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

by D. K. Holmberg

  The A’ras continued to watch him, his gaze lingering.

  Daniel stared back but never had the opportunity to answer.

  Lucy Slid back, Carth in tow.

  The A’ras reached for his sword, but Daniel reacted, unsheathing his blade and holding it out. He glanced over at Carth, uncertain whether he really wanted to support her or not.

  “Why did you bring me here?” Carth asked Lucy.

  “You didn’t tell her?” Daniel asked.

  “You had a task to complete. You didn’t need me here for that.”

  “Tell him,” Lucy said.

  Daniel glanced from Lucy to Carth. “Tell him what?”

  Lucy held Carth’s gaze. “Tell him why this matters. Tell him why you fear the V’lar in Nyaesh more than you let on.”

  “What is this?” Daniel asked.

  “What your friend has surmised is that I fear the V’lar in Nyaesh for more reasons than simply the destruction of my homeland.”

  The A’ras snorted. “You could care less about what happens to Nyaesh.”

  Carth turned her gaze upon him. “I care more than you will ever understand. But the simple truth is that I’m responsible for what happened. I’m the reason the V’lar have come to Nyaesh and the A’ras have lost their connection to the Flame. As the Ai’thol gained influence and uncovered where the Elder Stone actually hid, I moved it.”

  Daniel blinked. “Away from Nyaesh.”

  She nodded. “The A’ras had always possessed a reflection of the Elder Stone and never direct power from it. I thought I could move the stone and protect it. If Olandar Fahr didn’t know how to find the stone, then he could never use the power within it.”

  “When did you do this?” Daniel asked, looking over at the A’ras. He had a suspicion but wanted Carth to confirm it for him.

  “About five years ago.”

  The A’ras man glared at Carth. “When you attacked.”

  “Attacked?” Carth glided forward, practically moving on shadows. “Why would I attack the A’ras?”

  “Because you hate that you were exiled from Nyaesh.”

  “Perhaps I once was, but no longer.” Carth stared into the distance for a long moment. “And maybe I made a mistake in removing the stone. Could I have weakened the protections around it in doing so?” She whispered the question, and it seemed as if it weren’t directed at anyone. She took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the A’ras. “If you will return, I will ensure the A’ras find their connection to the Flame once more.”

  “What do you plan to do?” Daniel asked.

  “I will fix a mistake. I will return the Elder Stone to Nyaesh. And we will remove the threat of the C’than from the city.”

  37

  Lucy

  Lucy held her focus on Carth. Wind whipped around her, cold and unpleasant, though not as unpleasant as some of the places they had visited recently. Carth had taken her many places over the last few weeks, and in that time, she had come to terms with the fact that the world had many places she had yet to visit—and understand. Many of the places Carth brought her required that she simply have faith in Carth’s knowledge. This might be the first time she questioned Carth.

  “You’re the reason this took place?” She kept her voice lowered, not wanting to let the A’ras know that she questioned Carth. “With everything else that has happened, you are the reason they are weakened?”

  “It was never my intention to weaken the A’ras,” she said. “I only wanted to limit what the Ai’thol would be able to acquire. In moving the Elder Stone, I had attempted to ensure its safety.”

  “That’s no different than what Olandar Fahr had attempted.”

  “I’m nothing like him.”

  “Nothing? You might be more like him than you realize.”

  Carth held her gaze, and Lucy refused to look away. With everything Carth had shown her, it was hard for her to think that what she had done was anything but a mistake. It was the kind of thing she could imagine Olandar Fahr having done, with the way he tried to maneuver people into playing the game he wanted them to play.

  Why would she have thought Carth would do anything different? Didn’t she have the same ideas as Olandar Fahr, especially when it had to do with strategy and playing Tsatsun? How could she have expected that Carth wouldn’t have been drawn into it?

  “Do the C’than know?”

  “They shouldn’t know anything about the Elder Stones.”

  “And yet, they are in possession of the Wisdom Stone.”

  “They never knew what it was.”

  “Are you sure? Alera seemed to know what it was.”

  Carth turned away, looking into the darkness. Shadows swirled around her, but Lucy had no difficulty Seeing through them. It was as if Carth drew the shadows to her as her way of protecting herself, isolating herself, but with everything they had faced, she was no longer certain that isolation was the best strategy. It seemed to her that they couldn’t be isolated, not when it came to dealing with the Ai’thol or even with the C’than. Wasn’t that same isolation what had gotten them in trouble with trying to handle the Forgers in the first place? Hadn’t the isolation that Lareth had instigated been part of their problem?

  It was possible Carth wouldn’t see it that way, Lucy thought. Carth was many things, but she wasn’t willing to turn a blind eye when the situation demanded otherwise. And if anyone would recognize the failings, it would be Carth, wouldn’t it?

  “How hard is it going to be for us to find this stone?”

  “The stone itself isn’t going to be difficult to find. It’s the moving of the stone that will be the challenge. When I did it the last time, I had plenty of time to do so. I fear that we don’t have that same luxury now.”

  “Why?”

  “Mostly based on what they told us. If the C’than have preyed on the fact that the A’ras are weakened, returning the stone might be the only thing that restores their strength. There might be another benefit to it, but it’s one I thought I wouldn’t need before.”

  “What benefit is that?”

  “It’s possible that I should have allowed the A’ras to protect the stone. I thought I needed to be the one to do so, but perhaps I was only doing a disservice to the A’ras. They are the ones who trained me.”

  “How did you know how to find the Elder Stone there?”

  “I had some experience with it. At the time, I didn’t know what it was. I will warn you, it will be incredibly difficult for us to return the Elder Stone.”

  “Then how are we going to do it?”

  “We will need help,” Carth said, turning toward the A’ras along with Daniel.

  The A’ras wouldn’t be able to help, so that meant she intended to use Daniel.

  “Is he ready for that?”

  “Are any of us ever really ready?” Carth forced a smile. “When I first faced the Hjan—a branch of the Ai’thol—I don’t know that I was ready. But I had no choice. There was no one else who could help. It seems to me that events force us to discover who we are and what we can do.”

  “Are you sure the stone has been safe all this time?”

  Carth shook her head. “I can’t be sure of anything anymore. I had thought that moving it would ensure its safety, but I suppose I didn’t anticipate the consequences.”

  Lucy frowned as she looked at Carth. It was unusual for her to admit something like that, and even more unusual for Carth to open herself in the way that she did. Not only was Carth sharing with her, but some of what she heard seemed to come from within Carth’s mind. It was as if she were mixing what she said aloud and what she allowed Lucy to Read.

  As she looked around, Lucy thought she understood. She was trying to protect Daniel and the A’ras from knowing anything more, though it sounded as if Daniel was going to have to be a part of whatever took place. The A’ras, on the other hand, would not.

  Carth turned her attention to the A’ras. “If I ensure the restoration of the Flame, will you
return?”

  “And if we don’t?”

  “Your people need you. That’s why you left Nyaesh. You knew what they needed. You were willing to find help. I might not be the help you want, but I fear that I’m the help you need.”

  After what they had learned from Samis, the role the C’than had played was one that Lucy suspected Carth had not anticipated.

  All this time, Carth had believed that the Ai’thol were the only threat. That was how she had been surprised. Carth had believed the C’than were aligned with her; either that or she had been so focused on the Ai’thol that she had overlooked the way the C’than were acting behind them.

  It explained the singular focus Carth now had. She had turned away from trying to bring down the Ai’thol and instead focused her attention on the C’than.

  “We will return. Without ships, how would you…?”

  In answer, Lucy grabbed him and Carth and Slid. They returned to the shoreline, and within a moment, Daniel Slid, joining them. The other A’ras were there, and Carth released the A’ras to join the others.

  “Are you sure this will be enough?” she asked Carth.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Where do we go?”

  “Do you think you can find this place?”

  As she spoke, an image appeared in Lucy’s mind. It came suddenly, forcibly, and it flared with great heat and power. She realized that she had been there before. It was one of the places Carth had taken them. Perhaps not one of the C’than strongholds, but near enough to one of them that Lucy thought she could find it.

  She held out her hands, Carth and Daniel took them, and she Slid.

  When they emerged, it was much warmer. Though it was night, a general sense of light radiated around everything in the distance, as if thousands of candles were lit. Heat flowed up from the ground, even though they were far to the north. The air was dry, almost unpleasantly so.

  “Where is this?” Daniel asked.

  “This is Lashasn,” Carth whispered.

  She started forward, heading toward the distant light.

  Daniel grabbed Lucy’s wrist, and she turned to him.

  “I know that you’ve been working with her, but are you sure this is the right thing for us to be doing?” he asked.

  “When it comes to Carth, I have no idea.”

  “I just want us to be certain that this is what we want to do. If we move the Elder Stone, then we run the risk of the Ai’thol acquiring it.”

  “I suspect Carth thinks that the A’ras—at least, an intact A’ras—would be able to defend it.”

  “Then why did she move it in the first place?”

  They trailed after Carth, but they stayed about a dozen paces behind her. They were making their way toward the distant light, the steady glow drawing them ever closer. How would anyone miss that glowing? It would be obvious, easy for Olandar Fahr to find. And if he found it, why could he not have simply claimed the Elder Stone for himself?

  “I don’t know,” Lucy said.

  “I’ve been trying to work through this, trying to understand what move this would be.”

  “Move?” Lucy asked.

  Daniel shrugged. “Carth has been trying to teach me her game.”

  Lucy smiled to herself. “I imagine you’d be good at it.”

  “Not as good as I’d like to be. It’s… it’s difficult. My father used to play games with me, but nothing like this.”

  “I know. My father never wanted me to be a part of the games.”

  Daniel held her gaze for a moment before looking away.

  She took his hand, squeezing it. It was all too easy for her to Read him, to know how he felt. There was a hint of sadness within him. He regretted that he had willingly worked with his father when he had been in Elaeavn, and he blamed himself for not having taken a stand sooner.

  “You don’t have to look like that,” she said to him.

  “Like what?”

  “Like you’re the reason that all this took place. Your father was preparing you to serve on the council. You still could, you know.”

  “I don’t think I can.” Daniel looked up, turning his attention to her. “Even if I returned, I don’t know that I would feel comfortable in the palace any longer. I do know that I wouldn’t feel comfortable isolated as we’ve been.”

  “I wonder about that,” she said, looking after Carth.

  “About what?”

  “The isolation. Have you ever given much thought to why we have stayed hidden for so long?”

  “Not really. I didn’t know that there was any reason I should.”

  “We blame the Forgers for our current isolation, but before them, what reason did we have for separating ourselves from the rest of the world?”

  Daniel chuckled. “Have you ever wandered around the water’s edge in Elaeavn?”

  Lucy frowned, shaking her head. “No, why?”

  “There are several long warehouses there, all owned by the Elvraeth. Do you know what’s inside?”

  “Supplies?”

  “Not from what I’ve been able to determine. Boxes and boxes of items of incredible wealth. None of them from Elaeavn.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that we have not been nearly as isolated as we have always believed.”

  “Regardless of whether we’ve had others come to the city, we have separated ourselves from the rest of the world. The caretakers believe it’s because of the sacred crystals, but…”

  “You think it’s something else?”

  Lucy shrugged. “I don’t even know. I haven’t given it much thought, but what if we have been maneuvered into remaining isolated?”

  “Now you’re sounding like you’ve been playing games with Carth.”

  “Even if I had, I have a hard time thinking I would be able to play them nearly as well as she does. No. I’m just trying to come up with an understanding.”

  She didn’t have an opportunity to expound on it any further. In the distance, she could make out where the bright light came from. The heat and the light made sense.

  “A volcano?” she whispered.

  Carth had stopped, staring into the distance. “It was difficult to place the stone here.”

  “Why did you bring it here?”

  “Many reasons. I suppose mostly because this is where it belonged.”

  “Because of Lashasn?”

  She nodded slowly. “Much like Ih, Lashasn had its own Elder Stone. When Lashasn failed, the stone was moved.”

  “To Nyaesh,” Daniel said.

  “It was. The people here moved because of the volcano. They had little choice. They were forced from their homeland, as much because of the volcano as because of the war with Ih. A new nation was formed, one called Ih-lash, but even that wasn’t able to remain intact. War eventually came for them, too. Now none of those ancient places remain.”

  “But the power does.”

  Carth nodded. “And while Ih still possesses the shadows, Lashasn had not maintained its hold on fire. Not until I brought it back here.”

  “Where is it?” Daniel asked.

  “Inside the volcano.”

  Daniel’s breath caught. “How did you bring it inside?”

  His gaze swept across the distant horizon. Lucy followed the direction of his gaze, probably feeling much the same as he did. Lava flowed down the side of the volcano, thick and hot. Flames crackled from time to time, and from where they stood, it was almost unbearable. She had no idea how they would even try to get closer. In the distance, near the peak of the volcano, lava flowed more readily, the steady red and orange burbling lighting the night, giving a glow to everything.

  There was nothing else around them. There was no life. No birds in the sky. No animals moved around them. There wasn’t even a breeze here. The air smelled hot and sulfuric, the stench of the earth erupting.

  How had any people ever lived here?

  “I am connected to Lashasn,” Carth said.

&nb
sp; “You used your power of the Flame,” Lucy said.

  Carth nodded.

  “Is that when you started to have difficulty with your powers?”

  Carth glanced over, studying her. “Did you just Read that?”

  Lucy shook her head. “Not from you, but from Daniel.” She turned to Daniel Elvraeth, and she forced a smile. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. When I first met her, Carth said that she had been diminished. Her abilities had changed.”

  “And they had,” Carth said. “Moving an Elder Stone is incredibly difficult, but so too is being in proximity to it for as long as I was.”

  “You came alone?” Daniel asked.

  “It would have been dangerous for anyone else to come with me. I wasn’t willing to risk them. So I came alone, sailing with the Elder Stone. Moving it back to where it had been.”

  “And it changed you.”

  Carth nodded. “Perhaps not as much as when I held the Wisdom Stone, but now my connection to the power of S’al is different. Less predictable.”

  “And more powerful,” Lucy suggested.

  Carth nodded once. “More powerful, but without control, power doesn’t matter as much. I would much rather have control over it than complete power.”

  “Are you sure we should be so close to it?”

  Carth shook her head. “No. My hope is that the contact will be brief, and I will be able to shield you.”

  “Shield us how?”

  “One of the things that made Lashasn and Ih such uneasy allies was the fact that our abilities tended to counter each other. Shadows can counteract the flame. With enough power, I should be able to shield you.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Daniel said.

  “If you would prefer to return, all I would ask is that you help bring the A’ras back to Nyaesh.”

  Daniel met her gaze. “No. I’ll stay here.”

  Lucy touched him on the arm, and he turned toward her. “You don’t need to do this, Daniel.”

  “I think I do.”

  “If you do this, it might change you.”

  “And if you do this, it might change you.”