by Joe Jackson
Kari bowed her head. “Yes, you're right. Thank you for the advice, and for the gift, Your Grace.”
Krycyd smiled. “Thank you for giving me a reason to give it,” he returned. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Vanador. May the gods watch over you and keep you from harm, especially should you walk into the land of our enemies.” He bid the Council and Lord Allerius farewell and made his way from the chamber.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go speak with my mother-in-law and see if I can get in contact with Lord Chinchala through Kaelariel,” Kari said. The others bid her farewell, and she made her way hastily to the church of Kaelariel. With luck, she might even get an answer back from Lord Chinchala across the distances by means of Kyrie’s prayer to Kaelariel. The more she thought about it, the more interested Kari was to hear what the old demon king would have to say.
Chapter IV – Intelligence
Kari sat at her desk in her office, waiting patiently for Amastri to arrive. Aeligos sat across from her. There was enough room for guests now that Jason Bosimar’s things had been cleared out of her office. Kari had been assigned to go through them when they started arriving from Gnarr a couple of months before, but with her promotion to Grand Commander, the tedious task was assigned to someone else. Kari was still interested in poking through Jason’s things and finding out more about him, but that was not the most pressing task before her.
The “succubus” would be arriving any minute now, but Kari’s thoughts stayed on the words of King Celigus Chinchala as they’d been passed along through Kaelariel. Kari imagined they would be as music to Grakin’s ears, as well as those of pretty much all of her family. When asked how to get to the underworld, where the safest points of entry were, and whether or not it was wise to negotiate with King Sekassus, Chinchala had answered with only a single word: Don’t. No explanation had followed, no further words of discouragement or otherwise; the demon king had simply advised Kari not to go, and left it at that. It wasn’t all that surprising to Kari, but still she found herself disappointed in the old demon king’s unwillingness to help.
Kari glanced across at Aeligos, who was skimming through another of Bosimar’s journals that he’d picked out of the pile that now sat in the conference room. Kari remembered Aeligos once saying “everyone has something to hide,” and she wondered what sort of things a demon king like Celigus Chinchala might be trying to hide. Did he not want Kari to go to the underworld simply to protect her from harm, or did he advise against it for a more selfish reason? Was it to protect his reputation – to avoid being viewed as any more of a traitor than he likely already was – or perhaps to hide something he’d done before becoming an ally to the Citarian pantheon? Or was there something simpler, like protecting that part of his family that still lived in his realm – Sansrigar, if Kari remembered right?
Again her thoughts drifted back to whether or not she could trust the old demon king at all, even given his alliance with the pantheon and his relationship with Kaelariel. Chinchala was close to two millennia old, if Kari recalled correctly. If the demon king was anywhere near as deceptive as the brother-in-law now sitting across from Kari, he could have been – and might still be – deceiving everyone. She was inclined to believe otherwise based on his inactivity outside of helping in the Apocalypse; he seemed most happy to simply be away from the underworld and whatever went on in its depths. Kari couldn’t help but wonder, though: what if Chinchala was simply the first pawn across the board?
There was a knock at the door, and Kari called for whoever it was to enter. One of the administrative assistants opened the door and announced Amastri, and the “demoness” entered Kari’s office. Amastri ignored the look the secretary gave her, keeping her attention focused on Kari as she crossed the few steps to the nearest chair. She was dressed in a similar outfit to the night before, but this one was augmented by traveling shoes and a purse. Amastri gracefully took a seat and gave Kari the barest of smiles before she turned and studied Aeligos. The “demoness” and the rogue held each other’s stares for well over a minute, and Kari remained quiet to see who would say something first.
“Ah, the gambler,” Amastri said at last. That smile of hers dominated her features again, all at once lovely but disconcerting. “Very wise. Unnecessary, but wise nonetheless.”
Kari was surprised that Amastri knew Aeligos and his poker-playing habit, but then she guessed if Amastri had lived in the city for as long as was reported, she likely knew many of its higher-profile citizens. Aeligos had a reputation as one of the best poker players in the city – perhaps even the entire duchy – and most people knew to avoid playing high stakes games with him. Kari figured Amastri and Aeligos must have seen each other numerous times before at the Silver Chalice, whether they knew each other personally or not.
“So you don’t mind if he stays and asks questions?” Kari queried.
Amastri made a dismissive gesture. “Her Majesty has given me permission to tell you what you want to know, and so there is nothing for me to hide,” she said. “If having your brother-in-law here to aid you makes you feel more secure, it is of little consequence to me.”
Kari put her feet up on the edge of her desk and leaned back in her chair. She tried to give the impression that she was at ease, because it was completely untrue. Her stomach was in a knot, waiting to hear if a mission to the underworld was even possible, and how risky it would be if it was. And that was to say nothing of the fact that Amastri knew Aeligos was Kari's brother-in-law. Kari had to wonder just how much the half-elven woman knew about her, but decided not to go off topic. “Good. You can start by telling me if the Celestial Token is good enough payment for your king, or what she wants as payment if it’s not.”
“It is not,” Amastri said, sitting up straight in her chair. Her eye contact was very strong, and she kept her gaze locked with Kari’s, all but ignoring Aeligos while she spoke. “What Her Majesty asks of you is something I do not fully comprehend, so please be honest with me and tell me if it means anything to you. Her Majesty said: ‘Tell Lady Vanador that I want his sword.’”
Kari sat up straight, her brow low as she scowled at the demoness or half-elf or whatever it was before her. “How does she even know about that?!” she hissed.
Amastri held her hands up defensively, and even Aeligos was shocked at Kari's reaction. “Lady Vanador, I do not even know what it is Her Majesty has asked for,” Amastri said. “She did warn me that your reaction might be…volatile. Whatever it is Her Majesty has asked you for, it is the only payment she considered suitable for what you ask in return.”
Kari stared across the desk at Amastri, her fury hardly soothed by the plea of innocence. “I don’t have it with me, and it would take me weeks to get it for you if I was willing,” Kari said at last, and she waved her hand. “Which I don't think I am.”
“What is she asking for?” Aeligos pried curiously.
Kari sighed; now really wasn’t the time to spin a tale, but if that was the only thing Koursturaux would accept as payment, it was pretty much unavoidable. By all accounts, the sword’s owner was killed by Kaelariel near the end of the Apocalypse, so the weapon really meant little to Kari at this point. But the sword was in the possession of her good friend and subordinate Captain Lawrence Machall, who lived south in the town of Gavean. As Kari had said, it would take weeks to go and fetch it from her friend – assuming he’d honored her wishes and still had it.
“Taesenus’ vorpal sword,” Kari said quietly, and realization suddenly sprouted on Amastri’s face.
Aeligos looked more confused than enlightened. “Taesenus? You mean Seril’s son? You have one of his swords?”
Kari nodded and sighed again. “He came after me in the early years of the Apocalypse,” she explained. “He was hunting down heroes his mother considered a threat and bringing their heads back to her. You likely know the names of some of his victims: Ellen Morrigan, Torrie Cantabler, even Jason Bosimar.” Aeligos’ brows both rose; everyone knew Bosim
ar had been killed during the Apocalypse, but it wasn’t common knowledge that Taesenus had killed him. Kari wasn’t sure it was wise to say so in front of Amastri, but she shrugged it off. “I took off his left arm and he fled, leaving one of his vorpal swords behind. I held onto it throughout the War, hoping he’d come back for it and I could finish the job. He never did, and then I’d heard he was killed not long before his mother was, also by Kaelariel.”
“Damn,” Aeligos muttered. “I’m still stuck on you beating the Demon Prince in a fight, though honestly, I don’t know why it surprises me.”
“I better understand now,” Amastri interjected. “A vorpal sword is a most highly prized weapon, and I have little doubt that the weapon was crafted by Terx, just as yours were. It seems Her Majesty would prefer to obtain a weapon already crafted by Terx, rather than a token that would require a trip to the Arcadian Highlands to put to use.”
“Like I said, it would take me weeks to get it back to you, if I was willing, and either way, I don’t have that kind of time,” Kari said. “So unless there’s something else your king will take as payment, I guess we’re done here.”
“Tsk, tsk, such impatience,” Amastri said calmly, that disconcerting smile upon her lovely face once again. “You are a woman of your word and head of the Demonhunter Order. If you will but promise me that you will obtain this weapon for Her Majesty when time permits, I will simply hold the Token as collateral for the time being.”
Kari wasn’t sure what collateral meant, but she was able to puzzle it out. She still didn’t want to hand Taesenus’ sword over to King Koursturaux, but she had to admit the weapon was probably just collecting dust in Captain Machall’s attic. It was worth a lot of money, sure, but otherwise had little more than sentimental value for Kari, and not much of that either. The information she could buy with it should be well worth the price, and a weapon that hadn’t seen use in years wasn’t all that high a price anyway.
Kari nodded. “I accept your terms,” she said. “Just keep in mind that if your information is bad and you get me killed, nobody else knows where that sword is hidden.”
“Then it is fortunate that I will be giving you the correct information,” Amastri said with a glance at Aeligos. “Much research went into this information: it is as up-to-date and accurate as is possible, especially on only a day's notice. That is not to say, however, that this information guarantees your safety or success. It will give you the best chance of both, but assure neither. Surely it is no mystery to you that my king hates King Sekassus, and is willing to go to great lengths to see him angered or humiliated. Understand that this is the only reason Her Majesty is willing to help you. She does this for her ends, not yours.”
“I never doubted that would be the case,” Kari said evenly, and Aeligos half-smiled.
Amastri nodded. “Good. Now, first things first: have you already obtained some form of transportation to the underworld?”
Kari shook her head. “No. Master Maelstrom doesn’t have the spells necessary to send us there. I’m trying to get in contact with another archmage that can.”
“Very good,” Amastri said. “Of course, I can send you there myself, I simply thought you might trust one of your own kind more. You may still…I would hardly blame you if that was the case.”
The demonhunter tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “So you can summon your people here, too?” she demanded.
Amastri waved off the question. “No, and that was part of why your predecessor allowed me to stay here,” she answered. “I can send things from one place to another, but I cannot call them the same way. It would take a while to explain fully, but I cannot perform the type of summoning that would bring my people across your world’s barriers. However, as I said, I can take or send things from your world to mine, and I can do that for you.”
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Kari interrupted. “It doesn’t matter where I’m going or how I’m getting there if we can't find Se'sasha or Sekassus isn’t willing to negotiate. I need to know where she is, whether Sekassus can be negotiated with if he's holding her, and what he’s going to want before I think about going down there to meet him.”
Again there was that muted, amused expression when Kari referred to the underworld or ‘going down there.’ Amastri chuckled lightly. “Yes, you are quite correct, Lady Vanador. Let me start from the beginning, then. Se'sasha is being held in the palace of King Sekassus, in his capital city of Sorelizar. This is established fact. Normally, I would tell you that your chances of negotiating her release – particularly as a demonhunter who has slain one of King Sekassus' sons – are very slim; however, my king believes she knows of something that will force his hand, even if you go to him personally. Shall I continue?”
Kari nodded, and Amastri crossed one ankle over the other, getting comfortable. “This plan of Her Majesty's is fairly complicated, so feel free to interrupt should you not understand,” the half-elf said. “The catch to all of this is that the thing you will need to negotiate Se'sasha's release is not in Her Majesty's possession. It is in the possession of King Morduri Irrasitus, and so Her Majesty has opted to include him in this plan.”
Amastri paused, so Kari took the cue to interrupt as the woman apparently expected. “What can you tell me about him, and what price is he going to ask for his help?” Kari asked.
“Ah, you have much to learn when it comes to underworld barter,” the part-elven woman returned. “You need not provide anything to secure King Morduri's help. Acquiring his help is part of the price you have agreed to pay to Her Majesty, and again: she does this for her ends and not yours, so you need not concern yourself with the why of things.”
Kari glanced at Aeligos and she could see he was suspicious as well. Suddenly the value of the sword seemed like it might be much higher than Kari had anticipated. More than that, though, she understood that a demon – or whatever Amastri really was – insisting Kari didn’t need to know the why of things meant she absolutely did need to know. She decided to let the matter pass for now, though, and said, “So tell me about Morduri, then.”
Amastri didn't answer right away. She stared at Kari as though she'd said something offensive. “Lady Vanador, allow me to give you a warning: should you refer to any of the kings so casually in their presence, the consequences will be dire. Whether you respect them or not, you would do well to always address them as King.” Kari acceded to the point with a nod rather than argue. “King Morduri is one of the youngest of the kings, but he is still very powerful and influential, and he holds a high rank despite his youth. I know little of him personally, other than that he was a hunter and a wanderer, and since ascending to the throne, apparently neither of those things has changed.”
“Can I trust him, though?” Kari asked.
“You may trust Her Majesty's judgment, and that King Morduri would be foolish to go against her wishes in this matter,” Amastri said.
Kari hardly found that comforting, but she decided to just take everything at face value for now. If everything being presented to her was just a trap, Aeligos would likely sniff it out. If it turned out it wasn't a trap, Kari would learn who she could trust – relatively speaking, anyway – among the kings of the underworld. Kari may have had no reason whatsoever to trust King Koursturaux, but if the demon king was willing to aid in Kari's plans simply to humiliate and harass King Sekassus, she could at least take advantage of that. The thing that Kari was left to wonder, though, was whether King Koursturaux had any real goal other than embarrassing or aggravating King Sekassus and their peers.
“I guess that's as much as I can expect from the kings,” Kari mused.
Amastri chuckled. “Now then, whether you secure your own transportation to my world or ask me to send you there, you will want to arrive there in exactly eleven days,” she continued. “All visitors to our world are funneled to the grand city of Anthraxis, the seat of the Overking's power, to prevent spies and invaders from coming and going as they please. Do not be al
armed, Lady Vanador. Your arrival will coincide with the summer gathering of the Council, so your arrival will not seem at all out of place or garner much in the way of attention. Once you have arrived in the city, you should request a meeting with King Morduri. It may be necessary for him to ignore your request for a few days, depending on how the Council session progresses, but eventually he will meet with you. From there, he will direct you on whether it is you who will acquire the item you will be using to barter with King Sekassus, and where.”
“So you don't even know where we'll be going?” Kari asked. “Or will we be heading straight to Sorelizar from Anthraxis?”
“I am not certain,” Amastri admitted, but she held up a hand to stave off any protest. “As I said earlier, Lady Vanador, all this information has been put together on less than a day's notice. The plan will not be fully realized until Her Majesty has had time to speak directly to King Morduri at the Overking's palace. You may rest assured that the pieces will fall into place before you meet with King Morduri, for if they do not, then you will be freed from your end of this bargain, and free to go your own way without debt. So I cannot tell you exactly where King Morduri will take you, or even what it is he will be giving you to barter with King Sekassus. I can, however, tell you what to expect once you have crossed out of Pataria and–”
“Pataria is King Morduri's realm?” Kari interrupted.
“Correct. Pataria, the Eastern Meadows, is the realm of King Morduri Irrasitus, the tenth of the Council of Anthraxis and the last of the Major Kings,” the part-elven woman explained, though Kari really only understood in the most basic sense. “Pataria is what your kind might go so far as to describe as free country when compared to the other realms. King Morduri rules over his people, but he is not a tyrant like King Sekassus or most of the other kings. If you are cautious and do not draw attention to yourselves, you should be able to pass through Pataria with little notice, especially if no one knows you are coming – which I will get to shortly. You will not want to let on that you are a demonhunter, but even if they find out that you are, they should leave you be unless you give them reason not to.”
