The Darkest Revenge

by D. K. Holmberg

  She knew about the guilds?

  Who was this woman?

  How much should he conceal from her?

  He worried about not sharing and worried what she might do if he didn’t. He thought he needed to be more honest with her, but then there was also the way she had practically compelled him to speak.

  “An important man from my city is missing. Another came looking for him. I have reason to believe they came here looking for someone who could help.”

  “To this tavern or to Asador?” the woman asked.

  “I thought they came to Asador.”

  “Why to Asador?”

  “To be honest, I don’t really know.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “Someone I care about was injured. The missing person might be the key to helping her.”

  “How was she injured?”

  The woman knew it was a she. This had to be the person Rayen worked with. “If you’re who I think you are, she’s in Eban. When we arrived there, she was abducted. I worked with a group of women”—he was careful not to say Binders, in case this woman wasn’t one of them—“to rescue her. When we got her back, she remained poisoned.”

  “Tern.”

  Daniel nodded. “You know him.”

  “I know him, and I know what he thought to do. Fool.”

  “What did he think to do?”

  “He thought to profit from the Ai’thol and their attempt to acquire as many people from Elaeavn as they could. All he does is draw their attention, and he’s not equipped to handle that kind of attention.”

  “Who are the Ai’thol?”

  “You’d know them by another name.”

  “Forgers,” he breathed. When she nodded, Daniel swallowed. His throat was dry, likely from whatever poison she’d used on him. “I don’t know Tern, but I do know that we managed to get her out.”

  The woman studied him. As she did, shadows seemed to swirl around her, the same way they did around Rayen. Could she have a similar power to Rayen’s? What kind of power was it?

  “That’s not the entire reason you’re here.”

  “Not the entire reason. I wouldn’t have come if I hadn’t needed to. She was injured in Elaeavn. There was an attack on the city.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “One of the Forger’s metal barbs went into the back of her skull.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice softening.

  “I came to find someone who might be able to help.”

  “There’s no one who would be able to help with an injury like that.”

  “There’s one man who might be. His son went looking for him.”

  “Who is this man?”

  “Rsiran Lareth.”

  The woman hesitated, staring at him for a long moment. Daniel wasn’t sure what she might say. How would she react at the mention of Lareth? Within Elaeavn, Rsiran was divisive, but only because he had unsettled the power balance within the city. Outside of the city, Daniel had no idea how Lareth was viewed. To hear the Trelvraeth speak of it, Lareth had stopped a dangerous threat, but others in the city didn’t view it the same way.

  “Where is Lareth?”

  Daniel shook his head. “We don’t know. When the Forgers came to Elaeavn, one of them claimed that Lareth had been captured, but I don’t know how that’s possible.”

  The woman grunted. “Anyone can be captured, and the Forgers have spent the last two decades trying to find a way to contain him. If anyone would be able to come up with something, it’s them.”

  “We need to find him to protect the city.”

  “You don’t need Rsiran to protect your city. You never have. Rsiran has taken that responsibility upon himself.”

  “We need him—I need him—to help my friend.”

  “Take me to her.”

  “What was that?”

  The woman nodded. “Take me to her.”

  Daniel wiggled his hands. “I’m trapped. You’ve got me captured here, and I—”

  Suddenly, he was free. He pulled his hands back in front of him, but there was nothing. The bindings holding him had evaporated, as if they were nothing more than mist.

  What sort of magical bindings had she used on him?

  “I take it you can Travel?”

  “What?”

  “Travel. You can Travel between places. Do I need to walk you through this?”

  She sounded like Rayen. Daniel shook his head. “Yes. I can Slide. And no, I don’t need you to walk me through it. How did you know?”

  “Your sudden appearance in the city. You were on one end and then the other. That’s the trait of someone who can Slide.”

  “How did word travel so quickly?”

  “Word? No. There was no word. I detected the Slide.”

  “How?”

  “Just know that I could.”

  Daniel nodded as he got to his feet, rubbing his wrists. The bindings had felt real enough, even if they weren’t. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Take me to Eban.”

  “Why?”

  She cocked her head, studying him. “Do I need to bind you again?”

  “I could just Slide.”

  “Not without me knowing. Not without me stopping you.”

  There was something about the way she said it, her confidence, that made him hesitate.

  Somehow, she would be able to know if he Slid. How was that possible?

  “Who are you?”

  “Are you ready to go to Eban?”

  “It doesn’t look like I have much choice.”

  “Not if you want to remain free.”

  He nodded, and when she took his arm, he stepped forward in a Slide, carrying them out of the city. Asador loomed behind him, and it felt as if he were abandoning the reason that he’d come. He still needed to find Lareth to help Lucy.

  When they emerged, she looked around before glancing over at him. “This isn’t Eban.”

  “I’m not strong enough to Slide all the way from Asador to Eban without taking a break.”

  “Only because you choose not to be.”

  “Why is it that so many people like to speak as if they understand my abilities better than I do?”

  “I’ve been around plenty of people with incredible Sliding ability. I’ve known them my entire life. Most of it comes from practice and repetition. You grow stronger by using your ability.”

  “I use my ability.”

  “Obviously not enough to be comfortable Traveling between two cities. If you did, you wouldn’t hesitate to bridge that distance. Now let’s go.”

  Daniel Slid, carrying them back to Eban. He did so in fewer steps than when he had Slid with Rayen, but partly that was because he knew where he was going. When he reached the edge of Eban, the woman tapped his arm.

  “Slower, now.”

  “Where would you have me emerge?”

  “Wherever you feel most comfortable, but I would see this friend of yours.”

  “What do you intend to do to her?”

  “To her?” The woman arched a brow at him. “I have no intention of doing anything to her. I intend to see if there’s anything I can do for her.”

  Daniel hesitated. If this woman was able to help Lucy, shouldn’t he accept that help? But… it was difficult for him to believe that she could do anything. The only person who could was missing, abducted by the Forgers, and without any real hope of an easy return.

  “You don’t have to believe me, not yet, but if I had wanted to hurt you, I would have done so when you first appeared in Eban.”

  “You knew when I appeared in Eban?”

  “As I said, I’m aware of when you Slide. Consider it a gift of mine.”

  Daniel focused on the tavern and Slid, carrying both himself and the woman to the inside of the tavern. If he could reach Lucy, maybe this woman could do something for her.

  He emerged inside the room he’d borrowed from Kasha. The second bed was missing, but the chains from it remained,
heaped into a pile on the floor. It was the only sign of a mess within the room. Otherwise, the bed was neatly made. A stack of folded sheets had been left on a table. The lantern was out and looked to have been recently wiped down and cleaned.

  “Why here?” the woman asked.

  “This is the room Kasha gave us.”

  “Kasha? How is it that you came into contact with her?”

  “Chance.”

  “I would say that was fortuitous.”

  “She’s been helpful.”

  “I’m sure she has.”

  Something in the way she said it made Daniel ask, “You don’t care for Kasha?”

  The woman reached the door and pulled it open. As she strode along the hallway, she paused at the top of the stairs, glancing back at him. “Are you going to come?”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “If Lareth is missing, it seems things are coming to a head. It’s time for me to remind the women why they are here.”

  She hurried down the stairs. Daniel paused, a flutter of nerves working through him. What was she going to do? He didn’t know anything about this woman or what she might intend, only that she made him nervous.

  Daniel followed her down the stairs and into the tavern. Later in the day, it would become busier, and even at this time of day, it was relatively crowded, with each of the tables occupied. No minstrels played, the only noise the murmuring of voices.

  Women moved from table to table, though fewer in number than what would be found later. Daniel saw no sign of Kasha.

  One of the women looked in their direction. When she saw the woman with him, her eyes widened. She scurried off, disappearing into the kitchen.

  “What was that about?” Daniel asked.

  “That was about announcing my presence.”

  “You need to announce it?”

  “When I don’t come through the door or arrive by traditional means, announcing my presence gives them a chance to… yes. There we are.”

  The door to the kitchen opened, and Kasha came out wearing a pale blue dress, her hands clasped behind her back. She approached rigidly, carefully, glancing from the woman with Daniel to Daniel himself.

  “Mistress. You have returned.”

  “I’m never so far as not to be able to return.”

  “You’ve… you’ve been gone for a long time.”

  “Have I?”

  “Rayen said that—”

  “Rayen has probably said many things in my absence.”

  “We only thought that—”

  The woman raised her hand, silencing Kasha. “I believe this man had a woman with him. Where is she?”

  Kasha stared at the dark-haired woman with Daniel for a moment, and it seemed as if panic stretched across her face. “She is preoccupied.”

  “Preoccupied? You know that answer won’t hold with me.”

  “Mistress…”

  The woman took a step toward Kasha. A part of Daniel wondered if he should get involved, but the dark-haired woman did nothing to actually attack Kasha, and he wasn’t certain whether there would be anything he could do, anyway. This dark-haired woman might be far too powerful for him.

  “Where is she?”

  “We have ensured that she has everything she needs.”

  “I’m sure you have. Just as I am sure Rayen has instructed you to do so.”

  “It’s the only way, Mistress.”

  “It is not the only way.”

  “What are you talking about?” Daniel asked. “Where is Lucy?”

  The dark-haired woman didn’t look over at him. “It seems as if my network has betrayed the original intention behind it.”

  “We betrayed nothing. We only do what’s necessary to protect—”

  The dark-haired woman raised her hand again, cutting off Kasha once more. “Everything you’ve done is counter to the entire purpose of the Binders.”

  “If we hadn’t done it, they would have disrupted the network. Surely you can see that, Mistress.”

  “I can see many things. I can plan and account for many moves. I’ll admit I did not expect my own network to betray me like this.”

  “Mistress, we didn’t betray you. We only tried to do what you would have done. You’ve been gone a long time.”

  “What I would have done? I would have protected anyone who needed it. I would have resisted. I would not have gone willingly down the path you have chosen.”

  “We have chosen nothing. We’re doing what we have been instructed to do.”

  “And who instructs you?”

  Kasha hesitated. “It was you, Mistress.”

  “This is not my instruction.” The words hung in the air as the dark-haired woman stared at Kasha. “Now. Where is the woman who came with him?”

  Daniel expected Kasha to acquiesce. He wasn’t certain what relationship they had, but it seemed clear Kasha feared this woman. He was surprised when she stood facing the dark-haired woman.

  “I’m sorry, Mistress. Really, I am. We aren’t willing to risk ourselves for them. After everything that’s happened, we need to do what’s necessary to protect the Binders.”

  Daniel glanced around the room. Five women approached slowly. Several men were moving toward them as well.

  “Is that how Eban is now?” the dark-haired woman asked.

  “Rayen has ensured that Eban remains connected in your absence.”

  “By betraying our values.”

  A strange heat built all around him, and Daniel looked to see whether the hearth glowed with flames, but he saw no sign of it. Shadows seemed to move within the tavern, almost as if they were a thing alive. He had to be imagining that—didn’t he?

  The dark-haired woman simply stood there, unconcerned about the steady movement toward her.

  “This will not end well for you,” the dark-haired woman said to Kasha.

  “Rayen has instructed us.”

  “Has she? And who do you think instructed her?”

  The shadows thickened, congealing into a darkness that was almost too deep for him to see through. Without his enhanced Sight, Daniel might not have seen anything. The woman leaped forward, darting so quickly as to make him think she Slid. She glided around the tavern, bringing everyone down before stopping in front of Kasha once again. The shadows lifted, but the heat remained. “I am back, and this little rebellion is over.”

  Kasha looked around, her expression softening, and a faint tremble worked through her. “Mistress, I…”

  “You’ve done nothing that can’t be undone. The Binders are necessary, perhaps even more now than they ever were. The city must be united. And all must know that Carth has returned.”

  28

  Daniel

  The market was awash with noise and vibrancy, and Daniel looked around, feeling the same unease he’d experienced his first time here. He shouldn’t. It wasn’t as if he were in any danger, not with a woman like Carth standing next to him. Every so often, he glanced over at her. She wore a strange black cloak around her shoulders, the hood covering her head.

  He couldn’t tell if the cloak was real or if it was made of congealed shadows. Now that he’d been around her a little while, he recognized her control over shadows. From what he could tell, Rayen had the same control, though perhaps not quite as exquisitely as Carth. All of the women within the city seemed terrified of her, and at first, he’d thought it came from something Carth had done to them. But the more he got to know her, the more it seemed as if they feared they had disappointed her.

  “Why did you want to come here?” Daniel asked.

  “You wanted to find your friend. It shouldn’t be so difficult—not in this city, not with my network—but unfortunately, much has changed.”

  “Kasha seems to think she’s not here.”

  “Kasha thinks a great many things. She also thinks my network has been completely disrupted and that I have no connections within the city. She would be wrong.”

  “I don’t understand. When I was me
eting with Rayen, she said that she served under someone. I suspect that’s you, but what has happened?”

  “What happened is that I have been preoccupied. That preoccupation has taken me away from some of my other responsibilities, to the point where some believe that I no longer have a vested interest in them.”

  “What have you been doing?”

  She looked over at him. “The same thing Rsiran Lareth has been doing.”

  “The Forgers?”

  She smiled darkly. “He refers to them as the Forgers, and perhaps they are. His understanding of them is skewed because of what happened to him all those years ago. He fears them the same way he once feared the Hjan, though the real enemy is much more dangerous.”

  They weaved through the crowd, and Daniel didn’t know what Carth was looking for, only that she meandered from booth to booth, clearly intent on finding something. “All I’ve heard about the Hjan is rumors.”

  “Because you were born after they were destroyed.”

  “Is it true that Lareth is the reason they were destroyed?”

  “Rsiran was integral to stopping them, but then his grandfather was a part of something much worse, and I think he felt an obligation to defeat him.”

  “Is that how he got so powerful?”

  “Rsiran’s power comes from within, but he was also gifted his abilities, the same way you were gifted yours. The same way I was gifted mine.”

  “Your abilities come from the Great Watcher?”

  She looked over at him, a half-smile pulling on her face. “My abilities are a little different from those of the Great Watcher, but there are similarities.”

  “If it’s not the Great Watcher, what is it?”

  They reached the edge of the market. Daniel had to push through the crowd in order to keep up with Carth, and she stood with her back facing the market, looking down a narrow alleyway. Shadows stretched along the alley, leaving him wondering if she was somehow able to use those shadows or whether something else was involved.

  “What you call the Great Watcher is but one of the many Elders.”

  “Elders. By that, you mean the gods.”

  “I mean Elders. They are the power that existed here before any others. They have given themselves to these lands. The power of the Elders lives within the people. The people of Elaeavn know the power of the Great Watcher. People of my homeland know the power of Ihnish. Others know the power of Ras. Still others know—”