The Dark Ability: Books 1-4

by D. K. Holmberg

  “How is that different?”

  “Trust that it is.”

  Jessa nodded. “What Brusus does is nothing like what she did to my mind.”

  “Would Jessa know if she were being Compelled again?” Rsiran asked.

  Della shook her head. “It depends on how strongly Evaelyn chooses to influence. If it is only a subtle influence, you might never know.”

  “That’s why she was exiled?” Jessa knelt next to Rsiran’s chair, keeping close to him.

  Della nodded. “She used her abilities to Compel another of the family, a young man she desired.”

  The family. Della had practically admitted she was Elvraeth before, but this was a more direct admission. “What happened?”

  “She is not the only one with skill,” Della said. She sighed. “When I tore her from his mind, it was nearly too late. Little could be done to help.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Pray to the Great Watcher that you never have to understand, Rsiran. When I knew Evaelyn, she did not have the control I suspect she now does over her abilities. She delved deeply—too deeply—into his mind, forcing him into an action that was anathema to who he was. With such force, she destroyed his mind.”

  Rsiran shivered thinking of what could have happened to Jessa. Had Evaelyn tried forcing her to attack him, would that have been enough to tear apart her mind? Would she have tried to fight, only to end up changed?

  “She said you know what they’re trying to find.”

  Della frowned. “And you believed her?”

  Rsiran thought about how angry Evaelyn had become when he asked. It was when the questions had stopped. “I had no reason not to believe her.”

  Della looked at him and took another sip of her tea.

  “Della?” Brusus pushed off the wall and took a step toward her. “What do they want?”

  Rsiran answered for her. “Both the Forgotten and Venass are interested in knowing how I can Slide past heartstone alloy.” They hadn’t asked him the same way, but that had been the purpose. Other than the barrier Rsiran created around his smithy, there was only one place with enough alloy to make Sliding difficult. “What do they want in the palace?”

  Della glanced at Brusus before turning to regard Rsiran with a weary gaze. “There are many things the Elvraeth hide, Rsiran. But there is only one thing both Venass and the Forgotten would both seek. And it is something they cannot be allowed to have.”

  “Della?” Brusus asked.

  “No, Brusus. This is not my secret to share. There are things in this world greater than me. I’ve never hidden the fact that I don’t trust those in the palace, but they serve a purpose.”

  “What purpose?”

  “Knowing will only draw you deeper,” she said to Rsiran. “That is my fear. As one with the blood of the Watcher, you are at greatest risk.”

  Brusus frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “And you should not.”

  “And not knowing?” Brusus asked. “What does that do to us?”

  She didn’t answer, instead, she turned away from them, and sipped at her tea.

  Rsiran couldn’t shake the frustration he felt at Della not sharing with them. After everything they had been through, everything that it seemed the Forgotten and the scholars had gone through to bring him to this point, he felt as if her not sharing placed them at increased risk.

  What was he to do, though?

  Chapter 34

  Rsiran stood by the rocks overlooking the shore. Jessa stood next to him, staring at the sunrise. For long moments, neither spoke. He had been thinking about what to do ever since leaving Della, and kept coming back to the same answer. It was the only thing that would bring them any sense of closure, any sense of understanding, but it was something that could be avoided if only Della were willing to share.

  “I need to go into the palace again,” he finally said.

  Jessa shook her head. “No. That’s not the answer. You heard what Della said.”

  “Della said that the Elvraeth hold secrets. We already knew that. But she won’t share what those secrets might be.”

  “Rsiran, if you go there, if you do that—”

  “But I’m the only one who can. Della won’t tell us what they want, and we can’t be safe without knowing.” As much as he tried, he hadn’t been able to convince Della to share what might be hidden in the palace or learn why she might hide it from them. If there was something there that could help them, why wouldn’t she share with them?

  “And then what?” Jessa asked. “What do you think you can do?”

  “They won’t stop. Not until they find out how to enter the palace.” And here he had thought the key had been the warehouse and what had been stored within it. Instead, he had been the reason the Forgotten began moving. The reason Venass wanted him. And they all wanted a way into the palace.

  Even mentioning it made him anxious, but more than that, he had the urge to get moving. To begin. Once he knew what everyone wanted, he might finally be in a position to stay ahead of them. Maybe then they could be safe.

  Could he really Slide into the palace? The alloy didn’t stop him as it once had, and he wouldn’t need an anchor to get in and back out. With all the time he’d spent Sliding, he didn’t think such short Slides would even require much energy. Then there was the added benefit that he’d already sensed some of his forgings within the palace. He could use them, anchor to them, and reach any place in the palace as easily as Sliding into his smithy.

  The only problem he had was that once he was there, he had no idea what he was looking for. He suspected that whatever the Elvraeth kept would be hidden deep within the palace. Getting there meant risking exposing himself. Doing so would put him in more danger, but wasn’t he already in danger? Simply being in Elaeavn put him in danger.

  For too long, he’d blamed Brusus for what had happened to him. The more he thought about everything, the more he realized his choices had led him here. It had been his choice to leave the mines. He likely would have died had he stayed, but leaving set off this chain of events. It had been his choice to go searching through the warehouse when he learned of the heartstone. That led him to Firell’s ship and to the alchemists. And it had been his choice to go after Jessa.

  Knowing what he did now, he would not change any of them.

  He could do nothing and wait, but already he’d been sought out. First by Venass. And the Forgotten knew about him now too. Who would search for him next? The palace Elvraeth? The alchemists? Or someone else?

  At least in making a decision, he still had a choice.

  Jessa had been watching him, and she took his hand, squeezing gently. “You don’t have to do this, Rsiran.”

  “And if I don’t, who do I have to fear next? Where can we hide?” Once he would have thought that leaving the city would keep them safe, but it seemed that only put them in more danger. At least here they had friends. They knew the city. Outside… outside there were the exiled Elvraeth and Venass. How could he keep them safe from both?

  “There’s always something that will happen. Fearing what will come does nothing to change it. You just need to trust the Great Watcher knows what he’s doing.”

  “And if not?”

  Jessa shook her head. “You can’t think like that.”

  “When have I ever had reason to think otherwise?”

  “You think you suffer such hardship? That others don’t know what it’s like to suffer?”

  “I’m sorry. I know that you’ve been through a lot—”

  “No more than you. Mine is different. Had Haern not brought me back to Elaeavn… I don’t know what would have happened. I’ve heard the stories, though. I know how they use women outside of Elaeavn. For that, I thank him.”

  “What does this have to do with the Forgotten? With Venass?”

  “Only that we all have suffered, and we’ve survived. We’ll survive this too.”

  Rsiran thought of the helpless way he’d felt
when he’d been in Venass. He’d felt it again with the Forgotten. He’d felt it his entire life, from the moment his father learned of his ability. He was ready to no longer feel that way.

  “I need to know,” he said softly.

  “And what will that change?”

  Rsiran shook his head. “Maybe nothing. Or maybe it begins to give us answers, leverage, so that we might understand why everyone has been trying to use me. Isn’t that worth it?”

  Jessa took his hands and sighed. For a moment, she said nothing. “Just you? You’re not going to leave me behind on this. You can try, but I’ve already shown you I know when you’re going to Slide. I’ll come anyway.”

  He pulled her to him and smiled. “You know I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Chapter 35

  They stood in shadows near the palace wall. A cool breeze gusted from the north, carrying the hint of lorcith with it. He wondered if he was the only one who noticed it. The wind rustled against the dark grey clothes he wore, so similar to what he’d once worn while working in the mines. These were different enough that they couldn’t be confused for them; Brusus had made certain of that. The embroidery running down the sleeves was far to rich for the mines.

  The shirt covered the leather wrap around his waist where he’d fitted a half-dozen of his slender knives. They were all placed so they could be easily pushed away from him. Rsiran felt a certain reassurance with their presence.

  Jessa stood next to him. A blood-red flower tucked into the charm hanging over the deep brown shirt that clung to her chest. She caught him looking and smiled, nudging him with an elbow. Tonight, she wore a thin leather belt with loops for the pair of lorcith knives she carried. The lorcith lock-pick set was tucked into one of her pockets.

  “I still think this is stupid,” Jessa whispered.

  The wall loomed in front of them. They’d walked from the smithy rather than Sliding. Emerging from a Slide so close to the palace might draw attention and neither of them had wanted to risk it.

  Rsiran snorted softly. “Probably. Do you have any other ideas?”

  She fixed him with a hard stare. “None.”

  “Once we find out why they want to break into the palace, we can prepare for what they plan. Don’t you think that’s worth it?”

  “But if you break into the palace, and if whatever we find there is well protected and we still fail to reach it, how does that help us with the Forgotten? With Venass?”

  Rsiran sighed. “Then we’ll know that I can’t help them. That’s worth something, as well, don’t you think?”

  “And if we get caught?”

  If they were caught, Rsiran suspected the worse that would happen to them would be that they’d be exiled. Forgotten. No longer did he fear that as he once had.

  “We’ll just have to make sure we’re not caught.”

  “Do Brusus and the others know you plan to do this tonight?”

  Rsiran shook his head. “Brusus can’t know or he’d try to come. He’s still too weak from the poisoning.” What Rsiran hadn’t said was that there wasn’t anything Brusus could do to help anyway. And Rsiran didn’t want the strain of trying to Slide more than himself and Jessa through the palace.

  “And Haern?”

  “What about Haern?”

  Rsiran spun. The scarred man stood leaning against one of the eareth trees that grew only near the palace. He had a long knife in his hand and used it to pick at his nails. He studied Rsiran with an amused expression that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  How had he sneaked up on them?

  Rsiran flicked his eyes to the knife. Not lorcith, though after their experience prior to the last time Rsiran Slid into the palace, he didn’t really expect Haern to carry any of his knives unless he wanted Rsiran to know he was there.

  “Haern,” Rsiran started, but didn’t know what else to say to him. How would he explain that he hadn’t planned to tell him what he wanted to do?

  Haern shook his head. “Don’t, Rsiran. That’s not why I’m here.”

  Rsiran frowned. “Then why are you here?”

  Haern laughed softly. “Just because you don’t tell me what you’re planning, don’t mean I can’t See it.”

  “I thought you couldn’t See anything when it came to me?”

  Haern’s brow wrinkled, twisting the long scar across his face. “And I still can’t.” He pointed his knife at Jessa. “But I’ve known that one too long not to look after her. You might be able to protect her, too, but that don’t change the fact that I watch after her.”

  Jessa took a step toward Haern. “What do you See when you look?”

  Haern flickered his eyes from Jessa to Rsiran. “That you’ll need help.”

  “You… you don’t want to stop me?” Rsiran asked.

  Hearn flicked the knife, and it disappeared so quickly, Rsiran almost hadn’t seen it happen. “Not sure I could if I wanted to.” He shook his head. “Your gifts make you dangerous, Rsiran, but you got a good heart. That much I’ve seen. I trust you’ll do what’s right. And if this is the only way to find out what the exiles and Venass want, then I think we need to do it.”

  “This is just for information. I’m not going to steal from the Elvraeth,” he said.

  Haern grunted. “Wouldn’t help you if you did.”

  Rsiran frowned. “Why is that?”

  Haern nodded to where the palace loomed over them. This close, it no longer looked as if it floated like it did in Lower Town. Here, it jutted out from the rock the city was built upon, rising high overhead. A few lanterns glowed in windows, pale blue light shining. Heartstone lanterns—what he used to call Elvraeth light—though Rsiran still hadn’t learned the trick of making them.

  “Is it any better for us to have whatever’s stored there?” he asked. “If it’s so valuable that the exiles and Venass want it, do you think we can keep it safe?”

  “Do you know what the Elvraeth hide?” Jessa asked.

  Haern fixed her with a hard expression, his lips pressed tightly and his eyes tightening. “The one curse of my Sight. I See the potential of what’s in there. And the dangers.”

  “That’s why you came. You thought we were going to take it.”

  “I said that I wasn’t.”

  “Then what?”

  “Far as I know, the Elvraeth have protected this power for hundreds of years. At least since our people left the Aisl. But others know of it as well, or suspect they do, others with visions as strong—or stronger—than mine. While the Elvraeth know how to protect it, I’m not so sure we do.” He fixed Rsiran with a hard stare. “Were you to take it from the palace, you think you can keep it from the Forgotten? From Venass? From any other thief who might think to sneak into wherever you end up storing it?” He snorted. “Least the Elvraeth have kept it safe all this time.”

  “They both want to use me,” he told Haern. “Venass and the Forgotten. I need to know why. See if there’s anything that we can learn from it. I’m doing this for information only.”

  Haern nodded. “You’re different. Don’t know what it means, but your abilities—the combination of your gifts—is different from anything else I’ve ever heard of. Makes you strong. And, like I said, dangerous. That’s why they want you.” He grunted softly and finally stepped away from the tree. “Not sure Josun Elvraeth knew that when he first thought to involve you in his plans. When you didn’t kill him then… well, then he must’ve decided he’d use you in a different way.”

  Rsiran shook his head. “He only wanted a sword.”

  Haern grunted again. “Why do you think he wanted a sword?”

  Rsiran hadn’t discovered that answer yet. “I don’t know.”

  Haern studied Rsiran. “No, I see you don’t.”

  “You see or you See?”

  Haern shrugged. “Told you—I don’t See anything with you.”

  Rsiran looked at the palace wall. Standing and talking to Haern didn’t get them any closer to what he wanted—and needed—to do.
“I don’t think I can Slide all of us around the palace,” he told Haern.

  A dark smile twisted his mouth. “Don’t need you to take me. Can you get me past the wall?”

  Rsiran nodded.

  “That’s all I need.”

  “What if you get caught?”

  Haern laughed softly. “I won’t get caught. Besides, you need someone to draw the Elvraeth away. That’s why I’m here.”

  Jessa sucked in a breath. “Haern!”

  He fixed her with his hard gaze. The light from the moon and nearby lanterns made the scar on his face seem to stretch. “Haven’t you seen me get out of worse?” he asked.

  “Let Rsiran and me do this. You don’t need to put yourself in danger.”

  “We’re all in danger now. Doing this don’t change that.”

  He looked at Rsiran and waited.

  Rsiran took Jessa’s hand and grabbed Haern by the sleeve. Then he Slid.

  They emerged on top of the wall. The wall here was nearly two feet wide, but Haern wobbled. Rsiran held him tightly. Haern’s face had gone white and his jaw clenched. The palace loomed larger now, the darkened grounds sweeping out below them. The last time Rsiran had been here, he’d almost lost Jessa. That time, he’d come thinking he might need to harm the Elvraeth. This time, he had a different plan in mind.

  “Are you all right, Haern?” Jessa whispered.

  “Don’t care for that.”

  “You’ve never Slid with him, have you?”

  “Only once. Didn’t like it then, either.”

  “You were barely awake. Had I not Slid you out of there, you would have been captured by the alchemists.”

  Haern nodded once. “Didn’t say it wasn’t necessary. Only that I didn’t like it.” He turned, shifting his weight so he crouched near a pool of shadows atop the wall. He scanned the palace grounds quickly.

  “Looks like a pair of guards,” he said.

  Jessa nodded. “Same as the last time.”

  Haern frowned. “Same?”

  She nodded.

  He grunted softly. “Then we’re missing something. Elvraeth are nothing if not careful. Not smart to go jumping in somewhere without having a better idea of what they’ve changed.”