He shook away the thought. “I need you to show me one of the stones.”
“Like I said, the last one we dropped was—”
“I don’t want to see the last one dropped. I want to see one where you don’t have quite so many men.”
The man licked his lips and swallowed. “I’ll show you, but can I do something first?”
“It depends. What is it?”
The man looked around, shaking his head. “Well, seeing as how you snatched me as I was heading to take a piss, I…”
Daniel stared at him for a moment. “Are you kidding?”
“I wouldn’t kid about something like that. I really have to go, and you kept me from it.”
“Go near the tree.”
The man sauntered over, heading toward the nearest tree. He started relieving himself, humming under his breath, and Daniel averted his gaze. There was no point in watching the man do his business, and seeing as how he couldn’t go very far, he—
The man suddenly appeared in front of him, a sword in hand.
Not just any sword, but the sword Daniel had left.
He brought his knives together, blocking the thrust, twisting off to the side. The man flickered, Sliding as he twisted, and Daniel cursed himself as he Slid as well, emerging near the edge of the forest.
Had he made a mistake?
Somehow he’d underestimated the man and had failed to realize that he was one of the Ai’thol. Daniel had seen no evidence of scars like most of the Ai’thol had, their way of marking themselves, giving themselves increased abilities.
Daniel Slid, watching the other man emerge from his Slide, and he jammed a knife into the man’s shoulder. He dropped the lorcith sword, and Daniel kicked it, but the sword came streaking back, forcing him to duck and roll to avoid being impaled.
Not only could he Slide, but he could control lorcith.
Daniel Slid, emerging only a step away, jabbing his other knife into the man’s other shoulder. He pinned him down, holding him to the ground. Sitting on the man’s chest with his knives in his shoulders, he glared down at him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Seeing as how you felt the need to grab me, I’m guessing you already know.”
“What are these stones?”
“Ah, well, that’s really the beauty of it. You won’t be able to find out.”
“Why?”
The man met his gaze, looking up at him, and he started to laugh. “Why? You’ve already seen why. You won’t be able to reach any of the stones, and now that you’re here, you won’t be going anywhere.”
“A trap? That’s all this is?”
“That’s not all it is, but it’s effective for those like yourself. You would have done well to remain in Elaeavn.”
“You would have done well not to reveal yourself. I would have brought you back.”
“And now I will be the one bringing you back.”
The man started to shimmer.
Daniel threw himself back, grabbing his knives, and the man Slid. Somehow he’d managed to do it without taking a step, a technique Daniel still didn’t know how to manage. Rsiran could do it, but Daniel’s ability to Slide wasn’t anywhere near as strong as Rsiran’s. There weren’t many who had reached that level when it came to Sliding.
With the man having disappeared, Daniel Slid back to the ridgeline, looking down. The other man had reappeared on the shore, and he waved his hands, getting everybody moving rapidly.
Daniel couldn’t stay here. They’d soon come after him, and the longer he waited, the more likely it was that they would be able to reach him, and if they did…
How was he going to escape? He couldn’t Slide off the island, but now that he knew these stones ringed it, somehow preventing him from Sliding, he wondered if perhaps there was another way.
He Slid to the far side of the island. In the time he’d been here, he had explored a little bit and found this area to be empty. He emerged on a rocky cliff. White stones stretched down toward the waves crashing along the shore. It was at least a hundred feet, possibly more, down to the water. There were other places on the island from which he could more easily reach the water, but as far as he knew, each of them would be guarded. This was his best bet.
It still wasn’t a great idea.
He took a deep breath and jumped.
As he fell, he tried to Slide, but he was still restricted, as he’d expected. If these stones were in the water as the Ai’thol had claimed, then he would still be within the borders. What he needed to do was swim beyond the edge of the stones, reach a place where he could get past it, and then perhaps he could Slide away.
Then find one of the stones. Figure out what it was the Ai’thol were doing and how they were able to use them in a way to restrict Sliding.
Yet even if he found one, he wouldn’t be able to travel with it.
When he hit the water, it was like slamming into rock. His breath squeezed out of him, and he plunged beneath the surface. Waves crashed on him, threatening to throw him back into the rock, and Daniel kicked away.
As he did, he traveled further and further from shore. With each stroke, he made an attempt to Slide. None of them worked.
At one point, he paused and floated, looking up at the rock. The sheer white edge taunted him, and he wondered if he could Slide back up if he needed to, but the sudden appearance of three men looking over the rock forced him to turn and plunge beneath the surface of the water. He stayed there, kicking, still trying to swim away. With each stroke, he was getting further from the island. Hopefully he was getting closer to a way that he could escape.
He had to come up for air. When he did, he floated on his back, looking up at the rock. The three men were still there, and they were watching him.
They knew he was there.
Daniel turned his attention back to swimming, taking stroke after stroke as he pulled himself through the water. Waves continued to crash on him, and he fought through them, battling for each stroke. Each time he did, he focused on trying to Slide, thinking that maybe he could pull himself through a Slide, swim through it in a way he hadn’t before.
It didn’t work.
How far out were these stones?
If he could find that border, he would have a better sense of what to look for when he returned. And he knew he would need to return, especially if the Ai’thol had discovered a way of preventing Sliding.
A massive swell struck, sending him plunging beneath the water.
Daniel kicked. He wasn’t a particularly strong swimmer as it was, and being forced to swim away from the island was difficult. He stayed underwater, looking around, but saw nothing but murkiness. What they needed was Rsiran and his ability with metals to see if he could uncover anything here that restricted Sliding. But then, Rsiran likely wouldn’t be trapped here, either.
Another kick, and another attempt at Sliding.
He felt a trembling sense of movement.
Pain built in his chest. He was running out of air and knew he needed to come to the surface, but he didn’t dare if this were going to work. He continued to swim, pulling himself forward, and attempted to Slide once more.
This time, he was drawn forward.
He focused on where he wanted to emerge, keeping it at the forefront of his mind, and pulled himself forward.
With a painful, almost excruciating, sensation, Daniel plunged forward, drawn through the water, and he emerged on dry land. He coughed, taking a ragged breath, looking up at the gray sky. A gull soared overhead. He watched its path as it flew, and breathed out heavily.
After a while, he sat up, looking out over the river. This wasn’t where he necessarily wanted to be, but it was close to Nyaesh, and close to others he knew would help. And they needed to know about what had happened, though Daniel wasn’t certain he wanted to go back there if he couldn’t Slide away. He might need to if they were going to get answers, but it left him scared.
The gull circled around him again, caw
ing, and Daniel got to his feet, making it toward the edge of the water, where he could look out. Ships moving through here drew his attention, and he decided to stand and watch just a little while longer.
3
Lucy
The man walking along the rocky seashore in front of her had a stooped back, and he paused every so often, looking back at the tower. Lucy found herself following the direction of his gaze, curious whether there was anything he might be able to detect from the tower itself, but in all the time she watched, she found nothing. Perhaps there was something there, but she wasn’t aware of it.
More than that, he exuded a certain warmth. He practically glowed, and the more she watched him, the more certain she was that the glowing she observed was real. She knew very little about Ras, other than that he had trained Carth, and now he was training her, though Lucy didn’t know what she was expected to learn from him.
When she looked back at the tower, following the direction of his gaze, there were shadows circling around it. There was power to those shadows, and it was a power she couldn’t help but marvel at.
Somehow, the C’than had managed to capture the essence of the Elder Stone within the tower itself. Though she didn’t understand how, she could feel that power and was fully aware of what it did.
“How long have the C’than been here?” she asked, still keeping her gaze on the tower. There was something incredible about it, and the longer she stared, the more certain she was that she was supposed to know something, as if there was some answer to what she observed, and yet she could figure out nothing about it.
“For a long time,” Ras said.
“Why here?”
“Why this place, or why here in general?”
Lucy tore her gaze off the tower and looked over to Ras. “I suppose both?”
“The answer to the first is perhaps easiest. This is isolated, and it gives us an opportunity to observe it from a distance. For years, the C’than have moved in the shadows, watching, ensuring there was safety.”
“And yet, even though you move in the shadows, you aren’t all powerful the same way as Carth.”
“No. There are some who are, and we did pursue Carth because of her connection to the shadows, but also because of her natural abilities.”
“And what about me?”
“I think I would say that you pursued us.”
Lucy watched him. That was as accurate as anything, and she wasn’t entirely sure what she should have done otherwise. She had needed to go after the C’than, but partly that was because of the way Carth had encouraged her. She had wanted Lucy to understand the C’than, to see if there was anything she might be able to uncover, and in doing so, Lucy had gained a certain understanding.
Not only that, but because of Lucy, she had helped free women from C’than capture.
“How long have the C’than been here in general?”
“We have an extensive library that might offer you some answers,” he said.
Lucy offered a half smile. “I’ve seen the library.”
“You aren’t interested?”
She thought of the massive rows of shelves, the towers of books, and knew that whatever else the library might hold, the secrets of this place would be difficult to find. How could she uncover them if she was struggling to decide where to start? She knew there had to be some organizational structure to the library itself, but she had never found it.
“I’m interested. As you recall, I did train as a caretaker in Elaeavn.”
“Yes. I am aware. I would argue that perhaps your talents were wasted.”
“You don’t think I would’ve made a good caretaker?”
“I wonder if perhaps you were always meant to be more than just a caretaker.”
Lucy shook her head. She wasn’t sure if that was the case or not, but she did know that in trying to work as a caretaker, she had felt a mixture of emotions. Partly it was a sense of comfort. The library was one place that had always been home to her, a place where she had been welcomed. Until she’d met Haern and begun to spend time in the forest. The other side of it was that in the library she was all too aware of what existed outside of the city. There was so much beyond the borders of Elaeavn, and yet her people remained isolated, as if they feared what they might encounter outside of the city itself.
Lucy sighed, turning to stare at the water. Most of the time she found the waves comforting, reminding her of her home, and yet there was something about this place that was not nearly as soothing as she thought it could and should be. Perhaps it was the violence with which the waves crashed along the rocks, the loud explosion of power as they slammed into the shore over and again. Perhaps it was something about her, her own fear, some aspect of the isolation that existed on the island.
Whatever it was, even though she had been here for the last few weeks, she continued to feel uneasy.
Ras had been welcoming. Carth had seen to that, though when she was gone, there was no reason for Ras to remain accommodating to her. It wasn’t as if Lucy was trapped, either. She wouldn’t have agreed to stay if she were, mostly because there were others who now depended upon her. She wasn’t sure what to do with them quite yet, though she thought she’d found a place for them. Hopefully, she could keep them safe now.
“I always wanted to see the world,” she said.
“Many people want to see the world until they do, and then they often change their mind.”
“I don’t know that I’m going to change my mind.”
“That’s good. Now that you’re here, there is much you can learn.”
“I don’t know how long I can stay here, either,” she said.
“In order to truly be a part of the C’than, you need to embrace what we represent.”
“I’m trying, but I feel as if there’s more I need to be doing.”
“There’s always more that we can be doing, but sometimes what we need to be doing is nothing.”
She met his eyes. Ras had a flat-eyed stare, and he looked at her, watching her with an expression she found difficult to interpret. It always seemed as if he had something burning behind his eyes, but then, perhaps it was only the fact that he glowed that gave him the appearance of knowing more.
“Come with me,” he said.
He continued to walk along the island, winding around the rock, and as he did, he stared out at the water. “You have asked about the C’than, and I’ve told you. And yet, there is something more you need to know about the C’than.”
“What?”
“We have tried to remain neutral, but there is one who has been working against us for years.”
“I know about Olandar Fahr.”
“Perhaps it’s him,” he said.
“You don’t think it is?”
“I don’t know. That is more important. Thinking and knowing are different things, and when it comes to what we must do, we need to know.”
Lucy stared, not certain what to make of what he was saying. She had believed Olandar Fahr responsible for everything that happened, and yet, every harm she had experienced had come from the C’than—at least, a branch of the C’than. Perhaps rather than Olandar Fahr, the problem was with the C’than itself.
“I imagine you worry the C’than are to blame.”
She looked over, wondering if he could Read her. She didn’t think Ras had that ability.
“I do wonder if that’s possible,” she said.
“I admit the C’than must be considered complicit, especially as so much has happened on our watch, and yet, we have done everything in our power to try to ensure we remain neutral. Unfortunately, there have been some who have been influenced otherwise.”
“Influenced?”
“The idea came from somewhere. I have yet to learn where that was.”
Lucy smiled to herself. Ras didn’t believe the C’than could fall victim to a desire for power? From what she’d seen, anyone was capable of that.
“Where did the C’than learn how to
place augmentations?”
Carth hadn’t even known that answer, and though Lucy had questioned several of the C’than, there had been no real answer from them. She tried to Read Ras, but as usual, she could uncover nothing. It was part of the reason that being around him, being here of all places, was peaceful. It was relaxing not having so many different thoughts intruding upon her.
In other locations, a deluge of thoughts was nearly overwhelming, and the more she experienced, the more she wondered if perhaps there was another way, a way that didn’t require her to suffer through all those thoughts trying to crush her.
“It’s not something of the C’than,” Ras said.
“It must be of the C’than. The technique is different than what the Ai’thol use.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very.” She touched the back of her head. “I’ve seen the way the Ai’thol have placed augmentations.” Then again, she hadn’t seen it firsthand, but she had observed the effects. “And I have seen what the C’than have been able to do. There is a distinct difference between the types of augmentations. The C’than augmentation is far more refined.”
“Unfortunately, I must agree with you.”
“So the question remains where they learned to place such augmentations.”
“If only I was able to answer that, but unfortunately, I am not. I have spent some time searching for those answers, but they remain difficult for me to determine.”
“You have no idea?” Lucy found that hard to believe. Given everything she had experienced with the C’than, she had expected some answers here. But if Ras didn’t know, then who would?
Perhaps the only way for her to know would be to go looking for those answers.
How, though?
It would involve finding more of the C’than who had betrayed their vows, such as they were, and she had spent considerable time searching for them already. But if there were others who had been experimented upon, Lucy thought she needed to go and search for those for information.
“Unfortunately, we have yet to uncover the key to it.” He turned away from the water, meeting her gaze. “As much as we’ve looked, we have not discovered how they learned that technique.”
The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 108
