Tolomon was ready to sprint after Indenuel when Martin grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t. We can’t lose you too.”
“I can keep up with him, sir. I can do my best to protect him.”
Martin shook his head. “This is Indenuel’s choice, idiotic as it is. You are one of the best Graduates, and we could use you at the battlefront. Santollia City is in danger, and if Indenuel isn’t going to protect this city, we need to know someone will.” Martin watched as Indenuel’s form disappeared among the tops of the trees, heading over the wall.
“I am still his bodyguard; I have sworn my life to protect him. Please, let me get him back before he reaches the Kiamese soldiers.” Tolomon followed Indenuel with his eyes, tracking his movements.
“No, we need you in one piece. As High Elder, I officially dissolve your assignment to Indenuel,” Martin said.
Tolomon tore his gaze from Indenuel, trying too hard to keep his face neutral. “Sir?”
“Pablo, alert the other High Elders,” Martin said, heading for the stables. “Tell them I am calling an emergency meeting at the Cathedral. We need to update them on this new development and what we need to do from here. Tolomon, follow me. You will be a part of that meeting too.”
Tolomon gave a final look in Indenuel’s direction before turning his back. “Of course, sir.”
***
The branches once again cut into Indenuel’s hands and wrists, bruising them, but he chose to ignore them. Again, he was soaring through the skies with anger deep inside, passing himself from branch to branch, desperately trying to find the Kiamese soldiers. In the moonlight he saw smoke rising from the trees quite a distance away and figured that was his best bet. If Martin was right about this being a trap, then Kiam wouldn’t bother trying to hide themselves.
His best hope was to sneak into the camp, get Inessa, and sneak back out. He was full of anger, full of dangerous hate that could morph to corruption at a moment’s notice, but he did his best to stifle it. The Kiam would sense the corruption if it got too much.
Anger bubbled dangerously beneath the surface. Anger at the High Elders, anger at Kiam, and anger at the war. He wanted it to end, but he was sick of people demanding he be the one to end it. If they expected him to somehow have the mental capacity to let Inessa die while he saved the world, then they were mistaken.
Indenuel approached the smoke and slowed down, gripping the branches to keep him steady, doing everything in his power to keep the corruption at a minimum as he lowered below the trees to see the group. It was a large group, all eating dinner and talking amongst themselves. There was one tent, guarded by four Kiamese soldiers. If he dared guess, that was where Inessa would be.
Indenuel eased the branch over until he was dangling above the tent before he lowed himself down, holding his breath like it would somehow make him less noticeable. He took out his dagger and slit the top of the tent. He could see her, her arms extended above her, tied to a pole. Anger turned into concern as he eased the branch father into the tent before dropping in front of her.
Inessa was still breathing, but unconscious. She was sitting, her lip split with a bruise on her cheek and eye. Indenuel forced himself not to let that anger him. He was already having a hard enough time not letting the Kiamese soldiers sense his corruption. Indenuel knelt next to her, cupping her head in his hands to keep it upright. Her head was way too hot and covered in sweat. “Inessa?” She didn’t respond. Indenuel wanted to shout but didn’t dare. The guards were right outside the tent. He brushed her hair from her face. He closed his eyes, sensing her with his healing power, sensed the poison inside her. He pushed his power forward, healing the bruises and cuts.
Inessa gasped and Indenuel opened his eyes, a smile flickering across his face. “Inessa.” Her face was still dangerously hot, but he would take care of that once they were in a safer place.
“No,” Inessa whispered. “No, you’ve got to leave. It’s a trap.”
“I’m not leaving without you.” He pulled out his dagger and sliced the rope holding her hands up.
“They know kidnapping me was a way to get you,” Inessa said.
“Shh. I’ll be alright. I’ll take care of it.” Her wrists were still tied, but he grabbed her, making sure he had a good hold before he reached up to grab the tree, bending it to his will, except he felt it. Someone was blocking him. His heart sank.
The tent door ripped open, and the guards charged in, grabbing him.
“No!” Inessa screamed.
The guards tore his dagger from his grip as he was dragged out of the tent, lifted enough so he wouldn’t touch the ground before he was slammed down to his knees on a felled tent to keep him from connecting to the trees, his hands pinned behind his back by a soldier. The entire army was there, a large circle around the tent.
A man walked out of the tent, dragging Inessa.
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“Please, Drenai, don’t hurt him!” Inessa said.
Drenai said something in Kiamese as he pushed Inessa toward one of the men. The man caught her, saying something else as he pulled out some rope. Indenuel struggled in the guards’ grip. “Don’t touch her!”
He said something else in Kiamese. One of the men tied her to the tree as the other tied a gag around her mouth. Indenuel struggled again. “Let her go! Let her return to Santollia City, please.”
A soldier grabbed Indenuel before kneeing him in the stomach. He crumpled, coughing. He hadn’t been kicked like that in a long time. He tried to ease his breathing, glaring at the ground to let it have his anger instead of the soldiers who did this.
The man named Drenai approached, smiling. “Indenuel the Warrior.” He pulled out his sword and used the tip to lift Indenuel’s chin toward the light of the fires. “It is indeed and honor to finally meet.” Indenuel said nothing, the anger he pointed toward the ground was now pointed at Drenai and his soulless grey eyes. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t be able to notice the tiniest movement in my camp? I am the most powerful tree talker in the world. Your precious High Elder Navir didn’t even notice my surveillance of this lovely girl who so often takes trips outside the walls.”
Indenuel forced himself to breathe easily. If he learned anything from Tolomon, he learned to let the enemy assume they were stronger. Give them the false sense of security. Though being completely surrounded by a hundred and fifty Kiamese soldiers was certainly grounds for Drenai to be arrogant.
Drenai moved his sword, and Indenuel was forced to turn his head with it. “Such a young boy aren’t you. So young, with a hate so strong.” Drenai dropped the point of his sword, moving back. Indenuel continued to glare. For having just met, Drenai knew far too much about him. Had he mentioned Inessa at all while he was with the Oraminians? Was this something that sneaky Oramin picked up? A man Indenuel still hadn’t met yet had caused so much pain.
“The Santollians may be men of insipid honor, but the good people of Kiam pride ourselves on it. Swordfight me to decide the victor. If you win, you may take your lady and go home. My men will not stop you. If I win, well,” Drenai shrugged. “You’ll be dead. And I will have done what I came here to do.”
The soldiers released Indenuel and backed away, but Indenuel remained on his knees. He used a hand to gently massage his stomach, still glaring at the ground. Drenai was blocking any attempt to break the trees wills. At least, so he thought. Indenuel had a feeling if he pushed hard, he could break through and surprise Drenai. But there was no way he could untie Inessa and grab a tree branch before he was caught. And even then, he saw numerous men with crossbows. He didn’t dare chance it. “Do you agree to my terms, Warrior Indenuel?”
Indenuel continued to stare at the ground, keeping the corruption at bay so they wouldn’t realize how much he had. “You say you are men of honor, yet you kidnap a defenseless woman to draw me out.”
“Ah, but we never touched her. Not in the way every single one of your High Elders have.” Indenuel’s fingers curled into fists as he continued to struggle to keep his face unreadable. It didn’t work. Drenai chuckled. “And you’re the race that thinks you’ll save us from our barbarity.” He moved to the basic stance, smiling. “Come now, Indenuel, I promised Inessa I would kill you quickly. According to the rules of the fight, Inessa won’t be mine until I do. I assure you we will all have our fun with her before we send her back in the state of our choosing.”
Inessa, still tied to the tree, began to whimper as a numb look came over her face. Indenuel bowed his head to keep Drenai from seeing the anger in him, burning deep within his soul, igniting all four corruptive powers. Someone told Drenai that Indenuel wasn’t good with the sword. And that he cared deeply for Inessa. Once he was done murdering Drenai, he would find that rotten Oramin next.
“Make the decision, Warrior. I am anxious to get this done,” Drenai said.
Indenuel still held his stomach, glaring at the ground, letting the anger bubble. He sensed them in the crowd, the way they blocked the corruption from him, or at least they thought they did. False sense of security. Let them think how weak he was in corruption.
“We can help,” a demon said.
“You are strong.”
“With us, you can be stronger.”
Indenuel slowly rose to his feet but didn’t make a move to pull out his sword. He kept his eyes closed; afraid they were starting to flicker to black. “I refuse your terms.”
Drenai’s laugh was humorless. “You either fight me, or you fight us all. Which would you rather have?”
The whispers gathered close around him, fading in and out as the Kiam kept them away. The demons sensed his concern.
“Fill them with enough fear,” a demon said before it was pulled away.
“They cannot block you if you make them afraid,” another one said before it too was pulled away.
“Let them sense your full power-”
“And strike them when they are confused.”
Indenuel opened his eyes, glaring at Drenai, then gave the tiniest smile. “I will fight you all.”
Indenuel stepped off the piece of tent and connected with the trees, breaking their will all at once. Drenai dropped his sword, looking around. Indenuel raised his hands then jerked them toward his chest, the fingertips almost touching. A thick, heavy fog appeared out of nowhere, extinguishing the fires and blocking everyone’s sight. The peace that kept the demons away shattered. The fog itself began to scream.
***
“Now that we’re all here, let’s begin with a prayer,” Navir said, beginning to stand.
Dalius was writing something down in the book when he gasped, the quill sliding off the page. Navir about asked when he too stopped, his eyes widening. Martin frowned.
“Is everything alright?” Martin asked.
Fadrique’s gaze shot to the ceiling. His breathing turned rapid as he stood, following an invisible force with his eyes.
It was then that Martin felt it. He had watched Indenuel get possessed by the devil himself, watched as the devil filled fear and corruption into the Cathedral. This was dangerously close to that time. Martin stood, sensing the evil that seemed too far away.
“Tolomon, do you feel that?” Martin asked.
“Yes, sir,” he whispered.
“Go as fast as you can. Stop Indenuel in whatever means you deem necessary. I will be right behind you. And if he’s sold his soul…” Martin let out a shaky breath. “Kill him.”
“Yes, sir,” Tolomon whispered again before running out of the Cathedral. Martin sat back down, feeling the corruption on too strong a level.
Fadrique touched his heart. “I didn’t think it could get any worse.”
Martin shook his head, closing his eyes, doing his best to ease his soul through the corruption he felt emanating from somewhere far away. An unprecedented amount of pain was building up before he stood.
“Follow when you can. Whatever damage he is doing needs to be corrected before it spreads.” Martin turned and left, feeling sick inside. If Indenuel wasn’t careful, this could destroy all of Santollia.