The Forgotten: A story in the world of The Dark Ability

by D. K. Holmberg

  I shook my head. We headed west, following the old stream bed, knowing that at some point it would intersect with water. So far it had not. “Not sure,” I said. My tongue felt thick and dusty.

  “Will there be a healer there?” she asked.

  There had better be, I decided. Someone that knew their way around herbs and medicines, anything that could help us. “I don’t know.”

  “Where is Della?” Cael asked. She phrased the question gently, as if afraid to upset me by pressing.

  I shook my head slowly. There was no use arguing about the need for someone like Della at this point. Though my wound wasn’t poisoned, already I could feel infection setting in. Even were I to reach a healer, there was no guarantee that I would regain use of my arm. Of course, there was no guarantee that I would survive at this point. Strange that it would be a man like Thom that would kill me. Orly would have his prize.

  “Used to be in Elaeavn. Last I heard she had left. Something happened where she wasn’t safe.”

  “I do not know of a healer named Della from Elaeavn,” Cael said.

  “Not many do,” I said.

  She seemed to understand what that implied. “Where was she last?”

  “Longston?” I said. “Helg?” I shook my head. “Too many years have passed since I last learned of her. Now I can’t remember. Only that she moved around.” Movement like that told me that she wasn’t safe. That was even more reason to have kept her from Cael. Even now, injured and possibly dying as I was, I wasn’t certain that revealing Della to Cael was right. After what I had done to Della, I should protect her better than that.

  That I revealed even this much to Cael made me wonder if she Compelled me. I knew she was powerful and had seen that she could be subtle as well. It did not take a strong touch with me; all Cael would need to do would be to nudge me toward my natural inclination to do what I could to help her.

  “I do not Compel you,” she said.

  At least I knew that she Read me.

  She laughed behind me and pressed forward, pushing her weight on my back carefully so as to not cause more injury to my shoulder.

  We reached the town as dawn was breaking. Not a large place, considerably smaller than Eban, but more than a simple village. Sounds and smells of morning activity surrounded us. I heard a blacksmith already hammering somewhere distantly. Those out on the street spoke in hushed voices. Bread baking made my stomach rumble; my mouth did not have the moisture needed to water. Somewhere I smelled the clear tang of water. Whatever else we did, we needed to find something to drink.

  “Do you recognize this place?” Cael asked. Her voice had changed, grown more hoarse and rough. The hard riding and lack of water had caught up to her as well. Thankfully we were in a place where we could finally get something to drink.

  Cael held on to the reigns of the horse Del rode, keeping the brown mare close to us. The mare didn’t fight, probably giving up on that hours before. Del remained slumped forward, tilted slightly in the saddle, leaving me wondering if he might simply list out completely. I did not have the strength to return him to the saddle.

  I scanned the streets, looking for something familiar. Many of these smaller towns were similar, all serving as a trading post for the outer villages, ways to keep the villagers out of the larger cities like Eban and Cort. Nothing really struck my eye.

  Most of the buildings were of weathered gray stone, rolling along dirt streets that slowly climbed upward. A few rose higher than a single story, but even those had a stone base. That, at least, reminded me somewhat of Elaeavn, though it had been years since I had seen the city of my birth. In the distance rose a larger building, at least three stories high, that must have been at the center of the town. This building seemed to sit on the highest rise in the town, everything else sloping down around it.

  In my time learning from Isander, I had traveled much, seen many places that I had been protected from while living in Elaeavn. The way the building overlooked the town struck a memory of a visit long ago, when Isander had come through on a job, but I could not recall its name, only that we were barely a week’s ride from Elaeavn. We could rest here, get whatever healing was available, and continue onward so that Cael could return home. I had not completely decided what I would do once she was safe.

  “I have been here,” I told Cael. “Long ago, but if I remember correctly, there is a small river that runs through the center of town.” That it eventually joined with the Yiln left me wondering about the connection. Hadn’t Del mentioned that Orly had poisoned the river Yiln leading to his town?

  Cael said nothing, but I knew that she had the same thought that I had. I turned the horse toward where the river should run and we rode silently.

  When we were nearly where I thought it should be, I heard the sound of hoof beats on the hard ground. Cael looked up first and I knew that she had sensed it differently. As one of the Elvraeth, she had multiple abilities, even though some were weaker than others.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Not sure,” she answered. “Someone is riding in fast. Probably a pair. Do you think its him?”

  Her breath was hot on my neck. I had the urge to turn and hold her, but with only one good arm, the gesture would do little to reassure either of us. Somehow I needed to get her to safety.

  As much as I hated to admit it, likely she would be safer without me.

  I could draw attention away from her, pull Orly’s attack toward me. That would give her the time she needed to reach Elaeavn. At least there she could be safe.

  “No,” she said.

  “Cael,” I whispered. My throat was so dry that I could not manage to say much more. I felt her shake her head, was all too aware of her soft hair swishing as she moved, of the way her body shifted, pressing in to me. I swallowed.

  “Let us find a healer,” she said.

  “It’s not Lorst,” I told her. If I could do nothing else, I would relieve her of that worry. “When he comes, we won’t have such a warning.” That might not reassure her as much as I would like, but was true nonetheless. Lorst was a Slider, an ability I had only ever heard about, never having seen first hand, and damn near hadn’t survived.

  Surprisingly, Cael laughed. “At least there is that,” she said.

  I couldn’t help but laugh with her.

  Kicking the horses faster, I veered down a sloped street. Small shops with weathered and faded signs lined either side of the street. I looked for any that might signify a healer, someone where I could take Del and leave him so that Cael and I could get on our way, but there was nothing.

  As Cael tensed behind me I knew the riders were closer.

  Then the small river came into view. Cael jumped from the horse and practically ran to the water, cupping her hands to her face and taking a long drink. She stared out at the water, looking across the small stream at the buildings on the other side, a continuation of the small town that gradually faded into the outer farms. Smoke drifted from distant chimneys. Along the water, I smelled that scent of the fisheries and mills that lined the banks farther along the shore. None of that was what Cael looked at.

  I recognized the fixed expression on her face, the way her eyes blazed a deeper green as she paused, one hand still dipped into the water. Sitting as she was, I could almost feel her flaring her abilities.

  A pair of horses topped the small hill we had just come down. The dark gray coat and black pants marked them as Orly’s men as surely as any banner would have. That they had found us already worried me. Was it Cael or me that Orly tracked so well?

  Thom I could explain. Having traveled with Del for as long as he had, his was a quicker return, simply needing to find the necessary men to come out after us. For Orly to have already learned that they failed and sent another pair of riders made me wonder how far his reach truly stretched. I had thought that we would be safe from him once we left Eban, only needing to fear Lorst.

  The irony of that was not lost on me. Both men were dangerous.
Now I wasn’t certain which of them were more so.

  “Cael,” I hissed.

  She stood and casually turned to the other horse where Del was strapped in. There she reached along his side and pulled out his water skin, taking it to the river and washing it out as if nothing were amiss. When she was content that it was cleaned, she filled it and carried it to me.

  “Drink,” she said.

  “Cael?”

  “Galen, drink,” she said again.

  Out of habit, I smelled the water and did not find anything unusual. All traces of the erasn were washed away, leaving only the softly earthen scent of the river water. I took a long swallow.

  The riders glanced past us, as if not seeing us simply sitting atop two horses, one with Del strapped upright, though he was slumped over in the saddle. It was then that I realized what she had done. I still struggled to believe that it was possible.

  “You placed a glamour over all of us?” I asked. I could not see what it was she changed, but felt the effect. I wondered if that was because I was a part of the glamour.

  Cael glanced up at me. “I don’t know how long I can maintain it,” she said.

  Faint lines of tension pulled her eyes, the work she exerted to hold the glamour in place. With as much effort as she used, she would not be Reading me either. I took another long drink from the water skin and then pushed it into one of the saddlebags. Then I flipped open my pouch with my good hand and ran my fingers across my darts. Only four darts and three vials remained. By touch I knew that I had two of terad and one of whistle dust. I loaded the darts with terad.

  “Just wait,” Cael said.

  “Why? They will return to Orly otherwise. Or continue to hunt us. Either way, we are better off with them dead.”

  I could tell from her face that she was not as comfortable with the need for them to die as I was.

  “Please,” she said.

  I nodded. We could wait, but I doubted that it would change anything.

  The men rode closer. One was older and had a thick gray mustache, his hair shorn so close that he was nearly bald. In spite of his obvious age, he had a hardened look to him and was still well muscled. I recognized him. Heln Northstam. A seasoned soldier turned assassin for hire. A step below me in skill, but for one without abilities, the step was not as great as I would have liked. The other was younger, face and head smooth, and shared many of the same features as Heln. His son, likely.

  “Cael,” I whispered. “I recognize this man. If we wait too long, we will not likely survive this.”

  She turned and looked up at me, her eyes so piercingly green that I could not look away. I suddenly understood what I felt, the way my skin tingled as the glamour shifted with attention. “Are you certain?”

  I nodded. “Another assassin,” I said. I did not need to tell her that Orly sent him. That he was here was evidence enough.

  She sighed and blinked. “Do what you must.”

  I wasted little time. With only one good arm, I would have to be both good and lucky. I knew I was good. I was not certain I had the necessary luck. My experience with Thom seemed to prove that I did not.

  I flicked a dart toward Heln.

  I knew little about the other man but plenty about Heln. The most dangerous man would need to be the first to go down.

  In that instant, the younger man turned his horse. It was just enough that he put himself between the dart flying toward Heln and me. He was unfortunate enough to have the dart sink into his leg. The younger man fell immediately from his saddle. Suddenly free, the black mare started away, reigns dragging across the dirt behind it.

  Heln reacted instantly, leaping from his saddle, a pair of long-bladed knives in one hand, a long crossbow in the other. The narrow crossbow would be more accurate than what Thom had carried, and even that had been deadly enough.

  I flicked another dart—terad again—toward Heln. The dart hit the flank of his horse and the horse staggered before falling atop the younger man.

  Without waiting, I grabbed the next dart. I was not certain which one I grabbed. Terad was the most toxic; whistle dust would only incapacitate Heln.

  Heln crouched, readied. His eyes caught the dart, calculated the distance and the likely trajectory of the dart, and stared at where we stood. His mouth tightened into a long, thin line. His finger squeezed the release on the crossbow.

  The bolt flew straight toward Cael.

  I flicked my dart and leapt toward Cael at the same time.

  The crossbow bolt whistled toward me. I knocked Cael down as it sank into my back. Screaming in pain, I blacked out.

  * * *

  I came around slowly. My body ached, a diffuse, gnawing sense where every bone and joint seemed swollen. Pain throbbed in my shoulder where the crossbow bolt had pierced me, but at least there was sensation. I tried to open my hand, but it didn’t respond as it should.

  Instead, I opened my eyes slowly. My mind was as swollen and foggy as my body seemed to be and I struggled to remember what had happened. I lay on a small cot, stretched out before a fire burning in a cozy hearth. Everything about the place seemed familiar.

  And then I remembered why. Della.

  I was not certain that I was ready to face her again. Long ago, Della had taken me in, taught me much of what she knew about plants and medicines. As young as I was, I recognized that there were things that she managed to do, healings she was capable of performing, that I could not explain with the medicines she used. In spite of that, Della claimed that I had the talent to become a healer. I knew I would never reach her skill. That was part of the reason I ultimately had to leave the city.

  When I had been banished, she sent me to Isander, telling me that he would continue my education. And he had. Isander had a different take on the use of his knowledge, preferring to teach me the art of poisons and toxins in addition to healing plants and medicines. I never knew if Isander had guided me in that direction because I had a knack for the art or for another reason. I still wondered.

  “You are awake.”

  I turned my head to see her standing next to the cot, a small notebook folded out in front of her, a quill resting in her wrinkled hand. She stuffed it away and folded the book closed, peering at me with a familiar expression. Though a handful of years had passed since I last saw her, she looked much the same. Gray hair was pulled back behind her head. Deep lines surrounded green eyes that twinkled. A woven shawl hung on her shoulders, braided in various blue and orange hues.

  “Where is Cael?” I asked. It hurt to speak, my voice croaking out in a hoarse grunt.

  Della sniffed softly. “Finally care about someone other than yourself, Galen?” she asked.

  I took a deep breath. The comment was fair; honestly, I deserved worse. Especially from Della. I considered arguing, telling her again that the reason I was forced from Elaeavn was because I cared too much, but it would make little difference. The mistake had already been made. Long ago I had learned to live with the consequences of my mistake. Della still had not given up on her disappointment.

  “Is she safe?” I asked.

  “Your friend is unharmed. Unlike you. A crossbow?”

  I nodded. “Barbed tip. I didn’t think it was poisoned but the wound grew hot. Felt it coming on, too. Not much I could do out on the plains.” Slipping into this kind of conversation with Della was easy, familiar. I think it made her more comfortable as well.

  “Not poisoned,” Della said. “I had to clean the wound, push out the infection working through you. Much longer and you would not have survived.”

  I let out a soft breath. After all that I had been through and it was a simple crossbow that nearly ended me.

  “That was not the only one.”

  I shook my head. “What of Heln?” I asked. Della’s eyes narrowed. “The other man. Older. Thin. Gray hair and mustache.”

  “Gone.”

  I closed my eyes. Either I had missed with my dart or had hit him with whistle dust only. Likely the latter o
r I might be dead too, though I had already seen that I should not underestimate Cael.

  “There was another wound I found as well,” Della went on. “An interesting injury. A deep cut along your side. Recent, as well. The edges of the injury bear the mark of srirach.”

  We both knew that it was not the edges of the wound that told her what had poisoned me but her ability at healing. I had not known she would be able to detect the poison this long out. Lorst’s attack had been at least a week ago and the injury had been healed with the tchinth powder I pulled from the wine Orly had given me in an attempt to poison me.

  “Your point?” I asked.

  “Only that such an injury is usually fatal. How is it that yours was not?”

  “I am not completely helpless,” I told Della.

  “I am only too aware of your skills, Galen.”

  The disappointment in her voice was clear.

  “But srirach is quite difficult for even me to heal. I know of only a few cleansers that would be effective, and then only if used immediately.”

  I had not known how difficult srirach was to reverse, though as far as I knew, I was the only person to have survived poisoning from it. “I had tchinth powder.”

  Della tipped her head. Her eyes flashed a deep shade of green and narrowed. “Indeed? Tchinth is out of season. Impressive that you managed to acquire some.”

  “I managed to survive poisoning,” I said.

  At that, Della laughed. “As clever as he is, that man is a fool.”

  I could not help but note the hint of affection to the comment. “You know Orly?”

  “I know many people, Galen. When you have lived as long as I have, such a thing is inevitable. But to answer your question, yes. I know Orly.”

  “I will see him dead.” I didn’t want to leave any doubt with Della about my intention regarding Orly. Some day, I would be the one who ended him.

  “Indeed?” Della said. “I believe you are the one with the price on your head. You and that girl you travel with.”

  “I can manage.”

  “You have done well so far,” she said.

  “We are out of the city at least,” I said.