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

by D. K. Holmberg

  Cael pretended not to notice. “I could not leave you at Della’s house with no one there to heal you. At least here there was the possibility you could improve.” Her eyes narrowed. “Should I not have taken that chance?”

  Without my pouch and my cloak, I felt exposed, bared in a way that I rarely felt. “I’m one of the Forgotten.”

  “And you have been summoned before the council.” The smile on her face widened. Cael really thought that she could have me restored.

  “And if they do not?” I asked. “The punishment for return is death.”

  “You’ve done everything in your power to see me safely back to Elaeavn. That’s enough for your restoration.”

  “Only after I’d been hired to kill you,” I reminded.

  “You were never really the danger,” she said.

  I laughed softly and it hurt my shoulder and pulled in my back where the crossbow bolts had struck. At least the pain from the knife wound faded, the searing agony of the srirach now only a memory. I thought of Cael’s abilities, how easily she Read me and the subtle ways she managed to Compel me and knew that she was right. I had never posed her any real threat.

  Lorst was different. She seemed unable to Compel him, at least not easily. And there seemed more to him than the ability to Slide. I had not managed to understand how he threw his knives but suspected a secret existed there as well.

  “When does the council wish to meet with me?”

  “Now.”

  She took my hand and squeezed. I didn’t question, though felt under dressed given the thin robe I wore. She guided me down the hall. I saw more walls of white stone. Blue lanterns set into the wall glowed with a soft light. They had a strange bitter odor that I recognized but could not completely place. Tapestries hung on the walls, ornately made and woven to depict scenery from the forests and sea, as if reminding the Elvraeth that we had once lived among the trees of the Aisl Forest but now lived along the shores. A few seemed to show the Great Watcher. Other sculptures decorated corners, each made with exquisite detail and left almost casually about the palace as a sign of decadence.

  I felt uncomfortable, more trapped within these walls than had I been locked in a cell. I was accustomed to striding atop rooftops or sneaking down back alleys, always alert for a threat. Here in the palace, everything seemed a threat.

  Cael said nothing, though I felt her tense as she held my hand.

  “You are that uncomfortable here?” she asked softly.

  I sensed that she expected a different reaction. “I’ll be fine.”

  She glanced over at me before turning to face ahead again and nodded.

  We turned a few more times before ascending a wide stair. Without Cael, I had no idea where in the palace I was. Without Cael, I was trapped.

  Occasionally, out of the corner of my eye I saw small figures making their way through the halls. They looked almost like children, but they moved with a stuttering sort of step that reminded me more of how Lorst and Josun Slid around the warehouse.

  Aers’n.

  Once they had lived with us among the trees. Since the move to the city, there were rumors that some lived in the palace. I thought it only rumors.

  “Some do,” Cael said.

  It should not surprise me how easily she stepped over my barriers, but she still managed to do so. “Why?”

  She looked over to where one small Aers’n walked nearby before disappearing. No larger than a child, the one nearest had curly golden hair and watched Cael before he disappeared.

  “Some serve us,” she answered. “Usually those families closest to the original Elvraeth have Aers’n servants, if you could call them that. Others are willing to do work, but only at their leisure. There are others…” She trailed off and glanced over. The Aers’n had reappeared briefly and seemed to smile at him before winking and disappearing.

  “You’re friends with him.” I wondered if he had been with us all along. If the Aers’n could Slide, there seemed no reason that he could not.

  Cael smiled warmly. “Some are friends. In the palace, I had few enough friends growing up. But Brisn did not travel with us. Once he knew that I was safe, he returned to the Aisl.”

  I wondered when the Aers’n had considered her safe.

  “When you agreed to help,” she answered, not needing me to speak aloud.

  “Why could he not simply have returned you?”

  Cael shook her head. “The Aers’n have abilities, some like we have, but they cannot Slide, not like Lorst, at least not with another.”

  I sensed that Cael had wondered the same. I did not ask. I did not need to.

  We reached a wide set of double doors that had not changed since I was last in the palace. They stood unguarded and open. The last time had been different. I had been in chains then, guarded by a pair of young Elvraeth. Now, only Cael guarded me. A pair of the strange blue lanterns lit the entrance, but the light did not reach far into the room. For some reason, even my Sight failed me.

  Cael patted my hand. “Once you are restored…”

  I nodded, looking away from the door, trying to forget the pain of that time. Everything had been taken from me with a single vote of the council. Everything I had ever been, had ever wanted to be, simply removed. Had Della fully abandoned me, I might have ended up differently. Instead, she steered me toward Isander, and indirectly toward my fate. I doubt that she ever saw the irony in that.

  Cael waited for me. I dared not think of the possibility of being restored, but what would I do if it happened? I wanted to be with Cael, but I would not risk her safety by having her join me in exile.

  “That would be my choice,” Cael said softly.

  I swallowed, unable to say anything more.

  Cael led me into the council room. I worried about what message it sent that she held my hand, knowing that her father sat on the council.

  The curving oval room appeared designed to convey authority. Walls were made of pristine white stone and arched high over his head. The slippers on my feet made little sound as I walked, as if even the air of the room demanded respect. Spaced evenly along the wall, small lamps glowed with the faint blue light. I suspected they were a small concession for those not Sighted. Towering statues made of the same white stone as the walls stood slightly away from the wall and cast long shadows into the room.

  Just like the last time I had been here, they sat upon a tall dais made of earath wood crafted with such delicacy that the carvings seemed to move. Before I had wondered what craftsman had such skill. After seeing the Aers’n, I suspected I now knew the answer.

  Three members of the council sat facing me, each seated in a large ornate chair. Two chairs stood empty. From what I understood, each sitting on the council served as the head of their family. The last time I stood before them, I had not dared do more than speak a few words.

  Cael did not leave me. I tried loosening my hand from hers, knowing that simply standing with me, one of the Forgotten, put her at risk, but she held tightly, fingers wrapped around mine. I looked over at her and she nodded reassuringly. I did not know what to expect or what I should say. It seemed I did not have to.

  Cael spoke.

  “I come before the council with a request,” she began. “The council knows what happened during my Saenr. How I chose the crystal of destiny, sat alongside the Great Watcher, only to lose the crystal in the Aisl Forest.”

  The man on the far left spoke. Dressed in a crimson jacket, a green leaf pinned to the lapel, his thinning dark hair slicked back from his head as if to disguise that fact. “You said that you reclaimed the crystal.”

  “I did. With much difficulty, I returned to Elaeavn. And then the crystal was again taken from me. But if not for Galen’s help, I would have died in Eban.” Cael drew herself up and took a deep breath. “So it is that I come before the council seeking restoration of Galen D’serat.”

  The man in the center of the council shot Cael a look and I knew which one was her father. Dressed in a
thaeln wool jacket of deep navy, the simple cut created an air of authority. Green eyes studied her, the corners wrinkling as she spoke. He set broad hands on the table. A massive ring circled the middle finger on his left hand.

  “You brought one of the Forgotten into the palace?” her father demanded.

  Cael met his eyes. Not for the first time, I wished I had her ability so that I knew what she was thinking.

  “I brought with me the person who saved my life. Who risked his own to see me here safely.”

  Cael’s father turned on me. In spite of what she said, his eyes looked upon me with an angry expression. “Only to lose the crystal once you returned.”

  Cael frowned. “I have already reported what happened.”

  The councilor on the far right spoke. Not quite fat, his face was nevertheless pudgy. He wore a flowing robe more like what Cael wore and sat with thick arms crossed over his belly. “You mentioned Lorst. Another forgotten. You don’t think they work together?”

  “Not after Lorst tried killing Galen,” Cael answered calmly.

  “That’s all it took to convince you?” her father answered. “I knew you naïve, Cael, but this is too much.”

  The other councilors started speaking rapidly to one another, ignoring the fact that Cael and I were standing there. I could hear snippets of what they said, but mostly they spoke in harsh whispers.

  “Enough!” Cael thundered.

  I felt the Compulsion as it carried through the room. I could not believe that Cael would try Compelling the entire council, but if that is what it took to convince them, I would not argue. Besides, I could tell that I was in no position to do anything more than watch.

  Cael stepped away from me. She carried herself with an air of confidence that reminded me of the first time I had seen her. Then she had disguised herself in the Durven as one of the local prostitutes and used her connections with the other painted girls to distract me. I had always assumed they were her friends, but I wondered now if she had done anything to Compel them to help.

  She stepped in front of the council, looking at each in turn, finally focusing on her father. “You think that I’m incapable of knowing if he lied to me?” she asked softly.

  I heard the hint of a threat underlying the question. I wondered if the council did as well.

  “You’re a Reader, Cael.” Her father leaned forward on his arms, propping up on his elbows. His tone turned slightly condescending, as if speaking to the child he obviously still thought Cael. “He is from Elaeavn. You do not think that he can protect his thoughts from a Reader?”

  “As you can protect your thoughts from me?”

  “Yes.”

  After our time together, I didn’t need to see the smile that turned on Cael’s face.

  “So I should not be able to Read that you doubt Galen’s intentions. Or that you worry what he did to me as we traveled.” She hesitated. “Or perhaps something different. How you wish Neshan would bath properly. Or do you wish me to delve deeper, Father? To see how you watch Yhongur’s daughter?” She turned to the man on the far end. “And you, Yhongur. How you look at me, the way you feign listening though your eyes continue to peel the robe from my body. You think I cannot Read that?”

  Her father made no expression as she spoke. Yhongur’s eyes widened and he looked away as his cheeks quickly reddened. Not that I had doubted, but I knew that Cael had Read him correctly.

  Cael turned, motioning toward me. “I have known Elvraeth my entire life. And I am a Reader. Mental barriers have not slowed me since I was a child. Even you, Father, who thinks that you hide everything so well. Were I to choose, I could Read every secret you wish to protect. So do not think I simply took anyone at their word.”

  She stepped back and took my hand. I looked over at her, saw the hint of flush to her cheeks, the faint sheen of sweat on her brow, and knew the courage it had taken from her to say what she had.

  “Cael,” her father began, sitting upright in his chair. He crossed his hands in front of him, making certain to flash the ring toward me. “It seems that you have hidden your abilities from me.”

  “There is much you don’t know about me, Father.”

  I expected more of a response. Instead, he turned and looked at me, ignoring or dismissing Cael. I saw an accusation on his face, as if he blamed me for the changes in his daughter. If only he knew that she had been the one to change me.

  “You’ve appeared before this council one other time and were sentenced with exile. Returning to Elaeavn violates that sentence. The punishment for that is death.”

  Cael tensed, squeezing my hand. I feared what she might do. There were limits to her abilities. There must be, otherwise Josun Elvraeth would not have been able to place her into chains. We had not had a chance to speak about how he’d managed that feat, but I wouldn’t see it repeated.

  I released her hand and stepped forward, tilting my head and looking down. Let them see me as respectful, however much I feigned it.

  “Honorable council. In the years since my exile, I have never attempted to return. Only after learning that Cael R’da Elvraeth,” I made sure to say her full name, looking up just enough to see her father’s reaction—his eyes barely widened, “had one of the five crystals and that danger chased her. My intent was only to see her safely back. I beg the council to allow me to simply return to my exile.”

  I let out a ragged breath, hoping that Cael understood the need for the lie. The council would never restore me, not now and not after what I had done to earn my exile. I would always be one of the Forgotten. But I could hope that the council would let me live.

  The chubby man on the end started to speak, looking over to the others. “You cannot deny that he has returned your daughter to us safely.”

  “Without the crystal,” Yhongur stated. His cheeks still looked flushed and he made a point of not looking at Cael.

  “Even so, his punishment should not change,” the other councilor continued. “Let him return to his exile. That is punishment enough.”

  I watched Cael’s father while the others spoke. Already I knew what he would decide.

  “One of the Forgotten has returned,” he said. “There must be punishment for that.”

  “Father!” Cael said.

  Her father met her eyes. “For returning you safely, he will avoid death. Be thankful for that.” He swung his gaze to me. “You will be sentenced to serve in the Ilphaesn mines.”

  Ilphaesn. At least as one of the Forgotten, I had a certain level of freedom. In Ilphaesn that would be taken from me. “For how long?” I dared ask.

  As he stared at Cael, his eyes hardened. “For the rest of your days.”

  * * *

  Stone encircled me. And I had thought the simply being in the palace made me feel as if I were trapped. That had been nothing compared to this place.

  Surprisingly, the smells hit me first. Sweat and blood mixed with dust and the bitter scent of lorcith, so heavy on the air that I practically tasted it. All around me were others similarly trapped, but different. They had the chance to earn their freedom. I no longer could.

  But I lived. The council had agreed that I could live.

  In the week since leaving Elaeavn for the second time in my life, I still feared what Cael would do. The look on her face when her father had announced my sentencing spoke volumes, but somehow he had not seen it. I wondered what gifts he had—what ability simmered to the top for him, like Reading had for Cael.

  Now, I stood in a crowded cave, surrounded by men the council had deemed criminals. From what I knew of those sentenced to Ilphaesn, few had done more than protect themselves or their families. That did not change how the council treated them.

  I sighed and took a place near the outer wall. On the journey here, I had spoken little. There had been nothing for me to say. Death might have been a better sentence.

  The stink of the stew served near the single lantern drifted toward me. My stomach rumbled.

  I heard somethi
ng moving near me and turned. Shadows seemed draped across the cavern, and in spite of my Sight, I could not easily penetrate that darkness.

  I sunk to the ground. My shoulder and back ached where I’d been shot, throbbing in a way that I previously had managed to ignore. Then Cael had been there to keep me company. Without her, even small wounds that I sustained during our escape from Eban hurt. Trapped here in Ilphaesn, nothing would take those wounds from me.

  The sound came again, a soft shuffling. I smelled a strange scent, like that of mint, reminding me of tesand root, though that was not found anywhere near Ilphaesn.

  Then I turned, peering into the darkness, trying to see past the shadows.

  A strong hand grabbed my wrist.

  At first, I struggled, fearful. Rumors claimed men could be brutal here.

  The scent of mint came stronger. I pieced together what I had noticed as I felt a sense of movement. Colors spun past me as I Slid.

  Emerging from the Slide, Della looked at me with concern. A few strands of gray hair had pulled free of the tight bun on her head and one hand twisted braided ends of the shawl she wore. When she saw me, she quickly laid a hand on my arm and closed her eyes.

  Lorst let go of my arm and stepped back. I glanced at him with less suspicion than I once would have.

  “You’re unharmed,” Della said.

  I looked around the small room. Her home, the same as when I saw it last, though this time a fire danced in the hearth. Shutters on the windows tilted slightly open, letting in some light, but not much. It had been near midday when we reached the mines, but only a hazy light reached through her windows. The scent of tesand brewing came from the pot over the fire, and I understood what I had smelled in Ilphaesn.

  “Why did you come for me?” I asked.

  Della sighed. “I have never given up on you, Galen.”