“We can’t stay here,” Rsiran said.
Ephram shot him a hard look. “What would you have us do? You know what we protect, why we remain here. Otherwise, the guilds would have left Elaeavn long ago.”
Rsiran hadn’t known. He glanced around him, wishing he had Della. He had questions, and she would have answers, even if they were answers that were Seen. But she was gone, either lost, or abducted, or… or something he didn’t want to consider. Once, he would have looked to Brusus, but his friend was out of his depth here, and his attention focused only on Alyse. Haern was injured, maybe fatally.
Of all his friends, that left him.
“You can lead the people deeper into the tunnels,” he suggested.
“And when they breach the guild?” Ephram asked as another explosion came.
The concern was valid. Rsiran knew the strength of Venass all too well. More than their strength, they possessed knowledge that gave them an edge. “What of the Elvraeth?”
Ephram grunted. “The Elvraeth? Have you ever known them to leave the palace if they did not have to? And that is how the guilds like it. If the attack is here, on the guild houses, the Elvraeth will not move. They have wanted to reduce our influence for centuries. Likely they have sent the tchalit, to investigate, but…”
Rsiran didn’t need him to finish. The palace guards wouldn’t be able to do anything against Venass, not if they attacked in full. And with the guild losses… that left few able and willing to face Venass.
He had to do this.
Jessa pulled on his sleeve. “No. Rsiran, I see what you’re thinking.”
“It’s my grandfather,” Rsiran said. “If I can do anything to stop this, I need to.”
“This isn’t your fight!”
He closed his eyes. “Maybe it shouldn’t be, but I can’t let Venass win, not if there’s something that I can do.”
“Then I’m coming—”
He kissed her gently on the lips. “Not this time, Jessa. I will need to move quickly.”
“You’re not Sighted.”
“And you can’t see lorcith.” He sighed and met Ephram’s eyes. “How many remain? Of your fighters, how many remain?”
Ephram glanced to Sarah. “A dozen all together. When we were searching alone…” He didn’t need to finish for Rsiran to know that Venass had taken advantage of the fracture within the guilds to destroy them. “Maybe a few more. We were never strong enough.”
“They’ll be enough.” They would have to be.
While Rsiran waited for the remaining fighters to gather, Jessa and Brusus went with the others into the depths of the tunnels. As she passed Rsiran, Jessa mouthed, “I love you.” It was almost enough to make him reconsider.
Valn approached wearing a long leather cloak that covered steel mesh. A short sword hung at his side, and he carried a leather helmet under his arm. He tipped his head to Rsiran. “This is all we have.”
Rsiran pulled his eyes away from Jessa and looked at the men and women with Valn. There were thirteen, all dressed similarly, and each carrying a sword, or crossbow, and some had knives. A few had lorcith-forged weapons, and Rsiran noted that most were made by him.
“How many can Slide?” he asked.
“Half.”
“What guilds?” he asked.
Valn’s eyes narrowed. “You care about guilds?”
“I care to know who will be with me.” He leaned close to Valn. “I know how Venass infiltrated the guilds. How do you know that everyone here is with you?”
“Because Della Read each of them after your attack.”
Another explosion sent more debris settling into the tunnels. Was that a small crack that formed overhead? They couldn’t wait much longer here. Every moment that they waited was another moment that Venass could attack the guild house. If they managed to breach the walls, they would have access to the tunnels beneath the city, and through them, to the crystals.
“What will you do?” Valn asked.
Rsiran had thought about what needed to happen. He knew little about Venass, but he’d seen how his grandfather led. Only, he didn’t know if he was strong enough—or capable enough—to stop him.
“We need to draw them away from the city,” Rsiran said.
“What do you have in mind?”
Rsiran considered where they could go. Where would Venass not have an advantage? He considered Ilphaesn, but that might risk the others, and if Venass had control over lorcith, they might be better suited to attack than the guild soldiers. Where else then?
Only one place came to mind, but how would he draw them there?
But… maybe he didn’t have to draw them all there. Maybe he only needed to pull his grandfather away. If he managed that, would the guild soldiers be able to hold the rest of Venass back?
“Come with me,” Rsiran said.
Valn frowned, but locked eyes with a petite woman with a sword nearly brushing the ground, and then nodded. “Where?”
Where could they go that Rsiran would be able to see the attack?
“The palace wall.”
Valn grunted. “They’ll know when we Slide.”
“Not when I Slide,” Rsiran said.
He grabbed Valn’s arm and pulled into a Slide, emerging atop the palace wall. He’d been here twice before, the last when he had gone after the crystals. This time, he had a different type of urgency. Rather than trying to break into the palace, he wanted to prevent its—and the city’s—destruction.
It was late in the day, with the sun already dipping below the horizon. Streaks of color filled the sky, and heavy, thick clouds threatened to roll in from the sea. The distant sound of thunder rumbled.
“You’re Sighted as well?” Rsiran asked.
Valn nodded. “I am.”
“What do you see?”
Valn stared toward the guild house as another explosion struck. Rsiran didn’t need Sight to know what happened. A building near the Alchemist Guild house trembled, and then collapsed. A cloud of debris and a shower of dust were all that was left where the building had been.
“Probably the same as you,” Valn said.
Rsiran nodded. All around the guild house, other buildings had fallen. It was as if Venass intended to bring the entire street down. Somehow, the Alchemist Guild house still stood. “Where are the other guild houses?”
Valn shook his head. “Most no longer keep a true guild house. They meet in the Hall—or did before all of this—but the guild house itself has become unnecessary.”
“Why the Alchemist Guild then?”
“They guard the entrance to the Hall.”
Rsiran didn’t have to ask why the alchemists would be able to guard the entrance. They knew the secret to creating heartstone, and through that, they would be able to prevent Sliding, which made unauthorized access to the Hall almost impossible. Venass wouldn’t be able to Slide there.
He sensed the building pressure of the next attack and watched as the explosion shook the guild house. It stood alone now, with no other buildings around it to deflect the blast. How much longer would the walls stand?
“You will need to start your attack there,” Rsiran said.
“Why there?” Valn asked.
As he waited for the next attack, he listened for the sense of lorcith. Distantly, he detected a familiar sense, one that had nearly killed him. When the explosion came, Rsiran expected it.
To stop Venass, he would have to confront his grandfather. He would somehow have to stop him. And even if he did, the guild soldiers would still have to succeed.
“Because that is where I will draw him away.”
Chapter 34
Rsiran Slid the rest of the guild soldiers outside of the guild house so that they wouldn’t be detected. If nothing else, they would have the element of surprise.
Valn remained near him as they emerged in the street, hidden by rubble from fallen buildings. None of the homes in this area still stood. An occasional rumble echoed, but for now, it seemed t
he attack had eased.
“How are we going to stop them with this lorcith they use?” Valn asked.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“And when you’re not? That’s your plan, isn’t it? You intend to draw part of the attack away, do you not?”
“I do.”
Valn rested his hand on his sword. “None of us has the same ability with lorcith,” he said. “And only a few can see the potential stored within the metal. We will not be able to withstand an attack.”
Rsiran rested a hand on Valn’s arm. “I will do as I promised.”
Valn’s jaw clenched. “I don’t doubt you. I was with you in Asador. We would not have survived without your help. But the others…”
“This is my fight,” Rsiran said softly.
“This is all of ours.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “My grandfather. My family. They are responsible for much of what has happened. And I will end it.”
“If this fails?” Valn asked. “If you can’t stop him?”
“Then you will have to protect the Great Crystals.”
Valn’s mouth pulled into a crooked smile. “They’re only great to those who’ve held them.”
Rsiran clapped Valn on the shoulder, hoping that they both made it through this. Valn was a good man, and someone he could see as a friend. There had been a time when he had never expected to have any friends, and now… now, he would do anything for so many others. “Guard me for a moment,” Rsiran asked.
Valn nodded.
As Rsiran closed his eyes, focusing on where he wanted to Travel, he thought he heard the distant yowl of a cat. It repeated, before fading behind another explosion.
He Traveled. It became easier each time; the sense of being drawn from him body, of separating so that he could reach beyond him, while not easy, at least now was something that he understood. It was a mix of Sliding and pulling, almost a melding of the two. Rsiran climbed free, floating above himself, aware but with no feeling, no sensations.
Reaching the guild house, he slowly turned, searching not only for his grandfather, but for the other Venass attackers. Circling as he did, he counted four men, each scarred with the hidden augmentation. None he recognized.
Rsiran moved on, making his way closer to the guild house. The walls were cracked, and soon would fall. Whatever power had been placed in them to begin with, that kept them safe from the attack while everything around them fell, began to fail.
Then Venass would be able to move into the Hall of Guilds. From there, they would have easier access to the crystals, and to the rest of the city. To his friends, hiding in the tunnels.
Rsiran needed to stop Venass before they managed to succeed.
As he searched, using a combination of lorcith and heartstone, he detected nearly two-dozen others around the guild house. Possibly too many for them to stop. And he still hadn’t found his grandfather.
The sense of Traveling like this, of remaining suspended in the air completely disconnected from his body, was freeing in many ways. From here, he could detect the lorcith weapons Venass used. Could he influence them from here as well?
He focused on lorcith, and pushed.
All he wanted to do was force the lorcith to the ground. From there, he could prevent Venass from connecting the spheres, something that seemed critical to trigger their weapons. Rsiran imagined the weight of Ilphaesn Mountain, and pushed on all the lorcith that he detected with the strength hidden there. Would it work? Would it be enough to stop the attack?
Then he noted a sense of lorcith and a building potential.
His grandfather had managed to overcome Rsiran’s ability to push on lorcith. Where was he? And why was the sense of lorcith so close to where Rsiran had been…
Terror sent him streaking back into his body.
Rsiran snapped open his eyes, grabbed Valn, and Slid.
They emerged near the guild house.
“What was that?” Valn asked.
“Time to fight,” Rsiran said.
An explosion shook the street back where they had been. Valn’s eyes widened as he looked in that direction. “You knew.”
“I can sense it. I think I’ve disarmed Venass for now, but you need to signal your attack.”
“And you?”
“It’s time I do what I came here for.”
Valn grabbed Rsiran by the forearm and shook. “May the Great Watcher protect you.”
Rsiran nodded and gently pulled away from Valn’s grasp. Did the Great Watcher really even care what happened? “Don’t come after me. If I sense anyone…”
“I understand,” Valn said.
He Slid, emerging where the last explosion had struck. If his grandfather was there, Rsiran would reach him.
As he emerged, the sound of fighting filled the street. Metal clanged on metal, and there came an occasional scream. Rsiran ignored it, and focused on both lorcith and heartstone.
Only since returning to his body after the injury had he managed to reach for both at the same time. Adding them together like that, pulling on the sense of both of the metals, seemed to connect him more strongly to each. He didn’t understand why that would be, but through the connection, he listened for them.
Lorcith sang to him nearby. The metal pulsed against him, and without hesitating, Rsiran Slid to it.
He emerged to find his grandfather.
Danis watched him with deep green eyes and his mouth pulled into a hard line. One hand held one of the lorcith spheres, and Rsiran pushed it away from him. Or tried. His grandfather managed to hold onto the sphere, preventing Rsiran from pushing.
Rsiran readied a pair of knives while he waited.
“I thought you would be dead by now,” his grandfather said.
Resting one hand on his heartstone sword, Rsiran took a deep breath. “I would have said the same about you, but I had always thought you were dead.”
“You were such a malleable child. A shame that it comes to this.”
“Malleable?” Rsiran focused on the lorcith all around him, preparing for whatever attack his grandfather might attempt. Venass had proven far too capable of harming him. He would not let his guard down.
“Kala thought she could control you and your sister, but it was your father who proved easiest. One of the smiths.” He smiled and pulled another sphere from his pocket.
Rsiran sensed the lorcith from both. Heartstone mixed with it, along with something else, something dark, that he could just about detect. Could it be shadowsteel? He already knew how they used it in their attempt to destroy the Elder Trees, and had seen the swords, but was this the other element that he had sensed?
And why did he detect it behind him?
Rsiran spun and pushed on three of the knives he carried.
They streaked away with such speed and force that he could barely see them. But he felt it as they struck, felt the resistance, and saw blood bloom over what appeared to be nothing.
Thom appeared, grabbing at the knives, his eyes darting to Danis as if searching for answers. As Thom fell, Rsiran pulled the knives back to him and held them suspended in the air.
“A shame to lose another skilled Hjan, but they are replaceable.” Danis smiled. “That is the thing often forgotten”—he laughed to himself at the mention of the word—“by those in the palace. They forget why we left the trees in the first place, how we were forced away, kept separate from the power the guilds claim to protect.” He spat the last. “And my own blood now sides with them.”
Rsiran shook his head. He focused on the two spheres his grandfather held. If he started to bring them together, Rsiran either had to Slide to safety, or push them from him. He was no longer certain that he could do the latter.
“I’m not your blood. I’m nothing like you.”
His grandfather laughed. “Nothing?” Danis Slid. How had Rsiran not known that he could Slide. “You are more powerful than I would ever have imagined! And to think I feared your sister, thinking that she would
be the one to manifest the union. You, a boy who had shown nothing other than your weak ability to Travel, with no other abilities of the Watcher, you were not to have been the one. At least your sister could be controlled.”
Rsiran took a deep breath. He wouldn’t take the bait. “If you thought she was controlled—if you thought my father was controlled—then you were mistaken.”
“You should see how easily your father can be controlled,” Danis said.
Rsiran lost focus for a moment. “He lives?”
He sensed lorcith appear near him and he spun, pushing knives away from him. Rsiran didn’t wait for them to connect.
His grandfather smiled darkly and nodded. “How many more knives do you have?” he asked in a soft whisper. “How many more can you stop?”
“As many as I need.”
He laughed. “I will share your condolences for Kala with Neran. And Alyse.”
“You will not harm Alyse,” Rsiran roared. Now that he had saved his sister, he felt even more of an obligation to her. He would not let his grandfather—or anyone—harm her again.
“Harm? I have no intention of harming her, not until I know how much she shares of your talents. But you will not be alive to see that.”
Danis pushed on the spheres, bringing them close together.
Rsiran felt the surge of energy from them, and pushed against it.
Around him, he felt lorcith and heartstone suddenly appear. Stopping them required him to shift his focus, to split it as he continued to pull the spheres apart while at the same time pushing on his knives. He didn’t think he could do both at the same time.
But he didn’t have to push and pull. Not with lorcith, anyway.
He could use heartstone. There was heartstone in the spheres as well.
Rsiran pulled on that, while pushing on his knives.
Men from Venass circling him fell.
His grandfather’s smile strained, but only slightly. He Slid toward him, close enough that whatever blast came from the spheres would catch Rsiran. Danis must know some way of keeping himself safe. “A shame I didn’t learn of your potential sooner. You could have been useful. Now… now you are nothing but an impediment.”
The Shadowsteel Forge (The Dark Ability Book 5) Page 25