Indenuel meditated in his study. Once again, he worked his healing as hard as he could, pushing it to its limits. He was right to keep all the healings for himself at the beseeching. Practice is what helped his powers grow. He was even able to do some of the more complicated organ healing toward the end. He spent days after the holiday getting to everyone.
Tolomon was surprised he didn’t want to do something special on the day he turned twenty. Indenuel of course had heard of people having big celebrations, but he thought it was all too strange. He just kept doing what he did, going to people’s houses who came during the beseeching that he couldn’t get to in time. Tolomon still made sure he got a special pastry that night at dinner in celebration of God giving him another year, and Indenuel asked him why they didn’t do anything for Tolomon’s anniversary of birth. Tolomon said nothing for a moment before mumbling about him being in the lower class, which made Indenuel ask the servants for another pastry for Tolomon. Besides, Tolomon adding another year to his lifespan as a Graduate was something far more worthy of celebrating. Now he was one year shy of forty.
The door to his study opened, and he opened his eyes, blinking a few times to orient himself. He assumed another month or two of this kind of meditation and his healing would be back to where it was.
Pablo walked in and bowed. “Forgive me, Indenuel. You said to only interrupt you if there was an emergency.” He held up a letter. “It’s from the General.”
Indenuel’s heartbeat quickened before it plopped into his stomach. He said nothing, staring at Pablo before holding his hand out for the letter. The head servant placed it in his hands before bowing again and leaving the room. Indenuel stared at it, realizing he’d imagined this day would happen, but he still couldn’t believe the letter was in his hand. He opened it, surprised that his hands weren’t shaking at all.
Kiam has broken through our defenses and is making their way to Santollia City. Be ready to ride out with Captain Luiz tomorrow afternoon. He will know where to go.
Indenuel set the letter down, breathing deeply. Tolomon was there by his desk. “I ride out with Captain Luiz tomorrow.”
Tolomon nodded. “And I will be there by your side when you do.”
***
The servants had been strangely nice to Inessa. When she refused dinner, stating she wasn’t hungry, they coerced a couple bites into her anyway. They had asked if she needed some company, but Inessa told them she wanted to be left alone. It took them a few more commands before they actually did.
It was getting late. Far too late for a respectable woman to be out, but she had put this off long enough. She cried enough for the lotions and paint to be washed from her face. She waited long enough to make sure she was done, so the redness of her eyes wasn’t noticeable. Waited until cover of darkness before she left the house, keeping the light cloak so she wouldn’t be noticed, wearing one of her simpler dresses. With her hair a mess and her face bare, she almost looked like a lower-class woman, but hopefully not too low. She didn’t want to run into any men who wanted to buy her tonight. She wasn’t in a good emotional state to keep them away.
Inessa made sure her head and face were well covered as she walked toward the gates of the city. The only people out this late would be the guards. The two jovial daughters were dancing around their stalwart sister in the sky above her as she walked closer to the wall. She took off her shoes, trying to stay calm. She tried not to remember how angry Martin looked when he discovered what she had done, or how terrified she had been. Martin must have known the entire time during the Spring Welcoming. It must have been why he acted so cold around her. She had been an idiot for taking the poppy root as long as she had.
She listened for the guards to pass before her nimble feet found the impurities in the stone, climbing up the wall. She dropped on the other side as quietly as possible before heading toward her tree.
She tried not to think about Indenuel. She hadn’t seen him since that disaster of a dinner on the last day of the holiday. It was probably better this way. He had the war to focus on, and she… she needed to get pregnant.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Inessa pulled back the sticks and leaves from her poppy garden, feeling the tears stinging her eyes. She held her breath to keep herself from crying as she pulled out poppy after poppy.
Three pairs of hands grabbed her and pulled her from the tree, lifting her into the air to keep her from making a connection with the trees and calling for help. She struggled, panicking. In her state of emotions, she realized too late that the tree that so often was there as a comfort had never connected with her. Did not speak with her. Did not lecture her. Someone, or a group of someone had completely blocked all the trees so they could sneak up on her.
Someone tried to grab her mouth, but she bit the hand, her teeth the only weapon she had left. Someone punched her mouth for her bravery before her mouth was again covered.
It was then that she heard it. The hissing and speaking of a different language, the cadence and tone like nothing she’d ever heard before. They were talking back and forth, dragging her farther away from the wall, farther away from the guards that would be making a round soon. Inessa struggled, but she was up in the air, the men far too skilled to let her even near a tree branch, but she saw it, from the light of the moon, the gray eyes. She had gotten herself surrounded by a group of Kiamese soldiers.
One of them began trying her hands behind her while the others kept her in the air. Another walked forward, taking out a small vial of powder in his hands before he blew it in her face, and she felt it acting immediately. Her limbs went numb, and her eyes drooped. She was still conscious, but she couldn’t move a muscle.
Martin would notice she was gone, but she doubted he would miss her. Not enough to come after her. Not during a time of war. She might not need a dagger to get herself killed.
***
Indenuel woke up, gasping. It had to be a nightmare. He was certain of it, but that didn’t stop him from pulling on his pants as he stumbled into the hallways.
Tolomon was out of his room, sword in hand, looking around. “What happened?”
“Inessa,” Indenuel said. “I had a dream about Inessa.”
Tolomon frowned, the battle-ready individual slipping away. “Um, Inessa?” Indenuel said nothing as he fumbled down the stairs, ready to head outside. “The lonely son is still high in the sky. You need all the sleep you can get for our journey tomorrow.”
“She was getting kidnapped,” Indenuel said, tucking his nightshirt into his pants. “I need to make sure she’s alright, or I’ll never get back to sleep.”
Pablo was there in his night shirt, holding a candle and looking confused. Tolomon followed Indenuel as he threw open the door. “You cannot go to High Elder Martin’s house at this time of night,” Tolomon said.
“I’m not.” Indenuel grabbed the nearest tree. The evening air had a slight chill to it, enough to help Indenuel wake up. He closed his eyes, throwing himself into it and following it all the way to Martin’s house.
“Inessa!” It was as loud as he could possibly make it, screaming into the tree right by her window. He wasn’t sure how often she was connected to the tree, or if she remained connected through the night.
“Inessa!” He needed confirmation. The dream was all too real. It was a small group of Kiamese soldiers, grabbing her, holding her away from the trees. He couldn’t tell if it was somewhere in the city or outside of it. If this was a vision of the future, then he needed to warn her immediately.
“Inessa!” He was desperate. He tried to think of a good reason why she wasn’t responding. It was late, she was probably deep asleep.
“Can I help you?” That did not sound like Inessa. He probed enough to realize it was Derio. “Indenuel?”
“Derio. Where is Inessa?” Indenuel asked.
“She left on an errand for Martin not that long ago,” Derio said. “She has yet to return.”
Indenuel’s heart dropped. Then this wasn’t a vision of the future. “Shit!”
“Pardon?” Derio asked.
“Sorry. I’m sorry. Derio, you must alert Martin. Alert everyone. Inessa’s been kidnapped!”
“I sensed her disappear not that far from here. She’s still well within the city and-” Indenuel allowed the tree to give Derio the dream Indenuel had. He let Derio feel his panic. He let him see the Kiam soldiers kidnapping her. “I will make Martin aware of this at once.”
“I will be over there as soon as I can,” Indenuel said.
Indenuel dropped the connection with the trees, heading straight for the stables before Tolomon grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
“What are you doing?” Tolomon asked.
“She’s in danger. I need to make sure she’s safe,” Indenuel said.
“We have a war to win tomorrow,” Tolomon said.
“And I can’t win it if she’s not safe.” Indenuel struggled in Tolomon’s grip, but he knew he’d never break it unless Tolomon let him.
Tolomon gave him a good hard stare before gesturing toward his clothes. “Can you at least get dressed first?”
Indenuel looked down at his clothes, the pants and nightshirt he wore. He wasn’t even wearing any shoes. Indenuel let out a breath. “I guess so.” Indenuel ran back into the house to throw clothes on himself.