The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3

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The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3 Page 40

by Holmberg, D. K.


  He let out a heavy sigh and pulled the chair out, sitting across from the enchantress. He watched her for a reaction. The panic and the pleading notes that had been in her voice were gone. Now there was nothing more than a sense of amused confidence. It was so different than the woman he’d seen before.

  “What else do you know about me?”

  “You are Gavin Lorren. An assassin for hire. A man widely known as one of the most skilled in this part of the world.” She leaned forward. “And perhaps somebody with more talent than the rumors would suggest.” That was a hint about magic, though he wouldn’t acknowledge that. Her smile faded into a slight pout. “Is that not enough? I thought having a reputation like that would be all a man like you would need.”

  “Perhaps,” he said.

  “Perhaps you are wondering whether I know you are known as the Breaker of Chains.” She glared at him. “Intriguing that there is a Maker of Chains and a Breaker of Chains. Don’t you think?”

  “Who is he?”

  She continued to glare at him. “I will keep that to myself.”

  “Fine. Keep it to yourself all you want. I’ll hold you here until you decide to talk.”

  “How can you hold me here when you’re trying to protect her?”

  Gavin got up and glanced down at her shoulders. The bleeding had stopped. It dried around her robes, though it wasn’t nearly as bloody as what he expected. He ripped the fabric and wasn’t surprised to see that the wounds had completely recovered.

  He hurriedly jabbed the El’aras dagger into her shoulders again. She winced and clenched her jaw without crying out, but by limiting her ability to move her hands, he minimized the type of magic she could use. He realized that there was something else he could do: eliminate her magic altogether.

  Cyran had used a poison on him that had taken away his magic, even though he wasn’t aware of it at the time. That was what he needed now.

  Could Cyran have suspected that I had some magical tendencies?

  He left her sitting in the chair and kept an eye on her as he headed toward Cyran’s cabinets. He hadn’t spent much time searching through them. They were empty, but he doubted that Cyran would’ve left them completely barren. He wouldn’t have had the time. Gavin searched through the cabinets for anything useful.

  If only he had paid more attention during Tristan’s training when it came to poisons. He’d been so much more focused on honing his fighting techniques. There wasn’t anything in the cabinets he could use.

  He dragged her to the back room. Cyran’s home was small and compact, but it was a sorcerer’s lair. There had to be something more here. He searched the home, looking all around him for a reason that Cyran would have wanted to have this place.

  When he reached the rug along the floor, he paused.

  He’d looked everywhere else. Why not beneath it?

  He rolled up the rug, and a small trapdoor caught his attention.

  Gavin smiled. He flipped the door open, and stairs led down into the darkness. There weren’t any lanterns here, and he suspected that was because Cyran wouldn’t have needed them. As a sorcerer, he would’ve had some way of casting his own light.

  Gavin lifted her over his shoulder and started down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, complete darkness enveloped him. He wasn’t able to see anything other than the faint light overhead.

  He continued forward, feeling his way slowly. When he took a few steps, the floor started to glow. The tension within him faded. That was useful magic.

  A narrow hallway led to a small corridor. When he reached the door at the end, he paused. The door was made of iron, and there were symbols all across it. Gavin tested the handle, finding it locked.

  He set the woman down. “How do you open this?”

  “I’m not going behind a sorcerer’s door.”

  Gavin tested the door again, resting his hand on the handle. Gaspar might have known. If only he were here.

  Maybe he could be.

  Gavin tapped on his enchantment. “Gaspar, if you can hear me, I need you to come to the edge of the city to Cyran’s home. There’s a trapdoor in the back room. Go down into it, and you’ll find me.”

  There was silence. It was possible Gaspar didn’t have the enchantment on him at the time. Finally, there came a crackling.

  “Why?” Gaspar asked.

  “Because Erica is an enchantress. Or a sorcerer. I don’t really know.”

  There was a brief moment of hesitation, and then Gaspar said, “I’m coming.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Gavin looked at Erica and held out the El’aras dagger. The home was dusty and old; long since abandoned. He had not spent much time here ever since chasing Cyran from the city, though perhaps he should have investigated it.

  “That’s an interesting blade you carry,” she said.

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  “I heard there was an El’aras infestation within Yoran.”

  “Infestation? I think you might need to be a bit more careful using terms like that. If you know anything about the El’aras, you would know that they would be a little touchy about such an insult.”

  “I know more than you can ever imagine about the El’aras.”

  Gavin frowned at her. “Do you?” He knew almost nothing about her. He needed to use this time and this opportunity to find out more. There was something more about her than what he had seen so far. He suspected she was not a mere enchantress. If she were, she’d be much more uncomfortable with everything that had gone on. It suggested to him that she truly was a sorcerer, though he had never met a sorcerer quite like her. She had magic and enough skill to heal herself, which suggested immense talent.

  “What do you want with this girl?” he asked.

  “It’s not what I want with her. It’s what someone else wants.”

  “The Maker of Chains.”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Why?”

  Gavin had so far chosen not to reveal that the girl had magical ability. He didn’t want to release that information quite yet. That had to be held back until Erica proved she knew something. She might already know the girl was magically gifted.

  “Who do you think she is?” she asked.

  “It doesn’t matter who I think she is. It matters who your Maker of Chains thinks she is.”

  “As you can already tell, he feels that she is somebody important. By providing her to him, you will have done a great service. Would you not want to do a great service on behalf of the Maker of Chains?”

  Gavin leaned back against the wall. “Should I want to?”

  “Yes. You should very much want to.”

  “I’m done working for mysterious employers,” he said. “And sorcerers.”

  “We had a deal. I might not be who you thought me to be, but you agreed to the terms.”

  “I agreed to the terms when you were a mother looking for a missing son. And if you heard anything about the El’aras infestation, as you call it, then you would know that there was a sorcerer acting within Yoran at the same time.” He watched her face, and she showed no expression. “You are in his chamber.”

  “This is the lair of an active sorcerer?”

  He shook his head. “Not any longer.”

  “Interesting,” she said softly, some of the edge in her tone shifting.

  “I defeated him. He’s gone from Yoran.”

  “I’m well aware that there are no sorcerers currently active here.”

  “Why?”

  “Because otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” she said.

  He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head. “With all of your potential and all of your talent, you still don’t know?”

  Gavin stared at her. “Consider me uninformed.”

  “It’s more than just being uninformed. I would say you’re ignorant.”

  “Careful. This ignorant person was the one who managed to incapacitate you.”

  “Even the du
mbest can get lucky at times.”

  “Is it luck, or is it skill? Do you think I was so poorly trained?” he said.

  She glared at him.

  Gavin smiled, and he started to laugh. “You really are an interesting woman.”

  “Why?”

  “Here you are, trapped, and yet you remain defiant. I find that intriguing.”

  “I’m sure you would.” She moved, reaching for her robe and pulling it around her.

  Gavin realized that her wounds had already begun to heal. He darted forward and prepared to stab again, and she held her hand up, trying to block him. There was no attempt at magic in it.

  “There’s no need to do that again,” she said.

  “I don’t need you attempting to escape.”

  “Have I looked as if I’m trying to escape?”

  “Only because you can’t. Not right now,” he said.

  “You might be surprised at what I can do.”

  Gavin glanced over to the door. “What do you know about a sorcerer’s lair?”

  “More than you.”

  “Obviously. I don’t have any magic.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “I don’t have your kind of magic,” he said.

  She arched a brow. “Are you sure about that?”

  Gavin let out a heavy sigh, and he held onto the El’aras dagger. He watched the blade out of his peripheral vision, waiting to see if she might use a hint of magic. He wanted to be prepared for the possibility that she might draw upon something.

  Of course, he didn’t know if her magic was going to be too potent for him. He watched for something in her eyes, some expression that would suggest that he needed to be more careful, but he didn’t see anything.

  “Just tell me why he wants her,” Gavin said.

  “You obviously have uncovered the secret about her,” Erica said. Her voice had softened, but given the way that it had changed during their interaction, he didn’t know which one was really her.

  Is she the hard-edged woman who was confident and strong? Is she the one who was panicked and scared at the idea of her son being taken from her? Or is she this person, the one who seems thoughtful, almost pensive?

  He didn’t know. Maybe it didn’t matter.

  He smiled. “I’ve discovered a little bit about her.”

  “A little bit. You wouldn’t have been quite so on edge had you not discovered more.”

  Someone with the power Alex had demonstrated would be a threat to someone like her. That was the reason she’d hired Gavin, hoping that he’d be the man his reputation said he was.

  “You wanted her dead,” Gavin said.

  “I wanted her removed.”

  The choice of words struck him. They were the same words that had been used when he’d been instructed to find the Apostle.

  “Removed. Does that mean dead? You did hire an assassin, after all.”

  “An assassin who makes choices.” She looked up at him, holding his gaze. “Did you think I was so poorly prepared?”

  “No,” Gavin said.

  “Good. I was well aware of your predilections. You make choices. You decide who lives and who dies. An interesting choice for an assassin, wouldn’t you say?”

  “I would say I can be picky with my jobs,” he replied.

  “Interesting. Picky with your jobs when you’re an assassin for hire.”

  “Doesn’t mean I don’t get to make a choice about which jobs I take.”

  She smiled at him. “I suppose not. Is that something your master taught you?” She sneered as she said the word “master.”

  “So you didn’t want the girl dead,” he said.

  “It wouldn’t have been the worst outcome,” she replied.

  Gavin had saved Alex, so what would she think of that outcome? “What do you want with her now?”

  “We want the same as we wanted before.”

  “Which is?” he asked.

  “The danger controlled.”

  Gavin chuckled. “I would suggest that you’re the danger that needs to be controlled.”

  “Only because you don’t quite see the truth. I’m not sure you’re capable of seeing the truth, but you will. In time, I suspect that you will.”

  He frowned and shook his head. “Anyway. What were you going to do with her?”

  “I was going to take her from the city. Yoran is not a place for someone like that.”

  Gavin could only shake his head again. “I want to know what you planned for her.”

  “Will it change that much for you?”

  “No,” he said, “but it might change something for you. If you give me a reason to let you live, then…” He smiled, spreading his hands. He held the El’aras dagger out at her, watching it. It was glowing a little bit, just a faint light now, but enough that he recognized that she was pulling on some power. “The more you do that,” he said, nodding to the dagger, “the more you give me reason to make certain you don’t walk out of here. As we’ve determined, I choose my jobs. In this case, I could choose to make you my job.”

  She started laughing softly. “You are everything I was hoping that you would be.” She got to her feet, and she took a step toward him.

  Gavin pointed the dagger at her, waiting for her to try to move closer to him. She made another attempt, but he jabbed toward her with the dagger. “You’ve already seen that you aren’t going to be able to use your magic on me,” he said.

  “You might disrupt some of what I can do, but I doubt you can disrupt everything I can do.”

  She spread her hands off to the side.

  Gavin didn’t expect her to hold him any better than she had the last time. She had already tried to wrap him with some sort of vine magic that had crawled up his legs. Were it not for the El’aras dagger, he would have already succumbed to it.

  The blade started to glow even more. She was intensifying her magic.

  The ground started to tremble.

  Balls.

  “I don’t know where you are, but I need you to get here soon,” he said into the enchantment.

  “I’m trying, but I hit a bit of a snag,” Gaspar said.

  “What sort of snag are we talking about?”

  “The sort that involves the constables.”

  Gavin looked across at the woman. Whatever she was doing was building rapidly. If he waited, she was going to be able to complete it. He had no idea whether this magic would be something he would be able to withstand. He needed to act—and quickly.

  Using the El’aras dagger, he darted forward…

  And slammed into what seemed to be a wall.

  She watched him from the other side of whatever magical enchantment she was building. Gavin pressed on it, but the invisible barrier was too much for him. He tried to jab through it with the El’aras dagger, but that didn’t accomplish anything. He stabbed again and again, but with each attempt, he met the ongoing resistance.

  He took a step back.

  The ground continued to tremble. The stone overhead started to shake, debris raining down around him. If he remained here for too much longer, he was going to be caught by whatever this attack was.

  Gavin had no idea what was taking place, only that it had considerable power to it. He threw up his hands and protected his head.

  He ducked down and backed away. If he knew what was on the other side of the door, he might head there, but there wasn’t any way for him to open it. He turned, moving toward the other end of the hall and toward the ladder.

  A section of the ceiling dropped, crashing in front of him. The sound was terrible inside of the confines of the tunnel. Gavin darted back, trying to stay free of the raining debris. The enchantress—or sorceress, given the strength she demonstrated—was gone.

  Everything still trembled around him. He could feel the effort of it as everything started to shake. The lair was going to collapse on him.

  “If you’re still up there, you need to keep moving,” Gavin said. “She’s gotten awa
y from me.”

  “She’s what?”

  “She collapsed the tunnel. I can’t get out the way I came in. Get back to the Dragon. Make sure Alex is safe.”

  “First you abduct her, and now you want to ensure she’s safe?” Gaspar asked incredulously.

  “I think the sorceress wanted her dead.”

  “She’s a sorceress now and not an enchantress?”

  “Which is why we have to try to understand what’s going on,” Gavin said.

  The shaking persisted. He looked all around him to see if there was anywhere he could go, but the ceiling started to crack. Already it was falling, and he could feel the energy in here starting to build, the pressure of it was almost more than he could endure. He backed up, looking toward the wall, and the only place he could go would be toward the locked door.

  Gavin reached the door. The stone continued to tremble and collapse all around him. He didn’t have much time. He reached for the handle and pulled.

  Nothing happened.

  “Dammit, Cyran, let me in,” he whispered.

  He called upon the energy within him, the remaining reserves he had, and he jerked on the handle. This time, there was more shaking, and Gavin didn’t know if it was coming from all around him or if it was something he was doing. It seemed as if it was the ceiling, the floor, even the walls.

  Gavin focused on his hand, thinking about what he did when pushing out through his core reserves. If he could do something similar now, he hoped he could break the door open. All he had to do was force that out of him…

  He pulled.

  The energy within him exploded.

  He’d never felt anything quite like that before, but as it burst free of him, he could feel something shifting. The change was dramatic, almost overwhelming, and within that change, he could feel some part of him shifting as well.

  He pulled on the door again, and it came open. Gavin darted into the room beyond and pulled the door closed, listening as it clicked and sealing himself inside. He breathed heavily, trying to slow the panic that had set in. The tunnel collapsed on the other side of the door. Thunderous explosion rumbled as the entirety of the tunnel was destroyed.

 

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