Shanna shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you telling me this?"
Erlek returned his tea cup to the tray. Then, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, he said, "I tell you this because I haven't the time to do the same to you. Make no mistake, if my plans did not now come to fruition so rapidly, if events did not culminate so quickly, I would break you. You would be mine just as Tool had been. But, as I have said, there is no time. Instead, I offer you a partnership." The savant pushed away from the desk and moved to where the Element lay concealed. He looked at Shanna once, a quick glance to measure her interest. She was fixated on nothing else. With a flourish, Erlek revealed the thing that was the Element. "Behold," he said, "the Element of Earth."
All of Shanna's expectations, all of her thoughts of powerful, golden artifacts, every idea she'd concocted about the sheer magnificence of such a device were dashed in that single moment, for the Element was nothing more than an earthen bowl sitting upon a simple wooden stand. In disbelief, thinking her eyes somehow deceived her, Shanna stood and approached it. A closer examination did nothing to alter her initial impression. The Element was an empty, clay bowl. Nothing more. Shanna wanted to laugh.
"This is the Element?" She did laugh then. "I don't believe it! It's a—"
"Look closer," Erlek said. His tone was flat, revealing neither annoyance nor impatience. "Do not let your eyes be the only sense you see with. Open yourself. You feel it, do you not?"
She did feel something, a tingling sensation, almost like a chill, as if the bowl, though still, seemed to exude something that reached out in waves to encompass her.
"Where does it come from?" Shanna asked, mesmerized now.
Erlek returned to his chair. Shanna hardly noticed until the savant's voice sounded from behind her.
"From a place that is lost to most people's memories. It was created a long time ago, by a people long vanished from the world. Have you heard of the druids?"
Shanna had not. "Did they create it?"
"No. But ones who had once been druids did. Driven by selfishness and greed, a contingent broke from the druid hierocracy to form their own sect. Fancying themselves 'elementalists', they reneged on their vows, devoting themselves not to the earth, but to themselves. You see, a druid's most solemn vow was to serve Uhl, to protect and nurture the greater world around us all. The elementalists wanted no more of this. In place of their sacred druidic oath, they swore a new one, not to serve the earth, but to master it. To this end, these elementalists met in secret, creating the Four Elements, the four devices to bind and control the power of each of the natural elements of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Such blasphemy could never be tolerated by the druids. The elementalists knew this just as they knew that the creation of the Elements would draw their former brothers and sisters like moths to a flame. Draw them it did. The ensuing conflict was… unimaginable."
"Did they kill them?" Shanna asked, not turning from the Element.
"Not all of them. Not at first anyway."
Behind her, Erlek poured himself more tea. "For, you see, the elementalists were a farseeing lot, and so they planned for every eventuality. Rather than allow the Elements to fall into the hands of the druids, who would surely destroy them, they charged four of their number with a special task. They were to take the Four Elements to the furthest reaches of Uhl and there secret them away. The four were dispatched, each carrying one of the Four Elements to a different locale. Then, when they'd fulfilled this duty, they took their own lives. All except one, that is, who thought to hide from the druids' all-seeing eyes. For a time, he did. But whilst in hiding, others the druids had captured—those who had not been of the four—were subjected to questioning, then torture, and finally, death. The druids learned of the elementalists' plan to send the Elements away, but not the devices' locations. Only the four knew where the devices had been hidden. The most the druids could therefore learn was the names of those four individuals. A name, however, can be powerful. In time, they found the remains of the three who had killed themselves and, finally, the one who had refused this final duty. Even under duress, he defied them, refusing to divulge the whereabouts of the Element he had hidden."
Erlek paused for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. When he next spoke, his words came in a rush. "The druids burned him alive and scattered his ashes to the Four Winds. This was four or five hundred years ago. Kingdoms have risen and fallen in that time. Entire civilizations have crumbled to dust. The druids themselves have faded from history. Their fate is one of the great mysteries scholars still brood over. The Four Elements were never found by them or anyone else and memory of the devices faded along with both druid and elementalist until no one knew any of it had ever even existed."
Shanna finally turned to look upon Erlek. "Yet you know about all of it. About the druids and the elementalists and the Elements. They hid the Elements so that no one—not even the druids—knew where to find them. Yet you found this one."
"I found this one, yes. And now, I intend to find the others or, rather, retrieve the others, for I already know where they are."
"How? Who are you, really? Are you one of these elementalists? Or are you a druid?"
Erlek snorted. "I am neither. If I were, I would have no use for you, now would I?" He must have seen the confusion in Shanna's face, for he said, "Let me speak plainly. I am no sorcerer of the earth. I am a scholar, a man of science, if you wish."
Shanna remembered the laboratory equipment. The crucibles, beakers, flasks, and tubules running up the table and into Corrin, who'd been drained of his life, his very essence gathered and used for—used for what? When first she'd seen Erlek, he'd been the quintessential old man, with slow step, bent back, and hobbled gait. Now, he was… renewed. Shanna glanced at the dark lacquered door, closed now, then at the Element, and finally at Erlek. She crossed her arms, clenching them tight at her chest. What was she doing here? How did she get herself into this?
Oblivious to her discomfort, Erlek went on. "I have spent my life searching through lost lore, hunting down every shred of evidence I could find concerning the Elements. The entire telling is laborious. Suffice to say it was a long, time-consuming process of researching and cross-referencing. I have traveled to the great libraries of Penlar and of Gert, sifted through the sands at the ruins of Ureldale and Minsa Kirth, trod the swamps of Gereleth and the ancient palace of the Thog. Made deals with sitheri, dwarves, eslar. Suffice to say that discovering the whereabouts of the devices was not easy. But it was accomplished."
"That's all very nice, but I still don't understand why you're telling me any of this or even why I'm here," Shanna said.
Erlek took another sip of his tea. "The answer to that question is something I would prefer to ease you into, but, again, since time grows short, I shall simply come out with it and hope your fortitude is sufficient." He leaned forward, laying his hands flat on the desk as his gaze probed for hers. Shanna met that stare, though looking into those steel gray eyes sent a chill dancing across her spine. "Let me first say this. Fate is a strange mistress. Why she chooses to bring together two people from two different walks of life so that they suddenly find themselves in a room talking over tea is both a mystery and a wonder. You, Shanna, are here because the blood of elementalists courses through your veins. You are here because you may very well be the last who can summon forth the power of the Four Elements." Erlek paused a moment, then he leaned back. "I spoke earlier of a partnership. This then is the reason: I have the Element, but cannot use it. As I have said, I am neither elementalist nor druid. But I am trained in the many disciplines of the mind. I can teach you how to master this Element and the others also, for we are on a quest to retrieve all of the devices."
Shanna let out a breath. Of all the man had said, one thing rang out above the rest. The blood of elementalists courses through your veins. It wasn't true. How could it be? She wasn't anyone's descendant… well, she was someone's descendant, but that her ancestors were elementalists? It was ri
diculous. She was an orphan, a nobody, born into a life of serving others, of working in the kitchens and, of late, making… soap. Stirring boiling oils. Mixing scents whose every whiff made her sneeze. Doing every little thing Nora asked of her else she suffer a cut in her already miniscule pay.
In Norwynne she'd been chained to a life she hated. But she wasn't in Norwynne anymore. She was in the most unpredictable of locales, being told impossibilities. Impossibilities that she believed. Not because of Erlek's words, but because she'd felt the Element, sensed the change within her from that very first moment she'd drawn near to it. She could deny it all she wanted, but, still, it was there. She looked over at the bowl. It was something you ate or drank from, not some all-powerful artifact that she of all people could control. The whole notion was laughable. The more she thought about it, the more she was struck by the sheer hilarity of it. Soon, she was smiling. It was funny. She giggled. She put her hand to her mouth, trying to stop herself, but her attempt was only half-hearted, and soon her mirth was rolling from her uncontrollably.
Erlek was not amused. Though his expression was a blank slate, there was a lift at one corner of his brow that was enough to signify his displeasure. Shanna made no effort to stop. Let the old whatever-he-was be annoyed. He deserved that and more. Much more. In that moment, a revelation hit her, and Shanna knew what she had to do. Her laughter petered out, and she spoke.
"You mentioned a partnership."
Erlek's brow lowered, replaced by a narrowing that Shanna interpreted as increased scrutiny. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Yes, a partnership. In exchange for your obedience, I will allow you your freedom. I will teach you the use of this Element and, when we have retrieved the others, those as well."
"And if I don't agree?"
"Such a discussion is not conducive to our arrangement. Only agree to help me and we need never speak of such… unpleasantries."
Shanna knew what those unpleasantries might entail. Either a quick death at the hands of the sitheri or a slow, painful one in Erlek's laboratory. Such choices made her decision easier, but they also didn't matter, for she'd already made up her mind. "I accept."
"Good. Very good." Erlek rose. His attention no longer on Shanna, he started to shuffle through one of the desk drawers. "Now, leave me. We shall speak again later this day. At that time, we shall begin your training. You have much to learn and little time to learn it."
Though dismissed, Shanna wasn't done yet. She still had questions. Erlek, or rather his boy, had used the Element to attack her home. The savant had said as much earlier in the wagon. But he'd not said why. Even with what she knew now, there seemed no reason for it. It seemed a simple thing to answer, and so Shanna asked, "Why did you attack Norwynne? Why did you kill all those people?" She remembered the bodies, floating lifeless in the underkeep pool. Also, she remembered the man, on the rooftop of Graggly's Tower, come to kill Aaron. Erlek had asked about Aaron. "Did you send an assassin, too?" she asked before realizing that by doing so she was admitting that she knew Aaron.
Erlek stopped what he was doing. His gaze returned to her. "Assassin? I sent no assassin, I can assure you of that. As for the rest, it was unavoidable. There were—are—individuals who would seize the Elements for their own use. Elsanar of Norwynne was one such person. Much like the druids had sensed the presence of the Elements those hundreds of years ago when the artifacts were first created, there are those in our own world who have attuned themselves to certain Earth energies and who can thus sense the presence of such devices. Call it a pre-emptive strike, for the moment I had otherwise used the Element, Elsanar and his coterie would have been on me, ready to seize it. That is something I could not allow."
"Then others—other sorcerers—will be coming too."
"Yes, possibly. If we do not move swiftly, most definitely. In any case, we must be ready for them."
"Where are we going then?"
"We go to a place called Cauldron Mountain. There, we shall retrieve the Element of Fire."
"When are we leaving?"
"My girl, we've already left."
The excitement must have been plain on Shanna's face, for Erlek wasted no time gesturing at the door. Shanna seized the opportunity, fleeing the room without a single glance over her shoulder.
The passage outside was empty. Shanna wondered if she shouldn't wait here for Mirna, but then she thought better of it, figuring they'd find each other eventually. Eager to witness their flight, Shanna made straightaway for the upper deck while she played out her conversation with Erlek in her mind. In particular, she mulled over what the man had said about her heritage. She'd laughed about it, but if it were all some sort of joke, what was she doing here? Why was she still alive? The question brought with it the enormity of her situation. She had to stop as a chill of fear swept through her. Several deep breaths did not dispel it. She was never meant for this. She wasn't strong enough, wasn't brave enough.
Stop it!
She was strong enough and brave enough. She'd been both her entire life. Nothing had ever been given to her. She'd outsmarted or manipulated or fought for everything she'd ever had. Icy fear lay on her skin like a sheet, but it went no further. With a shake, it was gone. The path before her was clear. Erlek had used the Elements to destroy her home. Now she'd use them to destroy him.
Erlek Abn Nee was going to die.
13. The Hounds of Hell
IT TOOK SOME DISTANCE—A league, Aaron figured—before the wind and the rain finally smothered the piercing, mournful song of the dogs. Aaron was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to find someplace warm and dry to curl up and rest. For once, Ensel Rhe obliged him, though he insisted they trudge across several more leagues before he finally stopped in front of a dark hole hidden beneath tangled brush. The eslar swept the opening clear and, stooping, entered the cave. Aaron would have followed right behind him except that it was too dark. He remained crouching just far enough inside to protect himself from the worst of the rain until a spark and then a small flame enticed him in deeper. Master Rhe had been here before, for already there was a shallow fire pit dug and a stack of enough dry wood to last several nights. At its brightest, the fire was small, but then so was the cave. It was dry, though, and soon warm enough. With the almost pleasant sound of rain falling outside, Aaron started to feel a small amount of comfort with their new surroundings, but not enough to chase away memories of the hounds.
"I don't like dogs," he said, as if the words might purge him of the last of his lingering fear. He jabbed one end of a stick into the fire, then tossed it into the flames and watched it burn.
"C'en dun, daegs w'me."
Aaron looked across the fire. The eslar's gaze remained lost in the flames.
"That's krill," Aaron said. Krill. Cat-people. Aaron attempted a translation. "When I…" He didn't know Krill, but he'd studied the phonetics of the Vem and knew Kernecian. Both were similar. "When done, dogs… no, when I am done…" Aaron sat up. "When I am done, the dogs will come for me." A belch of thunder rattled the cave. When its noise had faded, Aaron asked, "What does it mean?"
"It means," Ensel Rhe said, settling against the wall as he stretched his legs before him, "that I do not like dogs, either."
"Do you think the savant, Erlek, sent them?" It seemed a stupid question, for Aaron was already quite certain he knew the answer, though Master Rhe indulged him anyway.
"Yes," the eslar said. "I've no doubt of it. Clearly, he was not pleased with your escape from the city."
Aaron took no satisfaction from that. Not wanting to think about the dogs anymore and figuring they'd already exhausted what they knew about the savant, Aaron decided to change the subject. "You spent time amongst them, didn't you? The krill, I mean."
"Why would you think that?"
"Because it's the only explanation for the way you jumped off that balcony and survived and you've hardly slept since this whole thing started and not once have I seen you so much as yawn and—"
"
Spending time amongst the krill explains none of those things. Only those born krill can be krill. I am eslar. Besides, in order to have spent time with them, I would have had to have entered their lands. The krill suffer trespassers only as long as it takes to kill them, which is not very long."
"Yes, but I know what's said of the krill. Or, at least, what's been written."
"Oh?"
"There was a book in Master Elsanar's library. The author attended a trade day held at the fringes of their territory. While there, he documented some of his observations. Cat-people never lose their balance, they can fall great distances without injury, they never really sleep, at least not like we… not like I do, but instead nap frequently. Also…"
"Yes?"
"The book said the krill have more than one life."
"Really?" said Ensel Rhe, one brow rising. "How many lives do they have then?"
"Nine, like a cat."
One side of Ensel Rhe's mouth turned up. It was the closest thing to a smile Aaron had ever seen on him.
"Most of that is true, except for the bit about extra lives. Krill have no more than the single life we are each given. I can assure you of that much."
Wanting to keep the conversation alive, Aaron was mindful of the silence that built up as he took a moment to settle himself in order to rest his back against the cave wall. In the process, he managed to jab the hilt of the knife given to him by Master Rhe into his side. He grunted, then pulled the sheathed blade from his belt and set it on his lap. When his gaze returned to Ensel Rhe he saw that the eslar's gaze had drifted from the fire to the knife.
"Thank you for this," Aaron said. "I'm afraid I've not had much chance to use it." Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Aaron thought. He ran his hand along the bone sheath. "Not that I know how to, anyway."
"There is not much to know. At its simplest, keep a firm grip and slash. If your opponent comes too close, jab."
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