The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  “I don’t know, but the moment we head into a city, we run the risk of getting captured. I won’t be able to keep these off,” she said, motioning to the bracelets.

  Daniel studied her a moment. Why was he doing this? He could return to Elaeavn, but Lucy didn’t intend to. “I can Slide us within the city. You just get us there.”

  She took a deep breath, and they Slid again, this time emerging at the edge of the city. As soon as they did, she grabbed her head. Daniel took the bracelets from her and slipped them onto her wrists. Lucy took a few breaths, steadying herself before looking up at him. “Thank you.”

  “We should hurry.”

  If only he had enhanced abilities. It would be nice to be able to Slide better, to be able to carry more than one person with him without getting fatigued. How powerful had she become? Lucy didn’t seem weakened or overwhelmed by all the Sliding. The improvement in her abilities astounded him.

  The city was enormous. Daniel had never experienced anything quite like it, but that had more to do with the crowd than anything else. Elaeavn was a large city as well, and while this large city sprawled out in front of him, he wasn’t able to observe it like he could view Elaeavn from atop the palace. The crowd in the street slammed into them, and the differing styles of dress suggested that people came from all over to this place.

  It didn’t strike him as Asador, but which city was it?

  He tried to work through the various great cities in the north, listing them in his head, but he didn’t know enough about them to be able to distinguish one from another.

  If nothing else, that was a weakness on his part. He should have spent more time trying to get a sense of the various cities, trying to understand more about them, wanting to know as much as he could so that he could be prepared for this possibility. But then, there had been no reason for him to think he would need to venture out of the city. His father had prepared him to replace him one day on the council, not to travel from city to city.

  Stone buildings on either side of the road were composed of a grayish sort of block, and while many of them rose two or three stories high, most were a single story. They had shallow arches, and many had thatched roofs, though some had what appeared to be slate or some other sort of tile. Light reflected off those, giving the day a little bit of a brighter appearance, though everything else about the city seemed drab and gray.

  Most of the buildings seemed to be shops, and the signs hanging in front indicated what they were. He saw dressmakers and lantern makers and bakers. The sound of hammering caught his attention, and his mind went to Lareth, the most notorious blacksmith within Elaeavn, and the reason they had left the city.

  Lucy tapped him on the arm, drawing his attention to her, smiling at him. As he often did, he got caught up in how lovely she looked, despite the reason they were here.

  More than ever, all he wanted was to find Lareth, get the metal out of her head, and return to Elaeavn. Once they did, she could begin to recuperate from her injuries and finally—hopefully—stay within the palace with him.

  Daniel had to believe that if his pursuers were enhanced the same way as Lucy, they would struggle to pick them out in a crowd the same way she struggled. Maybe they had some way of protecting themselves and diminishing the effect of their abilities, but if that were the case, then they wouldn’t be able to find them.

  “Where to?”

  “I don’t know,” Lucy said. “I’ve never been out of Elaeavn. We have to figure out if this is even Asador.”

  “It would’ve been helpful to have looked at a map.”

  “There has to be a market, so maybe we go there.”

  “I don’t have any money. Maybe we should go back to Elaeavn.”

  “Maybe,” Lucy said.

  He could tell that she had no interest in returning. Whatever else happened, she was determined to get answers. He didn’t need to be a powerful Reader to know that in her mind, answers involved finding Rsiran, who could help her remove the metal.

  They wandered through the city. It was an interesting experience. The clothing was so different than that of Elaeavn. Women wore dresses, and some were quite low-cut, revealing far more than was proper within Elaeavn. He was glad Lucy had the bracelets on and couldn’t Read him. Men were dressed in jackets and breeches, though some wore robes and cloaks the same way as he and Lucy did, making him think they were travelers. Some people guided carts drawn by animals, and others carried massive packs strapped to their back.

  Nobody looked in their direction. Nobody looked in anyone’s direction. It was almost as if they made a point of it.

  “What’s going on here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Isn’t Asador a coastal city?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It’s far to the north.”

  “Is that where you had been Sliding us?”

  “I think so. It was difficult because I wanted to take short Slides to avoid getting too far off course, and because I’ve never been to Asador.”

  Within the throng of the crowd, Daniel couldn’t hear anything, but he would have expected to hear the crashing of waves along the shore. If they were in Asador—and he began to question whether they had reached it or not—wouldn’t they have heard the sounds of the sea? Even within Elaeavn, they were aware of the sound of waves along the shoreline, and he had grown comfortable with it.

  “What do you think might be the best way of asking where we are?” he whispered to Lucy.

  “I’m not sure there is an easy way of asking that.”

  “Then we find a market like you suggested.”

  They made their way onto a wide main street and were pulled along with the throng of people, moving with a crowd that seemed as if it pushed them along with them. They didn’t try to force their way through, not wanting to draw any sort of attention, and every so often, Daniel would glance around, looking for evidence of others from Elaeavn, worried about who might have been pursuing them.

  In the distance, the crowd began to thicken.

  “I think we should take a different path,” he said.

  “And I think we go toward the crowd,” Lucy said.

  “I’m not getting the sense that is such a great idea.”

  She laughed, looking over at him. “I doubt you would ever think being in a crowd like this was a good idea.”

  She pulled on Daniel’s arm, dragging him through the crowd toward the activity in the distance. At least he had the sword, but it wouldn’t do much good as Daniel wasn’t much of a swordsman.

  “This has to be the market,” Lucy said as they mixed in with the crowd of people.

  With his height, he was able to see over most of the people but couldn’t really see anything. The crowd spread everywhere, as far as his eye could see. In the distance, he made out the edge of the clearing, rows of stone buildings, but nothing else.

  “Now that we’re here, what do you expect us to find?” Daniel asked.

  “An idea of where we traveled. We can start there, and then—”

  Someone grabbed her arm and dragged her away from him.

  The crowd quickly swallowed her.

  Daniel raced to where she had disappeared into the crowd. There came a flicker of her green cloak, but then someone moved in front of him. Daniel darted around them but didn’t see her.

  Great Watcher.

  He darted forward, knowing that he would have to be able to find her here. With her height and with the cloak similar to what he wore, she shouldn’t be able to disappear like that.

  But as he pushed through the crowd, he didn’t see her.

  Great Watcher.

  How could she be gone?

  “Lucy?” he hollered, but over the noise of the crowd, he doubted he would be heard. “Lucy!”

  He kept pushing, trying to find a way through the crowd.

  She couldn’t simply vanish. And who would have grabbed her anyway?

  Daniel continued to fight his way through the crowd, but he no lo
nger knew which direction to go. She could have gone anywhere. They could’ve taken her deeper into the crowd, or dragged her down one of the dozens of side streets. Anywhere they would’ve taken her would have pulled her out of his range of view and left him with no way of knowing how to find her.

  Daniel stood in place and shivered as people continued to push past him. Could she be gone?

  They had just begun, and now… now he had failed her.

  He continued to push through the streets, but a growing doubt built within him that it would even be possible to find her. And if he couldn’t, what then?

  15

  Daniel

  Daniel reached one of the merchant stands, his mind still racing. He had wandered throughout the market for the last hour, possibly longer, and so far had not come across anything that would tell him where to find Lucy. She was lost.

  A part of him wanted nothing more than to return to Elaeavn, but to do that would be to abandon her. She deserved more from him. As he looked around the chaotic market, he struggled with what he should do. He’d seen no sign of her.

  “You look hungry,” an old lady hollered at him.

  Daniel blinked and turned his attention to her. “What was that?”

  “You, boy. You look hungry.”

  He glanced at himself. He was a boy? He was taller than anyone else around him by half a hand or more, tall enough that it shouldn’t be an issue for him to see over their heads and know where Lucy had been taken.

  “What are you selling?”

  “Sweet meats. Dried jerky. That sort of thing.”

  His stomach rumbled, and he knew that he should eat, but he wasn’t content to wait until he figured out what happened to Lucy. “How much?”

  “A copper for a piece of jerky. If you give me three copper I’ll give you enough for the week.”

  He patted his pocket. He had coins, but was that what he wanted to use them for? He might need a room for the night, and he didn’t know how much they cost in the city. And he still didn’t know where he was.

  “I’ll give you five coppers for meats if you can provide me a little information,” he said, pushing his way to the front of her stand.

  He glanced at the top of it. None of the food she had displayed looked all that appealing. The jerky looked incredibly dry, and he expected to lose teeth trying to bite into it. The sweet meats… well, they just looked disgusting.

  He looked up at the woman. She had gray hair and wrinkles across her brow and at the corners of her eyes. Her hands were gnarled, and dirt beneath the nails caught his attention. All of that would have gone into her cooking.

  This was a mistake, like so much else he’d done.

  “What sort of information?”

  “Where’s a good place to stay here?” He figured he would start that way, try to avoid revealing that he had no idea where he was. He didn’t need the questions that would come. And maybe she would have information that would help him find Lucy.

  “There are plenty of places to stay around Eban.”

  Eban. He’d heard of that city, but it was further to the east than they had been traveling. Could Lucy have made a mistake with her Sliding?

  Would that be altogether surprising? It wasn’t like she had much experience outside of the city, either. She was as inexperienced as he was when it came to traveling beyond the borders of Elaeavn.

  “Where would you suggest somebody find a place to stay? It’s my first time in the city.”

  “A man like yourself—”

  “I’m a man, now?”

  “Don’t take offense. I couldn’t tell how old you were when you were back there. My eyesight isn’t so good.”

  “Maybe you could tell me something more than just a place to stay,” Daniel said.

  “What else would you like to know?”

  “Where could I go to find a friend I’ve lost?”

  The woman leaned toward him, and her wrinkled face pinched even more. “What sort of friend?”

  “A woman I came to the city with.”

  Her mouth in a frown as she studied him. “How did you lose her?”

  “We got… separated.”

  The woman leaned back and cackled. “Your friend or your friend?”

  “My friend. We traveled to the city together, and—”

  “Ah. You mean she got grabbed. A city like Eban can be dangerous. Too many people come here looking far too pretty for their own good. It’s best to look like Mags. There aren’t a lot who have a lot of interest in grabbing me. Unless you might be tempted,” she asked with a wink.

  Great Watcher. He leaned back, trying to hide his revulsion, but realized that she could help him, even if she didn’t know how. “Where would someone like that go? If I lost my friend, where could I find her?”

  Mags looked at the crowd all around him before leaning forward and motioning him closer. “You have to get her before she gets moved from the city. It’s difficult, especially as the fools who think to steal courtesans do so in this city. The men who run the city aren’t terribly fond of courtesans.”

  “Courtesans?”

  “Would you prefer a coarser term? I’m sure the women don’t mind, especially as few of them have much choice in the matter. I prefer courtesan to prostitute or whore, but if it makes you any happier…”

  He leaned on the table, squeezing his hands into a fist. “What do you mean?”

  Mags leaned back, watching him. “If she’s been grabbed, she’s gone. I’m sorry, but there’s not much you can do. There’s too many people in the city, and when a girl goes missing, it’s a shame, and we weep, and we sing songs of her absence as we lament what could have been.” She cackled again.

  Daniel turned away in disgust.

  “Hey. What about my coppers?”

  He ignored her as he headed away from the stand.

  He wasn’t about to leave Lucy to be drawn into something like that, and at the same time, it shouldn’t be an issue. With her ability to Slide, escaping should be no challenge for her—unless she was trapped somehow…

  Having never been outside of Elaeavn, he had no idea. They really had come completely unprepared, thinking this would be nothing more than a fun—and quick—journey. Now it was something else.

  Even if Lucy pulled off the bracelets, that might not be enough. All the voices around her might overwhelm and incapacitate her.

  No. It was up to Daniel to go and find her.

  He wasn’t much of a Reader, but he did have some ability, like all of his family. It was a skill he’d never attempted to hone since it was useless so much of the time within Elaeavn. But for Lucy, he would have to use his powers, and what he needed now was to be strategic. The people of this place didn’t have mental protections to avoid him Reading them. He had only to wander and listen.

  Opening himself up to all of these voices might be more than he could handle, but then again, Lucy deserved that from him. He paused in the middle of the crowd, opening himself up to the minds around him.

  Why, she’s a pretty one. I wonder if I could…

  I can’t believe we had to come here again. The last time we were here, we spent too much…

  The smell. It’s awful. All I want is to return to…

  They said the best ale was found at the Crooked Pint.

  Next time I have to come into the market, I’m sending Meris. I’ll be damned if I intend to make this journey myself.

  “Watch it.”

  Daniel shook himself and looked over to see a large man bump into him. He had a thick mustache, and he wore a circular hat that covered his eyes. The young woman at his arm smiled for a moment, but there was a hint of terror in her eyes.

  I just want to go away. All I have to do is…

  “Where are you taking her?” Daniel asked.

  The man glared at him for a moment, tightening his grip on the girl. “She’s not for sale.”

  “No? She doesn’t look like she wants to be with you, either.”

  The
mustached man glanced back at her. “Is that right, sweetie? You don’t want to be with me? Well, don’t worry. Soon enough you won’t have to be.”

  The man shoved his way past Daniel and continued along the street.

  He could continue to try to Read, but the voices were too much for him to focus on, at least to get anything useful out of. They had nearly overwhelmed him, and in this man, he had an idea of someone he could follow. And if he managed to track him, perhaps he could find where they had brought Lucy. If nothing else, he could get a sense of what kind of place these men went to.

  Daniel kept the man in view. His hat made him pretty easy to follow at a reasonable distance. Every so often, he would catch snippets from the woman, fear that coursed through her. There was resignation mixed in with it. She had been with this man for a while, long enough that she knew what was going to be expected of her.

  Courtesan.

  The old woman’s comment stuck in his mind. She had seemed resigned to what happened to women grabbed in the market, as if nothing could be done. Lucy would not be someone’s courtesan. Not if Daniel had anything to say about it. He was determined to get to her and figure out a way of helping.

  The man ducked around a corner, pulling the woman with him, and Daniel followed. The crowd had thinned, making it easier to trail after them. They turned into a building, heading down a set of stairs to an entrance.

  Daniel stood off to the side of the street, watching.

  Was it some sort of inn?

  Music drifted out, and he realized that it was a tavern, which left him curious as to what he might find inside. The taverns within Elaeavn were varied. Some of them were formal places that were designed more for dancing, most reserved for the Elvraeth, while others were dingier, more run-down, like this place.

  He made his way toward the door. If nothing else, he would sneak in and see what the man with the hat intended to do with the woman. But then, maybe the man was only doing what was expected in the city. It could be that was how they treated people, and women in particular. Would Asador be the same?

  If so, maybe they were better off simply returning to Elaeavn. It would certainly be safer, even with the men who might be chasing them.