The Dark Ability: Books 1-4

by D. K. Holmberg

  “If you already found the Thyrass, you should be able to find Thyr without difficulty.”

  That was the same thing Thom had said. “I told you. I don’t need Thyr. I need Venass.”

  His brow furrowed. “Venass is north of Thyr. More than that I can’t really…”

  “For Alyse’s sake, you’d better come up with a better answer than that.”

  His father shook his head slightly. “What do you hope to accomplish? You think by finding Thyr, you’ll get some kind of reward with me? Or do you plan to steal something else?” He sneered at him. “You’re nothing but a thief.”

  “Careful,” Rsiran said. “This thief could leave you wherever he chooses.”

  His father’s eyes narrowed, and he closed his mouth.

  Rsiran made sure to hold onto Jessa and stepped down the rocks rather than Sliding. He grabbed his father by the sleeve. The river snaked north in front of them. Behind him, it ran fairly straight south.

  Rsiran fixed on the farthest point he could see in the distance. Had he been Sighted, he might have an easier time choosing his targets. What must it have been like for Josun, being Sighted and able to Slide without the limitations Rsiran had?

  He Slid, pulling them along the river. Each time, he emerged only long enough to look for another point in the distance. The rock lining the river sloped upward, the river cutting a deeper valley as they went, making it difficult to find a clear vantage. If he could find higher ground, he could fixate on a farther point and Slide a greater distance. Instead, he was forced to travel much more slowly than he would like.

  Sliding by himself over great distances was taxing. The time he’d Slid to Asador chasing after his sword, he’d nearly not had the strength to return. Practicing Sliding had increased his comfort with both distances and burden, taking Jessa with him as often as possible, exercising it no differently than he had exercised his arms and chest working the forge. But as much as he’d improved, he still struggled under the burden of transporting three of them.

  With each Slide, he sagged under the effort. He didn’t want to admit it, but he began to wonder if he’d be able to get them all back to Elaeavn once they found Venass and the antidote. Would he be forced to leave one of them behind? If so, it wouldn’t be Jessa. She’d been through too much for him to risk her again. Besides, he needed her Sight.

  And then a Slide took them to a ledge overlooking the distant land. Water from the Thyrass cascaded down from the shelf, spilling to a point far below as it ran somewhat east. There, flat ground spread out toward an enormous city in the distance. The river cut through the heart of the city and seemed to keep going, beyond the city, likely all the way to the sea. Rsiran saw no sign of the ocean from where he stood.

  Within the city, buildings taller than any in Elaeavn stretched high into the sky, some with bright lights filling the windows. One stood taller than the others, a thick tower made of a pale white stone rose near the edge of the city. A high wall circled the city.

  “Is that Thyr?” Jessa whispered.

  “That’s Thyr,” his father said. Rsiran had released him, letting him stand atop the rock next to them. There was no place for him to run. “Home to the Tower of Scholars.” He sniffed and looked away. “Great Watcher only knows what else.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Rsiran stared at the tower that must be the Tower of Scholars rising above the city.

  “Scholars claim they can understand anything, even the Great Watcher himself.”

  Rsiran glanced at Jessa, and she only shrugged. “You never told me you’d ever been to Thyr.”

  His father looked at him. Once, he’d been a wide man, thick with muscle, and intimidating to Rsiran. The time after Rsiran had been apprenticed with him had taken much from his father, not the least of which was mass from his body, leaving him lean and wasted. No longer did he intimidate Rsiran as he once had. He still managed the same look he’d always given him, one filled with a mixture of condescension and disgust. Rsiran did not turn away from it this time.

  “No.”

  Rsiran shook his head, sniffing out an annoyed laugh. “I could leave you here when we’re done, if you like.”

  “Doesn’t matter to me. I’m already dead as it is.”

  “You think mother would like it if you were dead? Alyse?”

  His father stiffened but said nothing.

  Jessa touched his arm. “You don’t need to keep doing that to him. He’s helping you already.”

  “Doing what?”

  She pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him. In the cool of the night, it was the only thing that felt good. She smelled clean, her hair infused with the scent of whatever flowers she’d been picking lately. Nothing like the bitter scent of lorcith he had grown so accustomed to. He hugged her back, resting his chin atop her head.

  “How is this any better than what he did to you?” She reached up and touched his face. “You don’t need to torture him anymore. You’re a better man than he is. I can see that.”

  The words made Rsiran smile, and he leaned toward her and kissed her on the mouth. She tasted sweet, like a mixture of mint and ale. For a moment, he could forget about everything else, as if the Great Watcher had finally given him everything he needed.

  But the moment passed. Rsiran couldn’t forget why he’d come. Brusus needed him to succeed. And if Brusus died, Rsiran may never understand what he’d been pulled into. As much as he wanted to help his friend, he wanted answers as well.

  He released the embrace and stepped away from Jessa. She stood next to him, holding his hand, as he turned to his father. This time, he softened his voice. “This is where I need your help. Where is Venass from here?”

  His father looked as if he might say something, but instead just frowned at him. “What is your business in Venass?”

  Rsiran considered lying or simply demanding that his father tell him how to reach it, but decided against it. “A good man will die if I can’t reach Venass tonight.”

  “What kind of good man?”

  He met his father’s eyes. “The one who saved me when you’d given up on me.”

  Emotions flickered across his father’s face. Rsiran could read none of them. Finally, his mouth tightened. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”

  “A cure.”

  His father frowned. “And you think you can find it in one night. In the dark?”

  “I don’t have any choice. I have to try.”

  He shook his head and looked away. “Then you’re a fool.”

  There was a note in his voice that gave Rsiran pause. “Can you show me how to find Venass?”

  He didn’t look over. “Do I have any choice?”

  “There’s always a choice.”

  His father turned. “Is there?”

  He’d made plenty of choices recently. Not all of them good, and few easy, but he’d always had a choice. “Regardless of what I do, there’s always a choice.”

  “We’ll see.”

  His father stood and took a few steps toward the ledge, beside the waterfall, and leaned forward. Almost too late, Rsiran realized what he was doing and muttered a quiet curse under his breath. If he did nothing, his father would die from the fall. And Brusus would die.

  “I’m sorry,” he said to Jessa. And let go of her hand as he Slid after his father.

  He emerged falling alongside his father.

  Wind whistled around him. Rsiran wondered what he’d been thinking. Doing this could mean his death if he was wrong. But it definitely meant Brusus’s death if he did nothing.

  Above him, Jessa screamed.

  He’d never tried to Slide like this before. As far as he knew, it should work the same as taking a step. He prayed to the Great Watcher that it did.

  His father was right in front of him. And now the ground loomed before both of them. Another moment, and he’d be too late.

  Rsiran grabbed his father by the back of his dirty shirt and Slid again, aiming for the ground. Normal
ly, he had to step into the Slide. This time, he fell.

  He emerged rolling onto his side. It didn’t lessen the impact, though, and as he hit the ground, his elbow jabbed hard into his side, forcing the air from his lungs. His father rolled next to him and grunted.

  Rsiran lay motionless for a moment, feeling to see if anything hurt. His ribcage felt like it might be broken, his arm having pushed into it on landing. It hurt to take a deep breath. His hand ached from gripping his father’s shirt. But nothing else.

  He stood and resisted the temptation to kick his father. “What were you thinking?” he shouted. “I thought you wanted to see Alyse again!”

  His father rolled over. Dirt stained his face and his nose was bloodied, running toward his ear. A dark smile twisted his mouth. “And I said I was already dead. You just haven’t seen it yet.” He crawled to his knees and looked up the waterfall, shaking his head as he did. “Thought you said I had a choice.”

  Rsiran grunted. “You did.”

  His father got to his feet. He stood unsteadily and wiped his hand across his face, smearing the blood that had dripped down his face and brought his hand out to look at it. Then he shook his head again, looking back up to where he’d stood moments ago.

  “Then why didn’t you let me fall?”

  Rsiran grunted again. “You don’t get it, do you?”

  His father looked back and met his eyes. “Get what?”

  “I had a choice too.”

  Chapter 12

  Rsiran left his father standing at the edge of the Thyrass River as he Slid back to the rocks to reach Jessa. As soon as he emerged, she punched him hard on the chest.

  “Just what was that?” she demanded.

  “I couldn’t let him fall.”

  “You risked yourself for him? After everything he did to you?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

  She punched him again, this time with a little less force. “You think I don’t understand? What I wouldn’t give up to see… to see…” She didn’t finish. Tears welled in her eyes and she fell into him.

  Rsiran pulled her close. He was the reason she cried this time, the reason she hurt. And he’d be the reason she hurt if anything happened to him. Had he really been willing to risk himself for his father?

  “I’m sorry.”

  She pounded on him with closed fists. “You said that already.” Her voice sounded muffled as she spoke against him. “Doesn’t make it better.”

  “I know. And I’m sorry.” He pushed her back far enough that he could see her face, holding her eyes with his. Hers flared a bright green and she swallowed. “I didn’t have time to explain. I don’t think I was in any danger… at least no real danger.”

  “But you didn’t know.”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t know,” he agreed. “I’ve never tried Sliding while falling.” Now that he had, knowing he could might be helpful, if he could only manage to control the fall at the end. He couldn’t end up splayed across the ground each time he Slid, hoping to be unhurt. He’d have to figure out a way to do it more safely. And that meant practicing. Jessa wouldn’t care for that, either.

  “He’s right, you know.”

  Rsiran frowned. The idea that his father might be right about anything anymore troubled him. “About what?”

  “You are a fool.”

  Rsiran laughed softly. “Probably.”

  He looked over the rocks. His father still stood along the bank of the Thyrass River, staring into the swirling water where it spilled down from the rocks. A thought came to him—if his father really wanted to end things, he could simply throw himself into that water. Rsiran doubted he’d be able to Slide into the water and out quickly enough to save them both. He’d never tried water, but it seemed a level of magnitude more difficult than even falling.

  “We shouldn’t leave him down there by himself too long. I don’t know what he might try next,” Rsiran said.

  Jessa peered over the edge of the rocks, leaning forward more dangerously than Rsiran expected of her, especially after the fall. “I wish we didn’t need him for this.”

  “Me too.”

  She turned and looked Rsiran in the eyes. “No. I mean it. I don’t know what this will do to you. It took you months to get past what he’s done to you.”

  Rsiran smiled sadly. “That’s the problem. He’s my father. I’ll never get past it. Or him.”

  Jessa bit her lip, and Rsiran wondered if she thought about her father. He knew only a little about him, just that he had been a thief and had been taken away where they had cut off his hand for thieving. Jessa had been saved by Haern, brought back to Elaeavn, but more than that, he didn’t know. Eventually she would tell him.

  “Don’t let him be the reason you get hurt,” Jessa said. “Promise me that.”

  “I promise.”

  They Slid to the bottom of the waterfall, with water swirling around them, Jessa stalked over to Rsiran’s father. She stood nearly a head shorter than him, and her shoulder-length hair fluttered in the breeze. Hands went to her hips, one fingering the hilt of the long knife she tucked into her waist, and she leaned toward him. Rsiran sensed the anger radiating from her.

  “If you ever do anything to place Rsiran in harm’s way again, you won’t have to worry about what he’ll do to you.”

  His father glanced from Jessa to Rsiran. A small smile twisted his mouth. Blood had dried around his nose, and he’d wiped most of it away.

  “Because I’ll be there first.” She lowered her voice. Rsiran still heard what she said next. He suspected she wanted him to. “And I won’t have the same hesitation to do what’s needed to your precious Alyse.”

  Then she turned and stalked back over to Rsiran. She looked away, staring out toward Thyr. The message was clear to him, and he knew not to press her about what she’d said. Rsiran didn’t actually think she’d do anything to Alyse, but the threat unnerved his father.

  He glanced from Jessa to Rsiran, his face tense. “Keep the others out of this. I’ll get you to Venass.”

  “I know you will,” Rsiran said. Threatening Alyse was all he needed to get his father to comply with them. “Where is Venass from here?”

  His father looked north toward Thyr and pointed. “There.”

  Rsiran frowned. “The Tower of the Scholars?”

  He nodded. “The Tower is outside Thyr itself. Separate, the way the scholars imagine themselves. Venass is simply another name for it.”

  Rsiran looked at the Tower. Thom had intended all along for them to come to the Tower of Scholars? Why not simply tell him?

  A chilling thought came to him, and he glanced over at Jessa. Thinking back on how Thom had told them of Venass and how they might find an antidote there, he’d never really been all that forthcoming as to how they’d get it. Had Thom intended for Rsiran to break into the Tower? Had he presumed Rsiran could Slide them in? But if he and Jessa weren’t invited in, how would they find the antidote? How would they even know what to look for?

  Had Thom not been attacked, they could ask him what his plan was. For all Rsiran knew, Thom had a way into the Tower, or a contact that would allow them to find the antidote. But for him to go alone… how would he find a way to save Brusus?

  “All I want is an antidote. Thom made no mention of having to break in,” Rsiran said to her. The idea of doing so reminded him too much of breaking into the Elvraeth warehouse in Elaeavn. That had not turned out well for him. What would happen were he to break into this? Would he end up with the scholars after him as well? Would Brusus want that?

  Jessa looked over. “We have to try or he’ll die.”

  His father sneered at him. “I’m surprised you hesitate. I thought you didn’t care what you broke into?”

  “Why don’t you tell him why you were in Asador?” Jessa said. She made her way over to his father. Her hand had gone back to the hilt of the knife.

  His father’s brow furrowed. “Asador? I thought this was a
bout Thyr?”

  Jessa pulled the knife from her waist. “This is about the same. Why don’t you tell him?” He started to turn away, but Jessa grabbed his shoulder and spun him back to face her. “Turn your back to me, and I’ll see to it you can’t walk again.” He tensed and didn’t move. “Tell him.”

  Rsiran looked at Jessa. “What’s this about, Jessa? What happened in Asador?”

  “He’s kept something else from you, Rsiran. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I think it’s time he starts telling you the truth. You’ve been so focused on the alloy ever since returning from Asador that you haven’t taken the time to find out why your father was there in the first place.” She glared at his father. “And I want him to explain.”

  “What alloy?” his father asked.

  Rsiran ignored him and focused on Jessa. “Why he was in Asador doesn’t matter to me, does it? It didn’t matter until Brusus was injured.”

  “It matters if they are involved,” Jessa said, emphasizing “they,” like she was talking in code in front of Rsiran’s father. “I’d planned to ask Brusus if he’d learned anything before he was poisoned. He’s been asking questions, but not too many of the Elvraeth up there want to talk, at least, not about them. It’s probably the reason he was poisoned.”

  “What alloy?” his father asked again.

  With what little they knew about Venass and the Forgotten, maybe Jessa was right. He should have taken the time to ask more before dragging his father with him to Thyr. For all he knew, he actually did what the Forgotten wanted. “Why were you in Asador?” he asked his father.

  He’d opened his mouth to say something—probably to ask about the alloy again—and promptly closed it.

  Rsiran stepped toward him. “And don’t think you can divide Jessa and me with your words. She wasn’t the one to send me to the mines to work without any intention of bringing me back. She’s the one who helped me, who saw through the lies you’d been feeding me trying to make me think what I could do was a curse. There is no one in this world I care about more than her.” Rsiran practically trembled as he said those words. “So I ask you again. Why were you in Asador?”