Ephram studied Della for a moment and then nodded slowly, shifting his gaze to Rsiran. “What have you told him?”
“It was not for me to share.”
“A dangerous plan, Della, even for you.”
“As I said, it was not for me to share.”
Ephram crossed his arms over his chest. “After how his father was used, you thought you should keep it from him?”
“I could not See how his father was used,” Della answered over her tea. “Much as I cannot See when it comes to Rsiran.”
“What is this?” Rsiran asked, looking from Della to Ephram.
Ephram sighed and his shoulders slumped. “We have been watching for you, Rsiran.”
“Watching?”
Ephram tipped his head in a nod. “The ability to travel is rare these days. Once it was not so, but much has happened.”
“Like the Elvraeth forbidding it.”
“Forbidden for reasons they claim protect the city. Travel, what you call Sliding, is rare enough, but for one with the blood of a smith to possess such an ability…” He turned to Rsiran, his face intense. “That has never happened.”
Rsiran fingered the knives in his pockets through his cloak. “And now here I am.”
“Here you are. As was Seen long ago.”
Brusus sucked in a breath. Rsiran looked over at him and then Della, but neither met his eyes.
“Seen?” he asked.
“There has long been dissention between the bloodlines. The blood of the Watcher and the blood of the elders. It has long been the source of much conflict, but an end was foreseen.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
Ephram sighed. “The greatest Seers have long expected one of the ancient bloodlines—in your case, smith blood—and the blood of the Watcher to join. And with that will come great power. That is why we wait, why we serve.”
“I might have the blood of the smiths,” Rsiran said, “but I don’t know anything about the blood of the Watcher.”
“You don’t know, and you could not. You were never privy to your birthright.”
He snorted. “My birthright? You mean the smithy that my father took away from me? You mean the fact that he made me believe what I can do is some sort of dark ability?”
Ephram looked over to Della, as if asking for help, but she only shook her head.
“What do you know of your parents?”
Rsiran looked to Della. She nodded. “I know that my father is a smith. From what you’ve told me, maybe a master smith.”
“As are you. You hear the song of lorcith. You are a smith,” Ephram said. “And your mother?”
Rsiran shrugged. “My mother. Other than the fact that she hides in Lower Town now? That she didn’t object when my father abandoned me? That she, like Brusus, is a child of exiles?”
Ephram nodded. “Exiled. Yes. And did she share with you who her father was?”
He shook his head. “She said it didn’t matter.”
Ephram looked to Della. “This should be you,” he said.
Della set the mug on the counter. She made her way around, leaning on a cane as she did. “Your grandfather,” she said, “was one of the Elvraeth.”
An amused smile came to Rsiran. “You’re saying that I’m descended from the Elvraeth?”
Ephram nodded. “The blood of the Watcher flows through you. That is how you were able to hold one of the Great Crystals.”
Rsiran laughed. “And just how do you know this?”
Della looked down a moment, and then seemed to force herself to meet his eyes. “I didn’t know. When you first came, I did not know. With your ability, I cannot See you as I can others. That protects you in some ways, but it prevented me from understanding sooner. With what you shared about your mother, I went to her to understand.”
“You went to her?” Rsiran asked.
Della didn’t looked away from him. “I Read her. She has some skill, but that can be weakened.” She eyed the herbs on her counter but didn’t explain. “That is when I learned.”
“What did you learn?” His heart fluttered in his chest. So much had happened to him because of how little he knew about his family, and now it turned out that there were even more secrets kept from him?
“Your mother is descended from one of the Elvraeth and born outside of the city.”
“And what proof is there of that?”
Della sighed and looked to Ephram as if for support, but he said nothing. When she looked back to Rsiran, tears had welled in her eyes. “Because he was my brother.”
The Dark Ability will continue with book 5: The Shadowsteel Forge
Fresh off a victory against the Forgotten, and with unexpected allies, Rsiran knows that the war is far from over.
An attack on someone close to him in the city leads to a search for answers, and he once again must confront the secrets hidden by his family. When he discovers a part of his people’s history long forgotten, he realizes it might hold the key to what Venass really wants… and possibly the means to stopping them.
Rsiran must learn to use all of the abilities given to him and discover a way to stop a danger to his friends as well as the city that none other than him is capable of defeating.
I’m excited to share with you book 1 of a new series, The Lost Prophecy: The Threat of Madness, available now!
The arrival of the mysterious Magi, along with their near invincible guardians, signals a change. For Jakob, apprentice historian and son of a priest longing for adventure, it begins an opportunity.
When his home is attacked, Jakob ventures out with the his master, traveling alongside the Magi, beginning a journey that will take him far from home and everything he has ever known. As he travels, he gains surprising skill with the sword but begins to develop strange abilities, along with a growing fear that the madness which has claimed so many has come for him.
With a strange darkness rising in the north, and powers long thought lost beginning to return, the key to survival is discovering the answer to a lost prophecy. Only a few remain with the ability to find it, and they begin to suspect that Jakob has a pivotal role to play.
Also check out book 1 of The Endless War: Journey of Fire and Night
A warrior who cannot die. A water seeker who wants only to save her people.
Jasn, a warrior known as the Wrecker of Rens, seeks vengeance for the loss of his beloved to the deadly draasin during the Endless War, wanting nothing more than to sacrifice himself in the process. When an old friend offers a dangerous chance for him to finally succeed, the key to understanding what he finds requires him to abandon all that he believes.
Ciara, a water seeker of Rens living on the edge of the arid waste, longs for the strength to help her people. When the great storms don't come to save her people, she will risk everything for her village on a deadly plan that could finally bring them to safety.
As the Endless War continues, both have a part to play in finally stopping it, but Jasn must discover forgiveness and Ciara must find her inner strength if they are to succeed.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading The Dark Ability books. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind as to take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or elsewhere, I would be very grateful.
Reviews and referrals are as vital to an author’s success as a good GPA is to a student’s. Reviews like yours are how other readers will find my work.
I’m also always happy to hear from readers! Email me at [email protected]. I try to respond to each message. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook as well!
All my best,
D.K. Holmberg
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Also by D.K. Holmberg
The Dark Ability
The Dark Ability
The Heartstone Blade
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The Tower of Venass
Blood of the Watcher
The Shadowsteel Forge
The Guild Secret
Rise of the Elder
The Sighted Assassin
The Painted Girl (novella)
The Binders Game
The Forgotten
Assassin’s End
The Shadow Accords
Shadow Blessed
Shadow Cursed
Shadow Born
Shadow Lost
Shadow Cross
Shadow Found
The Lost Prophecy
The Threat of Madness
The Warrior Mage
Tower of the Gods
Twist of the Fibers
The Lost City
The Last Conclave
The Gift of Madness
The Great Betrayal
The Teralin Sword
Soldier Son
Soldier Sword
Soldier Sworn
Soldier Saved
The Endless War
Journey of Fire and Night
Darkness Rising
Endless Night
Summoner’s Bond
Seal of Light
The Cloud Warrior Saga
Chased by Fire
Bound by Fire
Changed by Fire
Fortress of Fire
Forged in Fire
Serpent of Fire
Servant of Fire
Born of Fire
Broken of Fire
Light of Fire
Cycle of Fire
Others in the Cloud Warrior Series
Prelude to Fire
Chasing the Wind
Drowned by Water
Deceived by Water
Salvaged by Water
The Lost Garden
Keeper of the Forest
The Desolate Bond
Keeper of Light
The Painter Mage
Shifted Agony
Arcane Mark
Painter For Hire
Stolen Compass
Stone Dragon
The Dark Ability: Books 1-4 Page 112