Skipping a scene from last week to stay with what was happening.  Autheren bolted from the dining room, running from Barlen.

“Autheren, wait!” 

Jorsen’s words were wasted as Autheren ran across the yard, not knowing where he was going, only that he wanted – needed – to get away.  Then Jorsen caught him, pulled him to a stop and held him.  “It’s all right,” he soothed.  “It’s all right.  You are safe.”

“No.  Let me go.”  He struggled, twisting to get away from him, but Jorsen was bigger than he was and his training let him easily take him to the ground, even as his instinct to protect him made it a soft gentle fall, taking him first to his knees and then to his stomach.  Once down, Jorsen held him there, covering him with his body as he sobbed and struggled to get free.   “Please, please don’t,” Autheren begged.  “Please… don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Jorsen asked softly.  “Autheren, it’s me, Jorsen. I’m not going to hurt you.  You said you weren’t afraid of me, remember?”

“Please,” he sobbed.   “Please get off of me.  Don’t, please don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Jorsen repeated. “Autheren, relax. I won’t hurt you. Just calm down and relax and stop running.”

“Jors! Jors, get off of him.  He’ll be all right if you get off of him.” 

Jorsen looked up as Draethlen dropped to his knees next to them.  Terhesh stood behind him, his wings half flared, his protective instinct still making him agitated.

“Please.  I… I won’t run.  I promise.  Just please… please don’t…”

“Please don’t what?” Jorsen asked.  He moved away from Autheren and looked up at Draethlen, pain-filled blue eyes begging for help as Autheren drew himself to his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach, his body shaking.  He wanted to reach out and wrap his arms around the apprentice but now he was afraid to touch him. 

“It was the way you had him pinned to the ground,” Draethlen said softly.  He touched Autheren’s shoulder gently, holding his hand steady even as Autheren flinched away from his touch. “They raped you, didn’t they?”

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Following from last week’s snippet from the totally unedited Book 9 of The Academy of the Accord.

Autheren cried out when Barlen grabbed him and all of the Warders were on their feet.  Brythel and Jorsen, the two closest, pushed themselves between Barlen and Autheren, forcing Barlen to take a few steps backward and release his grip as Rahmael, Draethlen and Terhesh joined them.

Autheren, free of Barlen’s grasp, scrambled to his feet and started for the door, but Jorsen grabbed him, holding him.  “It’s all right,” he assured him.  “You’re safe.”

“No,” Autheren said. “I – I have to go…”  He looked back in terror.  “He’ll make me go back and I can’t… I can’t go back.”  Desperately he broke free of Jorsen’s arms and bolted for the door.  Jorsen cast a quick glance at the others and went after him as the other cadets blocked Barlen from pursuing them.

Then Marsden, Kordelm, Wellhym, Yhonshel, and Radenth reached the table, along with Vinadi, Torlew, and Caristen, all of them blocking Barlen from going after Autheren.  Draethlen glanced at the others and touched Terhesh’s arm and the two of them went to help Jorsen as Rahmael backed the rest of the apprentices away from the scene and stood in front of them, his hand on the hilt of his sword, dark eyes never leaving Barlen’s form.   

(Yes, I know I dumped a bunch of names there, but by this point in the series the readers will be familiar with all of them.)

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