Pushed forward, Leander stumbled to regain his footing on the uneven ground. It was pointless, though, for he was next forced to the ground by a hand.
He found himself on his knees and looked to the left as Jarryn gracelessly sunk to the ground beside him. Leander released a mewling sound, as attempt to grab the other’s attention, but Jarryn still did not acknowledge Leander’s presence. He did not even twitch.
Eyes wet with unshed tears, Leander turned to stare forward.
Leander was left with just his hearing, and he listened as a sword was unsheathed from its scabbard. More moments passed and a sharp, cold edge could be felt across the back of his neck. He squeezed his eyelids shut.
“Stop.”
Venser. Verin would not be far behind. And the rest, hopefully. Enough to overcome eight of Nevari’s soldiers.
“Place down your weapons.”
Again, Leander was relying on his hearing to establish that was going on. He heard the sound of steel hitting the ground.
“Kneel.”
A body rounded Leander’s peripheral vision and fell to the ground in front of him. It was Verin.
“This is not what we discussed, brother.” To Leander’s surprise, Verin leaned forward and hugged him tight. After a moment, he let go, first removing the gag before using a small knife to slice through the bonds securing his wrists. Cade was doing the same for Jarryn.
“Took your time,” Leander breathed out, his voice cracking a little as he rubbed at his raw wrists before dabbing at the back of his neck to feel for the slick wetness of blood. There was no damage, thankfully.
“Yes, well, we needed to let you sweat a little.”
Standing up on shaky legs, Leander turned to see the eight Desannian guards kneeling, submissive, waiting for the next command.
Eyes widening, Leander turned to Venser, who was evidently controlling the soldiers.
Venser grimaced. “Another form of illegal use of Aesthesia. You would do well to learn the lessons from your arrest. I will not be teaching you this skill,” he cautioned Leander, who nodded without smiling.
He felt, in that moment, a chill of horror. He realised the potential consequences of such a power in the wrong hands, grappling with the ethical implications of the delicate balance between autonomy and manipulation. Venser was a good man, even if he and Leander did not always see eye to eye.
But Leander was torn between the desire to live and the horrifying fear of abusing someone’s liberty at the whims of another, Leander opened his mouth. Then he closed it again.
“I told you I found the best to teach you Aesthesia. Venser is a rare jewel. Thing is… he has superb instinct for people’s motivations, their wants, their desires… borderline supernatural, that’s why I think he is so blessed with Aesthesia. With a gift that should only be used in the direst circumstances,” Verin explained.
Another speechless nod from Leander. Forgetting himself, he looked over to Jarryn who had, in recent months, become his gold standard for morality. If Jarryn wasn’t just as horrified by this use of Aesthesia, he would find a way to accept it. But Jarryn had walked away fromthe group a ways, deep in conversation with Cade. Apparently Venser’s power did not alarm him.
“What do you want to do with them, Verin?” Venser asked as he prowled in front of the eight kneeling guards.
“We can’t risk them telling Nevari what happened. Nor can they share... this.” Verin indicated vaguely towards Venser and the general situation.
“No. You’re right…”
“I want no Desannian blood spilled on my account,” Leander heard Jarryn’s voice for the first time since finding out about the truth of Leander’s lie. “Let them go.”
“Your Highness, is that wise?” Verin was clearly unsure of this request but unlikely to openly argue with royalty.
The prince finally made eye contact with Leander as he replied, “They know the truth. I do not want their voices silenced.” He looked away, but not before Leander saw the disgust alight in his eyes.
“Very well, Your Highness,” Venser said, though he surreptitiously glanced over at Verin to confirm his brother’s agreement. Verin nodded.
Venser turned back to the soldiers. “You will walk west until dawn. After that, you will follow the guidance of your heart in what you do next.”
The soldiers stood and began walking. No one spoke until they were some ways into the distance.
“Should have killed them,” someone muttered from the back. Leander wasn’t sure who, and he didn’t bother to turn around to find out. It sounded like Cade, though.
