A City in Ruin (The Dark Sorcerer Book 2)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “You aren’t going to harm them,” Jayna said.

  “I’m afraid, child, you have a lot to learn.” This time, she pressed her fingertips together, and when she spread them apart, a spiraling of power came sweeping out of her hands, and it began to loop around Jayna. It constricted quickly, forcing Jayna’s hands to her sides.

  Daratha started to draw Jayna forward again.

  She fought. With her hands at her sides, she couldn’t create any patterns. The only thing she could do was try to draw through the Toral ring. The dragon stone glowed with a warm heat, and it reminded her of the energy that came off of Eva, but even with that, she didn’t have enough power, energy, or strength to withstand Daratha.

  “Perhaps I shall use you. You might be beneficial if I bring you with me. Unfortunately, it is going to be some challenge to keep you from battling me constantly.” Daratha had pulled Jayna almost all the way to her. “I have yet to decide if you will be worth that challenge.”

  “No,” Jayna said.

  “You have already served one Sul’toral. Why not another?”

  “You’re still just a Toral,” Jayna said.

  Daratha chuckled. “Oh, I’ve become something much greater than a simple Toral through my service.”

  She was trapped. The power wrapped around her was too much for her. Jayna could struggle, but she didn’t have enough sorcery to defeat Daratha, nor did she have enough power within the Toral ring. The only thing she had that might be effective was the bloodstone, but she couldn’t create enough sorcery within it in order for her to escape.

  Why did it have to be sorcery?

  There was another possibility—one that Jayna hadn’t considered, but maybe . . .

  She squeezed the bloodstone through her pocket, ripping it free. She pressed it up against the Toral ring, and focused power in it.

  The bloodstone augmented magic. She had seen it. It worked with dular. It worked with sorcerers. Why wouldn’t it work with dragon stone and her Toral power?

  As Jayna was pulled closer to Daratha, the bands constricted more tightly around her, suffocating her. The power with which Daratha pulled would squeeze everything out of her, yet Jayna needed only another moment. She could feel the energy within the ring flowing out from her, flowing into the bloodstone.

  It felt like they were merging.

  She continued squeezing the power out, constricting that energy into the bloodstone. Eva was there. Her smoke floated up, surrounding Jayna and squeezing down into the bloodstone, joining with her ring’s energy.

  Daratha squeezed even tighter. Jayna fought, using every last bit of energy.

  Then the connection took hold.

  As it did, Jayna pushed power through the Toral ring, through the bloodstone, and out through her hand. This close to Daratha, it struck her at her waist, and a surge of fire began to course up her body. It started slowly, a mixture of flames crackling with the dark energy, then quickly consumed her.

  Daratha cried out. The bands holding on to Jayna fell away.

  She scrambled back.

  Power continued to flow, and Jayna tried to release it, but it was almost as if something were connecting her to Daratha. The power spilled into the dark sorcerer, burning her into little more than ash.

  A soft tinkling hit the stones.

  Jayna licked her lips. She hurried forward and found Daratha’s Toral ring resting on the stones. She slipped it into her pocket.

  When she looked up, she found Eva filled with heat, practically glowing. The fires in one house were out, and surprisingly, Master Agnew and Char had contained the flames in the other house, and were tamping them down.

  Jayna had not managed to stop the fires with sorcery—but Agnew was a powerful and experienced sorcerer. Had she had his knowledge, she might not have needed to depend upon the power of the dragon stone ring.

  A dark shape tried to slip out of the courtyard, but Jayna raised her hand, sending a tight spiral of power. It struck the remaining sorcerer, knocking them down—maybe killing them. She didn’t know anymore. She had pushed out so much power and had lost control, so she no longer knew.

  She sank to her knees. In the distance, she saw a man scrambling along a rooftop, and she hoped Matthew could find the rest of the bloodstone.

  At this point, she didn’t know about that either.

  23

  The midnight market was empty. The air still stank of the remains of the fire, the burned remnants of the enchantments that had been here, but there was nothing else. Jayna figured that was for the best. She was exhausted. She had used so much of her energy defeating Daratha that she was surprised she could still walk. After the last attack, she had slept for days, and she didn’t want to have to do so again.

  She wondered what would happen to the market now. The Society knew of its location, so she doubted they would leave it here. If it moved, Jayna would have to find where. There were many useful enchantments within the midnight market.

  Of course, that all was based on her thinking she would be staying in the city. She doubted that Ceran would keep her here.

  She twisted the dragon stone ring on her finger. It wasn’t just dragon stone anymore. By pressing the bloodstone up against it, merging the two, she had formed something different. It still connected her to power, but surprisingly, it linked her to greater power than she’d had before.

  She shouldn’t have been surprised by that. She had known bloodstone would draw more power, but she hadn’t expected it to merge with the dragon stone. She had thought she was going to turn the bloodstone into her enchantment.

  She had no idea what Ceran might do or say, but the steady pulsing of her finger suggested he wanted to have words with her, which disappointed her when all she wanted was sleep. Why did he come to her when she was so tired? Why not when she could have used his help?

  “If you’re there, just come out. Otherwise, I’m going back home to get some sleep,” Jayna said.

  A deep chuckling echoed around the courtyard, and a figure emerged from the shadows on the far side. She got to her feet, still twisting the dragon stone—dragon bloodstone?—ring around her finger.

  “You’ve been there,” Jayna said.

  “Of course,” Ceran said. He stayed far enough away so that she couldn’t see him clearly, but she could feel the energy coming off of him, and she suspected he wanted her to.

  “Did you know?”

  She imagined him frowning, though given that she’d never seen his face—not really, not clearly—she didn’t know if he would frown. “Did I know what?”

  “About the Order of Norej?”

  “I have suspected there was power embedded within the Society. I suspect there are many such powers embedded within the Society. I didn't know with any certainty though, and I had not thought they would act so soon after the festival failed.” Ceran was quiet for a moment. “There must be something here that serves Sarenoth.”

  Jayna took a deep breath. She resisted the temptation to draw on the ring, uncertain whether Ceran would recognize the difference in power. He had touched her, giving her a bit more power, but then she had done something different to it.

  “They’ve been defeated,” Jayna stated.

  Ceran laughed softly. “Not defeated. Slowed.”

  “The Toral who led them mentioned other Sul'toral. Those are the twelve.”

  Ceran nodded.

  “And they are connected to a greater power. Like Sarenoth?”

  That was her fear—even more so after speaking to Daratha. There was the dark power Jayna always glimpsed when she called upon power through the Toral ring. And there was the pain she felt. What was that but dark magic?

  Ceran smiled at her. “Do you think you’re serving Sarenoth?”

  It was as if he were reading her thoughts. “I don’t even know.”

  “I have you suppressing the darkness, Jayna Aguelon.”

  “You have me working on your behalf. What if you are one of the twelve?”

>   Ceran chuckled. “It’s an interesting concern. Thankfully, as I am not, you need not fear.”

  His reassurance didn’t do enough to assuage her, but she didn’t have anything more she could say to him. She had agreed to serve him—and until she understood the truth, she would do so. At this point, she felt she truly was serving the side of good, even if there were times when she sensed darkness beginning to fill her.

  “Has Norej been freed?”

  She knew what Daratha had said, and thought she knew the truth, but wasn’t entirely sure.

  “Not that I can tell.”

  “How many have been?”

  Darkness seemed to envelop him even more. “I don’t know. They hide. When they were imprisoned, they were not able to influence the world. It was easy to understand why they weren't detected. That is no longer the case.”

  Jayna realized something then. Typically, there was almost a playfulness about Ceran that joined with his mysterious nature. This time, there was something else: worry.

  “It doesn’t look like they’re hiding that well. Between what the Order of Norej has done here, and the Celebrants of Asymorn, along with whatever you showed me . . .”

  “They hide,” Ceran said.

  “Why Nelar?”

  Ceran turned away, sweeping his gaze all around him. “I have been trying to understand that myself. When the predominance of movement progressed this way, it raised the question. Then Asymorn's followers decided to make their presence known. That was unusual. But now another attack. All I can tell is that Nelar sits in an interesting location—a union of power. It would create opportunities.”

  “Opportunities for people like Norej?”

  “Yes.”

  “Asymorn?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what about the others?”

  “There is a danger they will come here as well. As we have seen, Inoash has decided to focus his attention elsewhere. At least for now. I don’t know if he will continue looking beyond Nelar, or looking beyond here, but for now, he is a peripheral threat.”

  “What if he becomes a more direct threat?”

  “Then you will take action.”

  “Me? What about you? I know you think I’m prepared for this—”

  “You are not the only one working for this cause. Others have done the same, but we have lost too many. If only Rayna Qal had not gone silent…” He forced a tight smile. “I will continue preparing you, Jayna Aguelon, but if these others—”

  “Sul’toral,” she said.

  He nodded.

  “And they’re not with you,” Jayna said.

  “No. They most definitely are not. And while you do this, I’m doing what I must.”

  “To slow the darkness?”

  “Sarenoth must not be released.”

  Jayna had so many questions, and she had a feeling that Ceran kept so much from her, questions that had been amplified by her conversation with Daratha. Daratha had known something. If only Jayna hadn’t needed to blast her into dust, she might have gotten additional answers. Yet she might also have been captured and constricted by Daratha. Maybe it was for the best that she had blasted Daratha to dust.

  “What do you want me to do now?” Jayna asked.

  “Wait here.”

  Jayna chuckled. “I’m not so sure I can stay here for too much longer. I’ve now angered the Sorcerers’ Society, along with the dular, and I have started to gain recognition.” With the kind of work she did, recognition wasn’t necessarily a good thing. It was easier to work beneath notice, especially when dealing with dark magic.

  “I don’t suspect you will need to stay here for much longer,” he said.

  “But for now . . .”

  “For now, I would ask that you remain. That is, if you are willing to continue to serve.”

  There was a test in the question, but she only shook her head. “If you’re fighting the darkness, then I’m on your side.”

  “Only then?”

  “That was the agreement,” she said.

  Ceran chuckled again. “That was the agreement,” he repeated and took a step back. “You should be careful.”

  “Why?”

  “You have altered things for yourself. You need to understand just what that means.”

  She frowned and found him focusing on the ring, which suggested he knew. Of course he would know. The ring connected her to him—didn't it? She looked down at her hand, feeling the power within the dragon stone, the energy that had been amplified by the bloodstone addition.

  She held out Daratha’s Toral ring. “Here. This was hers.”

  Ceran held his hand out, taking the ring. He breathed out slowly.

  “All of the twelve are Sul’toral,” she said.

  Ceran nodded slowly.

  “So those who serve them will . . .”

  “Will be like you,” he said. “Some will have more training and experience. Others will not. But you have something they cannot have.”

  “What’s that?” Jayna asked.

  “You don’t long for the power they do. That will protect you.”

  She looked around before turning her attention back to Ceran. “Why do you want me to help you?”

  “There are many reasons, but primarily because there is a need. The twelve have become active. And now it is necessary. Don’t worry, Jayna Aguelon. You will not be asked to do everything yourself.”

  She heard a shout behind her and turned briefly. She couldn’t see where it came from. When she turned back, Ceran was gone.

  She chuckled. All of that, and she still didn’t have better answers.

  She sat for a few moments, debating what to do next, when she had that strange feeling she had experienced several times in the city.

  “You can come out, Matthew.”

  A shadow emerged from nearby. “Better,” he said.

  “Better?”

  Matthew flicked his gaze over in the direction where Ceran had disappeared. “Let me guess, that’s the man you’re serving?”

  Jayna nodded. “His name is Ceran.”

  “What’s a Sul’toral?”

  “I wish I knew. A sorcerer of power.”

  “Are you sure he’s a sorcerer?”

  Jayna considered the answer. In the months since agreeing to serve Ceran, she’d questioned where his power came from. She still didn’t have an answer, but sorcery didn’t feel right. “No.”

  Matthew watched her for a long moment. “You should be careful.”

  “I know I should.” She sighed and looked around the market courtyard. She preferred it with more activity, like it was when she had been there before. Now it was empty, almost depressingly so. “Thank you for your help.”

  He handed her a small, fist-sized leather bag.

  “What’s this?”

  “Bloodstones. I gathered them from each of the mansions, much like you suspected, but then there were another dozen throughout the city.”

  She sighed. “Are you sure that’s it?”

  “As sure as I can be. I used your little enchanted bloodstone to track them. I think I’ve gathered all of them, but there might be more. If so, they aren’t active, or they’ve already been enchanted.”

  Given what she had gone through, she couldn’t help but think they had already been enchanted. She knew that Rosal, and others like him, would probably love to find bloodstone and enchant it to add to their power.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “You know, I worried about you after Jonathan disappeared. Then I realized you were at the Academy, so I thought you couldn’t get into too much trouble.” He started laughing. “Unfortunately, it seems that wasn’t true either.”

  “I can’t get into that much trouble,” she said.

  “I am going to worry about you anyway, Jayna. I thought it was bad enough with you studying at the Academy. Getting caught up in the Society is dangerous, though I suspect Jonathan figured he would have had some way to use that connection.”
/>   “Jonathan wouldn’t have been able to use me.”

  “Maybe not,” he said, “but he would’ve tried.”

  “Well, he shouldn’t have.”

  “Shouldn’t have,” Matthew said, shaking his head. “Who’s to say what should or shouldn’t be done?”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “I came to the city to complete a task. I haven’t done it yet.”

  “And I presume you don’t want to share with me what that task is.”

  “You know I can’t tell you that.”

  “I know. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t ask.” She was going to be in the city for a little bit longer now—at least until Ceran decided that she would be sent on to a different assignment—and if she was in the city, and if Matthew remained in the city, she worried what he might do.

  He knew about her. He knew what she was connected to.

  It was different than with Eva. Different even than with Topher. At least she spent time around the two of them, and could keep track of what they were doing.

  With Matthew it was a bit more dangerous, and with Matthew’s ability to follow her, Jayna worried he would keep closer tabs on her than she wanted.

  There was another possibility.

  She reached for an enchantment in her pocket.

  “I need to get back to my task. It was nice working with you again, Jayna.” Matthew grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on you—and I’ll keep what I know from your brother.”

  “I know you will,” she whispered.

  She pulled the memory bowl out, focused it on Matthew, and pushed power out through it. The bowl absorbed the trigger, and a swirl of energy started to pull on him.

  Jayna didn’t know how to use it, other than to focus on the memories that needed to be taken out. In this case, she needed to pull out Matthew’s memories of the time he had been in Nelar with her. She needed to take out his memories about how to find her. She needed to remove anything that might lead back to her.

  As much as she had enjoyed seeing an old friend, she couldn’t risk him using what he knew about her in a way that would harm, delay, or prevent her from doing what she needed to do.