“I understand that.”
“You understand that he is passionate about the Elder Trees, but partly that’s because of what he feels he put into saving them the last time. He views them as his responsibility, much as he now views saving Elaeavn as his responsibility.”
“You don’t think it should be?”
“What I think has little bearing. Your father faced the Hjan, assassins who were intent on destroying him and our city, and everything he’s done since then has been based on that experience.”
“He saved Elaeavn,” Haern said. There was no disputing that fact. Everyone agreed that his father was the reason Elaeavn and the Aisl remained. The sacred crystals were protected because of his father and everything he’d done. And so it was difficult for Haern to think he might have a different perspective than his father, though that was how he felt. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his father might not be right about what he wanted done, especially when it concerned the Elder Trees.
“He saved the trees,” Della said.
Haern looked over to her. “You don’t think he saved the city?”
“Much of the city was destroyed during the attack. Quite a bit had to be rebuilt. Your father did what he could, but the attack was more than he and the guilds could withstand. When the Elvraeth finally agreed to fight on behalf of the city, it was almost too late.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that we should give your father credit for what he did. We should not give him credit for more than that. He stopped his grandfather from destroying the Elder Trees and stealing the crystals, but others did as much to protect and save the city.”
Haern fell into a silence, and Della continued to watch him.
“All that being said, it’s the reason your father feels so protective about the Elder Trees. There’s no disputing that there is power within them, but your father keeps his focus only on that power and not on other aspects.”
“What other aspects would there be?” When Della didn’t answer, Haern tried to sit up, but his body still didn’t fully respond. He was capable of some movement, but not much. Everything still tingled. It was better than the sense of cold he had felt when he’d first been attacked. “My mother says you are the Keeper of the Trees.”
“It sounds so formal when you say it like that,” Della said with a chuckle.
“Isn’t it?”
“Nothing quite so formal. I have a responsibility to watch over them, and I take it upon myself to ensure the power of the Elder Trees survives.”
“So you would feel the same way as my father.”
“I want to ensure the power of the trees survives. That’s not the same as saying the trees themselves need to survive.”
“How is it different?”
“What do you think the trees are?”
“I thought they were nothing more than trees for the longest time. I knew the sacred crystals were kept with them, but I didn’t know what that meant other than some way of storing them.”
“The crystals were only with the trees a short while before returning to the place where they have been stored for the last hundred years.”
“Carth said the crystals are Elder Stones. Does that mean the trees are, too?”
Della clasped her hands together, watching him. “Carth is clever, and quite well connected. I wish your father had managed to maintain a connection to her, but I think her affection for Galen got in the way.” She frowned and then shook it away. “The crystals are similar to Elder Stones. The trees are something else.”
“Then how would you attempt to save the power of the trees?”
Della made her way over to the window and wiped her arm on the glass. The dirt cleared away, and a cleaner light streamed in, shining brightly in Haern’s eyes. “You haven’t questioned why your father would come to me for you but not for the trees.”
Haern hadn’t thought about it, but the comment made a certain sort of sense. Now that she mentioned it, he was surprised—especially if she was the Keeper of the Trees.
Then again, his father had an arrogance when it came to his ability with lorcith as well as with the Forgers. His father likely believed that he would be able to separate the metal from the trees, and if he couldn’t, maybe then it would be time to see if there was anything that could be done differently.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m just suggesting that your father cares about you, and while you might believe he is more concerned about the Elder Trees, I know that he’s just as concerned about you, if not more.”
If that was true, then his father would have wanted him to get more training, to continue to work with Galen, and to begin to fully master his abilities, if for no other reason than to defeat the Forgers.
“Can you do anything about the trees?”
“I’m going to see whether I can, but it’s possible that I cannot. I have an ability to Heal, but your father has an ability to work with lorcith, and in this case, I think his talent is more important than mine.”
What would happen if his father and Della worked together? Would that be enough to save the trees? If not, perhaps nothing could be done for them.
Which got back to what Haern had suggested in the beginning. It might be necessary for them to simply remove the Elder Trees. He didn’t like that idea, but if that was what was required in order to prevent the Forgers from using the power of the Elder Trees, then he had to be willing to do that.
“What happens if we can’t save the trees?”
“If we are unable to salvage them, we need to be prepared for the possibility that an alternative correction must be made.”
“Are you saying that you would be willing to sacrifice the Elder Trees?”
“I’m saying that I recognize the need to be prepared for that possibility.”
She might be the only one other than him who was.
“What would we do?”
“If it comes down to it, we cannot allow the Forgers and their masters to gain the power of the Elder Trees.”
“I think they have acquired other Elder Stones.”
“That is what I’ve heard as well.”
“We prevented them from reaching the Wisdom Stone in Asador.”
Della frowned. “There’s a stone in Asador?”
“There is. The C’than protect it.”
Della frowned again before turning away. She sorted through several of the vials on the counter. “What are you feeling now?”
Haern focused on the pain he had felt when he had begun to come around. It was still there, but it was different now. “I don’t know. I still feel the tingling.”
“Hopefully the tingling means you will begin to regain sensation.”
“What happens if I don’t?”
“If you don’t, then you will need to find a way to compensate.”
“Even if I can’t walk?”
“You’re already convinced that you won’t be able to walk again?”
“I’m not convinced of anything. I’m just trying to get a sense of what you feel is realistic. You’re the Healer.”
“My skills have dwindled over time. There might’ve been a time when I could have saved you much more quickly than I did now, but it has been quite a while.”
Maybe that was the reason she wasn’t able to help with the trees. Perhaps her skills had dwindled to the point where they were no longer enough for her to salvage and save the Elder Trees.
“You haven’t said anything more about Galen.”
“I’ve said all that needs to be said about Galen.”
“He will live?”
Della turned back to him. In one hand, she held a large metal spoon, and in the other was a bowl. She watched him for a moment before beginning to stir the spoon in the bowl. A brownish powder collected in the air. “Galen was the first student I ever accepted.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“He had a bright mind. He immediately understood the use
of every medicinal I taught him. He took that knowledge and was able to expand upon it. Had he been able to stay in the city, he would have been incredibly talented.”
“You regret what happened to him?”
“How can I?”
“Even though he became an assassin?”
“Galen became what he was meant to become. It’s the same for all of us. We each have our own journey. Some are more difficult than others, but in Galen’s case, had he not been where he was, had he not gone through what he had, one of the crystals would’ve been lost. Cael Elvraeth might have died. The key to stopping the Hjan and your great-grandfather might have disappeared.”
“You believe in fate?”
“Fate. Destiny. Prophecy. Perhaps I believe in something along those lines, but that’s only because I can See that there are various possibilities.”
“I was always taught that what has been Seen can change.”
“And it can,” Della said. “But I do wonder if there remains some hand guiding over us. Whether that’s the Great Watcher or some other higher power, I have seen enough in my days to leave me questioning.”
Haern didn’t like the idea that he didn’t have control over his destiny, but did it matter? If he didn’t know, would it change anything?
“What would’ve happened had Galen not been exiled?”
“I’ve told you.”
“How do you know that would have happened? What if Galen had stayed, and somehow he had managed to prevent the crystal from disappearing in the first place? What if the crystal never would have disappeared had he been there?”
“We’ll never know, will we?”
Haern lay on his back, with movement slowly coming back to him. Every so often, he could hear Della stirring off to the side, and he glanced over to watch. She continued to work, leaving him wondering why she would have any need for traditional medicines when she had the ability to Heal.
After a while, Della began to hum softly. She had a rough and raspy voice, stronger than he would’ve expected given her advanced age.
When he was finally able to sit up, he looked over at her. She worked diligently, continuing to mix and stir her compounds, setting them off to the side.
“Who are those for?”
“For those who don’t have the ability to be Healed.”
“Who are you planning on using those for?”
“There are times when Darren isn’t able to be around. It’s the same reason I wanted to train Galen. There were going to be times when I couldn’t be around.”
“Those aren’t for Darren, are they?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Who are they for?”
“You, Haern Lareth.”
28
Haern
Haern fingered the piece of metal. Sharp barbs protruded all around it, some of them still bloody, a reminder of how they had pierced his back, almost killing him. Was this what had happened to Lucy? Had they used a similar weapon against her? If so, it was a marvel that she had survived.
“You’re up,” his father said.
Haern looked over. Fatigue wrinkled his father’s eyes, and he breathed out heavily.
“You went for Della.”
“I wasn’t about to let you die.”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. I know why you did what you did, and I need to be better about accepting the fact that you’re an adult, and you need to make decisions on your own. I went through the same thing, but it’s easy to forget about that. It’s easy to forget how I felt when I was your age.” His father sank down onto a chair and leaned back. “I wasn’t sure I could find her in time.”
“What about Darren?”
“Darren was able to remove the metal, and you were growing weaker.”
“It was poison,” Haern said.
His father lifted his head up and cocked an eye at him. “Are you sure?”
“Galen has tormented me often enough with poison for me to recognize how it feels. I’m not sure what they used on me, but it was definitely poison.”
“That’s different.”
“The Forgers don’t use poison?”
“Generally? No. They prefer brutal weapons, but they haven’t taken the time to attempt to add poison to them. They might use various compounds designed to remove abilities, but nothing more than that.”
Haern thought back to the attack. “The Forger was after me.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
His father nodded. “I was waiting until you were well enough, but…”
“I’m well enough to get up. What is it?”
“Come with me,” his father said.
Haern slid off the chair, looking around Darren’s—and Della’s—home. He rested on a cot along the outer wall, with the window far from him. In this corner of the room, it was dark, and though the fire crackled in the hearth, there remained a chill in the air. The medicinal odor clung to his nostrils. Della had administered something she claimed would help revitalize him, but he hadn’t noticed that too much. For the most part, he was tired still. He suspected that had to do with the nature of the poisoning.
When he stood, he wobbled slightly from weak legs as he followed his father out of the home.
“Are you going to be okay?” his father asked.
“I just might need to rest a little,” he said.
“Rest as much as you need. I’ve been through injuries before, so I understand how much they can take out of you as you recover.”
“What kind of injuries have you sustained?”
“The kind that I never want to experience again,” he said.
His father guided him out of the clearing and headed toward the city itself. They wound through the woods, following a well-worn path, and Haern watched his father’s back.
“Why aren’t you Sliding us to wherever you’re taking me?”
“There are times when you need to walk.”
“That’s not the only reason.”
“It’s not. I wanted to talk to you about what happened.”
“The attack? I don’t know much more than what you do.”
“You saw the Forger.”
“I did. I was training with Galen when I did.”
“It’s impressive that you managed to observe him.”
“He was Sliding.”
His father paused and glanced over his shoulder. “You can See when someone Slides?”
“Not always, but there’s a certain movement that happens. It’s almost a shimmering. I’ve learned how to watch for it.”
“How did you discover this?”
“Growing up around you has made it easy.”
His father snorted. “Your mother often said that. She claimed there was a certain shimmering when I Slid. I don’t have the same Sight as either of you, so I don’t view it in the same way.”
“When you Slide, it’s a little different than when someone else like Lucy does.”
“Your mother always said it was faster.”
“I’m not so sure that it’s faster. The colors are a little different.” Even that didn’t feel quite right. The colors might be different, but it was a swirl of them, almost as if he could pull them apart. If he could slow it down, he might be able to tease apart the shades he witnessed. And when he observed someone like one of the Forgers Sliding, it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that he was able to recognize them coming and avoid them.
“I’m glad you were able to See them,” his father said. “After you were injured, how did you escape?”
“The rods you placed around the trees,” Haern said. “I could detect the lorcith, and I used it to pull myself along.”
“That would have taken considerable strength.”
“I almost didn’t have enough strength.”
“Interesting.”
“Why is it interesting?”
“I use lorcith and heartstone to anchor myself when I
Slide. I can detect it, and much like you, I use it when I pull myself. I have always done that, and from talking to others who Slide, it seems as if the way that I Slide is different than theirs.”
“Do you think I could eventually learn to Slide?” If he could, he might be even more dangerous to the Forgers.
“Haern—”
Haern shook his head. “I’m not saying that I want to be like you, or that I’m willing to do anything to gain those powers.”
“I was able to Slide before I realized my connection to lorcith,” his father said. “With you, it’s different. I think you’ve grown up knowing about your connection to lorcith. The guild no longer hides that, and it shouldn’t. We want the smiths to know that a connection to lorcith isn’t something to fear. We want our people to use that connection and allow it to strengthen them, to do greater things than they would be able to do otherwise.”
“Then why were you asking me about pulling myself using lorcith?”
“There might be ways for you to use that ability. You might not be able to Slide, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use anchors in the same way that I do.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, you locked on to what you detected from the rods surrounding the trees. What’s the smallest amount of lorcith that you can anchor to and draw yourself toward?”
Haern shrugged. “I haven’t really tried.”
“Part of understanding the nature of your abilities is working with them.”
“I thought you didn’t want me working with Galen.”
His father sighed. “That was a mistake. Working with Galen is going to protect you. You need training that I can’t provide. I don’t have the same sort of abilities you do. Galen is closer to you in that way than I am.”
Haern almost didn’t know what to say. “That’s why you’re bringing me here? Are you guiding me to the palace?”
“Not the palace. I don’t think there’s anything more you can learn there.”
“What about Galen?”
“Galen still needs time to recover,” his father said.
“Then what are you trying to get me to understand?”
“I want you to consider working with your connection to lorcith. Place various items that you have forged around, and try to pull upon them.”
The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 84
