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

He tensed with immediate concern. “Why is that?”

“The man you know as Cyran escaped. It is the reason I could not get to you before now.”

The comment took him off guard, more than he had expected. “How would he have escaped?”

Cyran escaping from the El’aras was more than surprising. It suggested that he might be more powerful than Gavin knew.

“I do not know. There was an attack on the temple where he was held.”

Gavin smiled slightly. “Temple?”

“You don’t believe the temple would be equipped to hold somebody of his stature?”

“I fear it might be too kind for him,” Gavin said. “With everything he’s done, I think he deserves something a bit more brutal than that.”

“Perhaps he does,” she said. “Perhaps we should have been more assertive with holding him. Unfortunately, it is what it is. At this point, he is gone. I doubt he will come after you, even though you are responsible for what happened to him previously.”

Gavin wasn’t entirely sure if that was true or not. Knowing Cyran as he did—at least, knowing who he’d been before and the kind of person that he’d become—Gavin wouldn’t put it past him to come for vengeance. Especially if he knew Gavin was busy trying to fight off the issues Tristan posed for him.

It was one more thing to be concerned about.

“How did he get out? Could Tristan have been responsible?”

“That is what we believe.” She seemed irritated. “It was a mistake, more than anything else.”

“A mistake?”

“An unfortunate one. He is gone, and I would caution you to be careful.”

Gavin patted his pocket where he had slipped the sh’rasn powder. “If he comes, I might need this.”

“He is a powerful sorcerer,” she said. “Unconventionally trained, and because of that, he will do unexpected things with his power. You must be prepared for that.”

“It’s personal for him,” Gavin said. Cyran had been his friend. He thought the two of them had been close and should have been fighting on the same side. “But I will watch out for him.”

She tipped her head to the side, as if listening to something, before she turned her focus back on Gavin. “I must take my leave. I have been gone long enough, and my people have seen to it that I cannot disappear the way I did the last time. They want to ensure that I fulfill my obligations, much like you will need to fulfill yours. You must return.”

“I must, must I?”

“I will report if I learn anything of your friend.”

Gavin nodded, but he doubted that she would be able to find anything or do anything for him at all at this point. She walked away, and when she reached the edge of the clearing, she disappeared.

Gavin watched for a moment, then headed to the house. He pulled the door open and paused as he envisioned what it had looked like when he had originally gone in there for Tristan’s assignment and failed. Then he saw in his mind as the Toral had come through here, destroying everything in her path.

What would Tristan have done had he acquired a ring like that?

Unless he had.

Could that be why the Toral was after me?

He had started to think that she didn’t want to harm him, but she thought he had something. There was something in Yoran.

Could it be the dark egg?

The idea of Tristan acquiring a ring left him trembling.

It was time to get back to Nelar, to Gaspar, and decide what they were going to do now. Only then could they plan their next steps, but the problem for Gavin was that he didn’t know what they needed to do or where they needed to go. The only thing he believed was that they were running out of time to save Wrenlow and Olivia. Whatever Tristan planned would be coming soon.

And since he had already stopped them once, Gavin feared waiting too much longer.

He left the house and paused in front of the stone wolf, resting his hand on top of it for a moment before climbing on. The wolf started off, loping quickly through the forest, as if knowing exactly what Gavin wanted and what he needed. They reached the outskirts of the city, and then he dismounted.

Gavin headed straight toward the outpost. The same feeling of cold washed over his skin as he pulled the door open and stepped inside, enough to warn him that whatever magic he might be able to access would be mitigated. He hurried to the room where Gaspar was recovering. Gaspar sat on the edge of the bed as Imogen watched the door.

“You’re up,” Gavin said.

“Damn right, I’m up,” Gaspar said. “It’s taken you long enough. We can’t sit around with Olivia missing—”

“And Wrenlow,” he said.

“The kid will be fine. I can’t go back to the city and tell Desarra I didn’t find her sister.” He let out a shaky breath. “Where have you been?”

Gavin tapped on the enchantment in his ear. “I called her. I needed to know whether or not this thing was even working.”

“And?”

“And she said it was functioning. She also said that El’aras enchantments don’t deplete quite as quickly as other kinds of enchantments.”

“You worried about that?”

“I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to count on it.”

Then again, Gavin shouldn’t have been. He should have known that he would have access to the power within the enchantment for as long as he wanted, especially given that it was made by the El’aras. It was different than one made by an enchanter, or even a sorcerer. Both had their own unique skill set, but neither of them had the same power as the El’aras.

“I tried to see if she would help us too,” Gavin said.

Gaspar grunted, sliding off the edge of the table. He wobbled there for a moment, clenching his jaw. “And?”

“She said she couldn’t.”

“Figures. Why would the El’aras get involved in this kind of business?”

Gavin shrugged. “I don’t know why they would, but I would’ve expected for them to have some interest