The Tower of Venass (The Dark Ability Book 3)

by Holmberg, D. K.

  He could still sense the knives on him and tried to push them but failed.

  Was Shael still here?

  He heard no sign of the smuggler.

  Shael knew of his secrets, knew enough to poison him to keep him from moving, but why would they want to keep him immobilized if they needed to know how he Slid into the palace? He still didn’t understand how they could learn anything if he couldn’t move.

  But they didn’t need him to move to Read him, did they?

  He pushed up his barriers, and found it more difficult than usual to do. As he did, he became aware of a crawling in his mind, subtle but clearly a Reader.

  Would they learn all of his secrets? That he could move lorcith, and the way heartstone answered him as well? Would they learn how much Jessa meant to him, or that he would do anything to see that she came to no harm?

  Rsiran felt violated in a way he never had before. Drugged so they could access his mind.

  He focused on his connection to the lorcith. He might not be able to push it, but could he use it to support his barriers?

  With an effort, he strained to push them into place, trying to seal out the Reader. The Forgotten woman, he had no doubt. Lorcith infused the barriers as he squeezed, pressing them into place. Slowly the sense of another presence, the crawling sensation he felt, disappeared.

  Rsiran’s breathing quickened as he held onto the barrier. Years spent living with his sister—a Reader of only minor skill—had taught him to keep his mind barricaded, but not in the way that he needed to around the more powerful Readers, those Elvraeth and Forgotten. And he didn’t know how to maintain the connection even when asleep. When they dosed him with their poison again, he worried that the lorcith-infused barrier would fall again.

  He heard movement. A door and then soft footsteps. Someone leaned close.

  Rsiran feared it was Shael again, but he felt a warm breath and smelled a mix of spice.

  The woman.

  “You won’t be able to keep me out indefinitely,” she whispered. “Already, you have given me much.” She crouched, leaning over so he saw her as little more than a vague shadow. “I confess I thought Shael had inflated his claims of what you can do with metal. After what I’ve learned, I see he didn’t know everything, now did he?”

  Rsiran tried to slam heartstone into the barrier in his mind, but wasn’t sure he succeeded.

  He smelled the sickly sweet scent, and then he went out.

  Chapter 28

  Rsiran awoke to an absence of pain. He didn’t know what it meant that he felt nothing. No throbbing of the back of his neck. No pulsing of his head. Not even the ache from lying on the floor. Simply… nothing.

  He still couldn’t move.

  And he was alone. No one made any sounds around him, not like there had been before. The air smelled only damp, none of the sickly sweet scent he’d come to associate with the poison.

  His heart hammered in his chest. That they’d left him alone meant they’d likely gotten what they wanted.

  But what did they want?

  He checked the barriers in his mind, but they were still in place. Somehow he’d held them while the poison worked through him, keeping him from moving. Rsiran was no longer sure that meant anything. What if the woman could crawl past his barrier, even infused as it was with lorcith? Why hadn’t he pushed heartstone into it? Then he remembered that he had.

  Rsiran tried to swallow but couldn’t. How long had he been here, separated from Jessa, trapped with the Forgotten?

  Long enough to feel the effects of the poisoning over and over. Too many times to keep track. And long enough for them to learn everything about him.

  He had thought to fear Venass, but they had not tormented him the same way the Forgotten did.

  He was comforted by the thought that knowing how he Slid past the heartstone alloy didn’t mean they would be able to do it. Unless they had others with his ability to sense lorcith.

  But then what?

  If that was all they wanted from him, they could have it. Knowing his abilities didn’t mean they actually use them as he did.

  Except he was trapped here. As long as they kept dosing him with the poison so he couldn’t move, there was nothing he could do to escape.

  And what of Jessa? Where was she? Shael claimed she was unharmed, but once they got what they needed from Rsiran, what reason would they have to keep her alive?

  He had to think there was some reason; otherwise she’d already be dead. Maybe they wanted Josun back. And if they’d Read him, they already knew where Rsiran had left him. They might not be able to safely Slide—if what the woman told him was even true—but there were other ways to reach the mine. And once Josun was free, he would come for vengeance.

  If only there was something he could do.

  When Shael had captured him the first time and put him in the Elvraeth chains, he’d been cut off from lorcith. When he could reach it again, he’d been able to escape, freeing himself. That had been a different sense of hopelessness. This—the ability to sense and hear the lorcith but not push it—was a failure of his abilities.

  Rsiran felt the lorcith of the knives he had strapped to his calf. There was a misshapen item an arm’s length from him. Somewhere nearby were the knives Shael had taken off him. And then there was the charm.

  He felt it differently than the rest, attuned to it in a way he wasn’t to the knives. It was more like the sense he had with the sword, but different at the same time. If only he could anchor to the charm and pull himself as he had when he’d been trapped in Venass, but the poison kept him from being able to focus on the metal long enough to anchor.

  Rsiran did nothing but listen to the charm. After a while, he realized it moved. If the charm moved, it meant Jessa lived; he refused to consider any alternatives.

  The charm seemed to be closer than before. Were they taking her somewhere?

  He wished he had some way of communicating with her. If only he had some of Brusus’s abilities, he might be able to send her a message. Instead, he had to lie there motionless and wait. Eventually, the Forgotten woman would return, or Shael, and they would dose him again. And then he’d awaken, unable to move, cycling through again and again.

  The charm came closer.

  Rsiran felt his tongue loosen a little. Had they forgotten about him?

  He managed to swallow. And then blink.

  He prayed to the Great Watcher they gave him enough time. Maybe they’d miscalculated the effect. If it wore off before they returned, could he Slide to safety? Somehow grab Jessa on the way?

  There was a sound near the door.

  His heart hammered faster and louder. He blinked again, willing his body to move, but it didn’t obey. Would it be Shael this time, or the woman? At least he’d discovered that Jessa still moved. Hopefully that had been Jessa.

  A click came from near the door, soft but distinct.

  Rsiran reached for lorcith, trying to anchor and Slide, but failed.

  He moved his tongue, trying to work moisture into his mouth and his lips. It didn’t work as it should.

  The door pushed open with a soft burst of air. Did he smell something sickly and sweet or was it only his imagination? Then the door shut with another soft click.

  Footsteps sounded softly across the floor. Too light for Shael. That meant the woman. The Forgotten. Would she push past his barriers this time or did it no longer matter?

  A shifting of shadows crossed over his eyes, not enough for him to see. He waited. There was nothing else for him to do.

  And then the voice. “Rsiran?”

  Jessa.

  He listened frantically for the lorcith of her charm. It dangled just over him, close enough to reach if his arms worked. He tried to make his mouth work, but it refused.

  A fearful thought crossed his mind. What if this was another trick? What if she was Compelled?

  “Rsiran? Can you move?”

  He thought she touched him but couldn’t be certain. He f
elt nothing other than his tongue, and it felt thick and swollen in his mouth.

  The lighting shifted. He realized she lifted him, propping him up. Rsiran didn’t know what she intended. He was too heavy for her to carry.

  “We have to move. I don’t know how long we have before they find I’m missing.”

  He licked his lips, moving his tongue slowly, and swallowed. “Jessa.”

  Her name came out more like a grunt, but he heard her sigh.

  “I don’t know what they gave you. Something to weaken you and prevent you from moving. Shael has come to me several times and said that if I told them where you’d hidden Josun, they’d let me go. The other”—she practically spat the word—“said he didn’t matter. They wanted to know how you managed to reach the palace. There’s something there they want.”

  Again, Rsiran listened for lorcith around him. He sensed the knives still hidden on him. Jessa wore the charm, but no longer had the knives she’d carried when they first came. If he could find the lorcith knives Shael had taken from him, he would find Shael.

  He felt it close by. How much longer before Shael discovered Jessa was gone? How much longer before he came for Rsiran? Then she would be poisoned as well, left immobile as he was, unable to do anything. They would both be trapped.

  “Shael.”

  It was the only word he could get out.

  “I know about Shael, Rsiran. We need to get you moving. Can you Slide?”

  He blinked and tried to move his head. Did it twitch? He couldn’t tell. “No,” he grunted.

  She swallowed. “Whatever they gave you keeps you from your abilities. They know the Elvraeth chains won’t hold you. No other way to keep you here.”

  Rsiran didn’t think that was the real reason they poisoned him. At least, it wasn’t the entire reason. They wanted his defenses down. They wanted to Read him.

  “Read me,” he said.

  Jessa leaned toward him. He knew from the way the charm moved against his senses and that he could smell her. All he wanted to do was pull her close and hold her, but they’d taken that from him.

  “What do you mean?”

  His vision seemed to be returning. Shapes blurred in front of him. The dark shadow that was Jessa now had hazy borders, lines that made up her face.

  “Read. Me.”

  She didn’t move. And then she gasped. “They poisoned you so they could Read you?”

  He tried to nod but didn’t think his head worked.

  “What do they want?”

  Rsiran worked his tongue over the inside of his mouth again. “Same. Venass.”

  She leaned closer. He imagined she hugged him but couldn’t tell. There seemed to be a little pressure this time, as if she pressed against him. Rsiran let out a slow breath, wanting nothing more than to put his arms around her and Slide her to safety.

  But he couldn’t.

  They were trapped because his ability failed him.

  “How. You.” He didn’t know if she would understand but at least his words came out more clearly than they had before.

  “How did I escape?”

  He tried to nod again. “Yes.”

  He didn’t think she’d been Compelled but still didn’t know for sure. If they poisoned him to Read him, there was no reason they wouldn’t do the same to Jessa to Compel her.

  “After they attacked us, I woke up, locked up, the same as you. They didn’t think I was as much of a threat. I’ve not been poisoned, at least that I know. It took a while, but I managed to pick the lock on my door. Once I figured out how, I waited until I knew I’d be alone for a while. The guards come by on a schedule. Then I came looking for you.”

  “How?”

  She laughed and pushed closer to him. This time he definitely felt it.

  “The necklace,” she said. She laughed again. “They took everything I had on me. My knives. The lock-pick set.” She said that with more than a hint of anger. “But they left the necklace. They didn’t think anything of it, I guess. But the shape worked well for a lock pick. Did you know that when you made it?”

  Rsiran licked his lips. His tongue didn’t feel as thick as it had. “Yes.”

  Jessa moved so that her face was directly in front of him. Now he could see the contours of her cheeks, the set of her jaw, and the way her hair swept back from her forehead. A blurry bruise discolored one cheek, severe enough that he could see it in spite of the poisoning.

  “Liar,” she whispered. She kissed him.

  Rsiran kissed back, thankful he could feel her lips.

  “How long will the poisoning last?” she asked.

  “Don’t. Know.” He swallowed, feeling stronger by the moment. “Think it’s… wearing off.”

  “How much longer until you can Slide us out of here? I’m a good sneak, but I don’t know if I can get us out of the building on my own, especially not if I’m carrying you.”

  “Don’t. Know,” he said again. “I’ll. Try.”

  He listened for lorcith to anchor. It would be easier than trying to Slide without an anchor. But he didn’t want to Slide a great distance in the shape he was in. Shorter distances were easier, and he wasn’t even certain he would be able to reach Elaeavn until the poison completely cleared his system.

  While he sensed lorcith around him, he didn’t have anything he felt safe using as an anchor. Most of it was likely with the Forgotten. Any that was not, he didn’t know if he dared use in his current state.

  But if they were in Asador, there was another place he could try. It was a place familiar to him only because he’d been there before when tracking down his sword. He’d found lorcith there, both his sword and unshaped lorcith. Could he anchor to that?

  He listened for unshaped lorcith. At the edge of his senses, he heard it, as if calling to him. Rsiran held to it and tried to Slide.

  But failed.

  “Can’t Slide. Yet.”

  “Keep trying,” she said. “I’ll keep us safe while we wait.”

  There came a soft sound of metal against metal. The door opened again.

  “Not sure how you be doing that.”

  “Shael,” Rsiran said weakly.

  Jessa leaned over him, blocking him from Shael. “Leave him alone, Shael. Why are you doing this? I thought you were our friend!”

  “Friend? I do be telling Rsiran before it’s about coin, not friendship. When Brusus do be having the coin, then I be your friend.”

  He stepped closer. Rsiran smelled the sweet scent of the poison he carried with him. The knives he’d taken from Rsiran were tucked into his pockets.

  “Now these folk do be having the coin. An’ you be the reason I keep workin’.”

  Rsiran had seen how Shael had some talent, the way that he had once prevented him from Sliding. Rsiran had finally managed to surprise Shael when he’d used heartstone as his anchor.

  “Now, you be going back to your room. I be tellin’ Inna it time to use slithca syrup on you too. You be more compliant then.”

  He started forward. Rsiran felt it in the knives more than heard it.

  “Stop.”

  Shael laughed. “You caught me askance once, Rsiran, but you be doin’ nothin’ to stop me in the shape you be in now. Don’ be movin’, you see.” He laughed again.

  Jessa lowered him back down. Then she lunged at Shael.

  She moved in a blur, kicking off from next to him.

  Rsiran felt the lorcith knife in her hand that she’d taken from his calf.

  Shael grunted and then Jessa cried out before thudding loudly against the wall.

  Rsiran turned his head to try to see if she was okay, but only saw her legs. They didn’t move.

  Shael crouched next to him. A hard hand pressed down on his chest. That Rsiran could feel it at all told him the poison was wearing off.

  “You be restin’ again, Rsiran. Almost got what they need.”

  “Stop.” He said the word again with more force. He still could barely move his head and couldn’t do anything
against Shael without his abilities.

  Shael laughed. “You’re not gonna talk me out of this now. I’m not your friend.”

  Rsiran looked over and saw Jessa’s legs. They moved, but not much. “I. Know.”

  He focused on the sense of the one lorcith knife still strapped to his calf.

  “Don’t make me do this,” Rsiran said.

  Shael chuckled. “Slithca lingers, Rsiran. Not much you able to do.” He hesitated. “Besides, what you be thinkin’ to do?”

  Rsiran pushed on the lorcith knife. He used every bit of energy he possessed, pressing on it as if physically doing it.

  At first, he didn’t think it would matter. The knife wouldn’t move.

  Rsiran pushed harder. Nothing happened.

  For Jessa’s sake, he reached deeper, drawing from the memory of where the knife was mined, the lump of lorcith it once had been, the song it had sung to him before he’d forged it. They came to him in a flash, the connection strong as any.

  Rsiran imagined the weight of Ilphaesn around him as he pushed.

  Then it moved.

  He felt the movement at the same time as Shael did. The smuggler grunted and reached for the knife, but was too late.

  It tore through Shael. Rsiran had no way of knowing where, only that it did.

  Shael coughed and started toward Rsiran again. He reached for the other blades Shael carried and pushed them with the same force, that of the memory of Ilphaesn. The knives sliced through him and sank into the wall with a loud crack.

  Shael collapsed next to him.

  Wetness pooled around Rsiran. He couldn’t move away from it and lay next to Shael as his blood seeped out.

  Chapter 29

  “Jessa?”

  She groaned. At least she still lived.

  “Jessa!”

  He said her name more urgently. They needed to move or the Forgotten would come next.

  Rsiran felt his arms regaining strength and pushed to sit. He blinked and his vision cleared. How much time did they have?

  Shael lay next to him. The knives had torn through his gut. Blood streaked across the floor, dripping a trail from where the knives had flown through the air after going through him. His chest rose slowly but still moved. Rsiran wondered if he should care whether Shael lived or not.