Pleasantries exhausted, Jace dug into weightier subjects. “How are you?”
She noticed the shift in tone. A glance confirmed it wasn’t simply a polite question. “Is it that obvious?”
His smile was wide. “Only to anyone who knows you at all. I think you were better at pretending when you were younger.”
“I had more practice.” She paused. “Did they put you up to this?”
“Yes, but I would have asked on my own soon enough.”
“I’m not sure what to do,” she admitted. “When I returned home, all I could think about was how I wanted to stay here forever. And I’ve loved the past two years.”
“But you want more?” Jace completed the sentence for her.
She nodded. “I need to find a teacher. Someone in the empire has to know more about soulwalking. And I want to visit Etar and see my family there.”
Jace’s shoulders tensed for a moment at that, but he relaxed them quickly. If she hadn’t been looking for it she wasn’t sure she would have noticed. Unlike her, Jace had gotten better at disguising his emotions.
They walked in silence for a block, each lost in their own thoughts.
“What will you do?” Jace asked.
“I’m not sure yet. It will break their heart if I leave, but I don’t think I’ll be happy to remain in Landow for much longer.”
Their house came into view. “Whatever you decide, you know I’ll support you, right?”
“I know.”
Their conversation came to an end as they entered their family house together. Their mother welcomed them, then immediately put them to work. Jace, being better in the kitchen than Alena, helped finish the meal. Alena put out the bowls they would eat from. She had a little time to read before Father’s heavy footsteps could be heard in the hallway.
Family meals were still boisterous. Jace served as a commander in the city watch, and he had no shortage of stories to share. From celebrants who had gotten a little too deep in their cups to thieves that knocked themselves out while trying to evade pursuit, he had a new story every time they gathered.
Father still groused about his apprentices, but less than he had many years ago. He had trained them well over the years, and several were becoming masters in their own right. Father paid well and cared for his smiths. If not for that, Alena suspected several of them would have moved on. Many were skilled enough to start their own smithies.
Alena didn’t have stories to share. She enjoyed working for Father, but stories from the front of the shop didn’t entertain the way Jace’s did. And she didn’t speak about the far more interesting aspects of her life. Her abilities made her family nervous whenever she mentioned them.
Eventually Jace called for silence. “I have news!”
The family obediently quieted, plates long since finished.
“The governor came to see me today,” Jace said, and Alena’s heart dropped for a moment. She’d been hoping the news was about a young woman, too. Jace worked too hard. “He wants to create a new position, a lieutenant governor for the region. And he wants me to fill it.”
Mother beamed and Father clapped his son on the shoulder. They were proud, and why shouldn’t they be? Jace had become not just an admirable soldier, but a competent leader as well.
Alena smiled, but doing so required an effort. She was proud of her brother, but it hurt to see him succeeding while she felt stuck.
It wasn’t fair to him, but it was true.
Their father went into the cellar and pulled out a bottle of wine. Their family rarely drank, but Jace’s promotion merited the occasion.
They laughed and drank until the sun kissed the horizon.
Then they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Jace, in high spirits, went to answer it.
Alena’s heart skipped a beat when her brother let in a figure cloaked in red, a familiar shade to any trader in the empire. Those cloaks denoted Etari traders.
The Etari threw back his hood once he had crossed the threshold into their house. His eyes met Alena’s. “Sooni has summoned you,” he said. “Your aid is required.”
3
Brandt stood with his fellow monks on the path, staring slack-jawed at the monastery that had been his home for over a decade. He saw the ruins before him, but he still struggled to believe. The monastery had been something solid, a place where the ravages of time raged ineffectively against the sturdy construction. But now?
It would take years to rebuild what she destroyed in moments.
He didn’t understand.
The destruction wrought by that last blast was orders of magnitude greater than her previous attacks.
He’d run.
Retreat had been the only way to survive.
Questions plagued his lethargic mind. The how bothered him, but he already knew the Lolani queen was stronger than him. This was simply more evidence of a fact he already understood. The questions that demanded answers were the whys. Why now? Why here? Brandt took pride in his abilities, but he was no threat to the Lolani queen.
Had this been simple revenge, attacking him because he’d prevented her invasion years ago?
Ana’s hand clutching his stopped his questions cold. He’d been so obsessed with the attack and its meaning he’d forgotten to check on her. Thanks to their efforts, and the mostly empty monastery, every monk still lived. Ana appeared unharmed and remarkably calm. A look passed between them, and her slight nod let him know that she was fine.
Kyla stepped in front of the assembled monks. “The danger has passed. Let’s return and search for what can be salvaged. We need to know if we can sleep here tonight, or if we have to make our way down the road.”
Brandt hoped they would find enough bunks to remain at the monastery tonight. The nearest village with space for them to sleep was a full day’s walk away. At the moment, he didn’t find the idea of such a walk inviting.
The monks followed Kyla into the ruins
