“Indenuel!”

He jerked his head around. Matteo, Emilia, and Isla ran straight for him. He forgot the encounter with the other villagers and ran for the children, opening his arms wide.

Matteo, with his longer legs, got there first and crushed Indenuel in a hug. Emilia and Isla came on either side of Matteo, hugging him so tightly Indenuel toppled into the grass. The twins giggled.

“You’re alive!” Isla said.

“Of course I’m alive,” Indenuel said.

“Matteo was afraid you’d die,” Emilia said.

Indenuel ruffled Matteo’s locks. “Alive and breathing.”

“Praise God,” Matteo said, still hugging him tight.

“Alright, let me up. It’s never fair when you gang up on me like that,” Indenuel said as Matteo finally let go.

“Wrestling isn’t a lady-like way to pass the time.” Lola, Andres’ wife, came up to them. Andres was right behind her. Indenuel’s initial happiness disappeared, and he went right back to feeling anxious.

“Ah, Martin the Healer,” Lola said before making an extravagant curtsey.

Martin gave a simple bow in return. “No need for such formalities, Lola.”

“Nonsense!” Andres said, giving an equally extravagant bow. “I have researched everything about you, sir! Looks like Indenuel isn’t the only one keeping secrets from this village! Not only are you a High Elder, but you are also of royal blood, are you not?”

Martin waved a hand in front of him. “Little royal blood is there. Enough to give me a title of Lord before I requested it be revoked to study and become a High Elder.”

“Matteo, Emilia, Isla, why don’t you hurry back to your own home. Now that Indenuel is on his feet, he can take care of you again,” Lola said.

The children didn’t need to be told twice. Matteo grabbed Emilia and Isla’s hands and hurried away. Indenuel turned to go back with the children when Andres placed a hand on his shoulder. “Not you, boy. Stay and talk.” From Andres’ tone, it wasn’t a suggestion.

Matteo glanced behind him, giving a tiny wave at Indenuel. He waved back, wishing he was going back home with them anyway.

“As little as you think there is, High Elder Martin, it is still the most royalty anyone in Mountain Pass would ever chance to meet, let alone the absolute distinguished honor we have to meet a High Elder,” Andres said.

Indenuel closed his eyes, doing everything in his power not to let Martin or Andres see how uncomfortable he was.

“Well, certainly it is a pleasure to be in your unique village,” Martin said. “But I assure you, Indenuel from Mountain Pass will be meeting many royals and High Elders in the coming months,” Martin said.

Indenuel opened his eyes to see Andres shift his focus. There was a subtle change in his eyes. “Of course, if I had any idea the Warrior himself was here in our village, I would have taken him under my wing and taught him everything I knew!” The anger was there, ever present in Andres eyes. Indenuel couldn’t understand how Andres could look at him with such anger while spewing such flowery language.

“No need to blame yourself, Andres,” Martin said.

“Clearly his education is lacking if Lucia didn’t even tell him who he is,” Andres said. “If I had a son so promising, I wouldn’t have hidden him.”

Indenuel’s fingers clenched again. He tried to push down the desire to punch Andres.

“Come now, there may be bitter feelings, but we must move on. We have a bright future ahead of us now,” Martin said, beaming at Indenuel.

Lola smiled. “Martin? May I chat with you for a moment?”

“Of course!”

She walked ahead and Martin followed. Panic hit as Indenuel realized the last thing he wanted to do was to be alone with Andres.

“I should return home,” Indenuel said, turning around and heading in the direction of his home.

“Perfect. We’ll follow,” Andres said.

He tried to calm his anger. Once it had subsided, he hated the daunting questions that came from Andres’ statement. The question he tried to avoid with Martin. Did Lucia know? Did she suspect? Indenuel tried not to let it show, as he didn’t want to give Andres the satisfaction, but it unsettled him. Lucia was a religious woman. She would have known of the prophecy. If she knew, why did she hide him?

“Of course. I meant no offense by insulting your intelligence,” Andres said, falling in step beside Indenuel. He instinctively took a few steps away from him. Martin and Lola continued walking, and Indenuel had to fight back the desire to run straight for Martin. Andres placed a hand on his shoulder, and he stiffened at the touch. Andres smiled a wolfish smile. “Scared little boy, aren’t you?”

It was odd to hear Andres call him boy instead of bastard, the word he used more often. Martin’s presence was likely the inspiration for the change, even if he was far ahead, chatting with Lola and incapable of hearing their conversation. Indenuel stared at Andres, the man he suspected collected the vilest of gossip against him and his mother and the one who spread it the quickest. He couldn’t do what they did and put on a pleasant face and pretend it hadn’t happened.

Andres’ eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re fit to be the Warrior, boy?”

Indenuel didn’t answer. He shrugged off Andres’ arm and picked up the pace. Martin and Lola were far ahead of them now. Indenuel hated to see how excited Lola acted around Martin. Like it was somehow because of her the village caught the attention of the High Elders.

“Shall we have you over for dinner tonight, then?” Andres asked, jogging to keep up with Indenuel.

Indenuel folded his arms, glaring. “No.”

His smile didn’t falter. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not a hypocrite.”

Andres grabbed Indenuel’s shoulder to stop him from getting closer to Martin. “I have no idea what you mean.”

He tried again to shrug out of Andres’ grip, but he tightened it. Indenuel glared. “You can pretend we’re friends, but I won’t.”

Andres continued to smile. “Come now, boy, I am doing you a favor. I will invite High Elder Martin over as well. Should you wish for the conversation to stay where it’s supposed to go, I strongly encourage you to be there.”

“I refuse to eat with snakes,” Indenuel said. “I have nothing to hide.”

“Oh, I’m certain you don’t, but there’s plenty about your mother we could talk about,” Andres said.

“Rumors,” Indenuel seethed. “You have nothing but rumors, and Martin is-”

“High Elder Martin. Use his full title, boy. Lucia clearly didn’t teach you any manners, on top of the other sins she committed.” Indenuel curled his fists, feeling his dangerous powers surge. Andres still stood there as though they were discussing how quickly the grains grew in the autumn as Indenuel seethed.

“You just want me there so I don’t have the conversation with Martin in my own home,” Indenuel said. “You want to make sure you’re not made out to be a liar.”

Andres’ eyes narrowed. “I do have to wonder though, boy. Did she really keep the information about the Warrior from you?” Indenuel said nothing, glaring at Andres. “She must have. I know you. You would have bragged about it all over village if you knew. For some odd reason, she kept it from you.” Andres gave a tiny laugh. “You must have so many questions for her. Now, as someone who doesn’t have the gift of talking to the dead, please, enlighten me.”

Indenuel’s nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t want Andres to know how much he was winning. Indenuel began to feel the itch at his wrists as the corruptive powers begged to be released.

Andres leaned a bit closer. “If your mother is trapped by the demons of hell for not only being a whore, but also a murderer, wouldn’t you have to sell your soul to the devil in order to talk to her?”

If he sent a burst of corruptive power right toward Andres’ heart, he could cause enough pain for him to gasp before it went away. He might not even suspect it was Indenuel. He itched to do it. Andres had been nothing but a poisonous thorn in his side for long enough.

“She was not a murderer,” Indenuel managed to get out.

“Oh Indenuel,” Andres said as though talking to a child.

Indenuel almost lifted his hands to send out the power. It was so close, but Indenuel heard Martin laughing, and he closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. He could not use the corrupted powers in front of Martin. Indenuel folded his arms and took a deep breath before opening his eyes.

“Careful how you continue, Andres,” Indenuel said. “I could, after all, be the Warrior. I’m going to be training with the High Elders, and I will come to know people in the King’s Militia. It would be a pity for them to discovered how much I was bullied in my village.”

It was a move Indenuel didn’t realize he could play, and he watched it destroy Andres’ smug smile. The delight that came from being right was intoxicating.

Andres gave another one of his fake smiles. “Well, I guess my dinner invitation is no longer an option for the likes of you.”

Indenuel smirked. “How very sad.” Indenuel turned, walking toward Lola and Martin, forcing himself to work out his anger in this walk before he got too close to them. Yes, by declining the dinner invitation it meant Martin would hear the alleged rumor of Lucia’s crime, but for the most part, Martin had been above the rumors. He wouldn’t believe Andres without consulting Indenuel’s side of the story first.

Indenuel and Lucia had suffered the brutality of this village long enough. The thought of leaving sounded far more inviting to him than anything else Martin offered. There was still a dull ache at the thought of leaving the children, but the orphans were rarely bullied. The bullying was always about Lucia or Indenuel, never about them specifically. If he left, would it be easier for the children? Something told Indenuel it wouldn’t. After what he experienced with Andres, there is no way he could assume they’d be fine.

“Ouch!”

Drawn out of his thoughts, Indenuel was close enough to see Lola had pricked her finger on the thorns of the rose she was trying to show Martin. There were tiny drops of blood.

“High Elder Martin? Would you do the honor?” Lola asked, practically giving Martin her hand. Lola most likely did that on purpose to get Martin to heal it.

He smiled as he touched her elbow. “Actually, this is a great opportunity for Indenuel to show me what he can do.”

He paused, fighting against the desire to stay slapping distance away from Lola.

“Come on, Indenuel,” Martin said.

Indenuel crept forward, aware of the glare Lola gave him. He took her wrist and closed his eyes. He ordered the tissue to stitch together, and it obeyed without question. Being a scratch, it healed quickly, and he opened his eyes again to see Andres approach his wife, giving Indenuel a warning look. He dropped Lola’s hand and backed away into Martin’s shadow.

“Astounding, Indenuel!” Martin placed his hand on Indenuel’s shoulder. “Absolutely astounding. Weather and healing powers already! This is incredible!”

“Thank you, Martin,” Indenuel said.

“My hunches are rarely wrong. I do believe you are the Warrior! Now, these fine people have invited us for dinner. Shall you join us?” Martin asked.

“Sadly, I must decline. I have three orphan children I would rather be with,” Indenuel said before he realized what came out of his mouth. “That I… that I need to care for,” he corrected.

Martin frowned, then glanced at Andres. “I am curious about that. Isn’t it the village healer’s responsibility to take care of orphan children? How was it that Lucia ended up with them?”

Andres squirmed. “Yes, we are aware that is the usual custom, but Indenuel’s mother asked for the orphan children in this village in exchange for a home and some charity money.”

“I see. A unique way of doing it, certainly,” Martin said.

“There wasn’t much else for a woman to do in her condition.” It was a nice way of putting it, but Andres’ tone was anything but nice.

Martin narrowed his eyes, interpreting the tone. “Well, it certainly is wonderful of your village to be so forgiving with a woman who came here for help. To give her responsibility and a job in the community is kind. I certainly hope you did not stop there and continued showing Lucia the kindness she deserved.”

Andres said nothing. Martin turned to Indenuel and smiled. “How noble of her to request to take care of the orphan children. You must be proud of your mother’s self-sacrifice.” Indenuel refused to reply. Martin gave him a pat on the back. “Well, I don’t want to be too hasty, but with proof of at least two powers, Indenuel will certainly be coming with me to Santollia City to meet with the other High Elders. With that being the case, the orphan children must go back to you, the village healer.”

Andres smiled, though there was pain in his eyes. “Of course, High Elder Martin.”

Indenuel’s heart dropped.

“Oh, how many times must we go over this Andres,” Martin said with delight in his eyes. “Just Martin is enough.”

“I could never so informally address you as such, sir,” Andres said with another ridiculous low bow.

“Sir, can’t the children come with me?” Indenuel asked.

Martin gave Indenuel a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Indenuel. You will be training all day, split between the High Elders and the King’s Militia. You would hardly see them.”

“But-”

“Do not argue with a High Elder, boy,” Andres said. “Manners.”

Indenuel glared at Andres. “Maybe I just don’t want them to end up with you.”

“So they can learn manners?” Andres said.

Martin held out a hand to stop Indenuel from taking another step toward Andres. He smiled between Indenuel and Andres. “Gentlemen, let us not dissolve into arguing. Andres, Indenuel is simply worried about the orphan children. It is clear they have a special bond. It would be better to ease his worries with promises of their care.”

Andres said nothing for a long moment before clearing his throat. “Of course. My wife and I will do everything in our power to give them the best life possible.”

“Excellent!” Martin smiled wide. “Indenuel, are you certain you won’t accept the dinner invitation?”

Indenuel didn’t bother hiding his glare from Andres, fully aware Martin could see it too. The thought of sitting down to dinner while Andres discussed Lucia’s crimes was enough to make him loose his appetite completely. He would not be able to stomach it. “No thank you,” was all he said instead.

“Now, Andres, if I may be so bold, why don’t you invite the children to eat tonight? You may have a chance to get to know them more,” Martin said.

“Martin, I’d rather they-”

“Of course,” Andres said, cutting Indenuel off. “It will be wonderful for us.”

Indenuel couldn’t look at Andres anymore. “Martin.”

Martin took Indenuel’s shoulder and turned him, giving them a small semblance of privacy, dropping his voice to a whisper so quiet not even Lola’s gossip gathering ears could hear. “Let me see how Andres and Lola treat them without you there.”

Indenuel paused, trying to think of every possible reason to spend more time with them, but eventually allowed himself to nod. “I’ll send them over before sundown,” Indenuel said, not looking at Andres.

Andres said nothing, his lips thin. Lola had on a fake smile that even Martin could see through.

“Thank you, Indenuel. I’ve seen two of your powers already. We can talk about how best to test the next two tomorrow,” Martin said.

Andres smirked. “I’d be most curious how you’ll test the power of talking to those who reside in the afterlife.” Andres’ tone reminded Indenuel of where he had said Lucia would be in the afterlife.

“It’s a long journey to Santollia City, Indenuel will have many dreams, some that might bring-”

Power slipped through Indenuel, the corrupting kind, the one he desperately tried to suck back in once it had escaped, but it was too late. With no wind to speak of, a branch of the tree next to Andres snapped back and smacked him in the back of the head. Andres stumbled forward before falling to one knee.

“What the h-” Andres stopped, remembering Martin was across from him.

Martin stopped talking, his gaze shot toward Indenuel. He could not meet his look, feeling a deep shame. “Forgive me, Martin. It won’t happen again.”

He didn’t wait to hear Martin’s reply. He simply turned and ran back home, hoping the exercise would help keep him warm.