The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

Rayen clenched her jaw. “There has been no word of movement. The fact that they could simply appear in Asador like that without my getting any notice troubled me.”

  “Do you think the Binders are so infallible that there should always be word?”

  “It’s not about being infallible. But the Binders have connections all around.”

  “Even across the sea?”

  Rayen grinned at him. “Where do you think they started?”

  They reached the door to the university, and she knocked. Daniel hadn’t been certain what she was going to do, whether she was simply going to try to walk in, but she hadn’t. They waited, standing back and looking up at the building, feeling the pressure of it.

  “I don’t think they are going to answer.”

  “Then I have to try something else.”

  “Can you just break in?”

  Rayen glanced over at him. “One does not simply break into the university. That is a recipe for danger.”

  “Why? I didn’t think the university was a dangerous place. It seems like it should be a place of scholarship.”

  “It is a place of scholarship, but…” She frowned at him, watching him for a moment. “What do you know about the university in Thyr?”

  “Considering I don’t know anything about Thyr, I guess I don’t know anything.”

  “Thyr is a place that Rsiran was intimately familiar with. There was a university, a place that they called Venass, and it was there that the Hjan trained to be deadly assassins.”

  “Is it still around?”

  “Rsiran destroyed it after the end of the last war. Venass is no more, but that doesn’t mean the power and the people who once were there are no more. The growing threat from the Forgers is enough to tell me there will never be an end to the risk from them.”

  “Why tell me this?”

  “You ask about danger from the university. I’m telling you why you would need to worry about the possibility of danger from a place you would believe was only about scholarship. In Venass, they used their scholarship to hide their other activities.”

  She knocked again, and once again there was no answer. Rayen pressed her hand against the door, shadows swirling around her hand, and waited. She said something softly under her breath, a word Daniel didn’t recognize, and took a step back.

  “We should move on,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “They are choosing not to answer.”

  “Choosing? You think they know you’re here and are ignoring you?”

  “Oh, they know that I’m here. I have made it quite clear.”

  “Why would they ignore you?”

  “Because they choose to hide something.”

  “What would they hide?”

  “Other than the Elder Stone? They might think that I’m after the Wisdom Stone, especially after it was revealed recently.”

  “We returned the stone to them.”

  “The C’than are strange about that. They are tasked with watching the Elder Stone, and they take this assignment seriously, though not always the way Carthenne feels they should.”

  “I didn’t realize that Carthenne had an opinion on how the Elder Stone was kept.”

  “Then you haven’t been paying attention. Carthenne has opinions about everything.”

  Rayen stepped back, and they stood near the gate.

  “What do you think we should do?”

  “We need answers. They were sailing from here, and we need to find out if there’s anything I’ve overlooked. The Binders are spreading word, but there’s only so much they can do.”

  “What if I go looking for answers?”

  Rayen frowned. “You aren’t prepared.”

  “Maybe not, but I’m not looking to fight. All I’m looking to do is to gather information, right? I should be able to do that.”

  “I suppose you should.”

  “What are we after? Is it just finding Carth? I can put out feelers for her. Or do we want to know more about these men who attacked us?”

  “We need to know where they have gone,” she said.

  “Where should I look?”

  “With your ability to travel, it might be that you can reach places I cannot, and go more quickly.”

  “You don’t have to sound so disappointed by that.”

  “It’s not disappointment. It’s a recognition that I have limitations.”

  “Don’t we all have limitations?”

  “I’ve been working to eliminate my limitations. As should you.”

  “What makes you think I have any limitations I need to remove?”

  She frowned at him. “Everyone has limitations. Especially you.”

  When he realized she was joking, he barked out a laugh. “Where would you have me begin my search?”

  “Thyr.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s another coastal city. If they moved along the coast, you should be able to find more information.”

  “How will I know when I’ve reached Thyr?”

  “You will know. It’s nearly the size of Asador, and the people there are not nearly as welcoming.”

  “Are you saying that to scare me?”

  “I’m saying it so you will recognize the dangers you might face. I don’t think you should go in anywhere thinking you have learned enough or are well trained enough to handle everything that might be thrown at you.”

  Daniel glanced down to the sword sheathed at his side. Rayen had been one of the people training him, and there was only so much she was able to do against his ability to Slide. That gave him an advantage when fighting, and he had used that advantage when training.

  “I could take someone else…”

  Even as he said it, he wasn’t sure he could. Anytime he Slid with someone else, he was more limited than when he attempted to do so on his own. He could travel farther and faster if he didn’t bring someone else with him.

  Rayen must have known that. She watched him, saying nothing.

  “I’ll start with Thyr, and then I’ll return,” he said.

  He should have tried doing that before. Staying in Asador limited him somewhat. There was an advantage in traveling the world, seeing other parts of it and coming to know more about places beyond Elaeavn. Other than Asador, he had been in one other city besides Elaeavn. Would Thyr be just as dangerous as Eban?

  “Do what you think you must,” she said.

  Daniel considered going back for Lucy. If anyone could help, it would be her, and if she went with him, then he wouldn’t have to Slide on his own.

  If he didn’t take her with him, would she approve?

  Rayen watched him, almost as if knowing his thoughts.

  Daniel Slid.

  He emerged inside the room of the tavern and wasn’t surprised to find that Lucy wasn’t there. He hurried down to the main part of the tavern and through the great hall, then pushed open the door to the back room, where she was sitting at a table with two other Binders.

  The women looked up, frozen in place for a moment until they realized it was him.

  Lucy stared at him before nodding. “I’ll go with you.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Your reason is sound, and I would agree with Rayen that we need to find Carthenne.”

  She stood, Slid to him, and grabbed him, Sliding from the tavern.

  They emerged on a rocky hillside. The landscape was dramatically different than that of Asador, and he looked around to see the sprawling city spread out in front of him. “You knew how to get here?”

  “When I was captured, I had some experience traveling to Thyr.”

  “Rayen told me that the Forgers once had a place here.”

  “Venass,” she said, nodding. She pointed in the distance, and Daniel followed the direction of her finger. It took a moment for him to realize what he was seeing, and when he did, he began to understand. The remains of a massive structure were piled off to the side, moss and grasses growing among them. There was no move
ment, nothing that indicated any life, though a strange sort of energy emanated from it.

  “That was Venass?” The gray skies seemed to fit the destruction. Distantly, the sound of thunder rumbled, drawing his eye out toward the sea. Maybe it was nothing more than waves crashing, but he didn’t think so. Off to the east, a city sprawled, buildings made of stone and wood with strangely shaped roofs all spread out in front of him. That would have to be Thyr. The wind carried a strangely pungent odor to his nose, and he breathed through his mouth so as not to have to smell it.

  “It was a massive tower, once.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Some of the people I was with remembered it. They still think of it longingly. They viewed it as a place of great knowledge, so to them, losing the tower was losing something incredible.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I can’t imagine feeling that way about a place where they trained to kill and harm.”

  “Is it so different than what the Binders do? They certainly have power and knowledge, and they continue to accumulate more. The Binders do what they think they must, because they view themselves as knowing better.”

  “Don’t you agree with them?”

  “It’s not a matter of agreeing or not.”

  “It is a matter of agreeing or not,” Daniel said.

  “I recognize the value in what they do,” she said. “I suspect that’s enough.”

  Daniel forced his barriers into place, wondering for a moment—and for the first time since she had been returned to them—whether she still worked on behalf of the Forgers. He would never have believed that before, but her comments left him troubled.

  With her ability to Read, did she know that he was concerned? Could he keep that worry from her?

  He doubted he would be able to, and he wondered if he even wanted to. She needed to know about his concern, and he wanted her to reassure him, if nothing else.

  Tentatively, Daniel lowered the mental barriers, relaxing them just a little. As he did, he watched Lucy, searching for her reaction.

  She only smiled at him. “You fear that I might still be working on behalf of the Forgers.”

  “I never had before,” he said.

  “You don’t need to worry about that. I only say what I do because I have questions, not because I think the Forgers have answers. It’s healthy for us to raise those questions, I think.”

  “Would you know if you were still working on behalf of them?”

  Lucy frowned and stared down into the distance, looking toward the remains of the tower. “I had the same question, but Carth seems to think they’d have to hold that consistently.”

  “You asked her?” That was news to Daniel—and surprising that Lucy would be concerned about it. It left him wondering if he should be more concerned about her. If she was still under their influence, was there anything that he could even do?

  “I thought it was best. When they were using me, I knew what they were doing at first, but not always. There were times when I lost myself. What if this is one of those times? What if I’m not in control even now? It’s why I wanted to see if Carth might know.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on you,” he said.

  “I know you will,” she said, smiling at him.

  She took his hand and Slid them down to the remains of Venass. When they were there, she released his arm and wandered, every so often touching the ruins, letting her hand trace along the stone. Daniel only stood in place, thinking about what this might have looked like. They called it a tower, but there were many forms in could have taken. What sort of structure had once existed here? What power had once been here? Was there any way for him to even know?

  Lucy continued to make her way through the fallen rock. Every so often, she paused, her hand touching the stones, before she moved on. “They say that Rsiran is the one who destroyed this,” she said.

  “That’s what Rayen told me.”

  “Rayen knew that?”

  Daniel nodded. “She wasn’t around then, from what I understand, but she claims that Lareth was the one to bring down the tower.”

  “There’s lorcith in here, so I suppose he would have been able to do so. Still, I marvel at how much power he’s able to command. If he’s able to destroy a tower like this, what else might he be able to do?”

  “We’ve seen what Lareth can do.”

  “We’ve only seen a little bit of it,” Lucy said. “In Elaeavn, we don’t get anything from Rsiran. We know that he’s out there, seeking to protect us, but more than that…” She leaned down, running her hand along one of the stones. “He’s always been gone, looking to protect Elaeavn, but we’ve never known what he’s done to accomplish that. And seeing this, it leaves me much more aware of just how much power it would’ve taken for him to have managed this.” She looked down, frowning. “There is—”

  She cut off quickly, jerking her head around. Her eyes narrowed, and Daniel turned in the direction she stared, searching for movement.

  “Did you see it?” she whispered.

  “I don’t see anything,” he said.

  “There was someone there.”

  “Can you Read them?”

  “I can’t Read anything. Which troubles me.”

  “Because you can’t Read anything, or because you’re worried there’s something there?”

  “I saw movement, and the fact that I can’t Read where it came from is what troubles me.”

  She was handling it well, certainly better than Daniel thought he might, but the confidence she wielded in that power still surprised him.

  “Let me go and look.”

  She shouted his name, but not before he Slid, emerging on the far side of the ruins from the tower.

  Three men stood there.

  Daniel reached for his sword.

  “Who are you?” one of the men asked.

  They stood casually, all dressed in brown cloaks, dark eyes catching the faint light. One of the men had chocolate-colored skin and curly black hair, and he stood off to the side, his hands pressed at his sides. The other two were fair of complexion, though not pale the way some people within Asador were. Their skin looked deeply tanned rather than chocolate, and the nearest man had weathered cheeks and wrinkles upon his brow. Daniel prepared to Slide were it necessary, but he wanted to know more before he did.

  “I’m just someone who came here to see the ruins,” he said.

  “No one comes to these ruins anymore,” the lead man said. His hand twitched, his fingers rolling, and he looked past Daniel.

  Lucy.

  Somehow, they knew she was there.

  He stared at them, looking for scars that would indicate they were Forgers, but he saw nothing. “Who are you?” Daniel asked.

  “We are nothing but travelers coming through this way,” he said.

  “What sort of travelers?”

  “Do you ask all strangers these questions?”

  “Only strangers who seem to be eyeing my friend in such a way.”

  “Do you think we might abduct her?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried something like that,” Daniel said.

  “And you would stop us?”

  “I would do everything in my power to.”

  “And what sort of power is that?”

  “You don’t want to find out.”

  The lead man glanced at the other, and he grinned. “I think that’s a threat, Inarsh.”

  The other lighter-skinned man only nodded. “I would agree.”

  “What about you, Tel? Do you agree?”

  The dark-skinned man stared at Daniel. In a sweeping motion, he unsheathed his sword and darted forward.

  Daniel reacted by Sliding. He hurried back, emerging only a few paces away, barely missing the suddenness of the attack.

  The lead man grinned. “This could be interesting.”

  The three of them converged.

  Daniel unsheathed his sword. As he did, he noticed that the other man’s blades
glowed softly, reminding him of what he had seen the night before with Rayen. Could they have that same sort of magic?

  It probably didn’t matter, especially since he didn’t have any control over the shadows, so he didn’t need to worry about the possibility of them overpowering his connection. And he didn’t necessarily want to gather information from them beyond what he’d already seen. All he wanted was to keep safe.

  He Slid backward.

  It carried him to the top of a rock, where he remained standing, looking down at the other three. The lead man merely observed him. There was no sign of concern from him as he watched the other two make their way toward Daniel.

  That surprised him.

  Why wouldn’t there be any concern, especially as there were two of them and only three attackers?

  Unless there weren’t.

  Daniel Slid, emerging back where he had been with Lucy. Two other men were near her, both of them with curved swords that glowed softly. Both had the darker complexions, and heat radiated from them.

  “We need to get out of here,” he said.

  “I’m not so certain,” Lucy said.

  “It’s dangerous to remain. There are three other swordsmen over there, and we don’t have the right numbers. Unless your abilities have given you some improved fighting skill, I’m not sure the two of us want to take on these men.”

  Lucy breathed out heavily, almost as if annoyed by the fact that they weren’t going to confront them. “We can go.”

  She reached for him, and when she took his arm, she shimmered for a moment before jerking back into place. Her eyes went wide. “I can’t Slide.”

  Daniel frowned. “You can’t?”

  He grabbed her and tried to Slide, but he wasn’t able to move anywhere.

  Had he never encountered it before, he would have been more alarmed, but he had some experience with this, though he didn’t like it any more now than he had the last time.

  “I was able to Slide over here, so it seems that whoever is holding us is coming from here,” he said.

  Her gaze dropped to his sword. “I’m not a fighter, Daniel. Can you do anything?”

  He didn’t want to have to fight his way through, but if it came down to it, for Lucy he was determined to try.

  The two men with the swords watched him, and he darted forward, twisting in the movements that the tchalit and then Rayen had taught, switching over to another technique, one he had learned from his other swordmasters. He twisted, driving his blade up, forcing one of the men backward. They reacted, working in unison, and Daniel wasn’t able to overpower them, though he tried.