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

by D. K. Holmberg

  “There are others we could go to.”

  “Where?”

  “Elaeavn—”

  Carth grunted, shaking her head. “I’m not sure there’s the time to convince them, nor the need.”

  “There are some who would come,” he said. Even as he said it, he wasn’t sure that was true. Would people from Elaeavn join this fight? This wasn’t against the Forgers. This was against the C’than.

  “You don’t have to go to Elaeavn. The strength you need will come to you.”

  Carth spun, stretching her hand out and drawing heat away. As she did, a pair of figures at the far end of the street came into focus. Daniel blinked, unable to believe his eyes. Lucy grabbed his arm and Slid him.

  “Lareth?” Daniel glanced from Haern and then to Rsiran. How were they here?

  “Lucy. Are you…?”

  Lucy hurried over to Haern, throwing her arms around him. “It is good to see you, but I worry that we won’t have much time. How is it that you’re here?”

  “Daniel Elvraeth. I detected your sword, but I didn’t think it was possible that you would be here,” Haern Lareth said.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s a long story, but we captured a Forger, and from what we can tell, they intend to use the metal that the C’than showed them to draw on the power of the Elder Stone.”

  Daniel’s breath caught. He looked over to Carth. “You think the Ai’thol are here?”

  “We’ve seen no evidence of Ai’thol. Just the C’than.”

  “The C’than are attacking?” Rsiran asked. “I thought the A’ras were strong enough to resist an attack.”

  “They should have been, but I made the mistake of moving the Elder Stone.”

  Rsiran stared at her for a long moment. “You understand the danger in doing so.”

  Carth held his gaze. “I understand the stones more than you can imagine. The board was no longer to my liking.”

  “You simply moved it?” Haern asked.

  “I didn’t simply do anything. You could not imagine the difficulty in moving one of the Elder Stones. Nor in returning it.”

  “You’ve brought it back?” Rsiran Lareth asked.

  “This is not the first time the stone has been moved.”

  “What’s it like?” Haern asked. “Is it like the crystals?”

  “The crystals of your homeland were meant to be handled. Not like the Elder Stones. They were meant to influence. And my moving it was a mistake. Now that it is corrected, we can remove the threat of the C’than and allow the A’ras to return to power.”

  Rsiran watched her, and then he cocked his head to the side. “Are you sure that there are no Ai’thol in the city?”

  “We haven’t uncovered any evidence of the Ai’thol. Just the C’than, though they are using many of the same tricks. Why?” Carth asked.

  Rsiran Lareth’s brow furrowed. “There is lorcith in the city.”

  “There is lorcith in most cities. You realize the metal isn’t nearly as rare as your people once believed.”

  “I’m aware of how rare it is not. I’m also aware of the fact that there was not lorcith here only moments before.”

  Carth spun, shadows and heat suddenly surging off her. “Ai’thol,” she whispered.

  “Could they have planned this?”

  “I have long since given up on thinking I could outmaneuver Olandar Fahr, yet I have a hard time seeing how he would’ve planned this. What would he hope to gain?”

  “Besides the power of the Elder Stone?” Haern Lareth asked. “It’s the metal. And we need to—”

  An explosion thundered nearby, cutting him off.

  Daniel looked over to Lucy. “Can you help Haern?”

  “I don’t need—” Haern started.

  Lucy grabbed him and Slid. It left Rsiran and Daniel staring at each other for a moment. “Are you sure you want to take on Forgers like this?” Rsiran asked.

  “We’re not taking on the Forgers. We’re taking on the Ai’thol.”

  “Do you think they’re different?”

  “The Forgers are only a part of a greater danger,” Daniel said.

  “I had hoped to keep all of you out of this.”

  “And now it’s our turn to try and keep others out of it. We don’t want to be a part of this any more than we need to, but—”

  Another explosion thundered, and Daniel Slid, unsheathing as he went.

  When he emerged, he found Haern pushing knives, sending lorcith streaking toward A’ras. He fought with incredible skill, much more so than when Daniel had seen him fighting before. Lucy simply stood in place, motionless, and it took him a moment to realize what it was she was doing.

  She was attempting to Push.

  The A’ras suddenly stopped fighting.

  Rsiran appeared. “What happened?” he asked.

  “The Ai’thol gave Lucy the means to stop them. I don’t think they intended to, but with her augmented abilities, she doesn’t struggle as she once would have.”

  Rsiran glanced over at Lucy. “You need to be careful with that gift. It’s dangerous, and it can be used in the wrong way.” His jaw clenched briefly. “And don’t you try to Read me.”

  Lucy staggered back. “I…”

  Rsiran shook his head. “Others have tried, but if there’s anything my connection to lorcith and heartstone has given me, it’s an ability to ensure that Readers stay out of my mind. And it prevents others from attempting to Push me. Ask Brusus how it goes every time he tries.”

  “Brusus can do this?”

  “Not nearly as strongly, but he has the ability. And if it works like this,” Rsiran said, waving to the A’ras, who stood motionless, their attacks abandoned, “then you have incredible talent.”

  “And you don’t need to harm them,” Daniel said.

  Rsiran shot him a look.

  “The A’ras have been controlled in a similar way. Whatever the C’than have done to them has taken away their ability to refuse.”

  “The Hjan once did something similar,” Rsiran said.

  “And the C’than studied it, mastering it. All of this is related,” Daniel said. And all of it was part of some larger scheme. It had to be. If Carth was right and the person who led the Ai’thol was a master at gamesmanship, then there would be a greater plan. The Hjan, the Forgers, and the Elder Stones were all somehow tied together. He would have to sit with Carth when all this was done and try to think through it.

  Daniel turned to Lucy. “See what you can do about removing some of these threats, but don’t hurt them if you don’t have to.”

  Lucy studied him for a moment. “You intend to go after the Ai’thol.”

  “I’m going to find out where Carth has gone and help her protect the Elder Stone.”

  They could move it again, but even that didn’t necessarily mean the Ai’thol wouldn’t be able to reacquire it. Somehow they had to find a way of getting the Elder Stone to a place of safety, even if it meant hiding it someplace obvious.

  And where would an obvious hiding place be?

  Not only an obvious hiding place, but someplace where the Ai’thol wouldn’t think to continue their pursuit.

  Daniel looked around him. The line of A’ras were there, and they had been controlled by the Ai’thol, but maybe now that they knew that, there was a possibility they could learn to protect themselves. And if they could, if they could somehow maintain the Elder Stone here, then they could drive away the Ai’thol, convince them that they had moved it somewhere else.

  “I need to find Carth,” he said.

  “Go. I will continue to work with them,” Lucy said, nodding to the A’ras.

  Daniel glanced over to Haern and Rsiran. “I need you to create a diversion for the Forgers.”

  “What sort of diversion?” Rsiran asked.

  “The kind that will make them believe we have moved the Elder Stone. It has to be convincing, and you have to get away.”

  “You don’t think I can b
e convincing?” Lareth asked.

  Daniel took a deep breath. “It’s not that. The escape is just as important. They need to think you managed to move it.”

  Rsiran started to smile. “Clever.”

  “What is?” Haern asked.

  “Daniel Elvraeth intends to keep the Elder Stone here.” Rsiran’s gaze drifted to the A’ras that were now following Lucy. How much control did she have over them? And was it safe for her to maintain that control? “I imagine the Elder Stone is what grants them their control over the flames?” Rsiran asked.

  “I don’t think it always did, but Carth makes it sound like the A’ras had been losing their abilities, and until she moved the Elder Stone here about five years ago, they were fading. Now they’re not.”

  Rsiran tilted his head. “There is value in having more people opposed to the Ai’thol who have abilities of their own. The Ai’thol would try to control them, but maybe we can find a way of protecting them.”

  “Is there anything that might?” Daniel asked. That was part of his plan, but he wasn’t sure it would work.

  “There might be something of lorcith and heartstone that would work. I can make it when we return to Elaeavn.”

  “It has to be convenient,” Daniel said.

  Rsiran arched a brow at him. “Now you’re telling me how I need to create protections?”

  “I’m just suggesting that if it’s not convenient, the A’ras might not use the protection regardless of what it does.”

  Lareth chuckled. “It’s a valid point. And what I’m thinking of creating is something like a ring. I made bracelets once upon a time that prevented me from being Read, even by the strongest of Readers, so I suspect that with the right concentration, and with the right connection to lorcith—and heartstone—I can come up with something that will work for your plan. Does that satisfy you?”

  Daniel nodded before realizing Rsiran was starting to smile.

  “How do you intend to draw them away?” Haern asked.

  “Well, that’s the part of the plan that requires your father. If anyone else attempted to move the Elder Stone, I suspect the Forgers would realize that something was amiss. Having you here,” he said, nodding to Rsiran, “is far more convincing. Besides, they fear you. If nothing else, it would give them pause.”

  “Regardless of pausing, we need it to be convincing. And if what we’ve discovered is right, we need to act quickly. The Ai’thol are here for a reason.” Lareth looked around. “I suspect they intend to draw off and trap the power from the Elder Stone the same way they’re trying to draw off the power of the Elder Trees in Elaeavn.”

  “Even more reason for us to find Carth,” Daniel said.

  He wasn’t certain it would work, but if they were able to convince the Ai’thol that they had moved the Elder Stone, then confronting them here wouldn’t be nearly as difficult. Some of the Ai’thol would disappear, chasing after it, diminishing their numbers. They didn’t have enough people to battle the Ai’thol, not at this point. Maybe if they had more time, they would come up with the necessary numbers, but for now, until Carth’s fleet managed to make it here, they were heavily outnumbered. Especially with however many A’ras might remain under the V’lar thumb.

  “How do you suggest we find her?” Haern asked.

  Daniel looked along the street, listening for the sounds of the attack. It seemed to come from deeper within the city, and he smiled to himself. “We follow the sounds of fighting. If I know Carth, that’s where she’s gone.”

  And it would be wherever she had placed the Elder Stone, which seemed to be toward the center of the city. But why? Why would she have placed the Elder Stone there?

  Daniel started to turn when a shimmering appeared.

  One of the Ai’thol stood before them.

  Rsiran dove forward, sliding with a pair of knives in hand, and he jabbed at the man. He struck him in the chest, dropping him to the ground before withdrawing his knives and slipping them back into his pockets.

  The suddenness and the violence of it all surprised Daniel.

  “We can stay here and continue to get attacked, or we can head toward wherever Carth has gone,” Rsiran snapped.

  Daniel could only nod. They followed the sounds of violence, heading deeper into the city. The streets were empty, and every so often, they passed a building charred by flames but no longer burning. Could Carth have done all this? If she had, why hadn’t she asked for any help?

  Unless she hadn’t known where to find them. They had Slid off during the attack, so she wouldn’t have been able to wait for their help, even if she had wanted it.

  They passed a few bodies on the street, all of them Ai’thol based on their dress. It wasn’t until they neared the palace at the center of the city that they found someone else. One of the A’ras.

  As they continued forward, there were more of the A’ras, most of them lying in awkward positions, their bodies broken, bent and seemingly in agony.

  “Did Carth do this?” Haern asked.

  Daniel shook his head. “Carth wanted to help the A’ras, as much as she could. She wouldn’t have done this. This is the C’than,” Daniel said. He felt that with complete certainty. They must have used the A’ras and then decided that they no longer needed them. Or they had used the A’ras as some sort of shield, deflecting other attacks. Either way, the people he saw fallen and broken had died not defending their city as they should, but used by the C’than.

  Fighting near the wall surrounding the palace drew Daniel toward it. He Slid, unmindful of whether Rsiran and Haern would follow. When he emerged, five Ai’thol surrounded Carth.

  Daniel Slid, unsheathing in a smooth movement, and slammed his sword into the back of one man’s neck. He Slid again, drawing the attention of one of the other Ai’thol, and emerged near Carth. Shadows streaked away from her, wrapping around two of the men. A third had shadows shoved into his mouth, and he continued to fight though his eyes bulged as if he were suffocating.

  “It took you long enough to reach us.”

  “Us?” Daniel asked.

  “Rayen and the other Binders are over there,” Carth said. “Go and help.”

  “I have a different plan.”

  Carth squeezed the shadows, and the three men sat. Then she spun, exploding power from her that struck two others. The sudden silence was nearly deafening.

  “What’s your plan?”

  Daniel filled her in on what he and Rsiran had talked about. Carth frowned at first but then began to nod. “It could work, and considering what we’re facing, it might be necessary.”

  “Why? What are we facing?”

  “Apparently the Ai’thol have decided this Elder Stone is incredibly important to them. They sent far more numbers than they have before.”

  “And if Lareth is right, they have some way of drawing off its power.”

  “Why now?” Carth whispered. “What am I missing?”

  It intrigued Daniel that there was a plan Carth couldn’t see, but even more intriguing was the possibility there was someone out there who was more skilled at strategy and gaming than Carth.

  “We should act quickly. With Rsiran here, I think we can handle this, but we will have to move as quickly as possible,” Daniel said.

  Carth grabbed his arm, shadows swirling around her, and she pulled him toward the Binders. “Then let’s act,” she said.

  40

  Lucy

  Lucy Slid to a place she had seen in her mind, a place Carth had shown her, but it was once again a place where she had never been. As the image flashed in her mind, she emerged, coming out long enough to take a look up at what appeared to be nothing more than a two-story building near the northern edge of the city. There was no sense of the violence they had experienced when they had come into the city, as there had been before.

  Could she be mistaken? She had already shown that she could Push, and while it had worked, she wasn’t sure she would be able to continue to do that if it came down to it. How
many times would she be able to Push on others? It hadn’t harmed her, and it was similar to Reading, but there was something about it that left her unsettled. She didn’t care for using her ability in such a way. How could she, as it wasn’t what the Great Watcher had intended?

  Standing outside this small building, she looked around, focusing on what she could Read. There were thousands of people within the city, and as she opened herself up, their voices drifted to her, flooding her mind with an awareness of them. It was difficult—almost impossible—to close herself off to those voices, to exclude them from her mind, and as she tried, she continued to fail.

  She needed to go inside the building to see if there was anything here.

  She Slid.

  There was a bit of resistance, but not much. It was the kind of resistance she had felt before when trying to push past C’than barriers.

  As she Slid, she couldn’t help but wonder why there would be more than one place within the city for the C’than. There should be no reason for them to have more than one location, unless they viewed this as some other sort of stronghold.

  The Elder Stone.

  When they had visited other strongholds, had any of them been near the Elder Stones?

  Carth had taken her to quite a few of the strongholds, and Lucy knew that not all of them were in places where Elder Stones existed, though as she thought about it, she envisioned the one with shadows, a place where she knew there to be an Elder Stone, and what they had encountered there. There had been more than one stronghold in those places.

  All but one of them had been empty. That was the one where they had uncovered the engineer. She needed to see if this place she would find no one here.

  If so, then she would have to move on, prepared to Slide to the next place that Carth wanted to show her, readying herself for whatever it was that she might encounter.

  The inside of this building was similar to many of the others. She found the small lanterns the same as she had seen in the last building here in Nyaesh, which suggested to her that either these lanterns were common here, or they were something unique to the C’than. She wasn’t sure which it was and decided that it probably didn’t matter.