Indenuel talked with Matteo as they headed back from their Sabbath service with the Oraminians, which meant eating far too much followed by dancing. He was holding Inessa’s hand as they entered the carriage. It was going to be a long way between the poorest of the poor part of the city to the richest of the rich.
“Matteo, Emilia, Isla,” Indenuel said.
Matteo looked up. “Yeah?”
“Now that things are calming down, have you all ever thought of changing guardianship?” Indenuel asked.
Inessa had a small frown on her face before she turned away.
“Don’t you want us anymore?” Isla asked. She and Emilia were sitting on either side of Tolomon.
“What? Of course I do.”
“Then why do you want to change?” Emilia asked.
Indenuel frowned before he realized what they were asking. “Oh, no. No, see, I’m not officially your guardian right now. Technically, you’re under the King and Queen since they pay for your schooling. But if you’d like, I could become your new guardian.”
Emilia frowned. “But you already are.”
“No, not according to the law,” Indenuel said. “Do you want me to be under the law?”
Isla looked confused. “Would that change anything that already happens?”
Indenuel hadn’t actually thought about that. “I’m pretty sure I get a copy of your reports from school.”
“Doesn’t the King and Queen already give you them?” Matteo asked.
“Well, yes,” Indenuel said.
“I guess so,” Isla said. “If you want. As long as it doesn’t change anything.”
“There’s some more technical issues, but it shouldn’t change anything,” Indenuel said.
“That would make you our Api, right?” Matteo asked.
“In a sense, yes,” Indenuel said.
For the first time since this conversation began, Matteo frowned. “But you’re not. You’re not… Api Indenuel.” The word felt strange to Indenuel’s ears, and by the scrunching of his nose, Matteo didn’t like it either.
“Yeah, you’re more our brother,” Isla said.
“I’ve read about something like this at school,” Matteo said. “What if, instead, we put the guardianship back on Ami Lucia.”
Indenuel frowned. “I don’t follow.”
“There’s a way to do it. Once Ami Lucia wakes up from sleeping with the good spirits, and if everyone agrees, we could officially have her be our Ami. That way we’re all a family, and you’d still have a part of the responsibilities as a guardian for being our older brother. And our social rank wouldn’t change much, because I’m certain Ami Lucia will have a social rank of her own being the mother of the Warrior.”
Inessa turned away from the window to look at Matteo. “I like that idea so much better.”
Indenuel glanced at her, knowing she never wanted to be their mother in the first place. But he found he agreed with Matteo. “Yeah. Yeah, that feels more right.”
“What about Tolomon? Would he be part of our family too?” Emilia asked.
Tolomon patted her arm. “I don’t need the law to tell me to be your family. I already am.”
Emilia nodded in complete agreement. Tolomon smiled back, then it dropped ever so slightly as he turned, looking out the window. Things were always a bit more dangerous when they traveled this far through the city, but he had complete faith Tolomon would keep them protected. “How would we go about this?” Indenuel asked, knowing Tolomon could be in that state for a while.
“According to what I read, once Ami Lucia wakes up in another few months, we get the High Elder Dalius to-”
“No,” Indenuel said, not meaning to make it sound so sharp.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Matteo looked surprised. “What?”
“We are not asking Dalius to do anything. If we need a powerful speaker of the dead, I’ll do it myself,” Indenuel said.
“Indenuel. You’re… you’re not that powerful anymore,” Inessa said.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I can be. Again. We’ll wait until I am.”
“But-”
“We’re done discussing it,” Indenuel said.
Inessa winced before turning away. Tolomon tore his gaze from the window to watch Indenuel carefully, a slight chastisement to the look he gave. Indenuel glared back, and Tolomon had no choice but to turn his gaze back to the crowd. The crowd watching the carriage far too carefully.
Once they returned home, they had a hearty dinner. The children played until it was time for them to leave for school again. Indenuel waved to them, with Emilia and Isla hanging out the windows to wave back.
“They could crack their little skulls doing that,” Tolomon muttered to himself.
“They’ll be fine,” Indenuel said as the girls got back in the carriage before it disappeared through the gate.
Indenuel walked inside, feeling tired. It had been a long day, but at least the children were safe. They would be back to school, and he could keep whittling away at the High Elders corruption.
“I think you’re making a mistake,” Inessa said.
Indenuel frowned, turning around. “What are you talking about.”
“You should ask Dalius to help,” she said, approaching him. “Maybe it will start healing the rift between you and the High Elders.”
“Healing the rift? Between me and the High Elders? You honestly think this ends with us all being friends?”
“Well…” Inessa started to look uncomfortable. “Maybe not friends, but certainly something at least peaceful?”
“I’m trying to take them out of power,” Indenuel said. “And they are trying to ruin your reputation. They have caused way too much pain for us to become friends after something like this.”
Inessa rubbed her arms. “High Elder Fadrique and High Elder Navir are more the people who have done this. Maybe High Elder Dalius can be swayed to your side, and if you go to him with something like this, it’ll soften his heart.”
Indenuel shook his head. “No. We’re done talking about this.”
He moved toward his study. Inessa followed, with Tolomon silently behind her. “You don’t know. You haven’t even asked.”
“I refuse to be dependent on the High Elders for anything. They are sneaky, vile, and they always have a knife dangling at your back whenever they give you a hug. These are not people I want to ask for help.” He walked into his study, trying to get it ready to do a bit more meditation before bedtime. He had to get his powers up to their regular strength if he was going to commune with his mother for guardianship.
“And Martin? You lump him into the sneaky, vile High Elders you just described?” Inessa asked. Indenuel shot her a glare before pulling out some incense sticks, heading for the bowls at the corner. He didn’t know where his standing was with Martin. Neither of them talked when they were around each other, which wasn’t much anymore. And he still couldn’t get out of his mind that Martin was Inessa’s father. That he had sex with his own daughter. The man was technically his father through marriage, and he resented that. “Well?” she asked.
“I don’t understand how you can forgive that man so easily,” Indenuel said.
“He didn’t know,” Inessa said.
“He shouldn’t have done it in the first place. The man is a coward, and never does what’s right unless it’s the easiest path.”
“You should talk to him,” Inessa said. “He’s trying to reform the High Elders, just like you. Isn’t this what you need? An ally within the High Elders? Between Martin and High Elder Dalius you could-”
“Enough about Dalius. It will never happen,” Indenuel said.
“You’re not listening. If you had half the High Elders on your side, you could-”
“No!” Indenuel said, feeling his patience run thin. “How many times do I have to repeat myself! I will never trust them with something like this! Not even Martin! They know far too much about the law and will take back control of the children. They know how much I need them! Dalius is too far into Navir’s control for me to trust him, let alone the fact that his grandfather raped my mother! I cannot even trust Martin. He’s followed the other three for too long for me to think he’ll change now. He just sits there while the others concoct their schemes and goes along with them. He will always remain a liar and a hypocrite, and I will continue to scream their sins from the rooftops until everyone in this world realizes how wicked these men truly are.”
Inessa took another step back, her eyes widening. She bumped into the chair. It scooted away, and yet she kept backing away. Indenuel frowned, watching the terror clear on her face as Tolomon came up from behind, grabbing her elbow to keep her from backing away. “What in God’s name are you doing?” Indenuel asked. She said nothing, the fear clear on her face, pointed right at him. Indenuel frowned, cocking his head to one side, a slight smile on his face. “Do you… do you think I’m going to hurt you?” Inessa let out a shaky breath, looking away from him. “Good God, Inessa. I… I don’t do that anymore. I’d never do that to you.”
Inessa shook her head, her voice trembling. “Do you even know how many people you’ve killed?” She was against the wall of his study. “Have you even bothered to count?”
“Those were my enemies,” Indenuel said.
“And the High Elders? They’re your enemies too?” Inessa asked.
Indenuel narrowed his eyes. “Inessa-”
“You can’t keep hurting people, so you need to reform them. You need to talk. You… you cannot kill them,” Inessa said.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Indenuel said.
“You need High Elder Dalius to-”
“Just stop. Stop, Inessa.” He was annoyed, it was the best word for it. Inessa talked about asking the men who raped her for help, and yet she had the gall to be scared of him. Because he talked with a little anger in his voice.
Inessa shook her head, turning around and leaving the study. Tolomon bowed as she left, then glanced at Indenuel, expecting him to follow her. Maybe he should have, but he couldn’t.
“Indenuel,” Tolomon said more as a brother than a bodyguard. “Don’t be a stubborn ass.”
“The children are too important to leave at the mercy of the High Elders,” Indenuel said, sitting down behind his desk. “I will never go to them for help.”