The Fates of Yoran (The Chain Breaker Book 3)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “Why would you do such a thing, Gavin Lorren? Have I not told you that the egg belongs to my people?”

  “You’ve told me what you believe.”

  “Have I misled you in the time you’ve known me?”

  “I suppose not,” he said, frowning.

  “Have I helped you when you’ve needed it?”

  Gavin nodded. “I suppose you have.”

  “Then the egg is mine,” Anna said.

  “I think there’s a price.”

  “A price?” She turned, clutching the egg to her chest. “What sort of price do you think you could place on an item my people hold so dear?”

  “The price of safety.”

  “Your safety has never been an issue.”

  “Not my safety.” Gavin turned, nodding behind him. “The safety of the city.”

  “The city is not your concern,” she said.

  “Perhaps not, but I don’t want anything to happen to it. Knowing the Fates have come to Yoran and that they decided to attack, I feel I need to do whatever I can to offer it a level of protection.”

  “That is your price?”

  “The Fates need to be neutralized,” Gavin said.

  “Neutralized?”

  “I don’t care what you do to them. I don’t care what any of your people do to them. All I know is that I want the Fates to be removed from the city. Them and their smoke creature servants.”

  She stiffened. “What did you say?”

  Gavin shrugged, turning back to her. “Their smoke creatures. They unleashed them on the city, and the smoke has been feeding on magic.”

  “No.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’ve seen it myself. We’ve barely survived several of the attacks.”

  “What you are describing sounds like the semarrl—and the Fates would not have released them upon the city.”

  Anna moved over a step, sweeping her gaze around her. She seemed unmindful of the fact that she stood here with Gavin, a man who had been trained to fight and kill—though, having been around the El’aras, he suspected that he didn’t pose her nearly the same threat that he posed others.

  She didn’t have her usual protection, though. Why would she be so willing to risk herself by coming to him and answering his summons?

  There was something more here that he didn’t fully understand, something more that she either didn’t want to tell him or couldn’t yet tell him. Gavin hated the uncertainty, hated not knowing, hated the idea that there might be somebody like Anna who knew more about him than he did. When she had been here the last time, she had made comments about his heritage that he had denied, but Gavin had increasingly begun to question whether or not she had been right.

  Gavin chuckled. “Now you’re trying to convince me that what I saw was inaccurate?”

  “It was inaccurate if you think the Fates would unleash that kind of devastation upon the city.”

  “Then what is it?” Gavin asked, turning toward her. He reached for the El’aras dagger and felt the irony as he tried to grab for a weapon that he had taken from Anna and her people. None of them had tried to reclaim the weapon, though he doubted that they would have been able to. Perhaps he could have been overwhelmed if they had made a concerted effort, but instead they had worked with him, wanting to regain the Shard. Gavin still didn’t understand everything about the Shard, but he knew that ensuring its safety had protected the city in some way and had kept a sorcerer from accessing it.

  “It was not the Fates,” Anna said.

  “Who, then?”

  “Another.”

  Gavin shook his head. “I thought you said the egg was taken years ago.”

  “Centuries ago. And that is a long time for one like yourself, not so long for one like us.”

  “So it’s one of the El’aras.”

  “Was,” she said in a whisper.

  “Where are they?”

  “I don’t know. I’m afraid you must find the one who commands the semarrl.”

  That fit with what the Keeper had said.

  If not the Fate, then who?

  The person I saw kill the Captain.

  The words the Captain said came back to him: Don’t let him take it.

  It had to be tied together.

  “I don’t even know where to begin.”

  “If these creatures have been attacking, that is where you need to begin.”

  “Why?” Gavin asked.

  “Because they will destroy you. Them. Everyone. They can be summoned, though. With enough power, they can be drawn. Find what calls them.”

  Gavin’s mind raced.

  The Keeper had mentioned something about the Triad’s plan.

  A troubling thought came to him. What if the Triad had used the egg to create something that would summon the semarrl?

  It could be used against the Fates.

  And it would make sense the Captain would have it. He had acquired many of the enchantments that had been in the city after the war. The device might even explain the dead sorcerer. If the Triad had been using the egg to create a way to control the semarrl, Gavin could imagine it getting away from them.

  “An enchantment?”

  “None of your enchantments will hold for long. Not against the semarrl. Everything you try will fail in time.”

  “Could the egg create something?”

  “Not with the power we possess,” she said softly. “It would take much power, and at great cost.”

  Gavin swallowed. Everything started to fit together. The enchanters served the Triad. The Triad wanted power. They could have used the enchanters to fuel the egg to create something that would help them overthrow the Fates but damaged themselves in the process.

  “So we can’t do anything. That is quite reassuring,” Gavin said.

  “It’s not meant to be reassuring. I am telling you the truth, Gavin Lorren.”

  “Can you help?”

  “Not with the semarrl. Unfortunately, their kind is deadly to mine.”

  Gavin should’ve figured that. Knowing what he did of the smoke creatures, the way they seemed to feed on those with magic, it shouldn’t surprise him that they would feed on the El’aras.

  “I have to do something,” he said. “If I can contain the smoke creatures, can you be responsible for removing the Fates from the city?”

  Anna considered. “The threat of the semarrl is a grave danger to both sorcerer and El’aras. If you succeed, I will ensure that the Fates depart Yoran.”

  “Good.”

  “That is all?”

  Gavin smirked. “That’s all? You make it sound as if it’s not a problem. Like you aren’t concerned this power exists, as if there’s no reason to be concerned about anything.”

  “Not quite. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the power that exists, but what you must do is something different.”

  “You’re saying that what I need to do—stopping these smoke creatures—is more dangerous than what I’m asking you to do.”

  “Yes.”

  “Great,” Gavin said. He shook his head, and he looked around. “Where are the others with you?”

  “There are no others with me.”

  Gavin frowned. “Why wouldn’t you have invited the others to come?”

  “The agreement was with you.” She held his gaze, and a wave of something washed through him. Energy. Power. Loss. Anticipation. Dozens of emotions filled him.

  “Don’t.” Gavin shivered.

  Anna watched him. “You fight your true nature.”

  “I don’t fight anything.”

  “Only, I feel your nature has been awoken,” she said. “Much more so than it had been before.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you were with us before, you did not possess the same strength as what I detect within you now. Have you begun to embrace it?”

  “I don’t know if I’m embracing anything,” he said. He frowned, reaching for that power. It was there, but he didn’t know what it
was that she asked of him.

  “You must be,” Anna said, “for I feel it within you.”

  “You haven’t said what I called you away from.”

  She started to look away, and her gaze swept over the forest. “My time has been challenging.”

  “You still have Cyran.”

  She nodded slowly, still not looking back at him. “He will find it difficult to escape us.”

  “Why has your time been difficult?”

  “There are reasons that I left the people for a time.”

  “Because you are the Risen Shard?”

  She looked over to him, and there was a brightness in her eyes, and something more. Was it doubt?

  “I am the Risen Shard.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that I have a destiny.”

  “And what is that destiny?”

  Sadness fell across her features. “One that I must face. That is what I have been doing since you last saw me, Gavin Lorren. I have been preparing, as I must.”

  “I’m sorry I called you away from it.”

  She waved a hand. “You offer me a distraction. It is welcome.”

  He started to smile. He wasn’t so sure this kind of distraction was what she would welcome, but as he studied her, he couldn’t help but question what she was dealing with. Something bothered her more than what she was letting on.

  She was El’aras. She was a mystery wrapped in mystery. He doubted that he would ever know.

  Gavin reached for the core reserves within him. To deal with the smoke creatures, he would need something more. “When you were here before, you gave me something.”

  “I did.”

  “Do you have more of it?”

  “It’s dangerous,” she said.

  “It might be dangerous, but if I’m going to face the semarrl, I want any advantage I might find.”

  Anna watched him for a moment. “When this is over, you will not be able to function for quite some time.”

  She pulled out a small pouch from her pocket and shook it for a moment, then handed it over to Gavin. He sniffed the pouch, recognizing that there was a strange odor within it.

  “How do you know?” he asked.

  “I’ve seen it.”

  Gavin dabbed his finger into the powder and touched it to his tongue. As soon as he did, there came another surge of energy. He worried whether he could take too much, but at the same time, he might need to take as much as possible for him to succeed. Defeating the Fates was all that mattered, and stopping the smoke creatures was crucial.

  “With Thomas?” He dabbed three fingers into the powder, then licked them. Another surge of energy.

  Anna cocked her head to the side, frowning at him for a moment. “Thomas wouldn’t dare take as much as you did.”

  Was that a compliment? Gavin didn’t necessarily feel like it was much of one. “I took what I had to.” Gavin watched as she held on to the jade egg, which continued to glow. “What are you going to do to the Fates?”

  “You asked me to remove them from Yoran.”

  “I understand, but what are you going to do to them?”

  “Only what must be done.”

  He found Anna impossible to read, like a blank slate to him. As he looked at her, trying to interpret what she might be thinking, he couldn’t come up with anything. Perhaps that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he had her help, even if it took some strange form he didn’t fully understand.

  “I might need to use the jade egg a little bit longer,” Gavin said.

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “If I am going to find what summons them and stop the semarrl, I’m going to need to have something that will help me call to them.” He might need that to protect the enchanters—and the constables.

  “No.”

  “I’m afraid that’s my price,” Gavin said.

  “It will not be served as bait.”

  “In this case, it needs to be. This way, I can also make sure you fulfill your part of the bargain,” he said, smiling at her.

  “You doubt I would?”

  “I don’t know. Should I?”

  She shook her head. “The people will honor their bargain.”

  There was a formality to what she said, more so than what Gavin thought was necessary, but he also worried that something he had said insulted her. He could see it in her eyes, could see the expression that suggested something else. Was it concern?

  Why would she be concerned about me? She had come willingly. Freely. Why would she be concerned about anything that I said?

  “I’m not trying to upset you.” He looked at the egg. “I’m going to need that, though.” He doubted that he could draw the semarrl to him without something that would tempt them. There was power in the egg, especially if he drew on it.

  In his brief experience with them, he knew that they were tempted by the power. They would be drawn to it, and he suspected if he were able to summon enough energy, he might find something that would compel them to follow. The only other challenge was that he then would have to find some way to stop them. He didn’t know what that was going to take.

  Anna watched him for a few moments. “You will return it to me.”

  “And you will take care of the Fate?”

  “I can manage a single sorcerer. It is agreed,” she said.

  “It is agreed.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The outskirts of the city seemed like the right place for him to lure the semarrl. He had the pouch of powder in his pocket. Gavin held on to the jade egg. Ever since Anna had taken it, there was an energy flowing within, which he could feel as he clutched it. The constables had used the egg to try to create enchantments—a misuse of its magic, especially if it truly was an item of power that the El’aras claimed.

  What might I be able to do with it?

  Gavin tapped the enchantment. “Wrenlow?”

  “I’m here.”

  “I need you, Gaspar, and the enchanters to go back to the Captain’s fortress. Keep them safe.”

  “From what?”

  “I’m going to do something stupid.”

  “Gavin—”

  “I might be the only one able to do it.” He didn’t know if that were true or not, but he was determined to figure it out. And he would protect the others. “Just do it. And send Davel to me.”

  There was a moment of pause.

  “He’s coming.”

  Gavin and Anna didn’t have to wait long. Davel strode out of the forest with two other constables who followed before pausing and waiting in the trees.

  “This is her?” Davel asked, eyeing Anna.

  Gavin made quick introductions. “I need traps. As many as you can make.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m going to capture these things. You need to get your constables back to the barracks while I do it.”

  “That’s not how things work in my city.”

  Gavin smirked. “It’s your city now?”

  “It’s always been my city.”

  Gavin shook his head. “Fine. Then create a perimeter around me and make sure they come toward me. Not your people. But I need the traps.”

  He held out the egg, then the spool of wire, ignoring the way Anna watched him.

  Davel hesitated before taking it and starting to wrap it around the egg. “What makes you think you can do this alone?”

  “A hunch.”

  “You’re risking the city on a hunch?”

  “I’m not risking it. I’m going to protect it.”

  Davel grunted as he made enchantments, handing each one to Gavin. When he ran out of the spool or metal, he looked up.

  Gavin grabbed the egg. “I need this for what I’m going to do, too.”

  “Do I even want to know?”

  “Probably not. Get your people out of here. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

  “If you try anything—”

  “I’ve done nothing but help th
e city,” Gavin said.

  Davel grunted again. “I suppose that’s true,” he said begrudgingly, then tapped something on his side as he strode away.

  It left him and Anna to deal with the semarrl and the Fates.

  It seemed like not nearly enough.

  At the same time, it seemed like the only solution.

  If anyone else were involved, and if Gavin and Anna failed, they would draw the attention to them. It was an unnecessary risk if Gavin intended to protect the city. Which meant that the two of them had to succeed.

  He glanced over at Anna. The hood of her cloak was pulled over her face, concealing her, but Gavin still had the sense of her beauty. She flicked her gaze over to him.

  “I had not expected to return to this city when I left.”

  Gavin reached into his pocket, and he fingered the marker that she had given him. “Are you disappointed that I called?”

  There was a moment when he noticed a conflicted expression crossing her brow. “Not disappointed.”

  “Something’s worrying you.”

  “That is of none of your concern,” she said.

  “If you are going to get in trouble coming here…” Gavin had no idea how she could get in trouble. He had a sense that she was somehow El’aras royalty, though she had not said it. She was the Risen Shard, whatever that meant. She had access to power that was beyond what he could draw, even if he were part El’aras.

  “No more trouble than I was destined to find.”

  It was a strange choice of words, and Gavin commented on it.

  “There is nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

  He had a sense from her that she was not going to speak on the topic anymore.

  “At least help me more about what we are dealing with.” Gavin looked around the forest, turning his attention to the street where he had first seen the smoke creatures. The semarrl. “I need to better understand the semarrl and what that threat is.”

  “They are dangerous. They are death.”

  She said the words so solemnly and so matter of fact that Gavin couldn’t help but feel as if there was something more to it. As he continued to look at her, he suspected that she wasn’t as truthful as she could be.

  Gavin looked along the street. There was nothing other than a crowd of people. The forest ran near him, and he could make out Cyran’s old house in the distance. “What are these creatures exactly?” he asked. “You keep saying that they’re dangerous and that they’re death, but what are they?”