The Dark Ability: Books 1-4

by D. K. Holmberg

  “You want Lena back, don’t you?”

  Firell shook his head. “She’s gone to me no matter what I do. Don’t matter if I find Josun.”

  “You’re giving up on her?” She didn’t bother to hide the disgust in her voice.

  “Not giving up. Practical. You’re in my line of work long enough, you learn when it’s time to be practical. I know what he’s done to her. If she still lives, she’s too far for me to find anyway.”

  Jessa turned back to Rsiran. She made no effort to disguise the anger flashing on her face. “I thought we knew him better than this.”

  “I thought I knew Shael better,” Rsiran said. He hadn’t suspected either Shael or Firell to betray them, but both had.

  “Shael was a fool,” Firell said. “Always thinking about coin, never looking beyond that. Never could trust him.”

  “Seems to me you’re no different from Shael,” Rsiran said.

  Firell leaned forward and gripped his legs. “I like having coin, but that wasn’t what motivated me. I always did what I could for my family. Except it wasn’t enough.” He shook his head. “Not when the Elvraeth got involved. Nothing I did could keep them safe, no matter what I tried.”

  Jessa didn’t look back at him. “He’s not the Elvraeth. They’re not the Elvraeth. They’re Forgotten, and I’m beginning to think there was a good reason for it.” She started to turn away before pausing. “Doing nothing hurts them more than if you tried and failed.”

  She moved past Rsiran and into the hall.

  Rsiran looked at Firell, wishing there was something he could say that would make him change his mind. Though he’d betrayed them, Rsiran couldn’t bring himself to hate Firell the way he did Shael. At least Firell had a reason for his betrayal, one Rsiran may not agree with, but could understand.

  “You should have told us,” he said.

  “Would it have mattered?”

  “Not now, it doesn’t. But had you told us before, you know Brusus would have done anything to help you. We’re his family too. We would have been there for you.”

  Rsiran turned to follow Jessa out into the hall. They’d wasted enough time with Firell.

  Firell called after him. “What do you know of family?”

  Rsiran hesitated at the door. “When they learned about my ability, my own family stopped caring about me. They banished me. Brusus took me in.” He turned and looked back at Firell. “He helped me understand what it means to have a family. And family is the reason I risked myself coming here. Because I would do anything to keep them safe.”

  He stepped out of the room and closed the door, leaving Firell behind.

  Chapter 30

  Jessa stood between the shadows cast by the lanterns hanging on the walls. She tipped her head forward, though wasn’t quite tall enough to brush the ceiling as she walked, not like Rsiran.

  “We’ve wasted too much time on him,” she whispered.

  Rsiran wondered. Firell wasn’t like Shael. He hadn’t wanted to betray them. “Still think you can sneak us out?”

  “Still not able to Slide?”

  Rsiran focused on a spot two steps in front of him and attempted a Slide. It happened slowly, like moving through mud, and a foul odor filled his nose as he emerged, but he Slid. Then he collapsed against the wall.

  He struggled to catch his breath. “Hard. Works, but hard.”

  Jessa bit her lip. “Then we sneak.”

  They made their way along the hall. When would the next guards come through? Had Shael sent them away as he came in to dose Rsiran? It seemed unlikely. More likely he’d come ahead of the Forgotten woman, the one he’d called Inna.

  They wouldn’t have much more time before she came looking for him.

  And what about Jessa? She was supposed to be locked up as well. If one of her guards discovered she’d escaped, they’d come after her.

  Rsiran paused at the door to the room where he’d been kept. Shael looked to have moved. The pool of blood smeared across the ground, different from when they’d been there. He lay more on his side. His split stomach heaved with each breath. Glassy eyes looked over at them.

  Shael opened his mouth as if to say something. Rsiran didn’t wait to hear what it was. He pushed the broken knife at Shael’s head, catching him between the eyes hard enough to leave an imprint, then pulled it back to him.

  Jessa glanced at him before looking into the room and nodding.

  The effort of pushing on the lorcith lessened, giving him hope that they might get away.

  They reached the stairs. The door atop the stairs was closed.

  Rsiran grabbed Jessa’s hand and held her from climbing. She frowned at him, but he ignored her. Instead, he focused on lorcith. In the room above them, he sensed a knife—possibly one of Jessa’s—and a crossbow bolt. Probably two guards, but there might be more.

  “What is it?” Jessa whispered.

  “Two, I think. Can’t tell if there are others.”

  She nodded. “You’ll have to go first. I’ll use the needle if I need to.”

  Rsiran slipped past her and climbed the stairs, careful with each step so they didn’t creak under his weight. At the top, he paused to listen.

  Muted voices drifted through the door. Rsiran listened but couldn’t tell how many were on the other side. Possibly more than two. He’d have to be quick.

  He shifted his focus to the lorcith in the room, holding an awareness of it in his mind.

  Then he pushed the door open.

  “Finally come back from beating on him…”

  The guard looked over, and his eyes widened.

  Rsiran pushed the broken knife at him, striking him in the chest, then quickly pulled it back.

  Another guard jumped to his feet. He pulled a crossbow up with a swift motion. Rsiran was faster, pushing on the bolt, sending it flipping up from the crossbow to sink into the man’s shoulder. He cried out, but it was silenced as Rsiran again pushed the broken knife, sending it directly at his head.

  That left the knife he’d sensed before entering. It was moving in the room.

  Rsiran sensed the knife and gave it a slight push. Someone grunted.

  He turned in that direction. Near the fire pit a man crouched, working his way toward them. His eyes flashed a deep green. Rsiran gave the knife another push, but the man vanished before it could do any damage.

  “Damn,” he whispered. He hadn’t expected someone able to Slide. “Anyone else?”

  Jessa looked around the room. “No one I see. Just these two?”

  He shook his head. “A Slider. Disappeared before I could turn his knife against him.”

  Jessa clenched her jaw and nodded. “Time to move quickly.”

  “So much for sneaking?”

  She breathed out a laugh. “Not sure it was ever going to be about sneaking.”

  He hurried to the wooden door on the other side of the room and leaned against it to listen. Not for voices, but for lorcith. He heard nothing.

  Rsiran pulled the broken knife back from the second guard. They needed to hold onto the few weapons they had.

  He grabbed the thick iron handle on the door and pulled. It opened slowly and, thankfully, silently.

  The hall on the other side of the door was nearly dark. A single lantern hung far down the hallway, spilling only a small circle of light around it. The air smelled different, like wood shavings and dirt.

  Where were they?

  “Can you see anything?”

  Jessa leaned against him and peered down the hall. “Nothing. It turns at the end where that lantern is. Can’t see anything beyond there.”

  Rsiran moved carefully as they started forward, but they needed to be quick as well. If the Slider reported they’d escaped, others would come. How many before Rsiran couldn’t handle them all?

  As they reached the corner, he hesitated. Light came from around the corner. He listened.

  “Rsiran!” Jessa hissed.

  She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him ba
ck.

  Wind whistled past his face. Lorcith suddenly bloomed nearby. A knife, and one he’d made.

  The outline of a shadow appeared near the corner. It flickered briefly. Another Slider, maybe the same one from the dining hall.

  He pulled on the knife and then pushed it at the shadow. It missed, sinking into the wall before it could hit. Jessa coughed and he spun. The shadow had her gripped around the neck, pulling her back.

  If they Slid, he might have no way to find her.

  He pushed on the knife she held and sent it twisting around her. It caught the Slider on the arm and he released her, crying out as he did.

  The broken knife came next, whistling toward the Slider’s head. But he missed, the person Sliding too quickly for him to catch.

  Rsiran pulled both weapons back to him.

  “We can’t stay here,” he said, pulling Jessa toward him. “I can’t hit him, and I don’t think it’s the same person as before.”

  “How many can Slide?”

  Rsiran wished he knew.

  “Rsiran!”

  The Slider had reappeared.

  Rsiran slipped the knife back into Jessa’s hands. The Slider might be Sighted, leaving him at a disadvantage in the dark. At least Jessa could throw the knife. Rsiran could always retrieve it.

  She sent it flying over his shoulder.

  He looked back to see the Slider disappear. Rsiran pulled the knife back to him.

  He wouldn’t be able to keep them safe like this. Anywhere he could Slide, the person could follow.

  But… not everywhere.

  With a force of will, he pushed away all sense of lorcith and listened for heartstone alloy. He could anchor and draw them to safety.

  “Rsiran?”

  The Slider had returned.

  Rsiran felt alloy and reached for it. He didn’t know where this was—not the palace—but it didn’t matter as long as it wasn’t here.

  The connection was weak at first, but grew stronger the longer he held onto it.

  Jessa jerked him down. Something whistled over his head. With lorcith pushed away, he couldn’t tell if that’s what the attacker used. Rsiran held onto the sense of the heartstone alloy and pulled as he Slid.

  At first, nothing happened.

  He felt a moment of fear. If a single Slider had them nearly incapacitated, what would happen if another arrived? Could they follow him along a Slide? What if the alloy didn’t stop them either?

  Rsiran threw everything he had into the Slide.

  Hot air whispered past his face carrying the strange sweetly bitter scent of the alloy. A wash of colors oozed past. And then they emerged, stumbling forward.

  Jessa crouched as she spun around. When satisfied they were alone, she stood slowly and helped Rsiran to his feet.

  He took a deep breath and stood, unsteady as he did. They were in a wide room. Faint blue light gave enough for him to see by. Twin tables rested against each other in the center of the room. Walls were lined with shelves that had books stuffed onto them. The blue light came from a dimmed lantern hanging from a hook near the center of the room. A woman sat underneath the lantern in a plush chair, a book propped in her lap.

  Rsiran blinked. “Della?”

  Chapter 31

  The woman turned and looked at him. Her eyes had the same bright green intensity and her face wore wrinkles from age, but her face had none of the soft affection Della always wore.

  She set the book down and looked at him. “How did you get here?”

  Rsiran glanced around before his eyes settled on the woman again. He couldn’t shake how much she looked like Della, but wasn’t.

  “Where are we?”

  She frowned and looked from Rsiran to Jessa. “You don’t know where you are.”

  Rsiran shook his head. He felt the heartstone alloy that had pulled him here, but couldn’t see it.

  “Then how did you…” Her eyes narrowed. “You traveled here.”

  It was a phrase he’d heard before, but Rsiran couldn’t place where.

  “We were being attacked.”

  The woman pushed off the chair and stood, then started toward them. She moved slowly but with a grace to her steps. She weaved around the tables until she stood before them, looking up at Rsiran and over to Jessa. “You should not be able to travel here.”

  Rsiran frowned and then listened for lorcith. There was none around. He pushed the sense of the knife Jessa carried and the charm she wore to the back of his mind, clearing lorcith from it. Then he listened.

  The sense of heartstone alloy came from all around. It practically infused the walls, reminding him of the way the walls in Venass were infused with lorcith. Something else hummed against him more strongly than the rest, but he couldn’t see what it was.

  “I’m sorry we came,” he said.

  Rsiran shifted, pushing Jessa behind him. The Slide had taken much energy from him, but already he began to feel better. All he needed was to focus on lorcith, and he could anchor well enough to Slide them to safety, but with all the heartstone around him, would he be able to find an anchor?

  The woman took a step toward him. She had a curious expression on her face. The set of her jaw made her appear almost angry. Silver hair twisted behind her head into a tight bun pinned with a long metal rod.

  Rsiran frowned again. Even that was heartstone.

  “Tell me again how you managed to reach me here.”

  He shook his head and stepped back. Something told him that he didn’t dare turn his back on this woman. “A mistake. I’m sorry. We’ll be going.”

  “A mistake? The Great Watcher makes no mistakes. If you were meant to come here, so be it. I should only like to know how it is you managed to reach me.”

  He swallowed, and the words came out in a tumble. “You’re right. I Slid. Traveled. Whatever you want to call it. It was a mistake. I anchored to the first thing I could sense…”

  Rsiran cut off his words, recognizing what happened. The woman Pushed him.

  He pushed his barriers into place, infusing them not only with lorcith but with the heartstone. Always before, it had seemed that he pulled on the sense of heartstone from somewhere, but this energy seemed to come from all around him. This woman had been subtle. As had been the case with Thom, Rsiran hadn’t even known she was Pushing on his mind. Much longer and he might have said anything to her. Already he’d probably said too much.

  Her mouth twisted in a hard smile. “Who taught you that trick?”

  He shook his head, unwilling to answer.

  Jessa moved behind him until they backed against one of the long tables. Rsiran looked down at it before turning his attention back to the woman. She hadn’t moved any closer. As small as she appeared, she exuded strength and control. This was a woman accustomed to getting what she wanted.

  “You will tell me what I ask.”

  “Who are you?”

  Her eyes narrowed, flashing a bright green. “Rsiran Lareth?” A smile parted her mouth. “The smith who can Slide. I have heard of you.”

  She hadn’t Read him. With the barrier in place, he didn’t think she could. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t Read Jessa.

  “And you are Jessa Ntalen.” Her face darkened. “You should not have left your parents.”

  Rsiran looked over at Jessa. Her face had gone white.

  “I see you have not told him everything. Interesting.”

  He touched Jessa’s arm. She jumped but didn’t pull away. He hoped he could reassure her but wasn’t sure he could without revealing too much to this woman.

  “If you can Read her, you know how I feel about her. Be careful what you say to me.”

  The woman laughed. “He has teeth. I had heard you were one to watch.”

  Rsiran steeled himself. He released his connection to the heartstone and listened for lorcith. He felt a moment of surprise when he couldn’t.

  The woman watched him. “Very interesting. From what she shows me, you access the lorcith fully.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Not just a smith then.”

  Rsiran checked to ensure his barrier was still in place. As far as he could tell it was, but how would this woman know what he had done? “How do you know that?”

  She turned and waved her hands around the room. “You think all this a curiosity?” She laughed. “You aren’t the first to be able to access the ore, only the first I’ve met in many years.”

  The woman fixed her gaze on him. As she studied him for a long moment, something changed about her face. “Not just the lorcith. That is how you managed to squeeze your way in here.” She laughed and shook her head. “I did not see that. And not only here, but other places as well. Useful.”

  The way she said it made Rsiran realize she meant it the same way Haern spoke of Seeing. This woman was Elvraeth. Or had been, once.

  “When were you banished?” he asked.

  The dark expression slipped over her eyes again and then was gone. “You speak of exile as if you know of such things.”

  “You speak of me as if you know of me.”

  She frowned at him before laughing again and turning away. “See? Teeth. I will find you interesting to observe.” She took a seat in her chair.

  Rsiran considered grabbing Jessa and Sliding from the woman. His strength had mostly returned, the effects of the slithca syrup finally worn off, and he would be able to get them safely away. But this was one of the Forgotten, and different from those who’d attacked him.

  He could get answers.

  “Why did Inna Elvraeth attack me? Why were we attacked in Elaeavn?”

  The woman looked up sharply. “You should not have been attacked. That is early—” She stopped herself and smiled.

  “Tell that to Inna. She dosed me with slithca syrup.”

  A cloud passed over the woman’s face. “Foolish girl. Thinking the only way to get what she wants is by force.”

  “And how do you think to get what you want?” Rsiran asked.

  “Persuasion.”

  “You won’t be able to Compel me.”

  “No. I do not think I will.”

  Jessa moved around him. The lorcith knife they’d taken from the Forgotten pointed at Rsiran’s chest. Her eyes were wide and her jaw worked as if she tried saying something.