The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  “They are of more use than my citizens.”

  “There are plenty of your people who have abilities.”

  “They might have abilities, but they don’t have experience using them. Not all of them have wanted to understand how to fight, Rayen Shadow Born.”

  “And yet, had they taken the time, most of them would have been more of a threat. The Forgers wouldn’t have been nearly as terrifying if they had developed their resistance to them.”

  “We can debate the point of our defenses another time. For now, I think that I must escort you to the Aisl.”

  “Why to the Aisl?” Daniel asked.

  “If you came looking for Rsiran, then I must help you find the one person who can provide some answers about what took place.”

  “Why can’t you tell us what it was?”

  “Because there is much for you to understand, and it’s possible you might be able to help.”

  Daniel shared a glance with Rayen, before turning back to Cael. “What happened?”

  “We will answer those questions and more when we reach the heart of the Aisl. I think you need to speak with Jessa.”

  Daniel swallowed, suddenly nervous. If Rsiran was missing, he could only imagine that he had been somehow taken by the Ai’thol, and if that were the case, and they hadn’t heard about it, where would they have taken him?

  They hurried from the top level of the palace, stepping outside, and once back out into the moonlight, beyond the guards, he looked around, waiting as Cael joined him. He grabbed her hand and Rayen’s and Slid.

  Reaching the heart of the Aisl forest was easy. As soon as he emerged, he breathed in familiar air. Something was different than the last time he’d been here. It was partly that the Forgers’ poisoning had changed the energy coming off the Elder Trees, but there was something else.

  It was late, but even at night there was still a vibrancy to the heart of the Aisl forest. Flames crackled along the perimeter of the clearing, blocked off so that the flames couldn’t spread, and they cast their light outward into the night, smoke rising slowly and twisting up into the sky.

  He looked over to see Rayen watching him, an intrigued expression upon her face.

  “I don’t know that Jessa will be all that excited about an interruption at this time of night,” Daniel said.

  Cael shook her head. “She hasn’t been sleeping well the last few months.”

  “Months?”

  How could it have been months that Rsiran had been missing? Had Carth and Lucy known? Perhaps that was what Lucy had been doing all this time—trying to find some way of helping Lareth.

  They made their way across the clearing, reaching the base of one of the Elder Trees. Daniel Slid up into the tree with the others, and from there, he paused in front of Jessa’s door. He’d only been here once before, but there was something about Jessa Lareth that intimidated him.

  “Go ahead,” Cael said.

  “I…”

  The door to the home opened. On this level, the home was built into the tree, onto a platform that had been fixed in place, the Elder Tree massive and allowing multiple homes to be built along its branches. Pathways were worked between the branches, the intertwining bows allowing the people to make their way from place to place, unencumbered by restrictions that would otherwise have been found within the trees.

  Jessa stood before him. She looked weary, her deep green eyes heavy, her graying hair swept back into a braid. Much like Cael, she wore a long robe that hung on her shoulders, covering them, and when she saw him, she frowned. “Daniel Elvraeth.” Her gaze flicked to Rayen and then Cael.

  “Jessa Lareth. I—”

  “Come in. We can talk once you’re inside.”

  Daniel stepped inside, joining Rayen and followed by Cael. When she was inside, they closed the door. A hearth crackled, the strange magic of how the Elder Tree allowed fire to burn, giving a certain warmth to this place. He took a seat on a comfortable chair, perched in front of the fireplace, watching the flames.

  “You came because you heard about Rsiran,” Jessa said, standing near the fire, mixing a pot that smelled like spiced tea.

  “Actually, we didn’t,” Daniel said.

  “You didn’t?” Jessa turned to him, watching him for a moment before glancing to Cael. “If they didn’t come because they knew he was missing, then why are they here?”

  “Perhaps you could ask them.”

  “I am asking you.”

  “Do not be angry that my husband has been working with your son.”

  “I’m not angry that your husband has been working with my son. I’m angry that it’s necessary.”

  “And do not blame me for the necessity of it,” Cael said.

  “I don’t, I just…” Jessa breathed out heavily, turning her attention to Daniel. “As you have learned, Rsiran is missing.”

  “That’s what I’ve heard.”

  “I had thought…” She shook her head. “Perhaps it doesn’t matter what I thought. I’m sorry, Daniel Elvraeth. Rsiran is not available, and neither is Haern.”

  “Where is Haern?”

  Jessa glanced at Cael. “You didn’t tell him?”

  “I didn’t need to tell him. Your son will return.”

  “My son has been gone for the last three days, and typically his training sessions are much briefer than that.”

  “He is with Galen.”

  “Galen can’t promise he’s safe.”

  “Galen never promised that no harm would come at all. He only vowed he would train your son. He intends to ensure he has every opportunity to survive, though your son needs to listen.”

  “Your husband seems to have been quite excited to have been training my son.”

  Cael took a deep breath. “I can’t deny that something has been different for Galen. And it’s not so much that Galen is excited about it. It’s more about a sense of purpose. Within the city, he has been allowing me to fulfill my purpose, and in doing so, he has neglected something that would have fulfilled him. I have tried to encourage him to find other ways of reaching fulfillment, but he is a difficult man.”

  Rayen grunted, nodding. “I have heard that he is. The two of you argue as if you’re old rivals when in fact you’re allies. There is much good that has come from Galen returning to this world. Carthenne has finally found purpose again.”

  “Carthenne has always had purpose,” Jessa said.

  “She has purpose, but she has lacked a partner.”

  “And Galen is her partner?” Jessa asked, looking to Cael.

  Cael smiled sadly. “There are aspects of his life I have learned to deal with. Unfortunately, not all of them please me, primarily the fact that he and Carthenne share a bond that he and I don’t. I have come to grips with it, much like you need to come to grips with the fact that your husband has a purpose in what he does.”

  “I haven’t come to terms with that.”

  Daniel stepped forward, getting between the two women once again. “Will one of you tell me what happened with Rsiran?”

  Jessa took a deep breath, bracing herself and turning toward the hearth. “Have a seat, Daniel.”

  “I think I’ll stand.”

  Jessa glanced over her shoulder, arching a brow at him. “Take a seat.”

  Daniel took a seat, and Rayen sat next to him, glancing over and grinning.

  Jessa turned her attention to the fire, not looking over at him. “I understand that Haern and Rsiran found you in Nyaesh,” she said.

  “They did.”

  “And I understand that you were fighting with Carthenne.”

  “We were.”

  “After they returned here, there was an attack.”

  “What sort of attack?”

  “The sort that they weren’t prepared for.” She turned back to them, taking the teapot off the coals and pouring a cup before handing it over to him. When she was done, she offered one to Rayen, who shook her head. Cael took the offered cup, inhaling deeply.

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nbsp; “What happened?” Daniel asked.

  “We had captured one of the Forgers,” Jessa said. “And by we, I suppose I mean my husband and son. They were interrogating him, looking for answers, trying to uncover anything they could that would help them learn just what the Forgers might be doing. They had been pressuring our borders, and there was some reason behind it, though we didn’t know what.”

  “Did you figure out what it was?”

  “No. They decided upon a different tactic, thinking perhaps they could use him.”

  “How did they intend to use him?”

  “They thought to release him, wanting to see where he might go. Unfortunately, he managed to get away from them.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t really know. Galen was involved,” Jessa said, glancing over at Cael. “Along with Haern and Rsiran. There was an attack, and from what Haern tells me, my husband was stabbed, and then he was taken.”

  “Where did they take him?”

  “I can only imagine they took him to wherever the headquarters of the Forgers are.”

  “The Ai’thol,” Rayen said. When Jessa looked at her, she shrugged. “You keep calling them Forgers, but that is a misnomer. They are the Ai’thol. The Forgers are but one arm of many. Much like the Hjan were an arm of the Ai’thol. All of them are your enemy, and all of them are dangerous.”

  “Fine. The Ai’thol,” Jessa said, seeming to struggle with saying the word. “Either way, Rsiran is now missing. He was taken, and we don’t know where he’s gone.”

  “And Haern has been looking?”

  “Haern has been training. He’s determined to uncover what happened to Rsiran, even if it means taking on the Forgers—the Ai’thol—himself.”

  “He won’t be able to stop them,” Rayen said.

  “Probably not, but Galen has been working with him as well, and the two of them—”

  “The two of them would still not be enough,” Rayen said.

  “Where is Haern now?” Daniel asked.

  “He has been away for a while. I don’t know when he’ll return.”

  Daniel glanced over at Rayen. With Rsiran missing, and Haern not here, who would they go to with their questions about the metal?

  26

  Haern

  Haern wasn’t nearly as tired as he had been, but the effort of walking over the last day had taken something out of him. There was something to be said about traveling using his abilities rather than on foot, and as he headed away from the girls and Elise, he dropped a coin, pushing off on it. He sailed through the air, pushing on one after another, summoning the coins back to himself before moving onward. He feared leaving the coins behind, knowing that if he were to do so, he would quickly run out of them. He had only so many to use, and already he worried he would run out of them before this was all done.

  He traveled overhead, making his way toward the movement he had seen. It came from the north, the direction they had been traveling, and thankfully, Elise and the others were guiding themselves somewhat to the west. It would prevent them from colliding directly with whoever these oncomers were, and it would give Haern a chance to investigate without whoever he might encounter realizing where he’d been.

  Jump after jump carried him, leaving him flying as Elise had said.

  There was a certain freedom in traveling like this. And it was one that he found himself relishing, to the point where he thought he enjoyed this even more than he would Sliding. His father would have known this technique, but with his other abilities, he had no reason to travel in such a way.

  Night had fallen in full by the time he started to get close to the movement he had seen. He approached carefully, slowing, but staying in the air, determined to reach these oncomers as quickly as he could. As he went, he paused, taking stock of how many there were and their position.

  Nearly a dozen, all of them men, and all mounted.

  That meant soldiers, but soldiers from where?

  He looked for any other signs of danger but didn’t come across any. There didn’t seem to be anything else that implied these men were like Rally, and they were moving steadily, keeping the horses going across the land in a direction that would eventually have ended with them meeting up with where Haern had been guiding the girls.

  From the looks of it, it had to be coincidental. It didn’t seem as if they posed any sort of danger, though it was possible that he was reading this wrong.

  He continued to watch, remaining in the air, concerned that they might change directions at any moment, but even more concerned that they might identify him up in the air. They shouldn’t, but all it would take would be for one of them to glance up.

  He watched for a while, tracking their movements, and when it became clear that they were nothing more than common soldiers, he observed for a while longer. Holding himself in the air taxed him, but he thought it necessary in order to know if there was anything to worry about. He didn’t recognize the markings on their helms, but there were enough men that he’d have to be concerned were they to head toward the women.

  They veered off, turning away from where the women would have traveled. Haern followed to make sure they didn’t change direction again, and when he was content that they didn’t, he turned back.

  Once he reached the women, they could rest for the night. He could keep watch, and they could rest without fearing that something might happen to them.

  As he traveled, he saw no sign of the women.

  Had he miscalculated?

  He didn’t think so. He was certain he knew which direction they had been traveling, and yet he wasn’t able to find them.

  Haern backtracked, making his way once again in the direction he had traveled. He found footsteps, but nothing else to identify where the girls had gone.

  Maybe it was a mistake not to have left something of lorcith with Elise. If he had, he would’ve had the opportunity to track her down. There weren’t many places they could conceal themselves. Out here in the night, there was nothing but the darkness, and it would be difficult for them to hide from his Sight.

  He continued to search, pushing himself higher and higher into the sky, challenging himself. He’d never gone quite this high before. In the distance, he caught sight of something unexpected.

  It wasn’t the women he was searching for—at least not yet. Instead, the twinkling lights of a distant city caught his attention. The city was large and sprawling, easily large enough to be the kind of place where he could find help. It was probably the same place the soldiers had been heading. Now all he had to do was find the women and get them to safety.

  From there, he would return to Elaeavn, likely having to answer Galen’s questions—if Galen had survived.

  He pushed those thoughts out of his head.

  Now that he’d found the city, he didn’t want to disappear in a different direction and lose sight of it. He might not be able to find it again.

  When he had nearly given up hope, he finally saw them not that far from him. With his enhanced Sight, he should have Seen them before now, but somehow he had not.

  As he started to make his way down, he realized they weren’t alone.

  Haern unsheathed his sword as he dropped to the ground, preparing to fight. He didn’t want to have to, but he didn’t want these girls to be attacked again. They’d already been through so much, and he had committed to keeping them safe. Had he made a mistake going after the movement he thought he’d seen?

  When he landed, he gave himself a little distance before approaching. Elise stood off at the front of the line of girls, and there were three figures arranged in front of her, all of them dressed in dark robes.

  This, at least, was something Haern recognized.

  Forgers.

  At least he understood how they could suddenly appear. They would have Slid, though why?

  There was nothing around them, not even a road, so there shouldn’t be any reason for the Forgers to have come—unless they had somehow followed him.
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br />   That wasn’t likely. If they had followed him, there would’ve been signs of them before. With their ability to Slide, they would have tracked him down long before now. At least they hadn’t managed to find them while he was essentially unconscious from his exhaustion, but had they waited for his absence to attack?

  It could be he was giving them too much credit.

  At the sight of the Forgers, every thought he had, every ounce of hatred he felt toward them, came flooding back to him.

  Without knowing whether Galen lived or died, Haern resented them.

  They were responsible for what had happened to someone he cared about. They were responsible for capturing his father, abducting him, and possibly killing him. And they were responsible for every bad thing that had ever happened in his homeland.

  Haern suppressed those thoughts. It did no good for him to feel this way. All it served was to satisfy his sense of vengeance. It did nothing to ensure the safety of these girls he’d promised to protect. And Haern was determined to do so.

  Clearing his mind, he forced himself to think in a practical sense. First off, he had to figure out why they had appeared in the middle of nowhere. If it was only about lorcith, they should have found him first. He was the only one to have it on him. There was no reason they should have discovered these girls—unless they had come after the sense of lorcith Haern had been using. That would explain the possibility of finding them, but none of the girls would’ve had lorcith with them.

  Only… they did.

  He hadn’t been focusing on it, though he should have. There was a sense of lorcith nearby, and surprisingly, he hadn’t noticed it before.

  It wasn’t Elise.

  One of the younger girls, a dark-haired girl with frail features by the name of Catherine, had one of his coins. He could feel it on her.

  Had he known that, he might have been able to use it to track them.

  As he approached, he could overhear Elise talking.

  “We’re just trying to get to safety.”

  “You’re out late. As you are probably aware, it can be dangerous on the road for young women like yourselves.”