The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3

by Holmberg, D. K.

  “Who are you?” Mekal asked.

  His voice trembled as he did, and Gavin wished this weren’t necessary. He needed this information so he could keep Alex safe. And it might be more than that even.

  “Your brother knows who I am. That’s all that matters. Now, why don’t you tell me a little bit more about where the two of you have been training. If you don’t, then I might have to find a different place to stick this dagger.”

  Mekal looked up at him, and he didn’t say anything. He trembled, and the power that he was holding onto started to build.

  The glow of the El’aras dagger intensified. Gavin reached for the blade, and he held it above Mekal’s eyes. “You see this?”

  Mekal nodded.

  “This tells me that you’re trying to call upon power. This is my little enchantment that allows me to know what the two of you are doing.”

  At the mention of “enchantment,” Mekal’s eyes twitched.

  “See,” Gavin continued, “I have a feeling the two of you know all about enchantments. And that’s the information I need right now.”

  “This is where you’re going with it?” Gaspar whispered.

  Mekal stared at Gavin. “Go ahead and do what you need to do to us. We can’t reveal the others.”

  It was almost enough to make Gavin regret his choice. Here they were being heroic. Defiant. “I have no interest in harming your other buddies. We’re looking for a group of enchanters. All I want is for you to tell me who might know where to find them.”

  “I…”

  Gavin slammed the dagger into the ground again, and it sank all the way to the hilt. The blade’s glow winked out, leaving them in darkness.

  He leaned toward Mekal. “Listen. I knocked out these three constables in your home. Now, I didn’t know the two of you were here, and for that I apologize. I suspect they’re going to come back.”

  These two were in more trouble than he’d realized. Had he known that there were children here, Gavin might’ve tried a different approach. He would’ve tried to draw the constables out, and then he would’ve attacked them in the street. Even if they had noticed him, it would’ve been better than having them think that Mekal or Kegan had attacked them.

  “All I need is a name. Or, even better, where to find Zella.”

  With that, he pulled the dagger out of the ground and held it up close to Mekal’s face.

  The boy turned his attention toward the dagger, his eyes still wide. “Why do you want to find Zella?”

  “Because she might be able to help me.”

  Mekal turned his head, glancing over toward Kegan. “I’m sorry, Kegan.”

  With that, Mekal started to pull upon more power.

  Gavin felt it. It was the first time he’d felt anything like it. This was more than just seeing the glow of the El’aras blade. He felt something deep within, almost as if his proximity to Mekal connected them and gave him a sense of what the boy was doing.

  Gavin leaned over him, and he touched the El’aras dagger to Mekal’s neck. “Stop,” he said.

  Mekal trembled. “What are you going to do to me?”

  “I’m sure that your imagination can come up with many different things that I might do.”

  “You’re despicable,” Gaspar whispered.

  “You know I’m not going to hurt him,” Gavin muttered, trying to keep it under his breath.

  “Still. This is a child.”

  “A child sorcerer.” Or powerful enchanter. Gavin no longer knew if he could tell the difference. “Where do I find Zella?” he asked Mekal.

  “I can’t tell you.”

  Gavin sighed deeply. “I’m afraid that’s not the answer I needed. Unfortunately for you, I think that—”

  “I can show you,” Kegan said.

  Gavin glanced over, holding his arm completely still. He could hold this position for hours if needed. He’d tortured men in a similar way before, creeping a knife toward them only a sliver at a time. In Mekal’s case, he didn’t expect to need to actually penetrate the skin, though the boy was tougher than Gavin thought.

  “Where is she?”

  “I can show you. Just don’t hurt him,” Kegan said.

  “If you try to mislead me, if you try to do anything other than show me where she is, then he goes first,” Gavin said, nodding to Mekal. “Then you.”

  He got to his feet, grabbing Mekal and jerking him up to stand. He glanced down at the constables. “What should we do with them?” Gavin asked Gaspar.

  “You’re the one who knocked them out.”

  “I did, but I didn’t really think anything through. With these two kids here, we can’t let them come around.”

  “You’re not killing them here,” Gaspar said.

  Kegan stared at him. “You’re going to kill them?”

  “I can’t have them waking up and finding the two of you,” Gavin snapped.

  “There might be something else we can do,” Kegan said.

  He crouched down in front of them, and before Gavin could react, power built from him that caused the dagger to glow brightly.

  “You really shouldn’t do that,” Mekal said.

  “Quiet. If he was going to kill them…”

  “What’s he doing?” Gavin asked Mekal.

  “He’s changing their memories.”

  “He’s doing what?”

  “It’s not really very effective. All he can do is obliterate the last day. In time, he might be able to do more than that, but…” Mekal shook his head.

  Power that was able to erase memories like that would be incredible.

  “Why didn’t you use that against me?”

  “If they fight it, it doesn’t work,” Kegan said.

  “You need them sleeping. Unconscious,” Gavin mused.

  “Pretty much.” He looked up at Gavin. “It isn’t the first time I’ve used it on constables.”

  Gavin smiled. He’d thought that Mekal was the only strong one, but Kegan had a little bit of steel within him as well. Despite himself, Gavin found that he liked these two.

  When Kegan was done, he stood. “If they wake up here, they’re going to have questions.”

  “I can deal with that,” Gaspar said.

  He lifted one of the constables and carried him out into the street, leaving Gavin with Mekal and Kegan. Both of them looked at him, and the dagger continued to glow.

  “You’ll find that I’m fairly resistant to magical attacks,” Gavin said. “You can try me if you want, but Kegan found that his battering magic didn’t really work on me. So if you want to have a go at me, Mekal, feel free. I don’t think you’re going to like the outcome any more than you liked the outcome when I crashed into you the last time.”

  Mekal turned away.

  Gavin smiled to himself. “Go close your door,” he said to Kegan.

  Kegan hurried off, and he sealed off the door leading to the back room. As Kegan disappeared, Gavin looked over to Mekal, watching him. The boy said nothing, though he frowned at him. The room was mostly empty, and now that a lantern had been lit, Gavin could see more clearly. It didn’t push away the shadows in the distance of the room, and there was still quite a bit of darkness, but it was better than it had been. The air was stale, leading Gavin to think they hadn’t opened this room very often.

  Kegan returned and joined Mekal. “What are you going to do to us?”

  “All I need to know is where to find Zella. After you tell me, you’re free to go.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that. Why are you hiding here?”

  Mekal and Kegan shared a look, but neither of them answered.

  “You’re going to wait here, so you might as well tell me what’s going on,” Gavin said.

  “Nothing has gone on,” Mekal said. “Until you came here.”

  Gavin chuckled, glancing to where Gaspar had brought the constables. “That’s not quite true.”

  “What do you intend to do with Zella?”

  Th
ey cared about her, which meant he could use that, though he didn’t love using somebody they cared about against them. These were children, regardless of how mature they might have become after losing their parents.

  “Why do you need to find Zella?” Kegan asked.

  “Because I was hired to.”

  Kegan’s eyes widened. He had heard rumors about Gavin. They weren’t the ones that Jessica had been spreading—they were the rumors about his real job. It surprised him that Kegan would’ve heard anything about it.

  Gaspar returned, and he carried one of the other constables out. Kegan and Mekal didn’t talk. They watched Gavin; suspicion in their eyes. There was power coming off of one or both of them, and the El’aras dagger glowed continuously.

  “You may need to be careful with how much magic you’re pulling on,” he said to them.

  “We can hide it,” Kegan said.

  “Obviously, you can’t hide it completely. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be concerned about the constables.”

  “They’ve been coming here because they know about us,” Mekal said.

  “Right. And they have some way of detecting magic. So I’m sure that they’ll come after you.”

  The door opened as Gaspar came in, and he reached for the remaining constable.

  “I think it’s time for us to go,” Gavin said. “And it’s time for the two of you to lead us to Zella.”

  Kegan and Mekal shared a nervous look before heading out the door.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They left the house and moved to the street, heading toward the north part of the city. Kegan and Mekal were only one step ahead of them, and Gavin kept waiting for them to try to run. He could stop them if they did, but he figured it would make a scene. Hopefully, his threat that he’d come after them would keep them from doing anything else.

  “They’re afraid of revealing Zella,” Gaspar whispered.

  “I know. Either she’s incredibly powerful or she’s someone they care about.”

  “It could be both.”

  “It could be,” Gavin said.

  “It’s interesting how they were able to hide,” Gaspar said.

  “I find it interesting that they have the ability to obliterate memories.”

  “Not much use if they can only do so for short times,” Gaspar said.

  “No, but in times like this, it has its uses.”

  They turned a corner. In the distance, he caught sight of a pair of constables. He took a step forward and nudged Kegan and Mekal. “We’re heading this way,” he said, motioning for them to follow down a different street that was empty.

  “What was that about?” Kegan asked.

  “Constables. I figured you wanted to keep your use of power away from them.” He said it low, and he arched a brow as he leaned in. “Otherwise, if they detect your magic…”

  “If they detect magic, they may blame you,” Mekal said.

  Gavin smiled. There was that steel again. “Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Even if they were to detect it from me, I’ve trained enough that I’m able to take care of a couple of constables.” The words hung in the air a moment. “What about you? Do you think you might be able to handle a pair of constables out in the open? A little bit dangerous, I would say. I’d also think that you wouldn’t want to risk it.”

  Mekal glared at him.

  Gavin couldn’t help but smile back.

  When they reached the next intersection, Gavin indicated for them to stop. “Which way?”

  Kegan motioned along the street, waving his hand wildly toward the north. He glanced over at Mekal and held his gaze for a moment, something passing between them. It put Gavin on edge. He already knew they had some way of using power and had heard a little bit about the nature of their magic, so he knew to be careful with them. If they were to use their power against him, he didn’t have complete confidence that they wouldn’t be able to overwhelm him—especially out here in the street where they had an opportunity to run.

  “This way, but the constables were also the way we need to go,” Kegan said.

  “We should be able to weave around them,” Gavin said.

  They turned, following the street. He hoped that it didn’t look suspicious, but with him and Gaspar following behind the two boys, it might look questionable or even lecherous.

  “Did you find anything on the constables?” he asked.

  “Nothing of use,” Gaspar said.

  “They should have some way of detecting magic,” Gavin said.

  “That was my suspicion, but I didn’t see anything.”

  If not, then how were they searching through the city for other magic users?

  He didn’t see other constables. As they moved along the street, he was lulled into relaxation. They turned a corner, and Kegan and Mekal started to quicken their steps. Gavin hurried to keep up.

  He leaned close to them. “Try to run, and I will find you both.”

  Kegan stiffened and almost stumbled, then slowed down a step. Mekal took another moment before he slowed.

  “Better,” Gavin said.

  They reached a building two doors from the end of the street. It was a simple wooden structure like so many that he’d passed, and there was nothing about it that would set it apart. They turned toward it.

  “Here,” Kegan said.

  “This is where we’ll find Zella?”

  “If she lets you,” Kegan said.

  “If she lets me?” Gavin glanced from Kegan to Mekal, smiling and shaking his head. “How powerful do you think she is?”

  “Powerful enough she won’t fear you,” Mekal said.

  Gavin chuckled. “You really should think about being a little more careful with your mouth.” He pushed them forward, motioning for them to head to the door.

  “What do you expect us to do?” Kegan asked.

  “Knock. Do whatever you do to let Zella know you’re here.”

  Mekal stared at the door, holding one hand above the knob, concern building in his eyes. He didn’t look over at Gavin, who wondered if he needed to be more wary than he was. Zella was an enchantress, and one the boys respected, but it was more than that.

  They feared her.

  “She already knows we’re here,” Mekal said.

  “How do you know that?” Gavin asked.

  “She would’ve felt us. She’s probably felt you. Chances are good that she’s—”

  The door opened, and Kegan gasped. Darkness greeted them from the other side.

  Gavin held out the dagger. Of course it glowed.

  “Go on,” he said, nudging them.

  Kegan and Mekal stepped into the building.

  As Gavin headed toward it, Gaspar grabbed his arm. “I think we need to be careful here.”

  “This is what we’re after.”

  “I don’t know if finding this egg makes that much of a difference,” Gaspar said.

  “It’s more than just finding the egg. If we can find this enchantress, she can help us locate the Mistress of Vines,” Gavin said, keeping his voice in a low whisper. “That’s what you care about. That’s the job you were hired to help with.”

  Gaspar frowned. “I wasn’t hired for any job.”

  “You took the job with me. It means you were hired for it.” Gavin stared at the doorway. “This is just a secondary job, but…”

  “But what?”

  Gavin glanced over at him briefly. “But I’m starting to get the feeling that they’re connected.”

  He stepped into the room. Power tried to slam into him, but he was holding onto the El’aras dagger, and the magic seemed to curve around him. Kegan and Mekal turned toward Gavin. Both of them were staring, jaws clenched.

  “It’s like that, is it?” Gavin asked. He could see faces in the darkness beyond, though he wasn’t able to count how many were there.

  He sighed as the power continued to push in on him. Behind him, Gaspar cried out.

  Not only were they attacking me, but Gaspar too?

  Gavin
had some natural resistance to magic somehow, and the training that he’d undergone with Tristan had fortified that.

  Gaspar didn’t have that same benefit.

  “Stop it,” Gavin said, turning his attention to Kegan and Mekal.

  They were the only ones in the room that he thought he might be able to get through to. He suspected that the other two dozen or so in the room were also young, at least as young as Mekal, and possibly as young as Kegan. The only one he didn’t know about was Zella.

  But considering that these two knew her, was she just as young?

  “You aren’t going to like what happens,” Gavin said.

  “You might’ve been able to overpower the two of us, but you won’t be able to do so with all of us,” Kegan said.

  Power continued to squeeze him. They were right. If he did nothing, they were going to be able to overpower him. Gavin summoned his core reserves, thinking about what he’d done in the past when magic was used against him. Not just with the Mistress of Vines, but even before then.

  With Tristan.

  He thought about how he’d broken through Tristan’s leathers, ropes, and finally chains. He thought about what he’d done when he’d broken free of the magical bindings Cyran had attempted to use on him.

  All of those memories filled him, and that energy came up from deep within. It bubbled up from some buried pool of power that lingered inside of him, and all Gavin had to do was tap into it. Doing so was difficult now, especially when he could feel that power fading, but he needed to summon it.

  He needed to decide whether he was afraid of the power within him or whether he would embrace it. Gavin pushed it out from inside him. It exploded, causing a burst of energy.

  The El’aras dagger surged with light that was almost overwhelming.

  With that light, Gavin counted seven faces in the room with him. Two of them were Kegan and Mekal, but the others were young, much like he’d suspected. All of them were children, and he guessed they were all using magic on him.