by Joe Jackson
“Thank you, Master,” Kari said. She started to head home, to survey the damage to her estate, but a group of people approaching stopped her short. Sonja was at the front of the group, and Kari’s breath caught as she saw one of the others with her.
Kari hadn’t seen her niece, Karinda Bakhor, since her previous life. Karinda was only a toddler then, but now she approached Kari as a full-grown woman. She was beautiful, boasting that long, shockingly red hair like Sonja’s, but with deep black eyes not unlike Kari’s own. She was tall – relatively, anyway; not standing beside Sonja – and wore a black robe trimmed in light blue. Despite the fact that the woman was around two hundred years old, she looked like she hadn’t aged since she was thirty, and she had a smile that stretched back across Kari’s lives.
“Aunt Kari,” she said in a pleasant voice, opening her arms as the group at last reached the demonhunter. She embraced Kari, and the two split apart to stare at each other for a few moments. “It has been too long. You are looking quite well for a dead woman.”
Kari laughed. “No better than you for being two hundred years old.”
“These are my associates,” Karinda said, gesturing toward the others. “Eliza Chinchala you already know. This is Aaron of Kalveronia.”
“Pleasure,” the human said, shaking Kari’s offered hand. Aaron was a little shorter than Kari and what she might politely call pudgy. He had a wide face that looked like it smiled quite a bit, a shock of unkempt blonde hair, and crystalline blue eyes. He was far from what Kari thought of when she imagined wizards, but he wore a similar robe to his two companions. Sonja was the only one not wearing the same attire, dressed as she was in her leather gear, prepared to leave for Mehr’Durillia.
Kari greeted Eliza but turned back to Karinda. “How’ve you been?” she asked. “You’re still living in Laeranore, yes? Have you noticed all the strange things happening on Terrassia?”
“Indeed we have,” Karinda answered. “Quite a lot has happened there in the last several months. There is much to consider, but do not let it worry you; it is already being investigated, and should resolve itself without your intervention. I have a great deal of faith in those who have gathered to see to it.”
“So you heard about my hunt for Annabelle?” Kari asked, the three visiting archmages all nodding. “Did Zaliskower ever return?”
“He is skulking about in the shadows. I believe he, too, is concerned by the many things transpiring all at once. Or perhaps he is behind it. We will learn in due time.” Karinda pursed her lips, then added, “I also heard about your husband. I am truly sorry, Kari.”
Kari looked down and sighed, but nodded. She avoided meeting Sonja’s eyes. “Yeah, it’s been a difficult year,” she said, looking back up. “For all the gains I feel like I’ve made as Avatar of Vengeance, it doesn’t cover up the loss. I’m just doing the best I can.”
Karinda touched Kari’s cheek and leaned in to kiss her on the side of the snout. “That is all any of us can do. Feet down, chin up, move forward – and trust that there is a plan behind all of it, whether we ever get a glimpse of it or not. You have seen beyond the veil; not everyone is so lucky. Hold tight to your purpose and trust that things will resolve themselves in due course.”
“So, what brings all of you here?” Kari asked.
“Investigating the summonings,” Aaron answered. “We’ve been looking into whoever summoned the Mehr’Durillian attackers that waylaid your people last year. Now, though, with this latest attack, we should have more latent evidence to look at. In this particular case, so much power would have gone into summoning such a large group that we should be able to trace it back to the source location, if not the summoner himself. If the number of attackers that I’ve heard is correct, I suspect it had to be a portal of some kind that brought them here.”
Kari stared at Aaron. He had a strange accent, one she’d never heard before. “Where is Kalveronia?” she asked as curiosity got the better of her.
He seemed surprised by the non-sequitur question. “Hmm? Oh, on the southeast coast of Dannumore. Why do you ask?”
“Just never heard your accent before, sorry,” Kari said, waving off further explanation.
“Aaron is one of three members of the council from Dannumore,” Karinda said. “It is a large continent, and they can only monitor it so much with the interference of the nobility of the bah’qitur, but it helps to have eyes and ears over there. This concerns me, though, Aaron. I had not even considered it might be portal magic, but that would explain the frequency and ease by which they summon our enemies here. And you know what portal magic means…”
He clearly didn’t, nor did anyone else. “You know someone with a portal here?” Kari inquired in the ensuing silence.
Karinda sighed. “My old friend Gareth Maelstrom is the only wizard I know of with a portal of sufficient size and strength to be used for such purposes. That portal you destroyed in the valley near Atrice may have sufficed as well, though; perhaps there is another, similar one nearby. We will begin the task of investigating, and then see where the trail leads.”
“Mind if I join you?” Kari asked.
“By all means,” Aaron said before Karinda could.
Kari turned to the other two. “Sonja, Eliza: you should get the Silver Blades moving. Did you bring marks for them to spend while they’re on Mehr’Durillia?”
“Of course,” Eliza answered.
“Good. I’ll be sending my syrinthian cadet, Liria, along with them. Sonja, please keep an eye on Liria. She’s well-trained, but she’s still young and inexperienced. But she can speak several languages, and she should know a little more than the rest of you about Mehr’Durillia and her people.”
As if on cue, Liria came sprinting across the grounds. She was armed and armored, and had a full pack over her shoulder. “Reporting for duty, ma’am,” she said with a salute.
“Oh, my,” Karinda said, taking the young woman in head to toe. Syrinthians weren’t native to Citaria, so they were always either a target of suspicion or wonder. In Karinda’s case, it was clearly the latter, and a smile creased the achmage’s face. “How interesting to find a syrinthian here – and serving in the Demonhunter Order, no less.”
“I have almost a dozen others working on my estate, and their high priestess has become a sister to me,” Kari added, and the three visiting archmages bobbed their heads with interest. Kari glanced at Liria. “They originally came here to spy on me, but that changed rather quickly, didn’t it?”
“Um, yes ma’am,” Liria offered sheepishly, tilting her head down submissively.
Karinda said something to the girl in syrinthian, and Liria perked up immediately. They spoke back and forth for a short time, and the archmage laughed. “I have no doubts about that,” she said in the Citarian common tongue again at last.
“What are you two talking about? And where did you learn syrinthian?” Kari prodded.
“I simply asked if she was excited to be going back to her homeworld, possibly to strike some blow that might help free her people,” Karinda answered. “Remember that Terrassia was invaded by the syrinthians during the Third Demon War. There are still many relics and records of that invasion, and the syrinthian language is available to be studied for those who put forth the effort to do so.”
“The lady suggested I may be able to send a letter to my parents to at least let them know I am still alive,” Liria added. “Perhaps I’ll have the time to do so before we leave Anthraxis.”
“Just be careful,” Kari advised her, and the girl nodded.
“All right, Liria, let’s gather the others to get going. Eliza, if you’d come with us?” Sonja directed, and the three women made their way from the campus back in the direction of Eli and Danilynn’s home.
Kari turned to the two remaining archmages to find Karinda staring back at her. “What is it? Something to do with having a syrinthian working for me?”
“Not at all,” Karinda said. “That girl has a pure soul. Remin
ds me of someone I knew when I was a young girl, but I cannot put my finger on who. May have been one of my mother’s friends, perhaps? Any idea?”
The demonhunter laughed. “Seriously?”
“Were you really so different when you were her age?”
“Much different,” Kari answered. “But the girl does have a protective nature. And that’s something I can work with.”
“Indeed,” the archmage offered rather than further argument. “Who, then, is the priestess you mentioned?”
Kari smiled. “Se’sasha Aesiasi Solaristis.”
“Solaristis? Then she truly is a high priestess,” Karinda mused, putting a hand to her chin. “My word, that woman can likely trace her roots back to the ones who invaded during the Third Demon War, as I mentioned. The syrinthians keep careful track of their lineage, especially among the priesthood. If this woman you call sister is a Solaristis, then you have become friends with one of a pure bloodline.”
“And she’s still loyal to Sakkrass – or Ashakku, as they call him,” Kari agreed.
“Amazing. Well, perhaps you can introduce us when we have finished investigating this portal. I find it hard to believe my old friend would be involved in anything like this, though; he was once a member of our Council, and in fact founded it. If anyone would be more opposed to Citaria being attacked from the outside, I can hardly imagine it.”
“Well maybe someone else has been using his portal?” Kari suggested.
“Seems unlikely, but less so than Gareth himself causing trouble,” Aaron agreed.
They left the campus of the Order, and Karinda regarded Kari curiously when she saw how stiffly the demonhunter was walking. “It has been an extraordinarily difficult year for you, has it not?” she offered.
“You have no idea,” Kari said. “Losing Grakin and the house have only been a part of it. I’m trying to start a war on Mehr’Durillia before the demon kings have a chance to bring the fight here, but it’s taking its toll. Now I know how Kris feels. I never noticed it before, but seeing my house in flames and finding my family hiding in an orphanage… it’s tough. It’s hard to find the will and the energy to keep going. And then, when I do, my body doesn’t always fall in line with my heart and mind.”
“You need time to heal, Kari,” Karinda said. “You were an amazing fighter before you accepted the power of the gods into yourself. Now you stretch yourself too thin. You still need the basic necessities: you must make sure you get enough sleep and good food. Trail rations and sleep shifts will not get the job done.”
“That’s why I’m staying home,” she agreed. “I should be going with the Silver Blades, but considering I can hardly walk right now, I wouldn’t be anything but a hindrance to them. There’ll always be next time.”
They continued on toward Gareth Maelstrom’s black tower, but Kari stopped in the plaza where it sat, and she eyed the Silver Chalice Inn. “Do you know Amastri D’al’cinyiore?” she asked her niece.
The human answered first. “I do. She is an accomplished wizard, but not spectacularly powerful considering where she comes from,” Aaron said.
Karinda beheld Kari with a steady gaze. “You know, do you not?” she asked, and Kari nodded after a moment. Aaron looked confused, so Karinda added, “She is King Koursturaux’ youngest child.”
“Oh my goodness,” Aaron blurted, his stare turning to the Silver Chalice as well. “How is it we’ve never removed her from this world?”
“Too dangerous,” Kari answered. “And she does make herself useful from time to time. If I thought she was involved in these summonings at all, I’d have taken care of her a long time ago. But whatever I may think of her personally, King Koursturaux wants some of the same things we do, and she’s willing to help us now and then, if for selfish reasons.”
“Yes, do take particular care when dealing with that one,” Karinda said with a nod. “She is as ancient as they come, and if you become aware of her plots and schemes, you may rest assured they were put into motion long before the birth of our people on this world. Of all the demon kings, she makes me the most nervous, because her violent nature is overshadowed by a ruthless cunning and at least a limited clairvoyance.”
“You mean she sees the future?” Kari balked.
“To an extent, yes. She can measure the outcomes and likely contingencies to situations she considers. It is difficult to do something she does not expect, or else outfox her in any way.”
Kari put her hands to her hips. “No wonder she’s so hard to beat at chess,” she muttered.
The two archmages laughed. “So you have met with her, then?”
“Yeah. Long story. I’ll save it until after we’ve spoken with Master Maelstrom.”
They made their way over to the black tower, and Karinda knocked on the door without ever touching it. It took a few minutes, but eventually the door opened, revealing Maelstrom’s son, Reese. Unlike the two archmages before him, the young terra-rir didn’t wear robes, dressed in plain breeches and a tunic. He seemed surprised to see Karinda and Aaron, but ushered them inside without a word. He stared at Kari for a moment, but eventually let her in, too. Obviously, it wasn’t every day he was visited by members of the High Council of Wizardry, much less accompanied by the head of the Demonhunter Order.
Kari had never been in the archmage’s tower before. The entry level was a sitting room for entertaining guests, which struck the demonhunter as odd when she considered the archmage never really received any. Nevertheless, the furniture was inviting, deep and comfortable-looking with nary a spot of dust on it. It may not have been stylish based on what Kari had looked at when decorating her own home, but it served its purpose well.
“I will go and inform Father of your arrival,” Reese said before departing up the winding staircase along the outer wall.
Kari was intrigued that the setup seemed much like that of Earl Southwick’s tower, if a good deal wider. Karinda and Aaron took seats, and Kari marveled when teacups appeared before them on the tables. She whipped her head to the side as the fireplace suddenly roared to life, and a kettle began to heat up over the open flame. Kari waited a minute for her heartbeat to slow down, then let out a slightly nervous laugh. She had experience with the arcane, but seeing it used so casually and dramatically was still new to her.
She sat down, observing the behavior of her two companions, and saw that they had looks of concern on their faces. “What is it?” she asked.
“A sense of power,” Karinda answered. “The portal has clearly been in use recently. It does not necessarily implicate our old friend, but it does raise many questions.”
“Why would he have such a portal in the first place?”
“Portal magic is much more stable and less risky than traveling between worlds strictly by use of the arcane, at least if the portal is built and maintained correctly. Gareth is hardly the first of our number to explore the other worlds we know of, and it is quite possible he has taken to doing so again recently. As I said, it does not necessarily implicate him in the crimes against our world to find that his portal has seen recent use. And Gareth is a forthright and honest man, so he should answer our questions without hesitation.”
“I wonder if he has been exploring the world of the tenku again,” Aaron mused.
“Hrastiria?” Kari asked, perking up.
The two wizards beheld her as if seeing her for the first time. “You know of the world of Hrastiria?”
“I met its creator, though that may have been in a dream. I’m not sure. But it looked like a beautiful world, with jagged mountains and crags that the tenku build their homes on the sides of,” Kari explained. “He was called Huirelius, the Welcome Rain. He looked like a hawk-man.”
“Amazing,” Aaron breathed.
“You truly have had a busy year,” Karinda said with a smile. “You will have to tell me all about your meetings and relationships with these other gods some time.”
“Absolutely,” Kari agreed, but she turned her attention to thei
r host’s daughter as she came down the stairs.
Andrea, like her brother Reese, looked astonishingly like her father. Kari had never seen or heard anything about Maelstrom’s wife or mate, or whoever may have birthed his children. Now she understood why a little better, having lost Grakin. As happy as she was to think of and remember him, she didn’t like talking about him all that much. It made his absence hurt that much more, and she often found herself thinking too keenly of that absence, rather than of all her fond memories of him.
“Welcome, Lady Bakhor and Lord Nystrom,” she said. Andrea was dressed casually like her brother, but called forth the kettle with a gesture and had it pour drinks for her guests. Once she realized Kari had none, a cup appeared for her, shortly to be filled with steamy tea. “And welcome to you as well, Lady Vanador. Make yourselves at home. Father will be with you all shortly; he is just finishing up a bit of penmanship.”
“Thank you, Andrea,” Karinda said, taking her teacup and risking a careful sip.
It occurs to me that serilian-rir never have to worry about the tea being too hot, Kari thought, suppressing a giggle as she, too, took a careful sip. The tea managed to calm her nerves enough so that she noticed it. She had hardly realized how uptight she was, restless and wanting only one thing more than to go right back to Mehr’Durillia and continue the fight. She let out a quiet sigh, thinking soon enough she would get to go back home and spend some quality time with her children.
She looked about as she heard a giggle. Did the archmage have another child in the tower somewhere? Then she saw it again: the beshathan child. It was a mallestrem, one of the cross-breeds between elestram and mallasti. It was a young male child, running about frolicking, yet somehow only in her mind’s eye. And then he turned to look at her, and she saw his orange eyes, but suddenly the vision was gone. Kari put her hand to her chest as her heart fluttered.
“Are you all right?” Karinda asked, suddenly in front of Kari. When had she moved?
“I think so, I just… had a strange little daydream,” Kari assured her.
