Finding the Suun

by J. A. Culican

  Finding the Suun

  Legends of the Fallen Book 6

  J. A. Culican

  Cassidy Taylor

  Finding the Suun © copyright 2019 J.A. Culican

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written consent from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review. Trademark names appear throughout this book. Rather than trademark name, names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

  The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

  The characters, locations, and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities or resemblance to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-070115-18-4

  Hardback ISBN: 978-1-949621-12-9

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  About the Author

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  "You are not welcome here."

  The harsh words came from a humorless man who also happened to be the High Elven king. Bruhier wasn't a monarchy, but the elves did what they wanted. He was the elven representative for the governing co-op, and if they wanted to call him their king, who would tell them no?

  "You must leave." His cold blue eyes surveyed our group, which consisted of me, my elder brother Erik, my elder sister Estrid, our griffin friend Stiarna, and Arun, High Elf turned adventurer. I knew we had to look rough, having just spent what felt like days fighting off ur’gels and trying not to drop out of the sky. "Immediately."

  We'd come straight here from the docks, led by Captain Wynleth who had made herself scarce since delivering us to the throne room. The king had not heard our story or entertained our pleas for assistance. He hadn't even let us speak, not even Arun, who was one of his own.

  Erik, our usual spokesperson, cleared his throat. "Your Highness, we've been through so much. All we ask for—”

  "What you ask is insignificant to me and my people. What is significant is that you brought danger to Lamruil. A type of danger that the elven people have not seen for generations."

  Erik tried again. "But—"

  "You are not allowed in Lamruil. By order of the king, you are to return to your ship and take your leave of our fine city."

  Well, there was truly little that made me more upset than being ignored or ordered around, and this guy was doing both.

  I raised my hand and stepped forward. "If I may?"

  Arun clapped a hand on my shoulder and tried to drag me back in line, but I shook him off and moved out of his reach, never taking my eyes off the elf in front of me. He might have been Arun's king, but he wasn't mine.

  "No, you may not."

  "Well, then I will anyway."

  Erik reached for me next. "Come on, Frida. Let's not stay where we're not welcome."

  But I stepped away from him too, moving closer to where the king stood on his raised dais. The guards in their red jackets converged in front of the king, swords crossed so I could get no closer.

  I held my hands up to show I was harmless, though I wasn't really. But they didn't need to know that. "This danger is coming whether we're here or not. War is coming to all the lands of Iynia, and not even the Bruish High Elves are immune here in your towers."

  One of the king's advisors, a squirrel-faced man who stood to his right, scoffed. "You should not speak so to the king. Guards."

  The two guards moved to grab me, but the king stopped them with a flick of his fingers. I didn't know how they could have even seen the small movement.

  The king looked down his nose at me. It was a look that would have cowed anyone else, but I was done being bossed around. "How can you know this?"

  "I've seen things you can only imagine. I've met the dreamwalker who freed Beru Halsted from the prison in the Barren Wastes."

  At Beru's name, a wave of noise crashed through the room as the gentry elves lining the walls turned to each other. I knew some of them wouldn't know his name, but those who did would fill everyone else in. Elves had exceptionally long lives, and some of them might have even known him when he served Onen Suun before his accidental imprisonment.

  "When she did, it caused a crack in the magic that held Dag'draath in the prison," I continued before I could lose their attention. "His minions are fleeing the prison—including the ur’gels that you saw today."

  The king's advisor scoffed rudely. "Impossible. Lies. The ur’gels are confined to the Blasted Lands."

  I could tell the king believed me. Maybe he was their king for a reason. He ignored his advisor. "What did they want with you?"

  That had me stumped. If I told him they were after me, we'd be right back where we started.

  While I scrambled for words, Arun came forward, his head bowed. "We know how to find the key to the prison, and the ur’gels know that. They're trying to stop us, but we might be the only ones who can stop them. And Dag'draath."

  It wasn't exactly the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

  I felt bolstered by Arun's support. "You cannot hide from this, Your Highness. Another Dark War is coming, and you have the chance right now to help us stop it."

  The king stroked his long grey beard with two fingers. "Unless your key is here on Lamruil, then I would say the same to you. Hiding here will not further your mission, but it will endanger my people."

  "We only ask for a few days to rest and recover supplies."

  "And make repairs to the ship," Arun added.

  The king shifted his icy gaze to Arun. I wondered if he recognized him as a member of the Phina family, or if any of the elves in the throne room were kin to Arun. Had he been gone so long that no one knew him? Surely Tsarra Trisfina would, but she was also nowhere to be seen. "How long?"

  Arun wrung his hands together in front of him, his eyes on the king's feet. They were nice feet, clothed in shiny leather boots, but certainly not worthy of such attention. "A week at least, two at most."

  "Too long," the king declared without hesitation. "We do not have the power to defend Lamruil against ur’gel attacks for that much time."

  Arun looked apologetic as he said, "There is no other option. The Duchess will hardly get us off the plateau in her current condition."

  "No other option?" The king actually smiled, and it was more fearful than his grimace. "You dare tell a king that there is no other option?" Then, to his advisor, "Bring me Captain Wynleth."

  A few moments of strained silence passed before the doors at the back of the hall banged open and the captain
who had retrieved us from the air docks stalked down the aisle with long, purposeful strides. She pushed past, ignoring us, and dropped to a knee in front of the guards, removing her hat from her head. Her curly black hair, formerly tamed by the tricorn hat, practically exploded around her head.

  The king flicked his hand at her in an upward motion. "Rise, Captain Wynleth."

  She did, pressing the hat to her chest. I saw that she'd been stripped of her weapons, her belts empty. I would have bet my life on the fact that they'd missed one or two, stashed in a boot or a thigh holster. "How can I be of service, Your Highness?"

  "These folks require passage on an incredibly special mission, one of the utmost importance. You've been itching to leave Lamruil. Here is your chance." The king motioned to us, and the captain turned her eyes on me. They were a brown so light they were practically gold, and they offered me no kindness at all. Then her gaze shifted to Arun and something like recognition flickered there before the mask of indifference slammed back down.

  She obviously wanted to ask questions, but she pressed her lips together until their edges turned white. "Yes, Your Highness."

  "You will leave in the morning. Get them what supplies they need and depart before sunrise."

  "As you wish, Your Highness."

  The king wasted no time dismissing us. We scampered back down the aisle, the captain at our heels. I was glad when we emerged into the fresh air, but my relief was short-lived.

  When the doors shut behind us, Arun turned on her. "I do not need your ship, Captain."

  Captain Wynleth replaced the hat on her head, pressing down on it firmly. "I'm afraid you do." Then she turned to Erik, ignoring Arun, which I thought exceptionally rude. "I trust you can find your own accommodations for the night. I will meet you at sunrise onboard."

  "What is the ship's name?" Erik asked.

  A guard approached the captain and handed her a bundle of weapons. She took them from him and strapped them on meticulously, knowing exactly where each blade went. Finally, she deigned to answer Erik. "The Wind Wraith." With those final words, Captain Wynleth tipped her hat at my brother and stalked away, leaving us on the palace steps.

  Arun was in a foul mood as he led us down the main street to a three-story inn he said he knew from before, when he'd lived in his family's estate on the edge of town. He barely spoke, and when he did, he gave short, one-word answers.

  When we reached the inn's doors, he turned to Stiarna. "You can't come in."

  She eyed him unblinkingly before turning and slinking away into the shadows of the street.

  Arun rented two rooms—one for him and Erik, and another for me and Estrid. After a late dinner, begrudgingly served by an elven innkeeper who scowled the whole time, Erik and Estrid joined a card game in the tavern against Arun's advice.

  Not one for cards, I retired to my room, where I washed as best as I could in the wash basin and threw open the shutters to absorb what I could of the city before we had to leave. My eyes took in the gold and glass towers, the shining streets lit by yooperlite lanterns, the sprawling estates that seemed to climb the plateau's sides. And then, as they always did, my eyes found the night sky. The stars were barely visible beyond the lights of the city, but a few bright ones were winking at me slyly.

  I leaned my chin on my hands and sighed, and when I did, a voice came from the window beside me. "Frida?"

  "Arun?" I stood and peeked outside, my hands on the windowsill to brace myself as I twisted to try to see him. He was doing the same thing. "What are you doing?"

  "Same thing you're doing, I expect."

  "Looking at the stars and thinking about your mother?"

  He smiled but it wasn't a happy smile. "More like my sister." He'd told me about her, his sister who had died as a young girl, his first lost cause. "Come out with me."

  I withdrew and looked down at myself. I was dressed in my shift and my hair was slicked back with water. But I didn't get a chance to say no, because Arun appeared at my window, crouching on the small overhang that protruded below our windows. It was barely wide enough for him to fit.

  "Don't leave me out here alone." He held his hand out to me.

  What choice did I really have? I let him take my hand and lead me outside, where I sat beside him, my back to the window, my legs dangling over the street below. I was acutely aware of how close we were to each other, one entire side of my body alight with the warmth of his. After a few moments of comfortable silence, he pointed to a cluster of lights farther down the ridge, near the very edge of the plateau.

  "That's the Phina estate," he said.

  It was difficult to see in the dark, but I saw the shape of a sprawling multilevel home and what I expected were acres and acres of land. I couldn't imagine coming home and not seeing my family, especially if our home looked like that. "Why didn't we stay there?"

  He shrugged, and I felt it more than saw it. "I'm afraid that if I go there, I won't ever leave again."

  I grunted. "I'm the opposite, afraid I won't ever be able to find my way home again."

  After that, we didn't talk about much of significance, but every little thing I learned about him felt important. He pointed out the school he'd attended as a child, and his best friend's small townhouse just down the main road from the inn. He told me about parties on the estate and how he would always escape and sit in the barn's loft, usually alone but sometimes with girls.

  "So, you take all the girls out on roofs?" I asked, playfully knocking my shoulder into his.

  He shook his head and didn't turn to look at me when he spoke. "You're the only girl I've wanted to take out on the roof since I first saw you in the mine."

  "Arun …," I started, but I didn't know what I wanted to say. Did I want to discourage him and try to protect myself from the moment he left me? Or did I want to take advantage of it now and enjoy his attentions while I could? I knew what my siblings would say, each of them something different, but what did I want?

  Before I could respond, though, Arun smiled at me, showing off dazzling white teeth. "Can we just forget I said that?"

  Without missing a beat, I nodded and launched into the story of when my father gave me my ax when I turned thirteen and I had very nearly shaved half of Estrid's head. She liked that look so much that she'd kept it that way for the last seven years.

  Arun laughed joyfully, a sound I hadn't heard much of since before the attack on Lunla's temple. When his laughter died down, he put his hand on my leg, almost as an afterthought. For the first time, my reaction wasn't to pull away, but to take his hand in mine and not let go.

  Chapter 2

  Dawn came too soon. I'd crept back into my room a few hours before sunrise when I'd barely been able to keep my eyes open. Estrid had already been in the bed, snoring loudly, and I'd fallen in it beside her, sleep taking me immediately. Erik banged on our door what felt like moments later. We'd risen, dressed, and met Erik and Arun downstairs in the tavern, where they were arguing with the innkeeper about the price of supplies.

  "That's thievery," Arun said.

  The innkeeper said something rude in return but I missed it, busy as I was taking in the sight of him with new eyes after last night. There was what I'd always known. He was big—not as big as Erik, but still tall and wide with heavily muscled arms. He had shaggy, dark hair, longer than mine, that he sometimes wore loose, but was now pulled back out of his face in a messy knot, exposing his pointed ears.

  But there were also the subtle things I'd never really noticed before. The dimple in his cheek when he frowned. The way he shifted from foot to foot as he argued with the innkeeper, unable to ever be completely still. The way he seemed to unconsciously search for me every now and then, and smile when his eyes met mine. It was surprising how suddenly he'd become a part of our group, when it had been just the three of us for so long. More than that, he was someone I could adventure with, someone who wouldn't make me settle down. Someone who would see the world with me rather than keep it from me.

/>   Arun scooted down the bar to where I stood, unaware of the scrutiny he'd been under. "Here," he said, offering me a round brass box on a long chain.

  I took it, my eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "What's this for?"

  He had me hold it flat in my palm and twisted a small latch. It popped open to reveal a compass. "I had the innkeeper throw it in with everything else. I thought… Well, the stone wasn't working, but I thought maybe this would remind you can always find your way home, or wherever it is you want to go."

  The stone. I hated the thought of it. Ravyn, the priest from the Valley of the Horses, had given it to me and told me it would guide me to the Suun heir. But when I'd taken it out in our moment of need, it had done nothing, given me no signal. I didn't even know what to tell the stern Captain Wynleth when we boarded her ship in a few minutes. Oh, just fly around until the rock tells us to turn. I had a feeling she would drop me off under the veil so fast my head would spin.

  Instead of thinking about that, I studied the compass, running my finger over the glass cover, examining the worn artistry of the background. When I looked up, I realized that the black-tipped needle was pointing directly at him. "Thank you."

  "I know it's kind of weird, but I saw it and I thought of you and … what we talked about last night."

  "It's not weird." To prove my point, I slipped the chain over my neck and dropped the compass inside my shirt.

  The innkeeper reappeared then with Erik and Estrid on his heels, both of them carrying large bags of supplies—food, clothes, and even a couple stones of yooperlite. Arun took the one from Estrid, thanking the innkeeper.