Read Online The Shadowsteel Forge (The Dark Ability Book 5) by D.K. Holmberg - Free Book Online
Authors: D.K. Holmberg
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away.”
Haern shook his head, rubbing the same arm that he held. “Not the same. When you’ve been caught, your abilities saved you. With Josun, you figured out another way to Slide. Same with Venass. With the Forgotten, you waited until you got well enough before you got away.”
“Why are you so worried about this?”
Haern sheathed his sword and sighed. “Mostly because I don’t want you hurt. Can’t keep you out of this, even if we wanted to. You’re a part of it now, and because of you, so is she.”
“Why are you so concerned about Jessa?”
Haern laughed softly. “You worried about my intentions, Rsiran? Jealous? I’m old enough to be her father.”
“That’s not it.”
“What, then? You don’t like it that I want to keep your girl safe?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. You’ve always been concerned about her, but it’s more than that with you. Everything you do is about her.” Rsiran didn’t want to remind Haern of the time when he’d attacked him. There was no point in throwing that back out there. “First trying to keep her from me, and now you’re training me so I can protect her.”
“You don’t think I want to see you safe?”
“Maybe,” Rsiran agreed. “But I think that your intent is different.”
Haern glanced around the Aisl, his gaze catching on the trees and the tall grasses before turning back to Rsiran and holding him. “See? Now you’re starting to question. Good for you.” He started walking, moving toward the trees. Rsiran ran after him, choosing not to Slide. “I have to watch after Jessa,” Haern said as they passed beneath the first sjihn tree. His voice was hushed here, as if the trees swallowed it. He continued another few dozen steps, stopping at one of the massive trees and touching the trunk without turning his attention back to Rsiran. “Given your relationship, you have a right to know. Probably ought to tell her more than I have.”
“Tell her more about what?”
“Her father. We knew each other, once. He’s the reason I got away. Without him, I wouldn’t have managed to get free of Venass, and the Hjan.”
“What are the Hjan?” The name sounded strange to him, an accent to it that didn’t quite fit his tongue, as if the language was not one he was meant to speak.
“Assassins. That’s where I got my training. Not all of Venass are like the scholars you met. That group is interested in power, and understanding things that they have no right to understand, but there are others, a secretive group with powers of their own. The Hjan. That’s what I was a part of. And once you’re in, you don’t leave, at least not easily.”
“How did Jessa’s father get you out?”
“Other than cutting out Venass’s ‘gift’?” Haern touched the scar along his cheek.
Rsiran nodded. “He would have needed to have some Healing ability.”
“Not many with that other than Della.”
“Then how did he?”
“That’s between him and me. All you need to know is there was a price, and he paid it. Because of that, I owed him.” Haern took a deep breath and punched the tree, leaving an indentation in the trunk. “With what happened to him when he was caught, and what happened to her… well, I owed her father my life and promised that I would do whatever I needed to keep her safe.”
Rsiran circled the tree until he was standing in front of Haern, and forced the man to meet his eyes. “You’re the reason he was captured. The reason he stole.”
Haern nodded. “Lost his hand because of me. And then his life when it got infected. Nothing I could do for him, as much as I wanted to try. So you see, Rsiran, there’s a reason why I would do anything to keep Jessa safe.”
“Haern… you know how I feel about her. You know that I, too, will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” That had been the reason he’d fortified his smithy, and the reason that he was willing to go after the Forgotten, and even Venass if it came to it. He would
Haern shook his head, rubbing the same arm that he held. “Not the same. When you’ve been caught, your abilities saved you. With Josun, you figured out another way to Slide. Same with Venass. With the Forgotten, you waited until you got well enough before you got away.”
“Why are you so worried about this?”
Haern sheathed his sword and sighed. “Mostly because I don’t want you hurt. Can’t keep you out of this, even if we wanted to. You’re a part of it now, and because of you, so is she.”
“Why are you so concerned about Jessa?”
Haern laughed softly. “You worried about my intentions, Rsiran? Jealous? I’m old enough to be her father.”
“That’s not it.”
“What, then? You don’t like it that I want to keep your girl safe?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. You’ve always been concerned about her, but it’s more than that with you. Everything you do is about her.” Rsiran didn’t want to remind Haern of the time when he’d attacked him. There was no point in throwing that back out there. “First trying to keep her from me, and now you’re training me so I can protect her.”
“You don’t think I want to see you safe?”
“Maybe,” Rsiran agreed. “But I think that your intent is different.”
Haern glanced around the Aisl, his gaze catching on the trees and the tall grasses before turning back to Rsiran and holding him. “See? Now you’re starting to question. Good for you.” He started walking, moving toward the trees. Rsiran ran after him, choosing not to Slide. “I have to watch after Jessa,” Haern said as they passed beneath the first sjihn tree. His voice was hushed here, as if the trees swallowed it. He continued another few dozen steps, stopping at one of the massive trees and touching the trunk without turning his attention back to Rsiran. “Given your relationship, you have a right to know. Probably ought to tell her more than I have.”
“Tell her more about what?”
“Her father. We knew each other, once. He’s the reason I got away. Without him, I wouldn’t have managed to get free of Venass, and the Hjan.”
“What are the Hjan?” The name sounded strange to him, an accent to it that didn’t quite fit his tongue, as if the language was not one he was meant to speak.
“Assassins. That’s where I got my training. Not all of Venass are like the scholars you met. That group is interested in power, and understanding things that they have no right to understand, but there are others, a secretive group with powers of their own. The Hjan. That’s what I was a part of. And once you’re in, you don’t leave, at least not easily.”
“How did Jessa’s father get you out?”
“Other than cutting out Venass’s ‘gift’?” Haern touched the scar along his cheek.
Rsiran nodded. “He would have needed to have some Healing ability.”
“Not many with that other than Della.”
“Then how did he?”
“That’s between him and me. All you need to know is there was a price, and he paid it. Because of that, I owed him.” Haern took a deep breath and punched the tree, leaving an indentation in the trunk. “With what happened to him when he was caught, and what happened to her… well, I owed her father my life and promised that I would do whatever I needed to keep her safe.”
Rsiran circled the tree until he was standing in front of Haern, and forced the man to meet his eyes. “You’re the reason he was captured. The reason he stole.”
Haern nodded. “Lost his hand because of me. And then his life when it got infected. Nothing I could do for him, as much as I wanted to try. So you see, Rsiran, there’s a reason why I would do anything to keep Jessa safe.”
“Haern… you know how I feel about her. You know that I, too, will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” That had been the reason he’d fortified his smithy, and the reason that he was willing to go after the Forgotten, and even Venass if it came to it. He would
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