The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  20

  Daniel

  The door to the small room opened, and Daniel jumped to his feet, dressed only in his breeches. He grabbed for his shirt as he looked over to see Kasha standing in the doorway.

  She grinned at him. “You’re a little jumpy. If you’re going to stay here, you have to play it up.”

  “Play what up?”

  “You have to at least make it look like you enjoy my attention. I’ve made it seem as if you’ve bought my services for the week. It left plenty of men down there wondering what sort of wealthy merchant you were. Those sorts of questions are best left unanswered.”

  “Just the men?”

  “The women know.”

  Another piece of information for him to process. Somehow, he had to put it all together, but nothing really made sense. How could these women manage to be so powerful? Not that he struggled to understand powerful women. In Elaeavn, there were plenty of them—Cael Elvraeth was incredibly powerful, and as much as he might hate to admit it, so was Jessa Lareth. It was more that these women managed a sort of power while also dealing with what they were.

  “Did you find her?” he asked.

  “There’s been some word, but I don’t know how much of it will be useful to you.”

  “Why is that?”

  “The place where I hear she’s been brought is difficult to reach.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s home to one of the more dangerous men in the city. Not somebody I’d typically associate with this sort of thing, but everybody has their price, I suppose.”

  “Where is it?”

  “I can bring you near there, but I doubt I can get you too close.”

  “Why not?”

  “Like I said, this is a dangerous place, and we have a sort of agreement with the thief master who runs the compound.”

  That didn’t sound good. If a thief master had gotten hold of Lucy, was there any way for Daniel to get to her? He could Slide, which might be enough to get him access, but once he was there, what then?

  “Do they drug the women they abduct?”

  Kasha cocked her head at him suspiciously. “Almost immediately. Why do you ask?”

  “My friend shouldn’t have been captured so easily. I just wondered if they were drugging her so that she wouldn’t be able to get away.”

  “It’s unfortunate, but I think they’ve had enough bad experiences, mostly because of us,” she said with a smile. “They make a point of administering a harsh sedative to ensure that the women they grab don’t do anything or go anywhere.”

  “Do you know what it is?”

  The information might not help him much, but if he could figure out what they used, perhaps he could find a way to counter it. Lucy would be strong enough to Slide away if she wasn’t drugged. Especially if she didn’t have her bracelets on.

  Could they have removed them? If they had, he couldn’t let the bracelets be left behind. Without some way of suppressing the minds all around her, she would be overwhelmed.

  “We’ve speculated over the years that they use a combination of agents. Depending on which smuggler you find, there are different agents that are involved. Most of them use pretty simple sedatives, but the really skillful ones have access to much more potent medications. Those are the ones we know to watch out for.”

  “How is it that you know so much?”

  “We’ve been at this a long time.”

  Kasha didn’t look that old to him, but he wasn’t a great judge of such things. He found it difficult to believe that she would be all that much into her twenties. “If you’ve been at it so long, how is it that it still happens?”

  She grunted and shook her head. “Men do stupid things.”

  He waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t. “That’s it?”

  “You need me to tell you more? Men do really stupid things. Sometimes they think they can get the better of those they shouldn’t even try with, but the longer we’re at it, the more secure our network becomes, and the harder it is for them to maneuver.”

  “I just don’t understand why anyone would do this.”

  “Because you’re from Elaeavn.”

  He blinked. “You know?”

  She laughed. Her voice was warm and soft, almost flirtatious. How much of it was an act for his benefit and how much of it was really Kasha? He didn’t know, and he wondered if perhaps that wasn’t the point. Maybe she didn’t want him—or anyone—to know.

  “You’re not the first person from Elaeavn to come through here. It’s been a while, but we’ve had others, and we know to keep an eye on them.”

  “Is that why you’re prepared to prevent Reading?” He’d thought it was about the Forgers, but maybe he’d been wrong.

  “Is that why you’re trying to reach into my mind?”

  Daniel shrugged. He’d tried with her each time he’d seen her, and each time, he’d failed. It was the same with the women in the tavern, while most of the men—but not all, he’d been surprised to discover—didn’t protect their thoughts.

  “The one who trained us warned us against that. Your kind aren’t the only ones who have that ability. And we’re not the only ones who’ve learned to defeat it. There are some who are too powerful for us, though, and we simply do our best to avoid them.”

  “What others?”

  “Others,” she said.

  He knew she had to mean the Forgers. If they were involved, and if they moved through cities like this, what else could he learn about them?

  “How often do these others come through here?”

  “Often enough that we try to avoid them.”

  “We were attacked by them. If they’re the same people, that is.”

  Her gaze drifted to where his sword rested against the wall. “If you were attacked by them, then you’re lucky to be alive. We know to avoid them. It’s because of them the damn fools think to keep moving women through here. They put a price on them, especially exotic ones.”

  His breath caught. Could that be why Lucy had been abducted by slavers? If they were after exotic girls, it made a sick sort of sense. They would want to abduct and use those from Elaeavn. But use them for what?

  “Can you help me find where they brought her?”

  “I can’t, but another can.”

  “Who?”

  “You’ll meet them at midnight.”

  “Where do I meet them?”

  “How much do you know of Eban?”

  “Practically nothing.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of. There’s a river that runs through the city. Head along the river, making your way north, and you’ll come to a manor house. You’ll know it when you see it. There aren’t any others like it. Wait there.”

  “Along the river?”

  She nodded.

  Midnight. It seemed a dangerous time to be out in the city—especially this city—but if he wanted to find out what had happened to Lucy, he had to be willing to chase them down.

  Daniel breathed out. “Thank you.”

  “I’m not sure you want to thank me. If you go with them, it will be dangerous. I don’t want you to think this is going to be easy. But the person you’re going to meet is willing to go with you, and they’re willing to help you, so know that you are getting the best help you possibly could.”

  “Who is it? Who am I meeting?”

  “A person by the name of Rayen.”

  There was something about the way she said it that left Daniel a little uncomfortable. “How will I know them?”

  “Don’t worry. They’ll find you.”

  Kasha pulled the door closed. Daniel took a seat on the bed, looking at the bare walls. The room was plain, simple, and as Kasha had promised, the bed was clean. For that he had to be thankful. He imagined there were plenty of other rooms that were much less clean, and this one at least didn’t make him feel as if he were sleeping on filth. He stared at the wall while dressing, and then made his way back down to the main part of the tavern.
He took a seat and one of the women brought him a tray of food, nodding to him knowingly before scurrying off. Daniel picked at it, his mind little more than a blank, wondering what might be asked of him.

  When he finished his food, he pushed the tray off to the side. Someone had brought him a mug of ale, and he hadn’t even noticed. He ignored it. He didn’t want his mind foggy when he went to meet with this Rayen. He didn’t know what would be demanded of him, but it was possible they would try to complete this task tonight.

  If they did, did that mean they would be able to leave?

  If he managed to rescue Lucy, he could bring her back to the tavern. He thought he could Slide here. Then they should head to Elaeavn, but knowing Lucy, she’d probably want to push onward to Asador.

  The minstrel from the night before began playing, and Daniel decided it was time to leave. It might not be quite midnight, but it had to be late enough that he could go after this person, and at least search for them and be ready for the possibility that they would find him sooner.

  At this time of night, the street was mostly quiet. Every so often, he noticed people moving along the street, and he froze, ducking off to hide in shadows. He considered Sliding, but not knowing how much energy he would need for later, he refrained. He might need it later tonight, and he didn’t want to have any limitations on his abilities.

  He passed a pair of men leading a younger woman between them. A part of him wanted to intervene, but he believed that the others were doing something on her behalf. He had to believe that. The women in the tavern—or others like her—would be able to help.

  He found the river as Kasha had described and followed it north. It burbled softly, reminding him of the river running through the middle of the Aisl. For all he knew, this was the same river. In the distance, he saw the manor house.

  Daniel moved more slowly now, not quite certain what he’d find as he neared the manor house. Maybe there would be sentries watching, or maybe there was nothing.

  Could this be the place Lucy had been brought? Kasha had said a thief master had her, but he didn’t know if the thief master or someone else lived in the manor house. And if it was the thief master, how would they live in a place like this, and so openly?

  There was much about this city that he didn’t understand.

  He found a tree and waited behind it. It was near enough to the manor house that he could keep an eye on that and on any movement in and out. His Sight allowed him to see better in the darkness, but he didn’t notice anything. Thinking of how Lucy’s Sight had improved following her attack, he wondered what he might have been able to See with those augmentations. Then again, he didn’t want anything like that. She had no control, and if there was anything his father had taught him, it was that control made the man.

  “Are you him?”

  The voice startled him, and Daniel jerked around, spinning to see a petite dark-haired woman watching him. She had eyes that were as black as the night, and it seemed almost as if shadows swirled around her.

  “Who are you?”

  “You look like the man I was told to meet. You’re a little jumpier than I expected.”

  “Jumpier?”

  “I was told you might be interested in rescuing a lady friend of yours, but I’m not sure someone as jumpy as you will be the best fit for that.”

  “Are you Rayen?”

  “Ah. You are him. Still jumpy, though.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you to sneak up on me in the darkness.”

  “What were you expecting?”

  He studied her. This was the best person for the job of rescuing Lucy? He would rather have a dozen soldiers to storm into the house and grab her. “I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t expecting anything. I was told to meet you here and that you would be able to help me find my friend.”

  “Your Elaeavn friend.”

  Daniel nodded. “We’re both from Elaeavn.”

  There was no use in denying it when Kasha had already commented on it. He suspected that everyone within her network knew.

  “Is everybody from there as jumpy as you?”

  “No.”

  “So. Just you, then.”

  “I’m not always jumpy.”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  She made a circle around him as if sizing him up. Her gaze unsettled him a little, especially the appraising way she looked at him. It was as if she were trying to decide how much she should offer for some animal at the market. When she came to stand in front of him, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What sort of skills do you have?”

  “That’s not really a proper question to ask.”

  Rayen grunted. “Proper or not, if we’re going to work together, I need to know what sort of talents you have.”

  “Do I get the same courtesy?”

  “Oh, it’s a courtesy now?”

  “I just thought—”

  Rayen chuckled, cutting him off. “Not only jumpy, but uptight. You might at least entertain me if you don’t die.”

  “I don’t intend to die.”

  “None of us intend to die. Sometimes we don’t have a whole lot of choice in it, especially when we are facing people like Tern.”

  “Tern?”

  “He’s the fool who thought to capture your friend. Most of the time, he doesn’t dabble in such things, which tells me he must have believed he could get away with it. I can’t believe he really thought we wouldn’t find out.”

  “You mean your network?”

  “The Binders, yes. You need to keep up with this.”

  He’d not heard a name for the network, though he’d suspected there would be one. More surprising was that he had never considered himself dimwitted, but the way she looked at him made him feel as if he were a step—or a dozen—behind her. It unsettled him.

  “I thought I was keeping up. I’m not really sure about any of this.”

  “That’s obvious. Now, are you going to share with me what skills you have, or do I have to just make them up? If that’s the case, you have the power of being jumpy and also being a little annoying.”

  “What?”

  “Fine. You could be a lot annoying. It’s time to talk, tall guy.”

  “I’m one of the Elvraeth. I have many abilities.”

  “Sight?” He nodded. “Reading?” He nodded. “Listening? That one’s less common, from what I understand, even in your city.”

  Her knowledge of the Elvraeth unsettled him more. “I’m a weak Listener.”

  “Yeah. Most men are. What about the other? Are you a Seer?”

  Haern nodded. “Not as good as some, but I have the ability.”

  “Interesting. What do you See for us moving forward?”

  “It doesn’t work like that for me. I need inspiration.”

  She chuckled. “Your life and your friend’s aren’t inspiration enough? Gods, I’d hate to see what it takes for you to get inspired. Let’s see, what are we missing? I’ll be honest, it’s been a while since I spent much time trying to understand the abilities found in your city.”

  “There are some others, but they’re a little different.”

  “So you’re saying you’re mostly unimpressive for your kind.”

  “I can Slide.”

  “Really?” She leaned toward him, looking up at him. “What’s that like?”

  Daniel wasn’t sure how much to show her, but if this was the person who was going to help him save Lucy, then he needed to work with her. There was something odd about her, and he wasn’t entirely certain he could trust her.

  “It’s a way of traveling between places. I can—”

  “I understand what Sliding is. I’m asking what it’s like.”

  He stared at her for a moment. “It’s like this.” Daniel focused on the spot just in front of her and Slid. He only moved a few steps, not very far at all, and when he emerged, she had spun around to face him.

  How had she known where he was going to emerge?

  She shouldn’t have. Th
ere was no way for anyone to know where he was going to emerge before he did so—unless they had the gift of Sight. Could she have some enhanced Sight? There were others who had it besides the people from Elaeavn. Maybe she had some of the abilities of the Forgers.

  “That’s it? I was expecting something a little more impressive.”

  “More impressive than transporting myself from one place to another?”

  She shrugged. “A little more impressive than that.”

  “Sorry I disappointed you.”

  “I’m sorry, too. It’s too bad this is all you have. I’m not sure it’s going to be enough to go and get your friend.”

  “If this Tern has her, I can’t leave her behind.”

  Rayen shook her head. “If Tern has her, and you go in with only this ability, you’re going to end up on the wrong side of things. I thought maybe you had a few more abilities. There were stories about people from Elaeavn, rumors that they had trained, but you don’t strike me like that.”

  What was he supposed to say? He knew enough to be useful, and he wasn’t leaving Lucy behind.

  “Listen. I’m going in regardless. You can decide whether or not you want to help me, but I’m not staying back and waiting for them to do whatever they might do to her.”

  Rayen watched him before smiling. “Well. I guess that’s your choice. Let’s have at it.”

  “You’re going to help?”

  “I’m not going to let you wander in there and die, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “What makes you think I would die?”

  “Someone like you? You haven’t been in a real fight before. You do this alone and you’ll end up on the wrong end of one of Tern’s blades. It’d be a shame if that happened before I got a chance to understand your Sliding.”

  “I’ve been in a fight.”

  “A real fight?”

  Daniel wasn’t sure how to answer. “I’ve trained with some of the finest swordsmen in the world.”

  She laughed. “That’s your fight? Trust me when I tell you that training is different than a real fight.”

  This Tern couldn’t be nearly as bad as the Forgers. The Forgers had strange augmentations that allowed them to do things that others could not. It was more than what this Tern would have, a man who had to be no more than just a local criminal.