The Chain Breaker: Books 1-3

by Holmberg, D. K.

  He suspected the Fates would have a way of fighting off the semarrl, but it would likely take power and preparation. Given what Gavin had seen, as many as there were, he doubted they could fight them all off.

  “The Triad thought they could control them, as well.” Gavin tried to sound casual. “They used the egg to create the means.” This time, he saw the tension in each of them increase. “Perhaps I should direct them at one of you, rather than all of you.” Gavin smiled darkly. “Which would I choose? Perhaps you,” he said, nodding to the woman. “Or you?” He nodded to the older of the men. “Or you,” he said, looking to the man closest to him, the one he’d fought before. He’d attacked the Dragon, so maybe he was the one Gavin should release the semarrl upon. “Or perhaps all of you. As many as there are, they will likely have little difficulty with you. I’m sure you’ve heard they are active in the city, unless you don’t fear them.”

  “All with power fear the semarrl.”

  They no longer squeezed him the way that they had, which Gavin felt was a small victory. It wasn’t much, but enough that he could push against what they were doing, the way they were trying to hold him. He resisted, sending power out from him, holding on to that core reserve.

  As he connected to that, he could feel the energy within him starting to wane. He didn’t have much left. Before long, he wouldn’t have enough strength to be able to release the semarrl. Instead, Gavin used just a bit, enough for him to resist that pressure upon him, little more than that.

  Gavin scanned the distance.

  Where was Anna? He’d called her after defeating Tristan. She’d promised she would help with the Fates. All he needed was to find a way to bide his time.

  “You seem to be waiting for something,” the Fate said. “Do you believe that help is coming?”

  “I do.”

  The older Fate smiled at him. “Do you believe she will come?”

  Gavin tensed. They knew about Anna. The comment about the El’aras had meant something. “Where is she?”

  The Fate chuckled. “Did you really think that one of their kind would be able to challenge us? We are the Fates. We are those who lead. She is nothing.”

  Gavin resisted the urge to give in to his rage. She was more than nothing. She was the Risen Shard, even if he didn’t know what that meant.

  She was Anna.

  “What did you do to her?”

  The Fate smiled tightly. “We removed her as a threat.”

  Anger built up within him. He let that simmer, filling him with that agitation, the sense of what he had felt before. They had attacked Anna? The only reason she was here was because of him. The only reason she had gone after the Fate was because of him.

  But she’d thought she would be facing a single sorcerer. Not all the Fates.

  “You will release me,” Gavin said.

  “I think not. If you no longer have the jade egg, then you are of no use to us.”

  Power started to snake around him, even more than before. It wrapped around his throat, squeezing. Gavin could feel his strength waning as he drew upon a hint more of his core power.

  He pushed outward, resisting the way that they constricted him, trying to fight back. He needed only a little bit more. Just a hint of power. As he held on to that, he could feel the pressure around him beginning to release. The energy started to ease.

  If they had Anna, Gavin had little choice as to what his next step would be. Although it was what he had to do, it wasn’t what he wanted. None of this was what he wanted.

  He glared at them, and he let himself be filled by that power within him. He embraced the core power, and for the first time, he recognized and could feel its limit. The energy wasn’t going to last long. If he lost that, then he would not be able to do anything more. He had to act quickly.

  He didn’t want to release the semarrl, and if he did, Gavin worried that he wouldn’t have the strength to summon them back to the dark egg. It was possible that another could do so, though he wondered if there was somebody in the city who could. Better yet, if there was somebody who should…

  Who would he trust to release and hold the power of the dark egg?

  “I will give you only a few more moments to undo the magic around me,” Gavin said. “If you don’t, I will unleash the semarrl, and then you will discover which of you I targeted.” He locked eyes with each of them.

  Finally, the power began to ease.

  “Good,” Gavin said. “Now, you and I will have a conversation. You may want to believe that I don’t have the power of the semarrl, but I can assure you I do. Where is she?”

  “You do not get to direct us,” the bearded Fate said.

  Gavin swung his gaze from one to the other. “Actually, I do. You’ve already proven that I do. If you didn’t fear the semarrl, you wouldn’t have released the power around me.” Invisible bands of magic started to snake around him, and Gavin clenched his fists. He pulled the dark egg out of his pocket and held it out. “Do you question me now?”

  The Fates stared at the dark egg, and Gavin held it up close to his face, forcing their eyes up. He needed them to know that he was the actual threat, not the dark egg.

  “The Triad created this to control them. Do you doubt that it’s effective?” No one answered. “I didn’t think so. If you don’t want it used against you, then you’ll release me.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” the older Fate said.

  “I would if you continue what you’re doing. Release the power around me now.”

  The pressure eased.

  “You will release her as well.”

  The bearded Fate shook his head. “That is not going to happen.”

  “It is going to happen.”

  The Fates stared at him and did nothing.

  Gavin shrugged. “It’s your choice.” He started to push power into the dark egg, and it took on a purplish glow.

  The Fates stared at it, and Gavin couldn’t tell if it was a look of hunger in their eyes, anger, or fear. They were skilled at maintaining their neutral expression. He continued to push power into the egg, using as much as he had. All he wanted was for the egg to glow, nothing more than that, and he certainly didn’t want to release the semarrl, as Gavin had no idea if he would have enough power to contain them again, but he could use this as a way to scare them.

  The egg continued to glow, increasingly brightly.

  “Fine,” the bearded man said.

  “We should not—”

  “We have no choice,” the bearded Fate said, cutting off the woman. “We have not readied the protections. We would be a feast, and you know it.”

  There came another shimmer, a tilt. Within that was another figure.

  Anna.

  He waited, and she strode quickly across the ground toward him. Her skin almost glowed, and she had a determined step to her. She looked as if she had not been confined by the Fates. The tension in her eyes was profound, though, and her anger evident. Gavin was thankful he was not the source of her anger.

  “You will leave Yoran,” Gavin said to the Fates.

  “Yoran is under our protection,” the Fates said.

  “Protection? I think you intend to keep it under your control.” Gavin inhaled deeply. There was one way to ensure they left Yoran alone. “The city is not under your protection any longer. It is under mine.” He pointed the dark egg at each Fate. “If you return, I will release them. They will hunt for you. I will hunt for you. I may not be able to withstand you now, but I will learn. I will grow stronger. The next time will be different.”

  The Fates watched him, and power within them surged outward. It targeted Gavin.

  He felt that power circling outward, swirling toward him, and he reacted.

  He thought about what Anna had suggested.

  Focus on what he wanted his power to do.

  He wanted to push them back.

  He drew upon as much of his core reserves as he could. Next to him, he could feel Anna doing something similar. I
t was strange to be aware of it, but he could feel that energy within her and feel how it flowed outward, and it struck him, but it also pushed beyond.

  Gavin created a barrier. Their power struck his, and surprisingly, his power held.

  Another burst of power came from him, and the dark egg glowed even more, the purple light streaming off it.

  The Fates’ eyes widened, almost as one.

  Another blast of power exploded.

  When it was gone, so were they.

  Gavin sank to his knees. “I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on.”

  Anna helped him to stand. “You have done well, Gavin Lorren.”

  “They aren’t going to leave us alone.”

  “For a while, they will.”

  “Which means I have to stay here,” he said.

  Anna nodded. “For now.”

  Gavin took a deep breath, trying to maintain his strength. He looked around, but he couldn’t see anything or anyone around him. “What about the others?” he asked.

  “What others?”

  “The constables. The enchanters.”

  He had to hope that they could keep the enchanters, and others Gavin cared about, safe from the semarrl—and from the Fates.

  “I distracted the Fates before anything happened to them. And you drew off the semarrl in time.”

  Gavin breathed out in a heavy sigh. He had succeeded. Now, he had to rest. That was what he wanted more than anything else.

  “Can you help me back to the Dragon? I might have taken all of your powder. I don’t know if I can stay on my feet for too much longer.”

  “All of it?”

  Gavin held the pouch out to her. “I needed it. I don’t know what would’ve happened otherwise.”

  “It will be difficult for you, but I will make sure that you arrive safely.”

  He took a step. As his strength faded from him, Gavin collapsed.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Coming around slowly, Gavin opened his eyes and looked around him. It took a moment to realize he was lying in his bed within the Roasted Dragon. Everything in him hurt as he eased himself up. He rubbed the back of his throbbing head, and muscles that he didn’t even remember working ached and trembled with each movement. At least his head wasn’t throbbing the way that it had been before.

  Even after having a good night of sleep—or perhaps even more than that—he was still tired. Gavin wasn’t surprised.

  He reached for his core reserves and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He felt refreshed. That served as a warning to him. The fact that he was refreshed meant that he had been out for a long time—possibly days.

  Gavin got to his feet and dressed as quickly as possible, strapping on the El’aras dagger and the sword. He studied the dark egg, the strange onyx sphere that rested on one of the tables, and decided to stick that into his pocket, as well. It was better than leaving it here and unprotected. He made his way out of the room and down into the tavern.

  He paused at the door. A musician strummed a lute in one corner, singing with a rough voice. A fire crackled nearby, heat radiating out of the hearth. The tavern was filled with people.

  It was a strange sight to see. At one point, it would have been commonplace. The tavern had been busy, a popular place for people to gather when Gavin had first come to the city, but that had started to change in the last few months. Jessica hadn’t nearly the same business she had before Gavin had come.

  He wound his way into the tavern. He took a seat, resting his elbows on the table and looking all around him.

  “There you are,” a voice said.

  Gavin looked over as Jessica approached. Her hair was braided today, with small pink ribbons woven in patterns into her hair. She glanced over at him briefly. Her hands were empty, and she slipped into a seat next to him.

  “How long?” he asked.

  “How long what?”

  “How long was I out?”

  Jessica looked around the tavern before her gaze landed back on him. “A little while.”

  “A little while?”

  She shrugged. “About a week.”

  Gavin grunted. “That’s more than just a little while.”

  “She warned that you would need time,” Jessica said.

  “She?”

  “The El’aras woman.”

  Gavin sighed. Anna was gone. It had been a week, and now he didn’t even get a chance to say anything to her. That bothered him more than he had expected.

  “Thank you,” Gavin said.

  “For what?”

  “For giving me a place to stay. For making sure I was cared for in my incapacitated state.”

  Jessica chuckled. “I didn’t have much choice.”

  “Why is that?”

  She reached across the table, squeezing his hand. “I’ve always known you were special, Gavin. The first time you came to the Dragon, you’ve been…” She smiled and squeezed his hand again. “I think it’s time for you and me to no longer be you and me.”

  His throbbing head made it difficult for him to focus, but those words stuck with him. “Why?”

  “Everything has changed,” she said. “Including you.”

  “I haven’t changed that much.”

  “Perhaps not that much, but you’ve changed. And I can see you need to find yourself.”

  “At my age?”

  “At any age,” she said. She got to her feet, and she wrapped her arm around his neck in a hug. “It’s good to see you back up. I’ll get you some food.”

  Gavin frowned.

  “You’re up,” Wrenlow said from behind.

  Gavin twisted so that he could see him. Wrenlow’s eyes were hollowed, with dark rings around them. He looked as if he had suffered, almost as if he had been beaten the way that Gavin felt. Ink stained his green shirt, and he offered a lopsided grin.

  “I am,” Gavin said.

  “I didn’t know how long you were going to be resting, but we were warned it may take a while for you to come back around. I didn’t know that you would sleep for a week. Damn. That’s a long time to sleep.”

  “Anna warned me that the powder she gave me might have consequences,” Gavin said.

  “That’s what I understand.”

  “Jessica was acting strangely.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Wrenlow said.

  “Why?”

  “Well, after what happened…”

  Gavin sat up, and he looked around before settling his gaze on Wrenlow. “What happened?”

  “When you returned to the Dragon, she made sure you were safe.”

  “I know Jessica did.”

  “Not Jessica,” Wrenlow said. “The other woman. The El’aras.”

  “Anna?”

  He nodded. “She stayed with you for the first day, making sure you had food and water and ensuring you weren’t alone. She didn’t leave you.”

  “She wasn’t there when I awoke.”

  “No. I don’t know if she’s been here for the last few days.”

  Gavin looked toward the door. “Oh.”

  “I think Jessica realized she had to let go. She knows you’ll leave.”

  Gavin reached into the pocket of his cloak, feeling for the dark egg. It was still there, the slick surface leaving his hand feeling oily. Unpleasant. He supposed that he should be thankful it was still there and that no one had taken it from him.

  “Unfortunately—or fortunately—I won’t be going anywhere.” Gavin didn’t know which it was at this point. “Because the Fates left the city.” Gavin explained the events which had led to the Fates leaving Yoran.

  “How?” Wrenlow asked.

  “With this.” Gavin pulled the dark egg out of his pocket and set it on the table. The dark egg reminded him of the jade egg. It was cooler to the touch and had a slick surface, whereas the jade egg had more of a sticky texture. There were markings along its surface, probably El’aras writing, though Gavin couldn’t read it.

  Wrenlow looke
d at it. “What is that thing?” He started to scoot back, moving away from the dark egg.

  “This is what’s used to control them,” Gavin said. “And I think the Triad used the enchanters to create it.” He would have to question the Keeper, but everything he’d learned made him think he was right. “The Captain held it, and Tristan… well, he might have manipulated me into helping him get to it.” With the enchanters and the constables no longer at odds, the Captain had opened his vault to move enchantments.

  Which would expose this one.

  “At least I was able to convince the Fates to leave the city.”

  “So they’re gone?”

  “For now.”

  “And you fear they’ll return,” Wrenlow said.

  Gavin took a deep breath, nodding. “At some point, I suspect the Fates will return. When they do, I guess…” He shook his head.

  “You intend to stay.”

  There was a part of Gavin that didn’t want to stay, but if he had to protect the city, what choice did he have? The Fates would return. He didn’t think the constables and enchanters were powerful enough to push them back, regardless of what Davel believed.

  At least, not yet.

  “For a little while,” Gavin said.

  “I wonder how Jessica is going to handle that.”

  “Why?”

  “Having you here,” Wrenlow said. “I think she expected you were going to leave and go with the El’aras. If you stay, then she will have to come to terms with it.”

  Gavin looked over to see Jessica making her way through the tavern. There was a sadness about her, which left him sad as well. He didn’t like being responsible for that sorrow, especially not with Jessica. She was a friend—and had been so much more.

  He sighed, getting to his feet.

  “Where are you going?” Wrenlow asked.

  “I have something I need to do,” Gavin said.

  “But you just woke up.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you going to tell me?” Wrenlow said.

  “I thought you might come with me.”

  Wrenlow cocked his head to the side, watching him. “Why?”

  “Because I might need your help.”