She sat up and studied me. I wondered if she Read me at the same time. I could no longer tell. “What do you know about the Elvraeth?”
I snorted. “More than I would like.”
“You were exiled.”
I appreciated that she didn’t call me Forgotten. That was the term used in Elaeavn for those banished from the city, but I liked to think I had not been forgotten. “By the council.”
“Why?”
I shook my head. That was something I kept to myself. Even after all these years, it still hurt to think about.
“Have you heard of the Saenr?”
“A rite of passage,” I said.
Cael smiled sadly. “Perhaps for some. For the Elvraeth… we have a custom. When those born into the family reach a certain age, we are brought before the great crystals and given an opportunity to reach for one.”
“An opportunity?”
She nodded. “That’s all it is. Most are never allowed the chance to hold one.”
“Why?”
Her gaze dropped to her pack and her muscles tensed. “There’s something about the crystals. They… they choose who will hold them.”
I hadn’t known. There was so much about the Elvraeth that wasn’t known, so this wasn’t surprising.
“You held one,” I said.
“I was granted a chance to reach one. My father told me that if I did, I would only be able to hold it, and that it would be returned. I shouldn’t have been able to take it from the crystal chamber.”
“How did you?”
“I don’t know.”
I smiled. “You don’t know? You’ve got one of the crystals and you’re not sure how you have it?”
Cael shook her head. “When I held it… it was like I sat next to the Great Watcher. There was a sense of everything, like I could know everything. Then it faded. When I returned, the crystal was gone.”
“Has that ever happened before?”
“The crystals have been a part of Elaeavn for as long as the city has stood. The first Elvraeth saw to it that they were protected, which is why I have to make sure it gets back.”
There were more reasons than that for her to ensure the crystal returned, but I wondered if Cael knew anything about the dangers in the world that should not obtain it. Not only men like Orly, but others—more powerful than a thief-master—shouldn’t be allowed to acquire it, either.
Cael fell silent and I stared out into the dark, listening to the sound of the fire crackling softly. In the distance, shadows moved in the night and I studied them. They didn’t alarm me—not yet—but they had been steadily approaching for the last hour.
“What do you see?”
“You can Read me. You know what I see.”
She smiled. “Maybe I can, but that doesn’t mean I always do.”
I nodded into the darkness, standing and pulling a handful of darts from my pouch. “Two men approach.”
She sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs. “We could hide. You don’t have to hurt them.”
I could use coxberry, force them to sleep through the night, but I didn’t have enough to spare. That left something more definitive—or hiding, as she suggested. I doubted we’d hide for long.
“Let me go check,” I suggested. “Stay alert.”
With her ability to Read, I suspected she’d notice if anyone approached sooner than I would. I slipped away from the fire and into the darkness, my eyes steadily adjusting to the night.
It didn’t take long to reach them.
They were road weary and dirty. One looked older than the other, and though thick and flabby, his eyes flickered constantly. He had the look of sickness to him that his heavy brown cloak tried to hide. Without my Sight, I probably would not have seen it. Sallow eyes seemed sunken in his face. Hair was thin and filmy, not simply greasy as if unwashed. Strange lines worked into his forehead and exposed flesh, lines that likely few saw. Only his gray eyes appeared well, darting and looking at everything with bright interest.
The younger was thin and tall, his face already going ruddy from too much drink, red lines working along his nose, making it appear quite prominent. Rather than a travel cloak, he wore simple brown breeches and a loose-fitting shirt. Nervous hands touched his pants periodically as he walked.
They said nothing as they walked, just headed straight toward our fire.
I hid in the darkness until they moved past, and then followed them. Were it up to me, I would have finished them off before they had a chance to do any harm, but Cael would have been disappointed in that decision, and it was strange how much I didn’t want to disappoint her.
As they neared the camp, I cleared my throat. Their reaction would decide what happened next.
The older man jumped. The younger spun, and I noted a flash of metal sheathed at his waist, but he didn’t reach for the knives.
It wasn’t the reaction I expected from assassins. “Are you looking to join us by the fire?” I asked.
The older man blinked. “We—”
“Just looking for a spot of rest,” the other man said.
“You can rest, but then maybe you move on.”
They locked eyes for a moment, and the older man nodded.
I watched them as they came into the firelight, where they took a seat. They noted Cael lying asleep on the far side of the fire, but left her alone. Had they attempted anything, the darts would have left my hand before they had a chance to harm her.
The older man sighed deeply, rubbing at his arms. “Where are you traveling?” he asked.
“South.”
“From Eban?” he asked.
I crouched just on the edge of the fire, not close enough to let the light distort my Sight and not so far as to leave Cael in danger. Without protection, a woman traveling alone would almost always be in danger—especially one who looked like Cael.
She shifted slightly, legs moving slightly along the ground, and I suppressed a soft laugh. Not as asleep as she seemed. I wondered again how much she had Read me. Most Readers, I could block. Not Cael, though.
I nodded, just a simple tip of my head. One hand worked inside my cloak, flipping back the top of my pouch and rustling through the small glass vials I had stored within. The darts could be loaded with poison by feel. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but I would be ready.
“Don’ talk much, do you?” he went on.
I shrugged. Just a few more moments and the darts would be ready.
“What you travelin’ so late for? Mos’ woulda been camped for a while.”
Shifting on my feet so that I was closer to Cael, I looked over at him. In spite of the cool night, his narrow face beaded with a thin sheen of sweat. Hands grabbed at his clothes again. Occasionally he would glance over at the older man, almost looking for reassurance.
“You going to pull one of those knives?” I asked. Best to get it out there if that was what it would come to. The terad I’d mixed was diluted. If they were lucky, they’d only be incapacitated rather than killed.
“Not sure what you talkin’ bout,” the younger man said. His words had a slow pitch to them that I did not recognize.
Making sure to keep Cael protected, I stood. A knife appeared in my hand from beneath my cloak—one I’d taken from Lorst and cleaned of poison. The other hand held the darts.
The older man glanced at the knife and blinked slowly. The younger man just sat next to the fire, unmoving.
Faster than I would have thought possible, the older man unsheathed a sword from somewhere under his cloak. He held it casually, his stance letting me know that he knew how to use it. I decided then that I might have misjudged. The younger one hadn’t been doing this long. Unfortunate that he had been brought along. More unfortunate that he wouldn’t have any answers.
“You don’t want to be doing that, boss,” the older man said.
8
The man spoke softly and with an accent I couldn’t place. Possibly Cort or even farther north. I wondered why
he was here, this far south of Eban, only the forest ahead of us. “We can make this easy. Just need your coin.”
I tilted my head. The flames would obscure my eyes from them; otherwise, I wondered if they would still have pressed the attack.
I should have just killed them when I had the chance. Now I’d have to fight them, something I didn’t really want to do. After the last few days on the road, all I wanted was sleep, but even that wasn’t safe with what we had to do.
“Not much coin,” I said.
The older man’s face split into a soft smile. He was missing some of his teeth and his tongue darted through them to lick his lips. “I said we could make this easy.”
Knives appeared in the younger man’s hands. He held them too tightly for someone accustomed to using them well. Firelight glinted off the blade. Faint scratches etched the surface. Not even good steel.
With a flick of my wrist, I could send the knife I held through his throat, but I’d prefer if I could keep from killing again. I hated that Cael had already seen so much around me.
“The lady there is too well dressed for you to have an empty purse. Likely she hired you to accompany her on the road.” He looked at me for confirmation. When none came, he narrowed his eyes, his thick brow furrowing and casting more shadows across his face. “We will take what she paid you and whatever she has left on her.”
“Just the coin and you’ll leave us?” I asked. I knew how these men thought. Let them think I would give up the coin for safety. Most men would.
The older man tipped his head in assent.
I shifted closer to Cael. Now I was near enough that I could smell her, the perfume of lilacs or some other sweet flower subtle around her. Somehow, even the filth of the road hadn’t spoiled her scent. Like always, when I got too close to her, I felt a sense of longing. She claimed she did nothing to push the emotion upon me, but with her abilities I was never certain.
“Why do you need the coin?” I asked.
I could tell from his face he had not expected that question. “What does it matter to you?”
“It matters.”
The younger man shifted, separating from the older man. His hands were twitchy, the knives still tight in his grip. Much longer and he would do something foolish. I didn’t worry about myself, but I would not let something happen to Cael because of their stupidity. Or my reluctance.
Studying them, I could see the tension in both their eyes. Mixed with it was something else—determination—and I knew this would only end one way.
With a flourish, I spun the knife and shoved it back under my cloak. The older man started to relax, thinking they had won. Then, with a quick flick, I sent one of my darts flying across the fire. It stuck in the younger man’s leg.
He had enough time to feel it stick before his muscles failed. Knives fell in a soft clatter. As he sank to the ground, his mouth went wide as he worked uselessly to say something.
The older man glanced over at the man, now lying motionless on the ground, while maintaining his attention on me. I half expected him to run over and check to see if he still breathed. When he didn’t, that told me a bit more about him.
“What did you do?” the man asked. His voice was deep but soft, as if he didn’t use it very often anymore.
“Put the sword away,” I said.
“Is he dead?”
I shrugged. “Probably not.” Mixing the terad blindly made me slightly less certain than usual, but I knew that it shouldn’t be fatal. That was one advantage of terad. Reversibility was another. That had saved my life more than once. “The sword.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You’ll get the same. In your weakened state, I’m not sure you will survive the toxin.”
The man’s breath caught for a moment before he sighed. “How did you know?” There was defiance in his tone but he sheathed the sword anyway.
“You’ve got the look about you,” I said.
“What look?”
“One of a man who knows his days are behind him. Can’t figure why you’d be out on the road.”
Whatever strength was left in him faded suddenly and he slumped to the ground. “Does it matter?” he asked. “You’re just going to kill me.”
I bit back a laugh. “Only if it needs doing,” I said. “You going to tell me what you need? You could have passed us by but you made a point of coming straight toward us.” I wouldn’t have been any good to Cael if I didn’t pay attention to such things.
“How long did you know?”
“At least the last hour,” I said. I hadn’t paid enough attention to know when they first came onto the road. I realized that she had probably known they were here as well.
The older man ran a hand through his hair and let out a soft breath. “Ah, shit. Doesn’t matter then.” He plopped onto the ground and rested his chin on his hands. “You got any food?”
The adjustment surprised me. “You want to check on your man?”
“Will it change anything?”
I shook my head. The effect of the terad would last as long as it lasted. Diluted as it was, I figured he had two hours or more before he came around. Even then, he would be weakened.
“Then it don’ matter much, do it?” he asked.
I watched the casual way he moved. With his size, such grace impressed me. But something was off. How much longer did he have before whatever it was that ate at him finished him off? What would drive such a man to venture out on the road?
I waved him closer, making sure to keep myself between him and Cael. “We don’t have much,” I admitted. Our trip hadn’t exactly been planned.
“I’m Nord,” he said. He took a seat on the opposite side of the fire, careful not to look at Cael.
I nodded.
“You gonna tell me your name?”
“No.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “Now, about that food?”
I thought about what stores we had. I had managed to catch a hare two nights ago but most of the meat was gone, eaten that first night. I didn’t dare venture away from Cael long enough to hunt something larger, no matter how she protested that she would be fine. That left the strips of jerky we had found on our first night. The farmhouse had been dark when I snuck in, taking whatever I could to stock us for the journey. The coins I left behind would be more than enough to pay for what was taken.
I tossed him two strips of the meat. That didn’t leave us much.
“You going to tell me what you’re doing out here?” I asked.
He pulled off a large bite, chewing heavily. His breath huffed as he chewed. “Same as you. Moving south.”
“What’s south for you?” I asked.
Nord chewed a few more bites before pausing and taking a long swig of water from a skin he pulled from beneath his cloak. “Hope.”
I frowned. “Odan?” I asked. The massive city was likely weeks away by horse. I couldn’t imagine how long it would take to reach by foot. I doubted he traveled to Elaeavn like us.
“Not Odan,” he said in between bites.
I could press him but wasn’t sure it would matter. Now that he was here, I had to figure out what to do with him. A terad-tipped dart would make sure we were left alone, but I hadn’t been lying when I told him that I wasn’t sure he would survive it.
“What kind of hope are you looking for?” I asked.
“Same as any,” Nord said. “A chance to live.”
Cael sat up as he spoke. She brushed her dark hair away from her face. Deep green eyes were bright and clear. She shuffled closer to me, staring across the fire at Nord.
“Lady,” Nord said. He had started in on a second strip of jerky and looked over at me. “Don’ worry. Your man here kept you safe.”
Cael smiled. When she smiled like that, her face looked even more lovely. At least to me. I wondered what glamour Nord saw. Cael had shown me once, but I didn’t know if she bothered to maintain the glamour now that we were out of Eban.
“I’m su
rprised, Galen,” she said.
I shrugged.
“The other?”
“He’ll live,” I said.
Cael’s smile deepened. “You don’t need to sound so disappointed.”
I shook my head but knew better than to say anything more. Likely she knew more than I did about what these men were after. It was clear to me that this was about more than coin.
She turned to Nord and looked over the fire at him. What color did her eyes look to him? Did she flare the bright green—the distinctive mark of one born of Elaeavn—or did her glamour hide even that?
“Where is the healer?” Cael asked.
The question was a command. Even I couldn’t imagine him not answering.
Nord blinked. “Not sure where she is, lady. Only know that she’s in the south. A great one, name Della. Powerful healing,” he said. His words came out in a tumble. They were for my benefit; Cael already had Read all she needed to know.
Della.
I hadn’t heard the name for years. Not since I left Elaeavn. I hadn’t even known that she still lived. If Nord had heard of her, I suspected that she did.
Cael looked over at me, a curious look on her face. I shook my head slightly, knowing that I didn’t need to for her to know what I was thinking. We had enough trouble on our own; we didn’t need to take on extra. We couldn’t help.
“Who is Della?” Cael asked Nord, but the question was not for him. Not really.
I tried to make my mind go blank but failed. Everything came to mind in a rush. With a prominent fluttering in my mind, I knew Cael was Reading me. She made no attempt to hide that fact.
With a force of will, I slammed up the barriers in my mind, hating that I had to do so.
9
Cael looked at me with a frown. She bit her lower lip, eyes narrowed. A thick strand of black curls fell in front of her face and she looked past it, completely ignoring it as she fixed her eyes fully on me.
I felt the full weight of her ability then.
The Forgotten (The Sighted Assassin Book 2) Page 6