Powers of the Six (24 page)

He turned it over. No matter how many different angles or in how many sources of light he held it, it still looked like … well, like a rock. A nice rock—smooth, milky white, and translucent—but still only a rock. He tossed it onto the bed next to Hakan’s “magic stones.” The palm-sized stone and the painted pebbles looked nothing alike. He couldn’t shake Hakan’s comment about them being the same. Was this, in fact, one of those legendary magic stones?

Nolan shoved his hands behind his head and lay down. He sighed, sinking into the feather pillow. He now called a one-room cottage home. It was bigger than his room at Alton manor—but not by much. The walls held no towering bookshelves, nor were there stacks of parchment piled in the corners. The desk remained empty, not covered in quills, ink, or miscellaneous projects half finished. New morning light drifted in through the windows. His Alton room had no windows of any kind. Nolan had depended on candles, even in the day. It was odd to wake to sunlight, and he wrapped his mind around the idea of freedom. No projects loomed over him. No responsibilities … yet. He wasn’t sure what to do.

Nolan jumped when a rap sounded at the door. He put on his spectacles, picked up the stone, and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Someone knocked again, this time more impatiently.

It was probably Alec. He’d talked about getting together this morning. The knocking turned to pounding.

“Hold on a second!” Nolan called.

In a few strides, he closed the distance and lifted the latch; but to his surprise, it wasn’t Alec. It was Garrick.
What in the Darkness is he doing here
?

The tall, thin man stared at him, wringing his hands. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Emery asked me to fetch you. We’re meeting to discuss the ruins you saw yesterday, as well as the …” His voice trailed off, and his eyes dropped to Nolan’s hand. “He wanted you to bring a stone. Crows, is that it?”

Nolan clenched the stone. If Emery thought he’d just hand it over, he was mistaken.

“He won’t take it from you.”

Nolan’s eyes shot up. Garrick had Accuracy, not Empathy.

“He told me you’d react like this.” Garrick leaned against the doorframe.

“Are you okay?”

The older man forced a smile. “Not really. Emery sent me so I’d have something to do. Get my mind off of this … anxiety.” Garrick’s eyes were pinched. The expression reminded Nolan of his own when Emery found the stone in Alec’s bag. Blood left his face. Crows, no. He didn’t want to consider it, but he had to. Was Emery right? How could he be right?

Garrick didn’t notice Nolan’s turmoil; he was too caught in his own. Nolan squeezed it in his palm. If he shared it with Garrick, he’d no longer have it to himself. But this man was important to the village, Emery’s friend. He couldn’t keep it from him … could he?

Nolan groaned inwardly and took a deep breath. Before he could change his mind, he grabbed Garrick’s hand and placed the stone into his palm.

Garrick gasped, and all the tension slid from his shoulders and disappeared into the ground. After a lengthy pause, he looked at Nolan, wonderment on his face, and then his eyes dropped to the stone.

“Just don’t walk too far away from me.” Tension ticked through Nolan’s arm.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Where did you find it?” Garrick’s gaze remained fastened to it.

“It found us, actually. I think Emery suspects the king gave it to us.”

“Alcandor?” Garrick huffed. “I couldn’t imagine that.”

“Neither could I. But I also didn’t think it could make people feel so terrible.” Nolan frowned.

“Not everyone is feeling bad. So how could it be the stone?” Garrick said. “Maybe it is a cure, not a cause.”

“A cure for what?”

“I … don’t know.”

Nolan held out his trembling hand. “I’d like it back, if you don’t mind.”

Garrick cleared his throat. “Of course.” He hovered the stone over Nolan’s outstretched hand. Finally, he placed it into Nolan’s palm.

Nolan relaxed, feeling the peace wash over him.

Garrick’s hand lingered, the stone resting between their two palms. Finally, he let go and rubbed his empty hand with his other. He followed Nolan’s movements as he slipped it into his pouch.

“I know we’ve just met,” Garrick said, “but I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now.”

Nolan exhaled slowly. “We’ve become best friends.”

Garrick laughed. “Ah! Emery said you were a good fellow. I can see why he likes you.”

They stepped outside, and Nolan closed the door. “What else did Emery say?”

Garrick displayed a friendly, crooked-toothed grin. “He mentioned I might have competition with my Accuracy gift. Considering we’ll be spending a lot of time with each other, we can test his theory soon.”

They continued down the small road, and Garrick waved at an old woman sweeping her front entrance. He smiled at another child as she darted by.

“Morning, Garrick,” a young man said.

He was quite different than the cursing madman from the night before. Garrick was actually a nice guy.

They turned toward the center of town. It didn’t take long, for the village was small. A larger building loomed above the rest of the cottages. It had the same plain wooden walls, no adornments of any kind. Functional, not decorative. When they reached it, they walked up three steps and Garrick opened the doors, letting Nolan go in first.

He flanked Nolan, standing not even a hand’s width from his arm.

The building consisted of two rooms. One was large enough to hold quite a few people, probably most of the village. It was comfortable, though it resembled a stable compared to the Great Hall in Alton. An improvement, in his opinion. No ugly tapestries, no glass-domed ceiling. Small windows lined the walls with shutters propped open with twigs, letting in a cool breeze. Nolan paused and inhaled, taking it all in.

Conversation drifted from the second, smaller room. Hakan’s angry voice carried over the rest.

Garrick opened the door, and every head turned.

Seated around a thick-legged table were Hakan, Emery, Flann, and Maska.

“You know most everyone,” Garrick said. He motioned toward an old man standing off to the side with slumped shoulders and a small circle of gray hair ringing his nearly bald head. “This is Jared.”

The old man nodded.

Emery stared at Garrick, and his eyes flared with Empathy. “By Brim, man. What happened?”

Garrick smiled. “You’ll have to ask Nolan.”

Nolan recounted what happened and then reluctantly handed the stone to Hakan. The mountain man held it in his large, dirt-stained palm for a long time, staring at it as if waiting for it to move. Finally, he huffed an exaggerated sigh and said, “What in the Darkness am I supposed to do with this anyway?”

“If you were silent and waited a bit longer,” Maska said, “perhaps you would know.”

“And if you’d shut your trap and not add your opinions—”

“Enough,” Emery said. “Arguing won’t give us answers.”

“I am not arguing.” Maska crossed his dark arms over each other. “I am merely stating fact.”

Hakan rose from his seat, his massive form towering over the table.

“Sit, friend,” Emery said.

Hakan sat slowly. “I don’t know why people are so worried. There’s nothing wrong with me. I mean, besides what a couple good nights’ sleep might fix. Perhaps yesterday there might have been a bit of a problem, but I’m much better today.”

“Your condition is better?” Emery asked.

“Aye. Matter of fact, I’m pretty much back to myself.”

Flann cast a doubtful look at Emery. Even Nolan, who didn’t know Hakan well, saw the man wasn’t his normal self. For some reason, the stone didn’t work on him. So much for it being a cure.

“Well,” Emery said, “the only commonality between Nolan and Garrick is their Accuracy. Otherwise, we have no explanation why it doesn’t calm you as well.”

“It’s because there’s nothing wrong with me,” Hakan growled.

A clatter sounded behind Emery’s chair. The old man crouched on the ground, picking up a tray of mugs.

Emery rose and started helping him. “Jared, you’re supposed to be a part of this meeting, not a servant to it.”

The old man smiled. “I was getting a few drinks, that’s all.”

“Leave them,” Emery said. “Come, sit with us, please.”

The man avoided everyone’s glance as he awkwardly chose a chair on the farthest end of the long table.

“Perhaps this stone affects those with Accuracy,” Flann added. “Are there others with Accuracy feeling unwell?”

Garrick grunted. “Most of them.”

“We could test the theory,” Maska suggested, “by asking for volunteers.”

“I’m sure there would be at least ten or more willing to try,” Garrick said.

Nolan imagined a cluster of people clinging to the stone. How could he manage that? What if someone took it away? He shifted in his seat, his heartbeat accelerating. “What about the city?” he desperately suggested. “We should go there first.”

Emery’s Empathy passed over Nolan.

“A good idea. Perhaps we
should
visit the city first,” Emery said.

Nolan heaved a sigh of relief and gave Emery a grateful smile.

Emery turned to the old man. “Jared, the reason I wanted you here was because of your knowledge.”

Jared’s bald head wrinkled. “My knowledge? I’m not sure how much I can help.”

Emery’s smile widened. “It’s time we put all of those stories your great-grandfather told you to some use.”

***

They set off for the ruins immediately. Once they arrived, it didn’t take long to find the center of the city. Looming above the rest of the chaos stood a partially intact castle. Time and weather had crumbled many of the towers into rubble. The portions standing were made of mismatched stones—some round, some square, some in no specific shape at all. They were plastered together strategically to form, apparently, indestructible walls.

Maska used his Strength and tossed gigantic stones to clear a path to the opening of the castle. Garrick stood next to him, offering suggestions to where the boulders should go. Jared, Emery, and Nolan did nothing but watch. Nolan had seen his fair share of Strength Rol’dan over the years. But Maska, with all of his grace and natural skill, made the other Rol’dan clumsy in comparison.

A movement caught his eye. Hakan paced, his broad shoulders slumped and his face set in a permanent scowl.

Another boulder crashed aside.

“He’s gotten worse,” Emery said, concern lacing his voice.

“Should I go talk to him?” Nolan wasn’t sure what he’d say, but he felt useless at the moment.

Hakan stopped pacing and frowned. “Best leave me alone, lad.” And then without another word, he stepped over a pile of rubble and out of sight.

Emery sighed. “So, Jared … now that you’ve been here a few hours, do you have any ideas of what this place might be?”

Jared pressed his thin lips together.

“It’s okay, Jared,” Emery said. “You can tell us anything.”

Jared nodded and stood as straight as his slumped shoulders would allow. “I believe this is where the final battle took place.”

Flann snorted. “Emery, do we really have time for these tall tales?”

“We have time.” Emery flicked a warning glance at Flann before smiling at the old man. “Go on, Jared. Tell me about this battle.”

Jared shuffled his feet. “Legends say Adamah’s capital was not always in Faylinn. Before Alcandor, there was a grander city. Some believe the king began his rule in a different city five-hundred years ago. It was there where he saved Adamah from the demons who tried to kill all who lived. This could be that place.”

“Most everyone knows of the dark times,” Flann said.

“Yes, Master Flann,” Jared said. “That is when Alcandor took the throne. However, my great-grandfather told me a far different tale.” Jared leaned in, as if telling a secret. “It wasn’t demons who tormented us. Those demons were actually Guardians who protected us.”

“Oh, come now, Emery,” Flann said, rolling his eyes.

Jared continued. “This battle—The Demon War—was not the start of our salvation, like the traditional legends tell, but it was really the downfall of man.”

“So in your opinion,” Emery said, “would this be the location of that battle?”

“Aye, sir. This is where the Guardians fell.”

“What is a Guardian?” Emery asked.

Jared wrung his hands. “Protectors, sir. Light-filled warriors.”

Nolan froze.
Light-filled warriors?
Could these be the same as what Alec saw? Maybe the warrior wasn’t Alcandor after all.

Emery caught Nolan’s eyes. “And where are these Guardians now?”

Jared’s face fell. “Extinct, as far as I know.”

“Demons … Guardians … whatever they were,” Flann said. “What difference does it make? Legends don’t apply to us now. Our primary concern should be our people. Have you forgotten?” He motioned to where Hakan disappeared. “Hakan—as well as a third of our village—is suffering. Shouldn’t we try to figure out why?”