The Fates of Yoran (The Chain Breaker Book 3)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “You will leave Yoran,” Gavin said to the Fates.

  “Yoran is under our protection,” the Fates said.

  “Protection? I think you intend to keep it under your control.” Gavin inhaled deeply. There was one way to ensure they left Yoran alone. “The city is not under your protection any longer. It is under mine.” He pointed the dark egg at each Fate. “If you return, I will release them. They will hunt for you. I will hunt for you. I may not be able to withstand you now, but I will learn. I will grow stronger. The next time will be different.”

  The Fates watched him, and power within them surged outward. It targeted Gavin.

  He felt that power circling outward, swirling toward him, and he reacted.

  He thought about what Anna had suggested.

  Focus on what he wanted his power to do.

  He wanted to push them back.

  He drew upon as much of his core reserves as he could. Next to him, he could feel Anna doing something similar. It was strange to be aware of it, but he could feel that energy within her and feel how it flowed outward, and it struck him, but it also pushed beyond.

  Gavin created a barrier. Their power struck his, and surprisingly, his power held.

  Another burst of power came from him, and the dark egg glowed even more, the purple light streaming off it.

  The Fates’ eyes widened, almost as one.

  Another blast of power exploded.

  When it was gone, so were they.

  Gavin sank to his knees. “I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on.”

  Anna helped him to stand. “You have done well, Gavin Lorren.”

  “They aren’t going to leave us alone.”

  “For a while, they will.”

  “Which means I have to stay here,” he said.

  Anna nodded. “For now.”

  Gavin took a deep breath, trying to maintain his strength. He looked around, but he couldn’t see anything or anyone around him. “What about the others?” he asked.

  “What others?”

  “The constables. The enchanters.”

  He had to hope that they could keep the enchanters, and others Gavin cared about, safe from the semarrl—and from the Fates.

  “I distracted the Fates before anything happened to them. And you drew off the semarrl in time.”

  Gavin breathed out in a heavy sigh. He had succeeded. Now, he had to rest. That was what he wanted more than anything else.

  “Can you help me back to the Dragon? I might have taken all of your powder. I don’t know if I can stay on my feet for too much longer.”

  “All of it?”

  Gavin held the pouch out to her. “I needed it. I don’t know what would’ve happened otherwise.”

  “It will be difficult for you, but I will make sure that you arrive safely.”

  He took a step. As his strength faded from him, Gavin collapsed.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Coming around slowly, Gavin opened his eyes and looked around him. It took a moment to realize he was lying in his bed within the Roasted Dragon. Everything in him hurt as he eased himself up. He rubbed the back of his throbbing head, and muscles that he didn’t even remember working ached and trembled with each movement. At least his head wasn’t throbbing the way that it had been before.

  Even after having a good night of sleep—or perhaps even more than that—he was still tired. Gavin wasn’t surprised.

  He reached for his core reserves and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He felt refreshed. That served as a warning to him. The fact that he was refreshed meant that he had been out for a long time—possibly days.

  Gavin got to his feet and dressed as quickly as possible, strapping on the El’aras dagger and the sword. He studied the dark egg, the strange onyx sphere that rested on one of the tables, and decided to stick that into his pocket, as well. It was better than leaving it here and unprotected. He made his way out of the room and down into the tavern.

  He paused at the door. A musician strummed a lute in one corner, singing with a rough voice. A fire crackled nearby, heat radiating out of the hearth. The tavern was filled with people.

  It was a strange sight to see. At one point, it would have been commonplace. The tavern had been busy, a popular place for people to gather when Gavin had first come to the city, but that had started to change in the last few months. Jessica hadn’t nearly the same business she had before Gavin had come.

  He wound his way into the tavern. He took a seat, resting his elbows on the table and looking all around him.

  “There you are,” a voice said.

  Gavin looked over as Jessica approached. Her hair was braided today, with small pink ribbons woven in patterns into her hair. She glanced over at him briefly. Her hands were empty, and she slipped into a seat next to him.

  “How long?” he asked.

  “How long what?”

  “How long was I out?”

  Jessica looked around the tavern before her gaze landed back on him. “A little while.”

  “A little while?”

  She shrugged. “About a week.”

  Gavin grunted. “That’s more than just a little while.”

  “She warned that you would need time,” Jessica said.

  “She?”

  “The El’aras woman.”

  Gavin sighed. Anna was gone. It had been a week, and now he didn’t even get a chance to say anything to her. That bothered him more than he had expected.

  “Thank you,” Gavin said.

  “For what?”

  “For giving me a place to stay. For making sure I was cared for in my incapacitated state.”

  Jessica chuckled. “I didn’t have much choice.”

  “Why is that?”

  She reached across the table, squeezing his hand. “I’ve always known you were special, Gavin. The first time you came to the Dragon, you’ve been…” She smiled and squeezed his hand again. “I think it’s time for you and me to no longer be you and me.”

  His throbbing head made it difficult for him to focus, but those words stuck with him. “Why?”

  “Everything has changed,” she said. “Including you.”

  “I haven’t changed that much.”

  “Perhaps not that much, but you’ve changed. And I can see you need to find yourself.”

  “At my age?”

  “At any age,” she said. She got to her feet, and she wrapped her arm around his neck in a hug. “It’s good to see you back up. I’ll get you some food.”

  Gavin frowned.

  “You’re up,” Wrenlow said from behind.

  Gavin twisted so that he could see him. Wrenlow’s eyes were hollowed, with dark rings around them. He looked as if he had suffered, almost as if he had been beaten the way that Gavin felt. Ink stained his green shirt, and he offered a lopsided grin.

  “I am,” Gavin said.

  “I didn’t know how long you were going to be resting, but we were warned it may take a while for you to come back around. I didn’t know that you would sleep for a week. Damn. That’s a long time to sleep.”

  “Anna warned me that the powder she gave me might have consequences,” Gavin said.

  “That’s what I understand.”

  “Jessica was acting strangely.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Wrenlow said.

  “Why?”

  “Well, after what happened…”

  Gavin sat up, and he looked around before settling his gaze on Wrenlow. “What happened?”

  “When you returned to the Dragon, she made sure you were safe.”

  “I know Jessica did.”

  “Not Jessica,” Wrenlow said. “The other woman. The El’aras.”

  “Anna?”

  He nodded. “She stayed with you for the first day, making sure you had food and water and ensuring you weren’t alone. She didn’t leave you.”

  “She wasn’t there when I awoke.”

  “No. I don’t know if she’s been here for the
last few days.”

  Gavin looked toward the door. “Oh.”

  “I think Jessica realized she had to let go. She knows you’ll leave.”

  Gavin reached into the pocket of his cloak, feeling for the dark egg. It was still there, the slick surface leaving his hand feeling oily. Unpleasant. He supposed that he should be thankful it was still there and that no one had taken it from him.

  “Unfortunately—or fortunately—I won’t be going anywhere.” Gavin didn’t know which it was at this point. “Because the Fates left the city.” Gavin explained the events which had led to the Fates leaving Yoran.

  “How?” Wrenlow asked.

  “With this.” Gavin pulled the dark egg out of his pocket and set it on the table. The dark egg reminded him of the jade egg. It was cooler to the touch and had a slick surface, whereas the jade egg had more of a sticky texture. There were markings along its surface, probably El’aras writing, though Gavin couldn’t read it.

  Wrenlow looked at it. “What is that thing?” He started to scoot back, moving away from the dark egg.

  “This is what’s used to control them,” Gavin said. “And I think the Triad used the enchanters to create it.” He would have to question the Keeper, but everything he’d learned made him think he was right. “The Captain held it, and Tristan… well, he might have manipulated me into helping him get to it.” With the enchanters and the constables no longer at odds, the Captain had opened his vault to move enchantments.

  Which would expose this one.

  “At least I was able to convince the Fates to leave the city.”

  “So they’re gone?”

  “For now.”

  “And you fear they’ll return,” Wrenlow said.

  Gavin took a deep breath, nodding. “At some point, I suspect the Fates will return. When they do, I guess…” He shook his head.

  “You intend to stay.”

  There was a part of Gavin that didn’t want to stay, but if he had to protect the city, what choice did he have? The Fates would return. He didn’t think the constables and enchanters were powerful enough to push them back, regardless of what Davel believed.

  At least, not yet.

  “For a little while,” Gavin said.

  “I wonder how Jessica is going to handle that.”

  “Why?”

  “Having you here,” Wrenlow said. “I think she expected you were going to leave and go with the El’aras. If you stay, then she will have to come to terms with it.”

  Gavin looked over to see Jessica making her way through the tavern. There was a sadness about her, which left him sad as well. He didn’t like being responsible for that sorrow, especially not with Jessica. She was a friend—and had been so much more.

  He sighed, getting to his feet.

  “Where are you going?” Wrenlow asked.

  “I have something I need to do,” Gavin said.

  “But you just woke up.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you going to tell me?” Wrenlow said.

  “I thought you might come with me.”

  Wrenlow cocked his head to the side, watching him. “Why?”

  “Because I might need your help.”

  Wrenlow grinned and got up, and they made their way to the tavern entrance. Gavin could feel Jessica’s eyes on his back. They reached the door, and he paused, looking behind him. She had turned away.

  He headed through the streets, with Wrenlow following alongside him. Gavin had thought himself recovered, but he still felt tired. He staggered, and Wrenlow looked over at him but didn’t say anything. Gavin appreciated that. There were other people in the street, but they paid them no mind.

  They reached the constables’ barracks.

  Wrenlow laughed. “This is where you wanted to go?”

  “I need to talk to Davel.”

  “This should be interesting,” Wrenlow said.

  Gavin stepped inside the barracks and paused. The barracks were busy. The last time he’d come here, there had been a half dozen constables who all jumped to their feet. They paid him little attention this time, other than a man sitting behind a narrow wooden desk near the door. He looked up at them, a lazy expression on his face. He straightened suddenly and twisted a bracelet on his wrist. An enchantment.

  Gavin chuckled as he approached the man. The entrance to the barracks was not all that large. He looked around and spoke to the nearest constable. “I need to see Davel Chan.”

  The constable’s eyes widened, and then he hurried away. Gavin had to wait only a moment before Davel came out of the back room.

  “He lives,” Davel said.

  “You didn’t think I would?”

  “You were out for quite a while. I checked on you the last few days, but I wasn’t allowed to see you.”

  “Jessica can be like that,” Gavin said.

  “Not her. She was welcoming enough.”

  That meant Anna. How long had she stayed with him?

  “I wanted to let you know that the jade egg won’t be returning to the city.”

  “I understand,” Davel said.

  “It needed to go back to its owner.”

  “That’s what we were told.”

  “By the El’aras, I presume?” Gavin asked.

  Davel nodded. “She can be quite emphatic.”

  “We will have to find another way for you to make the enchantments you need.”

  Davel smiled tightly. “That is not necessary.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I have already found another way to make enchantments.”

  Gavin looked around, and this time he really looked around. There were more than just constables here.

  Enchanters.

  He smiled to himself.

  When he had dealt with the Mistress of Vines and stopped the Captain, there had been a part of Gavin that had hoped that the enchanters would be able to move and operate more freely within the city. And they had. They no longer had to fear the constables pursuing them, but there was still a difference between fearing pursuit and working openly.

  What he saw here now was the possibility that they would be able to work openly.

  When he saw here was a progress that he had not expected.

  It had to be Davel and Zella. The connection they had formed.

  Kegan was talking softly with one of the constables. There were several others that Gavin recognized, though he didn’t know their names.

  “The constables are working with the enchanters again,” Gavin said.

  “For now,” Davel said. “So if that’s your reason for coming, you don’t need to be concerned. We will keep the city safe from the Fates.”

  Perhaps they would. Despite everything that Gavin felt like he needed to do, perhaps it wasn’t necessary at all. He still needed to question the Keeper, but that would happen later.

  “Is that all you wanted to say?” Davel asked.

  Gavin tapped his pocket, feeling the dark egg. Perhaps Davel didn’t need to know about it. “For now,” he said.

  Davel grunted. “You’re a strange man.”

  “I know.”

  “Will we be seeing much more of you?”

  He’d promised to protect Yoran. Seeing the enchanters and constables working together intrigued him, not only for what they could do for the city, but it might even give Gavin the sparring challenge he’d been looking for.

  Besides, if he had to face Tristan again, he might need any advantage he could find.

  Enchanters were that advantage. The city was that advantage.

  “Perhaps,” Gavin said.

  “Great,” Davel said with a grin.

  “Why?”

  “Because with you in the city, we keep facing unique new challenges,” Davel said. “I am ready for a little bit of calm.”

  “It doesn’t look like you’re preparing for it.”

  Davel shook his head. “I know better than that. I might be ready for it, but with what’s been going on, I fear we won�
�t have calm for quite some time.”

  He met Gavin’s eyes.

  Gavin didn’t look away. “I fear you’re right.”

  He and Wrenlow left Davel behind, departing the constables’ barracks. There was nothing else for Gavin to even do or say. The Fates were gone, though not indefinitely. They might’ve been defeated for now, but there was a real danger that they would return, and when—and if—they did, Gavin couldn’t simply sit back and do nothing. He had never intended to claim Yoran as his own, but perhaps that was what had to be, at least for now.

  Then there was the issue of Tristan. Gavin had to understand more about him. Tristan was still a skilled fighter. His fighting skill had not changed much in the years since they’d parted ways, but Gavin’s had. More than that, Gavin now had access to something within him that he could call upon and use.

  He truly was the Chain Breaker.

  He wanted to go after Tristan, know what he intended, and learn how much he knew about Cyran. Tristan had shown himself to be something more than what Gavin had believed, whether or not it was that he was part El’aras or something else. Either way, Tristan had known far more about magic than he had ever let on when he had trained Gavin.

  The streets were quiet. Wrenlow walked next to him as they made their way back to the Dragon. Something caught Gavin’s eye. Or, rather, someone.

  He chuckled. “You can go over to her,” he said to Wrenlow.

  “I don’t need to.”

  Olivia headed down the street with Desarra. Olivia was obvious with her dark hair, youthful features, and the bounce in her step. She was lovely, and her skin seemed to glow from the sunlight shining down. He understood why Wrenlow would pursue her, and why Yoran had become much more of a home for him. She might be the reason he wanted to improve his fighting skill.

  Then there was Gaspar. He was walking behind Desarra, who had on a bright yellow dress, carrying a basket, and paused at a street vendor, leaning forward and laughing before turning to Gaspar.

  “Go to her. We’ll probably be here a little while, anyway.”

  “Are you sure? I know you, Gavin. And I thought you were ready to leave.”

  “Maybe the city is growing on me. Besides, don’t end up like him,” Gavin said. He nodded toward Gaspar, who trailed behind Olivia and Desarra and did a poor job of trying to remain hidden.