Brandt did. He pulled some heat from his own body and pushed it into the stone. Then he closed his eyes.
There was only one flame left in the room, another candle on Kyla’s desk. He heard its song first, the same staccato rhythm he knew so well. The song was louder than he expected, though.
And it wasn’t the only song.
Brandt twisted his head, trying to hear the other songs, faint and unfamiliar. One was a low hum, deeper than any male voice he had ever heard. It was solid and reassuring. Another song whistled a higher tune, while yet another sat somewhere in between the others, a calming sound that reminded him almost of the gentle roll of waves against a beach.
The whole world was alive with music, and it was more than he could handle.
He dropped the diamond on Kyla’s desk.
“What was that?”
She didn’t answer, but instead asked him, “What did you experience, just now?”
“Songs, of all different types. More than I’ve ever heard before.”
“You hear the fire as music?”
Brandt nodded.
Kyla picked up the diamond and extended it to him again. “Hold on to it.”
Brandt didn’t want to. It was like jumping into a pool of muddy water, with no idea where the ground was beneath him. He didn’t know what he would find if he touched that stone again. But he reached out and held it. He channeled some of his affinity into it.
The songs returned, soft, but distinct. When Kyla spoke, her voice sounded loud in his ears. “What song, besides the fire, is loudest?”
Brandt listened. It was the low hum he recognized most easily. “Stone.”
He didn’t know exactly how he knew it was stone, but some part of his mind or body was confident in the knowledge. Kyla picked up a rock, no bigger than her thumb, and placed it on the middle of her desk. “Pull it toward you.”
“I can’t.”
“Pull, the same way you would a flame.”
Brandt concentrated, recognizing the song of stone. He pulled, and the stone moved toward him. He dropped the diamond again, his eyes wide.
This time, Kyla smiled wide. “Congratulations. As of today, Brandt, you are an official monk of Highkeep.”
30
The guards didn’t give chase. Alena wondered if it was because they lacked the skill, or if they just weren’t that interested in a supposed traitor from Landow. Whatever the reason, she was grateful that escape was easier than she had expected.
Unfortunately, escape was only the beginning of her problems.
She hadn’t thought Kye would extend his search for her so far. The fact he was willing to accuse her of treason and hunt her down as far as Tonno frightened her. Was the knowledge she possessed so worrying to him?
Her initial assumption had been that once she left Landow he would give up looking for her. That assumption wasn’t true. Now, she had to expect that he would search until the ends of the empire for her.
Which meant living her entire life as a fugitive. She wouldn’t be able to run a normal business, or even apply as a wage-earner. Every time she did, it would only be a matter of time before she was discovered. Every day she would have to look constantly over her shoulder.
She also had more immediate concerns. She would eventually need food and shelter. Tonight wasn’t a problem, but tonight was just the first night of many.
By the time the first moon had risen, Alena’s heart had stopped racing and the nervous energy dancing within her body had subsided. In the wake of the excitement, she felt exhausted. She found a sheltered corner of a roof where she was reasonably certain she wouldn’t be found. She pulled a blanket over herself and fell promptly asleep.
The next morning she woke up before the sun. She came to awareness slowly, her mind unwilling to face her new set of problems. Her stomach, however, reminded her she needed to eat.
She wasn’t sure how dangerous the streets would be, but she couldn’t imagine everyone in town would be looking for her. The notices had just gone up yesterday. So long as she was careful around the city guards, she figured she didn’t need to worry overmuch.
Alena waited for the sun to rise, then went down to a market. She kept close to groups and acted as though she wasn’t a wanted criminal. As she had expected, most people weren’t looking for her. She purchased food without a problem, and without having to pay for another night at the inn, she had enough money to last for a while yet.
She still wasn’t sure what to do next, though. Tonno wasn’t safe for her, so she needed to leave.
Before she could work on the problem, she heard the sounds of a commotion in an alley off to the side of the market. She walked past the entrance, glancing in and seeing three city guards kicking a young boy.
Alena shook her head.
She’d seen the same plenty in Landow. Crime was punished violently throughout the empire, with the punishment for most offenses being death. But it was slightly different with children. Killing a child was within the authority of any member of the city guard, but it was frowned upon. Instead, beatings were used to encourage proper behavior, with the enthusiasm for such beating varying widely among the guards. Back in Landow, Alena knew exactly which faces among the guards to avoid even looking at the wrong way.
These guards were laughing as they kicked, their attacks slamming the boy against a wall. They were the type of guards who enjoyed their duty a little much.
Most days, Alena would have walked past the scene without a second glance. Everyone else in the market did. Far wiser to avoid the attention of the city guard. One of the guards in the alley had a crossbow strapped to his back, identifying him as a ranking officer, too.
Alena’s fists clenched. Perhaps it was because the empire was chasing her, too, but she wanted
