The Gates of Memory, стр. 71
Regar, for his part, appeared unconcerned. Either he put on a good show or he possessed an unshakeable confidence.
With that, Regar reached out and touched the gate. It blazed brighter, causing several of the elders to flinch away. Brandt watched, listening to the songs of the elements as they crescendoed. He didn’t possess the skill to unravel Regar’s techniques, but he could understand the powers at play. He focused on Regar, hoping for some hint that he might use to further his own learning.
Brandt also admitted to a pang of jealousy as he watched Regar with the gate. Though he trusted the prince to do no more than he said, he couldn’t help but imagine himself in control of the enormous powers of the gate. His mind might understand he stood no chance against the queen, but his heart didn’t believe.
As if at the thought of her, the gate flickered, temporarily casting them into darkness. All around them, bows creaked as they were quickly drawn. His hand went to his sword, only to find himself restrained by Ren’s firm grip.
When the light of the gate returned, Regar had sunk to his knees, one hand still on the gate.
For a moment, Brandt feared the worst.
But no arrows jutted from his prince. Regar held up a hand. “It is the queen. She attacks this gate as well.”
Regar stood, his knees shaking at the effort. He was breathing hard, as though he’d just finished a race.
An elder gestured and the drawn bows returned to the ready position. Ren released his grip on Brandt’s arm, and Brandt allowed himself to relax a measure.
Had the song of the gate changed? Brandt listened for a moment, at times thinking that it had. But he couldn’t be sure, and even if it had, he didn’t know what it meant.
“I’ve contacted my father,” Regar said. “I believe we have some time to wait.”
Time stretched within the chamber. Brandt’s sense of time, already distorted by being so long underground, was now hopelessly confused. If forced to guess, he would have said it was early evening, but it could have been anytime from mid-afternoon to late at night. The elders waited in silence, and the guards never relaxed their vigilance. Regar remained with his hand to the gate, his eyes closed. Brandt imagined he waited for Hanns to signal that he was ready.
Brandt wanted to talk to Ana, but in the silence of the smaller space, every word would be overheard. He didn’t mind, but it seemed out of place with the singular focus of most people in the room.
When Regar spoke again, Brandt jumped. He’d become used to everyone’s silence. “He’s connected with his own gate. It won’t be long now.”
Brandt focused his own attention. Regar concentrated on the gate, a grimace on his face.
Just then the gate flickered again.
Regar growled, an almost animal-like roar escaping from the back of his throat. The unnatural blue light faded, then exploded in brightness, then faded again. The guards pulled lightly on their bowstrings, but they seemed uncertain where to aim them.
Brandt stepped toward the gate, but this time it was Ana who stopped him. She shook her head.
Looking around the room, Brandt realized the wisdom of her restraint. The guards were looking for an excuse to release their arrows, eyes wide with fear. From the normally unshakeable Falari, the reaction surprised him.
Like it or not, Regar needed to fight the Lolani queen on his own.
The light from the gate disappeared, plunging them once again into darkness. A few heartbeats later, a wave of power blasted past Brandt, knocking him flat onto his back. As he attempted to return to his feet another wave rolled over him, pinning him to the ground.
Brandt struggled and reached for his affinity, but his efforts gained him nothing. He fought just to pull air into his lungs.
Then it was over, the crushing weight lifted from his body.
Brandt found his feet just as the light returned to the room. Some elders and guards appeared disoriented, their eyes dazed and wandering.
Others looked angry.
And that anger was directed at Regar.
The prince was on his knees, his hand still against the gate. Brandt got the impression that the hand was stuck, that Regar couldn’t remove it even if he wanted.
The light from the gate grew stronger, and for the first time in Brandt’s experience, the center began to glow with the same cool blue light.
It was working.
One of the guards found his feet and pulled his bow back in one smooth motion. He aimed directly at Regar’s back.
Brandt could do nothing but shout, “Wait! It’s working!”
The archer hesitated, looking around the room for an elder to provide him guidance.
Then the issue was rendered moot as another wave of pure energy filled the room. This time Brandt saw the air shimmer and braced himself against the force.
The guard had no such luck. The wave threw him back several paces, and he released his arrow at the ceiling. It bounced off, then clattered to the floor.
The wave passed and Brandt saw an arm emerge from the light in the center of the gate. A head followed, then a torso.
Another impossible sight, but he didn’t doubt what he saw right in front of him.
The emperor stepped through, but something wasn’t right. His eyes were unfocused and his step uncertain. He looked old and worn, stripped of his usual bearing. Hanns took one faltering step, then fell forward.
Brandt was there to catch him. The emperor fell into Brandt’s arms, and Brandt was surprised by how light the emperor felt.
Beside them, Regar groaned and fell over, his hand finally free of the gate. In the corners of his vision he saw the elders tentatively returning to their feet, studying the new arrival. If the elders planned on betraying the imperials, they would never have a better time.
But one of the elders stepped