Inessa was eating her lunch when Derio approached and bowed. “Martin would like to see you in his study as soon as you are done with lunch.”

She paused, frowning. Martin never wanted to see her. “Thank you.” She focused on her lunch when she felt Sara’s eyes digging holes into her head and decided she was finished with lunch now. She left the table and headed for the study. She knocked at the door, waited for his reply, then entered and curtseyed.

“Hello, Martin.”

“Inessa,” he said in a greeting, though he sounded miserable.

She closed the door. “Is there something you need of me?”

He was going through papers, rubbing his head. “Is Beatriz the only female healer you’ve seen?”

“Yes, sir. Uh- Martin. She had me bring over a box of her research. The one I gave you about a year and a half ago?”

“That’s the only box?”

“Yes.”

He gathered the papers and placed them to one side. “Alright, Inessa, so…” He stood, looking distracted. “So, I realize…” Inessa gave a tiny sigh. He was simply never going to finish his sentences when he talked to her about this. “We’re going to…” He ran his two hands through his grey hair. “I shall be perfectly honest with you. Navir already gave Fadrique the permission he needed to take you again if I cannot get you pregnant.”

Her eyes widened, her chest constricted, the fear tumbled into her. She looked down so Martin wouldn’t see her face. A thousand thoughts whirled through her mind.

“I’m going to make an effort to…” He winced, then moved around his desk and sat down in one of the chairs there before motioning her over. Inessa obeyed, too terrified to disobey. “I’m going to check your…” He winced again, then motioned her closer. “To check my experience against the female healers.”

Inessa nodded, placing her hands on her shoulders as she always did at the female healers. He went to place his palm flat against the area below her stomach when he diverted his hand to rub his forehead again. She was too busy feeling terrified of what this could mean. He once again tried to place his hand on her before he backed the chair and stood up.

“You know what? I can sense it just as easily here,” he said as he placed his fingers on her temple and closed his eyes. Inessa stared ahead, her mind refusing to calm down. This was it, then. This was the deciding factor. She had to have Martin’s baby. She couldn’t possibly go back to Fadrique.

She couldn’t make a final decision now, not with the state her mind. She had time. She had until the end of the summer. Unless Martin figured out what she was doing. She didn’t even want to think what might happen if Martin figured it out. This had become far too dangerous to put off. And yet…

And yet she really, really, didn’t want a baby.

Martin released her quickly before backing away and heading toward the desk. “Everything seems in order.” He moved to his desk and began writing, the squiggles neat and orderly. Inessa gnawed on her bottom lip, feeling nauseous. Martin kept his face down. “I will continue to check you daily and make notes about what is going on. These next few months will be, erm, experimental, and when I have determined you are fertile, we shall have intercourse three consecutive nights to be certain.” Martin said it all quickly, and then swallowed like he ate something terrible. Inessa now missed the times when he couldn’t finish his sentences. They were quiet as she practiced staying calm and he finished writing his notes. He never excused her, and she didn’t want anyone to see her terror-stricken face. Especially Indenuel. Martin finished his notes. “Is there anything more you’d like to discuss?”

Tears filled her eyes, her chin quivering. “You said… you promised you wouldn’t...” Now it was her turn to leave sentences hanging.

His face fell. “I know. And this is me, not allowing it. I will find a way to get you pregnant, Inessa. I promise.”

She couldn’t stop her sob. Her hand quivered as she covered her mouth. She already knew how to get pregnant. This must be God’s punishment for using the poppy root for so long. Eventually she would have to stop taking it, which meant she would be stuck with a baby she didn’t want. There was no going back home disgraced.

The thing that shocked her the most was when Martin wrapped his arms around her, almost in a hug. “It’ll be alright. We’ll make this work.”

“I can’t go back,” she whispered.

“I know.”

She said it more to herself. She could not go back to Fadrique. She had to have a baby with Martin. But she was not ready. She never would be.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

***

Diego already collected his money from Gustav away from Ana and Rosa’s notice. Dinner had come and gone and Tolomon was still out there, fighting. Captain Luiz stopped for a dinner break, looking annoyed. Indenuel looked for Inessa but couldn’t find her. Apparently, she was ill and requested her dinner in her room.

Tolomon was fighting with a soldier outside. Servants posted a circle of lamps around them, illuminating the ground below. Captain Luiz gathered seven soldiers around him as he handed his empty dinner plate to a servant.

“Alright, Tolomon is finally slowing down, and I have permission to use as many of you as possible. We’re going to surprise him with all of us. Whoever knocks him out gets the week off. Got it?” Captain Luiz said.

“Oh, this should be interesting,” Indenuel muttered as he headed toward the gardens.

Diego and Aaron were still out there. Rosa was talking with them, most likely coaxing him back inside. “I can’t go now! I’ve got to see how it ends!” Diego said.

“It’s getting late, son. It’s the sabbath day tomorrow,” Rosa said.

“If God knows me so perfectly, then He’ll understand why I’m tired during the sermon. I’ve got to see what brings Tolomon down,” Diego said.

Rosa sighed, then stood back up. Indenuel watched Tolomon, his form still perfect, the clangs of the metal sword still loud, but he could see he had slowed down a lot. There were a ton of injuries on him, and there was a weariness in his eyes from fighting literally all day with no breaks. Unlike Captain Luiz, Tolomon’s bruises and cuts had not been healed. The fact Tolomon was still standing felt like a miracle, excluding the fact that he was also recovering from gray death.

It was getting fully dark when Tolomon knocked out the soldier. He was breathing heavily, wiping the sweat and blood from his brow when Captain Luiz came forward, sword out. “Alright, Tolomon. Ready?”

Tolomon blinked a few times, then his eyes narrowed before throwing his elbow behind him and knocking the soldier out who was coming up from behind. He threw himself in basic stance. Captain Luiz sighed, then went for a jab.

Rosa appeared next to Indenuel. They were watching the fight. Two soldiers appeared out of the darkness, heading straight toward him. He threw himself into sword fighting, blocking swords, doing his best to knock them out as quickly as possible. His movements were sluggish, and yet he still managed to throw one soldier at another while fighting off Captain Luiz’ sword at the same time.

“This is so brutal,” Indenuel said.

Rosa nodded, then winced as Captain Luiz got a powerful punch to Tolomon’s jaw. He stumbled, but remained standing, blocking the sword again before knocking Captain Luiz out once again.

“I’ve heard rumors the Graduate program is the most brutal thing these men ever experience so everything else feels easy to them,” Rosa said as Tolomon knocked the sword out of another soldier’s hand while Captain Luiz was quickly healed.

“I don’t know. Tolomon managed to go through it and doesn’t seem too traumatized,” Indenuel said.

“Really? Sometimes I sense this sadness and pain whenever I talk to him,” Rosa said.

Indenuel froze, happy for the distraction of watching Tolomon getting beaten so he wouldn’t have to look at Rosa. Out of the corner of his eye, she looked at him with a frown. “You don’t sense that?”

“No, ma’am,” Indenuel mumbled.

Rosa frowned again, then looked away as she realized what he left unsaid.

Captain Luiz was getting faster and faster, and Tolomon was matching it, doing far more defensive techniques and less offensive. Indenuel saw it, the weariness where Tolomon just wanted it to end. Wanting to beg someone to stop him. The soldiers on the side were getting healed, all waiting until everyone was healed before jumping in.

“I love Nathaniel very much,” Rosa said quietly, looking at Indenuel again. “I was afraid my actions the other day didn’t make my feelings toward my husband perfectly clear.”

Indenuel nodded. “Oh, I understand. Nathaniel is a wonderful man. You and your children are lucky to have him.”

“We are. Absolutely we are,” Rosa said.

The seven soldiers leapt into the light. Tolomon didn’t hesitate. He kicked Captain Luiz out of the circle of lanterns before charging after the soldiers, cracking heads together, taking the stab wounds, breaking wrists that tried to punch him. Tolomon was getting battered, and Indenuel almost didn’t want to look. He had to remind himself of the healers just outside the line of light, forcing himself to remember he wasn’t in any real danger.

One by one the soldiers dropped. Tolomon kept fighting, his sword trembling, his face beyond weary, but they dropped. His shirt was slick with blood and sweat. Rosa shook her head, turning toward the house. “I can’t watch.”

He was down to two soldiers, fighting off their blows. One of the men stabbed Tolomon in the leg and he gave a cry of pain which made Rosa pick up her skirts and hurry inside. Indenuel winced in sympathy. That soldier was quickly knocked out with a well-placed punch to the face. Tolomon fought the other soldier on one knee, gripping the wound in his leg as he used the other to fight off the blows. He still expertly unarmed the soldier and punched him hard in the knee, causing the man to fall to his level before he got another punch to the face.

Indenuel counted them, the night still. The soldiers were down, and Tolomon was panting. He tossed his sword to one side as he put more pressure on the wound to his leg, when Captain Luiz appeared in the light behind him. Tolomon curled into himself as the arm he used to brace himself shook. There was something off about it. Granted, a stab to the thigh had to hurt, but the soldier hadn’t hit an artery. Tolomon had multiple stab wounds that looked equally as painful, yet he focused on this one. Was something wrong? Was there something Indenuel couldn’t see?

Captain Luiz crept forward before holding the hilt of his sword up high and bringing it down hard toward the top of Tolomon’s head. Tolomon, with unseen speed, grabbed Captain Luiz’s wrists and it dawned on him.

Idiot’s maneuver coupled with a false sense of security. Tolomon did it again.

With a jerk, Tolomon threw Captain Luiz over his shoulder, and he landed flat on the ground.

“Idiot,” Tolomon whispered before elbowing him in the face. He then looked through the light, saw Diego and Aaron, and winked.

Diego burst into hysteric laughter, the noise carrying far over the gardens. Aaron stared, slack jawed. Tolomon closed his eyes and fell forward, landing on the grass, exhaustion the thing that finally got him.