“You answered the call,” Ephram said.
“You don’t have to seem so surprised,” Rsiran countered.
Ephram smiled tiredly. “Surprise doesn’t really fit, at least not with you.”
“What is it?”
“This,” Ephram said, sweeping his hand around him. “All of this is wrong. The Elvraeth do not summon us this often. That they would do again so soon tells me there is something that they plan.”
“Do you think it has anything to do with Venass?” Rsiran asked.
“The Great Watcher knows that I hope it doesn’t.”
He considered telling Ephram what he’d done, and the fact that they had committed to Carth to work together, but decided it would be better for Ephram not to know. What would the Alchemist Guild guildlord do anyway?
They stopped at the door to the chamber, and Rsiran heard voices drifting out of the room. Sarah’s was the clearest, and she was agitated. He hadn’t seen her much of late since he’d been away with Haern and Jessa trying to find other allies to help in the fight against Venass.
“She doesn’t sound too happy,” Rsiran noted.
Ephram shook his head. “She is rarely happy, especially when it comes to the Elvraeth.”
“Why?”
“There are many reasons, but she had a boy very close to her exiled. He died before she managed to discover what happened to him.”
Rsiran clenched his jaw. He hadn’t realized that Sarah had been close to one of the Forgotten. Wasn’t that something that she should have told him, especially as they worked deeper and deeper into searching for Venass? Why would she keep something so important from those she worked with?
But then, he had kept secrets from them as well. He had been doing better, but he still didn’t share openly, not as they would prefer him to do.
Ephram pushed open the door to the chamber. Gersh stood next to Sarah, his meaty arms crossed. The shirt he wore today had the sleeves either torn or cut off, exposing scarred and tattooed arms. His brow furrowed deeply as he glanced from Sarah to Naelm who stood on the other side of the long table leaning on clenched fists. Tia almost blocked Sarah from getting any closer.
As he looked along the line of the council, he noted that they were all there other than Luthan, leaving an empty seat. Rsiran’s gaze lingered on it, knowing that the one person he could somehow count on within the Elvraeth council was missing—and there was nothing that he could do to find him.
“Sarah,” Ephram said softly as he approached, laying a hand on her arm.
Sarah shook it off and didn’t take her gaze off Naelm. “No, Father. The council in their wisdom thinks that the guildlords must grant immediate access to the crystals.”
Naelm smiled, though it seemed a placating smile. “That is not the conversation at all, Ephram. The agreement is that the Elvraeth are granted access to the crystals while the guilds guard them. As the guarding of the crystals seems to have failed, the council has decided that we must maintain our access.”
Ephram opened his mouth to argue, but Rsiran spoke up first. “Why only the Elvraeth? What about others in the city?”
“Careful with your questions, guildlord,” Yongar said.
Rsiran glanced at him. The younger man had made it abundantly clear how he felt about Rsiran’s presence among the guildlords. He was the type of man who wanted to keep things exactly as they were, not changing the fact that the Elvraeth were responsible for exiling hundreds—possibly thousands—from the city over the years. That practice had done nothing other than develop increasing dangers. A result so obvious and easily anticipated, it was almost as if it were something they had planned.
“And what question is that, Councilor? The one where I question the logic that only those born to the Elvraeth may be granted access to the crystals, or do you refer to where I wonder if perhaps others in the city shouldn’t be given the chance to hold the Great Crystals?”
“The Elvraeth are gifted with the ability to handle—”
Rsiran’s sudden laugh seemed to catch everyone off guard, including Sarah, who finally managed to compose herself and looked at him, a question in her eyes.
“Gifted? You are gifted because you maintain contact with the crystals. That is the only reason. What would happen if someone not so ‘gifted’ held one of the crystals? Would they develop the same gifts as the Elvraeth?”
That was a question that even Della hadn’t been able to answer for him. Rsiran had a growing suspicion that the only reason the Elvraeth maintained their abilities was because of their connection to the crystals. There was something about the crystals that kept all of the people of Elaeavn powered, but it was something that faded the longer people were away from the city. He’d learned that from the Forgotten. They would likely do anything to regain that access, which was the reason that Rsiran thought they came after the crystals in the first place.
“Those of the Elvraeth bloodline are the only ones granted access to the crystals,” Sasha said. “And now, you have changed even that.”
“For the safety of the crystals,” Rsiran said. “If I wouldn’t have done what I did, what would have happened to the other crystals? Would we have lost another? All of them? And then what would the Elvraeth do without their precious crystals?”
None of the council spoke.
“What does it mean that I was able to reach the crystals? If I could do it, then it stands to reason that others could. Perhaps I should see how many others within the city could reach them, particularly those without the Elvraeth bloodline.”
“Careful, Lareth,” Tia whispered.
“You should listen to the other guildlord,” Yongar said.
Naelm tapped his hands on the table, and the other councilors fell silent. “The Elvraeth are tested because it is most likely that our bloodline will be able to reach the crystals. If all were tested, it would be a waste of time. You are too new to your position to understand what has been attempted in the past, but if you took the time to try to understand, you would learn that the Elvraeth have held the rights to that power for centuries. But now the guilds presume to prohibit access. That is unacceptable to the council. We would have the access to the crystals restored.”
Rsiran shook his head. “No. Not until we find the missing crystal.”
Yongar started to smile, and Naelm shot him a hard glare. “Is that your position as guildlord?” Naelm asked.
Ephram raised his hand, as if trying to warn Rsiran, but he ignored it. The other guildlords continued to fear the Elvraeth, as if the Elvraeth would or could dictate to them how they would protect the crystals.
“That is my position,” Rsiran said.
Naelm watched him and then nodded. “The council is not helpless here, Master Lareth. If you will not restore access to the crystals, then you will be stripped of your position as guildlord.”
“I serve at the discretion of the Smith Guild.”
“The Smith Guild exists at the discretion of the Elvraeth council,” Naelm said.
Rsiran looked to the other guildlords, but none of them spoke.
He thought he understood the timidity that the others had around the Elvraeth. They still feared them, even though the guilds preceded the Elvraeth. They believed that the Elvraeth had a right to that rule, and that they somehow did so more righteously than anyone else would have done.
It was time for that to end.
Della had asked him to help bring some sort of unity to the guilds, but how could he do that if there was fear of the Elvraeth? For that matter, how could the rest of the people of Elaeavn ever manage to find the healing that they needed, the ability to stand up against the oppression of Venass, if he wouldn’t even oppose what the Elvraeth attempted?
Were Luthan here, he might not have said anything, but the other council members here might not have said anything, either. The old man had a way of tempering the frustrations between the guild and the council, almost as if he knew that to be his role, something that he might actu
ally have Seen.
“I think I am done here,” Rsiran said.
Naelm nodded. “It is good that you see the sense. You will release the barrier you have placed on the crystals, and instruct the guild to choose another.”
Rsiran took a step forward. “I think you misunderstand me. I am done here. I am not done as guildlord.”
He faced the other guildlords. “You may have forgotten the role our ancestors played. The clans preceded everything else in the city, especially the Elvraeth. Without the clan, and now the guilds, the Elvraeth would never have discovered the crystals. We owe no fealty to them. They should recognize that we have as much a right to lead the people of Elaeavn as they do.”
Sasha gasped. Yongar stood. Naelm watched him silently.
“Lareth—” Tia started.
Rsiran shook his head. “They have tried to disband the Sliding Guild. They marginalize Sarah as the Thenar Guild. The Great Watcher only knows what they have done to the Miner Guild to keep Gersh from snapping. And the Smiths… the Smith Guild no longer will tolerate what the council proposes.”
He turned back to face the council. “This is my decision. I am the guildlord of the Smith Guild, and the Elvraeth do not have the power or the authority to remove that title from me. You may disagree, and you may wish that I did not serve, but know that I do not fear you.”
Rsiran turned away, and Naelm yelled after him.
“The council still rules the city.”
Rsiran paused. “Is that a threat?”
“Do not make an enemy of me, Lareth,” Naelm said.
“Try and exile me. See if that punishment holds. Know this: I will not release the protection around the crystals until I decide they are safe. Without me, there is no one else able to reach the source of power that protects them. Think on that as you determine whether to threaten me.”
Chapter 33
Tension filled the inside of the Hall of Guilds. Rsiran stood in shadow along the wall, making a point of leaving the others alone. Ephram and the other guildlords were upset with him. Every so often, Tia glanced over as they spoke softly to each other, and Rsiran couldn’t read the expression on her face.
Sarah stepped away from the others and came over to him. “Father is—”
“He’s upset. I understand.”
Sarah shook her head. “Upset, yes, but I don’t think you understand.”
Rsiran watched Ephram for a moment. The older man appeared agitated, and every so often, he rubbed a knuckle into his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me that someone you cared about was exiled?”
Sarah flushed. “Does that matter? The Elvraeth council decided what they did. There’s nothing I can do to change it.”
“It matters that you didn’t share with me.”
“There are more than a few things that you’ve never shared with us, don’t you think?”
Rsiran chose not to argue, at least not about that. Doing so after everything that they had been through would get him nowhere. “I’m leaving the city again to try and find the crystal.”
Sarah sniffed. “I think you’re going to have to.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re not safe here, Rsiran. With the way you spoke to the council… they’re not going to let that drop. They might not have the authority or the ability to exile you, but don’t think for a minute that the council is helpless.”
“They didn’t do anything when Venass attacked.”
“And why is that, do you think? Why wouldn’t the Elvraeth have defended the city when Venass attacked?”
Rsiran hadn’t been able to come up with an answer other than a disinterest. The only other answer that he could come up with would mean that the council wanted Venass in the city, but that didn’t make any sense, either.
“They wanted the guilds to take care of it,” he said.
Sarah nodded, and leaned into him, lowering her voice. “The guilds. Do you think the Elvraeth care if the guilds are destroyed?” She hesitated, letting the words sink in. “The Elvraeth have always resented the fact that the guilds protect the crystals. They’re given free access, but they fear a time when that might change. And now you come along and change it, just as they feared.”
“I only did what was necessary to protect the remaining crystals.”
Sarah nodded. “I think you did what you needed, but that doesn’t make them any less fearful that their access could be permanently revoked. Especially Naelm. That man has lived long enough, and tried to force my father enough times to grant the Elvraeth access to the crystals, that I know what he wants.”
Ephram’s agitation made more sense. Rsiran had assumed that the guilds had never opposed the whim and will of the Elvraeth, but he was mistaken. Ephram had resisted, but had done so in the only way that he could. Rsiran understood that there was only so much that most people could do against the Elvraeth. Even as guildlord, Ephram was no different.
“Do you really think that the Elvraeth would allow Venass to enter the city?” Rsiran asked.
“Maybe not quite so conspiratorially as that sounds, but would they do anything to stop entry when they realized what might happen to the guilds?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I can see the Elvraeth viewing this as an opportunity, and one that you made more difficult.”
“Why do you think I would have anything to fear remaining in the city? The guilds serve as the constables in the city. As guildlord, I would be protected.”
“Constables, yes, but the Elvraeth have their tchalit. They are not helpless. Father might know more about them, but we haven’t been able to gain access to their ranks, despite how much we might have tried.”
Ephram finished talking with Tia and Gersh and came over to where Rsiran and Sarah stood talking. “Well. Now that we have a more difficult path, I think you and I should have a talk.”
“I’m not going to release access to the crystals until we find the fifth. And until we find some way to restore the Elder Tree to replace the protections for the crystals.”
“I will not ask that you do. What I came over to tell you is that you have the support of the guilds, Lareth. All of them.”
Rsiran glanced to Sarah. She seemed surprised by the comment. “Father?”
“Lareth was right. We have allowed ourselves to fear the Elvraeth for far too long . It is time that stopped. Now, I’m not convinced that disrupting them in the way that you did was for the best, but we have long suspected that they have no interest in maintaining the guilds. That must stop as well.”
“Father—an uprising is not what the city needs.”
“The city needs leaders who care about the people,” Rsiran said.
“Don’t tell me that you agree with him,” Sarah said.
“I agree with your father that something needs to change. The Elvraeth care for nothing other than maintaining their power while the rest of us suffer. They have done nothing to deserve our loyalty. But I need more from you than words, Ephram. You’ve been holding back, refusing to share what you know about shadowsteel.”
“Lareth—”
“Venass continues to attack with shadowsteel, Ephram. I need to find how they are making it, and stop them before they do any real damage.”
Ephram looked at Sarah and sighed. “That’s just the problem. In the quantities that you describe, the making of shadowsteel would require significant energy. The alchemists never managed much more than small amounts, and even then it was not stable. For the weapons that Venass has produced…”
“What do you think it would take?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible that they hide something in Thyr, but—”
“They don’t,” Rsiran said.
“How… You’ve Traveled there?”
He nodded. “I had to know.”
“You were willing to risk detection by going to the tower?”
“They might have detected me, but it was worth the risk to know.” And had he found anything, he wouldn’t have been able
to do anything, but at least this way, he knew that Venass had nothing in Thyr. That made it worse.
Where were they producing shadowsteel?
When they attacked the Elder Trees, he thought they had used the Forgotten Palace or maybe even someplace within Ilphaesn. For as much shadowsteel as they had found, he had expected to find something in Thyr that would give him a hint, but… there had been nothing.
Finding the shadowsteel was almost as important as finding the crystal. Without stopping the production of shadowsteel, Rsiran didn’t know if there was any way he would be able to fully stop Venass if they attacked again.
“You found nothing?” Ephram asked.
“Not in the tower. Lorcith, some heartstone—” though not as much as he would have expected “—but no evidence of my father. No evidence that they manufactured anything like what we’ve encountered. And until we find the missing crystal—”
He didn’t get the chance to finish.
He detected a stuttering against his senses, almost like lorcith, but not with the same intensity as the knives that he carried. It felt the same with heartstone.
“What is it?” Sarah asked.
Rsiran shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s something—someone—down here with us.”
“Venass?” Ephram asked.
Rsiran didn’t think so, but it was possible. Venass had proven willing to enter the city, and had come for him, attacking without fear, so there was plenty of reason to believe that they would come for the guilds now, as well. But what he detected was subtle, and didn’t really remind him of what he would detect from Venass.
A voice echoed from down the tunnels, shouting with agitation.
“Tia?” Ephram said.
As he started off, Rsiran tried grabbing for his arm but the old man moved too swiftly. He wasn’t able to reach him. Sarah’s eyes widened in alarm.
“You know what this is?” Rsiran asked.
“This is the Elvraeth,” she whispered.
Rsiran pulled on the knives with him, and Slid, reaching Ephram. He found him surrounded by three men, each carrying wickedly curved swords. A fourth stood outside the ring of the men, a flat expression in his gray eyes. Rsiran had seen a man like him before; he was a sellsword, possibly of Neeland, men deadly skilled with their swords. The Elvraeth hired them to guard the warehouse, so Rsiran shouldn’t be surprised to find one here.
The Guild Secret (The Dark Ability Book 6) Page 23
