The Coming Chaos

by D. K. Holmberg

Had it been intended for Lucy?

  It was possible it wasn’t.

  But then, from what they knew of it, what happened to Lucy was different. The attack had never been the Forgers in the first place. It was someone else.

  “How long will it take him to come around?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve given him everything I can to restore him, but it might take some time.”

  Haern let out a shaky breath. He could already feel the effect of whatever had struck him beginning to fade. His mind had been a fog before, and that seemed lessened. Now whatever it was that afflicted him only impacted his connection to his abilities.

  He tested, searching for whether he could reach for lorcith. If he could, he might be able to relax, to lie back and wait for the rest of the poisoning to clear—if it would.

  For a moment, he wasn’t sure if it would. But the longer he focused, the more certain he was that he could detect lorcith.

  It was there in his sword, though it wasn’t near him. It was there in the knives still within his pocket. It was there in something else, a strange sense near him, though it was something he didn’t entirely understand.

  What was that?

  The longer he focused on it, the more uncertain he was.

  The pressure on his leg eased off, and he had the sense that he was no longer being held down. He couldn’t hear anything, but there seemed to be a faint murmuring nearby. Haern focused on his breathing, on the sense of pain, but even that was beginning to fade.

  It might be that it would leave him altogether.

  Slowly, his eyesight began to clear. As it did, he looked around, thinking that if nothing else, maybe he would be able to make out movement, something that would confirm that Galen was here, but there wasn’t anything.

  If it was Galen—and Haern hoped that it was—where was he?

  Had it been Rayen?

  There was a possibility that it wasn’t.

  There were others who had the ability to control shadows. Carth came to mind, but Haern had a hard time thinking Carth would be here, either. Then again, it didn’t make any sense that Rayen would have been here.

  He rolled his head from side to side, trying to focus on where he was. It seemed to be a narrow room, with wooden walls on either side and a planked wooden ceiling. There was no decoration, nothing that seemed to adorn the walls.

  A wagon.

  That had to be where he was, but how?

  “Easy,” a voice said.

  Haern blinked, and some of the haziness cleared. He looked over, his eyesight starting to return. “Galen?”

  “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “What happened?”

  “I’d like to ask you that, but I’m not sure how much you will remember.”

  “I remember everything.”

  27

  Haern

  Haern closed his eyes again, trying to think about just how much he did remember. Everything about the attack had been something of a blur, and the moment he’d been struck by the nails, he’d started to lose track of everything else.

  The spheres.

  “Were the lorcith spheres yours?” he asked.

  Haern looked over to Galen, and the other man leaned in. He smelled of spice, heat, and something else that Haern couldn’t quite place.

  “They weren’t ours. That’s why we’re here.” Galen watched him until he seemed satisfied that Haern was still awake. “We’ve been tracking those spheres. There have been a dozen or so explosions, all throughout various empty fields. We’ve been trying to understand what the Forgers have been after, but we haven’t been able to determine anything.”

  “I don’t think it is the Forgers.”

  “Why?”

  “These spheres are pure lorcith, not an alloy like I’d expect from the Forgers.” Haern’s hand went to his shoulder, fingering where the nail had penetrated. The skin was smooth, Healed over. There wasn’t anyone else here other than Galen, so if Darren had been here, he had disappeared. “They have these spikes, nails, and those nails explode. I managed to stop one, but…”

  “About that,” Galen said.

  “What?”

  The older man leaned in. His bright deep green eyes met Haern’s. “How is it that you were able to contain one of those spheres?”

  “My control over lorcith.”

  “The force of the explosions is considerable.”

  “It is.”

  “We have someone from your smith guild who has tried to contain it but failed.”

  “Who?”

  “Your grandfather.”

  Haern’s breath caught. His grandfather was here?

  It was strange thinking that he would want to see his grandfather, but at the same time, after everything he’d been through, a familiar face, especially one as caring as his grandfather’s, would be welcome.

  “What about my grandfather?”

  “Neran made it clear he wasn’t able to contain one of those explosions. He thought it was quite unlikely anyone other than your father would be able to do so.”

  “Was Darren here?”

  Galen shook his head.

  “Someone Healed me.”

  “Not Darren. It was Della.”

  Haern blinked. As far as he had known, Della was gone, maybe dead, but certainly not available to help heal someone like himself. But apparently…

  “You heard what she said about the metal in my hands.”

  Galen nodded.

  “I was in some southern city, helping others—”

  With the thought, Haern started to sit up. What had happened to Jayna and the others? He needed to find them, to see if there was anything he could do to help them, to ensure they weren’t harmed. But Galen was there, pressing his hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to lean back.

  “There were others with me,” Haern said. “I don’t know what happened to them, but I need to—”

  “They’re fine, Haern. We found them. We have them sequestered.”

  “Sequestered?”

  “They were a bit feisty.”

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Quite a while.”

  What would’ve happened to Elise? They were only supposed to have been gone for a night, no more. Would Elise be worried about him?

  He knew she would. Would she have stayed in place, waiting for Haern and the rest of them to return, or would she have gone onward, trying to move away? If she had done that, would she have come into contact with the other four wagons he’d detected?

  “I was captured when I was trying to help them,” Haern said, trying to relax. He clenched his hand, feeling the strange metal beneath it as he often did. “The metal became a part of me. When it did, it changed my connection to lorcith.”

  “That’s how you were able to contain the explosion?”

  “It seems that way.”

  “That’s useful.”

  “That’s not all,” Haern said.

  “What else?”

  “I’ve been able to use the metal in a far more effective way ever since the explosion. It’s sort of like what happened to Lucy, though I don’t think mine was intentional the way hers was.”

  “Yours was the Ai’thol?”

  Haern nodded. “I think it was. Listen, Galen. I appreciate that you’re here. I need to check on the others, and I need to get back to the rest.”

  “The rest? Haern, we have quite a lot to talk about.”

  “And I will be happy to talk with you about it, but I can’t leave them.”

  Galen frowned, studying him. “What happened to you?”

  “More than I could imagine, and since my father is gone—”

  “What?”

  “I captured a Forger. I forced him to Slide me to where they were holding my father. He’s gone. Whatever they did to him killed him.”

  Galen stared at him for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know. I am too, and yet, I haven’t allowed myself a chance to grieve. Th
ere hasn’t been an opportunity. Even if there was, my father has been absent for so much of my life that it’s hard for me to know how I’m supposed to feel.”

  “You’re supposed to feel sadness, Haern.”

  “I do feel sadness. And I worry about telling my mother, especially as I don’t know how she’s going to react to knowing he’s finally gone.”

  “Did you see his body?”

  Haern blinked, meeting Galen’s eyes for a moment before shaking his head. “That is a little bit morbid, even for you, Galen.”

  “Morbid or not, if you didn’t see the body, then it’s unlikely your father is gone.”

  “What?”

  “If he’s anything like Carth—and from what I’ve seen of Rsiran, he is—it means either he wants others to think he’s gone, or the Ai’thol still have him, trying to convince you he’s dead. Either way, this is all part of some larger play.”

  Haern swallowed. If it was possible that his father still lived, what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t go after him, not without having any idea where his father might be, and not now that he had another responsibility.

  “I promised the others I would ensure they got to Asador safely.”

  “Why Asador?”

  “Because they can find safety with the Binders.”

  Galen flicked his gaze toward the far end of the wagon, and Haern turned to see a door there.

  “They were captured, Galen. I’m sure Carth won’t like to hear this, but there are women who claim to be the Binders in other places, and they are using the threat of the Binders to make others believe they’re something they’re not.”

  Galen whistled softly, leaning back. “Maybe it’s best you be the one to tell Carth that.”

  “You don’t want to?”

  “Knowing how seriously she takes the Binders, I don’t know that Carth will appreciate it all that much. She will probably go to investigate.”

  “She would need help.”

  “They have it. They’re working with others who can Slide.”

  “Daniel?”

  “Him, but it’s more than him.”

  That meant Lucy.

  “Maybe I should just let them take care of it.”

  “That might be for the best,” Galen said.

  Haern sat up, ignoring Galen as he tried to hold him down. He shook the other man off, and he looked around, feeling how cramped he was inside this small wagon.

  “What happened to the people who had the wagons?”

  “You took out some. The women with you took out some. And we finished it.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, considering that we don’t know who they’re with, we did our best to try to eliminate the threat of them, but I’m not sure we got them all.”

  “We’re missing four wagons,” Haern said.

  “Four?”

  “There were twelve when I came to investigate, and there were only eight when we returned.”

  “How did you investigate?”

  Haern pointed up. “With my connection to lorcith being what it is, I can travel a whole lot more easily than I used to be able to.”

  “It seems as if you have been through quite a bit in the last month.”

  “More than you can know.”

  “Would you care to tell me about what you experienced?”

  Haern looked around. What was there to tell? So much had happened to him, and he had changed. All this time he had wanted more power, and it wasn’t until he had gone to the Forgers, nearly losing himself, that he had been able to get it.

  “Another time, Galen.”

  Galen studied him for a moment. “I think I understand.”

  “Do you?”

  “You’re concerned about others. I understand that.”

  “I’m worried about what will happen if I don’t get to them.”

  “Then don’t let me hold you back.”

  Haern pulled the door open, stepping outside. It was early morning. Light had crept over the top of the wagons. He took a deep breath, feeling surprisingly well despite everything he’d been through. As he looked around, he saw the remains of the fire, now burned down to coals. Stepping out toward it, he felt the sense of lorcith surge, power that came from the sphere he’d exploded, the small nails scattered all around.

  And yet, they hadn’t scattered nearly as far as he had expected. That had been Rayen’s doing. He was certain of that. Rayen had somehow held the nails in place, keeping them from striking anyone.

  Why would they have needed his grandfather if Rayen was so capable?

  Unless they weren’t sure.

  Galen joined him, looking around.

  “Where are they?”

  He pointed to one of the wagons, and as he did, Haern focused on the sense of lorcith, recognizing the coin. He didn’t even need Galen to point, the ability to detect the lorcith guiding him as much as anything else.

  “They’re unharmed?”

  Galen glanced over at him, arching a brow. “Do you know nothing about me?”

  “I wouldn’t have expected you to have harmed them, but if they attacked…”

  “They’re skilled. I should have known where they obtained their training earlier.”

  “I wasn’t going to leave them helpless,” Haern said.

  “I think Carth would appreciate that.”

  “Do you think she would take them in?”

  “You could talk to Rayen after you speak with them.”

  “I don’t know how long I have here. There are others waiting for us.”

  “Perhaps you should go to them.”

  “Not without speaking to Jayna and the others first.”

  Galen considered him for a moment before nodding.

  Haern followed the sense of lorcith, reaching the wagon. Once he was there, he pulled the door open. Inside, the five women sat on the benches along the wall. Jayna saw him, and everything within her seemed to tense.

  “Haern?”

  “You can come out,” he said.

  “What is this?”

  “Some of these are my people.”

  “They attacked us.”

  “The merchants—or whatever they were—weren’t my people, but they helped.”

  Jayna followed him out of the wagon, stepping into the daylight. She blinked, looking up at the sky.

  “I know,” Haern said.

  “They will be worried.”

  “Most likely.”

  Jayna frowned at him, studying his shirt. It took him a moment to realize why.

  Haern fingered the injury, tapping his chest. “I was caught by one of the nails.”

  “You don’t look injured.”

  “I was Healed.”

  “Healed?”

  “You asked about the abilities people from my homeland have?” She nodded. “One of them is Healing. It’s an ability that allows us to restore people to a certain point.”

  “And this ability was used on you?”

  “It seems that way.”

  Haern glanced to Galen. “I’m going to see if I can’t find the others.”

  “We have someone who can Slide,” Galen said. “If you can wait—”

  “I’m not willing to wait until someone returns.”

  Galen studied him for a moment. Haern wasn’t sure if he was going to tell him not to go, but instead, Galen only nodded. “Go quickly.”

  Haern glanced over to Jayna. “I won’t be long.”

  He dropped a coin and pushed. With that, he went soaring into the air. He focused on the sense of lorcith, drawing the coin he’d dropped to him, and found he was pulling on some of the nails as well. They would work just as well as coins, and he sent them streaking in front of him, tied to him in a way that would allow him to move faster and faster. Healed as he was, he found that he could move quickly, and he raced back in the direction of the camp from the night before. As he went, he focused on lorcith, searching for the knife Elise carried.

  He found it, but it wasn�
�t where he expected.

  It was quite a bit farther away.

  Thankfully he was able to move quickly enough that he could chase the sense of lorcith. He streaked toward it, toward Elise, and as he did, he realized something was amiss.

  There were the four wagons.

  The sense of lorcith came from within them.

  Great Watcher!

  He hadn’t expected the others would’ve been attacked by the remaining wagons.

  Haern hung suspended in the air for a moment, using his connection to lorcith to try to detect where Elise was within the wagons.

  She was in the middle one.

  If these people were anything like the others—and he suspected they were, considering they had traveled together—they would be just as likely to attack.

  Maybe he should have brought Galen with him.

  There was no point in hesitating, no point in slowing himself. He dropped near the front wagon. Two men sat atop horses, guiding the wagons, and Haern pushed on a bundle of nails he’d been dragging with them. The nails streaked forward, crashing into the riders, who fell off the wagon.

  Someone cried out, and Haern pushed, dragging a coin toward him before spinning higher into the sky, sending himself streaking away from the wagons. He hovered, looking at the people down below, and as he did, he continued to push on the nails. He used his connection to lorcith to push and pull, dragging it, knocking down the people on the wagons.

  They fell quickly.

  Haern had a hard time finding any remorse. These people had attacked his friends. He had no idea why, or what they had in mind, but he wasn’t about to sit back and wait, hoping nothing happened. They had proven their intentions already.

  Haern went wagon by wagon, using his connection to lorcith to destroy everyone he came in contact with.

  And then there were no more.

  Even though no others remained, he still didn’t know if he’d removed the entire threat. He waited, worried there might still be others who could reach him, but when no more appeared, Haern dropped near the wagons, heading toward the one where he felt the lorcith. He would get to Elise first, and then he would see about the others, looking to see why these attackers had come after his people. His friends.

  Like the other wagon’s had been, the door was locked.

  Haern jabbed his sword into the padlock and pried it open. It came slowly, snapping open, and he jerked the remains of the lock free.