The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  “You still haven’t told me what that purpose is.”

  “They come to meet with others like me.”

  Carth moved away from the wall and pushed through the crowd. She didn’t have to push very hard; it seemed almost as if people moved out of her way without really noticing that they did so.

  What sort of influence did Carth have on them? How was she able to control them in such a way?

  “Do you see her?”

  “I saw her. She was subtle this time. Much subtler than I was expecting.”

  “What was she doing?”

  Carth slipped forward along the shadows, and Daniel had to Slide to keep up with her. “She’s remaining shielded with her shadows. She’s grown far more competent in the time since I worked with her.”

  “I don’t see her.”

  “I thought you had enhanced vision. Don’t all Elvraeth have such an ability?”

  “We do, but everybody’s connection to it is a little bit different. Mine is not necessarily the strongest of my abilities.”

  Carth crept along one of the walls. People in front of her again moved silently out of her way, and Daniel wondered if she used her connection to the shadows to move them.

  “I don’t see—”

  Carth surged forward before Daniel had a chance to finish. Shadows burst out of her almost in a cloud, and a thick band of darkness swirled out from her.

  Carefully, he moved closer, fearing what he might discover in the midst of those shadows but wanting to see what Carth had uncovered.

  He found her leaning on a table. The closer he got, the easier it was for him to see. Rayen sat at the table, attempting to look relaxed, but the tension in her shoulders and around her eyes suggested that she was anything but calm.

  “I see he found you,” Rayen said, glancing over to Daniel. There was a half-smile on her face, and her eyes fixed on him, glaring.

  What would happen to him if Carth weren’t here? Rayen had considerable talents. He’d seen that when dealing with the break-in, so he knew she wouldn’t be afraid of his ability to Slide or any of his Elvraeth gifts. For that matter, she didn’t fear much of anything. Only… it seemed as if she feared Carth.

  “He found me, but he shouldn’t have had to search for me himself.”

  “Well, you’ve been gone for quite some time, so the rest of us had to make our own way.”

  “Do you believe that you’ve been making your way?”

  “I believe that I’ve done what’s necessary, Carth. Isn’t that what you taught me to do?”

  “I taught you to protect those who work with us.”

  “And I’ve done that.”

  “You protected your own interests, not those of the Binders.”

  “My interests are the same as those of the Binders.”

  “I’m not so sure anymore.”

  Rayen lunged, but Carth barely blinked. Shadows coalesced around Rayen, and she tried to push them away, but either she wasn’t strong enough or she didn’t have the same control as Carth.

  “Did you intend to attack me here?” Carth asked.

  “You know I wouldn’t attack you,” Rayen said.

  “I’m not sure what I know. It’s been a while since I knew anything about my network.”

  “It’s not your network anymore. We’ve become something else.”

  “The network hasn’t changed—only those who decided to take control of it. And if you believe it’s become something else, then you no longer serve the Binders the way that I taught you.”

  Rayen tried to fight through whatever it was Carth did to hold her in place, but Carth was too powerful. She merely watched Rayen, disappointment etched on her face.

  “What did you hope to gain, bringing him here?”

  “I hope to gain a measure of peace. Isn’t that what you taught us?” Rayen glanced to Daniel. “We use whatever resources we have in order to ensure peace. You taught us how to make those bargains, Carth. It’s because of you that we had the peace we did.”

  “It was temporary, and it was never meant to last.”

  “Even more reason to have done what we did.” She focused on Daniel, not taking her gaze away from him. He wanted to back away, to move behind Carth, but he was afraid to do anything. How many of the women in the tavern were with Rayen? He’d overheard her conversation, so he knew she had all of the connections here but didn’t know how many people would side with Rayen and how many would side with Carth, especially as most of the Binders regarded Carth as something bordering on mythical.

  “He’s here. Did you know that?” Rayen asked. “The person you care about even more than your network.”

  Carth glared at her. “You know nothing.”

  “I know much more than you think. In the time you’ve been missing, I’ve come to know your secrets. Many of us have. We don’t fear you as we did before.”

  “I never wanted you to fear me. I wanted only to work together.”

  “Together? When you taught me, you made it clear that we operated out of a position of strength. You wanted to use that strength to ensure that we maintained our position. We gathered information.” Rayen laughed bitterly. “Information. Can you believe that? You wanted us to accumulate knowledge but never to act on it.”

  “Because acting on it involves choices that most in the network were not prepared to make.”

  “And you were?”

  “I have.”

  Rayen glared at her. “You’ve been away long enough that others have decided to take a different approach. You taught us that the network matters above all else. And because of that…”

  Rayen stood. Carth staggered back. The shadows around both of them parted.

  “You see, I haven’t spent the last few years simply running your network for you, Carth. I’ve spent the last few years using your network. Using the knowledge to grow stronger. And, if I detect right, you have grown weaker. It happens to the best of us—or so I’ve been told.”

  Rayen took a step toward Carth. Powers seemed to surge off her, and Carth staggered back, pushing her hands up. Shadows thickened around them, but somehow, Rayen managed to ignore them.

  “What are you doing?” Carth asked.

  “Only what needs to be done. The Binders are mine, Carth. And you are a relic of a time before.”

  She took a step toward Carth, pushing out with the shadows. Carth resisted, but there seemed to be only so much she could do to oppose Rayen.

  It had been an act. All of that. Rayen was powerful and seemed to be as well connected to the shadows as Carth.

  “What have you done?” Carth asked.

  “What have I done?” Rayen stalked toward Carth.

  Carth held her within the shadows for a moment, but it didn’t last. Rayen shrugged them off, continuing forward. Whereas Carth had a certain grace and fluidity, Rayen seemed to possess sheer strength. She managed to overpower whatever it was Carth did.

  “I’ve done what is necessary.”

  “You’re the reason Lareth is missing.”

  Rayen grinned. “It was a trade. That was what you taught us to do, isn’t it? You taught us to position ourselves so that we ensure our safety. I’ve only done what you’ve taught, Carth.”

  “There is no bargaining with them. You might think you understand what they’re after, but they will manipulate you.”

  “Yes. Because everything is a game to you. Well, this isn’t a game. This is our lives. This is my life. The lives of others. You might not believe what he’s done, but I do. I’ve seen it. And I’m willing to end it.”

  She took another step toward Carth, and Daniel decided not to wait.

  He grabbed Carth and Slid out of the tavern, emerging once more along the shores.

  When he released Carth, she simply stood there.

  “Carth?” Daniel asked.

  “She betrayed everything I taught her.”

  “If she’s the reason Rsiran is missing, then we should grab her and figure out what they did wi
th him.”

  Carth frowned. “I’m not sure that we can.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m not sure I’m strong enough for it. She’s right. I have lost my touch. My abilities have diminished, and my control over the shadows isn’t what it was. And my connection to the flame…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I was barely able to withstand her there, and I sensed the power within her. She has much more strength than she had the last time I was around her. Either she’s been training or…”

  “Or what?”

  “Or she has bargained with the Forgers for more.”

  Daniel swallowed. “What now?”

  “Now we find the one person who might be able to help me.”

  “I take it that’s not Rsiran.”

  “Rsiran has his own unique abilities, but for what I need, and what is coming, I need someone with a very different set of skills.”

  “Who?”

  “The very man she claims is in Asador.”

  31

  Haern

  This section of Asador was seedier than some of the others, and Galen moved through here as if it were no different than the Floating Palace in Elaeavn. He seemed far more comfortable than Haern would have expected given where he’d come from. Buildings were squished together here, and the streets were much narrower than in other parts of the city, the crowds thicker, leaving him pushing up against Galen. Every so often, the other man glanced over at Haern and made a face.

  “Are you sure we can leave them bound in that room?” Haern asked. They had administered a specific type of poison that Galen had mixed. He’d talked Haern through the whole process, having him do the mixing, though Haern doubted he’d be able to recreate it.

  “They aren’t going anywhere. The effect of what I gave them will linger for at least six hours, and even when it wears off, they won’t be able to Slide away. That’s one of the benefits of that particular compound. It removes abilities from those who have them.”

  “That’s the one you mentioned my father had experience with.”

  “It is.”

  Haern looked over to Galen. Such a thing sounded horrible, and it was surprising that he would have such knowledge. “Even from Forgers?” It seemed to Haern that the Forgers’ abilities would be different than those of the people from Elaeavn. He didn’t quite know how, but they had to have a different source.

  “Even for Forgers. A lot of their abilities stem from those within Elaeavn, so regardless of what they think, they’re just as likely to have the same response.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve faced enough of the Hjan over the years to know. The Forgers use the same techniques to acquire their abilities.”

  They stopped at one end of the street and Galen paused, tilting his head to the side as he listened to the sounds of the city around them. Haern simply watched. If only he had more abilities. Even something like Listening might be better than his Sight. But he didn’t, and as far as he knew, Galen didn’t either.

  “Are you a Listener?” Haern asked.

  “I’m not, but there’s a certain flow and energy to places like this. The longer you spend in them, the more you get to know it.”

  “I didn’t think you’d been to Asador for a while.”

  “You don’t need to be from a city to recognize the energy of it. It’s a feeling. It comes from the people within it. Some parts of the city have a different energy than others. When you start to pay attention to it, you begin to notice how that energy moves, flowing throughout the city.”

  “Couldn’t it flow us to a nicer part of the city?”

  “This might not be the nicest section of the city, but it has a vibrancy to it. I suspect we’ll find more information here than what we would in some of the nicer parts.”

  Galen guided them down the street and away from where they were staying. Not too far from here, they would encounter the docks, and as he listened, Haern heard the sound of waves crashing in the distance, just loud enough to let him know they were approaching them.

  They paused before Galen guided them toward a building with some activity around it. Another tavern. Galen took a seat at a table in the corner, putting his back against the wall. Haern could see the appeal in keeping oneself covered, although it forced Haern to sit with his back exposed.

  “What are you hoping to find here? Didn’t you already try to get word out to her?”

  Galen had warned him not to mention Carth by name, lest he draw attention to them.

  “I thought I would find out how accurate that was. When we stopped in before, we didn’t spend much time, but it seemed as if the network was still active.”

  “And what if it’s not?”

  “Then it tells me the Forgers are right. And that we might not be able to find your father.”

  “There has to be some way of finding him.”

  “Finding him in time is the key,” Galen said. “If the Forgers have him, there’s only so long he’ll be able to resist what they intend for him. Your father is incredibly skilled and powerful, but everybody has limits. Even him.”

  A woman approached, flashing a wide smile as she leaned forward on the table. Galen fixed her with a grin, leaning toward her. “What can I get for you boys?” the woman asked.

  “I was hoping for a mug of something tasty and maybe a warm bed.”

  “I can help you with the mug, but you’ll have to take care of the other on your own.”

  “You can’t offer me anything?” Galen asked.

  “Well… what do you have in mind?”

  “I have money,” Galen said.

  “Do you? Then I’ll bring you the ale and then we can talk about the other.”

  She sauntered off, and Haern turned over to Galen. “What was that about?”

  “It’s my way of finding out how much of the network remains.”

  “A network of prostitutes?”

  “Prostitutes. Informants. Waitresses. Cooks.” He shrugged. “In Asador, they had all sorts of people working with them. I don’t know how extensive the network is, so I thought I would try the most basic part of it. The women were how they first began to acquire information.”

  “These women were willing to sell themselves?”

  “These women were in control. They had a choice, and many preferred this to alternatives, especially when it meant they were involved in ensuring the safety of others. Living in Asador could be dangerous—or at least it used to be dangerous. I don’t know if it still is. Many of these great cities aren’t so great, when it comes down to taking care of people without any means. Having a choice, being able to decide how you will use yourself—if at all—is incredibly powerful. That’s something that not too many understood.”

  Haern couldn’t imagine what the women had gone through. Was that what it had been like for his mother? She had been outside the city for a time. Maybe that was why she was so hardened.

  The woman returned. Two others followed behind her, both of them young, smiling widely, and took a seat at the table. The first woman set two mugs of ale down in front of them. “This is Becky, and this is Ray. They thought you two boys looked lonely over here.”

  “Thank you,” Galen said.

  When the waitress disappeared, Becky—a buxom blonde woman with broad cheeks—leaned toward Galen. “So which of you is ready to play?”

  Ray had dark hair, dark skin, and a slim figure, and she sat silently watching them.

  “How about both of us?” Galen asked.

  With a flourish, he flicked two of his darts, and they sank into the shoulders of each woman.

  “What are you doing?” Haern asked, backing away.

  The women slumped forward.

  Galen shook his head. “Now is not the time to question. This is how we determine how effective this network is.”

  “By attacking these women?”

  “By testing. I need you to grab one of them. Preferably Becky. She’s a little bigger, and I’m
not as strong as I used to be.”

  “Galen—”

  “Not now. All we need to do is bring them outside the tavern. I don’t intend to harm them.”

  Had Haern not spent the last few days with Galen, he might have questioned that, but he truly didn’t think Galen intended to hurt them. But why risk it? What did he think to gain by carrying these women out?

  Haern scooped Becky up and started toward the door. Galen followed behind him, shuffling quickly.

  “Move,” Galen said.

  “I’m trying.”

  “You need to try a little faster. It seems as if they remained just as organized as I had hoped.”

  Haern glanced over his shoulder and saw three women heading toward them. One of them was their waitress, and the smile she’d worn when coming to their table was gone. The other two had hands underneath their aprons, and they went straight at them.

  Haern reached the door and pushed out of it, guiding Becky with him. Galen came after, and once they were back out in the darkened street, the air stinking of fish and the sea, he waited.

  “Around the corner and into the alley,” Galen said.

  “There isn’t much of a corner.”

  “There’s enough of one. Go.”

  Galen guided him, and they headed along the street until they reached a narrow alley. At that point, Haern glanced back to see three women appear at the door to the tavern. They searched along the street, and he ducked into the alley, hopefully before the women noticed him.

  “What now?”

  “We can leave these two here,” Galen said.

  “What if somebody else jumps them?”

  “They won’t.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “We can put them at the end of the alley, and no one will even know they were here.”

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

  “Move them, and I’ll keep an eye on where they go.”