Shadows Within the Flame (The Elder Stones Saga Book 2)

by D. K. Holmberg

  It was his shame. He had all the abilities of the Great Watcher, but none of them with much strength, and certainly none that he felt he could utilize to help him understand how he fit into this new world. The only thing that set him apart was an ability to Slide. Even that wasn’t all that rare.

  “You have more strength than you realize. Without you, I don’t know that I would have survived.”

  “That was more Haern and Galen than me.”

  “You might claim that, but you are the one who stuck by me, and because of you, Carth was able to get involved, helping us. I think you are quite a bit more integral than you realize.”

  He closed his eyes, wishing he had some way of commanding the ability to See, but that gift of his wasn’t honed. There were some among the Elvraeth who were incredibly gifted with it, and a few outside of the Elvraeth who had tinges of it. Perhaps of all his Great Watcher abilities, he should have worked with that the most, trying to strengthen it, trying to gain skill so that he could know the future. There would be value in it for him.

  There would’ve been a warning, too. If he had the ability to See into the future, he wouldn’t have to fear her rejection.

  Lucy took his hand, and Daniel opened his eyes. She stood close to him, the warmth of her body pressing up against him. “You aren’t rejected.”

  “I understand that you need something else,” he said.

  “I need to understand myself, the same thing you need. We’ve left Elaeavn, and now look at us. Now we’re sailing across the sea, traveling with spies, preparing to face Forgers, chasing after stories out of legend. Is this the way you once saw your life going?”

  He smiled. “Not exactly. I would have been content staying in the city, eventually sitting on the council…”

  But even that wasn’t true. As much as he might claim he would’ve been content to stay, he knew that he wouldn’t have. He wouldn’t have tried to understand his abilities.

  And Lucy would know it too.

  That was one downside to her ability to Read him, and regardless of what barriers he attempted to place, nothing would be strong enough to withstand her augmented abilities.

  “What do you hope to find for yourself?”

  “I don’t know. When we stayed in Asador, it was more for me to understand my abilities. I still don’t fully comprehend them. Every day it seems as if there’s something else. Something different. And then when Carth decides to reveal part of herself to me, it leaves me with more questions.” She joined him at the railing and cast her gaze out at the open water. “When I was first attacked, I remember thinking that it shouldn’t have happened to me. That somehow I was cursed. That maybe the Great Watcher had forsaken me. And it still might be true. The problem is that I no longer know. The augmentation is a gift. It has to be. Everything the Great Watcher gave me is enhanced, almost the way it was when I held one of the sacred crystals.”

  “Why do you think that is?” Daniel asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve given it some thought. The only thing I can come up with is that the Forgers have some way of using Elder Stones to add augmentations, but that might not even be true. What if this really is nothing more than metal? We’ve seen how Rsiran can use lorcith in miraculous ways, and it leaves me wondering if perhaps it’s nothing more than that.”

  He hadn’t considered the possibility that the Forgers were using Elder Stones as part of their attack.

  He glanced back to Carth. She lightly gripped the wheel as she stood at the helm, staring out at the water. Every so often, her gaze would drift upward, looking at the sails or the people climbing along them, before she turned her attention back to the water. With his enhanced eyesight, he could See the shadows that stretched away from her and the way they linked the ships sailing alongside them, forcing them all to travel at the same pace.

  “Daniel?” Lucy said.

  He paused and glanced over to her. “We’ve been trying to understand why the Forgers want the Elder Stones, but what if the answer has been with us all this time?”

  “I’m not convinced that’s what it is. I was just throwing out an idea.”

  “But it’s a good idea. Think about the sacred crystals. If those are Elder Stones, they grant additional abilities. Handling the sacred crystals enhances our given abilities. What if there are other ways to use the Elder Stones?”

  Daniel made his way toward Carth, stumbling slightly as the ship hit a particularly large wave. She flicked her gaze over to him, a hint of a smile crossing her mouth. “Did you come to ask me about making landfall?”

  “Eventually,” Daniel said. “That’s not Nyaesh, at least from what Lucy tells me.”

  “And your friend has been to Nyaesh?”

  “No, but she’s picked up on what you’ve allowed her to detect.” He was cautious with how he said it, not certain whether Carth wanted the other Binders to know that she had revealed part of herself to them, but there had to be a purpose. Carth seemed far too calculating to reveal anything otherwise.

  “Has she?”

  Daniel nodded. “And if it’s not Nyaesh, I wonder where you’re leading us.”

  “I have been guiding us away, doing so intentionally.”

  “Obviously.”

  She nodded behind her. “Have you noticed the ships following us?”

  Daniel turned and looked toward the stern, staring into the ever-growing darkness. It was difficult to make anything out. Some of that might be from Carth’s shadows, though it might only be the growing night. It was difficult to tell the difference.

  “I take it they aren’t your ships.”

  “My fleet split off. It was part of the intention. We wanted to draw a certain notice, and it seems that we have.”

  “What sort of notice?”

  “The sort that will allow us to find out why they are following us.”

  “Why head toward land?”

  “Why not?” Carth asked.

  “Isn’t it easier to outrun them on the sea?”

  “And if I don’t want to outrun them?”

  “Would you fight?”

  “If I have to, but it’s been my experience that fighting isn’t always necessary. Most of the time, when confronted with a superior force, men choose to run.”

  “And what if you are chased by a superior force?”

  “Well, then, I’m not a man.”

  Daniel could only stare at her, trying to determine if she was joking. “Tell me about how much you were changed by holding the Wisdom Stone.”

  “What makes you think to ask that?”

  “We’re trying to understand the purpose behind acquiring the Elder Stones.”

  “The purpose is power.”

  Daniel nodded to Lucy. She was silent as she stood next to him, and she focused on Carth. Was Lucy trying to Read Carth? How would Carth react if that was the case? But then, if Carth wanted Lucy to Read her, there wouldn’t be any issue with it.

  “The implant that was placed in her has granted her augmented abilities, the same way that handling one of the sacred crystals would augment her abilities.”

  Carth stared at Daniel for a moment. “And what is your point?”

  “I guess my point is whether or not the crystals and other Elder Stones are similar.”

  “Let me tell you about my experience with Elder Stones,” Carth said. She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the wheel. “The first time I recognized an Elder Stone was in a city far to the south of Elaeavn. It was there that I began to hear the rumors of them. I knew nothing about Elder Stones before that, and at the time, I thought they were nothing more than a myth. A man I met helped to assure me that they were much more than a myth. And more than that, there were others who believed in the power of the Elder Stones, others who wanted to use it, to draw upon it. They used me, forcing me to help reveal the presence of an Elder Stone.”

  “And what was it like? Was it like the sacred crystals in Elaeavn?”

  “As far as I can tell, the sacre
d crystals are unique. There is nothing else quite like them.”

  “What about this place?”

  “Keyall,” Lucy whispered.

  Carth turned and nodded. “Be careful how you speak that name,” Carth said. “There aren’t many I’ve allowed to realize that there is an Elder Stone in Keyall. I protected it, offering as much as I can to ensure the safety of the Elder Stone, and I’ve left those who serve me closest there, surrounding the city with whatever protections I can offer.”

  “If you’re worried about the Elder Stone, why not simply move it?” Daniel asked.

  “Not all Elder Stones can be moved. The Hjan attacked in Elaeavn because they could remove one of the crystals, but not all the Elder Stones are like that.”

  “Aren’t they stones?”

  Carth shrugged. “Stones might be something of a misnomer. They are items of power, imbued with the energy of their creator. In the case of the sacred crystals, as you call them, most believe that they were created by the Great Watcher. There are enough stories of those who handled them sitting alongside the Great Watcher to make that believable.”

  Daniel glanced over to Lucy, who nodded.

  “In the case of Keyall, it wasn’t so much a stone as it was the water and the stone, everything that comprised the land. It imbued power to the city, and a resistance to my ability.”

  “Why?”

  “Why indeed? I spent much time trying to consider the implications of why the various Elder Stones seemed to counter each other. The power of Keyall counters the power of Ih, and the power of Ras can mitigate that of Ih along with that of Vzash. The more I learn about the Elder Stones, the more questions I have.”

  “Do you think the Ai’thol have answers?”

  “There is a leader of the Ai’thol who is as knowledgeable as any when it comes to the power stored within the Elder Stones. He has been at it for a long time, much longer than I. If he were to acquire all the Elder Stones, I wonder what might happen.”

  “It’s not so much acquiring the stones that matters, is it?”

  Carth shook her head. “It’s not.”

  “What is it, then?” Daniel asked.

  “Think about your friend. The metal that has been implanted within her. Think about what that means.”

  He tried to understand, but didn’t, at least not fully. “I’m not sure I can grasp what you’re trying to show me.”

  “You’re the one who raised the question, Daniel Elvraeth. All I’m asking is that you follow it to its natural conclusion. You mentioned that her abilities seem as if they have been enhanced, similar to how they would be when holding one of your sacred crystals.”

  Daniel nodded. “That’s what it seems like from what we can tell,” he said.

  “And what if that is what it is?”

  “But she doesn’t have one of the sacred crystals.”

  “Doesn’t she?”

  Daniel twisted so that he could look at the back of Lucy’s head. Her hair covered it, and he swept his hand through it, parting it to the side. She stood stiffly, allowing him to move her hair, and seemed as if she were simply waiting. He hadn’t expected such closeness and worried that Lucy might be offended by the familiarity. She said nothing.

  He traced his hand over the surface of the metal. There was less exposed now than there had been. According to Lareth, it was lorcith mixed with something else. An alloy, but not one he was familiar with. And not one Rsiran had been able to remove, either.

  As he stared at it, he thought he detected a faint glow. He’d never noticed that before, but buried beneath the shadows of Lucy’s hair, mixed with the shadows that Carth swirled around her, he could see it.

  “The glowing looks something like the sacred crystals, but from what I understand, it’s mostly lorcith.”

  “Lorcith. An interesting choice, but it’s not so much lorcith that I think you’re detecting.”

  Daniel looked up. “If it’s not lorcith, then what is it?”

  “What you’re detecting, what you’re seeing, is the effect of what the lorcith has been augmented with.”

  “And what is that?”

  “The power of your crystals.”

  Lucy’s breath caught.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I’ve been trying to understand it myself, and for years it didn’t make any sense. But after the attack on Elaeavn, I finally began to suspect what the Ai’thol are after.”

  “And what is that?”

  “It’s more than simply wanting to gain access to each of the Elder Stones. That’s valuable to them, and I think that with enough time, they will be able to do so, though there are plenty of people who have powers that will resist, and they will oppose the Forgers and the Ai’thol if they attempt to steal from them.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s about that. Lorcith. Other metals like it, for lorcith isn’t unique in this world. Particular metals, especially those keyed to their land, can take on qualities from the Elder Stone.”

  “You think they have been mining lorcith that is enhanced by the sacred crystals?”

  “I didn’t before, but I do now.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “To have access to it. To control it. For power. And as much as you might want to believe they would do otherwise, the Ai’thol would use it to rule.”

  He turned and looked at the back of Lucy’s head again. It didn’t make sense. If the Ai’thol wanted to rule, why would they have granted her abilities?

  Unless it was accidental.

  But if it was accidental, what did that mean for Lucy?

  And what did it mean for them to chase down the A’ras?

  “Is that why we’re heading to this place rather than to Nyaesh?”

  “This land won’t have stored any of the power of the Flame,” Carth said. “I wouldn’t escort any of the A’ras to such a place, though I doubt that I would need to. More likely they would already know.”

  “Then why are we heading here?”

  “Because we need to. Because we need to reach it, and because I need proof of what they’re doing.”

  “What will this prove to you?”

  She turned to him. “Rsiran Lareth has never questioned why they were called Forgers.”

  “Because they forge these creations that are forced into people, augmenting them.”

  “And what if that’s only a part of it? What if they’re called Forgers by the Ai’thol because they deal with metal augmented by the Elder Stones they acquire? What if there is much more to the Forgers’ importance than what I’ve known?” She said the last mostly to herself.

  “You’ve been searching for this for how long?”

  “I’ve been chasing the Ai’thol for decades. Most of the time, it has been about trying to keep ahead of them, to ensure that they don’t acquire the Elder Stones, but now I begin to wonder if I’ve been failing all along.”

  Daniel glanced over to Lucy. “That’s why you are concerned about the A’ras.”

  Carth nodded. “It made me question. The presence of the metal you detected on board the ship suggests there might be something else that allows them to store the power from the Elder Stone. They might not even know what they’ve been doing. Or, more likely, some have known, and I have not.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Carth pulled a strange knife from her pocket. The blade had a slight curve, and it looked similar to the type of sword he’d seen on the men he had confronted when he’d Slid to the ship with Rayen.

  She gripped the knife, twisting it in her hands. “I’ve carried one of these for many years. It’s been a part of me. A part of my training. Something I learned when I was young and never gave much thought to.” Fire began to sizzle along the edge of the blade, and Carth simply held it, unmindful of the flames burning along its surface. “Perhaps I should have given it more thought. Perhaps had I realized what it was, and what it meant, I might have cared more, and maybe I would have remained
in Nyaesh.”

  “You think that metal is holding on to the power of the Elder Stone from Nyaesh?”

  Carth looked up, and the flames blinked out. “I think that the knives and the swords the A’ras use draw from the power of the Elder Stone. And if that’s the case, then we need to understand what other metals might be holding the power of the Elder Stones, and whether or not the Ai’thol have already discovered them.”

  Daniel stared at the knife, unable to take his eyes off it. If it was true, and if they were using that power, and if the Ai’thol had discovered them, then how exactly were they supposed to defeat them?

  And how much of that did they already know?

  Worse, the Forgers didn’t have to acquire an Elder Stone to make this work. All they had to do was get in proximity to it, close enough that they could draw upon the power, to augment the metal, and then they could use it for whatever dark purpose they intended.

  Lucy grabbed his hand, squeezing.

  Daniel had made no effort to shield his thoughts, and Carth watched him.

  “I still don’t understand what purpose they would have in all this.”

  “The better question, Daniel Elvraeth, is what purpose there is for the Elder Stones in the first place. And once we know the purpose, then we can begin to understand what the Elders did by separating them.”

  “Even that’s not what we need to understand, is it? We need to understand what purpose the Ai’thol have in bringing them together.”

  “Now you’re beginning to think the way you need to.”

  22

  Daniel

  They reached the shore, the ships tied off, and they stood along the rocky coastline. Daniel peered out into the darkness, uncomfortable with the way things were going, worried that an attack might take place. If it did, would he be ready?

  What of the rest of them? He didn’t worry about Carth’s ability to fight, or Rayen’s either. But Lucy wasn’t a fighter. She had been working with the Binders, but fighting wasn’t a skill she’d been training in. And Daniel didn’t want her to have to train to fight. He’d rather she remain innocent, though at this point, none of them were innocent anymore.