Assassin's End

by D. K. Holmberg

  We didn’t have to wait long.

  I suspected that one of the women would have woken first. The way they seemed to process the coxberry made it look like they would burn it off faster than Dolan, but he was the one who first started coming around, mostly with soft moans, but gradually his eyes opened and he began looking around the room.

  When he saw me, I smiled at him. “Good that you’re awake, Dolan. I think you and I need to talk.”

  He tried jerking against the bindings, but I’d tied them in such a way that they would only pull tighter the more he jerked. He seemed to recognize this and stopped fighting. As he did, he tried Sliding. With my Sight, I noted it as a shimmer of light and swirls of colors, but it faded quickly when he failed.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Dolan. You can try Sliding, but until the slithca wears off, you won’t be able to get anywhere. And I’m afraid I know how to tie ropes just as well as I can mix slithca.” I leaned close to him, peering at him with all the anger I could muster. “Tell me. Why are you in Asador?”

  He looked over and seemed to notice that we had his female friend bound as well. His gaze drifted past her and settled on the other. Confusion crossed his eyes.

  “How did you capture Nyelle?”

  “Is she the one with you?”

  He nodded.

  “Same as you. Coxberry. Enough sedative and even the largest person goes down. Your big friend learned that as well.”

  I didn’t love the fact that we’d left him behind and couldn’t account for him. I didn’t know what he might do. Maybe nothing, but if he went for help, and if he brought others after us, then I knew we’d be in for more of a fight than I wanted.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  “I’m the one asking questions,” I told him. “You were willing to come and speak to me. But then you attacked. I’d like to know what triggered it.”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “I think I might understand more than you realize.”

  “You’re a fool, Galen. All you care about is money. That’s the story about you, isn’t it? You took up in Eban, waiting there for jobs, working as an assassin, using your abilities for that.”

  “What would you have had me do when I was exiled?”

  “There are others you could have gone to. You would have known had you been willing to listen.”

  “Others. The Forgotten.”

  Was Dolan admitting that he was deep within the Forgotten? Lorst had shared some of what he knew about them, and how he viewed them as a threat. After what I’d been through, I suspected he knew what he was talking about.

  “When you say it like that, I can tell you don’t understand.”

  “Explain it to me in a way that I can understand,” I said. “Because otherwise, I won’t have a choice with what I do with you.”

  Dolan watched my face and started to smile before seeming to realize that I wasn’t making a joke. His smile faded. “What do you know about the Forgotten?” he asked.

  “I know there is an organization of exiles who think to return to the city. I know they have attacked already. And I know that they’ve lost.”

  All of that came from what Lorst had told me. There would be more, but I needed to get it from Dolan.

  He sighed. “They attacked and lost. They are fools.” He turned so that he could fix me with his gaze. “There are exiles who want to return, and those who want only to live comfortably. Like you,” he said. “Have you ever wanted to return?”

  “Not until recently.”

  His gaze drifted to Cael, who had moved closer so that she could sit next to me. “You met someone.” He frowned as he looked at her. “Not just someone. Elvraeth.” He turned his attention back to me. “That’s how you knew about me. She Read me, didn’t she?”

  When I didn’t answer, he tried turning so that he could look at Nyelle better, but I put my foot out so that he couldn’t move.

  “What happened when you tried to return?” he asked. “They would have executed you.”

  “Banished to the mines,” I said.

  “The mines? That’s for a first offense, not for those who’ve already been exiled.”

  “It was considered compassion by the head of the council.”

  His eyes widened slightly. “If you have returned, then know that I’m not like those Forgotten,” Dolan said. “They wanted to return. They plotted, and they were willing to risk everything just for the chance to return to the city. The rest of us… we wanted only to live. The Great Watcher knows we didn’t care about the fact that our abilities fade with each generation!”

  I didn’t know that about the abilities and glanced at Cael. She stared at Dolan, making a point of not looking in my direction. Had she known? The way she bit at the inside of her lip told me that she probably had.

  There was only one reason I thought that might be. What did Elaeavn have that other places did not? The answer came to me easily—the crystal. It would explain why the Hjan wanted it and would explain why it was so valuable.

  “You didn’t care, but a chance came for you to change that, didn’t it?”

  Dolan blinked and took a deep breath. “Maybe you know more than I realized.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Why do you want it?” he asked. “What reason would you have to keep one of the great crystals? If you care about the future generations of those born outside of Elaeavn, you will help us. You’re an exile as well!”

  “I care, but I care more about who possesses something of that much power.”

  “We will keep it safe.”

  “Doesn’t seem like everyone is getting along.”

  His face clouded. “Not all of us exiles decided we were happy remaining outside the city. When the Hjan made an offer… many were tempted. Those of us who could… intended to see the crystal kept safe.”

  “Will you? You think I know nothing, but I’ve faced the Hjan, and I at least know what I’m getting into with them. You think you can keep the crystal safe with your group of exiles?”

  Dolan took a breath, puffing out his chest. Bound as he was, it looked ridiculous. “We know our limitations. Not all of us share the same limitations as those within Elaeavn. You think you’re the only one who has learned since leaving the city? Do you think you’re the only one who is dangerous?”

  I glanced at Cael. If these were the kind of people who intended to possess the crystal—and intended to keep it from the Hjan—we were in more trouble than I realized.

  “Do you know where it is?” I asked.

  “I’m not going to tell you that.”

  I shot forward, my knife pressing beneath his neck. I drew a bead of blood. “Do you believe I’m dangerous?” I asked.

  His eyes didn’t leave my face. He licked his lips and then swallowed. “Yes.”

  “Good.” I pulled the knife back from his neck but didn’t move. “I will find the crystal. I will ensure its safety. That’s all I care about. Whether you’re a part of it or not.”

  “Why would you bring it back to them? They exiled you! Do you really believe they’ll allow you to return?”

  “I don’t care if I return. I have all I need.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because the crystals belong to Elaeavn. They belong to the people. I may not belong in the city anymore, but that doesn’t change the fact that I shouldn’t take it away from them. Without the crystal, the city is weakened, and others are in danger. I won’t be a part of that, either.”

  “You’re just doing what the council wants.”

  “Now it’s you who has proven how little he knows. The council doesn’t rule in Elaeavn, not as it had. The guilds do.”

  “The guilds?”

  I nodded. “With your ability to Slide, you might even find a home within one of them.”

  Dolan laughed. “You expect me to believe that there’s some sort of Sliding Guild?”

  “They call themselves the Traveling Guild, but that’s exactly
what I’d have you believe.”

  It was more than I had been able to comprehend, though I’d been away from the city long enough that I shouldn’t have been surprised by the fact that much had changed. I hadn’t known the power the guilds possessed before, and I still didn’t know what to make of the fact that the guilds seemed to have nearly as much power as the council.

  Dolan rolled onto his back. He was silent for long moments. “They have it.”

  “The Hjan?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet. There are some who think to bargain with the Hjan. They would make a trade, and they have proven they are powerful enough to do so.”

  I checked in with Cael. Had I missed an opportunity? “What kind of trade do they think they’ll make with the Hjan?”

  Dolan shook his head. “I don’t know. We haven’t been able to find out.”

  “We. Who else are you working with?”

  “When you live outside of Elaeavn, you get to realize that we’re not as powerful as we like to think we are. There are others in the world with more skill, or more strength, or simply more numbers. Since you keep to yourself in Eban, you might not know that.”

  I thought of Lorst and what I’d seen from him. He was from Elaeavn and was the first person I’d met who I thought might give Carth a real challenge. But Dolan was right. There were others in the world with powers that I didn’t fully understand. When I’d learned of the Binders, I had discovered the truth of that.

  “I know more than you might realize.”

  Dolan flicked his gaze to the two women bound and still sedated. “Maybe you do.”

  “Who is she?” I asked.

  “Nyelle?” When I nodded, he sighed. “She comes from a place called Nyaesh. I’d never heard of it before, but they have men and women with incredible power there. Many have skills like her.”

  Was that where Carth had come from? I’d always heard her referred to as Carth of C’than, but I didn’t know if C’than was a place, or something else.

  “They call themselves the A’ras. They’re not very fond of the Hjan, which is why we sought to partner with them.”

  I studied the women. They were similar in training. When you faced someone, you discover tendencies, and they both had similar tendencies, enough that it was clear to me that they had the same sort of training. Likely Carth as well, though she had something else, something that I’d seen with her use of the shadows.

  “Partner? They were going to help you recover the crystal?”

  Dolan nodded. “Recover. Then keep it safe.”

  “How many are there of you?”

  “If I tell you—”

  “How many?”

  Dolan licked his lips again. Was it a nervous habit or was it the side effect of the slithca?

  “A hundred exiles, all trained. We’ve partnered with nearly twenty of the A’ras.”

  One hundred and twenty. Against the Hjan, who had proven they could Slide wherever they needed, and who had proven difficult for even me to stop. If I could slow two women of the A’ras—though with some difficulty—I didn’t think they were enough.

  I unsheathed my knife and sliced at Dolan.

  He started to jerk back, and the knife caught the rope, freeing him.

  With his wrists free, Dolan rubbed them and looked over at me with an expression that showed only confusion. He didn’t move, not trying to run or fight or do anything now that he was freed. The slithca would prevent him from Sliding.

  “Why did you free me?” he asked.

  “Because you can’t do what you were trying by yourself. There aren’t enough of you, not with what needs to happen.”

  “What needs to happen?” Dolan asked.

  “I’m going to recover the crystal. And you’re going to help.”

  32

  The street outside the small building looked the same as it had when I’d been there before, but somehow entirely different. No longer did I see it as a place only to obtain information. Now I understood that those who worked on the other side had a darker agenda, one that had them working along with the Hjan. I still didn’t know if they had the crystal, but I didn’t think I could wait any longer to investigate, not after my last attack on the building.

  Dolan remained silent nearby. I think he still didn’t know whether to trust me or to attack me. I would have shared his nervousness.

  “Will the others appear?” I asked.

  Dolan stared into the darkness as if he were Sighted. It occurred to me that I hadn’t determined what other abilities Dolan possessed. I knew he could Slide, but more than that, I didn’t know. When it came to those from Elaeavn, I usually worked smarter than that.

  “Nyelle said they would.”

  She hadn’t seemed surprised when she awoke. It was a measure of her skill that she simply took in the fact that she had been captured and now was not. If she was with Carth, it made me appreciate her skill all the more.

  “They know you’re after them now,” I said.

  Dolan shot me a hard look. “Because of you.”

  “Me. There was a woman who came running here after we captured you. The other woman I captured. The Great Watcher knows who else.” I still hadn’t let her awaken, leaving her dosed with several vials of slithca and enough coxberry to kill. I didn’t want to risk her waking while we were gone, and I hadn’t decided what to do with her. If she had attacked Carth, then I didn’t want to risk her coming along on this little mission, not when not only my survival, but that of others was at stake. Cael would keep an eye on her and had more than enough of both slithca and coxberry to keep her out if she started to stir. “The point is, I don’t think you would have surprised them like you think you were.”

  “And now we won’t know,” Dolan said.

  “Deal with the disappointment,” I suggested.

  Movement came from down the street. I noted the flash of steel and not much else. If that was the A’ras, they moved silently. I hoped it was enough for what we might face, especially considering I preferred to have a better idea of what we might encounter. Going like this—going in essentially blind—made me nervous.

  As the shapes resolved, it became apparent that the lead person was Nyelle. She stalked forward, her sword held in front of her, and stopped on the other side of the building, watching it.

  It was time to move.

  My heart fluttered. How long had it been since I’d been nervous making a move like this? Years? Maybe since I first came to Eban. Nerves were one of the first things Isander sought to destroy when he worked with me. If I were nervous, and if I were on edge, I wouldn’t be able to focus on the task I needed. That had been his belief, at least.

  With a few steady breaths, I calmed myself, settling my heartbeat and trying to remove the edge. It didn’t leave entirely.

  How much of it had to do with the fact that I now had something I wanted to live for? Always before, I’d been content knowing I might die, and knowing that was a risk of what I did. For so many years, I thought it a fate I deserved. Then I met Cael and with her, I finally began to see a future, and was even willing to have it be one where I returned to Elaeavn. Whatever it took to be with her.

  First I had to help recover the crystal.

  Without that, not only the city would be unsafe. If men like the Hjan managed to gain that kind of power, we would all be in danger.

  It meant the potential of a sacrifice, but one that had to be made to ensure we had a chance at something else.

  My heart steadied.

  Gripping two handfuls of darts, I started forward.

  Dolan came with me. The only thing that surprised me more than the short sword he carried was that he seemed to know how to use it. Within Elaeavn, there weren’t many even willing to fight if it came to it.

  “Where do you intend to enter?” Dolan asked as we neared Nyelle.

  I noted a dozen with her. All were dressed similarly. Unlike Carth and her Binders, the A’ras comprised both men and women. Heat radiated f
rom them like a furnace.

  “There’s a courtyard around the back. That’s where I entered before.”

  “How did you get to the courtyard, Galen of Elaeavn?” Nyelle asked.

  I smiled at the similarity to Carth. Had we more time, we could have waited for Carth. Having her with us would be valuable. But if we didn’t move now, we ran the risk of those within this house changing locations. Already it was a risk. I had made enough noise when I was there the last time to startle the Great Watcher.

  “Over the roof. If you’ve trained with who I think you have, it should be no difficulty for you.”

  Nyelle’s eyes narrowed. “Not all of us share her skill.”

  “No? That’s a shame.”

  “If we find this crystal, the A’ras intend to protect it,” Nyelle said. “That was the agreement. You may assist, but it will be ours to defend.”

  That had been the price of Nyelle’s willingness to help, and a price I had willingly paid. Whatever it took to ensure the crystal was secured. Once we knew it was, then I could worry about who should possess it.

  “That was the agreement,” I said.

  “What of yours?” I asked Dolan. “You promised there would be others with you.”

  “There will be,” he repeated.

  I searched the street but saw no sign of anyone else. There was the A’ras with Nyelle, Dolan, and myself. I couldn’t help but think that might not be enough, especially since whoever was on the other side of this building had managed to subdue a woman with more talent than Nyelle.

  Then again, so had I.

  It was time to get moving. Dawn would be here soon, and with it and the new day, it would be harder to make a move on the building. Under the blanket of darkness, we could move silently, and we could sneak in and out. In the daylight, we risked drawing the attention of the Asador city watch. The sky had already lost the pure darkness of the middle of the night and now had a hazy sort of light to it. An hour, maybe a little more. That was all the time we had.

  I nodded to the roof and used the building in the alley to scale the wall the same as I had the first time I’d come here. I felt exposed as I did. Not because of where I climbed, but because Nyelle and those with her all watched me. I felt their gaze on me.