The Dark Ability: Books 1-4

by D. K. Holmberg

  Rsiran watched the scholar’s face. The piercings through his brow and lip were made of lorcith. As were piercings Rsiran couldn’t see. Small bars of lorcith penetrated his stomach, his chest, even his fingers.

  “Why test me?” Rsiran felt his anger building and pushed it away. With what had happened to them already, he felt as helpless as he’d felt the first time he’d faced Josun Elvraeth. But unlike that time, he didn’t intend to be used.

  “It was no test,” the scholar answered. He stood at ease, only the way he pressed his lips together showing any sign of tension. “Either you escaped or you did not.”

  Rsiran’s mind raced, trying to understand what was happening. Like in Elaeavn, so much seemed hidden from him. At least in the city, he knew some way to keep himself safe. Here… here he had no way of knowing if he could be safe.

  But for the scholars to know that he might escape, it meant they knew he could Slide. “Who told you?”

  “Told me?” the man asked.

  “About my ability. Who told you?”

  The tension in his face softened, his lips parting. “No one had to tell me, Mr. Lareth. We can sense when one with your particular ability nears. If we could not, no secret would ever really be safe.”

  “How can you sense it?” Della could sense the ripple of his Sliding, but he’d thought that a gift from the Great Watcher. Did the scholars have someone with that kind of ability? Or was this different, something they had discovered?

  He knew nothing about the scholars. What if they could access the same abilities as those from Elaeavn? The Great Watcher didn’t have to gift only the Elvraeth.

  The scholar’s eyes narrowed. “Just know that we can.”

  “What are you?”

  The question came out more bluntly than intended. The scholar spread his hands wide and tipped his head slightly. “You came to the Tower of Scholars and ask what I am?” His eyes narrowed.

  As they did, Rsiran thought he saw a flash of green, but it faded and was gone. He pushed up his mental barriers anyway, fortifying them with heartstone alloy rather than lorcith. It would take more energy to maintain but would be stouter.

  He watched the scholar’s face as he did. Had his expression changed?

  “I didn’t come to the Tower seeking the scholars.”

  “Then how will you find the antidote you seek?”

  Rsiran glanced back at Jessa briefly. Had she told the scholars what they searched for, or had they somehow Read him? Jessa stared past him, not taking her eyes off the scholar. From the way her jaw clenched and her brow furrowed, she seemed to be trying to see something about him.

  He turned back to the scholar. “Yes. I was told I could find it in Venass.”

  The scholar’s lip curled slightly. “Venass and not the Tower?” He frowned. “That is why you came?”

  Rsiran nodded. “If you know why I am here, why are you surprised I would seek Venass?”

  “Who told you of Venass?”

  With the question, Rsiran felt relief that the scholar had to ask. He hadn’t Read him. But he was certain someone had tried Pushing him while he was trapped in the cell. It was the same sense he’d had in the forest when they’d lost Thom. That meant another with abilities.

  Unless another answer existed. Could the scholars have a way to recreate abilities given by the Great Watcher? Had that been how they’d been pulled into the Tower?

  Rsiran frowned. This place looked nothing like what he expected, and he didn’t think he would find the antidote Brusus needed. And without it, his friend would surely die.

  “I don’t understand.”

  The scholar smiled. The piercings made his face grotesque with the expression. “Then you have come to the right place.”

  The scholar led them down a long hall. His slippered feet made no sound on the tile. Jessa moved softly behind Rsiran, still gripping his hand, unwilling to release him. As they followed the scholar, Rsiran tried Sliding them a step, wanting to know if he could. He succeeded, but had a sense of something else pressing on him as he did. Would he be able to Slide them from the Tower if needed, or had the scholars learned some way of preventing him from Sliding away from them?

  The sense of the sword reassured him. He could anchor to it if needed.

  “What of the other who was with us?”

  The scholar tipped his head slightly. “Your father? He is unharmed.”

  They knew about his father. Did they know how little he mattered to Rsiran? “Can I see him?”

  The scholar glanced back at him. “Do you want to?”

  Rsiran watched the walls as they made their way through the Tower. Like the room, the walls were bare. Sconces like those in the room burned with blue light. Rsiran trailed a hand along the stone and found it cool, almost damp. The air had a chill to it and something else, a hint of an odor he couldn’t quite place. With each step, he was aware of how much time they spent. Time Brusus didn’t have.

  “I need help for a friend and was told I could find it in Venass.”

  They turned a corner and started up a wide flight of stairs. “Interesting that you use that term. It is an ancient term and known only to a few,” the scholar said. “I should like to know how you have learned it.”

  Rsiran looked over to Jessa. “I heard it in Elaeavn.”

  The scholar tapped his lip piercings together. As he did, Rsiran felt a soft surge of lorcith and smelled a hint of the bitter metal. “Elaeavn.” His eyes narrowed. “Few outside the Tower know of Venass. And none in Elaeavn.”

  Rsiran wondered if he should reveal that Thom shared the name with him, but decided against it. “Someone does.”

  The scholar frowned and then continued up the stairs.

  Rsiran looked over at Jessa, feeling a hint of worry. If the scholars had Readers, he might be able to fortify his mind with the alloy to prevent access, but would Jessa? What would happen if the scholars learned it was Thom who told them of Venass? What did Rsiran even know of Thom?

  But… why had Thom not told him that Venass and the Tower of Scholars were one in the same? What purpose would he have for hiding that from them? It risked delaying them from finding help for Brusus, and without that help, he would die.

  The stairs opened onto a wide landing. Here, a massive hall stretched before them, much wider than on the floor below. At the end of the hall, a set of double doors made of thick lorcith arched high overhead. The doors were larger even than the one in his cell. What size nugget must have been found to forge doors of such size? How much would they weigh?

  Shelves lined the walls, as did a few boxes that reminded him of the strange crate that Brusus had shown him on his first visit to the warehouse; the wood seemed to have been peeled away in layers to be opened. Rsiran tried to slow to get a better look, but Jessa pulled him along with her.

  As they reached the doors, the scholar paused. He looked as if he would say something, then the tips of the lorcith rods piercing his lips touching softly, but shook his head and pushed open the doors.

  Rsiran realized after they swung open that he hadn’t actually touched them.

  He pressed against his awareness of the lorcith, wondering if he could influence the doors. The massive doors responded to his touch, swinging softly with his gentle push. The scholar glanced over at him and frowned.

  “Where are you taking us?” Rsiran asked.

  Jessa had been silent since they’d left the room in which Rsiran had found her. Now she tensed, her hand in his palm slicking with sweat. Rsiran looked around, wondering if she’d seen anything. He saw only more of the pale white walls they’d seen elsewhere. No sconces hung on these walls but moonlight streamed through a window high overhead. At least it was still night, but which night?

  “What is this place?” he asked again. His voice carried across the room, bouncing from the tile floor to the walls before finally fading.

  “Rsiran…”

  He looked over to Jessa. Her eyes were wide and darted from side to side
.

  “What is it? What do you see?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know.”

  The scholar chuckled softly, sounding almost like a growl. “You will pardon the darkness. This is a room of solitude,” he said as if in answer.

  Rsiran thought he understood what troubled Jessa. Like he’d been trapped in the cell without the ability to Slide, Jessa couldn’t see into the darkness any better than he could.

  How could the scholars counter their abilities?

  And why would they need to? “Why did you bring us here?”

  “As I’ve said, you brought yourself here, Mr. Lareth. You sought our aid.”

  Rsiran shook his head, studying the walls around him, but unable for his eyes to pierce the shadows. “I didn’t come seeking aid. Only an antidote.”

  “Is that not aid?”

  Rsiran didn’t like what that implied. Would he owe something to the scholars if he accepted the antidote?

  “And you have something that will help?”

  A smile twisted the scholar’s lips, pulling on the lorcith piercing in a way that left his face twisted and grotesque. Something about the smile reminded him of the way Thom had smiled at him.

  “There is always something that can help. You must be willing to pay the price.”

  Next to him, Jessa squinted, trying to peer into the darkness. Shadows slipped around the strange room, shifting with the clouds rolling over the moon, changing the moonlight in ways that looked almost unnatural.

  “What price?”

  “You have only been brought this far because you can travel. Others will wish to study, to learn how you managed to leave that room. That is the price.”

  Jessa squeezed his hand hard. He looked over and saw her shaking her head.

  “Don’t do it, Rsiran. You don’t know what they will do to you.”

  “Do? We wish to understand, that is all. He will be unharmed.”

  Rsiran studied the scholar and then turned to Jessa. “Isn’t this what we came for?” he asked. “If we find an antidote, Brusus will be healed.”

  “But what of you? What price will you pay for him?”

  “Wouldn’t Brusus do the same for us?” he whispered.

  “Would he? What happened when I was captured?” she whispered. “How hard did Brusus look? Where was his sacrifice then?” She looked around. “I think you should take us from this place, Rsiran. See if…” She lowered her voice. “See if he’s been healed.”

  Rsiran considered how much time had been spent just reaching the Tower of Scholars, the strain he’d placed on himself Sliding here. Were they to return to Elaeavn to see if Della had managed to Heal Brusus, Rsiran doubted he would have the strength needed to return here, especially considering how difficult it had been to escape from the room in which he’d been held.

  And would they even allow him to return? Something told him that he and Jessa had only been granted access. He might find the Tower blocked to him, as he’d once found the Floating Palace.

  “If I don’t accept this offer now, it won’t be offered again, will it?”

  The scholar’s mouth twisted. “You are insightful, Mr. Lareth.”

  He looked back to Jessa. “For Brusus… we have to accept the exchange. It might be his only chance.”

  She leaned into him, and he felt her trembling softly against him. “I don’t want to lose you.” She whispered softly so that he would be the only one who could hear. “When they said you were kept in a room and all you had to do was escape, I… I…” She shook her head. “There wasn’t anything I could do but wait. I don’t think I can stand waiting again.”

  Rsiran would do anything to keep Jessa safe. But he owed Brusus. And this was something he could do. If all they wanted was to study him, then Rsiran would have to risk it.

  “For Brusus,” he whispered to Jessa. Then, he turned to the scholar. “I accept.”

  The scholar walked away from them, disappearing into the shadows. There was a sound like that of whispering, though it seemed mixed with a strange scratching. Then the scholar returned, clutching a dark bottle made of wood against his robes. When he reached them, he held it out.

  Rsiran hesitantly took it. As his hand curled around the bottle, the scholar’s mouth twisted in a dark smile. Rsiran shivered, wondering what, exactly, he’d just agreed to.

  Chapter 17

  The scholar walked them down different stairs that slowly widened, opening into a grand staircase as it descended from the strange room. Rsiran carried the heavy wooden bottle capped with wax. A dark rune had been burned into the surface. He traced his finger around the rune as they walked.

  Jessa walked next to him in silence.

  Rsiran couldn’t help but think he’d made a mistake. What if Della managed to Heal Brusus? Then everything he’d done would’ve been unnecessary. But if she hadn’t and Rsiran managed to bring an antidote to her… would it have been worth it?

  Only time would divulge that answer. Time, and learning exactly what the scholars wanted from him.

  The scholar said nothing more until they reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs. Another set of wide, lorcith-forged doors stood closed in front of them. In the light of the pale blue sconces hanging along the walls, he saw markings on the door, shapes and characters he suspected had meaning.

  He squeezed Jessa’s hand and motioned softly toward the door, hoping her Sight would allow her to draw the shapes again. She frowned at him, briefly startled, then stared at the door. Rsiran couldn’t tell whether she saw anything of use.

  “You are free to leave, Mr. Lareth. You will receive a summons for the study. You would do well to answer.”

  Rsiran clutched the wooden bottle tightly against him. “And if I don’t?”

  The scholar tapped the lorcith piercing his lips together again, and Rsiran felt a soft surge of lorcith. The doors swung open without the scholar touching them.

  Rsiran looked at him, wondering if the piercings gave him control over the lorcith. He hadn’t seen any other scholars to know if others had similar piercings or if they were particular to this one scholar. The man watched him and said nothing.

  “What of my father?” Rsiran asked. He didn’t feel strongly about helping his father, but he’d brought them to Venass. Rsiran would work out later how his father knew of it.

  “For now, your father will remain as our guest.”

  “That wasn’t the agreement,” Rsiran said. He didn’t want to leave the scholars with anything they might use against him. Already, he began to feel uncomfortable with what had happened. How much had he sacrificed to help Brusus?

  “No. There is no agreement for Neran Lareth.”

  Rsiran turned to face the scholar, knives ready to push at him. As he did, he wondered if they would even work against him. If he could control lorcith the same as Rsiran, would the knives find their target or would he be able to deflect them?

  The scholar studied him, an almost amused expression flickering across his eyes. He stood at ease, arms clasped behind his back.

  “You will not harm him.”

  He tapped the piercings together again. “Have you come to care about him?”

  Jessa leaned toward Rsiran. He resisted the urge to look over, unwilling to look away from the scholar.

  Rsiran leaned forward again. “Don’t push me on this.”

  “Or what, Mr. Lareth? What do you think you will do? You will return to Venass?” He almost smiled. “And then what? How will that turn out any differently than this time?”

  Rsiran felt anger rising within him. Was this another test? They’d already helped him, giving him an antidote that might save Brusus. Why would he argue with them before leaving?

  “Your traps did not hold me,” he reminded. “Remember that if you think to harm him.”

  The scholar tipped his head forward, only the slightest bow. “We do not forget, Mr. Lareth. That is why you were granted passage.”

  Rsiran watched him for another mom
ent and then pulled Jessa with him and stepped through the doors. As he did, he had a sensation of movement, a swirl of colors, and smelled a hint of bitterness. Rsiran turned, and the Tower was now far behind him, the doors closed. Thyr stretched behind it.

  They’d Slid away from the Tower.

  Rsiran shivered, realizing what had just happened. Had they forced him into a Slide, using his ability to carry them away from the Tower? Or far stranger, did the scholars have the ability to Slide, and now wanted to know how he could Slide past heartstone alloy? Either way, he realized he might have underestimated them.

  Jessa stared at the Tower. She chewed at her lip and one hand gripped the charm around her neck. “What will happen when they decide to study you?”

  “I don’t have to return.” But he was no longer certain that was true.

  Jessa shook her head. “This was a mistake. Brusus wouldn’t want you to do this.”

  “Brusus will want to live.”

  Jessa sighed. “At what cost?” She turned to him and took both of his hands in hers. “We’ve been upset at Brusus for pulling us into the Elvraeth plot without asking, but what have we just done?”

  Rsiran realized she was right. What had he done? Agreed to assist the scholars in exchange for the antidote, but what did he really know about them?

  He sighed. If all they wanted was the opportunity to study his abilities, what could that hurt? But if that was all, why did he have the feeling he’d been duped into an agreement that had implications he hadn’t considered and could not foresee?

  Rsiran looked at the slowly lightening sky. Much longer, and it would be morning. Della would have spent most of the night working on Brusus. In that time, she would have expended much energy, possibly more than she could sustain. After everything they’d been through, it was time to return.

  Jessa watched him, her eyes narrowed with concern. “Rsiran…”

  The way she said his name told him she’d seen enough on his face to practically Read him. If only he could do the same with her. “You’re right,” he said simply. “I don’t know what I’ve done. We should have spoken to Della before running off with Thom, but I thought—”