The Gates of Memory, стр. 93
But the stakes were too high, and he couldn’t live with himself if he abandoned Hanns now. The battle at Faldun would be the key to the future of the empire. He imagined it as a fulcrum.
And, although Brandt also couldn’t admit this out loud to Ana, the answers to the questions that had plagued him for over a decade called to him. He shook his head.
“I’m pregnant.”
Brandt almost spilled tea down his shirt. “Really?”
Ana smiled. “I’ve suspected for a few days, but Alena confirmed it last night.”
The mention of Alena almost sucked the joy out of the moment, but even she couldn’t spoil this. “I’m going to be a father?”
“You are.”
Brandt heard the question in the statement. Knowing that, would he still march to Faldun?
He considered, examining his own emotions.
The decision came easier than he expected. Far from making him reconsider, the knowledge that he had a child to protect only buttressed his determination to defend the empire.
“Then I need to finish this at Faldun,” he said. “It could be the chance to make everything right.”
Ana’s mouth was set in a tight line. “Then I’ll need to go with you.”
Brandt started to argue, but when he saw Ana’s expression, he relented. She’d no doubt expected this and had come here with her decision already made. He couldn’t convince her to flee to safety any more than she could convince him. The thought made him smile.
“What?” she asked.
“We really were made for each other.”
“I already feel sorry for our child.”
They sipped at their tea as the sun finally broke free of the mountains. Below, the town stirred to life. The war parties would set out today, leaving messages for those still to arrive. They couldn’t waste time. The warleaders had decided any delay only served to allow the usurpers longer to prepare. Those still on their way would have to catch up.
“You should apologize to Alena,” Ana said.
Brandt let out a slow exhale. He wished he could take back his words to her the night before, but he still felt some of that anger.
“She’s doing what she believes is right,” Ana continued. “She knows what it means, and she’s willing to sacrifice ever seeing her family again. Do you think she would do that without a compelling reason?”
“Her decision could cost countless lives.” She denied the empire a strength they could use to overwhelm their enemies. In so doing, any life lost was partly her responsibility.
“Or perhaps she’s saving them. Maybe some powers aren’t meant for this world.”
“That’s not her choice to make!”
“And why not? She knows more about soulwalking than anyone on this continent, as far as I know. Why shouldn’t we trust her? We did in Landow, and she saved our lives.”
Brandt gripped the tea cup tightly in his hand, squeezing against it. Then, with a sigh, his anger broke and he felt his body relax. He wasn’t sure which argument, exactly, had won him over, but Ana was right. He put down the cup before he broke it. “Fine.”
The smile on Ana’s face immediately made his decision worth it.
They left that morning after breaking their fast. Brandt and Ana began the journey near the head of the column, but after they cleared the first pass they took a long rest and waited for Alena’s group to approach.
The small group trailed a few hundred paces behind the last war party. They remained close enough to enjoy the party’s protection, but far enough behind that they were mostly out of mind. When they appeared, Brandt felt his spirits lift. Despite their differences, he liked Jace and Alena. The group stopped short of Brandt and Ana, and Brandt saw the way they refused to meet his gaze.
Fortunately, Ana navigated the waters of relationships better than he did. “Brandt decided to apologize.”
Brandt stood up. “Alena, I’m still not sure that I agree with you. I fear your decision will cost lives. But I understand your reluctance, and I’m sorry.”
He found the apology easier to give than he’d expected.
Alena offered him a short bow. “You don’t know how much that means to me.” She ran forward and embraced him. Brandt, caught by surprise, returned it awkwardly.
It felt good, though.
Under Ana’s careful supervision, they continued the process of reconciliation throughout the day, as they hiked up and down mountain passes.
By the time the sun set on their first day, Brandt almost felt as though the rift had been healed. The scar of the argument remained, but the only cure for that was time.
Ana remained with the group, who now called themselves Alena’s war party, as Brandt returned up front as the day’s journey ended.
Ren, Weylen, and the emperor sat together with the other warleaders as the camp sprang to life around them. One warleader gave a report. Brandt caught the end of it.
“We know they have scouts out, tracking our progress from a distance, but we haven’t seen any indication of an opposing force.”
Hanns pulled at his beard as he thought. “Why wouldn’t they attack?”
The other warleaders looked as though that question would keep them awake all night. But to Brandt, the answer seemed plain as day. He spoke up, drawing attention for the first time. “It’s because of you,” he explained, pointing to Hanns. “Both Prince Regar and the enemy warleaders know the power you have at your command. An ambush might pick off a handful of our warriors, but they risk your retaliation. Unless Prince Regar accompanies an ambush, it’s suicide.”
“And he won’t accompany one because he needs to defend the gate,” Hanns completed the thought. “That makes sense.”
“Does he intend to allow us to approach Faldun uncontested?” The warleader who spoke sounded as if such a thought was the height of madness.
And until Hanns and Regar arrived in Falar, the warleader would have been right. The mountainous land almost demanded the wise commander