Brandt thought the question strange, but he wanted to answer. “Yes.”
“Did you touch it?”
Brandt shook his head.
“Pity.” Kye studied Brandt. “I’m going to let you live. I think she would approve.”
Questions swirled in Brandt’s mind, but he didn’t want to ask them. He found that all he really wanted to do was listen to Kye. The governor spoke, authority ringing in his voice. “You need time for healing, and time to find understanding. You’re strong and talented, but not yet enough for our purposes. There is a monastery to the south, called Highkeep, that could use a man of your skills. You will train there until you are ready. You must leave tonight, and tell no one.”
The plan made perfect sense to Brandt. He did need rest and healing. Kye was giving him a wonderful opportunity. “Thank you, sir.”
The blade dropped from Brandt’s throat, but he barely noticed it.
“Ah, and Sergeant Brandt?”
“Yes.”
“One more thing.”
Then there was nothing. He was standing in the road, all by himself.
Why was he here?
And where did the other wolfblades go?
All he remembered were his final orders. He needed to go to a monastery where he could heal and train. It was vital he do so. He looked out along the road. It was dark, but he was a wolfblade, and the orders needed to be carried out quickly.
Without hesitation, he set off down the road, eager to complete his new assignment.
24
Alena couldn’t believe her eyes. She wasn’t sure she could believe any of her senses. What had she just witnessed? The scene before her made no sense, and had not made sense for some time. She felt as though she was in a play, or a dream, because this wasn’t the reality she knew and understood.
She was familiar with affinities. Everyone was. But affinities were small things, skills that were closer to tricks than world-ending powers. The strongest affinities made a minimal difference in most people’s lives. But now she had seen Kye knock down a building with his will, and that was just a prelude to the quick but furious battle she had just witnessed.
Brandt was several orders of magnitude stronger than she had suspected. His wall of flame had surprised her so much she had almost fallen out of the tree she hid in. Why had he not used that same power in the fight the week before? Had he been too nervous about harming civilians?
The wall had been impressive, but she expected that no matter how long she lived she would never forget the sight of the enormous fireball hanging over her head in the sky above. Had it fallen, it would have burned her and the tree she sat on to ashes. She thought she had been far enough away to be safe, but she had never anticipated such a display.
She’d seen walls of fire and slabs of stone that danced with the speed and agility of children at play. And they had changed her life. But she wasn’t sure they compared to the conversation she’d witnessed afterward. That conversation challenged her perception of everything.
Alena understood that she didn’t know Brandt all that well, but everything she knew about him indicated that he was a man of honor, a man on a mission to avenge the death of his friends. He had fought with ferocity, but with a few quiet words from Kye, he stopped. She swore he had intended to fight to the death.
Alena was too far away to clearly hear what the two men spoke about, but she could read their body language well enough.
Not only had Brandt stopped, but he then took orders without question. It was almost as if Brandt was two separate people. Her one-time ally now behaved as though he was one of her enemies.
Kye stood up, then gave one more order to Brandt. Then he left, barely winded after the enormous energies he’d expended.
Brandt stood up, still as a statue for some time. Alena watched, waiting to see what he would do.
His first movement was to shake his head, as though waking from a long sleep. Then he turned and walked south on the road, his stride purposeful.
Alena didn’t understand. What had happened? Had Brandt betrayed her?
Her first problem was her most serious. Kye would search for her. Given how easy it had been for others to find her, it certainly wouldn’t take him long to figure out her identity.
She didn’t think there was anything she could do to stop him. No matter what steps she took, Landow wasn’t safe for her. She didn’t know or understand how Brandt had survived the battle. Something happened at the end that was beyond her comprehension, but she didn’t think that Kye’s attitude toward her would change so abruptly.
She needed to run.
She tested the idea, trying to find an alternative. She didn’t want to leave her family behind, not so soon after she resolved to be diligent in her studies and make them proud. Leaving would break their hearts.
But it was also the only way to protect them.
No matter how hard she considered other options, running away was the only solution she could come up with. She could sit in the tree all night and debate it, or she could take actions to make sure her family was safe.
Once she was sure that it was safe to move, Alena dropped down from her tree and ran toward Landow. Again, she used her lightness to climb up the wall and dart behind a pair of unsuspecting guards. Within moments she was back in her city, walking the dark streets at night.
She made it to her house without incident. She climbed into her room without being noticed and stood there, seeing the place with fresh eyes.
Her room had always been her own space. She kept it clean and meticulously organized, a harsh contrast to Jace’s room. Some simple calligraphic prints were the only decorations she had allowed
