The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3

by Holmberg, D. K.

  Knowing what he did now and how the jade egg was the key to enchanting the constables, Gavin imagined that Davel used it frequently, drawing upon the energy of more and more enchantments to secure his position. It was the kind of thing someone who wanted to maintain power would do.

  Gavin backed away. The roof wasn’t all that sloped, but it also wasn’t stable enough that he could fight effectively. He was going to have to move carefully. He crept along the rooftop and carefully maintained his footing. Then he slipped.

  He slid toward Davel, and the constable reached for him. Gavin twisted and spun his feet, trying to spiral around as quickly as he could. The twisting caught Davel off guard. Gavin kicked and caught Davel in the thigh, knocking him down.

  Gavin used the leverage to push off. He scrambled back, up the roof, standing at the peak of it. He ran as he saw Davel starting to stand back up.

  He didn’t like racing across the rooftops. The pitch was unstable, and he called upon his core reserves as he ran as quickly as possible, but there were limits to that power. Limits to how much he could summon and limits to what he could do.

  He slipped again, and he slid down the side of the rooftop. Gavin cried out, scrambling for grip. His hand caught something, and he pushed the pain away as his flesh tore.

  He finally came to rest and hurried to his feet. He looked behind him, and Davel was following him at almost a leisurely pace. Still, despite how it appeared, the man moved faster than the average person.

  Gavin didn’t know if he would be able to outrun him on the rooftop. Even in the street, he didn’t know if he could outrun Davel, who obviously knew how to find him. He needed to find another place of safety.

  “If you’re listening, we need to be careful. Davel Chan is heavily enchanted,” he said.

  Gaspar’s voice came through. “I warned you.”

  “What about the others?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “All of them?”

  “All of them.”

  Gavin exhaled. “We need to find a safe place. At least until we get through this. The constables know about the Dragon.”

  “There you go again,” Gaspar said.

  “What?”

  “Putting the Dragon in danger.”

  “You know I don’t do it on purpose.”

  “Which makes it all the worse.”

  “Do you know of any place that might be safe? Somewhere the constables won’t be able to reach?”

  There was silence for a long while. Gavin continued to race along the rooftops, sliding every so often and recovering, then looking behind him. Davel Chan continued to follow, though there was now enough distance between them that Gavin thought he might be able to get away.

  Once I got down into the street, then I could run, but to where?

  The city wasn’t safe for him anymore, not until he was able to figure out what he was going to do.

  “I might know a place,” Gaspar said.

  “Why do I get the sense this isn’t going to be something that I’ll like?” Gavin replied.

  “It has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Gavin approached the home in the darkness. He moved slowly, looking over his shoulder every so often for the constables that might be after him. As far as he could tell, he had lost them long ago. The street was quiet, and his gaze lingered along the shops. He watched the reflection in the glass of the shop windows. No signs of anybody following him.

  That should reassure him, but at this point, nothing did. He wouldn’t put it past Davel to have some way of tracking him.

  Gavin pushed the gate open, and he paused on the pathway leading up to the home. In the darkness, he studied it. It was a massive formal home with well-manicured shrubs leading up to the door. Lights glowed in each of the windows, giving a warmth to it. He watched for any movement in the windows. Nothing. He stayed in the shadows near the shrubs, watching and waiting,

  He sighed.

  Had I beaten Gaspar here?

  Not likely, but he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that coming on his own and waiting wasn’t something he wanted to do with Davel hunting him. Maybe he had made a mistake by engaging the constables.

  Or by going after the jade egg.

  Or by taking the job to rescue Alex in the first place.

  As he waited, he continued to look out into the night, checking the street. This was the kind of place that the constables wouldn’t think to search. There was no reason to do so. The home was too nice, and places like this generally were left alone. When he was content that there was nothing around him, Gavin headed toward the door, and he paused as the door opened.

  Jessica greeted him. She shook her head slightly. “She’s gone.”

  Gavin frowned at a bruise on her cheek. “What happened?”

  “We were making our way over here when they grabbed her. It happened so quickly that Gaspar couldn’t do anything. Imogen neither. They both chased, but the people were too fast.”

  Gavin squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. “Enchanted,” he whispered.

  “That’s what they said.” She tipped her head toward the door. “Gaspar is in there. He’s in a bit of a mood.”

  “I’m sure he is.” Especially if they’d failed to protect Alex. “You’re safe?”

  “We’re safe. All of us are.”

  “I’m glad.”

  Jessica glanced past him into the night, then turned her attention back to him. “You shouldn’t have taken on the constables.”

  “I gathered that.”

  “He said you attacked them?”

  “I did a lot of things,” Gavin said.

  He waited another moment, and Jessica seemed to debate before pulling the door all the way open and letting him in. Gavin stepped inside the immaculate home. Marble tile gleamed beneath his feet. Statues lined the walls, and paintings hung there as well.

  From the outside, he knew it would be a place of incredible wealth, but it was beyond what he could have imagined. It wasn’t anything like some of the manor homes. Those were formal and lavish in their own way, but this was old wealth. This was money.

  Gavin stood in place, looking at the walls and the portraits and the sculptures. He turned to Jessica. “Who is Desarra?”

  “You know who she is.”

  “I know who she is, but who is she?”

  “You’re going to have to ask Gaspar that, if you want to know.”

  Gavin followed her along the hallway, and they reached the doorway of a massive room. An enormous hearth crackled with a warm and cozy flame in the back of the room.

  Wrenlow jumped up and hurried over as soon as Gavin entered. “You made it.”

  “You didn’t think I would?”

  “I wasn’t sure whether or not you’d get into any more trouble.”

  “I would’ve alerted you had there been something.”

  “The way you alerted me before?” Wrenlow asked.

  “I told you something was going on.”

  “You did, but only after you’d already attacked them. If you’d said anything to me sooner, I might’ve been able to—”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” Gavin said. He patted Wrenlow on the arm and smiled. “Where is he?”

  “He’s in there. He’s not very happy about all of this,” Wrenlow said.

  “I don’t think he wanted me to know he was married before, and now that we all know, I think it’s troubling him.” Gavin looked past Wrenlow but didn’t see Gaspar. He could hear his voice though. “What about Imogen?”

  “She’s out patrolling,” Jessica said as she closed the door and joined them. “She figures she isn’t a known entity, and that gives her the ability to patrol for anything concerning.”

  Gavin nodded. Imogen had already proven that she wasn’t concerned about the fights they’d experienced or fearful of the potential for magical attacks.

  Was there something more to that? />
  Maybe Imogen had some connection to magic herself, though he hadn’t seen anything from her to suggest it. As far as he knew, she was no more magical than him—or at least no more magical than he’d once believed himself to be.

  Gavin followed Wrenlow into the room and saw Gaspar, who sat near the hearth, talking quietly to Desarra. She was a lovely woman, with her dark hair braided and tied by a loop of blue ribbon. She had on a bright yellow dress that accentuated her figure. A young girl was across from her, watching the conversation. She had similar dark hair and pale blue eyes that widened when Gavin entered the room.

  “What’s this about?” he asked.

  “Ever since Gaspar got here, he’d been telling Desarra about what happened to the two of you. She’s concerned,” Wrenlow said.

  Gavin looked at the girl and withdrew his El’aras dagger. It was glowing. He smiled to himself.

  The girl had magic. At least, he believed it was her and not Desarra. For all he knew, it could be either one. He walked over to them, stood behind Gaspar, and watched the girl. It wasn’t always easy to know when magic users were drawing on their power.

  “Are we sure it’s safe here?” Gavin asked.

  The others turned toward him. Gaspar frowned, his expression angry.

  “Why wouldn’t it be safe?” Jessica asked.

  Gavin turned his attention to Gaspar, holding his gaze. “I don’t know. It should be safe, shouldn’t it, Gaspar?”

  “Watch it, boy.”

  “I just want us to be certain that we’re all on the same page here. Are we sure?”

  “I’m sure,” Gaspar said.

  “Gavin?” Wrenlow asked.

  “It’s nothing,” Gavin replied.

  Desarra looked over to Gavin and then to Gaspar, who nodded once.

  “Wrenlow, why don’t you and Jessica go with Olivia,” Gaspar said.

  The girl stood up, and Desarra smiled at her. “Where would you have me go?” Olivia asked.

  “See if you can gather some food,” Desarra said. “I’m sure they’re hungry, especially considering what they’ve gone through today.”

  Olivia looked at Gavin. For a moment, the El’aras blade surged more brightly. Now he knew with certainty.

  “I would love to see the kitchen. You know, I’m something of a cook,” Jessica said with a wide smile. She grabbed Olivia’s arm and led her away.

  Wrenlow glanced over at Gavin, who nodded in the direction that Jessica and Olivia went. It would be better for Wrenlow to go with them. He shrugged and followed them out of the room, leaving Gavin with Desarra and Gaspar.

  “Now, do you care to tell me what’s been going on?” Gavin asked.

  “You don’t need to know anything,” Gaspar said.

  “Look at him,” Desarra said. “He already knows. You aren’t going to keep anything from him at this point.”

  Gavin shrugged. “She’s not wrong. Olivia is an enchanter, isn’t she?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Gaspar said.

  “It does because it at least answers a few questions I have.”

  “What do you think that answers?” Gaspar asked, his voice rising. There was tension within him, almost as if ready to explode.

  “It explains a little bit more about why you left the constables.” Gavin made a circle around the chairs, and he took a seat across from them. “Let me tell you what I suspect.” He unsheathed the El’aras dagger. “I suspect that the two of you were happily married. Something happened. I’ve been trying to figure out what that might’ve been, especially considering how the two of you still seem to care about each other. Maybe regardless of what you might claim, Olivia is your daughter,” Gavin said, nodding to Gaspar. That answer didn’t feel quite right given what he’d seen. “You discovered she had potential, and it drove you out of the constables.”

  “Careful, boy,” Gaspar said.

  “How close am I?”

  “You aren’t close at all.”

  “Then tell me.”

  “You don’t need to know,” Gaspar said.

  Gavin took a deep breath and smiled. He sheathed the El’aras dagger and shrugged. “It was worth taking a shot. The other possibility is that she’s older than she appears. From what I’m guessing of the enchanters, they’re all considerably older than what I believed at first. If that’s the case, then it’s possible Olivia is your sister,” Gavin said, nodding to Desarra. “Gaspar learned of it and wasn’t able to protect her.”

  Gaspar glared at him.

  “Fine. Make me keep guessing. I can go on like this.”

  “Don’t,” Desarra said, raising her hand.

  “I don’t really want to. Honestly, when it comes to these sorts of things, I’d rather just be told.”

  “He doesn’t like to talk about it.”

  Gavin nodded. “I gathered that. He doesn’t like to talk about much.”

  “In this case, he really doesn’t like to talk about it,” Desarra said.

  Gavin leaned back in his chair and watched Gaspar. “Let’s get to a real question then. How safe are we here?”

  “Safe enough,” Gaspar said.

  “Are you sure? Because I want to make sure we don’t have to worry about the constables finding us here.”

  Gaspar’s brow furrowed. “I’m sure.”

  There was something more taking place here than Gavin understood, but perhaps none of that mattered. At this point, the only thing he needed to know was what they were going to do about the jade egg. “At least tell me what’s going on here.”

  “You’re the one who took the job. Why do I need to help you understand it?” Gaspar asked.

  “We can’t stay here indefinitely. The constables are after us. This is only going to get Desarra and Olivia into the same mess we’re in.”

  “You don’t have to worry about us,” Desarra said.

  “Why?”

  “You just don’t.”

  Olivia used magic fairly openly, enough to make the El’aras dagger glow, and Gavin had a sense that Desarra was completely aware of what she did. “All right. You’d both better start talking.”

  “Watch it,” Gaspar said.

  “What’s there for me to watch? I’ve been running around the city, dealing with constables attacking, and trying to find this jade egg so the other enchanters can free their families’ power. All while trying to figure out what role Alex had to play. Now she’s missing, and—⁠​‍‍⁠”

  “Is that what they told you?” Desarra asked, leaning forward.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Is that what the others told you?”

  Gavin sighed. “Which others are we talking about? At this point, I’m dealing with quite a few different groups, and I don’t even know which ones you’re getting at.”

  He had an idea though. He suspected that she knew far more about these young enchanters—and about everything that was taking place—than she was letting on.

  “The enchanters told me they wanted the jade egg for the Mistress of Vines so they could free their families,” he said. “They claim she’s the only one who knows how to release the magical energy within it.”

  Olivia returned, and Gavin glanced behind him toward the kitchen. He thought that she’d gone with the others, but she must have snuck back in. At this point, she deserved to be a part of the conversation.

  Desarra and Olivia shared a look, and neither of them spoke.

  Gavin chuckled. “I take it that isn’t quite right.”

  “No,” Olivia said.

  “So what’s the truth of the matter?”

  “You wouldn’t understand,” she said.

  “Try me. I think I might understand more than you give me credit for.”

  “Watch it, boy,” Gaspar growled.

  Desarra rested her hand on his arm, and she shook her head. “It’s okay, Gaspar. He’s been helping. He should be a part of this.”

  “A part of what?”

  “They didn’t get the jade egg to
the Mistress of Vines so she could release their families. They’re gone, unfortunately,” Desarra said. “The jade egg is an item of magic, and whoever possesses it would be able to unsettle others of considerable power.”

  “It’s my understanding that it allows the constables to make enchantments,” Gavin said.

  “It can help make enchantments for the constables, but that’s not its only purpose. The egg contains collected magic, and in the right hands—or the wrong hands—it allows someone to use it against another person who has power.”

  Gavin frowned and looked from one to the other. “The Captain. Why?”

  “Because he’s been holding power over the city.”

  “He might be powerful, and he might have misused some enchantments, but—”

  “Not misused,” Olivia interrupted. “He’s been buying off those who have the ability to place enchantments and forcing them to serve.” There was heat in her voice, anger that seethed just beneath the surface.

  Gavin looked over and frowned. He thought about the enchantments that he’d experienced when he’d broken into the Captain’s home. They had been more than what he’d expected.

  Within Yoran, there weren’t all that many people with enchantments. Having them was an admission of a link to magic that most people didn’t want, especially somebody who was as well-connected as the Captain would be. The fact that he had magic and was willing to use it so openly suggested that not only was he not concerned about his link to magic, he could use it without repercussions.

  “How’s the Captain tied to the constables?” Gavin asked.

  “He’s bought a measure of influence. Not with all of them, but with enough. He uses that influence to maintain his hold over the city, or at least his role within the city. And he doesn’t fear the constables taking away his enchantments because doing so would reveal theirs,” Desarra said.

  Gavin shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. The constables aren’t afraid of revealing their own enchantments.”

  There was so much about Yoran he didn’t fully understand. There was a history here he wasn’t privy to, one that people like Gaspar—and, he suspected, Desarra—fully understood.