A collective intake of breath brought Brandt’s attention back to the board. Weylen was nodding and looked impressed. Both players once again raised their fist to their heart and stood up.
Regar found them in the crowd. “You didn’t seem so eager to leap to my rescue this time, Brandt.”
“There’s nothing I could have done to help you with whatever that was,” Brandt admitted.
“I know the past few days have been difficult, but thank you for your patience. We’ve earned our audience with the elders.”
“You’ve earned our audience,” Brandt said.
Regar frowned. “Not at all. You’ve been tested just as much as I.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night in town, the rings surrounding the combat, they’ve all been tests. Can my warriors follow orders? If even one person had drawn a blade last night or tried to sneak from a house, none of us would have woken this morning. And we wouldn’t have even made it into town if anyone had interfered with the duels.”
Brandt didn’t understand.
Regar saw as much. “In a way, you could consider it a fourth test, but one of my leadership. Would I be worthy of meeting the elders if I couldn’t even control my own soldiers?”
Brandt just shook his head.
Regar gave him a reassuring smile. “On the road I’ll explain more. I promise.”
Regar left them, and Brandt reached out for Ana’s hand. If not for her, he might have interfered, a decision with more dangerous consequences than he realized. “Thank you.”
She laughed and squeezed his hand. “Someone has to keep you from getting yourself killed.”
18
Alena sipped at her tea, hoping that in time her nerves would fade and she wouldn’t have to worry about spilling all over her lap. The tea served as an anchor, the warmth of the cup in her hands reminding her that she was real and whole.
Jace and Toren sat next to her, nursing their own cups. They both looked shaken, but not like her. Of the two, Jace was worse. Thanks to the bonds between them he had felt much of those agonizing moments. Even Toren, with his single thread, had felt some unease.
Sooni and Dunne sat across from them. Both women stared at her like she was a mystery to be solved.
Dunne, in particular, had little patience for Alena’s recovery. “Can you stop her?”
No, Alena signed. When she saw the expression of dismay on Dunne’s face, she hurried to explain. “It’s not the queen.”
“Then what’s happening?”
“I don’t know. There’s something wrong with the gate itself.”
Dunne made a dismissive gesture. “That gate has stood for longer than our legends. There is nothing wrong with it.”
Alena saw no point in arguing, especially with Dunne. So she sought knowledge, instead. “What do your legends tell of the gate?”
Sooni made a questioning gesture, indicating her uncertainty. “Those are stories only told among the elders.” She looked meaningfully toward Dunne.
“True,” Dunne said. “And so they shall stay.”
Alena pressed. “You summoned me here to help. Perhaps I can, but I know little about the gates. They are secreted away within the empire.”
Dunne waved a dismissive hand. “This was a foolish idea from the beginning.” She made to leave.
“I believe her,” Toren said, stopping Dunne in her tracks. He didn’t elaborate, but his corroboration seemed to surprise the elder.
Sooni chimed in. “She’s come this far. You wouldn’t send a warrior into battle without their stones. Why do you ask her to solve this problem without your knowledge?”
Dunne glared at them all, but she didn’t move. She looked at Alena for a long moment before speaking. “Ask your questions.”
Alena took a deep breath to restrain herself. She had dozens. “What are the gates? When were they made, and by whom?” She stopped before she asked more.
“No one knows exactly what the gates are,” Dunne answered. “They were built in a time before legend by those who came before.”
Alena hid her disappointment. Too often her questions were met with more questions. “Who were those that came before?”
Dunne glanced at Sooni, as though questioning Alena’s competence. “The empire erased its history prior to Anders I,” Sooni said. “She knows nothing.”
Dunne sighed, clearly disappointed to be forced into the role of a teacher of basic information. “We do not know who they were, but they predate the empire, the Etari, and the Falari. For all we know, they existed long before the Lolani as well. From what survives, we know they were masters of the world, more powerful than we can imagine. They built the gates, and long ago, they disappeared.”
“How?”
“No one knows.”
Alena thought of the path into the mountains outside Landow and the tunnels underneath those mountains. They too must have been built by those that came before.
“Do you know when they lived?”
“We’re not sure. At least five hundred years ago. Perhaps as many as a thousand. The stories are unclear.”
“Do you know why the gates were built?”
“We have one story that tells of a threat from the skies. We do not know if it is a true story, but it is one that comes from our earliest days.”
Jace shook his head. “Like giant birds?” His skepticism was clear.
“Perhaps. Our story simply said that the greatest threat of all is from the skies. Some wondered if there is a link between the gates and that threat, although we know nothing for certain.”
Alena understood her brother’s skepticism, but who was she to say? Many years ago she might have been more critical of Dunne’s answers, but if she’d learned one lesson, it was that the world was far stranger than she’d imagined.
The gates had a purpose, even if she couldn’t guess at it. They must have been difficult to build. And the power they summoned was immense. It took almost all her skill to simply skim across the top of that power. To harness it and direct it remained well beyond her ability.
Dunne still knew
