“There was no way you could have known—” Brandt began.
The emperor cut him off angrily. “There are always ways of knowing, and if I didn’t see far enough ahead, the failure is my own. Had this gate remained open, the empire would have fallen within two years.” He turned to them. “Tell me what happened.”
So Brandt and Alena told their story, frequently stopped by the emperor. He wanted every detail, from the soulwalkers’ abilities to their fight with the queen.
Brandt interrupted when Alena told of her visit to the other gate, the one she saw when the soulwalker died. “You saw the gate?”
She nodded, clearly discomfited by the experience.
“And you saw an old man there?”
“Yes. But I don’t know who he was.”
Brandt fished in the pockets of his robe. “Like this?” He held out a coin. Alena’s eyes widened when she realized who she had seen.
Hanns, by contrast, didn’t. Brandt noticed his lack of reaction and turned to him. “You knew?”
The emperor gave a small shrug. “It appears my predecessor has been more helpful than I realized.”
“But he’s dead!” Brandt exclaimed.
Hanns laughed. “He never did want to give up the throne.”
Brandt’s jaw moved, but no words came out. He didn’t even know where to begin. But Hanns didn’t seem too interested in the assistance of Anders I. He asked them to continue their story, and there was no denying an emperor’s request. By the time they finished, Brandt was certain the emperor knew more about their encounter than they did. Hanns stared silently at the gate as he considered their story.
“I don’t suppose either of you have any clue how to destroy it, do you?”
Brandt frowned. “I thought I did.”
The emperor shook his head. He reached out and touched the gate. When he did, a soft blue glow emanated from the diamond. “You closed it, but I’m not sure these gates can be broken by us. Whoever fashioned them possessed far more power and skill than we can dream of.”
“But aren’t gatestones just fragments of gates? If so, there must be a way to break them,” Alena said.
“They are,” Hanns agreed. “I know of four gates on this continent, each tuned to different groups of affinities. The Etari possess two, one of which is shattered, and the source of the gatestones they use. There are two within the empire.”
Brandt couldn’t help but ask the question. “Where’s the other one?”
“The palace is built over it,” Hanns answered. “It’s through the power of that gate I work to maintain the storms that keep this continent isolated and safe.”
“How much do you know,” Brandt asked, waving his hand around to encompass the chamber, “about all of this?”
“More than anyone else, but not nearly enough,” Hanns said. “I suspect the Lolani queen wants this land, not to conquer it, exactly, but to have access to the gates. A connection with one provides the wielder with immense power. I can only guess what a connection to more would do.”
“You’re going to attempt it, aren’t you?”
“I would like to. But there are risks. The power within these gates resists command. That is why, Brandt, you nearly died when you touched the gate.”
“Why didn’t I have the same problem?” Alena asked.
“Because your strongest affinity is mental. Unlike the elemental affinities, yours is comfortable with chaos. Those like Brandt and I seek to control the elements. You ride them. It is also why it is almost impossible to instruct mental affinities. Their manifestations are so wild and varied, teaching is nearly useless.”
Now that she had asked her first question, Brandt knew Alena was going to ask the next one that had plagued her since their adventure. “Why all the lies?”
The emperor sighed. “They are a legacy of Anders I. No one has ever been more powerful than him on this continent, and his knowledge led him to decisions we all question. One of which is the secrecy surrounding the past and the world we live on. I can’t speak for my predecessor, but I believe he thought secrets were necessary to bring order to the continent.”
Alena didn’t look happy with the answer, but the emperor gave her no more.
Brandt took it all in. His years of study in the monastery made him comfortable with questions, but as he stood alongside the emperor, he realized just how little they knew. “What happens next?”
The emperor turned to look at the gates. “We must prepare. Your actions saved us this time, and no doubt the queen was surprised by the resistance she faced. We may have a year or two of safety, but this has been her quest for hundreds of years. She is patient, and her next attempt will be that much more of a threat.”
Hanns looked at them both, a sadness in his eyes.
“We must be ready for war.”
Want more fantasy?
As always, thank you so much for reading this story. There’s an amazing number of great fantasy stories today, and it means so much to me that you picked this book up.
If you enjoyed this story, I also have two other fantasy series, filled with memorable characters. My first fantasy series is called Nightblade. You can check it out here:
Nightblade
I’ve also completed another fantasy trilogy called Relentless. You can find the first book in that series here:
Relentless Souls
Thank You
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So thank you.
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