Rise of the Elder

by D. K. Holmberg

  There was a door at the back of the tavern, and he started toward it when one of the serving girls approached and stopped him with a smile. She had reddish hair and pale skin, and her eyes were a light blue. Her hand reached for his shoulder, and she smiled widely.

  “You need a little affection, big guy?” She ran her hand along his arm, and Rsiran took a step back, startled. She gasped playfully and touched a finger to her lips. “Maybe you prefer it slower. That’s fine, too. Price is the same.”

  Rsiran flushed as he realized what she implied. He quickly scanned the tavern and realized all the women working their way through the tavern did the same thing. Was this what it was like outside of Elaeavn?

  “I’m fine,” he muttered, trying to push past her.

  Her smile widened. “I don’t doubt that you are. Why don’t you let me see what those arms of yours look like. Big enough to be a blacksmith, you are!”

  “I am a blacksmith,” he said.

  Her eyes widened. “Well then, how about you show me your hammer?”

  Rsiran tried squeezing past her but couldn’t. It was as if the woman intended to delay him. Could she be working with them?

  As he watched, he realized other women worked on two men he assumed were assassins. They wore dark cloaks, and the bulge beneath one of their cloaks made it clear that he carried a sword. Rsiran didn’t know how many carried swords openly in Eban—probably more than in Elaeavn—but the man worked to push past the short woman running her hand along his arm.

  Damn.

  Rsiran pulled a knife free. “Step aside.”

  The woman’s eyes widened. “No need for that. We can play rough if you want.”

  “That’s not what I want. Now move.”

  He made a slight movement as if to stab at her, and the woman jerked back. Rsiran used that opportunity to Slide past her, and emerged closer to the door. As he did, he heard a scream.

  Damn!

  He Slid toward the door. Emerging on the other side, he found a line of bodies. A figure flickered along the hallway, and Rsiran pushed three knives toward him as he Slid.

  He emerged as one of the knives caught the Hjan in the back. Rsiran pushed on it, sending others that missed, and tried pulling on the lorcith implant. Something obstructed him.

  “You won’t get them first, Lareth,” the man said.

  They knew he was here.

  He needed to keep his identity secret. If Galen or the woman discovered him here, and learned he wasn’t the person that he appeared to be, he wouldn’t have the chance to learn whether they had the crystal.

  “Not Lareth. I’m Lorst.”

  The Hjan’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the name, and Rsiran realized that he’d made a mistake. Using all the knives he carried, he pushed.

  One of them caught the Hjan and he started to fall. As he did, he Slid, disappearing.

  Rsiran pulled the other knives to him. A flicker of light appeared, and the door opened. Without thinking, Rsiran pushed his knives at the door.

  A man appeared in the doorway. “Galen,” Rsiran said, trying to sound intimidating, flicking his gaze to the dark-haired woman behind him. She was beautiful and had deep green eyes. His wrists went slightly cool as one of them tried to Read him. Rsiran worried that someone might be listening, so added for Orly or the woman’s benefit, “There’s enough coin in this for us to split.”

  Galen’s eyes widened slightly. “I need supplies.”

  His hand moved.

  Rsiran had heard the rumor of darts being used, and knew to be careful. He Slid, appearing inside the room.

  Something streaked through the room, but missed him.

  For a moment, he detected another surge of lorcith somewhere nearby, likely from within the tavern, and realized the Hjan hadn’t completely disappeared.

  Rsiran Slid again, this time appearing in the far corner of the room.

  Something came toward him, and he started to slide, but felt a piercing pain.

  He resisted the urge to scream. Pain seared through him like nothing he’d ever experienced, in some ways worse even than when Venass had used the shadowsteel explosive on him, but this was different. His body didn’t work, muscles that should answer refused, and he fell.

  Galen was every bit as dangerous as he’d been warned.

  He tried to stand, but couldn’t.

  That left only one option.

  Rsiran focused on Della, and pulled himself in a Slide, praying that she could heal him in time.

  Chapter 8

  When he emerged, he heard the noise around him but couldn’t speak. His head started to feel heavy, and Rsiran realized that he was having difficulty breathing. He smelled the heady odor of the mint tea Della favored, and was thankful he’d had the strength to Slide here. He could have tried going to the space between Slides, but he didn’t know if that would heal him.

  Hands reached him and rolled him. Rsiran wanted to scream, to say something, but couldn’t.

  Then a thick substance was pressed into his mouth. As it worked its way down his throat, the sensation eased. First his breathing returned, then his strength followed.

  “What happened to you?” Della asked. She tottered around so that he could see her, and she held a slender rod in her fingers. That wasn’t right. It was a dart. Galen’s weapon of choice. “Where did you find this?”

  Rsiran worked his tongue over dry lips and sat up. He rubbed his arm where it still throbbed from the dart. “I tried to come to you, but you were busy with Luthan.”

  “Busy planning for the return, but not too busy to talk you out of doing something foolish. Where did you get this?”

  “Eban.”

  The green in her eyes surged a moment. “Why would he be in Eban?”

  “You know, don’t you?”

  She turned her attention back to him and frowned. As usual, Della wore her hair in a tight bun, but a few strands managed to get free, and stuck out wildly from her head. “Know? Of course I know. I’ve been keeping track of that boy since the fool council sent him away.”

  “What did he do?”

  She waved a hand. “Nothing but try to protect me. Same as you would, I suspect, but you both would do it in your own way. How did you end up on the receiving end of this?”

  She rolled the dart between her fingers and then flipped it toward the hearth. When it hit the fire, blue light exploded briefly from it. What did Galen use on his darts? Something fast-acting and painful. Had he not had the ability to Slide as he did, Rsiran would have died.

  “I’m trying to find the crystal.”

  “Galen doesn’t have it. He’s been gone from the city far too long for that.”

  “I don’t know whether he does, but there was an awful lot of power sent after him. Either Galen, or the woman with him, knows something.”

  “Woman?”

  He nodded.

  “Did you see her?” He nodded again. “What does she look like?”

  “Dark hair. Green eyes. If she had been inside the city, I would have said she looked like one of the Elvraeth.”

  Della breathed out. “Stay here.”

  “Della?”

  She didn’t answer, just disappeared from the small hut. Rsiran leaned back, staring up at the branches bent overhead, covered with massive sjihn leaves, with only a smoke hole open. The hut was an impressive creation, more so because Della had already managed to make it her home.

  Luthan appeared, Della with him. She tapped Rsiran on the shoulder. “Tell him what you told me.”

  The old councilor studied Rsiran with a frown. He had thick eyebrows and thinning hair, and wore a thin robe in spite of the cool of the forest. “What did you see, Lareth?”

  “I told Della. Her old student.”

  “Not Galen. What of the girl?”

  “A dark-haired woman. I said she had deep green eyes, and I would have thought her Elvraeth had she been in Elaeavn.” Rsiran sat up quickly. “Is she one of the Forgotten? Do you think she coul
d be working with Venass? Could Galen?”

  Della waved a hand. “Galen does things for reasons of his own, but I doubt he would be doing anything that would attack Elaeavn.”

  “He’s an assassin, Della.”

  “Perhaps by title, but he fights a different battle than most.”

  “Then what?”

  “Could it be her?” Della asked.

  Luthan rubbed his chin. “I don’t see how it would be possible. She attended the Saenr. She wouldn’t have been able to reach Eban.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Rsiran asked.

  Luthan shook his head. “There was a Saenr before we lost the crystal. Naelm’s daughter Cael was able to access the crystals. Afterward, he never spoke of how it went, but she disappeared. I heard rumors that he searched the city for her. Later, there were rumors he searched outside the city for her.”

  “The timing is a challenge,” Della said.

  “Not only the timing, but she would not have managed to take one of the crystals during her Saenr. Few even manage to hold them, but to take it from the chamber?”

  “By the time she had her Saenr, the tree that crystal is tied to would have been damaged. The damage might have allowed her to take the crystal,” Rsiran said. If it was true, that Cael was the woman he’d seen in Eban, and that she stole the crystal… He stood and started pacing. Was it possible he’d been close to the crystal in Eban, only to nearly lose it to Galen? If so, he needed to go back. His strength began to return, but he still felt slightly weakened. “Without the power of the Elder Trees to hold the crystal, there would have been nothing preventing her from taking it.”

  “That is not the way of the Saenr,” Luthan said. “These are the youngest of the Elvraeth, and they are given the opportunity to witness the Great Watcher. Most only see the crystals. The few who manage to hold one… they are given something that—”

  “I know what they are given,” Rsiran said. “Just as I know it shouldn’t be only the Elvraeth given that opportunity.”

  “We can debate the philosophy of the crystals, but—”

  “Yes. Let’s debate the fact the Elvraeth withhold them from the rest of the people of Elaeavn. The crystals—at least those who would be able to reach them”—and Rsiran wasn’t sure how many would even be able to, but thought more should be given the opportunity—“belong to all the people.”

  “Lareth—”

  Della stepped between them. “You must return to find her,” she said to Rsiran. “If she does have the crystal, or at least knows what happened to it, we can finally begin to get closer to discovering a way to return it.”

  “I intend to do more than return the crystal,” he said.

  Della’s eyes narrowed. “I do not think you are powerful enough to heal the Elder Tree, Rsiran. As much as you might want to do so, I think that power has been lost.”

  “We won’t know until we obtain the crystal.”

  She nodded. “Return this Cael to the Aisl, and do it without harming Galen if you can.”

  “If I can.” He thought about how quickly Galen moved, and the way that he tossed his darts. Rsiran didn’t know if he’d be able to avoid another dart catching him, and if he did get hit again, if he’d survive. Galen might actually be of help to them with the coming fight with Venass, if only they could convince him to join them.

  That would be of secondary importance. First, he had to find Cael and see if she knew anything about what happened to the crystal. If she did, either she would lead him to it, or she would tell him where to look.

  Before leaving, he debated finding Jessa and telling her what happened, but it would only worry her. “Don’t tell her I was here.”

  Della smiled. “I’ll keep your injury from her one more time.”

  Luthan frowned, but Rsiran didn’t remain to explain.

  He Slid back to Eban, and emerged in the street.

  A massive fire burned behind him, in the direction of the tavern. What had happened?

  As he stood focusing around him, he detected lorcith flashing. Not only lorcith, but there were occasional flashes of heartstone.

  The Hjan were here.

  He needed to find Galen.

  How long would he have been gone? Possibly ten minutes. Maybe a little longer. If Galen had been in the tavern, he would only have had time to make it a short distance along the street.

  Rsiran Slid toward the tavern, emerging nearby. The heat from the fire pressed on him, nearly overwhelming him. He searched the streets and noted the throng of people pushing in from the south, carrying buckets from the nearby river.

  Galen would have gone the opposite direction.

  Rsiran Slid, emerging a street away. There were fewer people, but still more than there had been. He paused, focusing on lorcith and heartstone, but detecting neither before Sliding again. This time when he emerged, he saw a couple hurrying along the street. They would look like any other couple out at night if not for the fact that they stood nearly a fist taller than anyone else in Eban.

  Before he could move, there came a flicker of lorcith.

  One of the Hjan appeared in front of Galen. Rsiran hesitated. If Galen was as good as he’d heard—and seen firsthand, he should have no difficulty with the Hjan.

  The man moved out of the shadows, his face becoming clear.

  Rsiran gaped in shock.

  The Hjan resembled him, and near enough they could be mistaken for each other.

  Rsiran heard their voices. Galen seemed to believe the man in front of him was Lorst. The false Lorst spoke, taunting Galen, then he attacked, Sliding away from Galen as he did. A knife shot toward Galen. It sank into his stomach and he fell.

  Rsiran Slid, but he was too slow.

  The Hjan grabbed the woman and Slid.

  Galen managed to sit up and grab the Hjan by his boot. All three disappeared.

  When Rsiran emerged from his Slide, the street was empty.

  His heart hammered in his chest. He’d lost them.

  With one of the Hjan Sliding them out of the city, they could go anywhere. Galen had been injured, and there would be no way to stop the Hjan. Rsiran didn’t expect a young Elvraeth woman to manage to fend off one of the Hjan. Which meant that Venass had the crystal.

  He closed his eyes. Could he lock onto the sense of lorcith that he’d detected?

  Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem, but there was too much lorcith around him, most of it he’d brought, forged himself, leaving him more attuned to it. Without a connection, he couldn’t reach the sense of lorcith that he’d noted when Hjan had been here.

  They were gone. And with them, the possibility of finding the crystal.

  Chapter 9

  The Aisl should have welcomed him back. He should have found the crystal—or at least Cael—and returned with a plan for restoring the crystal, even restoring the Elder Tree. Instead, he returned a failure. Venass had Cael, and likely had the crystal. He had nothing other than more questions.

  Rsiran realized his mistake; he shouldn’t have mentioned to the Hjan the name he used. They had taken advantage of that, and now… now the Hjan used that name to attack Galen.

  His bracelets went cold, and he looked around the clearing. There weren’t many Readers willing to attempt Reading him, knowing he wore the heartstone bracelets, but Della still attempted from time to time. A part of him wondered if she even managed to get past the barrier created by the bracelets, but she would never admit it if she could.

  He found her near the base of the alchemist tree. Della stood with Luthan and Ephram, all of them staring at the tree. Massive branches still carried leaves, but to Rsiran, the sense of the Elder Tree was darkened.

  Sliding to them, he emerged to see them standing as if waiting for him.

  “What did you find?” Della asked.

  “Another reached them before me,” he said.

  “What do you mean by another?” Luthan asked.

  Rsiran turned to the Elvraeth councilor. “There was anot
her who reached them first. A Hjan who,” he hesitated before going on, “looked something like me.”

  “Why would the Hjan care if they had someone who looked like you?” Ephram asked.

  Della studied him intently. “They know, don’t they?”

  He nodded. “When I first found Galen, I came across one of the Hjan and made the mistake of revealing myself.”

  Worse, he hadn’t been fast enough when facing the Hjan, and that had been with only one of the Hjan. What would happen when there were many more? They were getting increasingly skilled, making it so that he struggled to stop even one without letting him escape. How would he manage to stop all of them, especially Danis?

  “And they have Galen and the girl,” Della went on.

  “Della,” he started, “Galen… he was injured. The Hjan—”

  Della closed her eyes, and Rsiran thought that she might be mourning the loss of her former student, but when she opened her eyes, she turned to the north and stared at the line of trees. “Galen lives. And I don’t think he’s alone.”

  “I saw—”

  “I don’t know what you saw,” Della said. “But I have told you about the gift I received when I held one of the crystals. That allowed me to heal, but more than that, it connected me to those I care about.” Her eyes dropped to his bracelets. “Most of them. Trust me when I tell you that Galen lives.”

  “Do you know if the Hjan have him?”

  She shook her head. “It’s not like that. I can… find his mind… That is the only way to describe it. Nothing more than that. It is not directional.”

  “If the Hjan attacked this man, they would have killed him,” Ephram said.

  “Then they escaped?” Rsiran asked.

  “He is more resourceful than most give him credit for,” Della said. “It is the reason I sent him to Isander to train.”

  “Isander?” Rsiran asked.

  Della nodded almost absently. “He is someone with a different set of skills.”

  Rsiran frowned. It couldn’t have been a coincidence, could it? The man who had trained Haern also trained Galen? And Rsiran had met Isander, even if Isander had been unwilling to help.