Holmberg, D K - The Elder Stones 08 - The Council of Elders by Holmberg D K

Author:Holmberg, D K [Holmberg, D K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2019-12-02T16:00:00+00:00

25

Daniel

Daniel paced around the small chamber. There was nothing here, no remnants of the attack other than a few bloodstains that reminded him of what had happened. He tried not to look too closely at them, but they were there, and they were clear.

“It was here,” he said, pausing in front of one section of the ground. It was dark and dirty, and the air stunk of an old foulness, but there were no bodies here.

“Are you sure?” Rayen asked.

“Quite,” he said.

“I don’t know where we moved the bodies,” Cael Elvraeth said.

She stood off to the side, her hands clasped in front of her, her deep blue robe hanging nearly to the floor. She had watched Daniel, a hint of uncertainty in her deep green eyes, when he had approached with his concerns about the Shadow Queen and those they had killed.

Or seemingly killed.

“We have to figure out where they ended up,” he said.

“I have a hard time believing there could be anything like what you’re describing,” Cael said.

He nodded to Carth. “Wait for me.”

Sliding to Cael, he wrapped shadows around her and then Slid again, emerging in the tower. He wasted no time, taking her directly to the row of cells. As he expected, the three prisoners remained standing, all of them where they had last left them.

“What is this?” Cael asked.

“These are servants of the Shadow Queen. I removed some influence over them.”

Cael frowned. “They’re empty,” she whispered.

“You Read them that quickly?”

She nodded absently, starting toward the bars and leaning forward. “I’ve never detected anything quite like it. I’ve found a few who have managed to reject my ability to reach into their mind, but even there I’m aware of the effort they use in order to do so.”

Any question Daniel had about how powerful a Reader Cael Elvraeth was had been answered by that single statement. He had always believed she was incredibly powerful, and for her to simply expect she would have the necessary strength to Read in such a way told him just how strong she was.

“I wasn’t able to detect anything either. I tried, but they have an absence to them. It’s incredibly strange.”

Cael looked around the cell. “Where is this?”

“This is one of the C’than strongholds,” he said.

“And Carthenne has no problem with you bringing me here?”

“I think Carthenne realizes what we’re facing is dangerous enough that secrets need to be more open.”

Cael took a deep breath. “I’ve seen what I need.”

“Good.” He took a step back. “I don’t like being around them any longer than I need to. It’s easier when I try to kill them, but…”

Cael nodded slowly. “Galen always told me that the killing was the easy part. Always harder for him was deciding who deserved to live and who deserved to die.”

There was a time when Daniel would’ve questioned whether anyone deserved to die, but the longer he had been dealing with the Shadow Queen, the more certain he was there were some who simply didn’t deserve to live any longer.

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