by Joe Jackson
The syrinthian answered, “Share a meal with us, and perhaps just say our father’s name again? It is amazing to hear his name, especially from the lips of an outsider.”
“Ashakku,” Kris agreed warmly.
“Praise be,” Faezo said.
“Praise be,” Liria echoed.
“Give us a short time to clean up the area, and we’ll wash up and join your family for a meal,” Kris said.
The Silver Blades got to it, and then shared a late dinner with their hosts. It wasn’t turkey exactly, but it was a large roasted bird that tasted close enough to it. Despite their happiness in sharing a meal with their guests, the syrinthians were a bit on edge. Kris told them to go get some sleep, and that he and Corbanis would watch over the house through the night. It seemed unlikely any more units would happen upon this property, but that wasn’t something Kris would leave to chance.
Liria seemed to have little trouble getting to sleep despite the fact that she had taken her first life. Kris wasn’t sure if it was the fact that it’d been in defense of her fellow syrinthians or just knowing she was doing the right thing. Now he wondered how she might feel in a few more days, when the weight of what she’d done fully occurred to her. Some people simply didn’t have the stomach for killing, no matter how much training they received. And contrary to what many expected, Kris kind of envied those people.
When dawn came, cool and damp, Kris got his companions ready to depart. Their hosts had some dried fruits they offered for breakfast. Kris was tired, not used to pulling all-nighters, but the prospect of escaping Si’Dorra and getting one step closer to Erik energized him. With their final goodbyes taken care of, they left, following the path Faezo had suggested to best avoid patrols and camps along the southern and eastern borders.
“Some time when the civil war is done in Sorelizar, I’d like to go see your homeland,” Kris told Liria as they walked. The girl seemed surprised, but then the wide set of those golden eyes did always sort of make them look shocked. “I find your people fascinating.”
“Probably not as fascinating as yours,” she returned. “There is so much variety just among your kind on Citaria, and then you take into account the humans, the elves, and then you have werewolves and–”
“You’ve got a lot of variety here, too, Liria. You just notice it less at home.”
She thought about that for a few moments, then laughed. “I suppose so.”
“Kari’s relationship with your deity is certainly something I’d like to look into more, as well. I know things are subdued among your people, and that’ll probably have to continue to some extent even once Sekassus is gone, but we’ll see.”
Liria met his gaze. “We will, won’t we?”
*****
They reached the border just after midday, and Kris marveled at the sight. Just as Faezo had told them, the border was all but unprotected in the rocky expanse before them. There was a nexus of realms in the southeast, one that had a surprisingly sparse complement of guards and soldiers. There was a road heading off to the southwest, and as Kris mounted a rocky rise to get a better view, he saw the truth of the matter.
There were no heavily defining features here that would demarcate Si’Dorra, Pataria, and Ekkristis – not to mention any other close realms that abutted the same corner. The soldiers and guards likely had to give this area a wide berth to avoid inadvertently crossing into a neighbor’s realm. There would be defenses a little farther in to watch for incursions, but the Silver Blades had skirted outside of that inner ring of protection thanks to Faezo’s directions. The border itself here, particularly along the road, was unprotected.
“Let’s move. But try not to look like we’re running,” Kris said.
“But we’re not running,” Eli joked. “We’re leaving on our own terms, much to Arku’s annoyance, I’m sure.”
“Let’s get to that road,” Aeligos said with a jerk of his head. “Once we reach it, either we’ll be untouchable, or we’ll be free to kill anyone who tries to bother us.”
“Right. Stick together, no reason to spread out or scout at this point,” Kris ordered.
They reached the road in under an hour, the distance not all that far, but misleading thanks to the rocky terrain. They’d become aware of an approaching erestram as they crossed the final stretch of Si’Dorra, but it was solitary, so Kris didn’t think it was a patrol or hunter of any kind. They stayed together, waiting for the erestram to reach them.
“These things are tough, to say the least,” Eli muttered. “Trick to fighting them seems to be to stay in tight and try to limit their sweeping range with those long-hafted weapons.”
Kris saw Liria rub her collarbone at the same time he did. There was definitely merit to Eli’s suggestion, but erestram were far from defenseless or stymied if you stayed in close. The Warlord gestured for everyone to be at ease, to show no hostility or threatening mannerisms until the erestram proved itself to be an enemy.
The erestram was moving swiftly, but slowed to a walk once it was within earshot. Still, it said nothing, merely approaching at a leisurely pace, and it made no motion to draw either of the massive war scythes across its back. It slowed further when its eyes locked on Katarina, but then it turned its gaze to Kris. “Warlord?” it asked.
Kris hesitated, surprised to be addressed in the Citarian trade tongue here. “My lord?” he returned.
“Lestanaek Cabra, the Blademaster, King of Ekkristis,” the erestram introduced himself.
“Your Majesty,” Kris amended with a bow, being imitated by the others.
“I had a feeling you might be involved when I met the refugees out of Si’Dorra…”
“You met Erik, Your Majesty?”
“The hunter, yes. He is at my palace as we speak, preparing to make his way toward Anthraxis once he and his companions are provisioned. If you remain here, you will meet them soon enough, I would assume. However, I would request that you refrain from entering my realm and drawing the Overking’s attention toward me or my people.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Kris said with a bow of the head. “If I may ask, how do you know of me well enough to recognize me on sight?”
“My cousin, Trigonh, speaks highly of you. Says you have a tactical mind to rival that of Celigus Chinchala.”
“Not sure I’d go that far,” Kris muttered.
“Erik’s companions, Your Majetsy?” Aeligos repeated. “Who else was with him?”
“A sheda-reis – I believe you call them werewolves – and an elestram woman who was also making her escape from Si’Dorra.”
“Are they all right?” Katarina put in.
“The hunter sustained a wound to his wing, but it was of little concern from what I saw. They were otherwise unharmed but for fatigue.”
“Thank the gods,” Corbanis said. “We owe you a debt of thanks, Your Majesty.”
The king regarded him curiously for a moment. “You are Corbanis Tesconis, yes? My cousin speaks very highly of you as well. He spun an interesting tale of helping you to track and kill something called a Tilcimer many years ago. Your thanks are appreciated, but any such debt has already been accounted for with your son. Now, I must be off. Perhaps I will see you again in Anthraxis, though I would suggest you avoid drawing any further attention once you arrive there. Reunite with your companions and then leave, before anything else can go wrong.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Kris said, and they stepped aside and watched the erestram king’s long strides take him swiftly away.
“So, do we camp here?” Eli asked.
“As frustrating as it is, it’s the best course of action. I suppose we can move a bit farther north and camp there – I don’t know where Erik’s coming from, exactly. But if Lestanaek passed by here, we can probably safely assume Erik and the others will, too.”
“I can’t believe he escaped. I can hardly believe we all escaped,” Aeligos said.
“Wish I could say it was all my doing,” Kris chuckled. “I hope th
e others are all right. I assume Sonja would’ve taken them home the minute that was in doubt.”
“The diversionary tactics were the right decision,” Corbanis said. “This should have been a bloodbath of some kind, but aside from last night, it has been surprisingly… well, I don’t want to say an easy affair, but far from the expected outcome.”
The Warlord faced the entire group. “I’ll let you all in on a little secret: it’s not the tactics you start with that win the day. The side that wins is generally the side that prepares best, but that can also adapt to changes and developments better than their enemies. Being a tactician isn’t just about coming up with a good initial plan, but seeing what might happen, preparing for any of it, and being able to direct people in the thick of it.”
“Master Red Eagle often says that no plan survives the first five minutes of combat,” Liria put in with a smile.
“Exactly. All right, well, let’s get comfortable. We’re going to have a big reunion soon enough.”
Sitting around wasn’t what anyone had in mind, but the hours were far from dull. A group of soldiers began mulling about near the road to the southeast. It wasn’t much larger than the Silver Blades, but there was a harmauth among them, something Kris had never been in combat with. He hoped that would remain true, and the soldiers would respect the neutrality of the roadway. It was also possible that they were some of Lestanaek’s soldiers keeping an eye on the Silver Blades, though they seemed too far south for that to be likely.
“What do you see over there, Liria?” Kris asked.
At first, she seemed surprised that he had asked her when Aeligos and Corbanis were much more suited to tactics. The excitement set in after a few moments when she realized why Kris had directed the question to her. “Looks like half a dozen elestram, two mallasti, and one harmauth. If not for the harmauth, I’d like our chances against them. But the ram-folk are very powerful; that must be taken into consideration.”
“So, what are our options?”
She looked to Aeligos and Corbanis in turn, then the others, each of them encouraging her with a smile or nod. “I’d have to say our best option is flight, though they’re likely to cut us off from following the road directly to Anthraxis. They might force us westward, but the farther south we can get before that happens, the more likely we are to cross into Pataria.”
Kris nodded but remained silent.
“If it comes down to a fight, we may be able to draw them nearer to a patrol in Pataria, perhaps tricking them into encroaching on King Morduri’s land, earning us some tentative allies. If not, we’ll certainly have our hands full.”
“Liria, do you know if harmauths absorb arcane and divine power the way the sylvan beasts of Citaria do?” Eli prodded her.
“I’m not certain. It’s possible; I know they are just as resistant to the wiles of mallasti and elestram as one of the wolf-folk. I’m not sure many of even the most accomplished arcane practitioners would try their luck with one of the ram-folk.”
“What realm is that, do you figure?” Kris asked, gesturing with his chin.
The syrinthian girl looked north, then back southeast toward the soldiers in the distance. “I believe that would be Zaphatar, the Hills of Malice, home of King Garrivokt.”
“Baphomet’s son,” Kris muttered. “Terrific.”
“Yeah, we’re getting attacked,” Eli grunted. “Who do we kill first, the mallasti? Or all gang up on the harmauth and try to get rid of it quickly?”
“Let me handle the harmauth,” Corbanis said. “The rest of you eliminate any spellcasters and then systematically cut down the fighters – all assuming we even have to fight them.”
“Dad, a harmauth will take you apart,” Aeligos said with a shake of the head.
“It absolutely will, but it’ll take a while,” he said. “Or a couple of minutes, at least. That should buy the rest of you enough time to do your part.”
“Katarina, you know Sharyn better than the rest of us, I’d think. How well do you think she’d hold up against a harmauth?” Kris asked.
“Hmm, she’s powerful, but still young,” Corbanis answered first.
“But have you seen that scar on her?” Kris returned. “She’s been in battles we don’t know anything about yet.”
“I cannot say how she would do against a harmauth, but I can say with certainty that she would probably love to find out,” the paladin said with a wry smile. “Bear in mind, unless King Lestanaek has equipped our companions, we’ll have to protect Erik and the elestram woman the king mentioned.”
“Also true, to an extent,” Kris said. “I can always loan Erik a blade. As for the elestram woman, she probably knows something of the arcane if she showed up in Ekkristis unarmed.”
“Is the goal still to show mercy?” Eli asked.
“Not if they attack us on the road,” Aeligos answered. “This is supposed to be neutral ground, I think. If they attack us on the road, we’re almost expected to kill them.”
“You know, if Sonja and the others followed us after a time, she might still be tracking Sharyn’s earrings,” Kris mused. “It’s unlikely they’re anywhere near our position, but Sonja would make a heck of a difference in a fight this size.”
“You’ve no idea,” Corbanis said with a smile.
Aeligos straightened out and pointed north. “We’ve got company coming. Looks like it could be Erik!”
Everyone rose to their feet and began waving their arms, so Kris gestured for them to meet their companions halfway. As long as they stayed on the road, it would prove harmless to King Lestanaek, and he knew his companions were antsy to be reunited with their sibling and friend. Kris followed in the rear, watching the reaction of the soldiers, but they kept to their own realm, so far as he could tell at that distance.
Kris was surprised, but only slightly, when Corbanis ran ahead of the others to embrace his son first. Erik was a bit larger than Corbanis, but father and son had a tearful reunion before anyone else arrived. They opened arms and wings to let Aeligos into the circle as well when he reached them.
The Warlord gave them a moment, and hugged Sharyn instead. “I knew I could count on you,” he told her.
“He only needed so much of my help,” the werewolf said. She gestured to the elestram woman standing a few paces away, watching the meeting with studious golden eyes. “It was Tarra that actually freed him and got him to the border.”
“Tarra?” Katarina echoed with a gasp. “The same Tarra…?”
Erik reached out a hand toward her, and the elestram woman laid hers in his palm as he guided her gently forward. “This is Kuritarra Kivekt, the woman who saved my life.” Tarra bowed her head shyly. “Tarra, these are my friends and family: Corbanis, my father; Aeligos, my brother; Kris Jir’tana, the Warlord; Eli Sorivar, my friend; Liria Aliristis, a cadet in my Order; and, not the least, Katarina Moreville, the woman who kept your sister comfortable after she was fatally injured.”
“I am so sorry about Nessandra,” Katarina said, reaching for the woman’s hand first. “I wish we could have saved her, or at least delivered the bad news personally, but we had no way of finding you.”
“I appreciate your sentiments,” the elestram woman said. “Thank you for trying to save my sister.”
“Words cannot express my thanks to you,” Corbanis said. “You have saved one of my children, and that is a debt I’m not sure I can ever repay.”
Sharyn leaned in and elbowed Erik. “I’ll remember you said that, Corbanis,” she said with a chuckle.
Erik regarded Sharyn for a moment, and it was then that Kris noted his friend wasn’t just holding the elestram woman’s hand as a courtesy. Their fingers were interlaced, and the way Erik looked at her and smiled after Sharyn’s elbow told Kris everything he needed to know. He wasn’t sure how the rest of the family and friends would react, but he smiled reassuringly, and gave his larger companion a subtle nod.
“Tarra and I are also… involved,” Erik said, gathering his nerve. �
�Though she has only known me a few days…”
The woman regarded him curiously, so Kris made sure to laugh at the joke. Corbanis was speechless, but to his credit, he didn’t say anything silly or hurtful. Aeligos, too, seemed at a loss for words, but he was considering Erik closely with a hand to his chin. At the least, there were no hostile or overly incredulous reactions, but it was clearly a surprise to everyone there. Kris found it amusing that Sharyn didn’t seem surprised at all.
Katarina shook the elestram woman’s hand again. “I wish you all the best! I’m sure you’ve already found that Erik is a good man.”
“I have,” Tarra said, finally managing a smile as she glanced at her lover.
“Is everyone else…?” Erik prompted. “I assume by your happy reactions that everyone else either stayed home or is somewhere safe.”
“When we enacted our diversion at Agivak, we sent the others toward Dauchin-Rache to double the threat,” Kris explained. “I figured we had the best chance of reaching you quickly, and Katarina could tend to your wounds if you were in rough shape. I’m not sure which way the others may have gone, but they’ll either go straight home with Sonja’s power, or else return to Anthraxis. We’ll need to find Jol when we get to Anthraxis, but then we’re headed back to Citaria. The only other issue we might encounter is a group of soldiers south of us; looks like they could be in Garrivokt’s realm. If they decide to attack, we’re going to be in for some trouble, but otherwise, we should be safe all the way to Anthraxis.”
“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get home,” Erik said with a chuckle. “I’ve had about all I can take of Mehr’Durillia for a while.”
“Erik, there is something you should know,” Aeligos said. Kris saw Erik straighten up a bit, as if expecting an attack on his fledgling relationship. But the rogue continued, “There was an attack on DarkWind while you were being held. Not only did Arku capture you, but he sent soldiers to attack our city, and Kari’s house was burned to the ground.”
“Gods, is everyone all right?” the demonhunter gasped.
