The Forgotten: A story in the world of The Dark Ability Page 2

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Oh? And why not?”

  I looked back and he watched me, a curious expression across his wrinkled face. “Consider it my price for the meeting.”

  Orly laughed as I slipped between his guards and left. I wondered if he knew how much I hated that sound.

  * * *

  The rooftops around the Durven were no cleaner than the buildings. There were times I wished I did not have Sight and this was one. Bird droppings coated slate shingles dampened with an evening dew, threatening to send me sliding to the street below. A few dead pigeons lay scattered. For some reason, I cringed when a cat grabbed one and skulked away with it clenched in its jaw. Darkened shadows of bats fluttered overhead as they flew out for their evening hunt.

  In spite of all that, the air smelled clear and crisp. A hint of breeze fluttered across the roofline, bending and sliding around the buildings. Nothing like the salt air of my home, but still after all the years I’d spent here, I’d grown accustomed to the smell of the Eban air. A hint of rain hung on the breeze. The grey clouds hovering in the darkened sky and hiding the thin sliver of moon told me that for once, the threat was real.

  The street below me was quiet. A rat scurried in the alley, shuffling through the pile of refuse overflowing a small bin. Otherwise the street was empty. Down the narrow street, near the corner, a small lantern cast a dark smoke drifting lazily until it reached the breeze. Poor-man’s oil, I’d once heard it called. A fitting name. Oil used in this part of town never burned clearly, not like the oil used in other parts of Eban. I’d taken advantage of the fact more than once.

  I turned my attention to the Durven. Like many buildings built in Eban, the stone sunk in the soft ground over the years until the entrance opened underground. A narrow stair led to the door, leaving only one entrance. The pair of lanterns hanging on either side of the door had been lit earlier in the evening. Now they only smoldered, giving no light to the stairs. Fortunately I did not need much light to see. So far this evening I’d seen several men enter but none had left. As far as I could tell, the woman wasn’t there. When she returned, I’d be ready.

  So I crouched, waiting.

  Orly thought to tempt me with additional coin. That was his first mistake. Instead of tempting me, I was left with more questions. The price he offered amounted to a small fortune. Such a prize drove too many locals to try their hand at my craft. After dispatching a few more adventuresome assassins, there was now a general understanding I had the first crack at the woman. It wouldn’t last.

  Damn Orly.

  I didn’t relish the idea of killing all the women in the Durven. Practically everyone working in the tavern could be protecting her. Each then was at risk for Orly’s price. At five golds each, few would ask questions first.

  Now it was a job I had to take. Just as Orly knew it would be.

  Motion at the edge of the Durven came where stone met wood as the building stretched another two stories. Fading paint chipped off the wood, giving the Durven a dull and rundown appearance the interior did nothing to contest. I stared, waiting for what drew my attention, and saw a flicker of shadows. Nothing else.

  I blinked, my Sight clearing the night. Then I saw her.

  Moving carefully, I jumped down from the rooftop. Heights didn’t bother me but the fall could injure me just the same as any other. Thankfully my gifts gave me more than just eyesight. Agility too.

  I landed silently and crept around to the corner where she stood, staying in deep pockets of shadow only my Sight could penetrate. She would not even know I was there.

  My heart thrummed slightly as it always did before a kill. Part of me hated what I did, hated I was good at it, but I knew if I wasn’t the one doing the killing another would be. And there just weren’t many things someone like me could do.

  The small dart of terad toxin slipped between my fingers. Instant paralysis. A painless death. Just a flick of my wrist and it would be done.

  Perhaps I could even leave the women in the tavern alone. Twenty gold was coin enough for a job like this.

  “How much does he pay you?”

  She had known I was coming. Somehow. Few ever caught me so unaware.

  “Am I worth it?” she asked.

  She didn’t turn to ask the question. Her voice was soft, almost musical, and reminded me of home.

  As I crouched in the shadow from the nearby building, I considered my next move. The clouds had thickened so even the light of the moon was obscured. Barely any of the distant lantern light reached this far past the Durven. I could reach her with the dart from here and no one would ever see the attack.

  But then she turned.

  Her face was as lovely as the first time I saw her. Dark hair carried a soft sheen to my eyes. Full lips practically glowed. Her elegant dark dress was out of place for this part of town, especially for the Durven. I fingered the dart, readying to flick it.

  “What did you do?” I asked, staying in the shadows.

  She strained to keep her face neutral but failed. Others may not have noticed but I saw the effort she put into keeping her mouth tipped in the hint of a smile, the way her eyes were drawn, the tension she carried in her tight cheeks.

  “Nothing but live,” she answered.

  I frowned at the response. “A heavy price for such a common offense.”

  She stepped forward and I felt a soft fluttering, almost like a breeze brushing my hair, but the air was still. “You’re the man from the other night.”

  I slid back another quiet step, pulling the shadows around me. My back brushed the wall of the neighboring building—once a bakery but now just an empty shell—and readied the dart.

  A sudden question came to me. How had she recognized me? We didn’t speak the night I first saw her. I was certain none other than someone like myself could see me where I stood.

  Damn.

  The fluttering I felt suddenly made sense. I stepped forward then, knowing hiding didn’t matter, not with this woman. “You’re a Reader.” Now I understood how she knew I was there. And what my intention was. Too late I pushed a mental barrier in place. Since leaving home I rarely had the need.

  What a fool I’d been. Careless, too. Surely she had known my purpose the first time I’d seen her. That explained the other woman’s behavior, the lack of real surprise when she saw my eyes.

  She blinked slowly and I recognized the slight swirl of green in her eyes I overlooked the first night. Not as dark as mine. I had yet to meet another with eyes as dark as mine outside of Elaeavn.

  “And you’re one of the Sighted.”

  I slipped the dart back into its pouch and leaned against the wall. I could not kill her. Not yet.

  “Why did you leave?”

  Readers rarely left home. The risk to them was too great if discovered. Most like us were feared when discovered, but Readers evoked something more than simple fear. And usually for good reason; few outside Elaeavn knew how to protect themselves against such an ability.

  A flicker of emotion crossed her face, darkness mixed with sorrow. It was gone so quickly most would have missed it.

  She blinked again and the swirls of green surged. Her face did not change but I felt a surge of anger from her.

  “Does he know?” I asked, changing course. An edge of uncertainty pulled at me, a sense I had grown to trust over the years. I was missing something. “Of course he knows.” I shook my head. “That explains the price. Explains me.”

  She frowned. “You?”

  “How’d he discover you?” Readers were particularly careful to hide their gifts, especially so far from home. Many had been abducted over the years, never seen again. Strange Orly wanted her dead.

  Her mask of emotions slipped. “By accident, really. He thought me a prostitute.” She shook her head. “He saw my eyes as I Read him.”

  “Of course he did.” Orly made sure to watch everyone’s eyes. One more reason he was dangerous. “How did you escape?”

&n
bsp; “You aren’t the only one with other talents.”

  I bit back a smile as I wondered what other talents she possessed. Enough to make Orly think her one of the prostitutes. Enough to let her blend in at the Durven.

  She blushed. Had I not known my barrier was in place, I would have suspected she read me.

  “Nothing like that,” she said.

  Had she read me?

  I made a conscious effort to build up my barrier. If she was capable of crawling past my protections, there wasn’t anything I could keep from her.

  “Why does he want you dead? A man like Orly would have plenty of use for a Reader like you.”

  She stepped closer and smiled. Her dress parted as she did and I couldn’t help but notice the soft curve of her calf as she moved. This close, I smelled a hint of lavender and alia on her. The sweet scent was almost intoxicating. I felt a powerful urge to grab her, kiss her deeply, throw her to the ground and tear off her dress as I…

  Damn.

  “More than just a Reader,” I muttered, digging my nails into my palm. The pain distracted me from her influence. If she was this powerful, it wouldn’t last.

  I had to decide quickly whether to kill her or help her.

  Her smile faded. “More than just one of the Sighted.”

  “Why not leave Eban? Why hide here, at the Durven of all places?”

  She forced another smile, her full pink lips parting and showing me just the hint of teeth. “He made sure that I cannot leave. And at the Durven, I can blend in.”

  I snorted. “Not likely.”

  “Only one of the Sighted sees me this way. The rest see…” She trailed off as she seemed to flicker, swelling and twisting as the illusion of a soft, plump prostitute settled atop her like a veil.

  Impressive. I blinked and the illusion failed. “And Orly? What did he see?” I wondered if he recognized the change in her eyes or if he had a hint of ability as well. Either way, the knowledge was useful.

  “I’m not certain,” she said with a little shake of her head. She smiled, tilting her head toward me. “What now?” she asked. “Terad toxin? Sword? Fall?”

  I wasn’t sure if I heard her or if the thoughts simply flickered through my head. Images came with the thoughts, memories of each item flashing through my mind.

  I began to understand just how powerful this woman was.

  And here I had thought Orly’s price too high. If anything, it was a bargain.

  “Why did you let me find you?”

  “Let you?”

  “You were waiting for me,” I said. No use denying the fact I had not caught her unaware. If anything, she trapped me.

  “You would find me eventually. I wanted it on my terms.”

  I flicked my gaze around, looking at the street, the sloped entrance to the Durven, the dark haze hanging around the buildings. “You would choose this?”

  She shrugged. “You are not at a complete advantage here. And I—”

  She cut off just as I grew alerted to a change in the shadows. No longer were we alone.

  I slipped in front of the woman, pushing her behind me as I sent two small darts flying into the alley. I unsheathed my sword, preparing for the possibility—rare as it was—my darts had missed.

  Moments later, bodies crumpled to the stone with a soft thud, terad toxin taking effect.

  I stepped back against the rough planks of the building, waiting, looking carefully out at the street and up to the rooftops. Nothing else moved.

  I turned, half expecting her to have run off.

  She stood near the Durven, slinking close to the sunken stone, watching me. Silent. Eyes still touched with a hint of green were wide. Clearly she still called upon her abilities. I wondered if she Read me as I watched her. She blinked, the green fading, and I smiled. I sheathed my sword, studying her carefully.

  Her demeanor had changed. Before she had seemed confident, as if knowing I would not kill her. Now she shifted, eyes flickering up and down the alley. The tension in her cheeks seemed more pronounced and her lips drew tight. Slender fingers pulled at her dress, twisting the fabric in her hands. I could smell the nerves upon her, biting through the sweet floral perfume she wore.

  “What am I to do?” I asked her. “I can’t let you live. Not if I want to stay in Eban. And I’m not sure you’ll let me kill you.”

  She blinked, green flaring in her eyes before fading. “Do you want to kill me?”

  I sighed, uncertain what it was that I wanted. Conflicting emotions ran through me. But which were mine and which did she place there?

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I am no one.”

  I snorted. “No one?” I took a step closer and watched. She tensed but her eyes never changed. “There are few Readers outside Elaeavn. But you’re something more than just a Reader.” She started to look away. “Why did you leave?”

  She leaned toward me, filling my nostrils with her perfume. I became aware of how her neck pulsed with each heartbeat. My own quickened. A long finger swept her hair back almost delicately, tucking it behind her ear. I had a sudden vision of Orly tossing the bottle of wine into the fire, discarding it simply because he could.

  “There are few enough of the Sighted. But you are something more.”

  She leaned closer and I smelled her breath. Hot and with a hint of mint.

  Her eyes flared again and slid to the side. Pulling another dart from my pouch, I flicked it up toward the rooftop, not waiting this time for it to connect. I unsheathed my sword and pulled her into my arms, spinning as another shape separated from the shadows.

  Whatever bargain there had been was gone. Those with skill had arrived.

  She tensed but I held her tightly, sweeping the sword in an arc as we turned. I was aware of each of her curves as we moved, more so when she began pressing into me.

  We moved, shifting, dancing a deadly dance. She knew where I would go, sliding into just the right place, never obstructing the movement of my sword. I carried her down the street, away from the Durven, into the darker shadows, killing a half dozen as we moved.

  Finally we stopped.

  I was breathing heavily and so was she. Her chest heaved into mine but she made no effort to move. I could not have pulled away had I wanted to.

  “What now?” she whispered.

  I could finish this now. Twenty gold. Take proof to Orly, perhaps take a few of the other assassins with me for additional coin.

  But we both knew I would not.

  I didn’t know whether she used her influence or not. Did it matter? I couldn’t really kill one of my own, one with such obvious abilities.

  Even that was not an honest answer, not really.

  Taking a deep breath, I stepped away from her reluctantly. The look on her face almost made me step back into her, take her into my arms, kiss her deeply…

  I sheathed my sword more firmly than necessary, my head clearing. “If I’m to help you, that must stop.”

  She blinked and my desire faded but did not disappear completely. Around her, I doubted it would ever completely disappear. A sad smile twisted her mouth. “You will help?” The hope in her voice seemed real enough.

  “The Great Watcher forgive me,” I said. “But I will help.”

  * * *

  I crouched in the small room, rolling a dart between calloused fingers as I stared at the thick door, unable to completely dispel the nerves I now felt. Tucked into the small room inside the Durven, I did not feel particularly protected. Especially not here. I had already seen how quickly word of the woman’s location spread. Now I was simply another target.

  I grunted. Five gold on me. For now.

  What was I doing opposing Orly? I knew the consequences—he’d already promised to put a price twice that of the woman on my head. Five gold was incentive enough for most. That didn’t make me especially nervous; I knew the skill of my competition in Eban. But once Orly learned that I was working against him, helping the woman, the pr
ice would change. Forty gold would pull assassins from all over to Eban.

  I was not the only assassin with abilities.

  “You don’t need to do this, Galen,” she said.

  I turned to look at her. I wondered when she first learned my name. The way she spoke it—so different than Orly and all the others I’d met in Eban—reminded me of home. Pale eyes showed none of the green but I didn’t doubt she used her abilities. I’d seen how she managed to Read past my barrier as if it was nothing.

  Did Orly even know the extent of her abilities? Was that the reason for the price he put on her?

  “I don’t even know your name,” I said.

  I turned away, looking back to the door. There was but one way in or out of this room. Useful and risky at the same time. Walls were simple wood paneling. A small bed was tucked into the corner. A table sat at the end of the bed, a stack of paper spread atop it, ink bottle unstoppered leaving me wondering what she’d been writing. Near the door was a lacquered trunk with intricate painting worked along its sides. I knew this was her only possession from home.

  “Cael,” she said.

  I didn’t need to watch her face to know that she spoke the truth. I heard the soft inflection, the comfort she had in saying the name, to know it was real. “Gather what you need quickly, Cael,” I said. “This room provides little in the way of protection. As you’ve seen, Orly is nothing if not over prepared.”

  I heard her breathing, smelled the hint of mint with each breath. I was careful to maintain my focus, understanding how easily her manipulations could sway me.

  “Why do you do this, Galen?”

  I shifted on my feet, the small dart pausing between my fingers. “I’m not sure,” I answered. “Orly wants you gone because you’re a Reader. Perhaps you influenced me. Both are reason enough to help.”

  Cael slid over to the trunk and leaned forward, glancing at me as she did. I couldn’t help but stare.

  “I know why you’re here now,” she said.

  I dragged my eyes up to her face. Her eyes burned a soft green, just hinting at her ability. A flush rose in her cheeks, giving a contrast of color to her pale skin.