Adrian leapt into Rosa’s arms, whimpering as he wrapped his arms around her neck. Rosa stood, holding him tightly, whispering comforting words into his ear. They followed behind Nathaniel, who had his sword and shield out. Indenuel knew the best thing he could do was stay calm. He took Inessa’s hand and did his best to make sure the children did not see him panicking. They followed behind Nathaniel, making their way to the cellar door. Nathaniel froze right before they got to the cellar, then turned.

Adosina and Ana gasped as they saw two men approaching the group from the garden doors, holding crossbows at the ready. They were dressed in dark outfits, and Indenuel couldn’t see the color of their eyes through the dark hoods, but Indenuel had a sinking feeling they were Graduates, just like the one Tolomon was after. They had sent three Graduates after them.

Nathaniel moved with purpose. “Ana, take everyone to the cellar, now.”

Ana nodded. The men quickly raised their crossbows, both aimed right at Rosa before they shot at her.

Tolomon appeared. There was no other way to describe it. One moment he wasn’t there, the next he slid into the entryway, batting away the two arrows with his two swords as he glared at the men.

“I’ll take care of them, Nathaniel. Don’t leave Rosa’s side,” Tolomon said, before spinning his blades to get a better grip on them, heading straight for the men who were backing away. Those two men knew exactly who Tolomon was.

Nathaniel nodded, sliding his shield back into place before running ahead and taking Rosa’s hand. Ana opened the door to the cellar and screamed in surprise. It was another Graduate, disguised as a dark figure. The man’s hand was already raised when Ana opened the door, and it was over so fast Indenuel didn’t realize something had happened until Rosa took a step back, an arrow sticking out of her stomach, right underneath Adrian.

“AMI!” Adrian screamed.

Nathaniel worked quickly. He tore Adrian away and handed him over to Adosina before tossing his shield at Diego. “Son, knock him out if you can. Kill him if you must. Tolomon will arrive shortly to help.” Diego nodded before unsheathing his own sword, running toward the man to make himself a threat. Rosa reached out for Nathaniel, trying to talk but nothing loud enough for anyone to hear. Nathaniel pointed at Gustav. “Run down to the cellar, check to make sure there is no one else there.” Gustav nodded, pulling his own sword out and rushing past his cousin and the Graduate. Nathaniel held onto Rosa, her legs giving out. “Aaron?” He studied his son, taking a short time to examine the fear in the boy. Aaron was the only other healer, but the boy looked terrified. “You help Ana and Addy get the children down there once the cellar is clear. Mother, check on the servants, make sure they’re safe. Send anyone willing to protect the family, especially if they’re healers.”

Nathaniel eased Rosa to the ground as he pulled out a dagger, ripping her dress enough to get a better idea of the arrow in her stomach, though keeping her covered enough. “Indenuel!”

Indenuel dropped to the ground, touching Rosa’s temples, filling her with as much raw healing power as he could as Sara ran toward the servant quarters. Nathaniel touched his own heart before touching hers, doing a heart bond, his hand lingering on her sternum. Indenuel sensed it through his healing power. Her heart was failing. Nathaniel fed power into the heart bond, closing his eyes as he filtered as much raw healing power as he could.

Adrian had his ears covered, sobbing in Adosina’s shoulder. Gustav ran up the steps of the cellar, ushering the family inside. Indenuel nodded toward Inessa, who was helping Adosina with the younger boys to get them into the cellar, avoiding Diego and the Graduate.

Nathaniel reached forward, grabbing the shaft of the arrow and pulling it out. The arrowhead tore off, and Rosa’s gasp was watery. Nathaniel kept feeding the bond while he tried to use his dagger to cut into her stomach that had already closed up again.

“What is that?” Indenuel whispered.

“Corrupted arrowhead. It will keep feeding her poison until it’s taken out by hand,” Nathaniel whispered.

“What do you need?” Indenuel asked.

“I need-” Nathaniel started to say but stopped. Indenuel understood. They needed Martin, another skilled healer, but he wasn’t here. “I need you to keep feeding her power.”

Indenuel nodded. Rosa’s breathing was short and shallow. Nathaniel tried to cut into her stomach, but Rosa groaned, her eyelids flitting. Nathaniel shook his head, sheathing his dagger before placing his palm flat against her stomach, using Indenuel’s raw power to keep the poison contained. All around them, Indenuel heard metal against metal, fist on flesh, cries and grunts.

Nathaniel kept his eyes closed, feeding the healing bond as Rosa’s heart started to fade. The poison was too much, seeping through to the rest of her body.

“Nathaniel,” Rosa whispered.

“Stay with me, love,” Nathaniel said, calmly as ever.

“Leave me, save Diego.”

“A moment more,” Nathaniel whispered. “Tolomon just finished.” He kept the bond strong, and Indenuel kept pumping raw healing power into her. Tolomon dropped to his knees next to Nathaniel, far more bruised and cut up than before, but standing. Rosa was deathly pale.

“She needs another heart bond before we do anything.”

“Take mine,” Tolomon said.

“You aren’t-”

“Do it.”

Nathaniel nodded, opening his eyes and placing a palm against Tolomon’s heart before connecting it with his own heart bond. Indenuel watched, terrified, as Tolomon closed his eyes, bracing himself, breathing deeply before pushing the pain aside. His friend wasn’t nearly as strong in the healing power, which meant he was working with half a heart as some color returned to Rosa’s face. Nathaniel fed the two healing bonds, moving his hand from her stomach. “Corrupted arrowhead. Right here. I’ve numbed her,” Nathaniel said, his voice calm and in control.

Tolomon said nothing. He simply took out two daggers from his person and dove them into Rosa’s stomach. She gasped again.

“Diego. Diego.”

“He’s-” Nathaniel glanced up, doing a double take as he saw him still fighting the disguised Graduate. “Doing just fine.”

Rosa tried to say something. Tolomon worked quickly, cutting into Rosa’s flesh as she began to lose the color she had gained. Thin beads of sweat ran down Tolomon’s forehead, but he worked, his daggers moving with purpose to find the source of the poison. Indenuel tried to do what he could to get the healing power to her. Tolomon brought the arrowhead up out of her stomach with his two daggers, examining it for any piece that might have chipped off before putting it in his pocket and nodded to Nathaniel. Nathaniel grabbed Tolomon’s hand, a move the man did not expect. Nathaniel intertwined their fingers before placing both hands on the wound on Rosa’s stomach. They closed their eyes, filtering large amounts of raw healing power. Rosa groaned, closing her eyes as she touched her husband’s arm leading toward her heart. She reached out, grabbing Tolomon’s free hand. He glanced around before moving his hand enough to let her hold it. Indenuel poured all the raw healing power he could into her as they filtered it, pushing the poison out of her body and giving her the power she needed to live. Rosa gasped, then her breathing turned steady, squeezing both their hands.

“I’m fine. Give it back to him, Nathaniel,” she said again, more firmly.

Rosa barely finished before Nathaniel grabbed the two healing bonds, throwing them back into him and Tolomon. Tolomon collapsed, his body seizing up. Indenuel leapt to his friend even as Nathaniel was already there, creating another heart bond between the two of them, feeding it fast. Indenuel grabbed his friend’s forehead, pumping him with raw healing power as his body shook, his heart shutting down from the shock. Nathaniel closed his eyes, feeding the power to the bond and placing a hand over Indenuel’s hand, filtering the power to heal cuts, bruises, and strengthening his heart. Rosa reached out weakly, holding Tolomon’s foot as he stopped shaking, and Indenuel sensed his body return to normal, full of healing power and no doubt fatigue.

“Diego,” Tolomon said.

Nathaniel nodded, cutting off the bond to his heart and throwing it to Tolomon before both men leapt to their feet. Tolomon took out both swords again, as he and Nathaniel strode forward toward Diego and the Graduate.

Diego lost the shield but kept up with the Graduate despite the sweat pouring down his face. The Graduate expertly disarmed Diego, who took a step back in surprise. Tolomon and Nathaniel were almost there when the Graduate went for a stab. Diego easily stepped out of the way, grabbed the Graduate’s wrist, and rammed it against his knee, snapping it in half. The Graduate hardly grunted, but Diego grabbed the man’s hood and slammed him against the pillar with a shout. Tolomon and Nathaniel froze. Diego kept a hold of the man and slammed his head four more times against the pillar, shouting each time before he finally let go. Tolomon and Nathaniel watched, eyes wide, as the grown man dropped to the floor unconscious before looking back at Diego, the awe clear in their faces.

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Diego stumbled, turning to see Tolomon and Nathaniel, showing the three daggers sticking out of his chest. The men reacted immediately, sheathing their swords. Tolomon grabbed Diego as Nathaniel stripped him of his shirt.

“Holy shit, Diego.” Tolomon eased him to the floor. “Holy shit, you’ve already surprised me!”

Diego tried to talk, but he couldn’t. Not without a bubble of blood in his mouth. Indenuel grabbed Diego’s temples, again feeding him with raw power. Tolomon took out a dagger and Nathaniel pressed his hand against the wound, healing it as fast as he could.

“I pretended I was fighting you again,” Diego whispered once his lung was healed. “Kept changing tactics. Did things I’ve never done before.”

“Oh, I’m in trouble next year.” Tolomon finished taking out the daggers, and Nathaniel pressed his hand against the wound. “This is a rite of passage, you know. Getting healed from your first stab wound. And you’re getting healed of three,” Tolomon said. “It means you get a healthy dose of North Dengrian liquor in your dreamless tea tonight.”

Nathaniel’s eyes snapped open from healing the second stab wound, giving Tolomon a look. “North Dengrian liquor?”

“Isn’t that what you did?” Tolomon asked.

Nathaniel shook his head, mumbling something about a fine wine and how Diego was only fifteen.

“It hurts like hell,” Diego said as Nathaniel was healing the last one. “I can swear if I’ve been stabbed, right Api?”

“Since you’re alive, you’ve found me in a forgiving mood,” Nathaniel said, closing his eyes and healing the last one before healing all the other cuts and bruises he received.

Tolomon helped Diego sit up as Nathaniel took off his jacket. The two men helped Diego into it. He was shivering still, sweat soaking his face and hair. Tolomon got up and walked over to the unconscious man before tying his hands behind his back and dragging him over to the other two unconscious bodies.

“Do you know who that was, son?” Nathaniel asked, keeping an arm around his son.

“Someone trying to kill Indenuel?” Diego asked.

Nathaniel shook his head. “That was a Graduate. You just took out a Graduate all by yourself.”

“Really?” Diego asked, eyes wide in shock.

“Really,” Nathaniel said.

“No wonder Tolomon was surprised.”

Nathaniel smiled. “I’m proud of you. You did everything you could to protect your family. The King and Queen will be on their way.”

Diego nodded, his teeth chattering as Nathaniel stood. Sara had come back from checking the servants. Some of the men were with her with gardening tools, but for now there wasn’t another threat. Sara instead knelt beside Diego, hugging him and promising him some calming and dreamless tea to help him relax tonight. The servants moved to protect the cellar door with their garden sheers.

Once Tolomon had the three Graduates together he took out one of his swords again, pacing. The worry was still on his face. “There’s still another one out there.”

Nathaniel knelt beside Rosa, taking her hand in his. A servant had placed a blanket around her shoulders, and she used it mostly to cover her stomach. “Do you need to go find him?” Nathaniel asked.

“No,” Tolomon said. “I’m not certain, but he might have only been a decoy. A way to get me out of the house. It almost worked.”

Servants approached with a new dress for Rosa. Tolomon did not let them get far before he took the dress and inspected it closely. One of the servants looked confused, but Nathaniel shook his head. “Let him do it.” He helped Rosa sit up, steadying her in his arms as he once again looked over her with the worry he didn’t allow himself to show before. “Are you alright?”

She kept one hand on the blanket to keep herself covered but used the other hand to point at her face. “Not a scratch.”

Nathaniel chuckled. “So that’s what that feels like.”

Rosa smiled before kissing him. Nathaniel returned it before breaking away as Tolomon approached. He handed the dress over to her before pulling out his second sword. “I’ll check the healing room. Have her dress there.”

Nathaniel nodded as Tolomon disappeared into the healing room, both swords ready. Indenuel stood, wanting to join Inessa in the cellar just to make sure she knew everything was fine. Sara was still talking with Diego, keeping him calm and steadying him.

Tolomon returned soon after, sheathing his swords and nodding. Nathaniel picked Rosa up and took her into the healing room as she held her dress. Tolomon returned to the unconscious Graduates, grabbing them and setting them up against a pillar, taking off their hoods to reveal their faces. The movement caused them to stir, waking them up. Indenuel frowned, looking at their faces. They were his age. He was reminded, again, that Graduates of the common class did not last long, but after watching them fighting with hoods, he assumed they were so much older. But he saw them for the young men they were. Young men, much like him, asked to do too things at their age no one should have done.

“Hello Ezequiel, Alejandro, Salvador,” Tolomon said, taking a step back. “Who was the fourth man?”

“You honestly think we’re going to tell you?” one of them said.

“Yes, I do,” Tolomon said. “Because this is how missions like this end. We caught you three attempting to murder Rosa. Tell the King and Queen exactly why you did what you did, and Reynaldo will have to step down.”

“And someone else will take his place, and our families get slaughtered,” another man said. “Another noble puppet on a string for the High Elders to play with.”

“Not this time. Not with the Warrior. Cooperate, and we can end this,” Tolomon said.

The three remained silent. Tolomon waited. Indenuel walked forward, standing next to his friend. “Please, this has to end. I can help. If you wish for your identities to remain a secret, then we can oblige. We already have the witnesses of an entire family of nobles you three tried to kill Rosa. You are already facing time in the dungeon, and worse. But if you tell the truth, you could bring that man down, and your lives will be spared.”

None of them looked like they cared whether or not they would live.

“Have you ever had your family threatened, boy?” one of them asked.

Boy. Like they weren’t the same age. Like they felt how much they’d age taking on this devilish deed. He understood this man better than he could possibly imagine.

“Yes,” Indenuel said without hesitation. “Yes, I have. Not only by the people of my village, but also by Navir himself. It is not something I wish to continue.”

“Salvador, I know you didn’t want this assignment. You, a Graduate I’ve heard was one of the top of your class, just got knocked out by a fifteen-year-old. So, either you weren’t bringing your training to this, or that boy--” Tolomon pointed to Diego, still on the ground in his grandmother’s arms, “—is just… really incredible. Honestly, I would not be surprised if it was a bit of both.”

Salvador shook his head. “What do you want me to say, Tolomon? I hate fighting children. It ain’t right.”

“Children? You realize he’s only six years younger than you, right?” Tolomon asked. Salvador didn’t say anything, not looking at anyone. “Then what about Rosa? I know you didn’t try. You could have shot her between in the eyes, but you didn’t.”

“Hell, man, she was holding her child. I wasn’t going to traumatize the boy like that.”

“And you didn’t even try for her heart? You know how complex an organ that is to heal, especially after a corrupted arrowhead gets in there.”

Salvador hesitated. “Her boy was over her heart, and I couldn’t… not without…getting him too,” He looked away, not hiding how unsettled he felt.

“You have the power to stop this assignment, so do it. All of you. We can protect your identities, if that’s what you wish. But I will not leave Rosa’s side until Reynaldo is taken down. If that means waiting for another group to try to assassinate her, then so be it,” Tolomon said.

“The fourth man was Sergio. He’s a new Graduate. He was supposed to draw you out and lead you on a chase,” Salvador said. “We told him not to kill any innocents. He was traumatized enough by the last one. He hasn’t been right since he had his first assignment. He still won’t tell us what happened.”

Indenuel winced as Tolomon nodded. “Thank you.” Derio approached them, and Tolomon barely glanced at him before looking at the other three. “The King and Queen approach. Do you wish for your identities to be hidden?”

“For now, yes,” one of them said while the other two nodded. Tolomon knelt and quickly put their hoods back on. He stood, looking worried.

“What is it?” Indenuel asked.

“This all falls apart if the King and Queen already know,” Tolomon whispered as Nathaniel came out of the healing room, still carrying Rosa who looked too exhausted to walk.

“The King and Queen approach!” Derio called out to the family.

King Ramiro and Queen Lisabeth walked in, and the family bowed and curtseyed. Queen Lisabeth noticed the servants by the cellar door, a frown on her face. Nathaniel eased Rosa onto a chair brought out by one of the servants.

Nathaniel placed a hand on Rosa’s shoulder. “Tolomon? Is the house secure?”

“Graduates,” Tolomon said. “Do I have your word no one else is supposed to harm this family tonight?”

“You have our word,” one of them said.

“The house is secure,” Tolomon said.

Nathaniel faced the servants. “Let the rest of my family back up, gentlemen.”

The servants nodded, opening the door to the family.

“Graduates?” King Ramiro asked. “Reynaldo said there was an assassination attempt on a High Elder’s family by a faction of Kiam extremists.”

“No, sir,” Indenuel said. “That is not true at all.”

Adrian ran up the stairs, throwing himself at Rosa, hugging her, still sobbing, covering his face as though embarrassed at the emotion he expressed, but he couldn’t help himself. Rosa hugged him tightly, kissing his hair and whispering into his ear. Gustav, Eduardo, and Aaron went to Diego, all clearly concerned. Diego, too, didn’t look much better than Rosa, and it didn’t help there was a torn, blood-splattered shirt next to him.

“Perhaps we can go to my father’s study. We need somewhere where you two can sit down. Derio? Have you been informed about the death cap bowls?” Nathaniel asked.

“Yes. I will have them purified at once and check for any other traces in the kitchens,” Derio said.

“Thank you.”

He bowed and left for the dining hall. Nathaniel bowed again to the King and Queen before leading the way to Martin’s study. The three Graduates followed behind, not needing anyone to lead them, which Indenuel found odd, but yet it also made sense.

“Did you beat him?” Aaron asked Diego quietly, almost in awe.

“I… um…” Diego started to say. “I did. But…”

Tolomon was halfway to the study when he paused, looking at the group of boys. “But Diego wants to stay humble. And it would be wise of him to do so.” Diego nodded, looking at his brothers and cousin. “However, once I’m done with this meeting, I’ll go over beat for beat how exactly a fifteen-year-old child took on a Graduate and won. Because holy shit was it awesome.”

Diego beamed, though he tried to hide it. “I did get stabbed three times, though. It’s important to remember my own mortality.”

Tolomon smiled, pointing at him as he resumed his trek to the study. “Yes it is, Diego.”