The other El’aras stood several paces back, though Gavin suspected they were listening in just like they had inside the warehouse.
“He has the ring,” Anna said. “It is the reason for this. Unfortunately, until he learns enough control over it, we must offer whatever we can to help him grasp that level of control.”
“He should not have the ring,” Thomas said, his gaze drifting to Gavin’s hand.
She cocked her head to the side. “Would you rather be the one to bear it?”
“I would gladly take on that responsibility. I would ensure it was used to unite rather than divide.”
Anna watched him with an edge to her that Gavin hadn’t seen before. “The ring chose otherwise.”
Thomas inhaled slowly and narrowed his eyes at Gavin. They had not gotten along well the first time they met, but that was partly because Gavin had attacked Thomas. Since then, Gavin thought they had found a measure of a workable relationship. Then again, now that he had destroyed the building where they’d been practicing, he figured he deserved some of Thomas’s ire.
“If either of you can tell me how to get the ring off, you’re welcome to it,” Gavin said. “I don’t want it.”
And he didn’t think he needed it. At this point, all he wanted was to continue to work on controlling his connection to magic. He didn’t need to make it any worse by having this ring, which accentuated what he could do but also made it even more difficult to control that power. Unfortunately, so far, he didn’t have any choice in the matter.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Thomas said. “If the ring chose you and you chose it, then there is nothing more I can do.”
“There’s no other way to remove it? If you know how, you’re welcome to do so,” Gavin said.
Thomas breathed out. “This is a mistake,” he said. “Look at this city. They will blame us.”
Gavin looked around the street. At least three buildings had been completely destroyed, and several others were equally damaged, though had not fully collapsed. This part of the city had been run-down, yet it had been mostly intact—until now. That he was responsible for its destruction bothered him.
He hadn’t come to Yoran to cause trouble. Gavin had come for a friend, and he had stayed because of others he had begun to care about. He wanted to protect the city as much as he could, not lead to its entire destruction. Even worse was that this wasn’t the first building he had destroyed.
If he stayed, would there be others?
The debris filled the center of one section of the street. The air hung heavy with dust, and there was a strange odor everywhere. It took Gavin a few moments to realize what that odor was. Magic.
The smell came from the magic he had pulled upon, the magic he controlled. Or, at least that he attempted to control.
He did not do so very well.
“They aren’t going to blame you,” he said. “This is on me.”
He didn’t know what he was going to tell Davel, or whether there would be anything he could even say as an apology.
It had to be more than just apologizing to Davel.
As far as Gavin knew, all these buildings were empty. It was part of the reason he’d wanted to work in this part of the city. No one could be potentially injured—though, admittedly, Gavin hadn’t been terribly concerned about that, but more so about who might be able to detect the magic they used. With everything he had called upon, there was a distinct possibility that someone else might recognize he was practicing with power. That would only draw attention to the fact that there was magic used in the city.
Given that magic had been forbidden decades ago, Gavin worried about revealing his connection to it. At the same time, the constables had started to use magic more openly with their enchantments, and they’d welcomed those who had access to it.
Anna watched him silently. He wanted her to say something. At the same time, maybe it was better if she didn’t. She had come here because of him, to train him and help him understand his magic, and this was how he had repaid her. He had demonstrated a lack of control over his power, and because of what he had done, he had endangered her and the other El’aras in Yoran.
“You should get going,” Gavin said. “I can come find you later.”
Anna continued to watch him, and she swept her gaze along the street. “We can help clean up,” she suggested.
Thomas’s jaw dropped slightly, almost was enough to make Gavin laugh.
Gavin had the impression that Thomas had rarely done any real work. He might be a skilled fighter, but there was a difference between training to fight and doing manual labor. There was something about him that screamed of a man who was accustomed to others doing the work for him.
“I think it would be better if you weren’t here when the constables arrive,” Gavin said. “I don’t know how they’ll react, but I can imagine what it will be like.”
“You do not need to take the blame for this,” she said.
“I do. This is my fault, after all, and had I followed what you were trying to tell me, I would have never had the same problem, so…”
She shook her head, but Thomas tapped her on the arm. They started to walk away, and Gavin knew where she was going to go. She’d been spending most of her time in the forest surrounding the city.
As they disappeared from view, Gavin started to make his way around the debris.
“This was impressive,” a voice said.
Gavin spun to see one of the El’aras across the narrow street from him, leaning against a building as he watched Gavin. He was one of the guards that had been in the warehouse with them. He appeared younger, though Gavin had no idea how old he actually was.
“She didn’t have you go with her?” Gavin asked.
“She thinks somebody needs to stay with you. And help you clear some of this debris. She figures I’m strong enough for that.”
“And how does Thomas feel about that?”
The El’aras shrugged. “He doesn’t care. Well, perhaps he does.” He leaned forward. “You made sure she got out of there before this happened.”
“I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
“I think Thomas recognizes that. If he did, maybe he would appreciate you more.” He broke into a grin. “I certainly appreciate you. I haven’t seen destruction like this in quite some time.”
“You don’t have to laugh about it,” Gavin said, looking to a pile of stone near him. There wasn’t going to be any clean up here. He’d have to admit to the constables what he’d done.
“I don’t? It seems pretty funny to me.”
“Only because you aren’t the one responsible for it.”
“Exactly.” He chuckled again. “You really have the ring?”
Gavin held his hand out, revealing the ring on his finger.
The El’aras whistled. “I heard somebody had claimed it.”
“You heard?”
“She hasn’t told us much about it. I’ve been listening.”
“I know,” Gavin said.
“She would prefer that we not, but…” He tapped his ear. “Can’t really help my hearing. Naturally enhanced, as it were.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Because you’re not doing what she’s trying to teach you to do. You hold your power the way she wants, and you can keep enhanced, too,” he said. He glanced in the direction along the street where Anna had disappeared. “I remember some of those lessons. I was pretty young then, so they were different for me than they are for you, but I remember them.” He smirked, crouching near a pile of debris. He traced a sharp pattern, then pressed his hand down. Some of the stone cracked as he did. “They tell you that you have to hold on to that power. While it’s easy enough to try, there are times when tapping into that power isn’t always as simple as they make it sound.”
“It’s not the accessing of power that’s the difficulty,” Gavin said. What if he could do something similar as the El’aras and turn the stone to dust? He had done something like
that before.
“No? What is it for you, then?” He stopped at another pile of stone, using his power on it again.
“It’s more about what I do once I tap into it.”
“I see. No control. She’s right, you know.”
“She’s right about what?” Gavin asked.
“You have to let the power flow through you. When you do, you can start to feel something more with it. It has to become a part of you.” As if to demonstrate, he traced another pattern, and the stone shattered, turning into a faint tracing of dust.
Gavin tried to mimic it. He followed the pattern—something he had a natural ability with—but couldn’t push the same power out that the El’aras managed. “I thought it was a part of me. That’s why I’m able to draw upon it.”
“There is a difference between drawing upon it and drawing upon it, if you know what I mean.”
“I really don’t,” Gavin said.
The El’aras smiled at him. “You will. The more you work with her, the more you will.” He looked down at the ring on Gavin’s finger. “Especially if you’ve got that. Figure that anybody who has the ring will eventually learn control.” He shrugged. “Either that, or it will kill you.”
Gavin found himself enjoying this El’aras’s company. He had a practicality and a simplicity to him that Gavin didn’t often see with others. There was something appealing to it, and maybe that was why Anna had asked him to stay behind.
“What’s your name?” Gavin asked.
“You want the easy one or the long one?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t realize there was a difference.”
“You think her name is really Anna?”
“I guess I did.”
The El’aras smirked, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Sure. Her full name is Annalinarra Ohmanarash El’sinarh.”
“That’s… a mouthful.”
“Right?”
“Anna is easier,” Gavin said.
He looked over to where she had disappeared and couldn’t imagine being able to say her name in full very easily. Still, he thought he should at least have some idea of how to pronounce it, in case he had the opportunity to impress her.
He mouthed her name a few times, mostly to himself as practice. The El’aras watched him, chuckling, before shattering more of the stone and kicking his foot through the dust.
“It’s not as easy as you’re trying to make it seem,” he said.
“That was easy?” Gavin asked.
“Maybe not easy,” the El’aras said, “but you have to not push it quite so hard.”
“I didn’t realize I was.”
“Just let it flow. Sort of how you have to let the power within you flow.” He smirked again. “Maybe if you can figure out how to hold on to the power, you’ll figure out how to say her name.”
“What about you?” Gavin asked.
“You want my full name? I doubt you could even say Therenalhar El’narihn.”
Gavin laughed. “I could probably come around to it.”
“Just call me Theren,” the El’aras said. Theren grinned. “What happens now?”
“I’m waiting for the constables to arrive,” Gavin said.
“The buildings were empty, if you’re concerned about that.”
“There shouldn’t have been anybody here,” Gavin said. “I chose this place to work because it’s unpopulated.”
“Which is strange, isn’t it? Place like this, the stonework here, seems like people would have appreciated it.” Theren crouched in front of one of the debris piles, running his hand along the stone. It rippled as he did before shattering.
“You seem to appreciate the stonework more than most,” Gavin said.
Theren dusted his hands on his pants before standing. “My great father was a mason. Not here, though. Gods, I can’t imagine what how amazing this city would have been were he here.”
“Why not?”
“This place? I suppose those who once claimed it loved it enough to make it pretty, but a place like this isn’t for me. Bad enough in the forest, but out here with everything as flat as it is…”
“You don’t like the forest?” Gavin asked.
Theren frowned at him. “Why would I?”
“I thought all El’aras did.”
“I come from a different land.”
“From the mountains,” Gavin said.
Theren smiled and nodded. “I enjoy the way the rock climbs toward the sun. It’s easy to see the presence of something more when you stand out there looking up at the sky, feeling the warmth of the sun, the heat and energy that radiates down, the burbling sound of the streams, and…” He looked over to Gavin, shaking his head. “Sorry about that, I got ahead of myself. Sometimes I get like that.”
“Why would you apologize?”
“Because it probably sounds a bit foolish to you. Not much belief in that sort of thing out here.”
“I was trained to not believe in anything beyond myself,” Gavin said. He tried the pattern Theren had used again, but it did nothing for him.
“How did that work out for you?”
Gavin shrugged. “Most of the time I do pretty well.”
“That’s what I hear about you. The Chain Breaker.” Theren smiled. “Heard that you even challenged Thomas.”
Gavin wondered if he was supposed to confirm that or not. “I doubt Thomas wants anybody to know about that.”
“Not particularly. You know how it is. A bit of a proud man. Then again, his role as guardian to the Shard means he would be, wouldn’t it?” Theren chuckled as he said it, as if tied into some joke.
“I suppose,” Gavin said.
“Exactly,” Theren said. “And so, when somebody comes along who poses a challenge to him…”
Gavin knew the type, and had appreciated that Thomas viewed himself as Anna’s protector. Everything Gavin did that endangered Anna made things more difficult for Thomas. And it might be that the man was even more than just protector to her. Maybe he served in some other way, one that Gavin didn’t fully understand.
“Hear you have quite the fighting skill,” Theren said.
“I can manage.”
Theren grinned. “I might be interested in seeing just how well you can manage.”
“Would you?”
Gavin sized him up, using what he had learned from Tristan to do so. He normally did that with anybody he faced, but Gavin hadn’t paid much attention to Theren. He mostly knew that Theren was a warrior, but he hadn’t really thought much about what that might mean.
Of course, Theren served as one of Anna’s guards, so he had to have power and skill. She wouldn’t let just anybody stay with her and protect her, she would want somebody who could keep her safe. That likely meant Theren was far more skilled than Gavin suspected.
“Several of us came with her because we thought we might have a chance to spar with you, as it were,” Theren explained. “She couldn’t command us to come, so we had to volunteer. Most stepped up for the Risen Shard, but some of us had other reasons.” He winked at Gavin.
“You might not care for that.”
“No? Don’t you enjoy testing yourself against others when your life isn’t on the line?”
“I haven’t had that opportunity all that often,” Gavin said.
“A shame, then. I think it’s always better to test yourself when you don’t have to worry about dying.” Theren chuckled. “Then again, from what I hear about you, you don’t fear death.”
“Only a fool doesn’t fear death,” Gavin said, though that wasn’t exactly true. He didn’t necessarily fear it, but at the same time, he also had trained to not be fearful of it. It was a fine line of distinction, one he wasn’t entirely sure how to explain, but maybe he didn’t need to.
“A fool,” Theren said, “but I don’t get the sense that you are much of a fool, are you, Chain Breaker?”
Gavin snorted. “How long did she tell you to help me?”
“As long as needed to mak
e sure you were safe.”
“She wanted to make sure I was safe?”
“Well, given what you did here”—Theren waved his hands and motioned to the stone that he’d shattered before turning back to Gavin and smirking—“can’t say that I blame her.”
“You can’t, can you?”
“Not so much. Anyway, since we got some visitors coming, I might step off to the side and chat with you later. Maybe we can have that spar.”
Gavin shook his head and glanced along the street, then turned his attention back to Theren.
He’d already disappeared.
Gavin laughed softly. Somebody who could disappear that quickly and easily would have to be skilled.
Three constables made their way toward him. Gavin stood in place, waiting, unsurprised that one of them was Davel. When Davel reached him, he motioned to the other constables and nodded briefly, then turned his attention to Gavin.
Davel was a slightly older man with dark hair. His short frame was incredibly muscular, and he moved with a fluidity that suggested he had enchantments on him at all times—and probably used those enchantments constantly.
“This was your doing?”
Gavin nodded. “Unfortunately. I didn’t mean to, but I’m trying to come to terms with the kind of power I have.”
“You had to do that here?”
He glanced around him. “There wasn’t anybody in the area. This part of the city’s unpopulated.”
“How certain of that are you?” Davel said.
Gavin looked back and realized the constables were searching the street, checking the buildings, and ensuring there weren’t any others who might’ve been injured in the collapse.
Thankfully, he figured that he could speak confidently to that. “I’m sure enough,” he said.
Davel turned and glanced at the destruction. “This was what I worried about,” he said. “Ever since you showed up, there’s been more of this sort of thing.” He swept his hand out, motioning to the debris, and shook his head. “And we keep dealing with magic.”
“This time, the magic wasn’t an attack on the city,” Gavin said.
“This time,” Davel said. “What happens next time? Or the one after that? How many more times can you feel confident that you can protect the city?”
The Paper Dragon (The Chain Breaker Book 5) Page 4