Shadow Hunted (The Collector Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  When Alayna moved closer, she acted.

  The constable had warned that they would know if she did anything, and she was as prepared as she could be. Carth jumped toward the nearest archer and slammed her fist into the back of his head. He crumpled.

  She spun and noticed the other archers all drawing back.

  As she had feared, they were connected in some way.

  The time for subtlety with shadows was over.

  She shifted her focus, splitting it so that she could wrap the shadows around each of the remaining archers. They struggled, but not as much as she would have expected. Bows were drawn back.

  Carth sent a trickle of flame into the arrow of the two farthest from her.

  Both men shouted as they dropped their arrows.

  She jumped toward the third archer.

  He spun toward her, not nearly as slowed as he should be by her shadows.

  A knife flickered toward her, but she had been ready for it. If nothing else, facing—and fighting—Talia had prepared her for the possibility of an attack like this.

  She twisted in the air as she neared and the knife missed. She landed, rolling, and kicked out toward the archer, sweeping her leg beneath him, knocking him off his feet.

  The man grunted.

  Carth spun and slammed her fist into his temple. And then again. He stopped moving.

  She jumped toward the next man.

  He had recovered and aimed his bow at her.

  Carth smiled. It was better that he aimed at her rather than at Jenna. Using shadows and flame, she sent a surge at the man. The air in front of him exploded and he was thrown back and slammed into the roof.

  When she landed, she kicked him and rolled toward the final archer.

  Pain ripped through her shoulder.

  Carth angrily ripped the arrow free and used shadows and flame at him, blasting him from the roof.

  She paused long enough to use her connection to S’al and let it course through her. The magic burned, but it was a healing sort of fire, something that had saved her many times. It required more strength than many applications of her magic, but she didn’t need the risk of being slowed.

  When healed, she glanced down at the plaza.

  And swore.

  She had taken too long with the archers.

  Jenna lay on the ground near Alayna, but the other woman had ten men surrounding her and closing quickly. Alayna was quick with the sword, and had Jenna not been lying immobile, it might have been a fair fight. As it was, Alayna did her best to hold them back.

  Carth jumped, landing in the middle of the fight.

  “I’m glad you managed to show up,” Alayna said.

  “I got shot.”

  “You seem fine.”

  “I am. Is she hurt?”

  Alayna shook her head.

  “Good. Then let’s get her free from here.”

  Carth could use her sword and fight off these men, but this needed to be over quickly. She didn’t want to waste too much time in the plaza and risk the constabulary—or worse, the Collector—sending others against her.

  No. This needed to be decisive.

  “Hold on,” she said to Alayna.

  Carth drew upon her connection to the shadows and sent it out in a wide band around her. As she did, she felt where each of the men was located and added a slight touch of S’al.

  The explosion thundered.

  Carth grabbed Jenna and ran, knowing that Alayna would be with her. They reached the edge of the plaza and she glanced back, unsurprised to see the men lying on the ground, immobile. What did surprise her was the fact that the building seemed to have crumbled and stone fell toward the center of the plaza.

  “You might have used a bit too much that time,” Alayna said.

  “It worked.”

  Alayna laughed darkly. “I worked. And they deserved it.”

  They ran through the city. It was late enough that there weren’t many people out. At least, there hadn’t been many people out. With the explosion, doors started to open and dazed faces appeared. Most ignored her as she ran.

  When they reached the road leading down to the docks, Carth grabbed Alayna and jumped, drawing on the strength of the shadows to help her land.

  It required most of her remaining strength, but all they needed was to reach the ship. They could sail out of the port and, if necessary, she could even borrow one of Boiyn’s enhancements to strengthen her to help facilitate that.

  “Run,” she urged, releasing Alayna.

  “You should conserve your strength,” she said.

  “When this is done. Go.”

  As she ran, Carth couldn’t help but think that what she’d done—attacking the constables and rescuing Jenna—would only be the beginning. But the beginning of what?

  21

  The cliff rose high over them, the shore essentially impenetrable, and Carth continued to sail. Eventually, they would have to reach a place they could stop, wouldn’t they? A hazy gray sky blotted out the sun and the southerly wind was warm, though the sea was relatively calm. Carth hadn’t rested much since leaving Keyall.

  “It sort of explains why there was no other port here, doesn’t it?” Alayna asked.

  Carth leaned on the wheel, forcing her eyes open. “We knew it was the last port before open seas.”

  “But we didn’t know why. Nothing else here.”

  Carth shook her head. “There are other places here. We just can’t reach them.”

  Likely there were other villages—maybe even cities—on the rock above them. They would be well protected that way, though difficult to reach and likely dependent upon trade coming out of Keyall. If the Collector had halted much of the trade… that meant that these villages would suffer.

  There had been a time when she had not thought those things were her problems, but the longer she sailed and the more she saw, the more she realized that, as someone with great power, she had a responsibility to use it. She had never wanted power, but there were so many without it that she had to help.

  “How is she?” she asked.

  Alayna shook her head. “She’s no different. Boiyn is trying different things, but…”

  Carth squeezed her eyes shut. “Can you take over?”

  “Of course. Where are you trying to get us?”

  Carth stared at the shoreline, a solid sheet of rock stretching high overhead with no sign of stopping. “I was looking for someplace to wait until she recovered. Maybe there isn’t any place like that.”

  Alayna nodded and Carth disappeared below deck.

  Light trickled in from outside, but she’d been on the Spald long enough that she no longer needed any light. It was her home, and one she’d had for years, longer than she’d had almost any other home. There was something reassuring to the steady rocking of the ship, the creaking of the wood, and the sound of the waves mixing with the occasional cawing of gulls. Out on the sea, she had to worry only about herself and those with her.

  Carth steeled herself before entering Boiyn’s cabin.

  He glanced up as she entered and noticed he held a glass bottle, the contents of which he’d mixed. A small flame burned within a metal pot. “She is no different, Carthenne. I will come get you when she comes around.”

  “I’m glad to hear you think it’s a when and not an if.” She looked over to Jenna, who lay on a narrow cot, a thin sheet pulled up to her neck keeping her covered. Her eyes were open and staring blankly. She appeared otherwise unharmed.

  Boiyn frowned. “She will recover. This is temporary.”

  Carth took a seat on one of the stools stationed across from Jenna. “Is this the elixir or something else?” she asked softly.

  If the elixir, Carth would have to wonder whether it might not have been better for them to have simply sedated her. If it was something else, then it would have been her fault for taking too long getting Jenna free.

  “I do not know.”

  “She can’t stay like this.”

&nbs
p; “She won’t.”

  “Boiyn—she’s a good person.”

  “I know.”

  “The woman that was there was not her. She only fought because of what they did to her. I’ve seen the person she is.”

  “I know.”

  He stood behind her, the bottle gripped between his hands. The red rimming to his eyes gave them a frightening appearance, but she had never known Boiyn to be anything other than kind, which was surprising considering where she had found him.

  “That entire city is…”

  “It is,” Boiyn said.

  There was something about the way he said it that troubled her. “You’ve been there before.”

  Boiyn met her eyes. “It was a long time ago, Carthenne, but I have been there.”

  “Was it like this?”

  He shook his head. “Not like this. Worse. I think the constabulary has controlled things to a certain extent. There used to be much corruption and violence, sort of what you would expect at the end of the world.”

  “This isn’t the end of the world.”

  “Many think it to be.” He shook the bottle again and tested it by taking a sip before pouring it into Jenna’s mouth. “Few have access to the same maps as you, so they don’t know there is another place beyond the great sea. There are many who come to Keyall thinking to get away from other troubles, thinking they can hide from them there. Who would risk sailing this far?”

  “I would.”

  Boiyn nodded. “You would.”

  “Why did you come to Keyall? What were you trying to hide from?”

  “Carthenne?”

  She looked over at him. She had traveled with Boiyn as long as she had with Alayna but knew little about him other than the fact that he was skilled with his potions. He had willingly studied in Asador with others from Carth’s network, and with his quick mind—and nearly perfect memory—Carth had asked him to sail with her despite the fact that she hadn’t known nearly as much about him as she would have liked.

  “You said it yourself. People come to Keyall to hide from their past. Why did you come here?”

  Boiyn set the vial back on the table and took a deep breath. “I have not always lived an… easy… life. When you have this complexion and appearance, most think you are cursed, regardless of what god you worship.”

  “Did you come here to escape yourself? The sun is brighter here than it is in Dunn, where I found you.”

  “I came here to escape those who would think to use me,” Boiyn said softly.

  “Why would they use you if they thought you were cursed?”

  He sighed and turned to the shelf holding the ingredients he mixed together for his concoctions. Boiyn took a jar from the shelf and tipped it toward the bottle, dumping a little powder into it, never once looking up and meeting her eyes.

  “There are those who think people with my complexion have particular abilities. They would use me.”

  “How?”

  He looked up then. “Does it matter?”

  Carth decided that it didn’t. “Do you resent what I have asked of you?”

  He gave her a hint of a smile. “Resent? You have offered me an opportunity to be useful, nothing more. No. There is no resentment in what you’ve asked.”

  Carth turned her attention back to Jenna. The woman stared at her, and Carth wondered if she heard any of the conversation or if that was empty for her as well. What had Carth sensed when she had taken the elixir? Nothing. The emptiness and nothing more.

  “I should have tested it on myself before you gave it to her,” Boiyn said.

  “If it had failed, who would try again? It had to be me. It’s safest.”

  “My arrogance was in believing that you aren’t different than the others. You are different, Carthenne. You have the capacity to rid yourself of the effect of these things. I knew that you did and still didn’t account for that when dosing it.”

  “We just have to wait for it to wear off.”

  Boiyn nodded. “We can wait, or I can continue to try and counter the effects. Since I know what went into the making of it, I should be able to counter it. With some toxins, it is difficult to know how to counter them, especially when you’re spending your time trying to determine what was used. In this case…”

  Carth nodded. “We will wait until she’s recovered.”

  “For what?”

  “For the next move.”

  She left Boiyn’s cabin and went to her own. She was exhausted and should rest. Sleep would help her more than anything, and she might need her strength were they confronted by another attack. She wasn’t certain what the constables would do or how they would react to her rescuing Jenna. Would they attempt to come after her, or would they leave her?

  And there was still what she planned with the Collector. She was determined to meet with him and learn what he was after. Then she would decide what more would need to be done with him.

  Inside her cabin, Linsay waited.

  “I thought you could use a game,” Linsay said.

  Carth noticed the Tsatsun board spread out in front of her and took a seat opposite Linsay. She wasn’t really in the mood to play, but that was when she needed to play. It was better to test herself when she felt weak or tired or anything where her focus would be off. That was the time when she should be playing Tsatsun.

  Linsay was reasonably skilled, enough that Carth was more than happy to play with her most times. She had picked up the game faster than many did, though Carth could already see that there would be limits to how far Linsay ever developed. That was one thing that became apparent when playing the game. Linsay was strategic and had a strong mind, but she failed with creativity. There were times when creativity was the only way the game was won. Despite that, the fact that Linsay had developed as well as she had was a testament to her mind.

  Carth fell into the game. There was a rhythm to the initial movements, a sense of excitement at the possibility that anyone could win. That lasted about four moves—one more than usual—before Carth knew what it would take to win the round.

  When she did, she played with her mind only half on the game. Each piece had particular movements it could make, nothing like the triangular board game the men in the tavern had played. That made the game much more interesting, though it created a division between those who could play and those who could not. It wasn’t one where chance would allow a person to win.

  “When did you know?” Linsay asked.

  “A while ago.”

  “When was the last time you were challenged?” It wasn’t the first time that Linsay had asked, and the answer hadn’t changed.

  “Years.”

  “Do you think that I can eventually make it interesting for you?”

  She always struggled with questions like that. Did she tell the truth, that Linsay would never reach the point where she would challenge Carth, or did she mislead her? It was a question she had never come up with a satisfactory answer to.

  “I think anything is possible,” Carth said. At least in that, she didn’t lie. It was possible that Linsay would improve. Carth didn’t think it likely, but many things that had once seemed impossible had proven possible.

  “How do you feel?” Linsay asked.

  Carth frowned. “Fine, why?”

  Her friend shrugged. “I thought you could use with a game. I thought maybe it would help settle you.” She smiled. “I didn’t expect to beat you, but I’ve seen how it always seems to settle you down and helps you work through what you need to be doing.”

  Carth smiled to herself. Maybe she’d underestimated Linsay.

  “It does. There’s something about the game that lets my mind work through things that I can’t figure out otherwise.”

  “And what did you figure out this time?”

  Carth sighed. “Unfortunately, not what I needed. I don’t have the answer to helping Jenna, don’t know what was happening in Keyall, and though I can think of a way to draw out the Collector, I’m not sure t
hat’s what we should be doing.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s dangerous.”

  “You’ve faced dangers before.”

  “I have, but this danger is one where one of us is injured. I don’t know that I can protect Jenna while doing what needs to be done.”

  Linsay leaned forward. “We will keep her safe, Carth. You do what you need so that we can find out the answers to what’s taking place.”

  Carth sighed. She could leave it to them, but it wasn’t only the need to keep Jenna safe that had motivated her. It was a concern for what she might be forced to do. Would she be able—and willing—to be ruthless if it came to it?

  She noticed the way that Linsay watched her. They trusted her—and counted on her doing what was needed to help them. How could she not be that person?

  “What is it?”

  Carth stared at the Tsatsun board. “I had hoped to be beyond all this.”

  “Beyond what?”

  “Beyond the need to be this hard.”

  22

  Carth anchored them along the river, hidden by the branches that had once concealed the smugglers. It was strange for her to be here, especially as she had destroyed others who had come through and had chased the smugglers away from this place. It was a useful location to use as a port, near enough to the city that they could get there within a day, but far enough away that she didn’t fear the Collector reaching her easily. She imagined the smugglers had valued it for much the same reason.

  Still, she was uncomfortable with remaining here for too long. It would be different if others didn’t know of it, but as the smugglers did, Carth had to remain vigilant so that they would not be attacked.

  After checking on the ship, she made her way back into the remnants of the village. They had chosen a building large enough to house all of them, and even Boiyn had brought his supplies off the ship so that he could work more easily. It was rare for Boiyn to come ashore, and she was thankful for his willingness to do so now.

  When she entered the home, a pair of lanterns glowed softly, giving a gentle light. Jenna rested on a cot, sleeping quietly. She had recovered more and more each day, enough that Carth was optimistic that she could begin working with her again, though she remained withdrawn and her eyes had taken on a haunted expression. She had yet to ask what Jenna had experienced after being given the elixir, fearing that if she did, she might bring back memories the woman did not need—and that might be dangerous.