Indenuel wasn’t sure if he had the mental fortitude to groan, but he really wanted to. He opened his eyes, the world a blur. He focused on nothing but the ginseng smell in the air. It was so thick he could almost taste it. He blinked a few times, orienting himself back in the cell. He moved, feeling the pinch of the chains digging into his arms. The pinch brought an awareness, helped him look past the blurry figure in front of him to the one by the door. The familiarity of him even if he could only see a blur.
There was a clicking sound by his ear that he was confused about until the mask fell off. Indenuel gasped, smelling the ginseng rushing into his nostrils and his mind clearing considerably. He shook his head, clearly still working with a mud brain.
“How long… have I been… asleep?” Indenuel asked.
“Three days. Almost four,” Navir said. “We’ve had a hard time waking you up.”
Indenuel closed his eyes, nodding. It felt as though he had a drink from a swamp. The ginseng helped his mud brain clear, but it only made him more aware of his slimy mouth. “The mask covered my nose. Couldn’t smell it.”
Navir paused, then glanced down at the mask as though realizing what had happened. “Right.”
Indenuel’s vision cleared. Dalius was on the other side, keeping his hand out, probing Indenuel carefully. Tolomon was by the door, his head bowed, doing everything he could not to bring attention to himself as a member of the lower class.
“What’s going on? What happened?” Indenuel asked, his mind becoming sharper.
“There is a group getting too close to the city,” Navir said. “They think they are stationed right outside my scope of sight, waiting for another troop to join. There’s two hundred of them as well. They are just a day’s journey from here.”
Indenuel nodded. Navir continued to unlock the chains around Indenuel, helping him sit up before unlocking the chains keeping his hands behind him. “Theo is right outside. He’s going to heal you. Since I cannot trust you, we will keep your mask on you while he does. Drink this before we put it back on.”
Indenuel’s hands trembled at a dangerous rate as he tried to take the bowl from Navir’s hands. Navir, learning from before, kept a hand on the bowl, helping Indenuel drink it. He hated that he needed Navir’s help, probably as much as Navir hated helping him.
Indenuel realized how hungry he was. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate. Right. Dinner at the chapel. Two carrots. Maybe a third? And gnawing on a piece of pork. The horrors of what happened at the first battle played before his mind like they only happened a few hours ago, but he was safe. He was in the cell.
Indenuel tried to meet Tolomon’s gaze again, but his friend simply looked forward, his face impossible to read. Like last time. Unlike his recent memory of Tolomon completely broken, begging him not to continue. But he had to. Those men were too close.
Indenuel drained the broth and the ale before Navir stuck the mask back on. Indenuel felt completely at his mercy, which is something he never wanted to be in. Theo walked in, giving a small nod before touching his temples, using his powers to force nutrients into his muscles, strengthening them. Theo helped him to his feet, and Indenuel wobbled dangerously.
“You alright?” Theo asked.
Indenuel nodded, closing his eyes. Theo helped him walk around, then placed him on the table before he left for right outside the door. The same process was done again, with Theo being asked to leave the cell before Navir unlocked the mask to help Indenuel drink more broth and ale before the mask was placed back on and Theo allowed to enter again. He was excused and brought back two more times before Indenuel felt like he could walk without his knees knocking together. Theo, in his kindness, suggested one more round just to be sure Indenuel was as strong as he could be. It wasn’t until Navir took off Indenuel’s mask and tossed it on the chair that Indenuel actually believed Theo was done.
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“It is barely dawn now,” Navir said as Dalius left the room. “Tolomon has been told where the army is. If you ride out now, you can make it by nightfall.
It was then that Tolomon met Indenuel’s gaze, most likely waiting for him to call the entire thing off. Instead, Indenuel nodded. “What if the army has moved since then? How will you get in contact with us?”
“I trust Tolomon’s tracking abilities,” Navir said.
Dalius walked back in with two more packs before handing Indenuel a change of clothes. He took them, giving Dalius a nod of thanks before he set them on the table and started to undo the ties keeping his shirt together.
“From what we could gather, the Kiamese military sent scouts to see what you’ve done. They-” Navir stopped as Indenuel took off the shirt. He guessed the lines would have gotten darker, but this was the color of red wine. Vibrant. Dark. Indenuel met Navir’s gaze as he threw the shirt to one side before stuffing the other shirt on. Navir said he’d check when he returned, but the surprised expression must mean the mark got darker while he was sleeping these past few days.
“You were saying?” Indenuel asked.
Navir and Dalius exchanged glances. Navir cleared his throat. “They are confused, but be prepared for them to assume it’s a trap. Considering your last attack wasn’t made public by Kiam, they must be trying to keep it quiet. We already have a story if the news does break, though. And with an army so close to Santollia City, I fear the information will soon spread here.”
“Why does that matter?” Indenuel asked.
“Because Martin is not an idiot. I have kept him busy for three days, but he’s going to start asking questions,” Navir said.
“You’re the one in charge of Martin,” Indenuel said, tucking his shirt into his pants. “I assume you have a plan for him.”
Navir nodded, eyes narrowing. “I do.”
“Fine then. I have my own problems to worry about.” Indenuel sat on the table as best he could, trying to get his shoes on.
“Very well. Two hundred people is a lot, but nothing you haven’t done before,” Navir said.
Indenuel ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Right.”
“Their numbers are dwindling. With another two hundred soldiers killed, it might give our men time to recover,” Navir said.
Indenuel winced. “They’re still fighting?”
“We haven’t been able to get any information from them, which isn’t good news because it means there’s more Kiamese tree talkers keeping them from getting messages across. But the fact that the entire Kiam army is still in the southern part of Santollia instead of heading straight for the city, that means our boys are holding them back. They just need help.”
Indenuel nodded, standing. “One more thing.” He blinked hard, trying to get the last of the dimness to go away. “I need to get angrier.”
Navir raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”
“The angrier I get, the more powerful my corruption.” Indenuel barely met Navir’s gaze before looking away again. “So, help me get angrier at them. And it will be easier to kill them.”
The eyebrow lowered again, and his eyes turned serious. “Should we lose, Kiam gains world power. They could allow Oramin and Zimoro to have their slaves again. Or they could force their own religion upon us, whatever that might be. They have been more prone to corruptive means than any of the other nations we’ve fought, which means there is a good chance their religion is far more barbaric than any of us can stomach. They still have the numbers to surround this city, and if they do, they will have a choice. In some towns they have blocked them off until they have starved themselves into surrendering. In others they have left behind smoldering ashes. There are talks of them raping women on the ashes of burnt houses. They slaughter the men after they force them to watch it.” Indenuel nodded carefully. “If they already knew about Inessa before, they’ll know about her now.” Indenuel couldn’t keep Navir’s gaze. “They have broken powerful gift wielders before. If they don’t kill you after they rape her, I guarantee they will make you a personal slave as a trophy. Probably to the Empress herself. Kill them, or they will kill Inessa.”
Indenuel nodded. “Thank you, Navir.”
Navir didn’t smile. “Simply doing my duty.”
Indenuel put on his cloak, covering his face with the hood, not looking at Tolomon. “I’m ready.”
“Then let’s go,” Navir said.