“Are they?”
“Most of the abilities from the crystals are tied to our senses. Sight. Mind. Listening. When augmented, those abilities allow for different aspects of them.” He’d seen it with Lucy in the way that she was able to Push, a variation on Reading. He wasn’t sure what variation there would be with Sight, but there was likely some augmentation to it. More than that, the sacred crystals and the Elder Trees were tied together.
“It is unique. But then, the Great Watcher is unique among the elders,” Rayen said.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing more than rumor. The elders are felt to be powerful beings. Each of them was responsible for one aspect of the world, granting their favor over it. In the case of Lashasn, it was that of fire. It came from the volcanoes deep within the land, and the people there were touched by fire, given the ability to use it and manipulate it. The people of my land were gifted by the darkness in the shadows. We have been blessed, and some of us even more so, able to use the shadows in a way that allows us to protect ourselves and our people. Other lands are different. I mentioned one where the power was in the water, granting a certain strength and immunity to shadows.”
“Why would there need to be an immunity to shadows?”
“We don’t know, but Carth suspects it’s tied to the elders who touched the land. Not all of them got along. There is a balance. A counter.”
“And what’s the counter to the Lashasn Elder Stone?”
“We aren’t entirely certain. We continue to look, and it’s possible that the Ai’thol have already uncovered that, but we don’t know,” Rayen said.
If the elders had a way of balancing each other out, then a single one wouldn’t grow more powerful than the others.
“Other than the Elder Stones, there is no evidence for the elders’ existence,” Daniel said.
“Isn’t there? Our peoples are all different, and most believe that difference is tied to the elders who helped settle that land. In the case of your people, you were given the blessings of the Great Watcher, a being viewed as one who sits above the world, looking down upon it.”
“He does sit above the world looking down upon it,” Jessa said, joining them within the circle of crystals. “When you have an opportunity to hold one of the sacred crystals, you understand the role of the Great Watcher. Some of us more than others.”
“And you?” Daniel asked.
Jessa shook her head. “My experience was mundane compared to some. But Rsiran, on the other hand, had a significant experience. In his, he was sitting above the world, given the opportunity to look down, and from there he was able to See many things, not the least of which was the connections to metal all throughout the world.”
“All metal or only lorcith?” Daniel asked.
“You’ll have to ask Rsiran, but it was more than just lorcith.”
“Was that what it was like for you?” Rayen asked.
Daniel shook his head. “When I was given the opportunity to hold one of the crystals, none of them glowed for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something to the sacred crystals that alerts you that you have been granted permission to handle one. The crystal would pulsate softly to indicate that power was accessible. Some never have the opportunity to know the strength of their people.”
Rayen stepped away from him, making a slow circuit of the inside of the ring of crystals. Daniel watched, curious, as she stopped at one and the other and then another. Each time she stopped, Rayen looked down at the crystals, studying them, before turning on and moving to the next.
“Do you remember which crystal pulsated for you?” Daniel asked.
“When you’re given the opportunity, it’s disorienting,” Jessa said.
“What would happen if we let her draw power from one of the crystals that didn’t want anyone to have it?” Daniel asked.
“Rsiran isn’t sure that’s even possible,” Jessa said.
Neran joined them, but he stayed just inside the ring of crystals, his gaze darting from one to the other. He looked at them almost suspiciously and seemed far more uncomfortable than the rest, as if he didn’t want to be here.
“The Ai’thol must believe it possible.”
“Whether or not they believe it possible doesn’t matter. The crystals decide who is granted that opportunity.”
“What if they have some way of forcing it?”
“His grandfather thought the same thing,” Jessa said. “And Rsiran remained unconvinced.”
Daniel began to turn, and he froze as he watched Rayen reaching for one of the crystals.
“What are you doing?”
“Look at it. It’s so beautiful. The way it’s pulsing, it’s almost as if it…”
She grabbed the crystal.
There was a flash of blue light that faded. When it was done, Rayen stood in the middle of the circle, the crystal back on its pedestal. It had been nothing more than a heartbeat, and yet Daniel knew what had taken place.
One of the crystals had allowed Rayen to handle it.
“What happened?” She looked around, seeming dazed as she spun in place, looking at each of the crystals before pausing and turning her attention back to Daniel.
“It seems as if you were granted permission to handle one of the crystals,” Daniel said.
Jessa’s mouth set in a tight line, and she glared at Rayen. “You should not have done that.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You held one of the sacred crystals.”
“She was granted permission, the same as you,” Daniel said.
“You don’t know that.”
He turned away. He hadn’t even been able to hold one of the crystals, and now Rayen had? “What did you see?”
“I was making the circuit of the crystals and that one”—she began to spin around, pointing at one crystal before turning her attention to another and finally frowning—“or whichever one it was began to pulse. It became brighter and brighter, practically demanding that I handle it.”
Daniel might not have had one of the crystals call to him, but he’d heard stories about them often enough that he understood what Rayen was describing. It was the same as others who had been granted the opportunity to hold the crystals had experienced. And if she had been given permission by the crystal, then there was no reason she shouldn’t have been able to handle it.
“The crystal granted her permission,” Daniel said.
“The crystal didn’t do that,” Jessa said. “She forced herself on it.”
“I’m not sure that she would have been able to force herself upon a crystal. All I’m saying is that—”
“All you are saying is that you think this woman should have been given the opportunity to hold one of the sacred crystals, something that few within Elaeavn have been able to do despite the fact that Rsiran has offered it to as many as want to.”
“How many are called to them?” Rayen asked.
“It’s less than one in every twenty who are drawn to a crystal.”
Daniel was surprised by the numbers. He knew it wasn’t common to be able to hold one of the crystals, but he had thought the likelihood would have been higher than that. If it really was only one in every twenty or fewer, he shouldn’t feel quite so bad that he had failed when it had been his opportunity.
“Do you feel any different?”
Rayen looked around for a moment before shaking her head.
“It can take some time. When I was given the opportunity to hold one of the sacred crystals, it took months for me to understand the full depths of my abilities,” Jessa said.
“And what happened? How are you changed?”
“My gift was one of Sight. When I was able to hold one of the crystals, it began to augment my ability, and with that, I have since had an even greater ability with Sight.”
“None of that was dark back there?”
“Not for me,” Jessa said. She turned to Rayen. “As yo
u aren’t of Elaeavn, it’s possible that any ability that you develop will be different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t really know. There is one among us who might be able to answer, but even she might not be able to provide the information that you want. You will have to wait and see what changes for you.”
“Now that we have the crystals taken care of, how about we figure out what that energy is?” Daniel said.
“That’s just it. It wasn’t here when I came with Rsiran before. Whatever is out there, whatever that energy is, it’s not supposed to be here.”
“Do you see this?” Neran was crouched near one of the pedestals, facing outward, his gaze staring away from the glowing blue of the crystals almost as if he were trying to see beyond them and toward the energy.
Daniel joined him, crouching next to him. “What do you see?”
“I’m not entirely certain. The energy seems to focus here.” He glanced to the next pedestal. “And there. And all around us.”
“How so?”
“It’s swirling around us, and as I look at it, I can’t help but feel as if the energy is focused here on the pedestals.”
Daniel crept forward and positioned himself right in front of one of the pedestals. He ran his hands along the outside of it, feeling for the energy the same way he had felt for the energy up above.
Neran was right. The energy did seem to concentrate in the pedestal, and not only that, but it traveled through it, and downward.
“What did Rsiran make these pedestals out of?” Daniel asked.
“Rsiran didn’t make them. These were the original pedestals that were here.”
“That were here?”
She nodded. “You don’t realize that?”
“Realize what?”
“We are in the original crystal chamber.”
“But that was within the palace.”
“The one the Elvraeth used was connected to the palace, but it wasn’t the original chamber. This is.”
Daniel stared, unable to take his eyes off the circle of pedestals and the power around them. He marveled at them, trying to figure out what he was seeing. And if they were once more in the original crystal room, how was it that Rsiran had connected it to the heart of the forest?
More than that, if they were joined, then it was possible that the crystals and the Elder Trees weren’t separate Elder Stones but were somehow interconnected in a way he didn’t fully understand.
More than ever, he wished Rsiran were here.
Maybe he needed to offer to help Haern find his father. If nothing else, Rsiran would help provide answers.
He glanced over to Rayen and then to Neran, coming to a decision. He would bring Neran back to Nyaesh, allow the other man to investigate the stones, but then Daniel would return, determined to find Haern—and Rsiran. Then they could understand what it was the Ai’thol intended by siphoning off the power here.
35
Haern
Staggering forward, Haern couldn’t take his eyes off the Forgers. His mind didn’t work quite right. Pain continued to roll through him, but it was more than just the pain. It was the idea that this man was responsible for not just his suffering, but that of the girls that he had come here to save.
As he approached, the Forger smiled widely. A scar working through his dark hair seemed new. Another augmentation? The flatness to his eyes made them look empty and hollow.
He reached for the man, straining, and held out the boards with the metal bars through them. The man ignored them.
“Why?” It was the only thing Haern could get out, and it was the one question he thought he needed the answer to the most. If he could understand why this Forger had used the young women, he…
What?
What could he do? He was defeated. He might have found the Forger, but what did he think he could do now that he had? With the boards attached to his hands, the metal bars through his palms, there wasn’t anything for him to do. It was a miracle he was still able to stand.
More than anything, he wanted to collapse.
“I didn’t think that you would make it here.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“Disappoint? Oh, on the contrary, this is exactly what I wanted.”
He staggered toward the man, holding his hands out. The Forger continued to grin, and Haern spun toward him, trying to bring one of the pieces of wood toward the man’s face, but he Slid, moving off to the side and emerging from his Slide before Haern was able to reach him. Haern stumbled, staggering, the sudden change in direction causing pain to shoot through his hands. He didn’t know how long he’d be able to withstand this attack, but he would continue to fight.
“Why did you attack the girls?”
The Forger Slid again, appearing behind Haern. He reached the door, kicking it closed.
Some distant part of Haern’s mind knew that the Forger was locking him in, trapping him here with him, which meant he would need to grab on to the Forger in order to escape.
“You have come to my temple, and you have violated the safety I have offered and provided those who come here.”
Haern staggered again, sweeping toward the man. This time, as he started to Slide, Haern swung the board, watching as the faint light that started to shimmer around the Forger coalesced, telling Haern that he was going to Slide, but also where he was going to emerge from the Slide.
He connected.
Pain shot through him, but the cracking sound of the board over the Forger’s head was satisfying, and he continued forward, trying to slam his entire body into the man, but the other Slid away.
Haern got to his feet. His gaze darted around the room. There were chairs all around the walls, and banners hanging from overhead. The air smelled of flowers and spice, nothing horrible about it.
Where had the Forger brought him? No. That wasn’t quite what happened, was it?
Haern’s mind wasn’t working the way he knew it should, but he realized that no one had brought him here. He had come of his own accord, following the sense of lorcith.
And if there was lorcith here, he could use it.
He focused on the Forger, and when he emerged from his next Slide, Haern was there, ready, and he brought the board around, slicing with it as if it were a sword. He caught the Forger under his arm, with enough force that the other man grunted as Haern did, spinning off to the side.
Stumbling again, he intended to crash into him, but the other man managed to stagger back before Sliding.
Where was he going? Haern followed the sense of the Slide, tracking the way the strange shimmering appeared. If he could follow that, he might be able to figure out where the Forger might come out next.
Turning slowly in a circle, he came across him.
It was little more than a slight thickening of the air. He wasn’t sure why he was even aware of it, and for a moment, he wondered if it were nothing more than his imagination. It was possible that with as much as he hurt, with as much pain as now filled his body, he was imagining things.
If so, he would attack the hallucinations.
Another spin, and this time he could swear the Forger was coming out of a Slide nearby. Haern spun again, bringing the board around. As he did, he connected.
There came a crack as he caught the Forger underneath his chin.
The man staggered back.
If he could Slide, why would he remain in this place?
“Where is my father?” Haern asked when the man emerged from another Slide. He didn’t attack this time, holding his hands out, his arms off to either side. The electrical shocks surging through him continued, but he had begun to ignore them. He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to do so, but with each shock, he found he was able to push it out of his mind and ignore the sensation.
“Your father is lost.”
“He’s not lost. I’m going to find him.”
“You won’t be able to find him.”
“Don’t say that!”
Haern staggered forward again, swinging his boards.
The Forger smiled at him. “Unfortunately for you, it is the truth. Your father is lost.”
“No!”
The Forger grinned.
Distantly, Haern knew the man was playing him, that he was tormenting him so he could get the reaction he wanted, and it was working. Haern had to react. It was his father, after all, and he had lived for too long without Rsiran in his life.
When the Forger started to shimmer, the translucent air seeming to fold, Haern launched himself.
Pain coursed through him, and he could barely stand it, but he threw himself at the Forger, crashing into him just as he Slid.
The Forger tried to Slide, but Haern was there, holding on to him, his arms wrapped around the man’s neck. The Forger grabbed on to the metal rings through his hands, pulling on them. Pain rolled through him unlike anything he had ever experienced. His whole body threatened to convulse, to rebel against what the Forger was doing, but Haern ignored it. He had learned how he could ignore it, having forced himself to do so when escaping from the chair.
He squeezed, holding on to the Forger, arms wrapped around the man’s neck, legs brought up around his waist, and the Forger collapsed to the ground. Haern rode him down to the ground, staying on top of him. The Forger gasped for air, but Haern squeezed again. Rage filled him. Hatred for this man nearly overwhelmed him.
He would destroy him.
“Haern?”
The voice came from somewhere near him, and he had no idea why one of these Forgers would know him, and he rolled the Forger over, keeping himself on the man. He squeezed, hands wrapped around the man’s neck, wanting nothing more than to tear away his last breath. He didn’t deserve to live.
And yet, he refrained. If he killed the man, he would no longer be able to find out what happened to his father, and any chance of recovering Rsiran would be gone.
That as much as anything made him hesitate. He eased back but continued to squeeze, digging his fingers into the sides of the man’s throat. This was someone who had tried to kill him. This was someone who had attacked his people. And he had done so more than once.
The Elder Stones Saga Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 144
