The Gate Beyond Oblivion by Ryan Kirk

The Gate Beyond Oblivion by Ryan Kirk

Author:Ryan Kirk [Kirk, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Waterstone Media
Published: 2020-03-15T16:00:00+00:00


37

The emperor left two days later. He attended the death ceremonies of the monks and sent birds requesting aid. But the duties of the empire weighed on him, and he could not remain in any one place for long. Ostensibly, thought Brandt, he had been here to examine the martial progress of the monks. Now, though, Brandt realized the monasteries were the keystone to a much larger battle the emperor expected.

Brandt wandered in a daze for the next few days. He attended all the usual trainings, but neither his mind nor his heart was in the routine.

The emperor’s visit had reminded him of his wolfblades. The emperor’s failure to restore his memories troubled him, more than he revealed to Kyla or the monks. He had always hoped, had always believed the memories would return.

Then Hanns had told him it would never be possible. In all likelihood, he had watched his friends die and would never remember their final moments.

That inability to remember gnawed at him and denied him true grief. He couldn’t accept that they were truly dead. Every time he passed the gate to the monastery, he glanced toward it, halfway expecting Lola to come through the door, yelling at him for his prolonged absence.

But the monastery received few visitors, and Brandt’s wolfblades were certainly not among them. They were dead, whether or not he could accept the fact.

His training also suffered. He had seen firsthand the power arrayed against them. Such strength made his own abilities seem pointless in comparison. He sought answers, but none came.

He kept running up against an impossible foe: reality. The laws of the world could not be broken. One evening, desperate for answers, he turned to the abbot.

He caught her walking after the evening meal, wandering the wall as she often did at night. After engaging in the customary formalities, he got to the heart of his problem. “Do you know of any way to negate the cost?”

She raised one eyebrow. “The short answer is no.”

Brandt had hoped for a different answer. Still, her answer suggested she had more to say. “But?”

“But I am increasingly convinced there must be a way to bypass the cost. The storm is one example, but others have reached my ears.” She hesitated for a moment. “One of your own wolfblades was killed in Landow by a building falling on top of them.”

“We fought someone who could ignore the cost?”

Kyla gave a small shrug. “It appears that way. But we know little.”

Brandt looked up into the night sky. “Sometimes I think I should return to Landow and try to find my answers there.”

“An understandable desire, but foolish. There is no guarantee that the one who compelled you is still there. There has been no further violence since you left. It’s been months since the incident, and no new information has emerged.”

Brandt acknowledged her point but hated it anyway. He returned to the question that had no answer he would accept.

“So, what do you know about avoiding the cost?”

Kyla spoke slowly.



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