The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  And then he saw their swords.

  They unsheathed, moving rapidly, and Rayen practically smiled as she pulled out her own sword, twisting backward, slipping on shadows that swirled around her, though they didn’t conceal her nearly as much as they once had.

  Daniel grabbed for his own sword, preparing to Slide, when three men converged on him. Where had these come from?

  “You’ve made a mistake,” Daniel said.

  “Have we?”

  He Slid, emerging behind the nearest man, kicking outward. The man stumbled forward, and Daniel spun, swinging his sword around in a rapid arc, catching the other man on the arm. He smiled tightly, twisting and forcing Daniel to redirect. He Slid again, righting himself.

  Had he not had the training he’d undergone over the last few months, working with Carth on a regular basis along with others who had significant fighting skills, he might have been outmatched. Not only were they skilled but they seemed able to anticipate where he Slid, tracking his movements.

  It would be a simple matter for him to Slide to Rayen, grab her, and then Slide somewhere else, but doing so took away the opportunity for him to learn more about this attack.

  He Slid, spinning around, bringing his sword in a sharp arc. He jabbed outward, hoping to catch one of the swordsmen in the chest, and just barely managed to do so.

  The other men slipped backward, away from his blade, and Daniel Slid forward, swinging his sword around, spinning the blade as he prepared to attack again.

  Something caught him from behind, and he staggered.

  Sliding as he stumbled, he came out in a roll. When he did, he brought his blade around, pushing outward.

  A sense of energy filled him, something unusual. He tried not to pay that any mind as he continued to spin with the sword, hacking at the man as he came toward him. What he needed was to stop these three.

  And he didn’t know how Rayen was managing.

  Why stay on the ground?

  He took a step, Sliding to the nearest rooftop, pausing for a moment to look down. Rayen seemed to be doing reasonably well, shadows spinning around her and wrapping around each of the other two men, but they were able to part the shadows much more efficiently than Daniel would’ve expected.

  She didn’t need his help, but she did need him to keep these three off her.

  The men gathered themselves, taking the time that he gave them to adjust, and he Slid.

  This time, he appeared in the midst of them. He jabbed, Sliding again, emerging once more on the rooftop, taking a moment to assess the situation before Sliding once more. Back and forth he went, pausing for the barest moment as he did, and adjusting his attack in those moments.

  During one such Slide, he caught one of the men on the arm. He dropped his sword, and Daniel spun, slamming his sword into the man’s chest. He Slid away, taking a moment to focus on the other two. They ignored their fallen partner, and he Slid down to them, attacking the nearest, hacking at his leg before Sliding back. He spun, Sliding to the other side, swinging toward the other man. With only two to focus on, he required less energy, and he was able to dart from place to place, using his connection to Sliding in order to do so.

  One of the men came too close, and Daniel managed to jab his sword into his shoulder. The man switched arms, fighting just as well with his off hand.

  What sort of fighters were these?

  Daniel didn’t have an opportunity to consider it for too long. He had to Slide back, getting away for a moment before darting forward once more. He caught one of the men on the leg, slicing along his thigh. It barely slowed the man.

  He didn’t want to have to kill them, but it appeared as if they weren’t going to give up easily. If he didn’t stop them altogether, they would cut him down, and it seemed as if they would move on to converging upon Rayen.

  Twisting once more, he brought the blade around, catching one of the men on the shoulder. He grunted, staggering off to the side, and Daniel realized that it was the one he’d gotten in the leg.

  A few more Slides, and both men had dropped their swords.

  Daniel glanced at the fallen man before stepping toward them, holding his blade outward. “What is this about?”

  Neither man answered.

  “Why attack us?”

  They weren’t from Elaeavn. Even if their obvious skill with the sword didn’t give that away, the lack of green to their eyes did. More than that, they wore drab-colored cloaks, and their hair was cut short, but there was no scarring as he would have expected for one of the Ai’thol.

  Were they Ai’thol, he would’ve expected a different type of fighting.

  Perhaps they represented the other sort of evil in the world that Rayen suggested existed.

  A soft groan caught his attention, and he Slid to the other end of the street, watching as Rayen wrapped both of the men in shadows, dragging them down. He glanced over his shoulder, but the other two had disappeared.

  “What do you think this was about?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. Neelish sellswords shouldn’t be here.”

  She crouched down next to one of the men, pulling away his sword and then grabbing a pair of knives from sheaths hidden beneath his cloak. She searched him, taking a coin purse off him and then continuing to look for other weapons. When she was satisfied that he had none, she moved on to the other man, removing three knives from him, along with a smaller coin purse.

  “You’re going to take their money?”

  “They would have failed in their mission. They didn’t earn it.”

  Daniel laughed softly. “Why are they here?”

  “That’s the question, isn’t it?”

  She got to her feet, her gaze arcing along the street toward the other fallen sellsword. “You killed him?”

  “I was trying to stay alive.”

  “Carth will be quite disappointed.”

  “That I still live or that I didn’t kill the other two?”

  “That you killed one of the sellswords.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s a story you will have to ask Carth.”

  Rayen’s gaze drifted toward the Floating Palace in the distance. She frowned as she stared. “I know that you don’t wish to go home, but we need answers, and if there are sellswords in the city, we need to see what the ruling Council knows about them.”

  Daniel stared at the fallen sellswords for a moment before turning back to Rayen and finally nodding. “We can go, but I can’t guarantee that they will know anything.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the Elvraeth who live in the palace don’t generally take much of an interest in the rest of the city.”

  “Even though they lead?”

  “Leadership takes many forms.”

  Rayen laughed darkly. “That it does. Come on, Daniel Elvraeth. Let’s see just what your parents know about the workings of their city.”

  25

  Daniel

  Daniel Slid to the courtyard outside of the palace. There was a certain familiarity in coming here, though he had no interest in doing so. The grass that had once been here had long since died away. A few trees grew, though they were pruned so that they didn’t grow too tall, and they remained hidden by the rest of the palace. If they were too large, they would disrupt the image the Elvraeth wanted to maintain, that of the palace floating. These days, the palace’s appearance gave it a certain formidability in the eyes of those within the city.

  “This is it?” Rayen asked, looking around.

  “Were you expecting something more impressive?”

  “The palace of the Elvraeth has something of a reputation,” she said.

  “I’m not sure how much of that reputation is earned and how much of it is manufactured.”

  “Indeed,” she said. “There have long been rumors of powerful Elvraeth councilors, but from what I have witnessed myself, there aren’t all that many, are there?”

  “Not any longer.” There was a
time when he would have denied the accusation. “Are you ready?” he asked.

  Daniel breathed out for a long moment, looking around as he prepared to Slide into the palace. As he attempted to Slide, he met with resistance and released Rayen’s arm.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Daniel looked up at the palace. He motioned to one of the nearest windows. Bars crisscrossed over top of it, blocking access. “Do you see the window there?”

  “I do.”

  “These rooms were designed in a way that should protect against anyone like myself from accessing them.”

  “Heartstone.”

  “It is. It prevents me from Sliding past it.”

  “But it doesn’t protect the castle from everybody.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I suspect Lucy would be able to Slide beyond it, much like Rsiran can.”

  “Are there others who have the same ability?”

  Daniel shrugged. “Most who have any ability to Slide do so frequently and willingly, but there isn’t really a way for them to Slide into the palace.”

  He headed toward the main doors, nodding to a pair of tchalit on either side. They were guards, the sort of guards who looked out for the safety of the Elvraeth family, and traditionally they had been the only ones who had been granted permission to carry swords within the city.

  They stepped in front of him, blocking access.

  “The palace is closed to visitors. You should return in the morning.”

  “I am Daniel Elvraeth. I am permitted entry into the palace.”

  He noticed a hint of hesitation in both of the men. He understood why they would hesitate. His name would be recognized, though they might not know whether he was actually allowed within the palace. For that matter, Daniel didn’t know if he would be allowed entry. It had been so long since he’d been here that perhaps his parents had banished him.

  “Daniel Elvraeth?”

  Daniel nodded.

  The two men stepped aside.

  Rayen glanced over at him, a half smile on her face. He resisted the urge to say something to her, not wanting the kind of comments that he knew she would make. Instead, he strode forward, opening the door and stepping inside the palace.

  It was strange being home, if that was what this was anymore. There was always a sense of pomp and formality about the palace, and it had been designed to elicit a specific response. Marble stretched from wall to wall, with massive pillars rising periodically along the hall. Portraits of the original Elvraeth founders hung along the walls, but mixed in with them were lorcith sculptures of such exquisite detail that he marveled at them, even from this distance. Many of them—probably most of them—had been made by Rsiran Lareth, surprising given his father and others’ view of Lareth.

  Then again, there was no denying his skill with metal. One of the sculptures represented one of the Elder Trees, and it stood on a pedestal at the far end of the hallway, catching a hint of moonlight that drifted into the window. There was something about that sculpture he could feel, almost as if it stored some residual power.

  “My father sits on the Council, but he will be unlikely to share anything with me about the workings of the city.” His mother might, but at this time of night, he would need to awaken her to get those answers, and he didn’t really want to do that. It would be better to come back in the morning, and he considered simply doing that, but the body of the fallen Neelish sellsword suggested that he needed to do something else.

  “Is there anyone else you know?”

  “There is one other person who might be of use. Cael Elvraeth.”

  Rayen snorted. “We should have started there.”

  “You know her?”

  “Carth regards very few people as highly as she views Galen. And because of that, his bride is known to her—and therefore to me.”

  “You could’ve told me that.”

  “I could have, but then we would have missed the opportunity to experience the thrill of battle.”

  “I’m not so sure that was much of a thrill.”

  “Not for the Neelish sellsword who thought to challenge us. You have to admit you enjoyed the challenge.”

  “I didn’t really enjoy it, but…”

  Rayen shrugged. “How else will you improve if you don’t challenge yourself?”

  “By training and sparring,” he said.

  “There is something to be said about a real fight. Sometimes you need to encounter something more, an opportunity to draw out the full ability. If not, then you never really understand your potential.”

  “You have an odd perspective on this.”

  “I have a realistic understanding of the need to continue to improve. There is nothing odd about it.”

  Their feet thudded on the marble as they made their way through the palace. When they reached the end of the hall, Daniel pointed toward the stairs, heading up. It would’ve been easier for him to Slide, and he thought that he might be able to do so within the palace, now that the heartstone wasn’t trying to prevent him from accessing it, but there was a part of him—probably the Elvraeth part that he’d been raised to respect—which warned him off from trying to Slide through the palace itself.

  When they reached the landing, he continued up. He knew where to find Cael Elvraeth, though he had never sought her out during his time in the palace.

  “If Galen is here, maybe we can ask for his help,” Daniel said.

  “Galen had been retired for a long time.”

  “What was he like when he was still an assassin?”

  “He was one of the most feared men in the world.”

  Daniel paused at the door leading into Cael Elvraeth’s portion of the palace. Each of the ruling Council members had a section of the palace that was granted to them. Cael’s was probably smaller than most, seeing as how she didn’t have any extended family of her own. Her father was gone, and she had no relatives other than Galen. The two of them had never had children, though there had always been the murmurings that they should have.

  Daniel took a deep breath before knocking. He stood for a moment before the door opened, less time than he would’ve expected.

  Cael stood before him, wearing a lovely robe around her shoulders, her hair pulled up into a bun. A necklace hung around her throat, made of lorcith and with incredible skill. She tilted her head to the side, and Daniel felt a faint fluttering in the back of his mind.

  She was Reading him.

  She was a skilled Reader and rumored to be one of the most powerful. Having been around Lucy, he wondered how Cael compared. She Read him, quickly overcoming his barrier, and doing it so softly and subtly that he wouldn’t have been aware of it had it not been for his experience with Lucy over the last few months.

  “Daniel Elvraeth,” she said, tipping her head in a nod. She turned her attention to Rayen, her mouth pressing into a tight line. “Rayen Shadow Born.”

  “Do I know you?” Rayen asked.

  “She Read you,” Daniel said softly.

  “I suppose I should have prepared for that,” Rayen said. She flashed a smile, opening her palms in front of her and shifting her body so that she looked at Cael. “Then you know why we’re here.”

  “I know you’ve come looking for Rsiran, but unfortunately, I won’t be of much help.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t know where they are holding him.”

  “Holding him?” Daniel and Rayen shared a look, and he turned his attention back to Cael. “Who’s holding him?”

  Cael frowned. “You don’t know?” There came another soft fluttering in the back of his mind. It was gentle, though not so gentle as when Lucy was working within his mind. Could Lucy be even more powerful than Cael? Then again, Lucy had been augmented by the Forgers, using their knowledge over the Elder Stones to grant her increased abilities, so that shouldn’t be terribly surprising. “You didn’t know. You didn’t come to ask where he is. You came to ask for his help. Oh, Daniel Elvraeth, I am sorry.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be the one to tell you that he’s gone missing.”

  If Rsiran wasn’t here, then he would need the next best person. “Where is Haern?”

  “I don’t know. Galen has been working with him, trying to train him, for what I presume is an opportunity to go after Rsiran if it presents itself, though he has been trying tactics outside of what most would approve of.”

  “Such as what?”

  “Such as…” There came the same fluttering in the back of his mind once again, and Daniel braced himself, knowing there was nothing he could do to prevent her from reaching into his thoughts, grabbing anything she wanted. Cael didn’t seem to have any hesitation about doing so, either. She overwhelmed any attempt he made at placing mental barriers; perhaps it was best if he didn’t even try. They could communicate more effectively that way. She would know why he was here, what he needed, and then she could tell him what he needed.

  “You attacked the sellswords.”

  “I would say we were attacked by the sellswords,” Daniel said.

  “That is unfortunate. They are here to guard the shores, to help ensure that the Forgers don’t pose a threat.”

  “Do you believe the Forgers can be stopped by sellswords?” Rayen asked.

  “They are the most capable swordsmen we know of.” Cael turned to Rayen before glancing at Daniel. “At least, that we knew of. Perhaps we should have gone to Carth and her Binders before.”

  “And what do you know of the Binders?” Rayen asked.

  “I have been with Galen for decades. I know what Galen knows.”

  Daniel wondered how Rayen might react, worried that she would be angry, but he needn’t have been. Rayen surprised him by barking out a loud laugh, shaking her head. “Of course you would. And Galen is well known by the Binders. For a time, he was the only man who was granted access to them.”

  “For a time.”

  “Now we have others who have spent quite a bit of time around us, though they have a different purpose,” Rayen said, glancing at Daniel before turning her attention back to Cael. “The sellswords won’t be of much use when it comes to the Forgers.”