The Darkest Revenge

by D. K. Holmberg

  “I think I need to practice. That’s all.”

  Daniel didn’t know if that was the case or not but had a hard time believing she could learn to control her abilities as quickly as she seemed to think. If they were so powerful that they unsettled her here, then what would it be like in a strange city?

  “I don’t think I need these here,” she said, motioning to the bracelets.

  “I’m not sure I want you hearing everything I’m thinking.”

  She smiled at him. “Is that a problem?”

  “A little,” he said.

  “Why? What do you want to keep from me?”

  “You know, there is a reason people learn to place mental barriers.”

  “What kind of secrets do you have, Daniel Elvraeth?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I’ll leave them on, if that’s what you’re worried about. But there might come a time when I simply want to have them off so I can make sure my abilities still work.”

  “That’s fine, but if you do it when we’re around other people, you run the risk of being overwhelmed as you were when we were with the healer.”

  “I know. That’s why I would do it out here in the forest, where it’s just you and me and the birds in the trees.” She stepped forward, her gaze going to the ground.

  Daniel followed the direction of her gaze, realizing that she was staring at a buried metal rod. Only the top of it was visible, and it had been placed in such a way that it blended into the forest, looking like nothing more than a branch.

  “Rsiran made them,” Lucy said. “They were supposed to keep Forgers from reaching us.”

  “How?”

  “They prevent Sliding.”

  “This is what creates the boundary?” When she nodded, he crouched down, running his hand across it. “What prevents someone from just walking across this barrier?”

  “The Forgers have this,” she said, touching the back of her head.

  Daniel looked up and saw the worried expression in her eyes. He thought he understood. She didn’t know if she would be able to cross—and if she could, would she be able to return?

  “It’s hard to believe these keep us safe,” he said.

  “I honestly don’t know everything Rsiran did with them. He somehow attuned them to ensure that members of the Smith Guild were aware if someone crossed.”

  The idea that lorcith could be used in such a way amazed him. “It’s a shame he’s been gone for so long.”

  “I think Haern would agree with you. Others, too. If he can make this, imagine what he could teach. Think about Sliding. How much could you learn from someone with his ability to Slide?”

  Daniel didn’t really want to learn about Sliding, but he could tell Lucy wouldn’t like that answer. “Quite a bit,” he said instead.

  “Like I said, it’s a shame that he’s gone.” She stared at the rod a moment before looking beyond it to the landscape that shifted from the forest to a rolling sort of plain. “I haven’t ever tried to go across the border before. From what I understand, it doesn’t take much. All we have to do is step beyond it.”

  “And then they’ll know that we did?” Daniel asked.

  “They’ll know someone did. I wouldn’t be surprised if they send others after us, so once we cross… if I can cross.”

  “We can return to the palace.”

  “I can’t stay here with this in my head,” she started, touching the back of her head, “when there’s something I can do about it.”

  Daniel debated what to do. He could force her back to the palace, but he knew that would only anger her, and he wasn’t interested in that. Going with her seemed a mistake, especially when it involved going to a place like Asador that he knew nothing about.

  If he didn’t go, and if she found Haern…

  He didn’t want to think about what would happen. It was bad enough that she spent so much time in Trelaeavn with these people when she should be in the palace with the rest of the Elvraeth.

  “I’ll go with you,” he said.

  “You don’t need to come. You’ve brought me far enough. I just need to take these off”—she grabbed the bracelets, twisting them—“and I’ll be fine.”

  “You won’t be fine. I saw what happened in the healer’s home.”

  Watching him a moment, she frowned. “Why do you want to come with me?”

  “Because I don’t want you to go by yourself.”

  “That’s not a reason to come with me. You don’t need to leave the city. Your place is in the palace.”

  “So is yours.”

  She turned back to look beyond the edge of the trees. “Not right now. If Rsiran can remove this, then I need to go and help find him.”

  “You don’t even know if you can.”

  “I believe I can. And if there’s anything I can do to help, then I need to do it.”

  Daniel couldn’t believe what he was about to do. This wasn’t for him, was it?

  This was Lucy, though. He would do anything for her, even if it meant heading out of the city and searching for someone he wasn’t entirely certain would be able to help. And if he couldn’t, then maybe nothing could be done for her. She would have to learn to deal with this strange implant in her head and what it meant for her—and for her abilities.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Not really.” He held out his hand, and Lucy took it. Hers felt small and warm within his, a comfortable sense. He squeezed, and they stepped across the border between the Aisl and the outside world.

  A tingling washed over him.

  Daniel knew nothing about the barrier other than that his father had never believed it was anything to be concerned about. The barrier had served a purpose, and those who lived in the forest believed it an important one, but he’d never been certain. Feeling the way his skin tingled as he crossed, though, he couldn’t deny that there was something to it.

  “We had better go,” Lucy said.

  He glanced back and saw two figures approaching the border. If they detected a crossing that quickly, then how had there been an attack in the first place? The figures were still within the trees, camouflaged by them, and Daniel took a step and Slid, taking them away from the city and the forest.

  They emerged far from where they had been. From where they stood, Ilphaesn Mountain rose off to the west, a promise of lorcith buried within. Now they were just a part of the people of Elaeavn.

  “Why here?” she asked.

  “I’ve seen it before.” That was the trickiest part of Sliding. He had to know where he would emerge to do it safely. Otherwise, there was a danger to it.

  “Will you get tired?”

  “It depends on how far we travel,” Daniel said. He had never really tested himself or his abilities.

  “There’s something else we could do if we need to.”

  “What’s that?”

  She twisted the bracelets. “I could take them off.”

  “I’m not keeping you in chains. You get to choose when you take them off.”

  “I don’t want you to be upset.”

  “If you’re going to do it, you might as well do it before we’re around other people.”

  Daniel tried to fortify his mind, pushing the mental barriers he had acquired during a lifetime spent around those who could Read. As she pulled one of the bracelets off, her eyes widened slightly.

  “Wow. I never knew.”

  Daniel felt a warmth wash over him.

  Lucy grinned at him. “One doesn’t do it. Let’s see what happens when I take the other one off.” She removed the other bracelet and stood with her eyes closed for a moment. “I can tell you’re trying to block me out, but it’s still there.”

  There came the familiar tickling within his mind, the telltale sign that someone was attempting to Read him. “I would block you out, but I don’t think I’m strong enough with your special enhancements.”

  “What if this is a gift?” s
he asked, opening her eyes and looking at Daniel. “I know we’ve viewed the Forgers as dangerous all these years, but if they can enhance our abilities, shouldn’t we at least try to understand them?”

  “I thought your time in Trelaeavn made you think the Forgers should be feared.”

  “They should be,” she started, touching the back of her head. “Especially after they’ve attacked us repeatedly.”

  “My father blames Lareth for the persistent attacks. He’s heard stories about other places that find peace with the Forgers.”

  She opened her mouth to answer—probably to snap at him—when she suddenly spun, looking into the distance. “There’s someone Sliding toward us.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I can feel the effect of the Slide.”

  “I didn’t realize you had that sort of ability.”

  Her jaw clenched and she grabbed her hair, twisting it in one hand. “I don’t. At least, I didn’t.”

  If there were people Sliding toward them, it likely meant members of the guild, but that seemed fast, even for the guild. They shouldn’t have been able to chase them down and come after them. “Can you Read anything about them?”

  “Daniel, I’m not sure I want to take full advantage of these abilities like that.”

  “You have them. We might as well use them to figure out what’s going on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The guild shouldn’t have been able to follow us.” He looked into the distance. There were stretches of trees, and otherwise it was just a flat plane rolling away from them. The sky was a cloudless blue, and the sun shone bright. Now that he’d detected the barrier around the city, he had no idea how the Forgers had managed to sneak in—unless someone had let them.

  “Who would have let the Forgers into the city?” Lucy asked.

  “Do you think you can avoid focusing on my thoughts?” Dealing with Lucy’s ability to Read him so well would be a challenge. He wasn’t sure he wanted her in his mind like this.

  “I don’t have any control over it.”

  “Do you think you can get control?”

  “I don’t know. It’s unusual. It’s like everything just has flooded into my mind.”

  How would he feel if his abilities were enhanced? It was one thing to have abilities that you had grown up doing, but it was quite another to have them suddenly appear. And not just appear, but appear with considerable strength.

  “I’ll see what I can do. You be ready to Slide us if it becomes necessary.”

  Daniel nodded. He looked into the distance, trying to identify someplace that would be safe for them to Slide to. Without having traveled here, he was at a disadvantage. Once he had traveled somewhere, he could return, the Slide much safer the second time, but the first trip would be unsafe, and he didn’t want to end up hurting Lucy any more than she already was.

  She squeezed his hand. “I appreciate that.”

  Daniel shook his head. This was going to get old quickly.

  Lucy closed her eyes. She rubbed her wrists where the bracelets had been and gripped both bracelets with one hand, leaving Daniel to wonder if she intended to slip them on quickly.

  “I can almost recognize them.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re Elvraeth, but not Elvraeth that I know.”

  “How can you tell they’re Elvraeth?”

  “Because they have abilities.” Her eyes opened, and she looked over at him. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

  “Why? The Elvraeth have the Great Watcher abilities—”

  “No. It’s not just that they all have abilities. They have all abilities.”

  “You mean guild abilities?”

  She nodded.

  “How can you tell?”

  “I… I don’t know. It’s like I know.”

  If they were augmented in the same way that she had been, it likely meant they were working for the Forgers. It would be difficult to overpower someone like that. Their best bet was staying ahead of them, but in order to do so, they had to keep moving.

  Daniel wasn’t a fighter. Even though he trained with the sword, it was something he did, not something he was. He had been raised to lead, not fight.

  “Maybe we should head back to the city. We could warn the tchalit, even the guilds, if you—”

  Daniel didn’t get a chance to finish. She Slid, carrying both of them.

  It happened fast, much faster than most of his Slides, and with a sudden urgency and power that overwhelmed him. When he opened his eyes, they stood on top of a high peak, with the grounds sweeping out around them far below. A cold wind whipped around him, and he shivered.

  “Ilphaesn? You brought us to Ilphaesn?”

  “I didn’t know what to do. They were almost to us. And I think they’re tracking me.”

  “You think your new ability lets them do that?”

  Lucy looked down to the ground far below. With her enhancements, it was possible she could See far more than him. “We need to keep moving.”

  “We should go back to Elaeavn.”

  “I don’t think we can,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Because—”

  They Slid again, and this time they appeared on a distant plain he had seen from the mountaintop. She continued to Slide them, moving them quickly from place to place. He wouldn’t have had the strength to Slide them this far or this frequently.

  “Stop!” When she hesitated, Daniel tried taking her hands and getting her to look at him. “We should go back.”

  “They know who we are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we were on the mountain, I could Read one of them. They know who we are.”

  “So? If we go to the palace, we can get ourselves to safety.”

  “I’m not sure the palace can protect us from this.”

  “What do you intend to do?”

  “I intend to keep moving.” They continued to Slide and paused every so often for Lucy to get her bearings. When they paused, she hesitated, listening, as if she could hear the sound of the people following them. And maybe with her enhancements, she could hear them. It would be a useful ability to be able to detect a Slide. Unless she Listened. That gift was rare for most, and relatively weak.

  “There’s a city up there,” he said, pointing to a massive city that sprawled out in the distance when they had paused again in between Slides. “Could that be Asador?”

  If not Asador, then another city would give them a chance to wait and prepare for their return.

  “I don’t know, but the moment we head into a city, we run the risk of getting captured. I won’t be able to keep these off,” she said, motioning to the bracelets.

  Daniel studied her a moment. Why was he doing this? He could return to Elaeavn, but Lucy didn’t intend to. “I can Slide us within the city. You just get us there.”

  She took a deep breath, and they Slid again, this time emerging at the edge of the city. As soon as they did, she grabbed her head. Daniel took the bracelets from her and slipped them onto her wrists. Lucy took a few breaths, steadying herself before looking up at him. “Thank you.”

  “We should hurry.”

  If only he had enhanced abilities. It would be nice to be able to Slide better, to be able to carry more than one person with him without getting fatigued. How powerful had she become? Lucy didn’t seem weakened or overwhelmed by all the Sliding. The improvement in her abilities astounded him.

  The city was enormous. Daniel had never experienced anything quite like it, but that had more to do with the crowd than anything else. Elaeavn was a large city as well, and while this large city sprawled out in front of him, he wasn’t able to observe it like he could view Elaeavn from atop the palace. The crowd in the street slammed into them, and the differing styles of dress suggested that people came from all over to this place.

  It didn’t strike him as Asador, but which city was it?

  He tried to
work through the various great cities in the north, listing them in his head, but he didn’t know enough about them to be able to distinguish one from another.

  If nothing else, that was a weakness on his part. He should have spent more time trying to get a sense of the various cities, trying to understand more about them, wanting to know as much as he could so that he could be prepared for this possibility. But then, there had been no reason for him to think he would need to venture out of the city. His father had prepared him to replace him one day on the council, not to travel from city to city.

  Stone buildings on either side of the road were composed of a grayish sort of block, and while many of them rose two or three stories high, most were a single story. They had shallow arches, and many had thatched roofs, though some had what appeared to be slate or some other sort of tile. Light reflected off those, giving the day a little bit of a brighter appearance, though everything else about the city seemed drab and gray.

  Most of the buildings seemed to be shops, and the signs hanging in front indicated what they were. He saw dressmakers and lantern makers and bakers. The sound of hammering caught his attention, and his mind went to Lareth, the most notorious blacksmith within Elaeavn, and the reason they had left the city.

  Lucy tapped him on the arm, drawing his attention to her, smiling at him. As he often did, he got caught up in how lovely she looked, despite the reason they were here.

  More than ever, all he wanted was to find Lareth, get the metal out of her head, and return to Elaeavn. Once they did, she could begin to recuperate from her injuries and finally—hopefully—stay within the palace with him.

  Daniel had to believe that if his pursuers were enhanced the same way as Lucy, they would struggle to pick them out in a crowd the same way she struggled. Maybe they had some way of protecting themselves and diminishing the effect of their abilities, but if that were the case, then they wouldn’t be able to find them.

  “Where to?”

  “I don’t know,” Lucy said. “I’ve never been out of Elaeavn. We have to figure out if this is even Asador.”

  “It would’ve been helpful to have looked at a map.”

  “There has to be a market, so maybe we go there.”

  “I don’t have any money. Maybe we should go back to Elaeavn.”