He was surprised to find the idea didn’t bother him as much as he expected. For much of his life, all he had wanted was to be a wolfblade. Now, all he wanted was to find who had done this to him, and make them suffer. The best way of doing that was by staying here and learning all he could. It was what everybody wanted anyway. “You don’t mind if I stay here?”
“On the contrary, I’d be excited to have you with us,” Kyla replied. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a warrior of your skill and potential here, and you might be needed now more than ever.”
Brandt frowned. “How so?”
Kyla waved another paper in front of him, but didn’t pass it over. “We’ve gotten word from the emperor. Our studies have always had a martial focus, but he’s exhorting us to ever greater levels. He wants us to be the finest elemental warriors the world has ever seen.”
“Aren’t you already? What does the emperor need strong warriors for?” An answer came to him as soon as he asked the question. One of two conquests that had eluded the empire since Anders I. “He’s finally planning on attacking the Etari, isn’t he?’
Kyla shrugged. “I can’t guess the minds of most people, and the emperor least of all. But I doubt it. What I can say is that he wants strong warriors, and you are the best sword to come through those gates in many, many years. I’m very interested in learning what you are capable of.”
“I’m honored.”
“Good. We have a few months.”
Brandt frowned. “Why so little time?”
“Because after that, the emperor is visiting, to see our progress himself.”
32
Alena’s recent life demonstrated a terrible tendency to go from bad to worse.
It didn’t take the city guard long to connect the new wanted posters with the young woman who had helped the Etari boy. In the space of an afternoon, she became the town’s most wanted. They knew she was in town, and assaulting a guard had been added to treason, making her tremendously unpopular.
Making her problems worse, the city guard within Tonno was far stronger than Landow. Landow was a quiet city. Tonno shared the quality of being near the frontier, but instead of a sea, Tonno bordered Etar, one of the last stretches of land resistant to the empire’s expansion. Because of the location and the amount of trade coming up and down the river, the city guard numbered almost three times that of Landow.
And they were all looking for her.
Alena felt the noose tightening around her neck.
First she had gone to the wall, but lightness wasn’t going to save her here. The wall was filled with guards, most of them looking in on the city. She didn’t think she could sneak over, even in the dark of night. Attempting it would be a last-ditch effort.
Guards within the city patrolled the streets and the roofs. She chose her hiding places with care. The first night she squeezed in between a line of barrels and a wall in an alley, the space so narrow she had to lie on her side with barely enough room to breathe.
She had hoped perhaps the search would die down a little by the next day.
Instead, it had intensified.
They knew she was still in town, and they were searching for her, going from house to house and searching every nook and cranny. She kept moving, doing everything she could to avoid them.
Was the attention because of her attack on the guard?
She couldn’t imagine it. No doubt other guards got attacked in the course of their duty. She hadn’t done any permanent damage except to the man’s pride.
This was too much.
Which meant the trouble originated in Landow. Kye was pushing to find her, and pushing hard.
She considered going to the local governor and telling them everything. Perhaps the truth would set her free of all this.
The idea was naive. It would be her word against a governor’s. Even a fool would know that future ended with a quick trip to the local headsman.
She had to run, but she was at a loss on how to get out of the city. She watched the docks, studying the loading and unloading of the boats. There were possibilities there, but most of them required a willing accomplice. With only a few coins left to her name, she couldn’t afford to buy the help of a stranger. The reward for turning her in was much more lucrative.
That night, the neighborhood she hid in was searched by the guard. She avoided detection, but it was like playing a drawn-out game of hide and seek with deadly stakes. By the time the morning rose, Alena’s desperation was as high as it had ever been.
And her situation continued deteriorating. The city guard seemed more active than ever, determined to find her.
Their behavior didn’t match her expectations. It had been days since she attacked the guard. Their enthusiasm, even for catching a treasonous citizen, should have wavered a little by now.
Then she overheard a pair of guards speaking as she lay flat on a roof above them. She heard them rummaging behind a stack of crates she had considered using for cover before choosing the roof.
“What do you think she did?” a female voice asked, the tone indicating a conversation happening throughout the ranks.
“Don’t know, don’t care,” replied a gruff male voice. “But if the reward is doubled for finding her, I’ll spend every moment of my duty looking for her.”
“You’re no fun. You’ve got to have some guess. Maybe she stole something valuable? Or maybe she’s the governor’s ex-lover. Her description makes her seem pretty enough.”
“Jealous?”
“Not now. But I’ve never heard of a governor traveling so fast just to help lead the search for a single person. Whatever she’s wanted for, it’s gathered more attention than I’ve ever seen.”
“Maybe she kicked the governor
