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

by D. K. Holmberg

  “What is the origin?” Daniel asked.

  Carth kept her gaze directed on Samis. “V’lar is an ancient word, much like C’than and Ai’thol, but it carries a bit of a different connotation. It’s a derivative of several words. V’lash, which means master, and—I suspect—lar’ant, which means power. It could have some other meaning, but it seems to me they’re alluding to the power they control.”

  “They’re scholars, nothing more. And they have knowledge of places we do not.”

  “And why do the A’ras need such knowledge? How does that help protect Nyaesh?”

  “Nyaesh is no longer as safe as it once was,” Samis said.

  “Because you allowed the V’lar to take hold?”

  “We allowed nothing. We secured the safety of the city. There are greater dangers in the world, Carth.”

  “I’m well aware that there are other dangers. Why not come to me with them?”

  “Even if you were available, you have proven yourself unreliable when it comes to the A’ras. You serve another master.”

  He suddenly lunged toward her, and Carth wrapped shadows around him. She looked around the deck of the ship until her gaze settled on Lucy. “Come to me.”

  Lucy hurried forward.

  “See what they’ve done to him.”

  “And what if they haven’t done anything?” Lucy asked.

  “Then he is lost. I’d like to think that he’s not, and that whatever has happened can be undone. I don’t have your ability to Read, and your friend suggested you might be the only person who can save him.”

  Lucy shot Daniel a hard stare before looking back at Samis. “I will see what I can do.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  Carth backed up, leaving Lucy to stand in front of Samis. Daniel gave her space, but he was curious what she might uncover. Would there be anything she could do to help him?

  He had seemed to recognize Carth well enough, so he wondered if perhaps there was nothing wrong with him to begin with. What if he was working with the C’than—the V’lar—voluntarily, as it seemed?

  And if he was, did that mean he was now their enemy?

  The way Carth looked at Samis suggested she wasn’t about to allow him to remain an enemy to them. But what if there wasn’t anything that could be done?

  Lucy’s eyes flared a deeper green, and Daniel backed up while she was working. “What happens if she can’t help him?” he asked Carth.

  “I have faith that she will,” Carth said.

  “And if she can’t?”

  “Then we will depart from Nyaesh. If they’re with Alera”—and that had to be what Carth feared—“they have to be after something. Don’t you want to know what it is? There is no Elder Stone in Nyaesh.”

  “But you said—”

  Carth glanced over to him. “I said nothing. I told you that my other ability is descended from power that comes from an Elder Stone, but it is not from Nyaesh.”

  “It’s from Lashasn. The other place you mentioned.”

  Carth glanced at him briefly before nodding.

  “Then why come here if there is no Elder Stone?”

  “Because I have spread the rumor that it remained here. I’ve been careful about it, a whisper here, a whisper there, all of it designed to draw the Ai’thol here, simply because the A’ras aren’t afraid of them, and because I had other support in place. At least, I thought I had other support in place.”

  “And you don’t?”

  “As I said, I would have heard about the Ai’thol long before now if my network remained intact as it should be. Something has changed here, and without access to someone who can share with us what it is, we simply have no way of being prepared.”

  Daniel studied Carth for a moment. “You wanted the Ai’thol to come and confront the A’ras?”

  “As I told you, they are fully capable of doing so.”

  “Apparently, they’re not.”

  “They haven’t faced the Ai’thol. They faced the V’lar, and they have not attempted to attack,” Lucy said, turning toward them.

  “Can you help him?”

  “They’ve used a subtle touch on him. It’s barely more than a brush. It allows him to believe that they have not.”

  “Can you undo what they’ve done?”

  Lucy nodded. “I think so. It’s simply a matter of revealing what has been done to him, and once that’s done, he can see through it. But even then, it will take some time.”

  “All he needs is to see the truth, and from there I can do the rest,” Carth said.

  “What now?” Daniel asked.

  “Now we need to go and reach allies,” Carth said.

  “You want us to go back to Asador and bring more Binders?”

  Carth stared at Samis. “Not our allies. His. I want to return to that island where we left the other A’ras and bring them here. Perhaps we can prevent them from having the same C’than influence. While you do that, I will see what I can uncover about the C’than here.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I can’t Slide that many people.”

  “Perhaps not, but she can,” she said, turning her attention to Lucy. “All you have to do is convince them that it’s in their best interest to come with us.”

  “That’s all?”

  “I never said it would be easy. I never said any of this would be easy. That doesn’t mean it’s not necessary.”

  Daniel looked over to Lucy, and she nodded. If Lucy was willing to do it, why shouldn’t he be?

  But then, in this, Lucy would be far more capable than him.

  Capability at Sliding and capability at fighting were different things, however. Lucy needed him. How could he not be there for her?

  “How many should go?” Daniel asked.

  “As few as possible,” Lucy said. “Otherwise, I don’t know that I’ll be able to Slide everyone back.”

  “And where would you have us return them to?” Daniel asked.

  “Why, back to their ships, of course.”

  Daniel stared at Carth for a long moment. “What game are you playing at?”

  “What makes you think this is a game?”

  “If I’ve learned anything about you over the last few months, it’s that you view everything as a game.”

  “Perhaps I once did, but this is a little different. This isn’t a game. This is more personal than you know.”

  36

  Daniel

  Daniel prepared for an attack.

  When they emerged from the Slide, he half expected the A’ras to attack him, but most of the people they’d left stranded here were now collected around the beach. A fire lit the night, burning brightly. Knowing their abilities, that didn’t surprise him.

  What did surprise him was the soft singing. At first, he noticed it as a subtle sort of sound, one that permeated the night, echoing against the backdrop of waves crashing along the shore. He glanced over to Lucy, and she tipped her head. What did she hear? He still didn’t know how many abilities she had been granted by the augmentation, though it could be access to all of the Elvraeth abilities. If it was, she would know exactly what they were singing.

  The voices rose louder, filling the night.

  “I’m still surprised Carth didn’t come herself,” Daniel said.

  “If she didn’t think she could…”

  Daniel stared at Lucy. “It wasn’t that she didn’t think she could. She chose not to. This was her responsibility.”

  “She might have placed them here, but I suspect that if she had returned for them, it would have increased the likelihood of conflict.”

  “We were there. There’s going to be conflict regardless.”

  And he was prepared for it. They needed to rescue the A’ras as quickly as they could, but a part of him wondered if they should have taken more time.

  And maybe the solution wasn’t to communicate with them. Maybe they simply needed to Slide to them, grab whoever they could, and Slide them back.

  But if th
ey did that, they would end up with a situation similar to what had happened in Nyaesh. He didn’t want to face that many swordsmen and wasn’t sure he had the necessary skill with which to do so.

  They continued to make their way toward the campsite. He kept his guard up but didn’t unsheathe his sword. It wouldn’t do for them to come in brandishing weapons, drawing that kind of attention. Even walking in might be too much, especially considering what they had done to the A’ras.

  “Will you be ready to Slide if something goes awry?” Daniel asked.

  Lucy only nodded.

  “Can you Read anything from them?”

  “Even if I could, it doesn’t make that much difference. We can know their thoughts, but…”

  “But what?”

  “But we can’t influence them, not in a way that would be helpful.”

  “Have you even tried to influence?”

  Daniel didn’t know much about that ability. It was one that was discussed in hushed tones, rumored about, but not one that most people spoke openly about. It was what had given Reading its reputation of being dangerous.

  “I haven’t tried, and I don’t know that now is the right time to attempt it.” She stared into the distance, her brow furrowed. “Something could go wrong. I don’t want to be the one responsible for anything like that.”

  “What do you think could go wrong?”

  “I remember how things went when I first attempted to Read after this was placed.” She touched the back of her neck, and her eyes closed. She took a deep breath, straightening her spine. “I had no control with it. And it’s the same thing with my other abilities. When I attempt to use them intentionally, there isn’t the same level of control that I once had. I think… I think that I can gain that control, but for now, I just don’t have it.”

  “What do you think might happen if you try to use it?”

  “If it’s anything like I suspect, I could destroy someone’s mind.”

  Daniel started to smile before realizing that she wasn’t kidding. “How do you think you might destroy their mind?”

  “What if I reach too deeply?”

  “Then we won’t be attacked,” he said.

  “It’s more than that. I’d be responsible for them, and for what happens with them. If I somehow alter them, damaging whoever I happen to force, then—”

  She cut off, spinning and Sliding in a single movement. When she emerged next to him once again, one of the A’ras was beside to her.

  Daniel recognized the man. He was one who had attacked him in the beginning. He looked over at Daniel, his eyes growing wide. He started to open his mouth to shout, but Lucy grabbed Daniel and Slid. They emerged hundreds of feet from shore, far enough away that if he were to shout, they would have time to escape.

  “We’re not here to hurt you.”

  “You stranded us here,” the A’ras said.

  “After you attacked us.” Daniel took a step toward him, his hand on the hilt of his sword. This man was dangerous, and he had enough control over the flames, whatever that Elder Stone power was, that Daniel knew to be cautious with him.

  “You boarded our ship.”

  There was true. He had boarded their ship, though he had done so because he had been attacked before. They could continue to argue, but it wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “We need you to return with us.”

  The man stared at Daniel. Heat began to build from him, and Daniel did his best to ignore it. He wasn’t sure how much the A’ras could harm him with an attack, but having seen what Carth was capable of doing, he suspected their ability to hurt him was considerable.

  “Don’t make me attack you,” Daniel said.

  “Make you? It seems to me that you and your people have been all too willing to attack.”

  “And now we need your help to understand what’s taking place in Nyaesh.”

  The man hesitated. For a moment, Daniel wasn’t sure that he would even answer. Then the heat surrounding him faded, easing back, and he let out a sigh. “When they first came, they offered knowledge. There were plenty of masters within Nyaesh who were eager to accept their offerings. They remained and began to integrate themselves deeply into the inner workings of the A’ras. By the time we realized what was happening, it was nearly too late. Those of us who could escape did so. We went to acquire the necessary equipment to counter the V’lar.”

  “Equipment?”

  “The power of the Flame has weakened. The A’ras who understand what we face have tried to fight, but the V’lar overpowered us. They used an insidious sort of knowledge. We seek to reignite the Flame.”

  Daniel glanced at Lucy. “Do you understand any of this?”

  He could make out the concern written on her face. She didn’t know how to help, but then, neither did Daniel. They needed these men, but in order to use them, they had to ensure that they weren’t still angry with Carth. Though without fully knowing what Carth had done, he wasn’t sure he could do that.

  “Hold him,” Lucy said.

  Daniel frowned. “Why, what are you—”

  Lucy disappeared, Sliding before he had a chance to finish. It left him with the A’ras, and Daniel didn’t know quite what to say. They stared at each other for a long moment, the A’ras not moving.

  “Why don’t you care for Carth?”

  “She attacked Nyaesh.”

  “She considers Nyaesh her homeland.”

  “Homeland? I’ve seen the way she treats her homeland, then.”

  “She hadn’t been there in years,” Daniel said.

  “Was that what she told you? She attacked Nyaesh about five years ago. The A’ras have grown weaker since her attack, and each attack prior to that. Every time she appears, more chaos comes with her. She is dangerous.”

  “She is dangerous,” Daniel said.

  There didn’t seem to be anything more for him to say. Carth had made it seem as if she hadn’t been in Nyaesh in many years, but if that wasn’t true, what else might not be true? What was she keeping from him? What reason did they have to trust her?

  He caught himself before going down that line of reasoning too much.

  It was possible the A’ras was only trying to convince him that Carth was holding something back from him. Or he could be telling the truth.

  How would Daniel know the difference?

  What would Carth suggest he do in order to find out the difference?

  Would she use deception? He thought about the few games of Tsatsun they had played, the level of competition between them quite dramatic. She was considerably better than him, and he didn’t see how he could reach her level of competence, though maybe he didn’t have to. He only needed to find a way to compete.

  “When did you leave Nyaesh?” Daniel asked.

  “It’s been months,” the man said.

  “And why did you go to Asador?”

  “It wasn’t the first place we went.”

  “Where did you go first?”

  “I went looking for help.”

  “What kind of help?”

  “The kind that would handle the dangers we have found ourselves facing.”

  Daniel frowned. “Who did you go to?”

  “Do you think that Rel and the Ai’thol are the only powers in the world?”

  Daniel stared. There probably were other powers, but he was ignorant of them. Part of that was the fact that he had not been out in the world long enough to know everything that might be out there. He’d seen aspects of it, and he’d come face-to-face with some of the dangers himself, dangers that were enough for him to know he needed to be careful. They were the kind of dangers that could easily ensnare someone ignorant of the world.

  “Where did you go?” What sort of power would the A’ras have gone to in order to gain allies?

  The man simply stared.

  Where was Lucy? It didn’t make sense for her to leave them here when they had come here looking for the A’ras, intending to bring them back to Nyaesh.

  �
��Are you going to just hold me here, or did you have some other play?” the man asked.

  “I’m keeping you here until my friend returns.”

  “She leads you?”

  The question was so simple, and probably without any real connotation, but it still left Daniel feeling somewhat unsettled. It triggered him, leaving him with questions of his own. Did Lucy lead him?

  He had never thought of himself as merely a follower, but since leaving Elaeavn, that was what he’d become. At least when it came to Lucy—and Carth. He had remained, following her into this, whatever this was. It was all a part of her trying to understand how to control her abilities. Staying behind, remaining out of Elaeavn, had all been for Lucy’s benefit.

  What he’d thought he wanted, the reason he had stayed, was not to be. Lucy had made that clear. Now wasn’t the time for her, and considering what she was going through, Daniel didn’t even blame her. If he were going through something similar, he might not want someone pushing him for anything else, either. He would focus on trying to understand who and what he was, the same way he knew Lucy was doing.

  The A’ras simply stared at him, and Daniel was tempted to Slide away and leave him there. If he did, where would he go? Would he return to Nyaesh? Now that he’d been there, Sliding back wouldn’t be difficult. It was nothing more than a matter of closing his eyes, bridging that distance, and following the space between to carry him there. Or would he return to Asador? That was where he’d been for months, and it had become comfortable to him. He could gather his belongings, decide what he was going to do, and possibly return to Elaeavn.

  Lucy would understand. He was certain of that. She wouldn’t be angry. Lucy rarely got angry, especially as she wanted him to find his own way.

  But there was value in staying. There was value in stopping the Forgers in the Ai’thol from reaching more of the Elder Stones. There was value in him being a part of it, ensuring that the Elder Stones were secured, at least as much as they could be. There was value in trying to help understand what might be necessary to stop the Ai’thol for good.

  And wasn’t that what he wanted?

  He wanted to be able to live and not worry. He wanted to be able to leave Elaeavn and not fear. He wanted his friends and family to be able to do the same.