He darted to meet them, not bothering to unsheathe his sword or his dagger. Instead he grabbed for one of the El’aras. Spinning toward him, Gavin trapped the man’s arm under his, and he tried to chop, but the El’aras jumped back.
Power flowed out of the man, who had a sneer on his face. He streaked forward, using his blade. Gavin let the power flow through him. Having taken the sh’rasn, he had more access to his core reserves than he had before. All he needed to do was catch this El’aras.
He twisted and flowed through different movements, and found himself falling into the patterns of the Leier. In doing so, he blocked with his hands as if they were a sword, while pressing power out of him.
Gavin used his core reserves and became one with that power, the way Anna had taught him. He embraced that energy, letting it flow outward. He shifted things for himself, and not only did his eyesight suddenly enhance, but his reaction speed intensified even more than it normally did. Everything seemed to work better than it had before. His strength was greater, his instincts sharpened, and every reaction more fluid.
He focused on that energy and turned, gliding from place to place. He caught the El’aras by the wrist, turning it behind him. The man tried to push off, but Gavin was ready, and he channeled more power through his core reserves, holding the man’s arm behind his back.
He threw the El’aras down on the ground, his shoulder hitting the cobbles, then Gavin slammed the man’s head down. The El’aras crumpled, falling still. He spun around, prepared for the other, but Thomas had already disarmed him, a dagger in his shoulder.
Gavin breathed out.
“What should we do with them?” Thomas asked.
“Question them,” Anna said softly.
“You won’t get the answers you want,” one of the other El’aras said. “You believed you could come here and work with this man. You think he will be the great champion, and that you can ensure the prophecy is fulfilled, but you will fail.” Gavin frowned as the El’aras gave him and Anna a cold look. “You believed you could make a bargain with the sorcerers, when so many of our people have suffered under their hand? A reckoning has been long overdue.”
“I am the Risen Shard,” Anna said, approaching the El’aras. Gavin could practically feel her energy radiating from her—a magic he recognized, the energy flowing from her more powerful than Gavin could summon himself.
Maybe it was the Shard, but maybe it was simply Anna and her control over it.
“We have found peace,” she said. “As you must find peace.”
“There will be no peace,” the El’aras scoffed. “Nothing but revenge for those who’ve destroyed us. They will pay for what has happened, for everything they have done.” He glanced over toward the edge of the city, where the hyadan surrounded it. “You can feel it now, can’t you?”
“It does not matter,” Anna said.
“How does it not matter?” the El’aras asked. “Given everything you have suffered through, it matters very much.”
Gavin looked to the wall, to the barrier around Yoran.
“The hyadan are going to feed on the magic around the city,” Gavin said.
“No,” she said to him.
“They will. And once they bring the enchantments down—”
“I understand what you’re saying,” she said. “But if they are after this power, then there is one way we can end it.”
“What do you mean?”
She looked down at the El’aras. “That is what you want, isn’t it? You want vengeance.”
“You have failed your people,” he replied.
She looked away, staring out into the distance, toward the outskirts of the city. “I think I know what must be done.”
She started to walk away, and Thomas jammed the hilt of his sword against the other El’aras, crumpling him down to the ground.
Thomas went racing after her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I am going to strike a bargain,” she explained.
“A bargain?” Gavin asked, pressing his lips together in thought. “What sort of bargain?”
“One that she should not make,” Thomas said. “You should not do this.”
Anna shook her head. “What choice do we have?”
“There’s always a choice.”
“There is,” she said. “And I am making mine. If it’s vengeance they seek, I will do my part. Especially as I am the reason for it.”
Gavin glanced around, squeezing the hilt of his blade, trying to make sure he was ready for the next possible attack. He was thankful for this moment, but the longer they stood here talking, the more likely it was that another attacker would come upon them. He knew they didn’t have much time remaining before that happened.
And he still had to stop Theren. He had to get that keystone.
And somehow destroy something of dark sorcery.
“Why are you the reason for it?” Gavin asked Anna.
“I am the one who brokered the agreement. That is what it means to be the Risen Shard,” she said.
Gavin frowned. She had to be talking about something that happened long ago, which meant he didn’t really understand it. “What agreement?”
She smiled sadly. “The one that led to our retreat.”
“No,” Thomas said. “You cannot do this.”
“There is no other way.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gavin caught up to Anna. He needed to block her from getting to the northern edge of the city. He couldn’t let her risk herself. Thomas stalked alongside her, but at one point, he had to run down a nearby street and fight with oncoming attackers. As Gavin watched Thomas swing his blade in a rapid blur, he wasn’t sure he would be able to do the same thing, given his current state. He needed more sh’rasn, but even with more powder, he didn’t know if it was going to be enough for him to keep fighting.
“Anna?” he said.
She didn’t look back at him.
Thomas jogged in the shadows, and Gavin could see him looking toward them, as if waiting to see that Gavin would do what was needed to protect Anna.
“What is it that you think you need to do exactly?” Gavin asked her.
“I need to end this,” she said, looking out into the distance and the darkness of the night. “If you had come with us to learn, you would understand. You would know that the Risen Shard is responsible for uniting the families and ensuring peace. I did it the only way I knew how. I brokered peace with the sorcerers, and I forced our retreat.” She took a deep breath, then let it out. “I knew there was some resentment among the families about that, but I had not known how deeply that had become entrenched. I had not known that others would rebel. If he’s after me, then I am willing to go. I have no choice but to do so.”
“It’s not going to change anything,” Gavin said. “You don’t know what he truly wants. You can’t know. Let me handle this.”
She smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, you cannot. Besides, that is not how our people do things.”
“It may not be, but it is how Theren thinks he needs to do things,” Gavin said.
And he said nothing about whether he himself was one of her people. At this point, Gavin didn’t even know, and he didn’t know if it mattered, but he recognized that there was something else he might be able to do.
“I can stop this,” Anna said.
“They’re not after you.”
“But they are,” she said softly. “The fact that they’re here tells me that, as does the Toral attack before. They have made their choice. This is what they want.”
“You don’t know that,” Thomas said, catching up to them. He looked over to Gavin, and he frowned. “Listen to him.”
Gavin could tell it troubled Thomas to say that, but there was a measure of respect that hadn’t been there before.
“This is not your fight. This is ours,” Gavin said to her.
“If I don’t go, it means war, and that is not what our people need.”
“It
will also mean war if you go with them.”
She smiled tightly. “They blame me. I was the one who settled the dispute, so it is my turn to end this, to ensure that this does not happen again. As I said, my responsibility as the Risen Shard is to unite the people. I thought I had done so, but complications have clearly occurred.” She reached the edge of the city, and Gavin could feel the energy coming off the barrier. “I didn’t expect any of the families to ally with a Toral, but perhaps that was my mistake.”
“What did that El’aras mean about the prophecy?” Gavin asked.
Anna shook her head. “It’s one more thing you could learn, if you were willing.”
There was a pair of enchanters nearby, though he recognized neither of them. Both had items in hand and looked as if they wanted to fight. Could they even do anything from where they were? Constables lined the wall, and a few of the Twelve stood with them.
“Look at all of this,” Gavin said. “Everybody has joined the cause. We can fight this, but we’ll do it together.”
As a team. Much like his team.
“I appreciate what you have done, Gavin Lorren.” She smiled at him. “And I appreciate how you have finally become one with your connection. After this, you may be able to go to the El’aras and truly learn what it means to be one of us.”
“I don’t want to go if you’re not there,” he said.
“I’m afraid that is not going to be possible.”
“Listen. We can stop them, but I’m going to need your help.” Gavin looked at the others and frowned. “I don’t know what else is going to happen here, but I do know that Theren does not represent all El’aras. I doubt he’s even acting on behalf of your people.”
“There are enough who feel that way,” Anna said. “You are not part of the family, but perhaps you can be, if you have an opportunity to keep learning.”
“It’s not a matter of learning right now,” Gavin said. “We need to understand what he wants, and I can tell you that he wants something.” He turned, and he could feel the energy pushing outward. “If it’s revenge, then we need to better understand what it is, and how to stop it, and—”
Gavin didn’t get a chance to finish.
The barrier came down.
The hyadan swarmed.
Several of the Twelve attacked, sending blades into the hyadan, which shrieked as they died. Anna nodded to Thomas, and he held her gaze for a moment before darting forward and meeting Theren in the fray.
Thomas was fast, fluid, and though Gavin had fought him once before, he started to doubt whether he had faced him in his full power. There was energy that radiated from him, and every movement was a blur.
Even enhanced, Gavin had a hard time keeping up with Thomas’s movements. It would take every bit of his core reserves, and perhaps more, to track what Thomas was doing.
Gavin thought Theren had been powerful.
“Do not despair, Gavin Lorren,” Anna said as they watched.
He could already tell that Theren had an edge. He didn’t know what it was—perhaps enchantments, or perhaps the hyadan that were surrounding him from the stone he undoubtedly still possessed.
The creatures delayed Thomas’s movements. Each time he had to react differently, to ensure the hyadan didn’t reach him, it prevented him from focusing on Theren fully.
Thomas kept being forced back.
Gavin was going to have to help.
At this point, he didn’t know if he even could, but he knew he needed to do more. But he required more power. There was only one way he could get it.
He turned to Anna. “I need more sh’rasn,” he said. “I need all you have.”
She frowned at him. “Gavin—”
“No,” he said. “I just need all you have, and then I’ll stop Theren. Once I do, we can destroy the keystone, and all of this can be over. And you don’t have to do… whatever it is you’re planning on doing.”
She smiled sadly. “I’m not so sure there’s anything you can do differently.”
“I disagree,” Gavin said.
He looked out to see the hyadan surging toward them. There were dozens upon dozens of them, all of them sweeping in, and he knew he needed to work quickly.
“Hurry,” he said.
She grabbed something from her pocket and handed it over to him—a ceramic jar, delicately made, with El’aras writing on the surface. Gavin opened it, and he took all of the powder inside.
It was more than he’d ever used at one time.
Anna’s eyes widened. “You should not have taken so much. This will be dangerous for you.”
As soon as he took the sh’rasn, Gavin could start to feel something changing. Energy flowed into him, power poured out through him. It was a way of reaching the energy of his core reserves, of his El’aras magic. And he pushed it through him, letting it drift outward, becoming one with it.
He looked over to Anna. “You need to go back.”
“You will not do this alone. He is one of mine.”
Determination flashed in her eyes. She was beautiful and powerful, and Gavin didn’t think he could oppose her even if he wanted to.
He took a deep breath, and they strode forward together.
When they neared the closest group of hyadan, Anna pressed power out from her. Bands of blue power swirled away, looping around the nearest creatures and trapping them. Her energy carved through their power, clearing a pathway for them.
Gavin had to find Theren.
A blur moved past him, and Gavin spun and caught the El’aras coming toward him. He threw the El’aras down, kicking at the same time. The El’aras grunted in pain.
Another blurred form hurtled toward him, this one with dark hair and lean features. Gavin held on to the energy within him and could follow the movement easily. He grabbed the El’aras and punched, connecting his fist with the side of the man’s head, sending him flying.
“You can unite your people, but not like this,” Gavin said.
Anna gave him a strained smile. “I have done all that I thought necessary to unite them. I am the Risen Shard. I would not have been able to use the Shard were I not, but perhaps this is what is truly needed to bring them together.” She glanced over to him, and her gaze drifted to his sword briefly before meeting his eyes. “This might be the cause that unifies us fully.”
For a moment, Gavin worried that she was going to use this as an opportunity to leave Yoran to attack sorcerers, though he knew deep down that wasn’t what she would do.
“This is not the right way to unite them,” he said. “Besides, it seems to me that there is a greater darkness here at work than what you’d told me. We saw the Toral before.”
“Perhaps,” she said.
And they weren’t here.
Yet if they came…
Gavin didn’t want to think about what would happen then. He was too tired to handle that kind of power.
Another El’aras came at him. Gavin sped forward, bringing his fist around, and slammed the man down.
“There are so many,” Anna said.
“I will do everything I can to protect you,” he said.
An El’aras surged toward him, and Gavin grabbed at him. He found that it was easier to fight by hand than to use his sword. Anna’s power continued to loop around her, pouring outward. She used it to capture target after target, destroying one hyadan after another.
Gavin couldn’t see Theren anymore, and had no idea where he’d ended up. If they could reach Theren, they could end all of this.
They reached an opening. Gavin pushed out with his power and felt something.
Energy.
It pulsed in time with what he felt in his pocket.
“It’s up ahead,” he said.
They started forward, and the darkness followed. Gavin fought through several hyadan, but none that were too difficult for him. But they kept coming.
He had to be getting close to the stone.
“They’re feeding on the enchantments around t
he city,” Gavin explained.
“They are creatures of darkness,” Anna said. “They are not creatures our kind should utilize. This kind of power corrupts. There are very few who can recognize this power and not be corrupted by it.”
“There are some that can be?”
“Perhaps,” she said. “But it is unusual.”
Gavin continued to kill one hyadan after another, but even as he did, he realized that he did not need to.
Anna was creating a pathway for them. One that was leading them directly to Theren.
He stood alone outside of the city, dark energy swirling away from him.
“I need the keystone,” Gavin said as he approached.
Theren continued to pour power out from him. He glared at Gavin, who braced himself, though he didn’t know if there was anything he could truly do to prepare for what he would have to do. He had already faced off against Theren, who had already proven that he had enough skill, knowledge, and control over his El’aras abilities to overpower Gavin.
That didn’t mean Gavin wouldn’t try.
He had faced hopeless fights before. But this was not a hopeless fight.
He had something he had never had when he’d fought on Tristan’s behalf: the desire to succeed.
“You should not have come,” Theren said. “Now I have to thank you for bringing her to me. She’s the one responsible for what has taken place, for all of this. She would like to believe she will not face the consequences, but she must. Even the Risen Shard cannot do this.”
“You are not the prophesied one,” Anna said. “I know the key to bringing our people together. It has been foreseen.”
Theren chuckled. “Do you think the great Gavin Lorren, the Chain Breaker, is?”
Anna held his gaze, saying nothing.
“He is not!” Theren roared.
Shadows began to swirl, and they came toward Gavin.
El’aras. A dozen of them. All of them powerful.
Gavin wasn’t going to be able to stop this.
“Once I have the Shard, then I can truly end all of this,” Theren said. “The hyadan were only a means to an end, but now this can all be over. And then the reign of sorcery will be over too. The El’aras can return to our lands.”
The Paper Dragon (The Chain Breaker Book 5) Page 26