Navir raised an eyebrow, the first time he looked surprised, but still amused somehow. “Did you, now?”
Indenuel glared at Navir, because it was easier than looking at Inessa. “Yes. I drugged her, then I had my way with her. No doubt Dalius had to wake her up from the demon induced sleep I put her under.” He was grasping at the explanation.
“Dalius?” Navir asked.
Dalius finished writing the notes. “I was called, but I was busy trying to cleanse what I could from Indenuel’s mark.”
“So she was asleep? How was she woken up if Dalius wasn’t there?” Navir asked.
“My sister through marriage woke her,” Nathaniel said.
Navir narrowed her eyes as Dalius glanced up. “A woman couldn’t do that. It takes a special training only Elders and High Elders are taught.”
“All I know, sirs, is my sister Ana was in the room with Inessa asleep, and when we came back Inessa was awake and dressed,” Nathaniel said.
Dalius about said something else, but Navir held up a hand. “A matter for a different day, Dalius. We now have a confession of rape.” Navir turned to Indenuel taking a step closer, his eyes cold and emotionless. “Explain exactly what happened. And don’t lie.”
Indenuel stared right back. “You think I would lie about raping her?”
“You know what the consequences are for rapists in Santollia?” Navir asked.
“I’m certain you studied it enough to know how to skirt around them, so enlighten me,” Indenuel said.
Navir’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You, and only you, receive everything an adulterer would receive, except at the end of three days you are hanged.”
But Inessa would not receive the punishment, and Nathaniel would live. He just had to poke Navir enough to see what he would do. “And you really want your Warrior dead?”
Navir held up a finger, and Dalius stopped writing in the book. “You’ve fulfilled the prophecy, haven’t you?” Navir asked.
Indenuel frowned. Maybe he should have expected this, but it still surprised him that Navir did not care if he died.
“And the Empress? What would she think if I wasn’t there to negotiate?” Indenuel asked.
“It matters little what the Empress thinks. In fact, it would be so much easier if you were gone. The Empress only wants to talk to you, but if you weren’t here, she’d have to talk to us instead.”
It chilled Indenuel how much Navir was seriously considering this, but it didn’t matter. He would much rather die than let them harm Inessa.
Inessa leapt to her feet. “He didn’t rape me. I slept with him willingly. Far more willingly than I ever did with you.”
Nathaniel grabbed her elbow, a hand going to the hilt of his sword, glancing around at the High Elders. Indenuel’s heart plummeted. Maybe they would ignore her. It would have been so much easier if Inessa didn’t care about him, but if she didn’t, he’d have never slept with her in the first place. Navir simply smiled. “And so, a woman speaks. Go ahead, Dalius. Write down her confession. Let’s see how Indenuel reacts to this new development. He says rape, she says consent. She has now called the Warrior a liar. And I believe her.” Inessa covered her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at Indenuel. “Should you now insist she lied, she will of course get the fifteen lashings for besmirching your character, plus the thirty-five for besmirching mine, and you will suffer the consequences of raping her. You both will die.” Indenuel swore under his breath, his fists tightening. “Or you can admit you slept with her, and you can both suffer the consequences of adulterers, and Captain Nathaniel will live.”
Indenuel took a step forward, but Nathaniel placed a hand on his shoulder, a deeply troubled look on his face as he kept them both back. Indenuel was about to find out if he could murder Navir with his gaze. “Damn you, Navir. I did it. I slept with her. She was awake the whole time and she consented. I drugged her afterwards to make sure she didn’t stop me from winning the war for you. A move I’m seriously starting to regret.”
Navir returned to his seat, smiling. “Indenuel has confessed to committing adultery. Do you realize what you did was wrong?”
Nathaniel needed to let Inessa go to grab Indenuel’s other shoulder to keep him back. “No, it wasn’t wrong. What you did to her is wrong. You will have to beat me senseless before I feel bad about what I did.”
“She was not yours to have,” Navir said.
“No, she wasn’t! And neither was she yours! But you took her anyway because you wanted her! All of you! You didn’t care about what she wanted!”
“We were protected under the law-”
“That you yourselves created-” Indenuel said, struggling again in Nathaniel’s grip.
“And the King and Queen of Santollia approved,” Navir finished.
“You don’t care what any of these young women feel! You just protect yourselves with these laws and create a system where fathers and brothers are thanking you for raping their daughters and sisters!” Indenuel shouted. “Stop pretending I’m the only one getting ideas from the devil!”
“Calm, Indenuel,” Nathaniel said in his ear. “The pain in you is too much. You’re going to hurt yourself. We lost this battle. Surrender so you can rest and be ready to fight another day.”
Indenuel glared at Navir, trying to channel the pain to shoot out of his eyes, right at his smug face. Inessa had tears running down her cheeks. At least Nathaniel would live. He tried to take comfort in that.
“Indenuel does not feel bad about his actions,” Navir said, pointing to Dalius as he wrote that down. “We shall, of course, continue to try and get the mark off his chest.”
Indenuel grasped at the last remaining argument he could have. “Are you prepared to whip me in the public square? Let everyone see the mark I have? It will be a lot harder to hide the mark from the Empress if everyone in the city knows I have it.”
“You’re right,” Navir said as though he hadn’t already thought of it. “I guess we’ll have to whip and castrate you privately. Inessa will be the only one to be whipped on the public square. She alone will face the humiliation of the crowd.”
Indenuel tried once again to break the chains. Tried to strangle Navir. He felt the smallest trickle of pain hit his arm and he groaned but pushed through.
“Dalius, may it also be noted that Tolomon the Graduate agrees with Nathaniel, therefore he was drugged with corrupted tree bark. Something that he should never have had happened. We must set up a trial with Reynaldo to reevaluate his standing as a Graduate, but I can already sense he will need a reassignment.”
“Shit,” Indenuel said, struggling against Nathaniel’s grip. Nathaniel would survive. Tolomon would not. Inessa would return home humiliated and shunned. Navir played them all. “I refuse! I refuse this reassignment!”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“It is not your decision to make as a marked individual,” Navir said.
Indenuel screamed as the pain hit his arm again. Tolomon was there, holding Indenuel up. Nathaniel blocked the pain with his own weak shield, keeping the corruption contained before easing it out of his body. Indenuel gasped as the pain dissipated and Nathaniel smothered the corruption.
“The law is what keeps us civil. The law is what keeps us safe. We must do as the law requires,” Navir said as calmly and coolly as ever. “I trust this experience will teach all of you to never lie to me again.”
“I will see you in hell, Navir!” Indenuel screamed.
Navir simply smiled as Dalius finished writing the notes. “Martin, as Inessa is your concubine, you may add any further punishment you see fit.”
Martin was rubbing his forehead, covering most of his face, so no one could see his reaction. He dropped his hands, his face solemn as he got to his feet. “Inessa is my concubine, and I am also a High Elder of God’s Holy Church. Therefore, I forgive her. I hold no resentment; I give no punishment. As I do not begrudge my forgiveness, may it be written that everything she’s done in this act of adultery with Indenuel will be as though it never happened in the sight of God, and therefore this trial no longer needs to continue.” The silence descended on the room. For the first time since Navir entered the conference room, his face fell. Indenuel stared at Martin, his eyes widening. “No lashing, no castration, Inessa keeps her titles for her and her family.” Inessa covered her mouth in shock. “As a final note,” Martin said, pointing toward Dalius who was swiftly trying to keep up with it all. “Indenuel, as it has been pointed out in this trial, is in the same class as us. Therefore, I relinquish my hold of Inessa as my concubine. Should Inessa concede, she may go to Indenuel, and they may be wed as husband and wife.”
Navir stood hastily. “Indenuel has the mark of the devil. He cannot wed anyone.”
“While it is still on him. I pray this is an added incentive for him to work hard on removing the mark. While he is focusing on that, he and Inessa may be considered betrothed and enjoy all the rights of such an arrangement.” Martin looked at Indenuel. “If, of course, that is what they wish.”
The room was completely silent except for the scratching of the quill. Nathaniel stared at his father, surprised, while Indenuel tried to understand what was happening. There was no way Martin was giving this freely. There had to be a catch. Martin was going to use this against him somehow. Push it in his face to force him to forgive him. To get the mark off, because…
Because Martin hated the devil. Despite going to Hell himself, he truly was doing everything he could to make sure Indenuel didn’t follow him down there. That was Martin’s ulterior motive. That was why he forgave them. And he never wanted Inessa. That much was painfully obvious. He wanted her to be happy. For both of them to be happy.
Indenuel looked up at Martin, seeing no trickery or conniving in his eyes that Navir clearly had. “I accept the terms.”
Martin smiled, relieved, then looked at Inessa. “Inessa? Are the terms acceptable to you?”
“A woman is not allowed to speak,” Navir said, livid.
“It concerns her just as much as it does Indenuel. They ought to both make this decision together,” Martin said, still looking at Inessa.
She still had tears running down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, nodding as she dropped her hands. “I agree.” She cried, smiling. “Thank you, Martin.”
Martin smiled. It was all he could do before Navir stood up, walking over to Martin and grabbing him by the shoulders, forcing him out of the room.
Inessa bent down even further, letting herself cry. Indenuel stared as Navir dragged Martin out of the room as Dalius finished up the notes. Fadrique watched Inessa, a growing anger flickering across his face.
***
The moment the door closed Martin shook off Navir’s grip.
“What do you think you are doing?” Navir asked.
“What I should have done a long time ago,” Martin said.
“Indenuel cannot have Inessa. She is a concubine of the High Elders.”
Martin straightened his robes. “He is the Warrior.”
“Which is not a High Elder,” Navir repeated.
“Even if he isn’t a High Elder, he is still in the same class, if not higher. The fact that he says the prayer over dinner is proof enough he is in a high enough class that he can have her if I give him to her. And he just accepted.” Martin placed his hands in his robes. “Please, Navir, Indenuel grew up in a life of hatred and cruelty. Let me show him mercy and kindness.”
Navir pointed to the door of the room. “That boy is an adulterer and a murderer, and that woman is a conniving manipulator. They both need to be brought to justice if they are ever going to learn their lesson.”
“He just told you he would never feel bad about sleeping with Inessa. I honestly believe we could beat him to a bloody pulp, and he would still believe he was in the right for what he did.”
“The memory of the hurt will keep him from doing it again,” Navir said.
“So will giving him Inessa. He will never sleep with her outside of marriage.” Navir was seething, but Martin pushed forward. “The way I see it, the more we pushed them away, the closer they got. And I am happy to hand her over. As the betrothed to the Warrior, she will still have the status and honor that title brings.”
“Martin!” Navir’s voice got quieter the angrier he got. “Don’t you get it? Indenuel needs to be controlled. He could sell his soul to the devil!”
“And that would be on your head.” Navir about said something, but Martin didn’t let him. “You were the one that pushed him to his limits. It showed more of the strength of Indenuel’s character that he hasn’t sold his soul yet. You want to lay down every consequence when he commits a sin you disapprove of instead of worrying about the sins you allowed him to commit. The ones that brought his soul closer to the devil than sleeping with Inessa had.”
“He cannot have her. He doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions,” Navir said.
“Because the law is flawed,” Martin said, louder than he intended it to be. He had grown to hate this law, and he could no longer pretend. “I never agreed to the concubine law, just as I never agreed to taking Inessa. But I was forced to.”
“I will blackmail you again if I have to,” Navir said.
“You no longer have control of me that way. Indenuel knows who his father is. If you even attempt to insinuate to my wife that I slept with multiple women, Indenuel will come down and say the same thing about you. His word holds more power, and the moment word gets out, the faith the people once had in us is lost, and the Empress won’t need her armies to overtake us.”
Navir was livid. “How dare you.”
“She is coming in less than a month. We give Indenuel the mercy he needs to get as much of the mark off his chest as possible before she arrives. Then, if everything goes well, we celebrate the end of a war. Indenuel works to get the mark off, and they celebrate their marriage. Please, Navir. Please show him mercy.”
Navir rubbed his forehead, shaking his head. “You are letting him go free on adultery. If this gets out, if the citizens of Santollia City find we have a weakness-”
“Stop worrying about what other people think. This isn’t a weakness. You don’t have to publish any of this if you don’t want to. Indenuel is hurt. He’s gone through something no one ever should. Both have. Not only that, but Inessa has a peaceful impact on him. She will help smooth his rougher edges, and the prospect of marriage will drive Indenuel to get the mark off his chest. I am certain this is the only good course of action.” Navir said nothing, glaring at Martin. He smiled at the glare. “In the end, Inessa is my concubine, and this is my choice.”
“And the proceeding consequences? If Indenuel tries something like this again, we will not be able to fall back on these records. We will not be able to use this as leverage. It will be as though it never happened.”
Martin didn’t hesitate. “As it should be.”
When Martin had discovered Indenuel back in the autumn, he was a terrified, skittish boy with a haunted look in his eyes. Despite the growth, the confidence, he always saw the haunted look there. Lately the look was getting more hardened, and he was far more worried about that than the haunted one. With the Empress coming, they needed to do a lot to ease the mark off his chest. Indenuel discovered life-altering things about himself and his heritage, about his religion, about his father, and they needed to treat him with compassion while he sorted it out. Of that he was certain. And honestly, he never wanted to see Inessa in her bedclothes again.
“There is nothing more you can say to me that would change my mind,” Martin said, almost opening the door when he hesitated. He looked back at Navir again. “And Tolomon will not receive a reassignment. Not only that, but if I get so much as a tree rumor that Tolomon’s sister and her family have been harmed in any way, I will have you removed.”
Navir narrowed his eyes. “Are you threatening me, Martin.”
“Yes. I am.”
Navir smiled again. “You said so yourself. Even a scent of a threat against another High Elder, and you would have to go up against a legion of Graduates.”
“All it would take is a promise they would never have to kill innocents again, and the common class Graduates would be on my side. And what would the noble class Graduates think when the news is leaked. What are you willing to do to make sure this secret never comes out to King Ramiro?” It was justice, in a way, that he was repeating a similar line to Navir that he had used on Martin when dishing out the blackmail all those years ago.
“You would never-” Navir started to say.
“I would.”
“It would never work. King Ramiro would never believe you alone.”
“He would believe Indenuel,” Martin said.
“This is blackmail,” Navir sneered.
“Uncomfortable, isn’t it?” Martin grabbed Navir’s shoulder; his eyes narrowed. “Your path, therefore, is easy. Do not, under any circumstances, harm or threaten to harm Tolomon’s remaining family again. Him, his sister, and his sister’s family are now under my protection.” Martin hesitated just long enough to make sure Navir understood the situation before he turned, opened the door and walked back inside.