The Gates of Memory, стр. 64

Brandt shook his head. Private dissent was fine, and Brandt knew from his personal time with Hanns that the emperor didn’t mind criticism personally, but it couldn’t be tolerated in public. That was how rebellion spread.

“So the consequence of disobedience is death, and they do not have the freedom to explore other paths, and they aren’t even allowed to speak out about their condition?”

“No.” The confession felt like a blow to the stomach.

“So how is that not slavery?”

Brandt admitted he had no answer to the question. He knew the Falari perspective was wrong, but he couldn’t explain why.

“So again we ask: You would have us trust a man who enslaves his own people?”

Brandt had never been called on to defend the empire in this way. “Our people are fed and sheltered. Crime is punished, and most everyone lives in safety. Is that not desirable?”

The elders didn’t answer Brandt’s question. Instead, the conversation shifted once again. “If we do offer this power to your emperor, will he return it?”

Brandt almost answered “Yes” without thinking. But then he considered the question. Would Hanns return that much power? He could be the emperor who finally unified the continent. And what if the power wasn’t enough? Perhaps he needed the fourth in Etar.

Brandt didn’t know the answer. The Falari had been a thorn in the empire’s side for almost as long as the empire had existed. Hanns was honorable, but his life was dedicated to the empire as a whole. Would he give up such a dangerous weapon once he possessed it?

Still, Brandt couldn’t say as much here. If the elders didn’t think Hanns would return the gate, why would they part with it? “I believe he will, yes.”

Silence greeted his answer.

Brandt almost said more, then held his tongue. He waited expectantly for the next question.

Instead, the door opened and Ren stepped in. Without being asked, he stepped to the center and stood in a circle next to Brandt.

“Brandt, if we offered the gate to you, would you accept it?”

He had thought no further questions could surprise him, but he’d been wrong. He imagined what he could accomplish with the gate at his command. Perhaps that was the breakthrough he needed to finally understand how to surpass the cost, even without the gate.

But he thought of the words he’d just spoken to the Falari elders. The world didn’t need another novice. They needed Hanns in control of all the gates. Perhaps that future frightened Alena, but it was necessary. “No.”

The next question came quickly. “Ren, do vouch for this Senki? Would you fight by his side and trust your life to his skill and loyalty?”

Ren studied Brandt for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he looked away. “I do, and I would.”

Brandt thrust out his chest at that, a smile on his face.

Silence settled once again within the chamber. Then, “Very well. You both are dismissed.”

The two warriors left the room together, Brandt confused by the sudden conclusion of the interview. The cold tunnels welcomed them, and Ana looked worried enough to explode. Regar was nowhere to be seen.

“What happened?” she asked. “Did they decide?”

“No,” Ren answered. “But Brandt lied to them.”

Brandt almost argued, then stopped. He’d only been uncertain about his answer regarding Hanns returning the gate. And that had been before Ren arrived. “How did you know that?”

“The symbols on the floor. Their pattern indicates a person’s mental state, as well as a truth or a lie. It is why the elders meet there.”

Brandt’s stomach sank, but he was still confused. “But how do you know?”

“I was there,” Ren said, as though he was explaining what should be obvious. Brandt didn’t hear any accusation in Ren’s tone, just a sadness he couldn’t explain. At his confusion, though, his friend continued, punching a verbal hole in Brandt.

“You want control of the gate for yourself.”