They paused inside the gate. A blackened crater silently smoked inside the destroyed courtyard. Nearly two hundred years of history, wiped away in a flash of power. Brandt clenched his fist and looked over the rest of the monastery.
The blast had destroyed the abbot’s quarters and study. Brandt stepped toward the last standing structure. The guesthouse, which had been the target of the queen’s previous attack on the monastery, remained unbroken. Brandt put his hand to the stone and closed his eyes, listening to the song the element sang to him.
He had always heard stone as a steady hum, and today was no different. The building stood and would give them shelter, at least for tonight.
Kyla issued the monks’ orders. Several began searching the rubble. The monastery housed no small number of valuable items. Any that could be easily recovered would be moved to the guesthouse and protected by the remaining monks. Brandt, Ana, and two others cleared a path to the guesthouse and ensured it was ready to host an influx of unexpected residents.
Brandt threw himself into the work, grateful for the opportunity to bend his body to a difficult task. He left himself no time for questions. All that mattered was moving stone out of the way, clearing the way to the guesthouse.
Brandt used his affinity at times, but for the most part relied on his hands and muscles to perform the labor. Thanks to the cost, using his affinity expended as much energy as picking the rocks up by hand would, but sometimes the affinity made the task easier.
By the time the sun descended to the tops of the peaks, casting long shadows, Kyla declared the work done for the day. Others had found food and the well was undamaged. For tonight, survival wouldn’t be a problem.
The meal was quiet, the only sound that of utensils scraping against the bottoms of bowls. No one said as much, but no one knew when their next meal would be. Brandt imagined the other monks were also lost in their thoughts, memories of their home mixed with fears for their future.
Brandt and Ana retired early, seeking solace in one another. Brandt held onto her tightly that night. Despite the loss of the monastery, she remained. Her presence shielded him from the worst of the attack’s effects.
He woke up first the next morning, staring at the ceiling as Ana breathed softly on his neck. Over the course of the night she had rolled over and curled up next to him, her arm draped over his chest and her nose next to his ear.
He matched his breath to hers, slow and steady.
Ana’s transition from sleep to wakefulness was instant, the same as his had been. Some habits from their days as soldiers refused to die. He only noticed because their breaths suddenly didn’t match. She spoke before he could greet her. “What’s on your mind?”
“What comes next.”
Her hand reached up and played with his hair. She waited for him to elaborate.
“I need to see the emperor.”
Her hand paused for a moment, then resumed. Two years ago the emperor had offered to make Brandt one of his personal honor guard. Brandt had declined, insisting he could study better at Highkeep. Anders VI, or Hanns, depending on the formality of the situation, had conceded the point and stopped short of ordering Brandt to remain by his side.
At the time, Brandt’s feelings had been complicated. He had inherited some of Alena’s anger over the lies the empire told to sustain itself. But unlike Alena, he understood that truth didn’t always govern best. He had genuinely believed that Highkeep was the best place for him to study. Hanns freely admitted that even with the knowledge only known to the line of emperors, he didn’t possess any greater understanding of the queen’s power than they did. The monastery offered him more time to practice and monks who would help push him. As part of the emperor’s honor guard, Brandt would have had to travel, stand guard over meetings, and complete dozens of other tasks that weren’t a part of monastic life.
But, if he forced himself to confront his own shortcomings, a large part of his decision was the woman lying next to him. Ana would have traveled with him to the capital. She was a strong warrior in her own right, but the emperor’s offer hadn’t extended to her. Accepting the offer would have meant more time apart from her.
They’d enjoyed the past two years together, but more than once Brandt had questioned his decision. All the time to study hadn’t resulted in the gains he needed. In his moodier moments he worried his decision to return to Highkeep had struck a blow against the empire he served.
“You’re sure?”
“I am. Perhaps the emperor doesn’t understand the Lolani queen, but he still has the most powerful affinities in the empire. There has to be something he can teach me.”
Ana didn’t reply immediately. Her hand kept running through his hair, though, slowing his thoughts and his breath. “You’re probably right. I don’t like it, though.”
“Why not?”
She didn’t answer at first, seeking the right words. “It’s nothing I can point to, nothing rational. But this feels like the beginning of the end to me. When we leave Highkeep, I doubt we’ll ever return.”
Brandt hadn’t considered beyond their trip to the capital, but Ana’s words rang true. This did feel like a door closing.
But it opened upon another part of their journey.
Outside, Brandt listened to the sounds of the monastery coming to life. Mostly, he heard the sounds of rock being moved by some of the early-rising monks. But he didn’t want to get out of bed, not quite yet.
“There’s something else,” Ana said.
Brandt turned his head so he was looking at her.
“You won’t expect this,” she warned.
He reached
