The Darkest Revenge

by D. K. Holmberg

  “Maybe, but it seems to me that you aren’t as out of practice as I would’ve expected.”

  “I told you, there are some things you never forget.”

  Haern really wasn’t sure how much of that was true. There might be things you never forgot, but moving like this was a skill. Haern could keep up, but it left him feeling as if he might slip at any moment. Somehow Galen didn’t have the same difficulty.

  The woman crossed a wide street, and Galen jumped down from the roof, pausing long enough to look back to see whether Haern would follow.

  What choice did he have?

  They had moved into a slightly nicer section of the city where the streets were wider; they wouldn’t be able to jump from rooftop to rooftop as they went. Galen stayed on the street, and Haern kept him in sight. When he finally caught up, Galen stopped. He nodded toward a building on the left side of the street. A sign hung down from the building, marking it as a tavern—no surprise, as all these people seemed to have a thing about taverns.

  “She went in there. If I’m right, this is the headquarters in the city.”

  “Why would they need a headquarters like this?”

  “As opposed to what?”

  “As opposed to anyplace else? Why would they need to have it inside a tavern?”

  “It allows them to keep their finger on the pulse of the city.”

  “Would this be where you would set up?”

  Galen turned to him, frowning. “Why do you ask that?”

  “You’re the one who said this part of the city wasn’t as vibrant. I just thought—”

  “You’re right,” Galen said. “This wouldn’t be where Carth would set things up.”

  “If that’s the case, then is she really gone?”

  “The Great Watcher knows I hope not. Carth is incredibly powerful and skilled. If she’s gone…”

  “If they use this place, maybe it means someone else has taken over the city.”

  “If they use a place like this, it might mean somebody else has taken over her network. The taverns have always been Carth’s thing. Having access to them is how she has acquired information, and if someone else is running the network…”

  “What now?” Haern asked when Galen didn’t continue.

  “Now we take our next step.”

  “You mean we go in?”

  “Not quite like that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The woman from the other tavern went in. We need to be careful to go in a little more cautiously. We don’t need her to recognize us before we’re ready.”

  “How would you have us hide?”

  “For now, we watch.”

  “Watch what?”

  “Watch the entrance to the tavern. Then we can go in.”

  Galen made his way across the street, scrambled up one of the buildings, and crouched, looking out over the roof at the entrance to the tavern. Haern followed him, moving much more slowly and keeping his eyes up as he did to see if anyone came out of the tavern while they were climbing.

  No one moved.

  When they were both situated on the edge of the rooftop, he glanced over at Galen. “What if this takes longer than the poison lasts on the Forgers?”

  “Then one of us needs to go back and ensure that they are adequately dosed.”

  “How long do we need to watch?”

  “As long as we have to,” Galen said.

  “And how long do you think that might be?”

  Galen shrugged. “It depends on who’s in there.”

  Galen fell silent and Haern decided to mimic him, not wanting to anger the other man. They crouched, and moments stretched into minutes. He shifted in place, his legs aching from crouching, but Galen seem to suffer no ill effects. He simply remained motionless, as if unconcerned about how long this would take.

  Occasionally the door to the tavern would open and people would depart, but most of them were obvious patrons, some staggering as they left, while others kept to themselves and still others simply made their way along the street. None of them looked like the woman from the first tavern.

  Other times, people approached the tavern and headed inside. Haern glanced over to Galen each time, but he made no sign that he was concerned. At one point, one of the other waitresses that had followed them out of the tavern appeared and hurried into the tavern. Haern glanced over to Galen, but he shook his head.

  “They found the other two,” Galen said.

  “Isn’t that a problem?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we’re already here.”

  “What happens if they realize this was all part of some sort of set-up?”

  “It changes nothing. They would still react as I expect.”

  “And what way is that?”

  “Trying to find more information.”

  “About what?”

  “About us. They would want to figure out what we’re after and will alert an even greater response.”

  Galen kept his gaze fixed on the entrance to the tavern. What was he expecting to see? If it was the first woman who’d gone in there, would it make a difference?

  Haern began to grow frustrated. This seemed like a waste of time, but if they were to determine whether Carth was alive, this was what they needed to do. And Haern couldn’t deny that Galen had been right about many things in Asador.

  It was nearly an hour before the door opened and the waitress headed out.

  When she did, she wasn’t alone.

  A dark-haired woman went with her, gliding along the street. Galen’s breath caught.

  “What is it? Was it Carth?”

  “Not Carth.”

  “Did you recognize her?”

  “I couldn’t tell anything about her.”

  “Why does that surprise you? I couldn’t tell anything, either.”

  Galen looked over to him. “That doesn’t bother you? Even with your Sight?”

  Haern hadn’t considered it, but now that he did, he realized that it should trouble him. He should have been able to detect something. The fact that he hadn’t was alarming.

  “It wasn’t Carth, but someone who wanted to look an awful lot like her.” Galen frowned. “A distraction like that is the kind of thing Carth would do.”

  “Should we find her, then?”

  He paused, looking down over the edge of the rooftop. “I don’t See anything.”

  “Are you sure that you would?”

  “There should be something. Even with all her abilities, I was always able to find her.”

  Galen jumped down, and Haern followed. When he landed, they were standing in pools of darkness.

  “Galen?”

  “Quiet.”

  He crept forward soundlessly, disappearing into the shadows, and Haern frowned.

  Where was Galen going?

  Haern followed but struggled to see through the darkness. How could it have gotten so dark so quickly?

  Was this related to Carth’s magic? He didn’t know what sort of power she had, but Galen seemed to think so.

  And if it wasn’t her magic, what made the darkness this dense?

  Where was Galen?

  He had disappeared into the shadows, moving fearlessly, though maybe he should have been more cautious.

  Haern continued to move forward when someone grabbed him.

  He started to gasp and spin, but a hand clasped over his mouth silenced him.

  “Quiet,” Galen whispered into his ear.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know, but that’s not Carth.”

  “Who is it?”

  “That is what we have to find out.”

  32

  Haern

  Galen leaned over the Forger, jabbing him with the end of one of Haern’s lorcith knives. The man stirred slowly. He managed to look over, and when he saw Galen leaning over him, he jerked back.

  “I thought you might be excited to see me,” Galen s
aid. He leaned forward on the chair in the rented room, watching the Forger, tapping the knife on his thigh. The Forger’s gaze hung on the knife, almost as if he were more concerned about that than any poison Galen might use on him.

  “I’ve seen knives like that before,” the Forger said.

  “So have I. And I managed to stop the assassin responsible.”

  “The assassin? No assassin. It was Lareth and nothing more.”

  “Not Lareth. This assassin went by the name of Lorst.”

  Haern glanced over to him. He’d not heard that name before, but these lorcith knives were his father’s creation. Haern only made them because he wanted to see if he could craft anything as skillfully as his father.

  “You claim Carth is gone, but someone within the city shares her abilities.”

  Haern watched the Forger as Galen said it. They weren’t sure what he might do or how he might react. Both had agreed it was likely that the Forgers would know something, and likely had quite a bit more knowledge than Galen and Hearn did about the person they’d come across.

  For some reason, this troubled Galen. It was more than just the fact that this person had abilities with the shadows, though that seemed to be part of it. It was that this person seemed to be the one the others had gone to. Whoever she was, she now had control over the network.

  The Forger smiled. “If you think that I will reveal those secrets, you are mistaken.”

  “I think that you will speak so that you can survive. So far, I’ve been generous,” Galen said.

  “So far, you’ve been afraid,” the Forger said.

  “Don’t tempt me,” he said.

  “Or what? I don’t believe you’ll do anything. You haven’t proven yourself willing to make the difficult choices. All you do is make threats, and while you have knowledge, you also are tentative. One thing you’ll find when you work with us is that you lose that tentative nature.”

  Galen flicked a dart at him. The man immediately began gasping.

  “Was that tentative?” He leaned closer. “That is terad. And it’s rolling through you now. The longer it’s there, the less likely it is that we can do anything to prevent it from overpowering you. Now, I have no problem with you dying. Considering what you’ve done—at least, what I know you’ve done—you deserve to die. But I’ll be honest. There is still something you can tell me, and that’s what makes you valuable. Then again, we really haven’t tried to find out what your friend might know.”

  The other Forger lay motionless. Galen had kept him unconscious the entire time they’d had him captive, and the gasping Forger stared at Galen, his eyes going wide.

  “If you know anything about terad, you’ll know that it requires a very specific treatment. Most people who succumb to the effects die fairly quickly, though not all.” He leaned forward, his face close to the Forger’s. “You have a choice. Do you intend to reveal what you know? This is your only opportunity. I won’t offer it again. If you choose not to answer, I will allow the terad to run its course.”

  Haern hated watching. There was something about watching someone suffocate, and he looked so helpless. It wasn’t that he wanted to help this man, but the idea of letting him die like this bothered him.

  According to Galen, this poison was a paralytic. It stopped all the muscles in one’s body from working, leaving one unable to do so much as breathe. And somehow Galen was immune to it.

  What sort of horrors had he survived?

  Galen shrugged. “As I said. It was your choice.” He turned away and headed out the door.

  Haern remained. He couldn’t take his eyes off the Forger. His eyes were bulging out, and he began to turn purple.

  “All you have to do is agree to tell him,” Haern said. “Why won’t you tell him? Why allow yourself to die?”

  The man looked up at him. He nodded once.

  “Galen!”

  It took a moment, but Galen reentered the room. He walked slowly, cautiously, and he glanced at Haern before turning his attention to the Forger. “Has he decided to talk?”

  “He nodded.”

  “Good.”

  He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small leather folder. Dipping his hand inside, he rolled his fingers and pushed them into the Forger’s mouth.

  “This will be unpleasant,” Galen said.

  He massaged the Forger’s neck, and the Forger took a shallow breath, and then another. His eyes began to recede, and the color returned to his cheeks.

  Galen leaned close to him. “That is your one opportunity. You’ve seen that I’m willing to allow you to die. I need to know what you know about this woman.”

  “Not Rel.” The Forger gasped as he spoke, straining to get a breath.

  “I’m aware that it was not Rel. I know Rel quite well, and if it had been her, I would have known. Who is she?”

  The Forger shook his head. “Someone. Like her.”

  Galen frowned. “Who?”

  “She worked with Rel. That’s how she knows the network.”

  “Is she the one who alerted you that we came?”

  “She didn’t. Another did.”

  “Which other?”

  When the Forger didn’t answer, Galen leaned close again. Another dart twisted between his fingers. “I think I’ve already made my position clear. Which one?”

  “Someone else,” the Forger said.

  Galen flicked a dart at the man. When it sank into him, he leaned back, quickly falling asleep.

  “I don’t care for this,” Galen said.

  “The fact that we don’t know who it is?”

  “No. The fact that whoever it is had worked with Carth. Her people should have stayed loyal to her. It’s something she does better than anyone else.”

  Galen got to his feet and paced. Every so often, he glanced down at the Forgers, and his frown deepened.

  “We were close to her,” Galen said.

  “We were, but you had us disappear.”

  “Only because, had we remained there, we would have been in danger. She has power. I was able to detect it. Hell, I could have sworn she was Carth when we first encountered her. Someone like that…” Galen breathed out heavily. “I can understand why Carth’s people would follow her. If she has the same sort of power as Carth, it wouldn’t be surprising if she could inspire people to follow her. They might even think she has Carth’s blessing, and while she might, it’s also possible that she does not.”

  “Do you want us to go back after her?”

  “I’m not sure we’ll be able to find her again. The last time was easier because she didn’t know I was here, but now she will have learned, and she’ll realize the move was nothing more than an attempt to draw her out.”

  “What if she has Carth’s blessing?”

  “Carth isn’t gone,” Galen said.

  “I know that’s what you want to believe, but with what we’ve heard—”

  Galen shook his head. “I’ve known Carth too well and too long. She’s far too powerful to be taken down easily, and she would not have allowed herself to be beaten in such a way.”

  “But what if she was?”

  Galen squeezed his eyes shut. “She would have gotten word to me.”

  “Even if she was gone?”

  He snapped his eyes open and looked over to him. “Especially then.”

  Haern stared at the fallen Forger for a moment. “What if she couldn’t? The Forgers seem to think she really is gone. And if she is—”

  “Then we will need to find another way.”

  “To find my father?”

  “To return to Elaeavn.”

  “But my father—”

  “If Carth is gone, then your father might be inaccessible to us. We might have to come to terms with that.”

  Haern watched the Forgers. If only there was some way of getting to them. Maybe if they had a Reader, they could find out what the men knew, but without that? He should have considered that need when they had left Elaeavn. Had they brought Ca
el Elvraeth with them… though Haern doubted Galen would have wanted Cael to risk herself, even if she had been willing to do so for his father.

  “These two will sleep for a while,” Galen said.

  “And then what?”

  “Until then, I want to scour the city. I want to see if we can uncover anything.”

  Galen motioned for him to follow, and Haern did, having little choice but to do so. When they reached the street, it was late, and people wandered along the street, not paying them any mind. Haern fidgeted, absently twisting a knife in his hand, turning it over and over.

  “You’re getting better,” Galen said.

  Haern glanced down. “It’s nervous energy, I guess.”

  “It’s what you will need to do in order to make yourself more formidable. Continue to manipulate the knife. Get to the point where you can use it comfortably without needing to draw upon your connection to it. When you get to that point, then you can begin adding your connection to the metal and exploring how extensive that bond might be.”

  Every so often, Haern pulled on the lorcith. He did so subtly, trying to draw it to him, forcing the knife to spin in his hand. It was more than what he had ever done in Elaeavn, but there, his ability with lorcith had been more of a curiosity, and as he hadn’t felt all that powerful, it hadn’t been much of a useful ability.

  “There are times I wish I had my father’s skill,” he said to Galen.

  Galen glanced over as they reached the end of the street. He looked in either direction, and then his gaze drifted to the rooftop before he turned back to Haern. “There were times when I was training that I wished I had my mentor’s ability. Della taught me what I needed to know about medicines and herbs, but Isander taught me how to use those same treatments for a much different purpose. It’s because of him that I began to learn the ways that certain healing medications could be used to overwhelm someone. At the same time, many of the dangerous and deadly poisons also have alternative uses.” Galen shrugged. “I always found that interesting.”

  “What? That poisons were not always poisons?”

  “Exactly. What makes one thing a poison and another a healing medication? It’s intent. That’s the only thing that changes. It’s the same with our kind. I suppose it’s the same with any man. Intent changes, and when it does, we can either do great things, or we can do dangerous things.” Galen smiled. “Cael never liked to think in such a way. She always believed there was more good in the world than bad, but I lived too much of my life outside of the city. I saw the horrors that existed, the things men would do to themselves, and because of that, I understand that the opposite is often the reality.”