Rsiran felt his strength return, and he pulled more, drawing as much as he could within him. When they reached the palace, he couldn’t be so weakened that he couldn’t fight.
The power of the trees energized him.
Jessa squeezed his hand.
Rsiran Slid again, pulling everyone with him toward the palace, continuing to draw on the power of the Elder Trees, feeling it coursing through him.
Chapter 35
The fading sun reflected off the bars of heartstone and lorcith as they emerged. Rsiran looked around, worried that he hadn’t managed to bring everyone he intended along with him, but they were all accounted for. How weakened had the Slide left him?
Not as much as it should have. Without the help of the Elder Trees, he wouldn’t have been able to manage it. Had he drained the trees of their power so much that they wouldn’t be able to help him with what else he needed?
He didn’t have a chance to think about it.
Lorcith and heartstone flickered in the city. Some of it was nearby.
Rsiran recognized the sense from when he’d detected Venass before. There were hundreds. Too many to take on, even with his small force.
But what choice did they have?
“We have to go,” Rsiran said.
He searched for Galen. That was who he wanted with him as they tried to capture Danis. With the slithca Galen could use, they could neutralize him as a threat, then they could trade Danis for the crystal. Galen knew Carth well enough that she would have to work with them, wouldn’t she?
He found Galen and Cael arguing softly.
“I need your help,” he said to Galen.
“You’re the great assassin, Lorst. You don’t need me.”
“I think we both know that I’m no assassin. And I need to capture someone, which seems to be your specialty, not killing.”
“I can’t leave Cael. She thinks she’s going to convince her father to fight.”
“I will convince him to fight,” she said.
Rsiran doubted that Naelm would get involved, not if he didn’t have to, but let Cael try. There was no harm in the attempt, even if it wouldn’t lead to anything. Rsiran had already tried and failed.
“Luthan can go with you,” Rsiran suggested. “Take another councilor to convince him.”
“Even if the council agrees,” Galen began, “what do you expect them to be able to do?”
Cael frowned. “Most of the Elvraeth are skilled with swords.”
“Swords?” Rsiran asked. Even Luthan hadn’t shared that.
“Why do you think the Elvraeth value swords as much as they do?”
Galen’s eyes widened. “I suppose they have nothing else to do.”
Rsiran laughed.
“Let her go, and please,” he said, “come with me.”
Cael and Galen hugged quickly, whispering something softly to each other before he released her to search for Luthan.
“Do you think you can do this?” he asked.
“There are several hundred of Venass within the city,” Rsiran said. “We have about as many as they do, but they use their implants to give them even more power than we possess.”
“Difficult odds,” Galen said. “Good thing we have the great assassin Lorst with us.”
“You and I. We will move quickly to reach Danis.”
“What of your girl?” he asked, glancing to Jessa as she approached.
“Jessa will stay here to help coordinate.” He turned to her. “I need your help, but I need to be able to move quickly.”
“I know.”
“You can keep things organized here. If Cael manages to rouse the council, then we will need to organize them into our attacks.”
“I know.”
“I can’t risk losing you.”
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I know.”
Rsiran had expected more of an objection from her, but this was better than he could have hoped for.
She kissed him, the warmth of her lips lingering on his cheeks. “Come back to me.”
He nodded. “Coordinate with the others. The Sliders will be sweeping in from the perimeter of the city. Work with them.”
“We’ll take care of this. You take care of yourself.”
Rsiran turned to Galen, and the assassin nodded.
Together, they Slid.
They emerged where Rsiran detected nearly a dozen of Venass—all lorcith.
When they appeared, they were attacked.
Rsiran pushed on the lorcith within them, deforming it as quickly as he could. Working as he did, he almost missed another attacking him.
Galen did not, catching the knife with one of his own, and throwing a dart at the man.
“Where’s the assassin Lorst?” Galen demanded, turning to him.
Rsiran realized he couldn’t continue with the soft approach. As much as he might want to disable them and avoid killing, doing so risked his life—and Galen’s.
There was no other choice.
Rsiran flicked knives, pushing them at Venass fighters. Galen spun, moving quickly in a dance of death. Each of his darts struck. Between the two of them, they subdued all of the fighters within a few moments. Rsiran pulled the knives back to him, and wiped each of them off, pocketing them for the next attack.
“That might not be so—”
Galen cut off as heartstone flickered to them. Someone Sliding.
This came in a wave larger than before. Nearly two dozen, all enhanced with metal implants.
Rsiran pushed on his knives, but he didn’t have enough.
Galen threw darts, flicking handfuls at a time, leaving Rsiran wondering how many the man possessed. Would there come a time when he ran out of darts?
One of the Hjan grinned wolfishly at Rsiran.
What did he know?
They formed a ring around him, and he felt pressure against him.
They were trying to hold him.
His connection to lorcith and heartstone faded.
The Hjan had attacked him similarly in the past, but this was a new technique. This time, they used their own people, risking sacrifice.
“Galen! I need a little help.”
Galen rolled, sending a spray of darts. Some missed, the first time that Rsiran had seen the man miss. Thankfully, most hit, and the circle of Hjan that had formed around him sagged, leaving him freedom to move.
Rsiran pushed, sending knives streaking toward the Hjan, curving the trajectory in the air so that they would hit. Most of the Hjan Slid, disappearing, and Rsiran only managed to catch a few of them.
Galen leaned forward, panting. “I’m not going to be able to keep up with this.” He made his way around the fallen, claiming his darts. He slipped most of them into his pouch, and then stood. “This isn’t an attack.”
“What do you mean?”
Galen surveyed the Hjan. “They knew they couldn’t win. You could see it in the set of their jaw. They came expecting to die, but they wanted to hold you.”
Not hold, Rsiran realized. Venass had enough experience with him that they wouldn’t expect to be able to hold him.
But they could delay him.
Why? What did they hope to accomplish delaying him?
Danis had another plan.
Rsiran knew it as certainly as he knew that Carth played him in her own way. Both of them would be masters of the game, and Rsiran had become a mere pawn, seemingly unable to make his own moves.
But that had to end. He had to find a way to stay in the game, to control the next move. Because he knew if he failed, if he couldn’t reclaim the crystal, more than Elaeavn would be lost. Power would fade. He had seen that in his visions, and though he might not know what they meant, he believed that he was shown those visions for a reason.
Where was Danis?
He had to find his grandfather. That was how he would stop this. Find Danis, then trade him to Carth. But the attack proved that it would be difficult to stop Venass. If he was having this much difficulty,
how would the others have any easier a time?
“What would they be after?” Rsiran asked aloud.
Galen started filling his darts. Rsiran watched, noting the steady way that he worked, the quick tip of a vial of liquid as he poured it into the darts. “You have to think like Carth. What would the next step be? Then the one after? What would be there? And after that… You can keep going, but that’s the point. Carth will be looking a dozen of steps out.”
So would Danis. And with that being the case, he might have attacked the city, but what if that wasn’t his end game? What if he knew what Rsiran wanted, and tried to make it appear that he’d attacked?
Rsiran couldn’t help but think that Danis would have a different goal in mind.
Before he could think about the answer, an explosion rocked the city. Then another. Then another. The ground rumbled, as if the city itself were separating from the rocks to slide into Aylianne Bay.
Smoke rose throughout the city. There were fires near the shore and in Lower Town, but it appeared there were ones in the higher in the city as well. The palace remained untouched, for now.
Another explosion, this time behind him.
Rsiran turned and noted debris falling from the palace.
“Why would they want to destroy the palace?” he asked.
“Cael.” Galen started up the street, but Rsiran grabbed him. “Don’t, Lorst—Rsiran, whatever your name is. I’m going for Cael, and you’re not going to stop me.”
“I’m not trying to stop you. Let me take you there.”
Galen glanced toward the palace and nodded.
Another explosion came.
Rsiran Slid.
They emerged on the palace grounds. Rsiran was surprised to see dozens of people hurrying across the grounds, most of them people he hadn’t brought with him from the Aisl. Jessa was there, speaking with Cael and waving her hands. When he appeared, she ran to him, a relieved expression on her face.
Galen hurried over to Cael, leaving Rsiran with Jessa.
“They’re trying to destroy the city!”
“I don’t think that’s all that they want,” Rsiran said. “It’s part of something else.”
“You don’t think that they’re angry at what you did, and the way that you went after Venass?”
“That might be part of it, but he’s going after something else. I just don’t know what it is.” Rsiran motioned to the people that had joined them in the yard. “This is—”
Jessa nodded curtly. “The Elvraeth. Yes. They think they’re going to take over.”
“And do what?”
Jessa shrugged. “The council intends to direct the attack. Now that they’ve finally been pushed out of the palace—and they only came when the attacks struck the palace—they want to take over.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Rsiran said.
“You what?”
“Let the council direct things in the city. They might not have the experience fighting Venass, but the council has several powerful Seers.”
“Seers? None of them can detect lorcith the way that you do.”
He shrugged. “Detecting lorcith and heartstone doesn’t matter when they can Slide away. What they can See will be as much help as anything I can do.”
“What of you?”
Another explosion sounded down in the city. Rsiran saw Luthan speaking to someone, and as they turned toward him, he saw that it was Naelm. His face was grim, and he only nodded to Rsiran before turning his attention back to Luthan. Naelm raised his hand and two men hurried forward. Naelm said something to them and they hurried off, gathering a dozen men as they did.
They were already coordinating, and doing a better job than he would manage.
Why had it taken getting to this point for them to get help from the Elvraeth? When Venass attacked the first time, the Elvraeth had done nothing to intervene. Now that their palace was under attack… Rsiran would be angry if he weren’t so thankful for their help. Even with the Elvraeth, it still might not be enough to stop Venass.
But their presence let him turn his focus away from the city. With the Elvraeth involved, he could focus on finding Danis and determining what his grandfather might be up to.
Why would he destroy the palace and the city?
There had to be something he would gain by it.
Not drawing Rsiran out. They didn’t need to attack the palace itself for that, but what else?
He turned slowly, trying to understand what he might be missing, and wishing that Haern were with him. He always saw things differently, his experience granting him a unique perspective. What would Danis want that he hadn’t yet seen?
“Rsiran?”
He shook himself, trying to clear his mind.
“Venass is here,” he said. “But what if Danis is not?”
“Where would he be?” she asked.
As another series of explosions rocked the city, Rsiran stared at the palace, wishing that he had answers.
Chapter 36
Rsiran Slid back to the Aisl, emerging at the heart of the forest. There were few who’d remained behind, and those who did were either older, or had no interest in fighting. Luca was there, hammering away at the forge, the rhythmic sound of his hammering the only sound in the otherwise quiet and somber air.
He hurried to Della’s hut. The inside was quiet, and he looked for Josun where he should be bound and held on a cot near the fire. It was empty.
Della groaned near the corner and Rsiran hurried to her. She sat up, her eyes glazed, holding a massive gash on her forehead that still oozed.
Rsiran grabbed her and Slid to the place between, pulling on the power of the trees as he attempted to heal Della, fearing that he might be too late.
He pressed the power of the Elder Trees through her.
She took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. Her eyes opened, and the gash on her head slowly sealed closed. Her breathing eased, and the hint of confusion in her eyes faded.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Danis.”
“He was in the Aisl? He shouldn’t have been able to even reach it!”
“Not in the forest, but he sent some of his Hjan for Josun Elvraeth. I don’t know how they would have found him.”
Rsiran thought that he did. They would have placed something on him to track, much like Rsiran had done with Galen, or had once used on Brusus.
“It’s my fault,” he said.
Della shook her head. “This isn’t your fault. This is Danis.”
“Why would they want Josun? He doesn’t have the crystal.”
“I don’t know,” Della said. “It’s possible that they don’t know he no longer has it.”
“Or maybe he thinks to make a different bargain,” Rsiran said. “What kind of bargain do you think he’ll make that will keep him safe? Either Venass has him or the A’ras.”
Della wiped the dried blood off her hand onto her dress and started to stand. “With Danis, I’m not sure you can know. Why are you here? What happened in Elaeavn?”
“Venass attacked, but they’re not doing anything.”
“Nothing?” Della said with a frown.
“Destroying the city. The palace. Nothing else. It doesn’t make sense. I know Venass wants power, but they’re sacrificing all of the Hjan and those of Venass for nothing.”
“Unless they’re not,” Della said.
Now that Della seemed to be doing better, he Slid her back to her hut. “What would they hope to achieve?” he asked. “What does destroying the city gain them?”
Della started mixing powders, starting a brew of mint tea, as if they weren’t in a middle of a battle. Rsiran knew that he needed to get back to the city, but with Josun missing, he needed to understand what else he might be missing before he did.
“Access, Rsiran. That would be what Danis wants. That’s all he’s ever wanted since leaving the city.”
“What kind of access?”
“The kind that t
he guilds have protected.”
Rsiran knew instantly what she meant. “Will you be okay?”
“Go, Rsiran. See if you’re already too late.”
He Slid.
When he emerged, he appeared in the crystal chamber.
The soft blue light from the crystals seemed faint, much weaker than it had been when he’d been here last, and that had only been a few days before. How much longer did the crystals have? For that matter, how much longer did the trees have? If he didn’t recover the crystal soon, they would lose the trees as well.
A flicker of movement caught his attention.
Rsiran Slid to the center of the crystals.
From here, he made a slow spin, looking at the four remaining crystals as he did, and searching for the source of the movement. Where was it?
Nothing else moved.
Rsiran reached for lorcith, then heartstone, fearing that Venass had infiltrated this room, but found nothing. This room was what the guilds protected. This was what Venass had tried to reach one time before, and if the explosions were meant as some kind of diversion, they risked giving access to the crystals.
There was nothing.
Rsiran stood for a moment longer, then Slid.
He emerged in his father’s smithy, fearing that it might be destroyed, but the building stood. There was dust over everything, and the smithy itself remained empty. The massive forge where he’d learned the trade remained cold. The air still had the smell of lorcith mixed with that of copper and steel, though the odor of dust hung over everything.
Beneath him was the chamber leading to the Hall of Guilds. He Slid, emerging in the tunnels, but they remained intact. Another Slide, and this time he emerged closer to the now-destroyed Alchemist Guild house. He found nothing.
Where else might they have attacked?
It couldn’t have only been the palace, could it?
What else would Danis want to destroy? What else would draw Rsiran’s focus?
With a sickening sensation growing in his stomach, he thought he knew.
Rsiran Slid, emerging in his smithy.
Or, where his smithy should be.
Rock and debris littered the ground. The walls that had stood for centuries had crumbled. In the middle of all of it was the remains of his forge, the anvil still somehow surviving.
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