Brandt went rigid. “That’s impossible. He was a mere scout. And a defector, considering he never returned to the Sixth Watch.”
“Was. Now he oversees the masons, among other things.” Ghantal’s expression was grim. “I learned some interesting things about his rise to power.”
His heart fisted. He wished he could celebrate that Tomin was alive when so many of his watchmates were not. He did not want to think of the broad-shouldered, pale-haired young gargoyle as anything but the sharp-eyed scout he’d known.
Idabel left Loïc with his toys and moved closer to Brandt, catching his hand and giving it a squeeze. Her brow furrowed with concern. “What’s going on?”
“My mother brings news of a traitor,” Brandt told her grimly. He felt Idabel’s complex reaction to the word through the bond. She still thought it applied to her. He pulled her into his side, tugging on her braid to remind her that she was not to punish herself for every wrong of the war. Winds aid him, he’d perpetrated many himself.
Ghantal delivered the rest of her report like she was the one in military service. “As soon as I learned of Tomin’s rise, I wrote to the mate of one of the commanders in Meravenna. She knew of Tomin and Kerec. They claimed to be in Meravenna to transfer from the Sixth Watch to the Fifth at your behest. Their request was granted. They fought in a number of successful campaignsthat left no goblin survivors, and they were credited with those victories.”
“They must have used the intelligence.” Brandt’s voice was hollow. “They knew where the younglings were camped. Easy targets.”
Ghantal nodded. “It seems so. They were promoted rapidly. Within a year, Kerec was second in command of the Fifth Watch and Tomin commanded the Seventh. The two of them drove the hordes back into the mountains while the Sixth was being destroyed by the mounted companies. They’re considered heroes.” Ghantal’s wings flattened with disgust. “They’re known as the gargoyles who decisively ended the war.”
His stomach churned. He had seen enough battles to know that there were no decisive victories in war that weren’t wholesale slaughter.
His mind walls strained, sending pain lancing behind his eyes until a barrage of images broke through.
Goblin younglings swept away by the river. Weapons glinting under the water. A smoking village, nothing left but ash. Tomin’s pale, earnest expression when he’d promised to deliver the message faithfully. A lie. Brandt’s mind splintered like a shattered mirror.
Gargoyles weren’t supposed to be murderers. They were guardians. Protectors. And beyond their natural instincts, they’d sworn the heartstone vow when they entered the watch. One that should have been unbreakable.
Then Idabel was there sending comfort through the bond, filling it with images of seeds sprouting, of him braiding Loïc’s hair, of the meal they ate earlier. It helped him catch his breath.
“Papa?” Loïc piped up from across the room. “What’s wrong? My chest gave me a tickle.”
He hated to close off the remnants of his bond with Loïc, but he had to. Regretfully, he built a mind wall so his roilingemotions wouldn’t seep into his son. At the same time, he walled off Idabel’s river of calm. He didn’t want calm. He wantedvengeance.
“Nothing to worry about, sweetheart.” Idabel steered him toward his chambers. “Why don’t you put your soldiers away? You’ve left them scattered all over the floor. I’ll call you when supper is ready.”
Once he was gone, Brandt exploded into motion, striding to the armor chest and rummaging around for his bracers. “I’ll kill them. Tonight. They targetedchildrenso they could advance? They’re not worthy of life, let alone being entrusted with the care of all Solvantis.”
“Stop.” Idabel caught his arm, hanging on it so he couldn’t fasten the bracer’s buckle. “Breathe with me.”
He shook her off. “They have to answer for what they did.”
“They will. But not like this.” She pressed both hands to his chest, grounding him. “If you attack them, you’ll be the criminal. The unstable commander who couldn’t accept the war’s necessities.”
“They weren’t necessities!”
“We know that. But who will believe you over a war hero?” He struggled against the truth of her words. She was right. He was no hero. He was the broken, combative commander who lost all his men. “Please. Let the Council handle this. Don’t take it into your own hands and let yourself be ripped away from us again.”
Ghantal nodded. “The Zenith should hear of it first. He values honor above all. He won’t tolerate this deception.”
“Unless he ordered it,” Brandt said bitterly. He hated how much he distrusted everyone now. One of the joys of serving in the guard and then the watch had been the sense of loyalty. The heartstone vow that gave them all a joint purpose to safeguard and protect—not only the humans of Tael-Nost, but also each other in pursuit of that goal. All that was tarnished now.
“He didn’t.” Ghantal’s certainty seemed absolute. “I’ve known Gérald since before he became Zenith. He would never knowingly order the slaughter of younglings. I believe this begins and ends with those brothers. My moths agree. They have heard no whispers otherwise.”
“At least try making a report,” Idabel begged, the bond crackling with her desperation to break through the wall he’d erected against her.
Brandt’s rage cooled slightly. Hewantedto believe there were still good gargoyles at the top of the Tower. And he was equally loath to be separated from Idabel and Loïc just when the three of them were together as a family again. “I’ll try, but as you said…I may not be believed when it is my word against a war hero’s.”
“Kerec did not rise so high,” Ghantal offered. “If he were willing to testify, his word might support yours.”
“If he would speak against his brother.” Brandt doubted it.
“There may be others from the Fifth or Seventh who know the truth. Or maybe Rikard could be persuaded to recover his memories.” Idabel raised their clasps hand to kiss his knuckles. “I won’t lose you to a war that’s already over.”
