The Coming Chaos

by D. K. Holmberg

  Holding on to Elise, he ducked behind a tree. There were three of them that grew quite high here, as if they had been planted in a pattern, and he hoped the shadows would conceal them.

  “What is it?” Elise whispered, leaning toward him and putting her mouth almost up against his ear. The proximity to her sent a shiver through him.

  “I didn’t consider that some of the people down there might be enhanced.”

  Elise stiffened, and she leaned close to him. “Do you think they are?”

  “It’s hard to know, but considering some of the things I’ve seen over the last few months, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

  And if there was someone with any enhancements, he needed to be careful. He didn’t want to put her in any more danger than she already was just by coming with him.

  “Maybe you should—”

  Elise touched his arm, shaking her head. “I’m not going to stay behind on the chance that I might be in any danger.”

  He met her gaze and nodded. “Okay. Let’s move.”

  As he went, Haern kept a hold on his connection to lorcith. He needed to use it carefully, wanting to be ready to push outward with one of his coins or knives—to attack, if it came down to that.

  Thankfully, he had his strength.

  As he went, he became aware of something.

  Haern froze.

  Lorcith.

  It was with the wagons.

  She leaned in, whispering to him. “What is it?”

  He shook his head, motioning backward.

  As they headed toward the trees, Haern cursed to himself. He should have been more careful, should have considered the possibility that the caravan would carry lorcith with it, especially after he had been attacked twice and had not seen anything.

  When they reached the trees, she leaned in, looking over at him. “What did you see?”

  “It’s not what I saw. It’s what I felt. There’s lorcith out there.”

  She stared into the darkness. Without any enhancement, there probably wasn’t much that she would be able to see. “What sort of lorcith?”

  That was the problem. He wasn’t certain, but from what he could tell, there was a similarity to the sphere that had attacked him. Twice.

  He focused, listening to the lorcith. The metal had a certain call to it, though he didn’t hear it as a song the way his father and grandfather had described. Perhaps if he could, he wouldn’t have been surprised like this.

  As he focused on lorcith, he listened.

  This time, it wasn’t so much of a song as it was a familiarity. It was something that had influenced him once before, and Haern reached for that connection, though he was careful. The last time he had detected it like this, he had triggered an attack.

  How had he triggered it, though?

  It seemed as if it had been triggered by him pulling on the metal, trying to draw it to him, which he couldn’t do now. He wasn’t even sure he’d be able to. Haern didn’t have any idea where the metal was, though he could feel it.

  If it was anything like the other attacks, it would be situated all around, possibly on the ground, or perhaps there was someone like him, someone who could push on the metal and use it to reach him.

  That didn’t seem to be the case.

  He focused, looking outward, and realized it was in one of the wagons.

  Why, though?

  Unless they were storing it.

  Haern had to be careful. If he approached too quickly or with too much violence, he ran the risk of triggering a response. What would happen if the lorcith was triggered by him?

  It would put Elise in danger.

  He couldn’t do that. Which meant that either he had to back away, or he had to break into the wagon to secure it.

  Then again, if the lorcith was within the wagon, it wasn’t harmful to him. He could trigger it now, force it to explode, to shoot the nails outward, and disarm it.

  There was some benefit in that. He wouldn’t have to fear the possibility it might explode and harm someone, but at the same time, he didn’t like the idea that someone might be in the wagon with it.

  He stood in place, debating what to do.

  He still needed to get closer but didn’t want to approach with Elise.

  “Don’t think you’re going to leave me here,” she whispered.

  “I was considering it.”

  “I see that, but I don’t think you can.”

  “I don’t either, but what I detect is similar to what attacked me before. I don’t know that I can keep you safe.”

  “You mean to trigger it?”

  “I think I need to.”

  “Then won’t I be safer with you than away from you?”

  “It might be safer for you to be back by the others.”

  “You’re not sending me back.”

  “Elise—”

  He didn’t get a chance to finish. A voice within the campsite caught his attention, and Haern turned, looking out into the darkness. A pair of people, both dressed in cloaks and strange circular hats, started out and away, heading in their direction.

  Had they been detected?

  Haern swore under his breath. They needed to move.

  Dropping the lorcith coin, he pushed upward, but at an angle, sending them out and away from the camp. From here, he lowered them back down to the ground, far from where they had been, before turning back toward Elise.

  “What are we doing?”

  Haern shook his head. “We’re going back to the camp.”

  “Just like that?”

  “I don’t know that we have much choice. If they have weapons like that, that means they’re the ones who set them out. Or they knew I was there.” That last seemed a little less likely, for if they had known he was out there, wouldn’t they have targeted him again? Which meant they were using weapons like that indiscriminately. That was almost worse.

  “When we get back there, what then?”

  “Then we avoid the merchants—or whatever they are.”

  13

  Haern

  The next day went almost too slowly for Haern. He remained focused on the possibility of lorcith coming toward them, constantly on edge, worried he might miss something as they hurried generally north, but angling gradually to the west. It was in a different direction than the wagons had headed. Every so often, Haern would take to the air, flying overhead to ensure he didn’t see any sign of the wagons. If it were just him, Haern probably would have gone to investigate, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving the women, and he certainly didn’t like the idea of Elise ending up in danger because he left her behind.

  It was possible heading in this direction would take them away from where they were going and might veer them through different villages. As it was, they didn’t know where they were heading, and Haern hoped they would find someplace to get help—food, clothing, shelter. Anything.

  The more they were forced off their intended path, the less certain he was they would reach any of those things.

  That night, with a small fire crackling, Haern sat off to the side, his sword resting on his lap. Jayna joined him, sitting across from him, her back to the flames. Elise was sitting at the fire with some of the other women, and every so often she would glance back at him as if to ensure that he remained.

  “What did you see?”

  “Twelve wagons. They had a weapon like the one that attacked me several days ago.”

  “Were you attacked?”

  Haern shook his head. “No. I think it was in one of their wagons, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same thing.”

  “What happens if they come toward us?”

  Jayna was practical, something Haern appreciated about her. With what they were doing and where they were going, they needed someone who had a certain practicality about them. There were times when he needed to be far more practical than he was.

  “I keep checking to ensure that they aren’t. Eventually, we should be able to move away from them.”

>   “What happens if we don’t?”

  “I will make sure we stay away from them.”

  Jayna shook her head. “That’s not what I’m getting at. What happens if we approach intentionally?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “The weapon is designed to target people like you. What if we approach?”

  “We?”

  Jayna turned, motioning to the women. “We. Us.” She turned back to him. “Not you.”

  “We don’t know anything about them. What if they—”

  “You’ve already told us what they have. If we wait, we run the risk of some kind of attack we can’t avoid.”

  “That’s why we’re taking a different direction. We’re trying to get away from whatever threat they might pose.”

  “What if that’s the wrong approach?”

  Haern stared at her. He knew what his father would have done in this situation. It was the shadow he’d lived under his entire life. His father would have believed he was the only one capable of protecting anyone else, and he would have gone after the caravan on his own, leaving the others behind.

  Haern didn’t want to be like his father. He respected the man and everything he’d done over the years, his way of defending everyone, and yet if he were to behave like his father, the others would be diminished.

  Hadn’t he seen the effect of that? Hadn’t Haern seen what happened when others were pushed off to the side, essentially told that their input and value was not worth as much?

  He had.

  It was the same issue that had weakened his people. The fact that Rsiran had decided he was the best equipped to deal with the Forgers had made it so that others within Elaeavn did not have the same potential any longer.

  “What do you propose?”

  Jayna blinked. “You would allow this?”

  “I think we need to work together to ensure everyone’s safety. If that involves you taking on a responsibility I cannot, then maybe that’s the right strategy.”

  “I would propose that we send five. Enough that we are somewhat imposing, but not so many that we’re viewed as a threat. We can assess what’s there, and if we find there is some danger, then we escape.”

  “How do you intend to escape if there is a danger?”

  “That will be a different challenge,” she said. “It involves you, Haern.”

  Haern frowned. “How would it involve me?”

  “You can fly above us, watching.”

  “What if the connection to the metal is more dangerous than we realize?”

  “Then you have to draw it away.”

  It involved a risk to the women but also to himself.

  They needed to understand whether the caravan was any sort of danger to them, and if it wasn’t, then they might be able to get help. If it was…

  Then he needed to be prepared.

  “When would you like to do this?”

  “You don’t disagree?”

  “I think it’s a reasonable plan. Better than what I had come up with.”

  “And what had you come up with?”

  Haern smiled, running his finger along the surface of the sword. “If it came down to it, I thought I would have to rush in and deal with the wagons myself.”

  “That would be foolish.”

  “It might be, but it also kept the rest of you out of it.”

  “There are several of us who don’t want to be left out of it.”

  “I’m aware of that,” Haern said. “Who would you recommend go along on this mission?” He knew he would preferably send the women who were the strongest with weapons, but he suspected Jayna needed to plan this herself. Wasn’t it similar to how he had needed to learn? It wasn’t as if he considered himself an expert, but he had more experience than the rest of them, even if his experience was the kind where he had run from danger to danger.

  “I would have Elise remain behind.”

  “Why her?” Haern could easily imagine how Elise would react, and she would blame him for it, but he wasn’t about to argue with the idea that she was to stay behind.

  “She is skilled at organizing, but she isn’t as talented as others with the sword. I would rather have those I know can defend themselves rather than someone who is still working at it.” Jayna glanced over her shoulder at Elise. “I’m sure you would prefer to have her with you, though, so I wouldn’t argue if you suggest otherwise.”

  When Jayna looked back at him, Haern shook his head. “I’m not going to object. I think Elise staying behind makes sense. You get to be the one to tell her.” He smiled. “And you get to tell her that it was your idea.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’ve manipulated me?” Jayna asked.

  “You’re the one who came to me with the plan.”

  “Is it a good plan?”

  “We won’t know until we try it,” Haern said. Jayna stared at him for a moment, and he could see that she was uncertain. “I think it’s a reasonable plan. Probably a good plan, but we won’t know until we get closer. I think it’s a good idea to go and if there is anything there, you may have to modify what you intend.”

  “That is my concern. None of us want to face the same challenges again. We have all gone through this enough times and with enough torment that we don’t think we can stand by and wait.”

  “The other choice is to continue what we’re doing.”

  Jayna glanced back at the fire. “We might lose Marcy if we do that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Even though she’s medicated and much more comfortable, she’s still in pain. We can’t carry her, no more than we’ve been carrying her, and if we can’t get her to someplace soon, we might lose her.”

  “Then we should do this now,” Haern said.

  “Now?”

  “It’s still early. If we move quickly, we can get to them and back before the end of the night.”

  Haern got to his feet, sheathing his sword, and headed toward the fire while Jayna went and spoke to the others she intended to invite along on the mission. Haern had a sneaking suspicion she’d already spoken to them.

  When he reached Elise, she looked back at him. “What were the two of you talking about?”

  “Her plan.”

  “Her plan?”

  “She thinks we should approach the caravan.”

  “I thought you were avoiding it.”

  “I was, but she isn’t so certain we should.”

  “And you’re letting her decide?”

  “I think it’s reasonable.”

  “I get the sense I’m not going to care very much for this.”

  “She has some who she thinks would be a good fit for this task.”

  “And I’m not a part of it.”

  “She feels your organizational skills would be better utilized here.”

  Haern had worried Elise would get angry, but she surprised him.

  “I’m not as quick with the sword as Jayna, and both Stacy and Yolanda are faster with their knives.” She looked to where Jayna was talking to others. “Is it a good plan?”

  “I don’t know. I was going to have us continue veering away, but I’m not sure that’s the right strategy, either.”

  “We need the wagons,” she said.

  “That’s what she says as well.”

  “You’ll be safe?”

  Elise slipped her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. It was more affection than they had shown each other up to this point, and he found himself surprised before sinking in and allowing her to hug him. He hugged her back. “Be safe.”

  Haern could only nod.

  With that, he started off, joining Jayna and the others as they hurried across land. They made their way east, in the general direction where he thought they’d find the wagons. As they walked, he handed a coin to Jayna.

  “What’s this for?”

  “Carry it with you and I’ll be able to find you,” he said.

  “Where will you go?”
>
  “To find the caravan.”

  As he started to push off, she grabbed his wrist, keeping him from going anywhere. “Don’t leave us behind.”

  “I don’t intend to. Let me find out where they are, and I’ll return.”

  Jayna held him with a hard-eyed gaze for a long moment and then released his wrist.

  Haern pushed, streaking into the air, soaring high above the ground and surveying the landscape. From here, he could make out the campfire they’d started. It was small, controlled, the kind of campfire that would be mostly concealed.

  He moved in an easterly direction and scanned for any sign of light. After a while, he began to worry they were aware of his presence. It would be a reason to conceal themselves. But then, in the distance, Haern saw what he was looking for. As he approached, the fire was far larger than he’d believed, the flames dancing. He paused for a moment, watching it before starting to turn.

  As he did, he realized that something wasn’t right.

  Haern turned back.

  How many wagons were there?

  There had been a dozen wagons before, and now… now there were eight.

  Where had the other four gone?

  As he focused, searching for the sense of lorcith, he felt it down below, which reassured him. At least one of these wagons still had the lorcith he wanted to find—and possibly trigger so that it couldn’t harm anyone else. Then again, what would happen if they had divided up the lorcith they carried? What would happen if there was another danger out there?

  He pushed himself forward, circling around the campsite.

  Where had the other caravan gone?

  Haern focused on the coin he’d given Jayna, drawing himself back to it. When he reached them, dropping to the ground, they spun, almost as one.

  “I found the caravan,” Haern said. “There’s a problem.”

  “What is it?” Jayna asked.

  “There were twelve wagons last time. Now there are eight.”

  “Did you see where the others went?”

  Haern shook his head. “I didn’t see or detect anything.”

  “Then we head back to the others,” Jayna said.

  It certainly was better than him wandering in the darkness, searching for something he might not even be able to find. They had been purposefully trying to avoid the wagons.