The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  “Why would they have had to hide you?”

  “At the time, they didn’t know what I was or what I could be, but I think they suspected. Even then, my father was training me in the ways of ancient Ih, guiding me through games that were designed to hone my mind and allow me to reach for my abilities.”

  “Which of your abilities? The shadows or the S’al?”

  “I only knew about the shadows at first. They helped me when I was an orphan on the streets of Nyaesh, allowing me to make my way for a time.”

  “I thought you said your parents were alive.”

  “Were alive. They were taken from me when I was very young. I had to learn to make my own way, thieving to find enough to eat, stealing scraps for myself and those I cared about.”

  Daniel regarded Carth with a renewed interest. With her abilities, he could easily imagine how successful she could have been as a thief. She would have been able to sneak up on people, grab whatever she wanted, and disappear before they had any idea she was there.

  “I don’t know anything about Nyaesh. Is that where we’re going?”

  “Only if we have to.”

  “Why not? If this is where you learned your abilities, why wouldn’t you have us go there?”

  “Nyaesh was my home, as much as any place was, for a long time. It was there that I learned of my connection to the shadows. It was there that I learned how to control the power of the Flame. It was there that I began to understand the greater powers, those of Ih and Lashasn, powers that have lived in this world for as long as any.”

  “Are those other Elder Stones?” He didn’t know why she was telling him all this but was thankful for it. The more he heard, the more he could understand and the better he felt. While he didn’t believe his people were the only ones with abilities—growing up fearing the Forgers had made that difficult—he had grown up thinking his people were the only ones with any significant ability. Meeting Carth and realizing just how much power she possessed—along with someone like Rayen—helped him understand that there were others in the world with as much—or more—power as his people.

  “Those are places.”

  “Did those places have Elder Stones?”

  She regarded him for a moment. “You have a quick mind. Have you ever played Tsatsun?”

  Daniel smiled. “A game?” He wondered if it would be anything like the games his father had always enjoyed.

  Carth nodded. “It’s a game of strategy, a way of thinking. I found that there are very few people who possess the necessary skill set to play with any ability.”

  “I didn’t take you for the kind of person who played games.”

  “Much can be learned from Tsatsun. The more you play, the better you begin to think through strategy, especially when it comes to facing opponents. I’ve found that the key to defeating most opponents lies in understanding how they think.”

  “And if you were to face me, how would you do that?”

  Carth cocked her head to the side, studying him. “You are Elvraeth, so you would pose some challenge.”

  “Only some?”

  “I haven’t been around you long enough to know how much of a challenge you would present. And so, I think I’m giving you a little credit by saying that you would pose some challenge. You have friends you care about, so they would be targets.”

  Daniel glanced back at Lucy, who remained busy with the other Binders. “You would use people against those who care about them?”

  “The question wasn’t whether I would do this. The question was how it could be done. I’m only explaining to you the various strategies involved. Don’t get caught up in taking any of this personally.”

  “It’s hard not to take it personally, especially when you’re talking about attacking people I know and care about.”

  “Do you think caring is a weakness?” Carth asked.

  “I didn’t, but the way you say it, I don’t know.”

  “Do you think I care about the people within my network?”

  Daniel frowned, his gaze sweeping around the ship. He had seen just what Carth was willing to do for her people, and so he knew that she had affection for them. Was it feigned or was it real? If it wasn’t real affection, then she did a good job of pretending.

  “I think you care about them.”

  “Caring is not a weakness. Caring is a way to connect yourself to others, and it’s been my experience that those who care the most and who have others who care about them are the strongest.” She smiled tightly. “Rsiran Lareth is an example of that. The man he confronted, his grandfather, had no real ties. He was willing to use anyone and everyone against the place he once called home. Rsiran was stronger because of the connections he had made, because of the family he had created. It’s much the same for me.”

  “Are you suggesting that I form the same sort of connections?”

  “I’m saying you already have. It’s obvious that you care for Lucy. Having that connection strengthens you. That’s the sort of thing I don’t want you to forget. And it’s that sort of thing that Tsatsun can help you understand.”

  Daniel smiled. “How can a game help me understand how my connections might make me stronger?”

  “As I said, it’s not just a game, not when it comes down to it. It’s more of a strategy, a way of thinking, and in doing so, making yourself stronger.”

  “A game makes you stronger?”

  “A game strengthens the mind. Not all games are equal.”

  “Like dicing?”

  Carth reached into her cloak and pulled out a pair of six-sided dice, shaking them in her hand. “You don’t think you can learn anything from dicing?”

  “It’s chance. Random.”

  “Is it?” Carth cocked a brow, shaking the dice. They landed up two ones. Watcher’s Eyes. She shook her hand again, and the same roll happened. She rolled a third time and again got the same result. Carth shrugged, taking the dice and twisting them to show Daniel that they were normal, at least from appearances.

  “Those were weighted.”

  “What advantage would there be in weighting dice toward ones?”

  She handed him the dice, and he rolled them in his hand and came up with the four and five. He shook them again and came up with a two and a six. Doing it again resulted in two more different numbers, but never once did he roll Watcher’s Eyes.

  Not weighted, then.

  “You were using your abilities on them.”

  “Possibly,” she said with a smile.

  “That makes dicing unfair.”

  “Life is not fair, Daniel Elvraeth. The sooner you begin to recognize that, the sooner you will stop complaining when things don’t go as you plan.”

  “You’re suggesting the lesson I can learn from dicing is that people cheat?”

  “I’m suggesting that there are many different ways of playing the game,” she said.

  “But cheating isn’t playing the game.”

  “Isn’t it? I would argue that cheating plays the game in a very particular way. Is it the way that you would play?” She grabbed the dice and rolled them into her hand again before flashing a pair of ones and stuffing them into her pocket. “No. I can see from your expression that it’s not the way you would play, but that doesn’t mean others won’t look for any opportunity they can get. It’s the same as in life. You might not think you need to cheat your way through it, but others don’t share that sentiment. And rather than complaining about it and raising a fuss, you could work to negate such advantages.”

  “How do you know to negate the advantages if you don’t know someone’s cheating?”

  Carth tapped her forehead. “That’s the real question. How indeed? When you gather information, you place yourself at an advantage. The more you learn and the more you can be prepared for, the better off you’ll be when it comes to someone who might be trying to game you.”

  “What other lessons would you have dicing teach me?” Daniel asked.

  “Sometimes
you get a bad roll. Sometimes you get lucky. Unless you have skill, you have no way of deciding which it will be. Do you want to gamble on a lucky roll, or do you want to gamble on one where skill might be involved?”

  His gaze drifted down toward her pocket, where the dice were held. He thought he understood what point she was trying to make. He might consider it cheating, but she had skills and abilities that allowed her to influence the game, to tilt the odds in her favor.

  Was that cheating, then?

  It probably was, especially when it came to something like dicing.

  “Do you cheat in all games?”

  “You’re asking if I cheat at Tsatsun?” He shrugged. “If you played, you would realize there is no cheating. The game board is open. As long as your opponent is paying attention, they will see every move you make. The real challenge, the real key, is showing your opponent how you move, and still surprising them.”

  “I don’t know that I understand what you’re getting at.”

  “Perhaps not. Maybe you wouldn’t be a useful Tsatsun player.”

  She turned her attention back to the helm, continuing to steer the ship. Daniel had a sense that she had just insulted him, though he couldn’t be sure.

  He watched Carth for a few more moments before turning away. He went to stand at the stern of the ship, watching the activity on board. He felt useless. Everybody else seemed to have a task, an assignment, but he had none. Instead, he felt almost as if he were in the way.

  Lucy joined him. “What were you talking about with Carth?”

  “Games.”

  Lucy arched a brow. “Games?”

  He nodded. “She was explaining games that she plays that help train her mind.”

  “Interesting,” Lucy said with a whisper.

  “She claims that these games help her strategize.”

  “You should work with her,” Lucy said.

  “Why?”

  Had she been Reading him? Did she know that he felt almost as if he didn’t have a place within the Elaeavn? He didn’t think so. As he glanced over to Lucy, he didn’t think she knew that troubled him.

  “Because you have a mind for it. You always have.”

  “I’m not sure I have the same sort of mind as Carth.”

  “You don’t have to have the same sort of mind. You just have to have yours, and learn what you can from her. Besides, the kind of strategy she can teach is greater than even your father’s.”

  One of the other Binders called Lucy’s name, and she patted Daniel on the arm before hurrying off to join the women. Already Lucy had gained knowledge and seemed to be much more comfortable working the lines than when they had first come on board. Maybe it was nothing more than her Reading the other women, but perhaps they were teaching her, helping her to find her place on board.

  He needed a place, especially if he was going to stay here.

  As he stared at Carth, she turned back to watch him and nodded, almost as if knowing his thoughts.

  He frowned. Carth couldn’t Read him, could she?

  14

  Lucy

  The ship rocked beneath her feet, a steady rhythmic sense that pounded on the sides of the ship and threatened to toss her to the deck. Lucy didn’t have the same balance that Carth managed so easily, shifting from one foot to the other as the waves slammed against her. Carth made it look effortless, as if she didn’t struggle at all to maintain her footing, and considering what Lucy had uncovered about the other woman and the fact that she had spent most of her life sailing, it probably wasn’t much of a challenge for her.

  “I need you to try again,” Carth said.

  “I have been trying,” Lucy said. “It’s difficult to return when I have Slid away.”

  “I’m aware that it’s difficult, but if we can master this, it opens us up to other possibilities.”

  “Such as leaving and not telling others.”

  Carth looked at her without saying anything. Lucy understood the implication. It wasn’t so much that Carth didn’t want Lucy to question her; it was simply that she wanted Lucy to take the next step, to attempt what she asked, and when she did, then she could have her questions answered.

  She took a deep breath, focusing on her Slide. This was to take her back to Asador and then return her to the ship. If she could get a handle on this, she would have fewer limitations while traveling.

  “Can Rsiran do this?”

  “Lareth has ways of Sliding that are different. From what I understand, he uses his connection to the metal. Do you have a similar connection to it?”

  Lucy shook her head. “Nothing like that. If I did, I think it would have been valuable.”

  “I think the source of that ability is different.”

  “Some of the Forgers have that connection, though.”

  “They do, but I suspect that is tied to the way they place their augmentations.”

  Lucy knew she was wasting time, just as she knew that Carth knew she was. If she could do this, it would be valuable.

  “Is there a way for you to lock on to something else?”

  “Without a connection to metal, I don’t…” She frowned. Did it have to be the metal that she locked on to? One aspect of her abilities that had increased significantly was her ability to Read. Could she use that in order to track where the ship was going?

  She smiled to herself. It was something she hadn’t considered before, and yet, she knew she should have thought of it long before now. The fact that it was only coming to her at this point made her feel foolish.

  And here she’d thought she wanted to be a caretaker, a scholar for the Elvraeth.

  “I should’ve thought of that before now,” she said.

  “There are many things that come to us much later than we think they should. Ideas that seem obvious at the time are often discovered after passing on multiple other ideas. What have you discovered?”

  “Reading.”

  “You would use your connection to someone else’s mind to ensure that you could Slide to them?”

  “It would have to be someone I can latch on to easily.” She studied Carth for a moment. That effectively ruled out Carth, though she had begun to have a slightly greater understanding of the other woman and the way she thought. There were snippets, little pieces that filtered through her mind, and when they did, she was able to grasp part of what Carth was thinking. Then again, Lucy still didn’t know if that was intentional or not. Given what she knew of Carth and the way she planned, it was possible that the other woman had complete control over what and how much Lucy could Read from her.

  “Find someone familiar enough to you that you can use their mind.”

  The obvious answer was Daniel. She had grown up around him, and because of that, she had a familiarity with his mind and the way he thought. Even as a child, she had been able to Read him from time to time; he would lose control or intentionally lower his barriers, giving her the opportunity to slip in and Read some of his thoughts. Since having the augmentation placed, she had an even greater ability to Read him. He would try to place barriers, but they were never strong enough to resist her. She tried not to Read him too often, knowing that Daniel didn’t care for such an intrusion, but at the same time, it was relatively easy for her to do.

  As she thought of him, she opened herself up to Reading him. Thoughts drifted in, and she recognized that he was working with the sword, training with Rayen. It was something he did often. She could detect the way that he respected Rayen. Rayen intrigued him, partly because of her abilities, but partly because she was different from anyone he had known before.

  At times, Lucy still marveled at the fact that Daniel remained outside of Elaeavn. Everyone within the palace had known he was going to take his father’s place on the council, that it was only a matter of time. The fact that Daniel now remained out of the city, as one of the strongest advocates for continuing to explore and understand what the Forgers were after, surprised her.

  “I think I can do it,�
� she said, continuing to focus on Daniel. The challenge would be in doing so while Sliding.

  Carth waited, and Lucy knew she needed to take the first step.

  Taking a deep breath, she Slid to Asador. She emerged inside the room she had taken within the tavern. It was a comfortable place. Nothing like her room in the palace, but certainly comparable enough that she hadn’t wanted for anything. The women in the tavern had treated her well, welcoming her, and it was their first lessons that had helped her understand how to block out the voices, the never-ending thoughts around her. The Binders had a way of ignoring her ability to Read them, and that had reduced the overwhelming sense of someone that she had to shut out.

  She looked around the room, taking in the sight of the bed, the wardrobe with her clothes inside, and focused on Daniel. He was out there, his mind distant to her but still detectable. The longer she focused, the clearer his voice—his thoughts—became.

  She gave it a moment, long enough for the ship to have moved, and prepared to Slide. If she missed, she would end up in the water. It was unlikely that she would end up anywhere dangerous, and as long as she wasn’t gone for too long, she suspected she would be able to land once more aboard the ship.

  Lucy Slid, focusing on Daniel.

  She emerged on the rocking surface of the ship, Daniel still battling with Rayen, and quickly Slid to Carth’s quarters.

  When she emerged, she breathed out heavily.

  “You returned so quickly.”

  “It worked,” she said.

  “You weren’t sure it would?”

  “I didn’t know whether or not it would.”

  If she could Slide on board the ship like that, it meant she wasn’t limited in where she could travel. If she could latch on to someone else’s thoughts, she could use them to help guide her to them. That would be even more powerful. If she could find someone she recognized, perhaps she could Slide to them even if she didn’t know where they were.

  “Good. Now you need to keep testing it.”

  “Why is this so important?”

  “Because we will have need of this ability, I fear.”

  Lucy gathered herself. It wasn’t that she was tired from Sliding—she rarely grew tired any longer. It was more that she was nervous. Even that shouldn’t scare her. She no longer needed to take a step to Slide, so if she had to Slide from the water, she thought she would be able to do so.