Shadow Hunted (The Collector Chronicles Book 1)

by D. K. Holmberg

  With the connection intact, there were still other things she could do.

  A trickle of S’al. That was all she needed.

  Carth focused on it, pulling the sense of the flame from deep within her, feeling the way it burned. As she often did, she felt a sense of her blood boiling, as if the heat tore through her, and she let the feeling ooze away. There had been a time when such control would have been beyond her. It was still difficult, especially easing out with it rather than letting the power explode, but an explosion of power wasn’t what she needed now.

  Control. That was what she needed.

  Before she did anything else, she needed to neutralize those crossbows. They were crude weapons and she didn’t know how accurate either man would be with them, but if they managed to trigger them before she moved, even a stray bolt could be deadly.

  And she had to act before the numbness in her feet and hands became too much.

  Heat trailed from her, directed at the crossbow.

  She focused on the string. That would be the most sensitive to flames—unless it was somehow enhanced in the same way as the rope holding her.

  Carth was rewarded with a trail of smoke coming from the crossbow.

  She shifted her attention, focusing on the other weapon, sending the same heat to it. Like with the other, smoke began to trail.

  Breathing in, drawing on the shadows for strength, she waited. When the strings relaxed, she had to be prepared for anything.

  It happened with a sharp snap.

  When the first broke, the man holding it swore and quickly brought his crossbow down to look at it.

  The other pulled the trigger.

  Standing bound as she was, Carth braced herself. She could jump, but that diverted her connection to the shadows and she might need them if she intended to avoid taking a bolt in her side.

  Shadows thickened around her.

  The crossbow never fired.

  The string snapped before it could, the tension in it slapping against the man’s hand.

  The first man raced toward her, bringing back his crossbow as if to slam it into her head. Carth focused and lunged, using the connection to the shadows to strengthen herself. He might be able to ignore the effects of the shadows—and possibly see through them—but her use of the shadows to strengthen herself was another matter entirely.

  She crossed the distance between them, driving her shoulder into his chest. She toppled onto him, knocking the wind out of him, and rolled.

  Her movements were difficult with her hands confined as they were, but she managed to get clear and roll into the other man. His leg snapped and he fell with a scream. She rolled onto him, grabbing for the sword he had sheathed at his waist, drawing it free.

  She jumped.

  The jump took her off the deck and into the cold water.

  Carth made no effort to swim, letting the water carry her down. She sunk lower and lower into the depths, darkness swirling around her. They were shadows she could use—and did.

  She used the sword to slice the ropes free. They might be immune to her flame magic, but a sharp sword cut through them easily. Carth held on to them to keep them from sinking, wanting to study them if nothing else, and kicked toward the surface.

  When she reached the light, she slowed.

  The ship would be there, and likely they were searching for her. She’d learned she could hold her breath for a long time if it were needed. And here, it might not even be needed. She could pop her head above the surface, just enough to get some air, and drop back down.

  Could she use the shadows to conceal her presence?

  It hadn’t worked when she had been on the ship, but maybe it would here.

  She wrapped them around herself.

  Moments passed, stretching from minutes to longer.

  Carth finally risked pushing her head above the surface, just enough that she could take a breath, and looked.

  The ship had sailed on, moving quickly away from her and heading south.

  They had left her.

  She held her head above the surface of the water, searching the waves for signs of the Goth Spald or the other ship, anything that could get her out of the water, but there was nothing.

  Carth would have to swim—and wait.

  Eventually, she suspected the Spald would find her, but it would take time. They had ways of searching for her and her connection to magic, but if they had sailed away, trying to get free of the larger ship, it could be hours before they returned.

  How long could she swim here?

  As long as she needed, but she would be tired—and weak—when they found her. If they found her. And that was if some sea creature didn’t find her first.

  Maybe she would have been better off fighting her way through the ship. The more she thought about it, though, the more she remained convinced she had been right to get free. There were too many—and too many able to ignore her magic—for her to manage safely. The better move had been getting free.

  Now she would have to wait.

  She hated waiting.

  4

  The sight of the Goth Spald sailing toward her was a welcome one.

  Carth climbed onto the ship, water dripping from her. She had been floating for hours. It had been long enough that she had lost track of time, though she had followed the path of the sun as it trailed across the sky. It had been long enough that she had begun to wonder whether anyone would come for her, and this despite the fact that she had her connection to her S’al magic to draw Boiyn to her. He had a way of tracking her through some concoction that he had long ago created.

  “It took you long enough,” Carth said as she climbed out of the water, squeezing it from her hair. Her lips were cracked from the time spent submerged, and she needed a drink.

  “We thought you’d want us to follow the other ship,” Jenna said.

  Carth frowned. That was what she would have wanted. Did it matter that she had spent a few hours in the water? Not if they had discovered more about them.

  “And did you?” she asked.

  “They sailed for the coast and made their way to a hidden port.” Alayna stood at the helm, peering out at the sea. Her brow was furrowed, and a hint of a frown remained on her face. Green eyes flashed, reflecting the fading sunlight. “I had Seen that you were safe.”

  Carth leaned on the railing, catching her breath. She tossed the enhanced ropes onto the deck, along with the sword she’d stolen to cut herself free. “I wish I knew whether your ability ever failed you.”

  “Would I be of much use to you if it failed?”

  Carth shrugged. “You’re still a skilled fighter, even if you didn’t have your ability.”

  Alayna’s jaw clenched slightly. “Not as much of a fighter if I didn’t have that ability, Carth. It would be like you without your abilities.”

  Carth grunted and turned away from the railing. “My abilities weren’t of much use this time.”

  “What happened?” Jenna asked. “After we took out the swordsmen—”

  “After you took out the swordsmen,” Carth corrected.

  “Fine. After I took out the swordsmen, I saw someone grab you with the rope. I waited, but…”

  “It’s not your fault. They had used something on the rope that made it so I couldn’t get myself free. I want Boiyn to study it. See if there’s anything he can discover about how they were able to counter my connection both to the S’al and to the shadows.”

  “Likely a coating.”

  Carth’s attention was diverted by the arrival of Boiyn. He had pale white skin and a completely bald head, barely visible through the hooded cloak he had pulled up to protect himself from the sunlight.

  “I could have brought it down to you, Boiyn,” Carth said.

  He licked his lips and shook his head. “There is no need, Carthenne.” He crouched in front of the rope and brought it up to his nose, inhaling deeply. He squeezed the rope and then ran it between his fingers. Water dripped from it. “Wo
uld you mind?” He looked up at Carth expectantly.

  “Mind what?”

  “Attempt to administer your flame magic to it.”

  “It doesn’t work against this, Boiyn. That’s why I was trapped.”

  His mouth quirked in a partial smile. “I have rarely seen you trapped, Carthenne.”

  She grunted. Boiyn had been with her a long time, having trained with some of the most skilled herbalists Carth could find in Asador. He was more valuable than any of the others who traveled with her because of his knowledge. He had a keen mind and remembered everything he saw and read, making him particularly adept at mixing various enhancing concoctions. Carth rarely accepted an enhancement, not wanting to rely upon them, but when she did, it made her much stronger than she would be without them.

  Given his mind, she often wondered what it would be like if he were to play Tsatsun. Would he be able to challenge her? The longer she traveled, the more she began to wonder whether she ever would find someone who could challenge her in the game. Maybe she had reached her peak with it.

  She shook the thought away. There were more pressing issues. “Maybe I wasn’t trapped, but they were immune to my magic.”

  “Which is why I advise you to at least carry with you an enhancement.”

  Carth shook her head. “I don’t know that it would’ve mattered. By the time I realized that they were immune to it, they had already captured me.”

  Boiyn stood, holding the length of rope between his arms, patiently waiting for her to attempt to use her flame magic on it as he requested. “Perhaps it would not have mattered, but at least consider it.”

  “I’ll consider it if you consider training with me,” Carth said with a smile.

  He crinkled his nose in disgust. Boiyn saw himself as a healer, despite the fact that he would often mix medicines that could be used for much darker purposes. Something had happened to Boiyn when he was much younger, something that had made it so that he didn’t care to fight. He had never shared with her what that was, and Carth respected him enough not to push him about it.

  Besides, his concoctions were a valuable enough contribution, enough that even Jenna didn’t challenge him, and she challenged everyone. She and Alayna preferred having sedatives smeared across their weapons. It made for much shorter fights. Few expected poisoned blades outside of the Neelish sellswords, and they were leagues away from Neeland.

  “Now, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  Carth shrugged and sent a surge of flame toward the rope. She used more than what was necessary, not expecting anything.

  It surprised her when the rope immediately burst into flames and Boiyn dropped it onto the deck. He stomped out the fire before it had a chance to spread, though Carth could have withdrawn the flame as well.

  “I wasn’t able to do that before.”

  Boiyn shook his head and leaned down to grab another section of cut rope off the deck. He tossed it to Carth, and she caught it out of the air. “I suspect not. Your time in the water likely diluted whatever they had coated it with.”

  “You think this was only for flame resistance, or do you think this was intended to prevent magic such as mine?” They had seemed prepared for someone like her, as if they had faced others with magical ability. There were others like Carth who had talent with the flames, though they were not found this far to the south.

  “Who’s to know? It’s possible they only placed a sealant on the rope to prevent flames from spreading, but you have proven yourself capable of overcoming such sealants before. That tells me this was likely something else.”

  Carth nodded to herself, twisting the rope between her fingers. It even seemed to feel different than it had before. When it had bound her wrists and ankles, there had been something almost slippery about it. That was gone. “Could it be possible for them to weave an entire rope with something designed to repel magic?”

  “I suppose if they started with each strand coated in a particular way, but even that would be incredibly time consuming. It hardly seems worth it.”

  “Unless they faced people with abilities frequently.”

  Boiyn twisted his face into a frown. “I will see if I can discover anything from the sample remaining. Given how long you must have been in the water…”

  “I understand if you can’t find anything.” She looked past him and out over the sea. “Besides, if you follow the other ship, there might be another way for me to learn about these people.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that, especially considering what you went through?” Jenna asked.

  “The first ship spoke of someone called the Collector. The second one worked for him, I think. I’d like to know whatever is taking place before we plan our next move.”

  Everyone nodded, and it was a measure of the time they’d spent together that no one argued with her. She hadn’t expected them to do so. Boiyn made his way back below deck, pulling the hood back from his bald head as he stepped out of the sunlight. Alayna remained at the helm, steering with a confidence that she’d gained from years spent sailing with Carth. Linsay was nowhere to be seen, though Carth suspected she had been working with Boiyn. Since she had joined them a few months ago, they were often together, Linsay interested in studying from Boiyn, hoping to understand how he mixed his various concoctions. Boiyn was liberal with his sharing of information, especially with those who traveled with Carth.

  The shoreline quickly came into view. It was rocky and would be difficult to navigate. Carth was not surprised that Alayna was able to maneuver through here. Her ability to See, to anticipate, protected them.

  “Where did the ship disappear?” Carth asked. The sun had set, leaving them with a growing darkness. Carth peeled shadows away from the Spald, making it so that they could navigate more easily. A jagged rock would do as much damage as the ship that had tried to ram them.

  “There’s a river that winds through here,” Alayna said.

  “How long is the river?”

  “We weren’t able to follow it all the way,” Jenna said. “Boiyn felt your call for help.”

  She was thankful for that. Boiyn had other abilities beyond his intellect, though his intellect was what had drawn her to him. And his enhancements. They helped everyone.

  “Then we should sail carefully here,” Carth said.

  “They won’t be much farther,” Alayna said.

  “Is that something you See, or is that because you don’t think the river goes much more beyond here?”

  Alayna shrugged. “Sometimes it is difficult to separate what I see and what I See. Does that make sense?”

  Carth laughed. “With you, I’m not sure that anything makes sense. Your ability is unlike anything I can understand.”

  Alayna studied her for a moment. “You understand it better than you let on. You have to for you to have defeated Haern.”

  At the mention of the assassin’s name, Carth frowned. He had killed someone close to her, and had nearly killed Carth, before going off with Danis. His disappearance—and her inability to reach him—still angered her. When she finally decided it was time to end the accords with Danis and the Hjan, assassins who had killed her parents and nearly destroyed the only home she had ever claimed, she would see that Haern was destroyed too. “Defeating someone and understanding their ability aren’t always interrelated.”

  It was difficult to explain that sometimes tactics did not require understanding of everything she faced. That was something she’d learned from Tsatsun, and it was a lesson that she had struggled to teach to those who traveled with her. Few had any interest in learning and understanding the game, only Linsay showing some facility with it.

  They sailed toward the shore until lights came into view. It was a village, and not a large one. Her maps didn’t show any villages here, though this was a relatively inaccessible area along the coast. Carth had spent considerable time memorizing her maps, wanting to be prepared for whatever they might encounter. There might come a time when her maps were destro
yed and she had to rely on that memory.

  “Anchor us here,” she said to Alayna.

  “Here?” She looked around, surveying the river. “The current will carry us if we’re not careful, Carth.”

  “I don’t think what I intend will take long.”

  “And what do you intend?” Alayna asked.

  Carth nodded toward the distant lights. Her ship would be black against the night, even darker with the shadows that she had wrapped around it, cloaking it entirely. If this village was occupied by people like those on the first ship she had encountered, they wouldn’t have any resistance to her. She could use the shadows and the flame and not fear them failing her.

  “If they went to the village, I intend to find out more about this man they fear and learn what they were trying to protect.”

  More than anything, that was what she thought she needed to know. The Collector had sent a powerful ship after this item. It had to have been powerful for them to have countered her as easily as they had. She would learn what they sought, and then she would have to decide whether to claim it for herself.

  “At least take more help with you this time.”

  “I intend to.”

  “You need someone capable of sailing,” Alayna said. She and Carth were the most skilled sailors, and in waters like these, with it as rocky as it was, constantly threatening the hull of the ship, Carth couldn’t risk having someone less experienced than Alayna or herself at the helm.

  “I’ll take Linsay and Jenna.” At least Linsay could help her understand whether there was something important to whatever item they had. It had to be something more than the jar of powder Kiara had clutched so tightly.

  “I don’t like this, Carth. I don’t See anything beyond the ship.”

  That troubled Carth, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. It bothered her that Alayna couldn’t come with her. Jenna was a skilled fighter, taking out anger that she’d built up through everything that had happened to her. Alayna was more calculating and thankfully less impulsive. Had Carth not needed her to stay with the ship, she might have preferred to have Alayna come with her rather than Jenna. She would never tell Jenna that—doing so would harm her confidence, and Carth had worked for the better part of a year to build it back.