Inessa woke up, feeling the carriage sway with movement. It was dark, but she saw the horizon lightening. She tried sitting up, feeling the blanket around her. No, not the blanket, Martin’s High Elder robe.
“Good morning, Inessa.” It was Tolomon. He was sitting on the floor of the carriage. In the early dawn light, she saw Indenuel asleep across from her, his shirt still ripped. Tolomon reached over, covering Indenuel as best he could. Inessa looked away, heat rising to her cheeks. She didn’t know if Tolomon was covering Indenuel up because of the mark, or because of other things. Inessa situated herself better in the carriage, her dress still wet. She kept her own self covered with the robe.
“We are almost to Santollia City,” Tolomon whispered, not looking at her. “You’ll be back home soon.”
Inessa nodded, situating herself better on the bench. She was anxious to return home. She could get something to eat. Maybe have a proper bath. Get out of her wet dress.
“And… Martin? The other High Elders?” Inessa asked.
“They went on ahead,” Tolomon said.
“I believe I have you to thank for saving my life,” Inessa said.
Tolomon looked over at her. “Me?” She nodded, and Tolomon looked away again. “Doing my duty, is all.”
“Well, thank you. I don’t feel comfortable thanking Indenuel, so I need to thank someone.”
Tolomon glanced over at Indenuel. Despite trying to keep him covered, the movement of the carriage opened his shirt again. Indenuel was still deep in the devil’s sleep. “He doesn’t deserve your thanks.”
Inessa studied Indenuel, realizing what this all meant. No one cared to come get her. They only cared to get him. To stop him, because he needed to stop the war. “Have we lost the war?” Inessa asked.
Tolomon shrugged. “There are no surviving Kiamese soldiers to relay the information that Indenuel has eroded his skills. As long as we keep that a secret, we still have hope and morale. But that alone won’t be enough.”
Inessa nodded, tears filling her eyes that she hastily wiped away with the white robe. “It’s my fault, isn’t it.”
“No, it isn’t. Don’t do that to yourself,” Tolomon said.
“I never should have become friends with him. I never should have…” She stopped. She didn’t want to admit any deeper feeling than friendship, but Tolomon already watched her with a knowing gaze. The sky got lighter. Inessa couldn’t stop staring at Indenuel’s face. Someone, maybe Tolomon, must have washed him as best they could. His clothes were still covered in blood and gore.
If she hadn’t been so enamored by him, she would have stopped taking the poppy root long ago. She would have already been pregnant with Martin’s child, and Indenuel would have focused on his studies. Martin would have never figured out what she did, and she never would have gotten kidnapped.
“Once you get past his cautious nature, he is… ridiculously easy to become friends with,” Tolomon said. Inessa smiled, more tears running down her cheeks that she wiped away. “And too willing to sacrifice so much of himself to protect those he loves. It is dangerous.”
“I’m sorry,” Inessa whispered.
Tolomon smiled as he looked at her. “Again, not your fault.”
She looked away, keeping the robe up to her neck. “I guess if he never came for me, I’d have died.” Tolomon folded his arms, leaning against the back of the carriage. “Wouldn’t I?”
He nodded, not looking at her. Inessa covered her face in her hands as they passed through the gates of the city. The High Elders didn’t care about her. She figured as much. Sure, they cared enough to keep passing her around, all given the opportunity to sleep with her, but they would never actually risk their lives for her. None of them would. Except Indenuel. He risked his very soul to save her.
Inessa blinked back the tears. Now with her illness gone, she had time to think about what happened. What Indenuel did was wrong. There was no doubt about it. She could still hear the screams, hear the branches jamming themselves into bodies, heard matter dropping to the ground and screams that were cut short. She touched her sleeve, feeling the blood still there, feeling her chest constricting.
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“Hey, Inessa,” Tolomon said. She was pulled out of her reverie to see him watching her with concern. “You’re safe. Alright? High Elder Martin already talked about posting a few guards around his house. You are almost home. Sara makes some of the best dreamless tea I’ve ever had. You can’t even taste the garlic. It’s going to take some time to work through the horrors you’ve seen, but you will find one day it won’t scare you as much as it did. Just take it one day at a time.”
Inessa nodded, wiping the tears again, the white robe becoming quite stained. “Thank you. Again.”
Tolomon nodded as the carriage stopped, and Inessa didn’t even realize they were at Martin’s home. Tolomon eased himself out before opening the door wider for her. Inessa kept the robe around her, barely placing her foot on the ground before she felt arms around her, hugging her tight. Adosina gave a quiet sob.
“Addy,” Inessa said, hugging her back. “I’m… I’m gross.”
“I don’t care. Oh, thank God you’re alright. I don’t think any of us have slept since we heard!” Adosina said.
Inessa noticed Rosa and Ana coming out of the house, running toward her. Adosina did not let her go.
“Ami is preparing the biggest breakfast I’ve ever seen,” Adosina said.
“That’s saying something,” Inessa said.
Adosina laughed, breaking away and wiping her tears.
“I leave her with you,” Tolomon said, giving a bow.
“Thank you, Tolomon,” Rosa said.
He said nothing as he climbed back into the carriage. It rode off, and Inessa realized she didn’t know where Indenuel would be taken to. Were they going to the dungeons? Or to his own house. She turned her back, realizing she didn’t want to know. Indenuel did a dark deed, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to look at him the same way again.
“Come, Inessa,” Ana said, placing a hand around her shoulders. “The staff has been instructed to ask you no questions, and we won’t either. The only thing you need to tell us is which you’d like to do first. Sleep? Bathe? Eat?”
“I’m starving,” she said.
“Eat it is,” Ana said as they walked through the house.
Sara was just inside the dining hall, setting things up. She turned, and Inessa couldn’t help but feel her chest constrict again. She knew how she looked. Crusted in dirt and blood, and more importantly, she had Martin’s robe over her. Sara was there, acknowledging her.
“You poor dear,” Sara whispered, ignoring everything but her face. Sara cupped Inessa’s chin in her hands. “Look at you, far too skinny. You need something to eat this moment. Sit down. I will take care of everything.”
Inessa started to cry. She didn’t mean to, but it came out. It was the first time since coming here that Sara treated her like she treated everyone else. None of the women around her had the power of healing, but she felt it all the same.
***
No one spoke. Martin didn’t even tap the table in his nerves. They had finished giving their reports to King Ramiro of the aftermath of what they had seen. King Ramiro had a hand over his mouth, looking slightly green. They had been right to request Queen Lisabeth be absent at this meeting.
Navir had asked Martin to conduct the meeting. The report was finished, and the silence was lasting far too long. “Navir managed to clear the trees of corruption, and Inessa is alive. That is the only good news we can give.”
King Ramiro still stared at nothing as he lowered his hand. “And the boy? Is he in the dungeons?”
“Tolomon has him safely away in his home. Indenuel is deep in the devil’s sleep and won’t wake for another two or more days. If we cannot get the mark fully from his chest, yes, we will have to throw him in the dungeons,” Martin said.
King Ramiro nodded before covering his face. “How likely is it that he will get the mark off?”
Martin glanced at his fellow High Elders. Dalius, as usual, was writing down the notes of the meeting. Fadrique had his arms folded, frowning deeply. Navir sat back, so deep in thought he was only semi-present at the meeting.
“I am optimistic,” Martin said. Even hearing the word ‘optimistic’ after everything they explained seemed insensitive somehow. “Yes, he has dabbled with the corruption a lot more than usual, but he always feels guilty about it afterwards. Guilt is an important factor in confession.”
“And one day he’s going to use it so much he’ll stop feeling guilty about it,” Fadrique whispered next to him. “That day might have been last night.”
Martin frowned, then turned to face him. “What do you mean?”
“He’s already started,” Fadrique said. “The small allowances. He feels bad breaking a tree’s will but justified it to save Tolomon’s life. He killed two people and admitted to our face he feels bad about using corruption but not taking their lives. And now this. He is not afraid to use corruption when he deems it necessary. If we’re not careful, he could sell his soul.”
“That can never happen,” King Ramiro said.
Fadrique shrugged, sipping his wine. “Would sure end this war, though. Look what he did to those soldiers in such a short amount of time.”
“We can never let that happen,” King Ramiro repeated.
“I’m sure High Elder Fadrique was only talking in jest,” Martin said, giving Fadrique a look. “We High Elders know far too well the unstable nature of a sold soul, and would never ask it of anyone, especially a boy.”
Fadrique shrugged again, picking up his wine.
“I shall send every remaining Graduate with the last group,” King Ramiro said.
“Not every last one,” Navir said, still looking semi-present in the meeting. “We still need some here. Just in case.”
“In case of what?” King Ramiro asked.
“Kiam has already proven once they could get frightfully close to us without our knowledge. We High Elders, the monarchy, we need protection,” Navir said.
King Ramiro nodded. “Of course, you’re right. Thank you for keeping a steady head through all this, Navir.”
Navir raised his own glass of wine, giving King Ramiro a small toast before sipping it, returning to his thoughts.
It was the first time Martin wished Nathaniel were here in his stead. Nathaniel would know what to say to Indenuel. Martin was afraid he’d end up giving Indenuel a stern lecture. That boy had played with the devil far too much, and it needed to end.