“Is he there yet?” Wrenlow whispered.
“Would you stop talking?” Gavin and Gaspar said at the same time.
They looked at each other, and Gaspar shook his head. “I’m not sure I care much for this enchantment.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Gavin said.
Gaspar sighed. “I thought you were bad.”
“I’m not bad,” Wrenlow said. “It’s just that I get stuck having to stay behind so often, and I like to know what’s going on.”
“I suppose I could’ve asked Anna for a different type of enchantment,” Gavin said.
Could she have made one where Wrenlow could see what he was seeing? Something like that would’ve been incredibly valuable. If nothing else, at least it would keep Wrenlow quiet.
He thought that he was pushing by asking her to make this enchantment, but she had done so willingly. Thomas had been annoyed, but she’d only smiled as she handed one to Gavin and Gaspar, with a third for Wrenlow. They had all been keyed to each individual person so they wouldn’t work for anyone else.
“He’s not coming,” Gavin said.
Cyran let out a moan, and Gavin kicked him, knocking him back again. He flopped over and rolled to the ground. Gavin waited a moment, then kicked again. Cyran didn’t get up this time.
“I don’t know that he’s going to be thrilled that you’re bringing him a bruised man.” Gaspar looked down, shaking his head.
“I don’t care. He told me that we had to remove the Apostle. Maybe it would be better if I just killed him.”
“If you’d killed him, then we would’ve had to drag his corpse.”
“I know, and that would’ve been too much work.”
Gaspar looked over at him, studying him.
Gavin suspected that Gaspar knew the real reason Gavin hadn’t killed Cyran. He wasn’t sure he could. Not in cold blood. Perhaps in the moment he would’ve been able to, but after Cyran had been defeated, there was really no reason to harm him. The only thing that would’ve accomplished would’ve been making Gavin feel a little bit better.
“Are you sure this is where he wanted us to meet?” Gaspar asked.
“You were there. You heard it as well as I did.”
“I did. I just… I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.”
Gavin let out a sigh as he looked all around the clearing. He waited, suspecting that whenever the sorcerer came, he would hold them with his magic and trap them again. He had to be ready for it, prepared for the moment that the sorcerer appeared. He’d been able to escape from the bands of power that Cyran used on him.
What if I could do the same thing with the sorcerer?
He had little doubt that the sorcerer would attempt to use the same power against him. When he did, he wanted to be ready.
They didn’t have to wait long. Power began to build around him, and soon everyone was frozen. Gavin clutched the El’aras dagger in his left hand, and he felt the power swirling around him. Now that he felt it again from the sorcerer, he was even more certain it was the same type of power Cyran had used.
The sorcerer appeared in a shimmer and strode toward the center of the clearing. He glanced down at the ground, then looked up at Gavin.
“You found him,” he said.
“You must have known I knew him. Why not tell me his name?”
“Did you know him?” The sorcerer showed a hint of amusement. Gavin glared at him, but the sorcerer ignored it and chuckled. “Perhaps you did know him, or perhaps you didn’t. Had I told you who he was, would you have believed it?”
That was a very different question. Gavin wasn’t sure he would’ve believed it if he’d been told that Cyran was a sorcerer, let alone the Apostle.
“What do you want with him?” Gavin asked.
“I surmise you have already determined what I want with him.”
“You were his instructor.”
“We call it something else, but yes, I was.”
“Are you still?”
The sorcerer glanced down at Cyran, his expression darkening. “He betrayed me. He betrayed his teachings.”
“He wanted power.”
“All sorcerers want power. It’s how he went about gaining it that troubles me.”
“You don’t care that he came after one of the El’aras?” asked Gavin.
The sorcerer frowned. “Why else do you think I wanted him caught?”
“The El’aras want him as well.”
“I imagine they do.”
“They’re angry with him,” said Gavin.
The sorcerer nodded. “I imagine they are.”
“Which is why I can’t let you take him with you.”
Wrenlow groaned from the other end of the enchantment. “What are you doing, Gavin?”
He ignored the question.
“The terms were clear,” the sorcerer said.
“They were. I was to remove the Apostle, and I have.”
“You have brought him to me, so now that you removed him, I—”
“Now that I’ve removed the Apostle, I will be the one to decide what happens with him.”
Gavin was taking a gamble and knew he had to be careful. He didn’t want to risk angering the sorcerer, especially knowing how powerful he must be.
“Why did you bring him to me then?” the sorcerer asked.
“I wanted you to know I fulfilled my end of the bargain.”
“What do you intend for him?”
“What would you have intended for him?” asked Gavin.
“With what he did, he must suffer the consequences.”
“Is it death?”
The sorcerer watched him, and he said nothing.
“If it isn’t that, then I’m not sure he’s really suffering.”
“You would see him suffer?”
“Considering what he did, he needs to,” Gavin said. “Besides, the El’aras want their pound of flesh as well.”
“That is what you intend. Interesting.”
“You disagree?”
The sorcerer shook his head. “It poses some challenges, but I suppose I will permit it.”
“I didn’t realize I was giving you a choice.”
The sorcerer stared at him and smiled. “Do not mistake my willingness to allow you to do this for weakness, Gavin Lorren.”
Once again, he said his name possessively. As before, it left Gavin irritated and angry. During their first encounter, when he’d been trapped by the sorcerer, there hadn’t been anything he could do. This time was different.
He focused on his core reserves of energy. Ever since the Shard had been pressed against his neck, the sense of power within him seemed greater than before, as if his reserves were stronger than they’d been. Gavin focused on them, and then he thought about what it would take to break free of the magical bindings that held him.
He took a deep breath and twisted. He used the El’aras dagger to enhance his power and blast free of the bindings. Gavin sprinted forward and brought the dagger up, pressing it against the sorcerer’s neck.
“Don’t think that just because I don’t have magic that I’m not dangerous,” he said. With a flourish of the El’aras dagger, he backed away and slipped it back into his belt.
The sorcerer looked at him and smiled. “Yes, you are everything I thought you might be.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I will be watching you, Gavin Lorren.”
“Watch all you want, but—”
With a burst of power, the sorcerer shimmered, then disappeared altogether.
Gavin took a deep breath. He looked around and turned his attention to Gaspar.
“It’s a dangerous game you’re playing,” Gaspar said.
“It’s not really a game.”
“I didn’t realize you intended to bring him back to the El’aras.”
“I didn’t either, but it seems fitting, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose it does. What do you think they will do w
ith him?”
Gavin looked down at Cyran, who was still unconscious on the ground. At this point, he wasn’t sure it even mattered. “I don’t know. We can leave that to Anna.”
Gaspar smiled at him. “You do realize that’s not her real name.”
“I’m sure it’s not.”
“You also realize she’s probably somebody high-ranking within the El’aras.”
“Considering the guard she had and the power she possesses, I suspect she is.”
“That doesn’t trouble you?”
“All of this troubles me,” Gavin said. He leaned down, grabbed Cyran, and jerked him to his feet. Cyran started to come around, and he looked up at Gavin groggily.
“You should thank me,” Gavin said. “I just saved you from your mentor.”
“You don’t—”
Gavin slammed his fist into Cyran’s temple, knocking him out again. That would work for a while, but eventually he’d need something longer lasting. For now, he took a little pleasure in striking him.
He hoisted Cyran up. “Are you ready?” he asked Gaspar.
“Where now?”
“I intend to signal Anna, and then we can meet her at the Dragon.”
“I’m sure Jessica will be thrilled.”
“I don’t think there will be any fighting this time.”
Gaspar looked over at Cyran. “With him, I don’t know if you can guarantee that.”
Gavin chuckled. He thought he felt something behind him, some sense of energy, but then it faded. If the sorcerer had returned to watch them, he gave no sign of it.
He hesitated as he looked back at the clearing, and he took a deep breath. All this time, he’d tried to avoid magic by coming to Yoran, yet somehow he’d gotten more deeply involved in it.
It probably was a mistake, but at this point, Gavin didn’t know if there was anything different that he could—or should—do.
First, he’d find Anna.
Then he would decide what he needed to do next.
* * *
Cyran leaned back in the chair, his chin resting on his chest. Gavin watched him and clutched the El’aras dagger tightly as he waited. He was using the dagger to detect any magic coming from Cyran, but so far there’d been no signs.
“Maybe she didn’t get your message,” Gaspar said. He sat at the counter near the kitchen and drank a mug of ale, although Gavin hadn’t seen him actually drink from it.
“I’m sure she got his message,” Jessica said.
She coughed, and Gavin looked in her direction. She sat at a table near the back of the tavern and didn’t get up, but it was enough that she’d come down. After everything she’d been through, it was enough that she’d survived.
“It’s not like that,” he said. He moved to sit with her.
“No? I hear you’ve been keeping an eye on her,” Jessica said.
“I…”
She chuckled. “You don’t have to make any excuses. This is fun. That’s all it is though.”
“Is that all it is for you?”
She arched a brow at him. “I’ve been running the Dragon for many years, Gavin. Do you think you’re the first rogue I’ve taken a fancy to?”
Gavin smiled. “That’s all I am to you?”
“Perhaps a little bit more than that, but eventually you’ll move on. I’ve known that about you from the beginning. You don’t have to make any excuses for it, just like I don’t need to make any excuses for my choices.”
Gavin reached across the table, taking her hand.
“That doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun in the meantime,” Jessica said.
He laughed.
Cyran started to make noise and stir, and Gavin hurried over to him and struck him once again until he stopped moving. He was going to be bruised. If Cyran ever came around long enough to realize what had happened to him, he was going to be incredibly sore. Considering what he’d done and what he’d put all of them through, he deserved that kind of pain.
Gavin sat next to Gaspar and leaned back in the chair with the El’aras dagger in hand. He sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out the small metal circle Anna had given him. This was supposed to be the way to communicate with her, but so far, she hadn’t come.
How long could they keep Cyran?
Maybe it would’ve been better to let the sorcerer take him. Gavin didn’t have the same knowledge of potions and poisons that Cyran did. It would be easier to give him something that would neutralize his magic rather than to keep knocking him unconscious every time he moved.
“I don’t like waiting,” Gaspar said.
“I thought that was part of your job,” Gavin said without looking over.
“What do you think I do?”
“You’re a thief.”
“Being a thief doesn’t mean sitting around. That might be part of your job, but mine involves action.”
They were all restless. Imogen paced, and Gavin kept waiting for her to come over and say something, even though she never talked. Given what they’d gone through, he thought she might, but she’d remained quiet as ever. Even Jessica fidgeted. This was the first time she’d been down in the tavern’s main level since her injury.
The dagger started to glow.
Gavin glanced toward the door. “I think we’re about to have visitors.”
Imogen took a step forward, reaching for the hilt of her slender blade. Gavin had no idea whether she’d be able to do anything against one of the El’aras, but there was part of him that was curious to find out. He’d seen her fight enough to know she had the potential to be dangerous—part of the reason Gaspar trusted her.
The door opened, and Thomas entered first. He left his sword sheathed. Two other El’aras followed. Finally, Anna came in last.
She was dressed in a pale blue cloak, hood pulled over her head. When she pulled it down, her golden hair flowed down her back, giving her a beautiful, almost ethereal quality.
Gavin got to his feet. “It took you long enough.”
“It is not an immediate summons. It was never meant that way.” She glanced toward Cyran and frowned. “I thought you intended to bring this Apostle to his sorcerer master.”
“I did, but then I realized the agreement was simply to eliminate him as a threat. There was another way to remove him that I hadn’t considered.”
“What way is that?”
“By providing him to you.” Gavin glanced over at Cyran. “Seeing as how he was the one who wanted to steal from you and take your power, I figured it would be better for the El’aras to deal with him. I don’t know what the sorcerer planned for him anyway.”
Anna studied Cyran. The dagger glowed a little brighter.
“What are you going to do with him?” he asked.
“Do you really care?”
“Consider me curious.”
“As you should be.” She turned her attention to him. “It seems you are not quite as curious as you should be.”
“Why is that?” Gavin asked, laughing softly.
“Considering what has occurred, I would expect you to have questions.”
“What sort of questions?”
“Such as how you were able to handle the Shard.”
“I assume anyone can handle the Shard.” She looked at him, and he frowned. “No?”
She shook her head. “Not anyone. It takes a specific person to manage that kind of power. It is why we have kept it in a trunk.”
“You can handle it.”
“I am trained for it.”
Gavin shrugged. “I’ve trained as well. Not to handle the Shard, but for other things. Pain, primarily.”
She started to smile, then shook her head. “That’s probably what it is then.”
He had a sense that wasn’t quite the real reason. “What else should I have been questioning?” he asked.
“Do you not think it odd that you could escape from a fully trained sorcerer’s confinement?”
The Breaker of Chains.
&nb
sp; Cyran had taunted him about that in the past, and Gavin thought it amusing it had been the reason he’d escaped. “I don’t know. Am I supposed to find that odd?”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Perhaps that is another part of your training,” she said, smiling at him. “Or perhaps you have some magic of your own.”
“Why would you suggest that?”
“Seeing as how you’re half El’aras, I would not be surprised.”
Gavin tensed. “Why would you say that?”
“You are, are you not? You certainly bear the traits of one who is.” Anna frowned at him. “Perhaps I have it wrong.” She flashed a smile, but it did nothing to take away the chill Gavin felt. “Regardless, it is good you summoned me.”
“Do you have something else you want to accuse me of? Perhaps you want to claim I’m a werin. Maybe I’m a sorcerer myself.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t accuse you of sorcery.”
“Isn’t that what you just did?”
“Perhaps.”
She nodded to Thomas, who grabbed Cyran and jerked him to his feet. The two El’aras guards took up position on either side of him and marched him toward the door.
For some reason, Gavin could feel a sense of pressure, which was unusual. It was almost like the resistance he’d felt when he’d been in the manor house and tried to use the El’aras dagger on Anna. It was also similar to the resistance he’d felt when he’d used the dagger to find the Shard, and it was the same sensation he’d felt when he swung the dagger around in the forest.
What were they doing to Cyran?
Gavin wasn’t even sure it mattered. It was at that moment that Cyran opened his eyes. He jerked and twisted. He swiveled his head, his eyes wide. Cyran turned to Anna, then looked back at Gavin, and something on his face darkened.
“What did you do?” he whispered.
The El’aras guards forced him to stand, and Cyran straightened, somehow making it look as if he wasn’t a captive.
“I made a choice,” Gavin said.
“You have placed yourself into his service.”
Gavin frowned. “I haven’t placed myself in anyone’s service.”
“If I’m here with you, then it’s only because he agreed to it. What did you bargain for?”
The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3 Page 27