Shadow Games (The Collector Chronicles Book 2)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “I—”

  “You don’t have to be afraid of your sister or what she might do. I have offered my help and protection, and I still extend that offer. It is your choice.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “That is your choice. I won’t stop you. I will, however, make certain that you don’t help her.”

  “And what will you do?”

  “I’m going to find out where she’s holding my friends. And then I intend to get them free.”

  “All of this for your friends?”

  “All of this.”

  “Will it work?”

  “Only if you tell me where I can find them.” This was the part that Carth was less certain of. She thought that she could draw Linsay out, especially with the promise of having found the Elder Stone, but getting to her friends would require the help of someone else—someone with knowledge of where Linsay might have kept them. She hadn’t known whether Talia would help, but she had hoped that sharing the knowledge of this place might coax her into helping. It was a risk, but when playing a game like this, there was no choice but to take risks.

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Then two more people will die.” Carth looked over at the water. “I don’t know you, Talia, but I’ve seen your reaction when others have suffered. You’re not a killer, and I think Linsay’s actions have begun to bother you. You already had a taste of the power granted by this place, so it was only a matter of time before you were able to reach for more of this power and maybe find it on your own.” She took a deep breath. “I took a risk and shared this with you. I’m asking you to take a similar risk.”

  Talia looked around before turning her focus back to Carth. “There’s a place where she might have brought them. It will be difficult for you to reach. It’s… it’s a place she made certain was well-defended when you arrived.”

  “How well-defended?”

  “There are mercenaries she’s hired. They have trained and they have stolen from the priests.”

  “Which means they will be dressed in ways that will allow them to resist my magic.”

  Talia nodded.

  Carth smiled. “Good.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she won’t think that I can get to them. When I come to her having succeeded, I think she will be displeased.”

  “I think displeased isn’t quite a strong enough word for her reaction.”

  “Even better.”

  “I still don’t understand you, Carthenne Rel. After everything that she did to you, the ways that she has manipulated you, the ways that I have manipulated you, you’re still willing to work with me?”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell your sister all along. She thought that she knew me, but she missed the crucial part of what I did. I help those who can’t help themselves. I’ve been given incredible power. For so long, I didn’t know what that meant, and it took me a long time to realize what I needed to do with that power and how I was meant to use it.”

  “I’m not helpless. Why are you willing to help me?”

  Carth smiled at Talia. “You might not think that you’re helpless, but when it comes to Linsay, I could see that you were. That’s why you struggled to get free from her, but it’s also why you held back the knowledge that you did. Had you not needed my help, you would have shared with her everything that you discovered.”

  Talia stared at her. “What now? Do we just swim from here?”

  Carth smiled. “If only it were that easy. Unfortunately, you’re not going to like what needs to come next.”

  34

  Night had settled, the kind of still and quiet night that Carth often waited for, wanting it to conceal her movements. It took little effort on nights like this to cloak herself in the shadows, barely more than a thought, and she settled into the shadows, not worried about how unnatural they might look. On nights like this, there were no unnatural shadows.

  She motioned to Talia to stay by her side. Her gaze flickered around everything, taking it all in, but she said nothing. So far, it seemed as if her plan to contain Linsay had worked. Now for the next, possibly harder part: rescuing her friends from whatever Linsay had planned.

  “I can take those three,” Talia said, indicating the guards lining the inside of the Collector’s gate. “Maybe those two.” She indicated another pair of soldiers.

  That left plenty for Carth. Maybe too many.

  Did they have enough numbers?

  She ran through different scenarios in her head, playing them out as if they were nothing more than a game of Tsatsun. It was possible that they did, but success depended on the element of surprise. That was a piece she counted on controlling. Without that, she didn’t think that she would be able to sneak in and then back out of the Collector’s compound, not if she counted on keeping everyone with her safe.

  A signal came from the back of the compound. Alistan called them forward.

  She glanced over at Talia. “Do it,” she whispered.

  Talia slipped forward, unsheathing her knives in a fluid movement. She had skill with them that had surprised Carth the first time they had met. It still did.

  Carth watched for a moment while Talia cut through the first three guards before they were aware of her presence. Watching her fight was a dance, a thing of beauty, and Carth had to pull her gaze away.

  She jumped, drawing on the power of the shadows as she did, and it carried her over the wall and into the Collector’s compound.

  She paused a moment to look around. The grounds were well decorated, the shrubbery sculpted and statues set along a path leading to a squat house. She didn’t risk pausing too long, not certain how well the men could see through her shadows, and tore through the garden.

  When she encountered the first man, she slammed the back of her sword into his neck and he crumpled without a sound. Men might need to die tonight, but she would not take any more than necessary.

  Carth hurried to the next, and this man seemed prepared. He turned toward her, a pair of long-bladed knives in hand, and he flourished them with skill that told her of his familiarity with the weapons. Rather than attacking, Carth chose a different strategy and surged heat through the knives.

  He cried out and released his grip, dropping the knives.

  Carth darted forward, catching him on the temple with a sharp blow.

  When she turned, there were three men waiting for her.

  The last man must have drawn out the others, calling their attention. Each man faced her with a sharp weapon. A fourth man appeared in the shadows, someone she had almost overlooked.

  She noticed a crossbow aimed at her belly.

  Carth jumped as the crossbow bolt whistled through the air. She spun toward the man, kicking as she landed, and he went sprawling. A knife appeared from a hidden sheath and he slashed at her, cutting her across the arm.

  Carth swore. She wouldn’t make it into the compound if she was injured. Already, reaching the compound was a challenge that she wasn’t certain they were equipped to take on. She didn’t like being this unprepared when she faced challenges like this, but there didn’t seem to be much choice, especially as their time was running out.

  Directing a hint of the S’al through her injured arm, she healed herself and realized that the blade had been poisoned.

  Carth swung with her sword, slicing at the man’s arm. He screamed when her blade cut through his flesh and bone, severing his arm.

  She kicked away the crossbow. It wouldn’t do for him to try to grab it while her back was to her, though she doubted he would last long without his arm.

  When she turned back to the others, she realized that Talia had already taken care of them. All three lay dying, sword wounds through their bellies or their chest. Carth noted the dark expression that flashed across Talia’s face.

  “There are probably another dozen still here,” Carth said.

  Talia nodded.

  They hurried off into the darkness, searching the Collector’s g
rounds. It was essential that they remove all threats before entering the building. If they didn’t, they risked somebody coming behind them and surprising them. Worse, they risked not being able to get back out if they were successful.

  Not if. Carth was determined to see them succeed. No matter what it took, they would succeed.

  She found two men waiting at the end of the path, though their focus was directed toward the rear of the compound. Talia dispatched them quickly, not allowing them a chance to realize they’d been ambushed.

  They moved along the paths, staying hidden in the shadows, though Carth didn’t draw upon them nearly as much as she had in previous battles. She remained connected to the shadows but used the connection mostly to increase her strength and her speed. So far, they hadn’t encountered anyone who was able to overcome her advantage.

  She motioned to Talia. “I think we’re—”

  Two men jumped from an unseen location, landing in front of them. Both were muscular and dressed entirely in black, and both wielded curved swords that they slashed toward Carth. They moved silently, focusing on her, though not entirely ignoring Talia. They positioned themselves in such a way that she couldn’t approach easily.

  Carth pulled on the shadows and wrapped them around the nearest of the men. She wasn’t surprised when the shadows dissipated, the connection failing as if a fog burned off.

  Were they from Keyall, or was it an enhancement?

  There was no time to consider. She parried with her sword, blocking the nearest man. He sneaked toward her, slicing up before changing the direction of his attack at the last moment.

  He was good. Both were good.

  They moved completely silently. They even seemed to have control of their breathing, so that Carth didn’t hear so much as a huff from them. These were sword masters unlike any she had faced before.

  She caught a flash of dark skin from beneath one of the men’s clothing. He had an olive complexion, and she thought she understood. Linsay had found skilled sellswords. They might even rival those of Neeland.

  Talia attempted to join Carth, but one of the men peeled off, focusing his attack on her, leaving Carth facing only one. Carth had trained with sword masters, some with incredible skill. The A’ras believed themselves to be the world’s greatest sword masters, but Carth had learned that wasn’t entirely true. There were men like her friend Timothy, a sellsword who had spent considerable time with Carth and had revealed that there were other men like him, men with skill that rivaled that of the A’ras.

  Even one of these men put them to shame.

  Had Carth not had her connection to the shadows, she would have been quickly overwhelmed.

  She was skilled with the sword and had dedicated significant time to practicing so that if she were to lose her connection to her abilities, as had happened more often then she cared to admit, she wouldn’t be helpless. With this man, she had to use every bit of her ability and was forced to pull upon it in a way that would allow her to simply keep standing.

  How many men like this had the Collector hired?

  And she had thought that she had the element of surprise.

  She should have known better. Linsay had learned enough about her to make it clear that she would be a formidable opponent. She would have known that Carth was a skilled swordsman, especially as she knew Carth had trained with the A’ras. She had known how to counter Carth’s connection to shadows and the flame, neutralizing them by coming here.

  But these men seemed simply skilled. From what Carth could tell, there was nothing supernatural or magical about their ability. That had to give her an advantage, didn’t it?

  She parried another blow, twisting her sword so that she drove the curved blade of her opponent down, where it stuck into the earth.

  Carth kicked, but the man grabbed her leg and she spun, twisting so that she could get herself free. His grip was strong—possibly enhanced, though she wasn’t certain—and she couldn’t get her leg free. He spun her around and released her.

  Carth went flying across the grounds, sailing over one of the shrubs. She rolled when she landed, having lost her sword somewhere between the man capturing her leg and throwing her.

  She jumped, landing where she had been, and found Talia kneeling, one of the men with his sword sweeping toward her.

  Carth poured out her connection to the S’al.

  She wanted only to drive him back, but the force of her magic exploded into him. She wasn’t surprised to see that he was immune to it, but he couldn’t resist the explosion that struck him, sending him spinning away.

  The other man swung toward her and Carth pressed the shadows through her, filling herself with them. Her skin darkened.

  She paused only a moment. That was something she had never seen happen when using the shadows before.

  And then the man’s sword slammed into her hands.

  Filled with the power of the shadows, the sword hit her flesh with a soft thud but did not penetrate. She grabbed the blade and yanked it free, spinning before the man could react, slamming the hilt into his face. She spun up, driving her fist under his chin. With the shadows flowing through her, the force of her punch sent him spinning, spiraling toward the other man.

  Carth let out a quiet sigh and reached for Talia, helping her to her feet.

  Talia eyed the sword Carth held by the blade. “How did you do that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It’s a useful skill, isn’t it? If you can make yourself impervious to attack…”

  “Do you know where she hired them from?” Carth asked.

  “She has extensive contacts. I don’t think they came through the port.”

  Neither did Carth. If they had, they would have been discovered long before now.

  Carth looked toward the back of the compound. They had to get inside, find her friends, and get out.

  She sprinted into the compound. There was no movement inside. It was as if everyone had come out to face Carth.

  Inside, she found Alayna first.

  “Are you hurt?” Carth asked in a hushed voice.

  “Carth?”

  “It’s me. I’m here.”

  “How? What happened?”

  “Linsay.”

  “I know about Linsay. How is it that you reached us? She made it clear that you couldn’t.”

  “I had help.” She looked around. “Can you fight?”

  “I don’t know,” Alayna said. “She didn’t hurt us, but…”

  Carth helped Alayna to her feet. “Where’s Jenna?”

  “She kept us separated. I think she was trying to manipulate us. She wasn’t able to get through to me, but Jenna might be different.”

  Carth swore under her breath. Jenna would be different, and Linsay would know it. Especially given what Jenna had been through and the way that she had been attacked here in Keyall, she would have been more likely to be persuaded.

  She raced through the house, searching for Jenna. She found her behind a locked door and drew upon the shadows before kicking it in.

  Jenna was inside. She had a haunted look to her eyes, but when she saw Carth, she ran over to her and threw her arms around her. “You found us.”

  “I was always going to find you.”

  “She… she killed Boiyn, didn’t she?”

  Carth’s jaw clenched and she nodded. “She killed Boiyn. And now we are going to ensure that she doesn’t harm anyone else again.”

  “She said she had something for you if you came for us.”

  “I’ve already taken out all of the guards. What more is there?”

  She guided Jenna and Alayna out of the compound, where Talia joined them.

  The other two women glared at her, but Carth held her hands out, placating them. “We need to work together. Talia is helping. She was harmed by Linsay the same as you were.”

  “It doesn’t look like she was harmed same way that we were.”

  “No,” Carth said. “Her torment has been over years.
Now, let’s get out of here.”

  As she said it, three men appeared in front of her.

  Where had they come from?

  She darted forward, pulling on the shadows and flame to explode in front of them, sending them tumbling backward. She danced forward, slamming her knife into their chests, not giving them the opportunity to attack.

  Where had they come from? They seemed as if they had dropped from the sky. Could that be Linsay’s promise of something extra?

  Carth looked up, surveying the dark night. There was nothing there that would explain how the men could have jumped from the sky or how they could have simply appeared out of nowhere. They couldn’t have jumped from the compound, either. There hadn’t been anyone else within the building. If there had been, Carth would have seen them when rescuing Jenna and Alayna.

  There was nothing above her that would explain where they would have come from. All she saw was darkness.

  “Do you see anything there?” she asked Talia.

  “Other than the strange cloud floating above us?”

  Carth didn’t see the cloud. Even when she pulled on the shadows, she didn’t see what Talia did. That was the power of her ability.

  She slipped her hand into the pouch and grabbed one of the vials Boiyn had hidden for her. If there was ever a time to use it, it was now. After she drank it, she waited, counting to sixty before it began to take effect and everything around her started to lighten.

  Looking up at the sky now revealed a different scene. There was the strange cloud, only it wasn’t a cloud at all. “What is that?” she asked.

  Talia stood at her shoulder, staring up. “It reminds me of something the children in my city would play with, though they were much smaller.”

  “And what is that?”

  “A balloon. It is filled with heated air and it rises into the sky…”

  “Great Watcher!” Alayna said.

  As they watched, a dozen men fell from the sky, each dressed in the same dark robes as the other men.

  “At least we know how they surprised us,” Jenna said.

  Carth looked around at her friends. A dozen would be more than they could overcome. She had barely survived two, could they overcome twelve such fighters?