Soldier Song (The Teralin Sword Book 6) Read online

  Endric smiled. “I don’t either. And if I know Novan, we won’t find him. He will find us,” Endric said.

  “Just like that?”

  “He is incredibly well connected. I don’t know how, but somehow, he learns about things before they happen. Think about how he found us when we were chasing Urik. Without him…”

  Without Novan, they might’ve faced a much more difficult road. Novan had helped the Denraen much more than most knew, and that was how Novan wanted it, something that didn’t surprise Endric, especially considering that as one of the historians, he was not supposed to intervene, yet he often did.

  “You’re talking about him somehow discovering that we are looking for him on the road heading north, and from there be willing to do whatever it is that my mother intends for him.”

  “That is a little far-fetched,” Endric said. “And I’m not anticipating he will find us, not quite like that.”

  “Then what is it that you expect from him?”

  “With Novan, he will probably find us when we least expect him.”

  Endric remembered the time that he was traveling with the Antrilii after he had been rescued by Nahrsin and Dentoun. At the time, Endric had thought it nothing more than coincidence, chance, but after getting to know Novan and discovering everything that he was able to do, he wondered if perhaps that wasn’t the case at all.

  Then again, it might’ve had just as much to do with the Conclave as it did with his desire to find the Antrilii. The Conclave had an interest in ensuring the groeliin didn’t roam too far to the south, and they had sent not only Novan but also Brohmin, using their two most skilled individuals to ensure that safety.

  “She’s not telling you something,” Pendin said.

  “I know,” Endric said.

  “And you don’t care?”

  “I care,” Endric said, “but there’s not much I can do about it until she decides that it’s time. I suspect she intends to use us still, though I haven’t been able to determine what it is.”

  “She wants to use me,” Senda said.

  “What?” Endric turned to her.

  She looked across the growing fire at Elizabeth, and she studied Elizabeth with an interested look of distrust. “She’s a complicated woman,” she said, glancing at Pendin. “I’ve always known that about her, but what she’s after now, I think, is even more complicated than we give her credit for.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought she wanted to use you only to get to Novan, and it’s possible that’s all this is about, but I’ve begun to wonder if maybe it’s more. When she requested I accompany you on this journey, I realized she had something in mind for me.”

  “You think it’s more than just her interest in having someone to calm me?” Endric asked with a hint of a smile.

  “Oh, that’s possibly part of it.”

  “I’m calm,” Endric said.

  “Most of the time,” Senda agreed. “And I don’t know you need any special calming, not as she’s suggesting. What I’m more concerned about is her interest in using Novan and me.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “What I mean is that if the intention is to infiltrate the guild, they need someone who can do so.”

  “More than Novan?”

  “Novan is a known entity within the guild. It’s entirely possible the guild doesn’t trust him.”

  “Why wouldn’t the guild trust him?” Pendin asked. It was the most he’d said since they left the city.

  “I remember hearing what Urik would say about Novan. He respected him, but he didn’t necessarily trust him. Most of the guild seemed to believe Novan had his own agenda.”

  “I’m sure that he does,” Endric said.

  “And if they believe he has his own agenda, then they might not trust him when he returns to the guild.”

  “And how does this have anything to do with you?” Pendin asked.

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t been able to figure that part out yet, but your mother has something in mind. More likely than not, it has something to do with my role as Keeper of Secrets for the Denraen, but she also has to know I hold that position sacred, and I have no intention of violating the commitment.”

  “What if she’s counting on that?” Endric asked.

  Senda frowned. “That would trouble me even more.”

  She went off to speak with Robin, the young woman she was training, and left Pendin and Endric alone.

  “I’m not the only one who doesn’t like this,” Pendin said.

  “You’re not, and we will do everything we can to ensure that she doesn’t betray you.”

  “I don’t worry that she’s going to betray me,” Pendin said. “I know she wants to help. However it is in her own unique way, but that still doesn’t change the fact that she’s not being honest with us and whatever she’s doing is in service of the university and not on behalf of the Denraen.”

  “What if how she served the university can serve the Denraen?” Endric couldn’t imagine that his father would allow tunnels to be built between the different terraces if there wasn’t an intention for them to share information. Would the Magi have allowed it?

  Maybe the Magi didn’t know. Tresten would have known, but then, Endric thought Tresten knew about a great many things that others within Vasha didn’t know.

  “I’m not sure that’s the case,” Pendin said.

  Endric looked over at Elizabeth. She sat near the fire, her legs crossed, and she watched him with Pendin. It wasn’t that he distrusted her. She was a part of something greater than just the university, and her connection to the Conclave meant she had knowledge even Pendin didn’t understand, but he also didn’t necessarily trust her implicitly. There were things she had done that left him wondering.

  He took a seat next to Elizabeth. “I think the two of us need to have a conversation.”

  “What kind of conversations should we have, Endric? You obviously remain concerned about this assignment.”

  “I’m not the only one. Senda questions what you intend, too.”

  “Senda has always had a bright mind.”

  “What do you intend to use her for?”

  “Use her? What makes you think I intend to use her for anything?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you requested she accompany us. There was no reason for her to come otherwise, and I doubt my father would have allowed her to come had you not shared with him that reason. It’s not just about me and my comfort.”

  Though Endric couldn’t deny the fact that having Senda with him did make this journey all the more tolerable. One of the advantages of having been promoted to Raen meant that he shouldn’t have to be off on patrols as often as he was. Getting to choose who went with him was a benefit.

  “All will be explained in time,” Elizabeth said.

  “Why north?”

  “Because we’re looking for Novan.”

  “And why was Novan in the north?”

  “The same reason you were in the north,” a familiar voice called from out the darkness.

  Endric jolted to his feet, spinning before he recognized Novan. The historian was tall and slender, and he carried a slender staff with him at all times. Endric had seen him fighting with that staff and knew that he was incredibly skilled. A long, brown cloak covered him, the hood draping over his face, obscuring his features. As Endric looked at him, Novan pulled the hood down, studying him for a moment.

  “How did you find us?” Endric asked.

  “I’ve been following you for the last day.”

  “The last day?” Endric would like to believe that they would have recognized had they been followed, but with a party as small as theirs, it was possible they wouldn’t. Normally when on patrols, he had scouts roving, ensuring they weren’t trailed, but with only the seven of them, they didn’t dare risk getting separated.

  “How did you know we were here?”

  “Dendril sent word,” Novan said. He looked down at Eliz
abeth, and a wide smile crossed his face. “Which is surprising considering Elizabeth is the one here. I would’ve expected her to have sent word, but then again, she has grown distant over the last few years.”

  Endric stared Elizabeth. “Elizabeth has grown distant?”

  “She has. It was almost enough to make those of us who care about such things question her loyalties.”

  “I’ve always offered myself up to the Conclave,” Elizabeth whispered. “And the Conclave has often remained silent, as if unconcerned about what the university can offer.”

  “It’s not a lack of interest, it’s more of a need. There are only so many of us within the Conclave, and there is only so much that we can influence.”

  “Yet you don’t allow others to have a greater tie to it.”

  Endric turned to Novan. “How much a part of the Conclave is she?”

  “She is something of an affiliate. There are core members of the Conclave, and there are those who are aware of it but don’t have the same understanding of its inner workings. Elizabeth would like to have a greater understanding, but it’s that interest which gives many of us within the Conclave pause. The Conclave is not meant as a means to power.”

  “I want nothing of power.”

  “There are others who have said the same.”

  She looked up at him, having not gotten to her feet. Somehow, she managed to make herself look comfortable. “Do not equate me to him.”

  “Then who should I equate you to?”

  “More to yourself.”

  Novan chuckled. “I’m not sure that’s any better. There are some who believe I’m far too meddlesome.”

  “And yet they allowed you to join,” Elizabeth said.

  “They did.”

  “I won’t apologize for my quest for knowledge, Novan,” she said.

  Novan stepped forward and tapped his staff on the ground. He was little older than the last time Endric had seen him, and it seemed as if his hair were a little longer. He hadn’t realized it quite so well before, but the staff Novan carried had teralin infused within it. Within that teralin was power, and he could feel it, though he wondered if he was the only one who could. While he knew Novan understood the different polarities of teralin, he didn’t know whether Novan was able to use them.

  Novan chuckled. “I don’t think anyone would ever make you apologize for a quest for knowledge,” he said.

  “The Conclave would have me do so,” Elizabeth said. “The Conclave would rather have me have no access to the things they know.”

  “Only because we have learned to question those who seek knowledge for the wrong purposes.”

  “Novan—” she started,

  Novan merely shook his head. “Again, I’m not passing judgment, Elizabeth. I recognize what intrigues you, even if I disagree with how you’re going about it.”

  Endric arched a brow at that comment. “How is she going about it?”

  “Not like Urik, if that’s what you’re concerned about,” she said, snapping at Endric.

  Novan smiled and motioned to the fire. “Why don’t we have a seat and a conversation?”

  “Not everyone is privy to what we know,” she said, glancing up at Senda and Pendin, ignoring the other Denraen.

  Novan chuckled. “No. Not privy to it, and if only there were one of the Magi to help ensure our silence,” he said.

  Endric frowned. “What are you getting at, Novan?”

  “Only this.” He tipped his staff, and Endric glanced out into the night.

  He had good eyesight, and he was able to see through the darkness, so he easily saw a tall figure making his way toward them. Even from a distance, Endric could recognize the person. It had been years since he had seen Tresten, but Endric doubted he would ever not recognize the mage. Or damahne. It was difficult to know how exactly to refer to Tresten these days.

  When Endric hurried over to him, Tresten offered a smile. “I’m pleased to see you, as well.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “The same as you, I suppose.”

  “We came looking for Novan, though I’m not sure how Elizabeth would have known he would be here.”

  “Elizabeth would not have known. We made it known so that you could find us.”

  “You wanted me to find you?”

  “It would be beneficial for you to find us, if that helps.”

  Endric frowned. “I don’t understand. What is it that you’re after? Why reveal yourself to them?”

  He pointed to the other Denraen, and as he did, he realized that everyone around them was completely frozen. No one moved other than Novan, and he looked at Endric with a hint of a smile.

  “This is merely a trick,” Tresten said.

  “What kind of trick?”

  “The kind that allows me to pause the fibers,” Tresten said.

  “I still don’t understand.”

  “And perhaps you never will, but there is no shame in that. Many don’t understand the true nature of the fibers, even those who should know them.”

  “What are the fibers?”

  “They are the fibers of time. Through the fibers, I detected your passing. Each person has their own fiber, and they are woven together to create a tapestry of time. For those of us with some talent toward the fibers, we are able to manipulate them, and we can use them in such a way as to—”

  “To stop time?”

  “It’s a little different than simply stopping time. It’s more about pulling others into a bend of the fibers, collecting them so that we can share these moments and the others don’t have to witness them.”

  “You don’t want Elizabeth to be a part of this?”

  “I think Elizabeth can know a great number of things, but not this.”

  “And what is this?”

  “She is right to be concerned about the guild,” Novan said, approaching.

  “You knew?”

  “I’m not so far removed from the guild as to have no knowledge of what takes place.” Novan looked over at Tresten, and Endric couldn’t help but wonder what it was that Tresten did. How was he able to hold them in this time loop, this way of shielding them from the passing of time? It was an oddity, but he could see that it would be incredibly powerful.

  “Was this how you managed to make it look as if you were dead?”

  Tresten tipped his head in a slight nod. “You are quite clever, Endric. You grasped the nature of the fibers far faster than many who should have an understanding of them.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why, if you can do this, would you not have stopped Urik?”

  “Ah. Another good question. You wonder why I wasn’t able to foretell what Urik might do.” When Endric nodded, Tresten only smiled. “Urik was difficult. He had a complex mind, and with complexity, it opens up possibilities.”

  “Why does that matter?”

  “Because with possibilities, it becomes difficult to determine which path a person might take. I speak of the fibers as something real, and it is.” He leaned down and plucked a handful of grasses. He twisted the end of them together and held them out. The other end splayed outward, and he pointed to the bundle he clutched in his hand. “Imagine this is your fibers,” he said. “This strand is where you have been. It’s comprised of all the possibilities of what might have been, and all of the events that have taken place over the years, everything getting you to become the man that you are. In this, you have experienced much. You have not only stopped Urik, but you have come to know the Antrilii along with the groeliin, something that might not have happened under different circumstances.”

  “I think I understand,” Endric said.

  “These are the possibilities before you right now,” Tresten said, pointing to the loose ends of the grasses. “You have dozens at any given time, and sometimes even more. There are certain circumstances where your choices are limited, but if you are prepared, and if you live a complex enough life, your choices are never s
everely limited.”

  “And now I’m not sure I fully understand,” Endric said, smiling.

  “You will. What I’m trying to demonstrate is that you have these possibilities, but through these possibilities is something else. It’s choice. Now, if I were to look at your fibers and see the possibilities spread out in front of you, I might see this dozen choices, but then coming off of each additional one,” he said, grabbing one strand of grass, “there would be another dozen choices, and then another dozen, and as you decide, those choices are woven together, forming the choice in person that you are.”

  “So you can’t follow these choices very far because they are too complicated?”

  “They are complicated, and in certain individuals, the complication stems from their preparation. Urik was one such individual. He was quite prepared. He had a very complicated mind, and it’s a shame that he made the choices he did, for in a different situation, he could have been a different man, and he would have served in another way—a much more useful way.”

  “On the Conclave?”

  “I imagine there would be several circumstances Urik would have served the Conclave,” Tresten said. “It is why we watched him as long as we did. Unfortunately…”

  “If you knew that about him, how is it that you didn’t know that he would betray the Denraen?”

  Tresten smiled. “It’s not always quite so simple, Endric. Though there are possibilities, they aren’t all quite like you would want them to be. A man like Urik made difficult choices, but until he gained our notice, we didn’t even know to look at him. There are countless people in the world, which means countless strands all woven together, forming the true fibers of time.”

  Tresten released the bundle of grasses, dropping them to the ground.

  “You’re saying that you aren’t all-powerful.”

  Tresten chuckled. “When have I ever claimed to be all-powerful?”

  “I think most would believe the gods are all-powerful.”

  “And what do you believe, Endric?”

  “This has nothing to do with what I believe.”

  “On the contrary, I think it has everything to do with what you believe. You, Senda, Pendin, the others with you. All of this has much to do with what you believe. Your beliefs shape your decisions, and therefore your beliefs shape the fibers.”