Just like that, the meeting was over. The half dozen tchalit started back along the dock, and as they made their way, Daniel could tell that they carried something with them, though not what it was. He glanced over to the trio now rowing back to the ship, watching for a moment until they reached it. Were they carrying something, too?
It was uncommon for that sort of exchange to take place.
As he stood there watching, the dinghy was tied to the back of the other vessel and the anchor hurriedly pulled, and in short order, the ship began navigating back out of the harbor. When the black sails unfurled, the wind snapping within them, pulling it further from shore, Daniel stared for another moment, then two, before Sliding back to the palace.
Curiosity worked within him. If he could reach the palace grounds before the tchalit, he could uncover what it was that they had been asked to do.
Had he waited too long? He didn’t see any sign of the tchalit making their way back toward the palace, though it was possible they had taken a different route. There were other ways in the palace, ways that were hidden, and Daniel had spent much of his childhood running through those tunnels that connected deep beneath the ground. It was something his father had encouraged him to do, wanting him to know the various underground connections throughout the city. There was supposedly strength in such knowledge, though Daniel wasn’t sure if it was about strength or about knowing what the guilds knew. That, as much as anything, drove his father.
Sliding back into the courtyard, he found Gabe standing guard. There was a hint of a smile on his face. “Did you see anything?”
“Who were they meeting with?”
“That is for your father to share.”
“You know I can just ask him.”
“You can, and perhaps you should. If he finds that I shared that knowledge with you, I would be demoted and expelled from the palace faster than I can blink.”
“You are still Elvraeth, Gabe.”
Gabe’s brow furrowed. “You and I both know it’s distantly enough that my tenure in the palace would be short-lived.” The brief darkness on his face faded, and he flashed a smile at Daniel. “If you would like to spar again later, maybe continue your training and see if we can’t develop that skill a little more, you know where to find me.”
Daniel chuckled. Some days it seemed almost as if Gabe reveled in the fact that he could easily defeat Daniel. But then, when it came down to it, if another attack ever hit the city, it wasn’t going to be Daniel doing the fighting. It would be Gabe and the tchalit. Daniel would be leading, much like his father had led during the last attack.
Daniel headed toward the palace door, pulling it open and striding inside. His boots thudded along the marble tile, and he hurried past the row of portraits depicting the Elvraeth who had served on the council over the years. The Council of Elvraeth was comprised of five members, each of them from one of the five separate families that all called themselves Elvraeth, and each of those families was really a collection of many other families. There was value in claiming to be Elvraeth, even if such a claim was distant like Gabe’s.
For most within the city, the Elvraeth were those who had had all of the various abilities gifted to their people by the Great Watcher. Most people within the city were given only a single gift, typically Sight or the ability to Read. Reading in particular was less valuable within Elaeavn, as most who lived within the city had learned from a young age to erect protections within their minds to prevent anyone from Reading them. There were some incredibly powerful Readers, but they were rare, and Daniel had made a point of simply avoiding them.
Voices at the end of the hall caught his attention. Daniel headed toward them, recognizing his father’s voice and determined to see what the tchalit had brought off that ship for him. He passed a line of lorcith sculptures, all of them quite exquisitely made by a single artisan, a man he had learned to despise while at the same time understanding his value to their people.
“Did they say anything?” his father asked.
Daniel hesitated. He recognized the tone his father used, as well as the irritation within his voice. Maybe now wasn’t a good time to go rushing forward to eavesdrop. It was better to be cautious when his father got into moods like that.
“Only that your assistance was appreciated.”
His father grunted. “Assistance? We didn’t have much choice in the matter, did we?”
“Malin…”
Daniel didn’t recognize the other voice, but there was a familiarity to it.
“They forced our hand, Val. I don’t have to like it.”
Val would be Valence Elvraeth, a man who had sat on the council even longer than his father. Daniel didn’t know him all that well, but he knew that he was slow to make decisions, something that angered his father. His father wanted the council to act thoughtfully, but not too slowly. There was a balance, and it could often be tricky to find.
“We will have to tell her eventually.”
“We will, but three of us made the decision. The majority would rule.”
Daniel crept forward, his curiosity overwhelming him. He reached the corner, and when he did, he found his father standing with Val and Inash. Inash was the newest member raised to the council, and as far as Daniel could tell, he was eager for power. He had schemed his way to his position, something that Daniel found amusing but his father considered irritating. From what he had understood, his father would have preferred any one of a number of different people from that branch of the family to sit upon the council.
There was no sign of the tchalit.
What he did see was his father cradling a small black lacquer box in his arm, with decorative swirls of color around the edges.
At least he understood what his father had meant about the three of them making a decision. As the council had five members, they were lacking only Cael Elvraeth and Everett Elvraeth. His father rarely got along with Cael, resenting the way she had come to power. Everett was often fickle in his preferences.
“We will present it at the next council meeting,” his father said, looking in Daniel’s direction.
Val and Inash both frowned at him for a moment before following the direction of his father’s gaze and seeing Daniel standing there.
When they departed, his father strode toward him, keeping the box underneath his arm. He wore a serious expression at all times, and his dark hair was slicked back, revealing a high forehead. Daniel’s curly hair was nothing like his father’s. The only thing they shared was the same deep green eyes, but that was a feature everyone within Elaeavn shared to varying degrees, especially those within the Elvraeth.
“What’s that about?” Daniel asked.
His gaze drifted to the box his father carried, and he wondered whether his father would share anything or not. It wouldn’t be surprising for his father to keep the details of what he was working on from him. Sometimes he did it merely to test Daniel, to have him practice trying to figure things out on his own, and other times he did it because he actually felt as if Daniel didn’t have a right to know specific details.
“What do you think it’s about?” his father asked.
“The tchalit met with someone, but I didn’t recognize who they were.”
“Then you haven’t been paying attention.” His father started off down the hall, and Daniel followed. The palace was enormous, large enough to hold the ruling portions of the Elvraeth Council and their extended families. Other Elvraeth lived in houses surrounding the palace, and many of them fought over their position, wanting to find a way to get promoted to the council, where they could take on a greater role.
“What did you see?” his father asked.
“I saw a ship. I didn’t recognize anything from the sails or from the masthead.”
His father glanced over at him. “When you do, let me know.”
At least he understood what his father wanted from him. This was one of his challenges. He wanted Daniel to discover things on his own, not to ke
ep matters from him. With access to the library, he thought he could figure out what that masthead represented, and then he could deduce out where the ship came from. Once he understood that, then he would go to his father with more questions. Thankfully, Daniel knew a library caretaker who might be able to help him.
As they climbed the top of the stairs, a thin, lithe man greeted them. He had shaggy black hair streaked with gray, and his eyes were so deep green that he practically could have been one of the Elvraeth, though he wasn’t.
His father stopped, taking a step back. “Galen.”
Galen glanced from Malin to Daniel. “What were you using the tchalit for?”
His father smiled. “I don’t have to answer to you.”
“I lead the tchalit.”
“You lead them? I thought you only trained them.”
Galen glared at Malin. Anyone else would find themselves punished, Daniel thought, sent to the lorcith mines to serve out their penance, but Galen was different. As Cael Elvraeth’s consort, he was given a degree of latitude that someone else who was not Elvraeth would never be allowed.
That relationship was something that Daniel had never fully understood. Cael Elvraeth was only a few years younger than Daniel’s father, but she was still incredibly lovely, and there were Elvraeth who thought that eventually she would come to her senses and choose someone with a better bloodline than Galen’s. So far, that had not happened.
“I train them, and Cael has given me responsibility over them. The council has—”
“I’m well aware of what the council has done.”
Galen glanced to the box Daniel’s father carried before his gaze drifted back up to his eyes. “The tchalit are not messengers, Malin. Use them in such a way again, and I will—”
His father took a step forward, leaning in toward Galen. “You will what?” His voice was low, pitched as a threat.
Daniel rarely saw his father like this, but when he did, he knew to be cautious. His father could scheme with the best of them, and if he didn’t care for someone, he had no qualms about removing them. It was why Daniel wondered how long Inash would last in his position. If he wasn’t careful, his father would ensure that another would take his place. But perhaps that was why the other man had sided with his father. There was safety in that.
As much as his father didn’t care for Galen, he still hadn’t managed to remove him from any position of power within the palace. That left Daniel with questions he had yet to discover the answers to.
“You don’t want me as an enemy, Malin Elvraeth.” With that, Galen strode past him, heading down the stairs.
His father took a deep breath, drawing his shoulders up. “That man never ceases to exacerbate me.”
“Why don’t you remove him from any position of authority?”
His father shook his head. “If only it were so simple.”
They continued down the hallway, and Daniel glanced over. “Why isn’t it?”
“Cael has a certain talent that requires caution.”
She was rumored to be a powerful Reader, one who could overwhelm even the stoutest barriers someone might place within their mind. Daniel suspected that was nothing more than rumor, but if his father believed it, there was reason to wonder.
“Was there anything that you needed?” his father asked.
Daniel hesitated. “I suppose not.”
He paused, watching his father as he continued onward before turning and heading back down the stairs. Maybe he should go and question Galen, see what he knew about who the tchalit had been meeting with. But if his father found out about that, he would probably be angry. It was better to uncover those answers a different way.
Heading to the library had little appeal to him with the questions that he had. It might be more interesting to see what he could uncover from the tchalit, anyway. Gabe knew something, Daniel was certain of that. If he could push him just a little bit, he might be able to uncover what the other man knew, and when he did, then Daniel could use that to find the next piece of information.
It was something of a game to him, but then, it was a game his father had wanted him to learn and play. He had taught him, training him from his earliest days, instructing him on what it took to maneuver the politics within the palace. Daniel’s mother didn’t always approve, preferring him to use his time to understand how best to help the people of the city rather than continue to scheme for power the way his father did. In her mind, helping the city meant finding a way to involve the people living within the Aisl Forest, though why would he want to help them when they had chosen to live outside of the city?
When he reached the main level, he headed back out toward the courtyard. If Gabe was still out there, Daniel would take the opportunity to challenge the other man, hoping to convince Gabe to share a little bit more during their sparring. Every piece of information Daniel could tease out of him could be useful.
Instead, he saw someone else.
Gabe was there, standing guard along the wall with another of the tchalit that Daniel often worked with, but it was Lucy Elvraeth who drew his eye.
She was stunning, with waves of golden hair cascading down her back. A deep green cloak was draped over her shoulders, similar to those worn by the tchalit, though she wore it for a very different purpose. Unlike most who lived within the palace, Lucy spent considerable time in Trelaeavn. One hand rested on her hip, and she chewed on her lip in thought.
“You need company?” Daniel would much rather travel with her, even though he thought he could uncover the secrets of the tchalit meeting if he sparred with Gabe.
When Lucy turned to him, one hand went to her hair, twisting it between her fingers. “Daniel,” she said, smiling at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I do live within the palace.”
Her gaze darted past him, looking toward the palace behind him. “And yet, here you are, outside of the palace.”
“And here you are, heading to Trelaeavn.”
Her mouth twisted into a sour frown. “You know they don’t care for that title.”
“Why not? It’s fitting, after all.”
“They see themselves as all part of Elaeavn.”
“Elaeavn doesn’t extend into the trees, Lucy.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping one foot. He’d known her nearly his entire life and recognized the expression of frustration. They were from different families, but his parents and Lucy’s were close. If his father had his way, Lucy’s father would serve on the council alongside him when Val eventually stepped down.
“The people who live in the trees are still people of Elaeavn. Many of them still have homes here, Daniel Elvraeth.”
“If they cared about the city so much, they could live within it.”
“You know why they choose not to.”
Daniel smiled. He shouldn’t needle her, but he didn’t like the fact that she’d spent so much time in the forest, and he absolutely didn’t like the fact that she spent so much time with Haern Lareth. She claimed they were only friends, but he saw the way she looked at him… and the way he looked at her.
“The Elder Trees are in no danger. They’ve not been in any danger for decades, and even if they were, don’t you think that the tchalit should be involved in the protection of them?”
The trees were supposedly a source of power, though Daniel didn’t know whether that was true or not. What likely was true was that the trees provided some protection for the sacred crystals, themselves a source of power for his people. It was the sacred crystals that granted abilities, and for centuries, only the Elvraeth had been allowed the opportunity to hold one. Because of Haern Lareth’s father, everyone within the city was now granted the opportunity to hold one of the sacred crystals. Some—including Daniel’s father—still felt that only those with Elvraeth blood should be allowed to do so, but the council, led by Cael Elvraeth, had given the people of Trelaeavn the ability to control who held the crystals.
“You woul
d think so.” She glanced over at the tchalit before looking back at Daniel and smiling. “Is it another day of preparing for your time on the council?”
“You talk as if I shouldn’t want that.”
“I talk as if you should want to understand yourself better first.”
“Like you?”
She shrugged. “There’s value in my going to the forest. When I go there, I get the opportunity to better understand how to Slide. You know, they would welcome you, too.”
Daniel shook his head. “They might welcome me, but I have no interest.”
“You can Slide, Daniel. If you would only take the time to understand what that means and how you’re connected—”
“I’m not connected to them.”
Lucy stared at him. “If you say so. Goodbye, Daniel.”
With that, she Slid.
He noticed it as little more than a shimmering of color. Those who were more powerfully Sighted were able to follow the track of someone who Slid, but that was not one of Daniel’s strengths. When he had been given the opportunity to hold one of the sacred crystals, none of them had glowed for him the way they were said to do when a person was chosen to hold them.
Taking a deep breath, Daniel turned away. Eventually, Lucy would abandon her time in the forest. She would have to see how useless it was. For now, he would work with the tchalit, figure out who they were meeting with, and maybe wait for Lucy’s return.
2
Haern
The sheer rock wall stretched before Haern, much higher than he could see. He gripped the hilt of his knife, jamming it into the stone, thankful for the strength of lorcith. The metal was nearly indestructible, chipping away at the stone in such a way as to allow him to use it to pull himself up. From where he hung, over one hundred feet above the ground, wind whipped around him, coming in off the sea. Haern refused to look around, not risking the possibility of distraction sending him tumbling to the rocks far below.
This was the highest he had ever climbed, and he wasn’t going to abandon the journey this time. He might not have his father’s ability to Slide, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t travel where he wanted. Haern was determined to reach the top of the rock.
The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 3
