The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  Rayen started along the street, drawing shadows around her, hiding her presence. They followed, Galen taking the lead and moving quickly, with Haern keeping pace. When she turned a corner, the street began to empty out, and he wondered if she had detected their presence. They were heading toward a more central part of the city, away from the docks, and rows of taverns would be found a street or two over by the sounds drifting out from them.

  “I know you’re up there, Lareth,” she said, calling up to the rooftop.

  Galen leaned close and pressed his mouth to Haern’s ear. “Don’t let her know I’m here,” he whispered.

  Haern jumped, landing in front of her.

  “How long have you been following me?”

  “Long enough.”

  “Am I so interesting to you that you need to pursue me?”

  He shrugged. “I just wanted to know what you were doing.”

  “And what did you discover?”

  “Who were you meeting with?”

  “No one.”

  “It wasn’t no one. Who was it?”

  She glared at him. “You wanted to find your friend.”

  “I did. I do.”

  “I went to a contact of mine.”

  Should he tell her that he had been listening in? Rayen didn’t strike him as the kind of person who would take such a thing well. But if she had discovered the guards down outside the back entrance, she would know that someone had been there.

  “And?”

  “And it will take some time.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “It matters. I thought you were doing whatever you could to ensure the safety of the Binders.”

  “I am. Just because I asked for this information doesn’t mean I’m any less invested in ensuring the safety of my people.”

  Haern watched her with a concerned expression. “What about the safety of my people?”

  “You aren’t responsible for the safety of your people.”

  The words stung, but they were no less true. “I might not be the one responsible for it, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to help them. And I don’t know about what happened between you and Carth, only that the two of you should work together rather than apart.”

  “You don’t know anything about Carth and me. And you can’t know anything.”

  Haern glanced up to the roofline. Where was Galen? He had a suspicion that Galen wouldn’t interfere unless Haern was in real danger.

  Rayen watched him for a moment before pulling shadows around her.

  “Wait.”

  Through the thickness of the shadows, he heard her muted voice. “You didn’t come alone. I’m not waiting here for you and him to attack me.”

  “I don’t want to attack you. I want to work with you. I think we could work together.”

  “I’m not working with anyone but the Binders.”

  With that, the shadows thickened, and he hurried forward, trying to navigate through them. But there was no sign of her.

  Rayen had disappeared.

  38

  Daniel

  Daniel rolled off to the side, worried that the pain in his back would make it difficult for him to see who had approached, but surprisingly, there wasn’t nearly as much pain as he had expected. He hadn’t known what had struck him, and a part of him feared that it was a Forger weapon, but there didn’t seem to be any evidence for that.

  Carth stood behind him. She stared at the auburn-haired woman, saying nothing for a moment. “Get up,” she said to him.

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “You don’t have any choice. Get up.”

  Daniel got slowly to his feet, grabbing the sword that had clattered to the cobblestones, and backed up so that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Carth.

  “What are you doing here?” Carth asked him.

  “I followed her.”

  “How is it that you even knew to follow her?”

  “I…”

  He looked over at the woman. She studied Daniel, saying nothing, and he could see from her expression that she wanted the same answers as Carth. Why was he here? What had brought him to this part of the city? And Daniel wasn’t certain he could answer in a way that would satisfy either of them.

  “She has someone held captive,” he said.

  The auburn-haired woman stiffened.

  “How do you know that?” Carth asked.

  “I overheard it.”

  “Where?”

  Daniel let out a slight sigh. “The university.”

  “You went to the university?”

  “I saw shadows. I thought it was you.”

  “It could have been Rayen.”

  “I realize that. I didn’t know who it was at the time and thought that I needed to determine who it might be.”

  “Were you there when I was?”

  Daniel nodded.

  “I detected someone Sliding toward the university but didn’t know who it was.”

  “Who did you think it was?”

  “There are many with that ability, especially these days. The people you call the Forgers have seen to that. You should not have gone into that place.”

  “I didn’t realize the university was dangerous.”

  “The university is not. The people who play at scholarship are.”

  “And who are they?”

  “They call themselves the C’than. They have attempted to intervene in ways they should not.”

  “You were once a part of the C’than,” the woman said.

  “I was, until I knew better,” Carth said.

  “Do you think they have Lareth?”

  The auburn-haired woman watched him, saying nothing, but at the mention of Lareth’s name, she started to turn away.

  Carth chuckled. “I would have said no, but considering her response, I wonder if perhaps they have more to do with his disappearance than even I realized.”

  “Why would they have been responsible for it at all?”

  “They should not have been,” Carth said.

  The woman continued to back away. Carth slipped forward, carried on her shadows. She watched the other woman.

  “Where is he?” Carth said.

  “You don’t know what you’re asking about.”

  “I know exactly what I’m asking about, Alera. Where is he?”

  The woman hesitated, then took off running for the building.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked Carth.

  “If she knows anything about where Lareth has gone, I need to go after her.”

  “By yourself?”

  “I would rather it not be only me, but I’m not sure I have much choice.”

  “I can go with you.”

  Carth shot him a pointed look. “You are untrained.”

  “Just because I’m untrained doesn’t mean that I can’t be of any use. I can Slide.”

  “Even in there?” Carth asked.

  Daniel stood at the entrance to the small courtyard leading up to the building. Beyond this wall, his ability to Slide was limited. He shook his head. “Not in there I can’t.”

  “The C’than have ways of limiting Sliding. They use it as a trap.”

  “That’s why I couldn’t get out once I got to the university?”

  “That would be the reason. It’s the same reason you would have struggled leaving this place.”

  Daniel swallowed. “What can I do?”

  Carth continued to prowl forward. Shadows swirled around her like a cloak. “Nothing.” She paused, cocking her head to the side. “That’s not quite true. Find Galen and bring him here.”

  Daniel could only nod. He wasn’t able to fight the way Carth could, and without his ability to Slide, what could he do?

  He Slid, emerging where he had last seen Haern, but the rooftop was empty. He considered the room where they held the Forgers and Slid there, emerging within it. He looked around the room and saw one of the Forg
ers—but not the other.

  Great Watcher!

  The Forger lay motionless, and blood pooled by the side of his head.

  Had Galen returned and killed the man? There had been no reason for him to attack in such a way, but what if he had? Where was the other one?

  It was possible they had moved him.

  If they had, it wouldn’t be safe for him to remain here.

  How would he find Haern? How would he find Galen?

  Daniel Slid, appearing in the street outside of the tavern, and ducked inside. It was well lit at this time of day, and there were boisterous voices carrying through it. A singer and a lute player added to the vibrancy. Servers moved in and out, weaving through the tavern. All of them had to be Binders, and all working on behalf of Rayen. He scanned the tavern quickly, searching for anything that might suggest where he could find Galen, but there was nothing.

  Daniel’s heart hammered more quickly. The longer he waited, the harder it would be for Galen to help.

  He grabbed for one of the serving girls, smiling at her broadly. She had dark skin and black hair, and a wide smile that hid her concern.

  “I’m looking for the two men renting a room above.”

  Her eyes tightened. “I haven’t seen them.”

  “If you do, please, let them know that I need them.”

  She flashed a wider smile. “And why would I have any interest in doing that? Perhaps you should just have a mug of ale, relax, and—”

  “Because Carth and Rayen are in danger,” he blurted out.

  It didn’t matter which of the two was more important to the women. All that mattered to him was that they respond. He didn’t need to get in the middle of some Binder battle, just ensure that someone helped.

  Her entire demeanor changed. “What do you know?”

  “I don’t know what’s taking place within your network,” he started. “Honestly, I’m not sure that I care. All I know is that Rayen helped me, and she and Carth have had some sort of falling out. Either way, I’m not sure it really matters.”

  The woman stared at him. “It matters.”

  “Fine. It matters, but what matters more is that Carth is in danger. I suspect the Binders still care about her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have reacted that way. And I need to find the older of the two men who are staying in that room. When I do, we can get help.”

  “I will send word,” she said.

  Daniel breathed out a quick word of thanks, but she was already gone.

  He couldn’t stay here, and without knowing how to find Galen, he didn’t want to stay.

  That meant returning to Carth.

  Daniel stepped back onto the street and Slid back to the building where he had left Carth. There was no sign of any activity, and the squat building was darkened.

  He unsheathed his sword and strode into the courtyard.

  It was a mistake, but now that he was here, he knew he would be able to Slide. There was no restriction on that once he was on the other side of the wall. But that wasn’t all that he wanted to do.

  He needed to help Carth.

  He reached the door and threw it open.

  The inside of the building was completely dark. He had hoped for some of the small glowing orbs like the ones he’d found within the university, but there was only darkness. Without his enhanced eyesight, he might have been completely unable to see; as it was, he could just make out stairs in the distance.

  Was he willing to head down there without knowing where he was going?

  There was nothing in here other than that emptiness. In order to find out what had happened to Carth, he was going to have to head down the stairs.

  Daniel Slid forward. When he emerged, he hesitated a moment, looking into the darkness and seeing a landing far below, before deciding to Slide down the stairs.

  The walls were rough and damp, seemingly carved out of stone. The air had a moist quality to it, and there was a strange odor here. He Slid toward the light in the distance.

  When he emerged, he found more stairs leading farther down below. He hurried down them.

  Could Carth and Alera have come this way?

  If they had Lareth down here, he would find him.

  He continued down the stairs, taking them two at a time. There was no light, no way to know where he was going, and he wouldn’t Slide until he could See more clearly.

  He went by feel, running his hands along the wall, the stone slippery and smooth. Eventually, the stairs grew steeper.

  How deep would this go?

  The darkness was overwhelming. He felt as if he was descending into the depths of the earth itself and worried he wouldn’t be able to get back out. Was there anything in the wall that would prevent him from Sliding?

  The stairs ended.

  Daniel hesitated. There was nothing visible, just more of the same overwhelming darkness. Even his enhanced eyesight didn’t give him any advantage here, and as he looked around, searching for answers, none came to him.

  The darkness might be nothing more than Carth. Perhaps she used her connection to the shadows to make it so that this Alera couldn’t harm her.

  He nearly stumbled.

  More stairs.

  Had he not been gliding his foot slowly across the ground, he might have missed it. Thankfully, he’d realized that the drop-off was there, and he paused, looking into the darkness.

  Faint flickers of light caught his attention far below.

  He turned behind him. Could he Slide out if it were necessary? Now that he’d been here, he knew how to find this place again, and he decided to attempt to Slide back to the top of the stairs.

  He emerged back in the main part of the building.

  And he wasn’t alone.

  Two men stood guard on either side of the door.

  They noticed his sudden appearance and turned toward him, both holding long, slender rods.

  Forgers.

  Daniel panicked.

  He Slid back to the staircase, back to the drop-off into the depths of darkness, and felt a strange stirring behind him. It might be nothing more than wind, but the air was still, and he shouldn’t detect anything within the darkened tunnels like this.

  Not wanting to wait too long, he Slid, emerging near the light.

  And again, he wasn’t alone.

  In the distance, he could see Carth, surrounded by five others. They all held long, slender rods, and they pointed them at Carth.

  Shadows pushed against them. Carth used the shadows like a physical thing and was able to hold back the weapons—but for how long? She was strong, but he knew her strength was waning.

  Where was Alera?

  “You shouldn’t have come,” a voice said to his left.

  Daniel spun and saw Alera with two metallic objects in her hands. She pointed them at him, and he Slid, emerging behind her. She spun around, and he Slid again, emerging once again behind her.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Stability,” she said.

  “Caving to the Forgers and the Ai’thol isn’t stability.”

  He Slid, emerging near the stairs. Movement behind him caught his attention, and he Slid again, appearing behind Alera.

  “You know so little. The C’than have long supported stability in the world. That has been our mission.”

  “Mission? How so?”

  “We seek to ensure that power is evenly distributed. When Lareth emerged, he disrupted that. And now they use him to destroy. Removing him restores stability.”

  Daniel Slid again, not wanting to stay in one place for too long. The two Forgers who had been up in the building had found their way down, probably Sliding.

  Every Slide took energy from him, whereas the Forgers’ abilities didn’t seem to have much in the way of limitations.

  “Where is he?”

  “Lareth is in a place no one can reach.”

  “Held by the C’than and not the Forgers?”

  The two Forgers lunged toward him, and Daniel Slid,
reaching the staircase, putting the darkness behind him. It was a terrible location. He wouldn’t be able to stay there for long.

  “Handing Lareth over to the Forgers is a bargaining chip,” she said. “Your people understood that. They understood that he is the reason so many suffer. The Ai’thol have used his reputation, twisting it, and we have to end it. Your people only needed the proper motivation.”

  “My people…”

  Daniel thought he understood. This was who the tchalit had met with—who his father had sent them to meet with. Which meant that his father was complicit in what had happened to Lareth.

  Anger flashed within him. His own people—the Elvraeth—had been a part of everything that had happened.

  “You should not have gotten involved.”

  Daniel spun and barely avoided an attack off to his right. He Slid, and this time he emerged near Carth.

  She glanced over at him. “You shouldn’t have returned.”

  “I wasn’t going to leave you.”

  “I told you to find Galen.”

  “I couldn’t find him. I don’t have any way of detecting him.”

  “Then we will fall here.”

  “Can’t you overwhelm them?”

  “There are too many, and they know my weaknesses.”

  “What weaknesses are those?”

  “They are few, but—”

  Carth pushed out in a circle of shadows, thickening them and trying to squeeze down. The Forgers surrounding her resisted, standing strong and tall despite her attack.

  What powers did they have?

  “I can Slide us out of here.”

  “And then what?” Carth asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Lareth is here. I can feel him. You need to reach him.”

  “But—”

  “If you can get to him, he might be able to get us out of here. I will hold them back, but you need to keep moving.”

  “Where?”

  “Down.”

  “Down?”

  Carth nodded, clenching her jaw. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she held her hands off to each side of herself, power swirling away from her. “I’ve tried to figure out how they could hold Lareth without my discovery, and it came to me too late. They had to bury him.”

  “But Lareth has experience in the lorcith mines.”

  “Beneath enough power, anyone can be lost. Lareth himself should have known that.”