah, they just have to say that because no one survived past thirty-five until you came around.”

Nathaniel opened his eyes, squinting in the light. “I honestly thought I had you.”

“Yeah. Me too,” Tolomon said before helping him to his feet.

“Alright, come here, I’ve got to heal my damages too,” Nathaniel said. Indenuel left to find his sword. He sheathed it and came back in time to see Nathaniel finishing up. Once he released Tolomon, he touched his forehead a bit, his step unsteady. Tolomon caught his elbow.

“You alright?”

“Not as young as I once was, that’s for sure,” Nathaniel said.

“Hardly here an afternoon and you’ve already found excuses to cut each other up,” Sara said, walking into the gardens.

Tolomon gave her a bow as Nathaniel smiled. “Oh, come now, Mother. It was Diego’s idea.”

“Shifting blame too, I see. Honestly, sometimes I don’t think you two have ever grown up,” Sara said with a loving smile as she walked forward.

“We have definitely gotten older,” Nathaniel said. Sara ignored him, placing her palms on his cheeks and studying his face closely before giving a click of her tongue.

“How many teeth has your father had to grow back for you two. Quite sure you’ve lost them all after a time,” Sara said.

Sara turned, brushing off the dirt from Tolomon’s shoulder. “I’ve already got servants preparing baths for all three of you in your rooms. Indenuel? Tolomon? Are you hungry?”

“No, ma’am,” Tolomon said as Indenuel shook his head.

“Alright, I’ll send you some honey and fry bread to your room,” Sara said.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Tolomon said as Indenuel resigned himself to his fate.

“They’re all healed, Rosa, come scorn them too if you’d like,” Sara said.

“Oh, no scorn, just wanted to make sure they’re alright,” Rosa said before walking deeper into the gardens.

Sara left as Rosa glanced over them carefully, wincing. “At least you fought with enough time to wash before dinner.” Her eyes fell on Indenuel who still had the dried blood on his shirt from his own stab wound. She shook her head, looking at Nathaniel. “I had such girlish dreams of marrying a scholar who would come home every night and teach me all the things he was learning. He’d never do anything dangerous, and he’d never get hurt,” Rosa said.

“You? Marry someone safe and boring like that?” Nathaniel asked, wrapping his arms around her.

Rosa smiled. “Glad Eduardo isn’t here to hear you say that about his future.”

“Oh, well, my son is different. I’m talking about this imaginary man you built up in your youth to love,” Nathaniel said.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about him. I much prefer the one that actually exists.” Nathaniel almost went to kiss her when she made a disapproving sound. He looked confused before Rosa grabbed his handkerchief, wiping the last of the blood around his lips before kissing him.

Diego groaned. “You two are so gross!” He turned to leave the gardens, grumbling.

“Tolomon!”

He turned to see Emilia and Isla running up to him. He got down on one knee, smiling as they hugged him.

“What happened?” Isla asked.

“They said you were practicing,” Emilia said.

“Did you win?” Isla asked.

“Go on, go play with your friends,” Tolomon said, trying to smile. “I’m all sweaty. I’ll see you both later, alright?”

They nodded, giving him another hug before running away.

“Love you, Tolomon!” Isla shouted.

Tolomon said nothing. He simply watched them go, and Isla was too caught up in racing her sister to notice he said nothing back as his face became unreadable again.

They walked out of the garden, Nathaniel with his arm around Rosa. They were talking quietly to each other, moving ahead of Tolomon and Indenuel.

“Are you alright?” Indenuel asked, folding his arms.

“It’s nothing,” Tolomon whispered, glancing at Rosa before looking back down at his feet.

“I meant with Isla and Emilia,” Indenuel said.

“I know who you meant,” Tolomon said, trying too hard not to have emotion in his face. Again, he looked at Rosa before looking at the house.

“Tolomon, come on, what is going on?” Indenuel asked.

There was a deeply concerned look on his face. “I’ve broken my promise as a Graduate.”

“Which one?”

Tolomon waited until Nathaniel and Rosa disappeared into the house, going down one hallway as Tolomon and Indenuel went down another. “I wasn’t supposed to get attached. I wasn’t supposed to find love. They drilled it into us at the academy. Nothing is more important than your assignment.”

Indenuel opened the door to the guest room. There were two warm baths waiting for them. “It’s got to be hard to watch Rosa and Nathaniel so in love after-”

“I meant Emilia and Isla,” Tolomon said quietly as he shut the door to the room. “I assumed it meant romantic love. I’m sure my instructors at the Graduate program would agree but…” Tolomon wiped the blood off the side of his face. “If you and the twins were in danger at the same time, I would save them first without question.” Indenuel tried to hide his smile. Tolomon noticed it anyway. “Stop it. You don’t realize how dangerous this is.”

“Did they honestly expect you to never have relationships of any kind? At all? Even our friendship?” Indenuel asked.

Tolomon looked down, almost ashamed as he started getting undressed. “I never should have befriended any of you. I need to stay focused on the mission at hand. I must protect you at all costs, no matter what distractions are in front of me. And clearly the fight today taught me they are, indeed, a distraction.”

The worry creasing his forehead made Indenuel realize Tolomon wasn’t joking about this. Indenuel undressed and eased himself into his bath. “Do you know what this will do to the girls if you turn cold? If you never play with them? You honestly think you can do that?”

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Tolomon finished unbuckling all the sheaths from him before he got in his own bath, starting to wash himself. “You are the most important person in the world. You need to be protected at all costs.”

“Don’t, Tolomon. I guarantee if the twins and I were in danger, I would be running to help the twins too, and I expect you to save them, or else I will never talk to you again,” Indenuel said.

Tolomon stopped washing himself for a moment, his eyes focusing on nothing. “This has put everyone in danger.”

“You are far too worried about this,” Indenuel said.

“No, you are not worried enough about this. Those little girls could die because I’d rather save them than you.”

Indenuel had never felt more confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Reynaldo could-” Tolomon stopped himself short, and actual, genuine fear crossed his face before he turned away. There was something in his desperate tone that made Indenuel’s blood run cold.

“Tolomon?” Indenuel asked as quietly as he could, like he didn’t want to spook a wild animal. “Who’s Reynaldo?”

“The leader over the Graduate program. If he knew, if he suspected, if I get distracted, and he finds out those little girls are the reason, he’d…” Tolomon trailed off again, not looking at Indenuel.

Indenuel was starting to feel nauseous. Tolomon’s hesitancy to give the answer, the fear of what that answer might be, Indenuel needed to know. “Would he kill them?” Tolomon said nothing, but his bodyguard dropped the curtain from his face and Indenuel saw the truth of it in his eyes. “He can’t do that. They’re five years old, they’ve done nothing wrong.” Tears started welling up in Tolomon’s eyes. “Tolomon?” Indenuel felt knots growing in his stomach.

“They’ve done worse, Indenuel. I can assure you of that.”

Indenuel let out a breath, the ice still running through his veins. “I don’t… they couldn’t…”

Tolomon started again to methodically wash himself, his eyes focused in memory. “I was top of my class in the Graduate program. For once in my life, I felt as though my common birth didn’t matter. But as much as the Graduate program assures everyone there is no difference of classes, they are lying. They tell that to the noblemen in the program, but they swear the common class to secrecy.” Indenuel froze, not liking at all where this was going. Tolomon scrubbed his legs in the bath.

“I was given my final test. A solo mission, one only given to common class Graduates. I needed to kill a twenty-four-year-old woman and her twenty-six-year-old sister and make it look like an accident. I was not allowed to ask questions.” Indenuel’s eyes widened. “I asked questions anyway. They didn’t answer them, and I refused, even after they threatened to kill me. Even after they threatened to kill my sister. I have distanced myself from her for this very reason.” Indenuel continued to stare, his chest tightening. “So, they gave me a different test. An impossible test they give all common Graduates if they don’t do their murders. It should have killed me. A troop of Santollian soldiers stumbled over enemy lines and became prisoners, being guarded by a hundred Zimoran soldiers because of the valuableness of one of the troop members.” Tolomon stopped his scrubbing, staring at the bloody water. “Nathaniel. Him and a few of his soldier friends got caught. It was ten of them against a hundred Zimorans. The only reason why they weren’t slaughtered where they stood was because Nathaniel bargained with them to save their lives. He knew being a High Elder’s son, an attempt would have to be made to try and rescue him. Usually, six or seven Graduates would go, but they sent me first, fully expecting me to die in the attempt. They did not expect me to return.”

“But you did,” Indenuel said.

Tolomon nodded. “I did. We all should have died, but we survived, purely because Nathaniel and I work so well together as soldiers. And so, they accepted my Graduate status, with conditions. I was not to tell a soul what the Graduate program asks their common class Graduates to do, and in return I would never get one of those assignments. It is the only secret I have been sworn to that I’ve kept. Until now.” Tolomon shuddered, holding the edge of the tub, trying to shake away the memories. “A part of me believes I have sold my soul to a different sort of devil because of this. Looking the other way while the trained men of my class slaughter innocents.” Tolomon brought his knees up, resting his elbows against them. “The Oraminians are right to be disgusted by Graduates.”

Indenuel stared at Tolomon. “I don’t understand. Why just the common class?”

“Because we are nobodies from disposable families who can be bullied into doing what they want us to. I guarantee most of the noble class would be horrified if they knew what the Graduate program is for the common class,” Tolomon said quietly.

“How could they possibly keep this a secret?” Indenuel said. “How could the Graduates themselves not tell others?”

Tolomon sighed, scrubbing his chest. “We have a specific Priest assigned to us. We only go to him for our confessions. The priest always writes them down and sends them to Reynaldo.” Tolomon stared at the edge of the tub, adding more filth and blood to the water he sat in. “Killing innocent people and making it look like an accident does something to a person. I’ve seen it. Everyone of common birth didn’t last long. Right before they crack, they are sent on an impossible mission to die. And if they don’t go to hell, their families are still threatened. But… so many have… have gone to hell. Because that’s what we’ve become. Murderers and assassins.” Tolomon sighed, and for the first time since Indenuel knew him, he looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Graduates of the noble class are the ones who last to thirty-five. The common class don’t last three. The noble Graduates think it’s because we don’t have the sufficient training they had to survive as long, but I know why.” Tolomon finished washing the blood on the side of his face, looking down to see it run down his hands. “I’ve watched so many of them crack. Break inside themselves. Start laughing for no reason. Start to sob soon after. One talked about the four-year-old child he-”

“Don’t,” Indenuel couldn’t help but say. He was not a priest. This was turning into a confession, and as much as Indenuel wanted to stop this corruption, to help his friend, he could not bring himself to listen to what happened to that child.

Tolomon gave a small nod, then finished washing the blood from the side of his face. “I honestly think I’ll go to hell for this, too. Not because I did any of those assignments, but because I looked the other way while they happened.”

There were tears in Indenuel’s eyes. He didn’t feel them form, but he allowed them to fall. “Holy shit, Tolomon.”

He said nothing. He simply finished washing himself off and got out of the tub. “I shouldn’t have burden you with this, but I’ve kept their secret for too long. I myself am starting to crack. I don’t think anyone is expected to live this kind of life for ten years, let alone the almost twenty years I have.” Tolomon wrapped a towel around himself. “Every year gets longer, and it feels like I’ve lived three lifetimes in the past decade.”

Indenuel completely forgot he was in a bath.

“Do the High Elder’s know about this?” Indenuel asked.

Tolomon finished throwing his shirt on. “High Elder Navir and High Elder Cristoval do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Where do you think the assignments come from in the first place?”

Indenuel wanted to vomit. His vision began to blur, as he gripped the side of his own tub. “Shit, Tolomon. Holy shit. This can’t continue. What the hell is going on in Santollia.” Indenuel knew he should keep his voice down, but it was a struggle. Tolomon continued to buckle the sheaths onto his person. “Does Martin know?”

“No,” he said. “All the assignments have only ever come from the Senior High Elder. But if I tell High Elder Martin what is going on, my sister, her family, everyone I know and love, they will be murdered, and no one will find their killer. High Elder Navir will deny it, and as a member of the common class, I cannot insult a High Elder without deadly consequences.”

Indenuel winced. He covered his face, his wet fingers dripping down the side of his face. “So the plan is to get Martin to figure it out.”

“Not right now,” Tolomon said. “After the war.”

“No, we’ve got to do this now. I might not survive the war.”

“I’m sorry, Indenuel, but they’ve got this too well tied up in politics and secrecy. Even you and High Elder Martin against the Senior High Elders will bring about nothing. I guarantee there is no proof to these missions, and Reynaldo will deny it, just as Cristoval and Navir will. Not only that they…” Tolomon rubbed the side of his head, looking away. “They’ll know it was me. They’ll have my family slaughtered, and me reassigned.” Indenuel covered his mouth, feeling like he was finally seeing the true monstrosity that the High Elders were keeping. “So we win the war, and then get them to stop. Somehow.”

“A war I’m going to win, in order to keep Navir in power. Concubines, liar, and now murderer? They practically allow slavery here too.” Indenuel took an unsteady breath. “I don’t want us to win this war.”

Tolomon finished getting dressed, which reminded Indenuel he was still in the bath. He quickly finished cleaning himself off. “The people here are good,” Tolomon said quietly. “Emilia, Isla, Matteo, Carlos and Nathaniel’s children, they all deserve to grow up in a time of peace. Baleeah, too. I want her and her siblings to be happy. She reminds me far too much of my little sister.” Indenuel scrubbed the blood from his shoulder. “We deserve to give them a future not under Kiam rule. And we need a time of peace to work on keeping our own leadership accountable. I had no idea how that could happen until you came along. You, practically in the same social status as Navir, able to call him out on his shit while the rest of us would get ten lashings for doing such a thing.” There was a knock on the door before a male servant brought in a large tray of fry bread and honey. Tolomon thanked the servant as Indenuel stared ahead.

Indenuel sunk deeper into the bath. “So, you’re saying I not only need to win in the final battle, but also survive it? To make sure the other High Elders know what’s happening and to pull Navir from power?”

Tolomon felt his sheaths, looking around for loose daggers. “Despite my training, despite my weapons, I am powerless when it comes to the High Elders and Reynaldo. Protecting you helps me realize I can do something, and I wouldn’t ask you to do this alone. I will be with you every step of the way. Your success is my success. I will protect you with everything I have to make sure all those children have a good future, with good leaders that won’t put them in danger.”

Indenuel nodded before he got out of the bath, taking a towel from Tolomon and drying himself off. “Keep playing with the girls,” Indenuel said quietly. “Don’t be afraid to love them.”

Tolomon nodded. “I plan on it.”

“If any harm came to them, I will deal with Reynaldo myself.”

“No, I won’t ask you to do that.” Tolomon grabbed two daggers from under the bed. “If those girls get even a scratch on their body, Reynaldo deals with me personally.” He slid the daggers into their sheaths.