The Paper Dragon (The Chain Breaker Book 5)

by D. K. Holmberg

  Gavin rolled to his feet, and he staggered down the slope. Magic blasted nearby—the energy coming off the sorcerers. He couldn’t keep track of where that magic was or the way it was being used, only that it blasted around him and swirled along the streets, causing his dagger and sword to glow with a faint blue light. He was thankful he wasn’t the target of the spells, thankful that all he had to do was stumble forward and focus on defeating the hyadan.

  “We need to move,” he said.

  “I’m ahead of you,” Gaspar muttered.

  “Let’s get to the edge of the city. I need to go after Theren. He’s gone, but I can still feel him. We’ve got to find him before he gets too far.”

  “I wish I had better news for you, but Imogen sent word. One of the El’aras broke into the temple. They gathered more of the stones. I’m afraid we have more hyadan to destroy.”

  “You mean I have more hyadan to destroy.”

  “Don’t make this all about you, boy.”

  Gavin took a deep breath, trying to draw on his core reserves.

  “Let’s see if we can’t bring him down,” he said.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  When they reached the edge of the city, Gavin found a pile of stone debris near the remains of the El’aras he’d buried with Theren. Darkness swirled around the debris, and though Gavin held his sword, he wasn’t pushing power out from him and couldn’t call on the energy he once had. He still swept his gaze everywhere around him, looking for any signs of the hyadan. In the distance, he could feel the blooms of power coming from the sorcerers.

  “Where are the stone enchantments?” Gaspar asked, looking at Gavin. “They were here, weren’t they? You told them to stay at the edge of the city.”

  Gavin pointed to one of the piles of stone. “I think Theren came through here.”

  “He destroyed them?”

  Gavin nodded. “I’m pretty sure.”

  “We aren’t going to be able to get there faster than him, then,” Gaspar said. “And going by horseback…” He looked up the slope, back to the city. “I suppose we could find a sorcerer, ask them to help. Given everything we’ve done, maybe we can convince them of the value we brought to the city and—”

  “We don’t need to do that,” Gavin said.

  He pulled out the paper enchantment Alana had given him, and set it on the ground.

  “What is that?” Gaspar asked.

  “It’s an enchantment I think you’ll find quite intriguing.”

  “I doubt that,” Gaspar said.

  He looked at the others. “Are any of you afraid of heights?”

  Imogen shook her head without taking her eyes off the enchantment.

  Gaspar frowned at him. “What kind of heights?”

  Gavin touched the enchantment and pushed power out from him, letting a bit of it flow outward, into the figurine. Gradually, the dragon began to expand, growing larger and taking a shape. The creature was made of what appeared to be papery skin, but in his elongated form, he was much more massive. He turned his head toward Gavin, pale white eyes looking at him.

  “Do you think you can follow this?” Gavin asked, holding out the small enchantment he’d taken from the girl in Yoran, which pulsed slowly in his hand. He had no idea whether the dragon would even respond, but wasn’t surprised when the dragon nodded and lowered his head.

  Gavin looked over to Gaspar. “We need to follow Theren.”

  “On that?”

  “You didn’t think we’d be able to walk there, did you?”

  “What happens when the power in this enchantment fades?”

  “Well, considering that I have no idea how long the enchantment will last, I think we have to be prepared to plunge to our deaths,” Gavin said.

  Gaspar glared at him.

  “This creature will fly fast, and should be able to reach Theren before he can use the keystone again.”

  “And if it does not?”

  “Just get on,” Gavin said. He looked over at Imogen. “You don’t have to come with us. No one would blame you for staying. These are your people, after all.”

  “You know the reason I left,” she replied. “My task isn’t completed.”

  Gavin watched her. “We can take care of this. You can stay. Keep your people together.”

  “I will keep them together.” She tapped something on her side, and Gavin frowned at her. “I’m telling the others to join us.”

  “I don’t think we can wait for them.”

  Gavin knew the enchantment power would start to fade at some point, and he had to move quickly to keep up with wherever Theren had gone.

  “You don’t have to wait,” she said.

  Shadows began to emerge from the trees nearby, and Gavin examined the paper dragon. “I think this needs to be bigger.”

  He pressed his hand out and pushed on a bit more power. He felt something tremble and shift, and realized it came from him. The paper dragon seemed to be feeding on his energy, as if anything he poured into the creature was guiding it to change even more.

  The dragon continued to elongate and grow, becoming enormous.

  Gavin stared at it in amazement. He knew that the enchantment had power, but he wasn’t expecting this.

  They all climbed on, taking up positions around the dragon’s back, staying clear of the wings. Gavin sat toward the front, with Gaspar next to him. The paper dragon was now large enough that Gavin could easily sit without the fear of falling off.

  The paper had thickened, almost impossibly so, but remained smooth. Gavin grabbed what had once been a folded ridge on the dragon’s back, but was now much larger—and sharper. The others had settled in carefully near him.

  Gaspar glanced behind him, shaking his head. “I’m not sure I’m going to like this.”

  “Alana made this one. She’s skilled,” Gavin reassured him.

  Gaspar grunted. “It has nothing to do with her skill, and everything to do with the fact that I’m riding on a paper enchantment. Or will be.”

  The dragon lurched into the air without warning. He leaned forward, holding on tightly, smiling to himself. Dragons may not be real, but the power of the enchantment certainly was.

  Gavin’s stomach flipped as they accelerated upward, buffeted by a cool breeze while the city grew smaller below them. One of the Twelve leaned off to the side and threw up. Several of the others had paled. Gaspar refusing to look anywhere but straight ahead. Not all suffered. Imogen even managed a slight smile.

  They soared, flying quickly through the air. Gavin could feel the slow, rhythmic pulsing of the tracking enchantment. It seemed as if the paper dragon were able to lock on and follow the sense of it.

  They were heading toward Yoran, and Gavin thought he knew why: Theren wanted to hurt Anna. He blamed her.

  Gavin tapped on his enchantment. “Anna?”

  There was no answer.

  If she was inside the city, it was possible that she wouldn’t be able to hear him. Would the enchantments around the city prevent that?

  “Wrenlow?” he called.

  When there was still no answer, he let out a frustrated sigh. They must be still beyond the range of the enchantment.

  Gavin hung on to the paper dragon as it flew even quicker, and watched the landscape blur past them. In the darkness, it was difficult for him to make much out. He could see the forest they traveled through, the rolling hills, and as the wind rushed past him, he caught an occasional fragrance from the flowers down below. All of it rushed by faster than if they had been riding the stone creatures.

  It didn’t take long before they reached Yoran.

  Something was taking place.

  Gavin leaned forward but was unable to make out what was happening below. He slipped his hand into his pocket and used the enchantment for enhanced eyesight, which he had retrieved from Gaspar. Everything became clearer, more vivid. He probably could have drawn on his core reserves, using his own intrinsic power to do the same thing, but for now it was easier to use th
e enchantment.

  The El’aras had the city surrounded. There were dark shadows moving around as well, which he suspected were hyadan. The enchantments around the city had seemed to hold up so far, but for how long?

  He pointed at the scene, and Imogen frowned.

  “Hyadan,” she said.

  “How would he have gotten here before us?” Gaspar asked.

  Gavin shook his head. “He’s El’aras, and it’s entirely possible he has enchantments of his own.”

  They circled above Yoran. The barrier the enchanters had formed remained intact, but the hyadan surrounded the entire city. Hundreds of them.

  “We could land on the outskirts,” Gavin said. “And when we do—”

  “Not outside the city,” Imogen said. “They’re feeding.”

  “Like they did in Loruv.”

  “Exactly like that,” she said. “And as they feed, you know what will happen.”

  “We don’t have sorcerers in Yoran.”

  “They aren’t feeding on that kind of magic.”

  Gavin started to understand. They were feeding on the enchantments and the innate power of the enchanters. Which was how they had fed when they’d been here before.

  The hyadan around the city continued to multiply. How many stones had been taken from the temple?

  Imogen glanced down. “The only way to stop them—”

  “The keystone,” Gavin finished. “We have to land in the middle of the city. Then we need to gather our support.”

  He didn’t know if he had the strength to fight again. After everything they’d done, he may not be able to withstand another face-off. It had taken so much out of him the last time. If they had to do that again, Gavin thought he might be too weak to be of much use.

  But how could he do anything else?

  Imogen leaned forward and pointed.

  The dragon started to circle in his descent. And as he did, Gavin could feel something changing. He didn’t see any sign of the Toral, and he couldn’t feel anything either. Maybe Theren didn’t think the Toral was needed.

  “How many hyadan can your Twelve take on at one time?”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Imogen said. “At this point, we need to focus on claiming the keystone. But we must slow the creatures while they feed.”

  They had to find the stones.

  Gavin reached for the power within himself and could feel it roiling through him, but it was not enough. He would need to borrow from the sh’rasn power to defeat this.

  The dragon started to tremble and shrink.

  “I think we found the limitation of this enchantment,” Gavin said.

  He thought he could help, but it was going to take power—power he didn’t know if he had enough control over. He pushed more energy into the dragon, as much as he dared to spare. The dragon shook, but then solidified.

  “Land quickly,” Gavin whispered to him.

  The dragon dove faster as Gavin continued to try to stabilize him.

  They crashed to the ground in a landing that was harder than expected. Gavin cried out, and somewhere behind him, one of the Twelve shouted, while others grunted.

  He scrambled to his feet, and he looked to ensure that the others with him were still safe. They were moving, and no one appeared bloodied, which he considered a win.

  He glanced over to Imogen. “Coordinate your people. Find the other stones. Be ready when I reach the keystone.”

  “It will take considerable power to destroy. It was a dark sorcery construct.”

  He held up his hand, showing the ring. “Then we’d better hope I have enough left.”

  “Fight well, Gavin Lorren,” she said.

  Imogen tapped on her side, and the Twelve began moving, immediately spreading out and away from the paper dragon.

  “What about you?” Gaspar asked.

  “I have to get to the El’aras,” Gavin replied.

  “That isn’t going to do much.”

  “I need you to find the enchanters. Maybe go through Wrenlow if you have to, but let them know we’re going to need their help.”

  “What if they don’t help?”

  “Then the hyadan are going to attack and probably destroy them,” Gavin said.

  Gaspar frowned. “You can be blunt, can’t you?”

  “Is there any other way to be?”

  Gaspar tapped on the enchantment in his ear, and he started whispering. “You there, boy?”

  “I’m ‘boy,’” Gavin said.

  “Fine. Are you there, kid?”

  There was silence, but then Gavin heard Wrenlow’s panicked voice. “There you are! We’ve been trying to reach you. There’s something taking place outside the city. More of those creatures are coming.”

  “We know,” Gavin said. “We’re back.”

  “What happened?”

  “We’ll tell you later. For now, you need to coordinate the enchanters. Get word out as quickly as you can that we need to have them surround the city, prepared to use whatever enchantments they have if the barriers fall.”

  “They’ve already done that,” Wrenlow said.

  “Good. Then keep them there.”

  “What about you? Can’t you take these down?”

  Could he? It would involve using the ring, and that had proven to be elusive. He had no choice but to try.

  “I think I can,” Gavin said. “But I have to do something else first.”

  “What’s that?” Wrenlow asked.

  “Well, apparently I’m now the Stone Breaker,” he said. He looked over to Gaspar, nodding to him. “Go. I’ll figure out what I need to do.”

  “Be careful,” Gaspar said.

  “It’s almost like you care about me.”

  “I don’t want you to die, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Thanks for your help with this,” Gavin said.

  “This one was no one’s fault, boy,” Gaspar said, and he started jogging off.

  Gavin tapped on the enchantment again. “I know you’re out there, Anna. I need to get word to you.”

  He held his breath as he waited.

  “I am in the place where we worked before,” she said.

  The warehouse was quite a ways from him. He looked over to the paper dragon. It had shrunk, but it wasn’t completely down to the size it had been before.

  “Do you think you have a little bit more flight in you?”

  The dragon lowered his head, and Gavin climbed onto his back. The beast took off, staying low. From above, the city looked almost peaceful. He could see the stone buildings sweeping beneath him, and he felt a sense of comfort from them.

  They stayed above the buildings, soaring past slate roofs, some with people looking out of windows. He ignored their puzzled glances. All this effort was for them.

  They reached the warehouse, and the dragon started to shrink further in midair. Gavin pressed his hand against him, trying to pour more power into the creature, but he struggled. The dragon continuing to tremble, and Gavin braced himself for the fall.

  The dragon dove. Just before they reached the street, it shrunk down into the paper form again. And then it dissolved into ash.

  Gavin wished he had another one of those.

  Anna waited in the center of the debris that had been the warehouse, looking toward the edge of the city. Her blue cloak covered flowing forest-green pants—and a single-edged sword he’d never seen her carrying before.

  “How much of this are you aware of?” he asked.

  “I see the creatures surrounding the city,” she said. “They are quite formidable, but thankfully, the enchanters have defended Yoran.”

  “They won’t be able to for long.”

  Gavin explained how the hyadan fed off of magic, and what would happen once the barriers began to fall.

  “Then we must be ready,” Anna said.

  A thought occurred to him from something Theren had said. “Where are your other El’aras warriors?”

  “They’re dispersed through
the city.”

  Gavin tapped on the enchantment. “Gaspar or Wrenlow. Or even Imogen. You need to be prepared for the El’aras to attack you.”

  “For what?” Wrenlow said.

  “Let the other enchanters know that the El’aras spread throughout the city might betray us.”

  If the El’aras turned on them, it would likely cause the barrier to fall faster than it would’ve otherwise.

  “What is that about?” Anna asked.

  “Theren,” he said.

  When he told her about Theren’s view on sorcery and how he had betrayed them, she shook her head.

  “Not him,” she whispered.

  “I suspect that the others with you might feel the same way,” he said. “What about Thomas?”

  “Thomas has served my family his entire life.”

  “So you trust him?” Gavin asked.

  “With everything.”

  “Do you detect a Toral? I’m afraid Theren has been working with one, so…”

  A pulse of power built from her, sweeping away, unrestrained by the enchantments around the city. Gavin was not surprised by that.

  Anna shook her head again.

  Gavin breathed out a sigh of relief. That was the first win they had.

  He turned to the figure striding down the street, with two other El’aras behind him.

  “Are you sure about him?” he asked.

  “Why would I not be…” Anna trailed off, looking back as Thomas made his way toward them. “Thomas?”

  “He has returned,” Thomas said.

  Gavin felt his skin grow tight, could practically feel the way Anna was pulling upon power. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a vial of sh’rasn, and quickly downed it before turning his attention back to Thomas and the other El’aras.

  He had no idea whether he would need it, whether they would attack, but he wanted to be ready in case something changed.

  “He tells me that Theren has betrayed us,” Anna told her guard.

  Thomas frowned.

  And then the El’aras behind him surged forward.

  Gavin was ready.