It took Brandt a few moments to realize the discussion had advanced without him. He focused his attention and sat down.
“So it was an attack?” Kyla asked.
The emperor, Hanns, nodded. “The skills required are beyond my own comprehension, but I am certain. I can feel the trace of will the storm left behind, and that lightning didn’t obey nature’s laws.”
Kyla shook her head, clearly in as much disbelief as Brandt. “How is such a thing possible?”
“I cannot fathom the method, but I understand the theory. A small change, given enough time, can create a large effect. Imagine, if you will, making a tiny crack in the foundation of a building, the sort even the weakest affinities can produce. By itself, it does little, but if every day a person comes back and expands on that crack, it can eventually send a building crashing to the ground.”
“You believe they can control storms?”
“Not perfectly. But they could add some heat when needed, move moisture. With enough knowledge, patience, and skill, they could direct the storm.”
The abbot intuited something from Hanns’ tone. “This isn’t the first time.”
Hanns shook his head sadly. “It is by far the worst, but no, it isn’t the first attempt. They don’t come frequently, but when they do, they are unmistakable.”
Hanns turned to Brandt. “I wanted to thank you for your actions during the assassination attempt. Your quick actions saved the lives of several of my guards.” He paused. “Kyla has told me of your situation. I am sorry for your loss. If you wish, I can try to retrieve your memories.”
Brandt’s surprise overwhelmed his propriety. “You can do that?”
“I can try.”
“Hanns has a strong mental affinity,” Kyla said, and Brandt thought he heard a bit of envy in her voice. “If anyone in the empire can unlock your memories, it’s him.”
A lump formed in Brandt’s throat. He wanted to know what had happened in Landow, but he was suddenly uncertain of reliving the memories of his team’s deaths.
It would be easy to refuse, to continue to hide.
But what kind of friend would that make him?
“Do it, please,” he said.
The emperor nodded and closed his eyes. For a moment, Brandt wondered if the emperor had fallen asleep. But then he felt a presence, ghostly, near the back of his mind.
“Can you focus on your breath, please?” Hanns asked.
Brandt closed his own eyes, falling into the meditative state he was most familiar with. The presence in his mind increased, and the headache that had bothered him vanished. The presence was gentle and kind, and Brandt thought of a grandmother holding a child, the image seemingly random.
He lost track of time, but then his awareness returned sharply, the presence fading away.
He opened his eyes and looked at the emperor, who shook his head. “I’m sorry, they’re gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?”
The emperor fluttered his hands, like a bird taking flight. “I thought that perhaps your memories had been covered up, the mental equivalent of being hidden under a blanket. But they’ve been destroyed. Some fragments might remain, but nothing either of us could make sense of. They are gone for good.”
Brandt swore and stood, pacing the small room back and forth for a heartbeat before remembering whose presence he was in. He stopped and returned to sitting, barely able to control himself. His friends were dead and he would never be able to remember them properly.
The emperor turned back to Kyla. “You’ve said your training is proceeding well. How soon can they be ready if they are needed?”
Kyla gave a small shrug. “We’re ready now, but we haven’t made any meaningful advances. Our knowledge grows bit by bit, but it’s not enough to complete the tasks you’ve set for us.”
The emperor nodded. “Maintain your readiness, Kyla. She’s getting more bold, and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep her at bay. There may be a need for the monks soon.”
Kyla said that she would, and Brandt’s thoughts finally caught up with the discussion. “What’s happening? Who has the sort of power that can unleash a lightning storm upon a monastery? Why are you pushing so hard for monks ready to fight?”
Hanns gave Kyla a questioning glance.
She nodded.
Hanns let out a deep exhalation of exhaustion. “There is a power, stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before, making moves against us.”
“The Etari?” Brandt asked.
Hanns gave him a grim chuckle. “Not even close. I do not know exactly who or what is at the heart of the disturbance. They are beyond even my sight. But I suspect it is an affinity from Palagia.”
“Palagia?”
“The other continent on the planet.”
Brandt was more confused than ever. “There’s only one continent.”
A glance at the emperor revealed the truth. Brandt’s headache returned. “Why does no one know about the existence of an entire continent?”
“That is a story for another day, but please accept the truth of the matter. There are two continents we know of, and although we’ve been protected here for hundreds of years, the barrier is wearing thin. Already they strike at me, hoping to cripple us before the legacy of Anders can be passed on to another. Something is coming, and I mean for us to be prepared.”
Brandt’s head spun. “What do we need to do?”
“I know very little, Brandt,” Hanns said. “I know that as a people, they seem to have mastered affinities in a manner that I can’t comprehend. But I do not know how many there are, or what they intend. But I prepare for the worst.”
“How long do we have?”
“I don’t know. It could be tomorrow, or it could be three generations from now. All I can say is that our barriers are being weakened. The sooner we are prepared, the better.”
“Why have you kept this a secret?”
The emperor grimaced. “I am an inheritor of a legacy, Brandt. There are days where
