The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3

by D. K. Holmberg

  “I want to understand why you are so focused on what the Forgers have done to the lorcith.” That much was true. He recognized that what the Forgers did with the metal was dangerous, and they had a knowledge of lorcith that was different from what the people of Elaeavn possessed, but his father took it as a personal affront that the Forgers used lorcith in ways he disagreed with. “What were you working on last night?”

  He didn’t expect his father to answer, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

  His father smiled. “I told you I would answer that when the time was right.”

  “What will make the time right?”

  “It all depends upon the Forgers.”

  “It was something for the Forgers? Was it some sort of weapon?”

  “Not a weapon,” his father said. “And it’s something I’ve been working on ever since we returned.”

  Haern hadn’t seen his father working on anything in the time since they had returned, though he also hadn’t spent much time with his father.

  Maybe that was Brusus’s point. He hadn’t spent enough time with his father, and he probably should spend more, trying to understand what his father was doing and what he was after, so that he could better see how he could help. If it all came down to the Forgers, Haern wanted to be a part of it.

  “Others could help,” Haern said.

  “Others could, but this is something I need to do for myself. I might be the only one who can do it.”

  “Because of your connection to lorcith?”

  His father nodded.

  “What about others’ connections?”

  “I’m not downplaying others’ connections. All I’m saying is that when it comes to this, I am the person who needs to be most involved. Why are you really here, Haern?”

  Haern slid his gaze across the smithy. Everything was clean, tidy. “Brusus wanted me to spend more time with you.”

  “I didn’t expect you to be quite so blunt about it,” Rsiran said.

  “You knew?”

  His father grunted. “When it comes to Brusus, he’s not nearly as subtle as he likes to believe. Oh, he might have been once upon a time. And your uncle means well.”

  “He thinks that you’ve been too focused on the Forgers.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t disagree that you’ve been focused on them, but I also don’t disagree with the need to remain focused on them.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of what I saw in Asador,” Haern said. “They are dangerous, and had we not managed to push them back … I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

  “They would’ve acquired another Elder Stone.”

  “Why does that matter?”

  His father shook his head. “I haven’t been able to understand. I’ve been trying—that’s part of what I’ve been doing all these years. Trying to understand just what the Forgers intend by chasing down the Elder Stones. But even in that, I have not succeeded. Carth probably knows more, but that blasted woman keeps secrets better than anyone else.”

  “I have the sense that she has experience with Elder Stones.”

  “She has other magics, so it only makes sense that she has experience with different stones.”

  “Is that what provides magic?”

  His father looked around the forge before Sliding to Haern, grabbing his arm, and Sliding again. They emerged inside a small room. The sense of lorcith pressed upon him, but it was mixed with something else that made it difficult for him to fully appreciate the lorcith. The walls glowed with a soft blue light that came from someplace deep within them. Heartstone. Haern had been around it often enough that he recognized it, though he didn’t have the control over it that his father did. No one else in the city did, as far as he knew.

  He recognized the chamber, though he’d only been here one other time.

  Set onto small pedestals were five separate glowing crystals. As had been the case when he’d been here before, the crystals all glowed softly, but none of them glowed more brightly than the others. These were the sacred crystals of his people. Most of the time, people would come here as part of a ceremony, offered the chance to hold one of the sacred crystals, and if none of them glowed more brightly than the others, then they would move on. Not all had the opportunity to actually handle them, though all were offered it. That was a change from the way things had once been, and it had benefited the people of Elaeavn considerably. No longer were the Elvraeth the most powerful with their abilities, as had once been the case. Now there were people more like Darren, people who were strongly gifted but had been given additional gifts. Without his opportunity to spend time with the sacred crystals, Darren would never have developed his ability to Heal, a capacity very few others in the city possessed.

  “Why are you bringing me here?”

  “Because you were asking about the Elder Stones.” His father swept his gaze around the inside of the room. There was a soft warmth to it. “The crystals were given to us by the Great Watcher. At least, that’s what we were taught long ago. It’s where our powers come from—powers different from those found outside of Elaeavn.”

  “Except for the Forgers.”

  “Except for the Forgers and those they serve. They have somehow found a way around this, and they use their connection and their magic to mimic our abilities. You ask about Carth and her abilities. I don’t know them nearly as well as Galen does, but I recognize that her magic is different. Carth has a connection to shadows, and that connection must come from the Elder Stones, the same way our powers come from the Great Watcher.”

  “What would happen if we were to hold one of the Elder Stones that granted the abilities with shadows?” Haern asked.

  “I don’t know. I suspect Carth does, though when I have asked her, she has not answered.”

  “Is that why you refused to hold the Wisdom Stone?”

  His father smiled. “The Wisdom Stone would have granted me abilities. I have no doubt about that.”

  “Why didn’t you want to claim it?”

  “You were there. You heard what I said.”

  “You said that you didn’t think you were wise enough to hold it, but I don’t think that’s the reason.”

  His father looked around the room. “There are five sacred crystals. Five crystals of the Great Watcher. I have held each of them.” His father stopped before one of them, studying it. “They changed me, though not in the way that they change most people. I’m not sure whether that’s because I’m more connected to the Elder Trees or if it’s simply a deficiency within me, but I didn’t come away from the sacred crystals with the ability to See or Read or all of the Elvraeth gifts. I don’t have those abilities, and as far as I’m concerned, I don’t need them.” His father turned to him. “No one person should have all the powers of the Elders. I don’t know what would happen, but what I do know is that the powers were split up. They must have been. Otherwise, why would they not be concentrated in one place? And if they were split up, there had to have been a purpose, one greater than anything I understand.”

  “Wouldn’t holding the Wisdom Stone give you the answer to that?”

  “Possibly,” his father said. “But I know enough to realize that, were I to reach for that knowledge and understanding, I would be tempted.”

  “Tempted?”

  “Tempted to use it in a way it was never meant to be used.”

  His father fell silent, making his way around the inside of the room. He paused at several of the other crystals, looking at each one as he made a circle. Haern followed him, wishing that one of them would take on the steady glowing that signified his ability to hold it, to claim it, but none of them did. And it was likely that he never would be able to hold one of the sacred crystals. He would never know what it was like.

  It bothered him. He didn’t want to admit it, but maybe he didn’t need to. So many others were granted the opportunity to hold one of the crystals; the fact that he wasn’t given that made him feel as
if the Great Watcher abandoned him, though Haern was determined not to let himself feel that way. What was the point in feeling sorry for himself when there was nothing he could do about it?

  “I don’t know what exactly the Forgers intend for the crystals. I have an idea, but I don’t know with any certainty. And if they managed to get the power of the sacred crystals, they will add to the other Elder Stones they have managed to acquire.”

  “What makes you think they have acquired other Elder Stones?”

  “I have faced them too much over the last two decades. I know exactly the kind of abilities they have, and not all of them are modifications of our abilities. That was what they did at first, but that was when my grandfather led them.”

  Haern stared at his father. He didn’t often get to hear about his great-grandfather. It was something that his father didn’t like to speak about. Haern didn’t know if it was shame or something else that prevented his father from talking about him. All Haern knew was that his grandfather had been extremely dangerous, and he had nearly destroyed all of Elaeavn in his quest for vengeance.

  “You don’t think he could still be alive?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “You don’t? How is it that you don’t?”

  “When we captured him, Carth took him from me.”

  “And you let her?”

  “I had no reason not to. Besides, if anyone would have the ability to hold Danis, it would have been Carth.”

  “What if he escaped?”

  “She would have told me.”

  “And what if she didn’t?”

  His father shook his head, smiling. “I’m not worried about Carth betraying me. There are plenty of things I do worry about in this world, but that’s not one of them. As you’ve discovered, Carth might have her own agenda, but she fights for what’s right.”

  “And what would happen if she were to acquire all the Elder Stones?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “Because of what you said. She has this ability with shadows, and there’s something with heat. Now she’s held the Wisdom Stone. What else could she have gained over the years?”

  His father frowned, and he moved to the center of the room. “I don’t worry about Carthenne Rel acquiring the power of the Elder Stones. Neither should you.”

  “But you worry about the Forgers.”

  “Because I’ve seen the way the Forgers would use that power. It’s different with Carth. I don’t know how else to explain it other than I trust her. I don’t have as much experience with her as some, and there was a period of time where she disappeared, making it so that I wasn’t able to find her, but I would have been trapped were it not for her.”

  “Do you intend to leave us again?” he asked.

  “Are you afraid that I will?”

  “I’m afraid that you will go and we won’t be any safer than we are now. The barrier has already—”

  “The barrier is back in place. I monitor it regularly. There is no way the Forgers could destroy the barrier.”

  “You didn’t think they could before, but they have managed.”

  “They have,” his father said, nodding. “And I will continue to ensure that the barriers remain as stout as possible so that we can protect ourselves from them.”

  There was no point in arguing. His father believed that they were safe, and Haern didn’t know whether or not they were. None of that really mattered. He didn’t know why they’d come to the crystals. He had come to see his father on behalf of his uncle, wanting to ensure that his father didn’t focus so much on vengeance. Instead of Haern trying to sway his father, it seemed more that his father was attempting to sway him.

  As he looked around at the crystals, Haern couldn’t help but feel that persuasion. How could he not when he agreed with what his father was doing? The Forgers couldn’t acquire all the Elder Stones. He didn’t know what would happen if they did, but he’d seen the way they used power.

  “Why do you think the Elder Stones were separate in the first place?”

  “I’m not really clear. When I held the crystals, I had visions.”

  “What were your visions?” Others had spoken about the visions they had when holding one of the crystals, but he’d never heard of his father’s experience.

  His father nodded. “In them, I saw the Great Watcher. I sat next to him. In one vision, I could feel lorcith all around me. In another, it was heartstone. I was aware of everything, that power, and it felt as if the longer I sat there next to the Great Watcher, the more I could understand about the purpose of the metal.”

  “You think that the metal is an Elder Stone?”

  His father’s brow furrowed for a moment. “It was something I considered, but I think it’s unlikely. There is simply too much lorcith for it to be an Elder Stone.”

  “What about heartstone?”

  “It’s still too common. But it is tied to the Elder Trees.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The Elder Trees are different. Which makes me worry about why the Forgers would have targeted them. For the longest time, they didn’t really understand what they were, only that they were connected to our people as well. They aren’t Elder Stones, not the same way as the crystals.”

  “How do you know?”

  “That was also in my vision.”

  “And if we lose the Elder Trees?”

  “There’s power within them, Haern. That power needs to go somewhere, which is why it can’t be transferred to the Forgers.”

  “What makes you think the power could be transferred?”

  “My experience with the Forgers tells me they wouldn’t do anything if they didn’t think they could get something out of it. They believe they will gain something by what they have attempted.”

  “Can we move that power?”

  “We can try, but…”

  Haern considered telling his father that he had contemplated the need to destroy the Elder Trees, but it didn’t seem the right time. It never seemed the right time with his father.

  “I agree with Brusus,” Haern said.

  “About what?”

  “It’s good that you’re here.”

  His father turned to him, and a smile crossed his face. “I’m glad I am too. I wish things could’ve been different over the years, and I wish that the Forgers didn’t pose a threat, but I couldn’t simply leave them.”

  “You could have asked for others to help.”

  “Others did help at first.” His father’s voice dropped to a whisper. “When we first confronted the Forgers, after their initial attack, others came to help, and I welcomed that. We needed their help, and the more they fought, the more we were able to do. But in time, we lost one after another. The Forgers were too much for us. After a while, I encouraged the guilds to continue training, but I asked them to stay separate, to remain within the city, where they wouldn’t have to face the Forgers.”

  “You did it to protect them?”

  “I do everything to protect the people of this city.” He took a deep breath. “There are people within the city that I care about. People I can’t fathom losing. And I can’t see more and more people die simply because of the Forgers. That’s the reason I’m willing to leave the city. That’s why I’m willing to be gone for so long, and why I’m willing to keep fighting.” His father met and held his gaze. “I couldn’t stomach losing your mother. There was a time when I thought that I had, and I nearly lost myself. And when we had you…” His father shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t lose you. I couldn’t do that to Jessa. And so I’ve been willing to leave. To fight. To do whatever it was I had to do to protect the people I care about. And I will continue to do that. I will take every opportunity I can to protect my family.”

  “Father—”

  “The Forgers would destroy everything I love. I can’t allow that to happen.”

  Haern watched his father. Nothing Haern could say wo
uld make a difference or change the way his father felt. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to, anyway. Didn’t he feel the same way? Didn’t he want to protect the people he cared about? Wasn’t that why he was willing to leave the city and fight?

  And wasn’t that why he wanted to continue to train, working with Galen so he could understand what it would take in order to defeat the Forgers?

  Brusus had wanted him to meet with his father to ensure that Rsiran maintained a certain sense of understanding, but it was Haern who had gained understanding.

  And resolve.

  He needed to find Galen. He needed to continue training. He needed to push himself as hard as he could. It was the only way he was going to get strong enough to ensure that the Forgers didn’t gain too much power. If they acquired other Elder Stones, they would become unstoppable, and he was going to stand in the way of that possibility if he could.

  21

  Daniel

  Wind whistled around Daniel as he stood at the bow, hands resting on the railing. The distant land grew ever closer. It started as a dark smear, little more than an interruption of the undulating blue waves, but as they continued toward it, night stretching out around them, he could tell that they neared land. Birds circled, larger than the gulls found in Elaeavn, and aggressive as they dove toward the water. They were darker than the birds of his homeland, not the pale white that he was accustomed to, but rather a dirty brown, an unpleasant color, and they blended into the shadows of the growing night.

  “Why are you staring at them?” Lucy asked, approaching him.

  Daniel glanced over. Her hair was braided and hung down to the middle of her back. She wore pants and a loose-fitting shirt in the style of the Binders, making her appear so different from when they had been in Elaeavn. Only her deep green eyes were a reminder of who she was and where they came from.

  Still, she was beautiful.

  “Just watching the birds,” he said.

  “Do you expect them to do something?”

  “No, it’s just that they are different, and as near as we are to making landfall, I wanted to see if I could determine anything about where we were heading.”