The Stone Wolf (The Chain Breaker Book 4) by D.K. Holmberg (digital book reader TXT) 📕

if you need me, I’ll return. I think you and the others will be able to protect the city in my absence, but I’m here for you.”

That wasn’t what Gavin wanted to do, but what choice did he have? What was his friend’s life against the potential danger that might be incurred in Yoran if a person of that kind of magic continued to run loose? Gavin might want to save Wrenlow and Olivia, but if the Toral continued to target the city while looking for him, he wouldn’t have much of a choice but to come back.

“I’ll hold you to it,” she said.

Gavin got to his feet. He leaned on the chair for a moment, wobbling in place, and then forced a smile. “Maybe before I gather some of your enchantments, you wouldn’t mind if I rested?”

Zella frowned at him. “You want to rest here?”

“Only for a few hours. Please don’t let me sleep any longer than that.”

“How long would you sleep otherwise?”

“Normally, not long. With what I did…” Gavin shrugged. “The last time, I slept for three days.”

Her eyes widened. “I will give you until morning. Is that long enough?”

“That is. Thank you.”

She guided him over toward the fire, and the little girl looked up at him and smiled. She was folding the paper from the book into different shapes, including ones that looked like a crane, a bird, and, surprisingly, a dragon.

“Alana, Gavin here needs to take a nap. Do you mind?”

She nodded. “I will make sure he’s safe.”

“Thank you,” Gavin said, lowering himself to the ground and resting his head. Fatigue worked its way through him, and as he closed his eyes, he noticed the girl setting the paper animals around him. He smiled to himself. Hopefully, they were enchantments that would protect him. Regardless, he was in a place that he thought he could rest safely, where he didn’t have to fear awakening to another attack.

The only things he had to fear when he fell asleep were dreams of Tristan and what he might do to Gavin when he finally caught up to him. If only the girl had a way to protect him from those…

Chapter Twelve

Gavin awoke refreshed, and he found the room mostly empty. No sign of the girl, no sign of Irison, only Zella still sitting at the table, reading the book in front of her.

He sat up and looked around. The paper animals that Alana had placed around him were still there. The fire had burned down to glowing embers. The air smelled of the smoke and the warmth, and there was a hint of something else. Some floral fragrance, though Gavin couldn’t quite place it.

As he stirred, Zella looked over to him, closing the book again. “I thought you were going to sleep for several days.”

“How long has it been?”

“Only a few hours.” She got to her feet. “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” Gavin said. “But given everything I’ve gone through, that’s not altogether surprising.”

“I would very much like to know more about your particular kind of magic,” she said.

“I don’t know if I can tell you more about it. I’m not even sure about any of it.”

Gavin didn’t know enough to share anything with her. Not that he didn’t trust Zella. At least, that wasn’t entirely it. He trusted her somewhat—enough that he’d come here looking for her enchantments and had borrowed her help to defeat the sorcerer. But he wasn’t sure about revealing that he was part El’aras. Gavin didn’t know what that meant for him yet.

She watched him. “I suppose you will be wanting to borrow enchantments now. And place that dark egg into the vault.”

“When I can,” he said. He got to his feet and looked over to the door. Surprisingly, the stone wolf was still there, and it watched Gavin, as if it had been waiting for him.

“Mekel said you could take him with you.”

“I don’t imagine I’ll be able to shrink the wolf, will I?”

Zella shrugged. “I can’t say whether or not you will be able to, to be honest. The wolf, such as you call it, is only connected to you in this form.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Gavin said.

“Perhaps, but you might find that there is a benefit to it.”

“What benefit is that?”

“The wolf does not grow tired.”

“Why would that be a benefit… I see.” He realized what she was getting at. What would it be like, riding a stone wolf? “I might need two others, then.”

“Who else is going with you?”

“Gaspar and Imogen.”

“It seems to me you’re bringing a capable team,” Zella said.

“That’s my hope,” he said.

She motioned for him to follow, and she tapped on a section of the wall he hadn’t noticed in his tired state. A door opened, and she stepped through. Gavin paused at the entrance and looked back at the stone wolf, which was still watching him.

The door led down, and Gavin studied it for a moment. It hadn’t been there before.

“A new way of reaching the storeroom?” he asked.

“We thought a few modifications were in order when we took this place over.”

“It’s still the same storeroom, though.”

“Perhaps.” Zella tipped her head toward the wolf. “You can leave him there.”

“I’m not sure I can,” Gavin said.

“He will not go anywhere. Mekel has instructed him to stay with you and protect you.”

“If I’m going down there, then is he really protecting me?”

“More than you can imagine,” she said.

Gavin followed her into the other room, and as soon as he did, the door closed behind him. It had to be another enchantment, but it was a skillfully made one.

There was only a stream of light along the floor, a pale blue that glowed softly and radiated upward, giving enough light for him to see his way forward but not so much to illuminate everything. She stopped at another wall, and she pressed her hand on it.

“Everything here is enchanted?” Gavin asked.

“Everything that matters,” Zella said.

The door came open, and he followed her inside. As before, the door closed right behind them,