The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3

by Holmberg, D. K.

  “Gavin Lorren. The tracker.” She flicked her gaze up to him, though it lingered on the dagger. “I know Davel Chan hired you to find the egg.”

  “You got the name right, but you don’t have the occupation right.” He pushed her forward, thrusting her toward the others. Gaspar stood behind him.

  Gavin focused on the core energy within him.

  “I’m Gavin Lorren. Assassin for hire.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The enchanters stood across from him, some of them trembling, but Zella held her gaze on him, unmoving and seemingly unconcerned. The room was quiet and still, and Gavin could practically feel the tension building within it. He could feel the energy here and knew that the moment he took a step forward, everything would shift.

  He held his gaze on Zella but also paid attention to the others around him. He didn’t need to watch to keep track of them. He counted seven other enchanters surrounding him. Given their number, there was a reasonable danger to him.

  Which meant he had to finish this quickly.

  “Where is the jade egg?” Gavin asked.

  “I told you where it was,” she said.

  “No, you told me that you don’t have it.”

  “I don’t have it anymore. I used it.”

  “What did you use it for?” he asked.

  “Payment.”

  “What sort of payment?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Zella crossed her hands in front of her, and the El’aras dagger started to glow again.

  Gavin shook his head at her, jabbing the dagger forward. “I think we have well established that your magic isn’t going to work on me the way you want it to, so you might as well stop attempting to call on it. Don’t give me any more reason to attack you.”

  “You can’t defeat all of us.”

  “I already have. And I’m not opposed to cutting you all down, but not before I get answers.”

  Gaspar came up behind him. Gavin flicked his gaze over to him, looking to see what Gaspar might do or say, but he remained silent.

  “What kind of answers do you need?” Zella asked.

  “To start with, I want to know more about the jade egg. What is it?”

  Davel Chan had made it sound as if it was something only slightly valuable, but maybe it was far more valuable than he’d let on. If that were the case, Gavin needed to figure that out before he returned it.

  Of course, the man had been willing to pay upwards of thirty gold crowns.

  “It’s an enchantment,” she said.

  Gavin grunted, careful not to move the dagger. “I gathered that.”

  “It’s a powerful one. Using the jade egg, even someone without the natural enchanter ability can place new enchantments.”

  “I don’t think that’s how it works,” Gavin said.

  “It was created by the enchanters from decades ago. They wanted to give the constables something to use so they could create their own enchantments. They poured much of their energy into making it. The egg was how they knew they could defeat the sorcerers. It was a dark and violent time for those within the magical community,” she said.

  “What happened?”

  Zella stared at him. “A sacrifice.”

  Gavin shook his head. He could imagine what kind would be involved in it. Creating magical items often required sacrifice, and though he didn’t necessarily know all that much about magic, he knew enough to understand that it didn’t come free.

  Magic always required something of the user.

  In the time he’d wandered, he had experience with many magic users. Most of them had willingly sacrificed whatever they had to in order to get the power that they wanted. “I’ve seen how magic can require a sacrifice,” he said softly. “Unfortunately, I have far more experience with magic than I would like.”

  “How have you survived it?”

  Gavin shrugged. “The one who trained me ensured that I would survive anything.” He watched Zella. They had gone through something, but she wasn’t going to reveal it to him.

  What would Cyran have been willing to do in order to gain more power?

  Gavin had seen that he was willing to sacrifice everything to grow in power, including his friendships that were the connections he had to his past.

  “I imagine that your masters—or parents,” he said, watching them and trying to determine whether or not that was true, “stored something of themselves into the enchantments.”

  Zella stared at him. “Yes.”

  “What did they give up?”

  “Their magic.”

  Gavin didn’t know that such a thing was possible, but if they had poured their magic into the jade egg, then he could understand why Zella and the others would want to get it back. And he could understand why Davel Chan would be willing to pay thirty gold crowns for it.

  An item like that would be invaluable.

  “How did they give up their magic?”

  “By pouring it into the egg, which absorbed it and gave those without power the ability to cast enchantments. It’s limited and requires time to replenish, and it’s no different than using magic normally. In creating the egg, they allowed the constables the ability to enchant anything they needed to defeat the sorcerers.”

  Gavin glanced over at Gaspar. “Did you know this?”

  “All I knew was that there was an item of power. I knew they had access to enchantments, sometimes many more than I would’ve expected. I would never have imagined anything like that.”

  “Where’s the egg now?” Gavin asked Zella.

  “As I said, I offered it as payment.”

  “Payment?”

  “Yes.”

  “What kind?” Gavin had an idea though.

  “The kind of payment that means our people will finally be safe.”

  “You mean safe from the constables.”

  She stared at him.

  “Fine. You don’t have to tell me, but I have a feeling that your payment ended up in the hands of the Mistress of Vines and that you’re the reason I was sent to the Captain’s home.”

  He had a rising suspicion that he’d seen the enchanters steal the egg from the constables. That was what he’d seen with the wagons, which meant that the egg hadn’t been out of their hands for very long. It also meant that Davel Chan was with the constables.

  And even more than that, he had a feeling he might’ve been used in more ways than he’d imagined. The lack of reaction from Zella’s face suggested that he was right.

  He looked at the others. “Don’t get in the way.”

  He started toward the door, and Gaspar followed.

  “What are you doing?” Gaspar whispered through the enchantment.

  “Leaving.”

  “You’re leaving, with all of this here?”

  “Yes.”

  Gavin reached the door and turned, holding out the El’aras dagger. He could feel the energy within the room, though he couldn’t tell where it was coming from. The only thing he could determine was that there was a sense of power here. The El’aras dagger continued to glow with a soft white light, filling the room with it.

  Gaspar shook his head. “Are you sure about this?”

  “What do you want me to do?” Gavin asked. “Clean them out? If she’s right, and if the jade egg is the source of the constables’ enchantments, then all of these were created by the constables.”

  Zella nodded slightly.

  “And I don’t disagree that the power belongs to them, I just disagree with how they’ve been getting it back. The way they’ve attempted to use me,” Gavin said.

  “What do you intend to do?” Gaspar whispered.

  “Finish the job.”

  He stopped at the door and looked back at them. “Stay out of my way.”

  “Or what?” Zella said.

  “Or you’re going to see just how far I’m willing to go to finish all of my jobs.”

  Gavin headed through the building and stepped back on the street. He took a deep breath bef
ore stalking off.

  Gaspar caught up to him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m going to have words with Davel Chan.”

  “We were there already. There was nothing.”

  “We were there, but I don’t think there was actually nothing.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m pretty sure I was hired by constables,” Gavin said.

  He hurried back toward the home where they’d found Mekal and Kegan. Gaspar stayed with him, quiet until they reached the home.

  “Where did you leave the constables?” Gavin asked.

  Gaspar motioned for him to follow, and they rounded a corner into an alley. Gavin crouched down in front of one of the constables. He had a rounded face, soft chin, and ruddy cheeks. He looked soft. Soft men often cracked.

  The others were leaner, and one of them even had a scar on one of his cheeks, suggesting he had some experience with fighting. This was the kind of man Gavin would respect but wouldn’t necessarily be able to get answers out of as quickly as he wanted. Besides, he figured the first man was the one who led them.

  Gavin shook him. Then he waited. The constable didn’t come around.

  “See if you can’t wake him up,” he said to Gaspar.

  It was one thing to be offered a job, but it was another for Gavin to take it so foolishly and ignorantly that he hadn’t paid attention to who was hiring him. This had happened too often in Yoran.

  Gaspar reached into his pocket and pulled something out, resting it underneath the constable’s nose. “Why do you think Davel Chan is a constable?”

  “The money,” Gavin said.

  “How much did he offer you?”

  “Thirty gold crowns.”

  Gaspar grunted. “That’s… considerable.”

  “It is, and I thought the reason he was willing to pay so much was only because he had me going after someone with magic. Now I wonder whether or not it was simply because he has an unlimited supply of coin.”

  “Not unlimited.”

  “Mostly though,” Gavin said. “I realize it comes from the taxes charged, and the people of the city are the ones paying, but…”

  The constable started to come around, and Gavin leaned forward, pushing Gaspar off the side. He crouched down next to the constable and held the dagger underneath his neck.

  He looked directly into the man’s eyes. The constable stared back.

  “There you are,” Gavin said, leaning close. “You have a dagger under your neck. And a knife to your groin,” he said, shifting the other knife. “Trust me when I say I’m not afraid to use either of them. Your answers will determine which end of the blade you experience. Do you understand?”

  The constable didn’t say anything.

  “You can blink once if you understand.”

  The constable blinked.

  “Good. Now I’m going to pull the dagger at your throat away a bit, but I’m not going to remove it altogether. I expect answers. Nothing more than that. If you strike me as being misleading in any way, you’re going to find pressure on one of the blades. I decide at the time which one it is.” Gavin started to withdraw the dagger slightly, and he stared at the constable. “What’s your name?”

  “You’re making a mistake. You would dare to attack constables of—”

  Gavin shoved the knife forward but not by much. He had enough control over the blade that he could tell it wasn’t going to slice all the way through the man’s groin, but enough to give him a haircut.

  “Listen,” Gavin said. “We can do this many different ways. I’m perfectly content to have you continue to chat away at me, but know that I have all the time in the world. You are off in an alley, and the longer you talk, the more likely it is that my hand is going to slip. Is that what you want?”

  The constable stared at him.

  Gavin nodded. “Better. Name.”

  “James Thierry.”

  “Good. Now that I’ve got that established, I have a few questions for you. First question: Do you know the name Davel Chan?” A hint of tension fluttered the corners of the constable’s eyes. Gavin had his answer, but he wanted to know what James might say. “No answer? Fine.”

  He shoved again, sending the blade into James’s groin. The man screamed, the sound sharp and high-pitched. Gaspar was there in an instant, clasping his hand over James’s mouth.

  “Thanks,” Gavin said, looking over at Gaspar.

  “You see, I don’t like that answer. The next one might anger me even more. Do you know the name Davel Chan? It’s a simple question, and in my mind, it would have a simple answer. All I’m asking is for you to tell me whether or not you know the name. I’m not asking you to tell me where to find him.”

  “I know the name,” James said.

  “That’s what I thought. Now, the next question might be a little bit harder for you considering how difficult the last one was. Where is he?”

  James said nothing.

  Gavin offered a tight smile. He pressed the dagger forward into James’s neck. Blood dribbled down the edge of the blade.

  James winced, trying to pull away, but Gavin held steady and even pressure.

  “Again, I didn’t care for that answer.”

  “He didn’t answer,” Gaspar said.

  Gavin glanced over his shoulder at Gaspar, who was glaring at James. “You’re right.” He turned back to the constable. “I didn’t care for that lack of answer. Now, where do I find Davel Chan?”

  “He’s not the kind of person you find.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “He finds you,” James said.

  Gavin sighed and shook his head. “How do I have him find me?”

  The constable smiled at him. “If he finds you, then you’re dead. Is that what you want?”

  Gavin shoved a little bit further with the dagger, and James cried out again. “Listen. I’ve told you what I want. How do I get him to find me?”

  One of the other constables started to stir, and Gavin twisted quickly and kicked him in the head, knocking him out again.

  James’s eyes widened, and he glanced over at his partner. “What are you going to do to them?” he asked Gavin.

  “That depends on what you do for me. All I need is an answer. How do I get Davel Chan to find me?”

  “You don’t want him to find you. If he does, you’ll be dead.”

  “And I’ve told you that I don’t necessarily care.”

  “I have a ring,” James said.

  Gavin shook his head. “I don’t need money from you. You won’t be able to buy me off.”

  “No. It’s a ring I use to call him.”

  Gavin flicked his gaze to Gaspar. “I thought you took everything off of them.”

  “I did.”

  Gaspar reached into his pocket, and then he pulled out the items that he’d taken off of the constables. He held them in one hand. James blinked a few times.

  Gavin reached into Gaspar’s palm and plucked a ring free. “This one?”

  “That one helps me—all of us—if we need reinforcements.”

  “And it reaches Davel Chan?”

  “Yes.”

  Gavin started to squeeze it.

  Gaspar grabbed his wrist. “Are you sure you want to do that? If this man is who it sounds like he is, then you’ll be drawing the attention of the constables to you. All of them.”

  “If he’s who it sounds like he is, I’ve already drawn their attention.” Gavin flipped the dagger, and he slammed the hilt into James’s forehead, knocking him out again. He straightened, sheathing the knife but holding onto the dagger and the ring. “What do you propose?”

  “If you’re going to draw the head of the constables here, I don’t want to be here,” Gaspar said.

  “You don’t need to be.”

  “Gavin—”

  Gavin shook his head. “No. This was the job I took. I’m the one who got drawn into this. I’m the reason Davel Chan is even involved in anything. Why don’t y
ou go back to the Dragon and make sure everything’s safe. I haven’t heard back from Wrenlow, and I warned him that Alex might not be quite as innocent as we think.”

  “Why would you say that?” Gaspar asked.

  “Because I suspect she’s with the other enchanters. So I warned him, and seeing the way Imogen was able to hold off the Mistress of Vines, I’m not as concerned as I would’ve been otherwise,” he said. He watched Gaspar for some reaction or a sign, but he didn’t give one. “Regardless, I figure somebody needs to go back to make sure that everybody’s okay.”

  “You aren’t going to be able to take on all of the constables.”

  “Who said anything about taking them on?”

  Gaspar’s gaze drifted down to the fallen constables before looking up at Gavin. “Don’t do anything foolish.”

  “I thought you said everything I do is foolish.”

  “Maybe,” Gaspar said. He nodded at Gavin, then he started off down the alley.

  Gavin looked at the fallen constables and squeezed the ring, thinking it would somehow activate the enchantment. He slipped it onto James’s finger so he could activate it when he came around, and then he darted toward the back of the alley. The space between buildings shrunk as the alley stretched on, and he used it to scale the sides of the buildings.

  Once he was on the roof, he hurried forward, racing to where he could see the constables. He looked down and watched.

  It wouldn’t be long.

  The only question was whether Davel Chan would come himself or whether he would send other constables.

  All Gavin could do was wait.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The constables hadn’t stirred. It had been nearly an hour, and there was still no sign of movement along the street to suggest that anyone was coming this way. So much for the enchantment being able to call Chan.

  Gavin was tempted to return to the Dragon. Gaspar might need his help, though he would use the enchantment to call Gavin if he did. That he hadn’t…

  He lay in place, debating what to do. An irritating thought came to him. Perhaps James hadn’t told him the entire truth. It was possible that the ring could summon Davel Chan, but it was also possible that he’d misled Gavin. If he had, Gavin still could use him.