Blood of the Watcher (The Dark Ability Book 4) Read Free Page B

it so quickly that it seemed to practically hum in the air. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent the knife spiraling toward the opposite end of the smithy where it sank into the wall. “There’s always a price, Rsiran. You don’t think it’s worth it to make certain you’re not the reason we get hurt? That you’re not the reason she gets hurt?”
    Rsiran considered the many things that had happened of late as he watched Haern. He could learn much from this man, especially if he had studied in Venass and knew some of their secrets. Rsiran didn’t know what else the scholars might want from him, but it clearly had something to do with his ability to Slide past the alloy. It was the same knowledge that the Forgotten wanted from him.
    The scholars had claimed that a time would come when they would call Rsiran to them, when they would demand that he fulfill his promise to return so they could study him. Thom had already called him once before attacking them, but Rsiran had refused. What that meant for him remained to be seen, but he didn’t think he would escape unharmed. And his friends would likely suffer from it as well.
    But he owed the scholars of Venass a debt. That had been the deal when he’d gone for the antidote, one that, in the end, he had not truly needed for Brusus… but had needed for himself. If nothing else, Venass had saved him. But he found it difficult to imagine that had been the intent when they had given him the antidote. Given that Thom was likely behind the poison attack on Brusus in the first place, it was almost certain that Venass had only intended the antidote be given to him. And, as far as Venass knew, Brusus was dead.
    He sighed, and frowned as Haern smiled at him. What price would he exact to help teach him what he needed to keep himself—and Jessa—safe?
    Was there any price that was too high?

Chapter 3
    T he edge of the Aisl Forest carried none of the heavy fragrance of the sjihn trees that it did deeper in the woods. The trees along the edge were enormous and towered over the edge of the city as if ancient guardians observing the city itself. Only Krali Rock reached above the height of the trees from here; otherwise, the city sloped down toward the bay and the steady waves crashing along the shoreline.
    Pale sunlight streamed through the upper branches, bouncing off the thick leaves, casting a wavering shadow that danced across the forest floor. Other than his own footsteps, Rsiran heard nothing else moving. Thankfully, the strange howls he had often heard when deep in the forest were silent on this occasion.
    He waited for Haern, his heart racing, knowing that at any moment, the man might appear, and attack. Training, he called it, but Rsiran felt that, so far, it had been little more than testing of his ability, almost as if Haern wanted to take stock of what he could do. If he didn’t know how implicitly Brusus trusted Haern—as did Jessa—he might have questioned what he’d been asked to do. As it was, he went along with Haern’s requests but wondered how long he should.
    They had spent an evening in the smithy, much like when Haern had first appeared. Somehow, Rsiran still didn’t manage to get the best of Haern, in spite of his increasing attempts to at least catch him once with the edge of one of his knives. None had connected. Haern rolled each time, either the knife missing or with him managing to bat it out of the air, his ability to See giving him awareness of where Rsiran’s attack would likely come from.
    It had grown frustrating.
    When Haern suggested they meet at the edge of the Aisl, Rsiran figured he might have some advantage. He had spent his boyhood in the forest and could Slide and appear anywhere while Haern would have to move in the open, but then, Rsiran wondered if he really had any advantage when it came to Haern.
    There was one thing that Haern had told him that was true: he needed to master his abilities or he would end up failing Jessa, and he