The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  Galen glanced over at him, staring at him for a moment. “It doesn’t matter. I told your mother I would help. And I’m going to help. And you… you need to keep yourself composed. I’m not about to have someone come after us because you got a little excitable when three dogs thought to jump us in the early morning. They weren’t anyone to worry about.”

  Haern wasn’t quite certain that was true. The three men might have jumped them, but there was more to it. They had come at them with a purpose, as if they recognized them.

  They hadn’t been in the city long enough that they should be recognized. Could someone have tipped off some of Galen’s enemies? That seemed an odd thing to consider, but what other answer might there be?

  “How many enemies do you have in Asador?” Haern asked.

  “I don’t have enemies here.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. Those three men came after you. That’s what they said. It wasn’t me at all.”

  “Maybe not at first, but after what you did?” Galen glanced over, a tight frown on his face. “It might not have been you before, but it will be now.”

  They continued down the street. Haern looked around, watching the movement of people as they made their way through here. Many had the look of sailors, and in a coastal city like this, he supposed that he wasn’t terribly surprised. They were near enough to the shore that there would be plenty of fishermen, merchant ships, and if the stories he’d heard from Brusus were true, probably smugglers’ ships, as well. Wagons moved along the street, pushed by men and women, and they passed a cluster of children laughing as they hurried along, occasionally bumping into people.

  “Those kids are out playing awfully early.”

  Galen chuckled. “They’re not playing.”

  “They are. Listen to them.”

  “Watch them,” Galen said.

  Haern caught sight of another two children making their way along the street. There were quite a few more out than he would’ve expected. Didn’t they have school or apprenticeships to be going to? As he watched, one of the children bumped into a man dressed in nicer clothes than most—a merchant. The other child slipped his hand into the merchant’s pocket, grabbing a few items before drifting off down the street. The first child apologized and laughed, heading in another direction.

  “They’re thieves?”

  Galen chuckled again. “Everyone has to live.”

  “But why don’t they have someplace to be? Shouldn’t they have an apprenticeship or—”

  Galen shook his head. “Not every place is like Elaeavn. You’ll see.”

  “I can already see.”

  Galen grunted. “No. You haven’t seen that quite yet, but in time, I think you will. Now that you’ve seen the children, you can stay away from them. Don’t let them bump into you, and if they do, guard your pockets.”

  As Galen said it, Haern realized people who looked to be local all avoided the children, giving them space. It was almost as if they knew what the children were up to and didn’t mind. Either that or they simply didn’t want to be pickpocketed by them.

  It was a strange thing to observe.

  “Where are you bringing us?”

  “I figured I would start where I know her to be.”

  “And where is that?”

  “A tavern.”

  Haern glanced to the sky and the rising sun. “A tavern at this time of day?”

  “One thing I know about Carth is her affinity for taverns. I don’t entirely understand the reason behind it, but…” He shrugged. “Regardless, I’m not terribly optimistic we’ll find her here.”

  “Why did we come to Asador, then?”

  “Because this is where we start. Asador was the first place she established her network on this continent. From here, she expanded, until every city had representatives of her Binders.”

  “I thought this woman was some sort of powerful person.”

  “She is.”

  “It sounds as if she’s a merchant or something like that.”

  Galen cocked a brow at him. “I would love for you to have that conversation with Carth.”

  They turned a corner onto a side street. The street was a little dirtier and had foul smells that were nothing like the clean scent off the ocean. It was more of a stagnant odor of rotten water and filth. Haern dragged his jacket around his shoulders, feeling uncomfortable.

  Galen glanced over at Haern and smiled at his obvious discomfort. “Are you afraid someone’s going to jump out at you here?”

  “I thought you said the entire city was dangerous.”

  “The city is. This part of it isn’t.”

  “It doesn’t look safe.”

  “Only because you prefer nicer places. Your father wasn’t always accustomed to such niceties. I saw the first smithy your father ever owned, in a place in Elaeavn much like this.”

  Galen continued down the street, and Haern looked around. He couldn’t imagine places in Elaeavn that were like this, and he couldn’t imagine his father living and running a smithy in a place like this.

  About halfway down the road, Galen pulled a door open and stepped inside. Haern followed, hurrying when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, but no one was there. Maybe it was only his imagination, but even if it was, he didn’t want to remain here any longer than needed.

  The inside of the building was nothing more than a tavern as Galen had suggested. Surprisingly, it was much cleaner than he would have expected from the street outside. It was nearly empty. A few people sat at the tables, trays of food set in front of them. One man had a tankard of ale, and he looked up at them as they entered before burying his face back in his drink.

  “This doesn’t look like the kind of place where we would find her,” Haern said.

  Galen kept his hands in his pockets as he scanned the inside of the tavern. “Maybe not find her, but this is exactly the kind of place where I would expect to be able to get word to her.”

  “That’s it? You just want to get word to her?”

  “Like I said, I don’t anticipate her being in the city. Even if she is, finding her will require some maneuvering. It’s more likely she will find us.”

  They took a seat, and Haern rested his hands on the table, twisting his fingers together, feeling unsettled. Maybe it had been a mistake for him to come with Galen. But even as dangerous as it had already proven to be, Haern was glad to be out of the city. He wanted to experience parts of the world that weren’t Elaeavn. Even before the Forger attack, that was what he’d wanted.

  “Are we just supposed to sit here?”

  “What else would you have us do?”

  “I don’t know. Don’t you have some way of sending word to her?”

  “Let me tell you a little bit about Carth.” Galen lowered his voice and leaned forward over the table so that his face was far too close to Haern’s for his comfort. “She’s been around and active for a long time. There are rumors of her exploits, especially if you spend any time outside of Elaeavn. Most who know of her fear her.”

  “Does she have abilities?”

  “More than I understand.”

  “What kind of abilities?”

  Galen smiled. “Like I said, more than I understand. She can manipulate fire, though I don’t believe she’s unique in that. But it’s her other ability, one that allows her to hide in the darkness, concealing herself in shadows, that makes her the most dangerous.”

  Haern shivered, hating that he did.

  “What have your parents told you of the Hjan?”

  “I know they were dangerous assassins that the Forgers had used, but they were defeated before I was born. That’s about it.”

  “Even with your name?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Galen leaned back, shaking his head. “They didn’t tell you?”

  “About my namesake?”

  “Yes,” Galen said.

  “I know he was someone who was
important to my mother. He helped train my father. He died in the fight.”

  “Haern was one of the Hjan. At least, he had been in the years preceding his death.”

  “He was what?”

  Galen pressed his lips together in a tight frown. “He was an assassin, much like me, though in many regards, I would say that Haern was nothing like me.”

  From the way he said it, Haern could tell that was not a compliment. “What was Haern like?”

  “Ruthless. Violent. Gifted with an ability to See, something rare outside the Elvraeth. That ability granted him immense benefits, especially when he was completing his assignments, but it was enhanced by the gift he was given by the Hjan and their Forgers.”

  “What sort of gift?”

  “The Forgers use lorcith and heartstone to enhance those working on their behalf. I’m not sure that I understand the enhancements any better than anyone else, only that it involved a process.” Galen ran a finger across his cheek. “Haern—your namesake—had a scar from his enhancement. As far as I know, it should not have been possible for him to have the enhancement removed. Only Haern was somehow able to do so. He managed to escape the Hjan, and in the years after that, he became close to your parents.”

  Haern sat back, thinking about what Galen had said. He didn’t know much about his namesake, other than that his parents both missed him. He had been incredibly important to both of them. His father never spoke of Haern, and his mother did so with sadness. That didn’t sound like the kind of person Galen was describing.

  “People can change.”

  Galen nodded. “I agree. I’m testament to that. Had I not gone with Cael, I would have remained an assassin. I didn’t know anything else. But, at the same time, even though you change, there’s a part of you that remains as you were. As much as I try to hide it, that assassin is always a part of me. Cael allows me to hide from it, and staying in Elaeavn allows me to have something else, and to be something else, but…”

  “But what?”

  “But the fact of the matter is, both of us knew that the moment I left the city, I would fall back into it all too easily.”

  “I thought you said that people can change.”

  “You can, and I did, but some changes are never complete.”

  Haern stared at Galen for a moment. “Why are you telling me this? Is it because you want me to dislike the person my parents named me after? I didn’t know him, and all I know about him was that he meant enough to both of them to name me after him. Why ask about the Hjan?”

  “Because everything that has to do with Carth began with the Hjan. And if you’re going to ask Carth for help, you should understand. All stories about her begin with her confronting the Hjan. From what I know, she was young, but even then, she was powerful. Most her age would’ve died, but she didn’t. Not only did she survive, but she forced a stalemate, some sort of truce, and because of that, her people knew a certain amount of peace.”

  “Her people? Where is she from?”

  “A land far to the north of here, beyond the sea. It’s a place I doubt you ever would visit.”

  “I could Slide there.”

  “I didn’t think you had that ability.”

  Haern sat back in the chair, glaring at Galen.

  “Anyway, Carth hated many things. From what I know, she hated the Hjan and blamed them for the deaths of people close to her. And there was one among the Hjan she hated more than the rest.”

  “Haern,” he said.

  Galen nodded. “It’s a dangerous gamble on your mother’s part to send you of all people to Carth to ask for help.”

  “But I’m not him.”

  “You’re not. And if you’re not careful, you might not even live nearly as long as him.”

  “You could change that. You could help me learn.”

  “I’m not about to train you to kill. You did that well enough without me.”

  “Not kill, but control. Is that not what you said? Didn’t you accuse me of not having any control?”

  “Because you don’t.”

  “You could change that,” Haern repeated.

  Galen stared at him for a long moment. He started to answer, but a young woman approached.

  Haern looked up at her. She was beautiful. Her deep red hair, pulled back in a braid, matched her rosy cheeks and lips, and she wore a simple dress that showed a little more cleavage than he saw from the women in Elaeavn.

  “You done looking?”

  Haern blinked and looked up at her deep blue eyes. Even that was different from anything he had seen in Elaeavn. “I’m… I’m—”

  Galen only chuckled. “He’s a little slow.”

  “Is that right? It seems he was pretty quick to put his eyes on my breasts.”

  “Can you blame him? Your breasts are out there for us to see.”

  “Yeah? Well, you’re not the usual crowd at this time of day.”

  “And I suspect that you’re not the usual server at this time of day.”

  She shrugged. “Not at this time, but there are times when I need to work.”

  “You don’t need that,” Galen said, nodding to her.

  “What’s that?”

  Galen reached behind her and swiftly removed a knife, setting it on the table. His hands were much quicker than Haern would have expected. Galen might have claimed to be a retired assassin, but he still had many of the reflexes he’d honed in the years he’d been active.

  Maybe he wasn’t as retired as he claimed.

  And what did Haern really know about Galen? He helped Cael in the main part of the city, and the two of them ensured the city ran smoothly. For the most part, that came from Cael and her service on the council, but after seeing Galen, he couldn’t help but wonder what role he played. There had to be something.

  The serving woman took a step back, and her posture tensed.

  That wasn’t quite right. Haern had trained with Brusus a bit, and he recognized the fighting stance. She wasn’t only tensed, but ready to attack if necessary.

  “Galen?” he whispered.

  The woman blinked. “Galen? As in the Galen?”

  Haern frowned. It was a strange response. He was accustomed to people reacting that way to his father; he wouldn’t have expected a retired assassin to inspire such a reaction.

  “I’m not here for you.”

  The woman’s posture didn’t change. She remained ready, everything within her tense and prepared. “Then who are you here for?”

  “I just need to get word to her.”

  “I don’t know who you’re referring to.”

  A smile spread across Galen’s mouth. “The fact that you stand there ready to strike tells me that you do. You can take a seat, or you can go and send word through the Binders. Either way, I need word to get out that I’m looking for her.”

  “Why?”

  “Not to harm her.”

  The woman stared at him. “Do you really think you could?”

  Galen shook his head. “No. Which is why I’m telling you it’s not to harm her. I only wanted to have a conversation with her. I’m looking for something that requires her assistance.”

  “Is that all?”

  “That’s all.”

  She took a step back before spinning and heading away, disappearing behind a door into the kitchen of the tavern.

  Galen got to his feet, nodding for Haern to follow.

  “Is that it?”

  “That’s it for now. It’s time for us to go.”

  “Go where?”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’ve done what we needed to.”

  Haern followed Galen out onto the street. “That’s it? That’s the entire reason we came to this filthy tavern?”

  Galen glanced over his shoulder, and the corners of his eyes twitched. “That’s the only reason,” he said. He hurried his steps and Haern was forced to match, racing along the street with him. “I told you. The entire intention of this visit was simply to get word out to her that we we
re looking for her. I didn’t expect to find her here. Her network controls the entirety of this city.”

  “If her network controls the city, why did you choose this tavern? There must have been others.”

  “There are others. But this one will tell Carth that it really is me. She would know I wouldn’t come here were it not urgent, and that I wouldn’t come here if I were forced. Consider it something of a coded message. I revealed to her that I’m in the city. I got word to her network. And from there, I let the network take over. It’s not so much what I said or how I said it as it is the fact that I came to the Dirty Sail at all.”

  Haern grinned. “That’s the name of the tavern? That’s a strange name.”

  “There’s much about Carth that’s strange.”

  Galen glanced over his shoulder, and once again the corners of his eyes twitched.

  Haern followed Galen’s gaze, and movement along the end of the street caught his attention. He couldn’t quite tell what it was, but it was there.

  Could it be Carth? Galen had mentioned she could conceal herself in shadows. Maybe she had already come across them. Maybe the serving woman had already sent word to Carth.

  But if so, it seemed as if Galen would have waited, instead of hurrying along the street as if he didn’t want to be caught.

  “Galen?”

  “Keep moving,” he said.

  “We need to run?”

  “No. That will only tell them we’ve seen them.”

  “How many are there?”

  “I thought you had Sight.”

  “I do, but I can’t tell how many are behind us.”

  “I count three, though I don’t know if they’re with Carth or not,” he said softly. “Once we get out into the main street, we can disappear.”

  They reached the main part of the street and turned a corner, and as they did, Haern glanced back, finally noticing the three distinct figures moving along the edge of the street. They hung in the shadows along the side of the buildings, keeping themselves concealed far better than he thought he would have been able to do. There didn’t seem to be anything magical about the way they did it. It was simply the darkness and their cloaks.

  Galen grabbed his arm and pulled him into the crowd, and they headed west, moving away from the Dirty Sail and toward the shoreline.