by Joe Jackson
Kari sighed; she simply wasn’t a skilled enough interrogator or negotiator to get things out of Amastri that the part-elven woman didn’t want to share. She supposed she had heard enough already: Koursturaux was pleased with their efforts; she was unlikely to be working to kill Kari or any of her friends through subterfuge; and King Sekassus was angry, but no more so than he’d already been with Kari. Any other information Kari could wrest from Amastri would be a bonus, but then she mused that it wouldn’t likely be much more than what Se’sasha could tell her once she communed with her mother’s spirit.
Kari wondered, as she stared at Amastri, if the part-elven woman or her demonic king knew that Se’sasha needed to go to her mother’s grave. As she recalled Danilynn’s story, Kari realized that Koursturaux would know where that grave was. If Amastri was lying – and Kari had little doubt that she would if it suited her master’s purpose – then the distant valley would be a fantastic place to set an ambush to recapture or kill Se’sasha. Amastri said that Koursturaux didn’t use subterfuge to kill her enemies, but she also said that the demon king had been long at the “game” and “craft.” Those words certainly seemed to suggest that all of the violence and death surrounding the king was as a giant game to her, and Kari and her friends were little more than pawns on the board.
“So tell me: that man that was talking to you when I arrived…what did he want from your master?” Kari asked.
Amastri glanced toward the door and then back, and she chuckled, though she didn’t smile. She whipped her high tail of long, lustrous red hair back and forth and then purred, “He wanted nothing from Her Majesty.”
Kari laughed after the briefest hesitation. “Get that a lot, do you?”
“Even your Order thought I was a succubus for the longest time,” the part-elven woman said with a shrug. She sipped her tea and smiled at Kari over the rim, but this was a genuine smile that spoke of amusement, not the disconcerting smile that hid whatever she was truly thinking. “Most are smart enough to know that I do not mix business with pleasure. And, of course, it is of little help to their cause when they have a basic lack of respect and manners.”
“But you do strike deals with others, right? I mean, my Order isn’t the only one that you make bargains with,” Kari stabbed while Amastri’s guard was down.
The woman recovered quickly and set her teacup down gently. “I am not at liberty to discuss that with you,” Amastri said quietly. “However, be satisfied knowing that Her Majesty does not strike bargains with anyone incapable of offering something she desires in return.”
“Like their souls?” Kari asked through her teeth, her eyes narrowed. She felt the sweet release of adrenaline as her body prepared to kill.
Amastri’s face remained expressionless for what felt like an hour, and Kari was prepared to draw her blades and decapitate the woman then and there. All of a sudden, though, Amastri threw her head back and began to laugh hysterically. Her laughter drew the attention of the few others in the inn, but she seemed to pay no mind to the reaction to her hysterics. When she was finally finished with the display after over half a minute, Amastri glanced to the barkeep and beckoned for him to refill her teacup. While she waited for him to come do so and then depart, Amastri held Kari’s gaze, and though she didn’t laugh outright, the amusement still showed clearly in her eyes.
“Their souls…that is quaint, Lady Vanador,” Amastri said at last. She snickered one last time with a shake of her head. “You have either listened to the boasting of sorcerers for far too long, or you simply have little grasp of what the kings are, and what they desire. Her Majesty is not a collector of souls; the things she desires from those she makes bargains with are items of power, or else acquaintanceships with those who can provide her with such items or other means to power. Take yourself, for example: in making a bargain with you, she has acquired both. She will obtain Taesenus’ sword from you, yes, but she also now has a relationship with the head of the Demonhunter Order. You may never trust her or wish to do business with her again, but there is always the possibility that you will want or need to; that is a part of her price. But your soul, Lady Vanador? Let us just say that a soul does not make a fitting mantle-piece.”
Kari wasn’t sure what she believed at this point, but she didn’t see any point in arguing the matter with someone she wasn’t even sure would be honest anyway. “All the same, I don’t want you brokering deals with commoners who have no idea what they’re getting themselves into,” Kari said. “You can stay here to provide and receive aid from the Order, but the common people are off limits, understand?”
“As I said, the common people rarely have anything of worth to offer Her Majesty,” the part-elven woman returned. She waved a hand around casually. “Still, if they come to me, it is not my place to be concerned with whether or not they know what they are getting themselves into, Lady Vanador. I am a listener: they come to me with a problem, and they offer a price to pay for the solution to that problem. If it suits Her Majesty, a bargain is struck. Your concern seems to be that there will be people running about your city seeking to kill your hunters, or members of the Duke’s court, or what-have-you, at Her Majesty’s command. Rest assured that if anyone is asking for people to be killed, it is the people who come to me for Her Majesty’s aid, not the other way around. And you may further rest assured that such requests do not even make it to Her Majesty’s ear. If your people wish to kill each other, that is a purpose they can serve themselves all too well, as evidenced by the Blood Order that calls this city home.”
“Touché,” Kari said. “Be honest with me, because that’s part of the deal that will let you stay here in the city: what kinds of requests do make it to King Koursturaux’ ear?”
Amastri shrugged. “Honestly, the most basic of desires,” she said. “Adventurers looking for wealth or some magical trinket that they think will solve their problems. If they have some trinket of their own that interests Her Majesty and that they are willing to part with, then from time to time a deal is struck. But Her Majesty is a very difficult patron to satisfy, and so most are turned away. She is not interested in gold, family heirlooms, slaves, or even, as you said, souls. Those who have something to offer usually do not even realize the value of the thing they wish to trade away. You asked me for information and offered a Celestial Token in return; those are the types of deals I normally broker. Primarily, Lady Vanador, I deal in information, and I have no better or more frequent customer than your Order.”
Terrific, Kari thought. A part of her burned with anger toward Jason Bosimar for ever letting the woman take up and keep residence in the city. Kari wanted to get rid of Amastri one way or another, but she heeded the advice and orders of the Council to leave the woman be for the time being. Kari had to be satisfied that the woman didn’t normally barter deals with the common people, and that – assuming what she said was true – she wasn’t trying to gather souls for her master. Kari had to give some credence to Amastri’s amusement: she hadn’t actually ever heard of souls being collected except in stories. Her mind flashed to the story Tormaar had told her about Dryad’s Lake up near Atrice, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Kari rose to her feet. “Well, as I said, I’ll be leaving to go gather the payment for your master soon,” she said. “I may be gone for a couple of weeks, but don’t be concerned: I just have some other things I have to look into while I’m gone.”
“Such as taking Se’sasha to her mother’s grave,” Amastri said casually, though she kept the smile from her face. “Yes, I know all about that. I wish you and your friends good luck on your journey. Oh, and congratulations on expecting your second child.”
Kari tilted her head and stared at the part-elven woman suspiciously. It seemed like a genuine well-wishing, but Kari just didn’t understand how Amastri found out such things and so quickly. It made her wonder if there was another mole on the campus of the Order, one of a kind that wasn’t as “easily” discovered as the syrinthians. Kari wasn’t sure how
else Amastri was able to find out everything she planned and the things in her personal life. Kari simply wasn’t comfortable with the servant of a demon king having their finger on the pulse of her life.
“Thank you,” Kari offered finally, not wanting to be rude or offend Amastri since she wasn’t even sure there was an issue to be angry over. “And please give my thanks and those of Se’sasha to your master. We’re both grateful that your master was willing to help and that we both escaped King Sekassus’ realm unharmed.”
Amastri nodded. “You may, of course, thank her by upholding your end of the bargain,” she said. “Until then, good journey to you.”
Kari left the inn and headed back to the Order’s campus. The spring day was warm, the sunshine was strong, and Kari’s blood was warmer than usual from being pregnant. But as she walked, she had a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach that none of those things could dispel.
Chapter XXI – The Price of Success
Kari wasn’t pleased that Amastri – and consequently, Koursturaux – knew where she and her friends were going, and what for. Still, she had to trust that Koursturaux truly was interested in acquiring Taesenus’ vorpal sword, and that she knew what Se’sasha’s freedom represented to Kari and her Order. Still, retrieving the sword before going to the valley where Se’ceria was buried might be the only thing that kept them from being ambushed by servants of the demon king. There was always the chance that Koursturaux might send assassins to kill Kari and her friends and simply take the sword, but that scenario didn’t make any sense. The sword was, effectively, already Koursturaux’, and there was little point to fighting for it when Kari was going to hand it over willingly.
Dealing with the demon king became so much more frustrating the more Kari thought about it. While Amastri’s words days before were meant to soothe Kari’s worry – or maybe they were really meant to multiply it; it was hard to know when dealing with demon kings and their servants – all they did was raise more questions. Kari refused to believe that she had struck a bargain with Koursturaux and come out ahead; there had to be more to what the demon king wanted. A relationship with Kari didn’t seem to fit that theory well enough on its own.
Kari had far too much time to think while sailing south along the coast. She had taken Eli and Danilynn along with Se’sasha, as they wanted to see their dealings with Se’ceria brought to a meaningful close. Grakin and Little Gray accompanied them as well: the trip to Gavean and Captain Machall’s farmland would be safe enough, and even the travels toward the hidden valley would be safe, at least until they reached the city of Atrice. Kari didn’t want to leave her mate and son behind yet again, and so she brought them along. Aeligos, Typhonix, and Sonja rounded out their group, while Erik stayed behind in DarkWind to keep an eye on Se’sasha’s people, and Serenjols remained home with his girlfriend.
Kari wanted to bring Shefter, but the elf booked passage on a ship back to Terrassia. He had shared a short but heartfelt farewell with Kari, and promised her that he would find some way to repay her rescue. First, though, he had to go and let his Queen know that he was alive, and get formal permission to pledge his services to Kari and her Order. As a member of the Arborean Guard, there was no guarantee the Queen would heed his wishes, but he told Kari he’d let her know either way.
The trip along the coast itself was fairly quick and quite safe: the eastern coast of Askies was heavily patrolled by the Royal Navy, which dealt with pirates and raiders mercilessly. As the sunny, windy, salty days passed, Kari spent most of her time with her son, watching the scenery go by, and explaining to him over and over when his sibling would arrive. Having his incessant questions thrown at her helped to keep her mind from thinking about Koursturaux too much, or what the demon king was truly up to. It was a welcome distraction: Kari did not want to spend her entire pregnancy stressed out over the machinations of a demon king. It also served to keep Kari from paying too much attention to the trepidation of the crew, who were not exactly happy about having a syrinthian priestess on their ship.
After several days, the ship arrived in the city of Port Kristofer, a harbor city that served as a go-between for ocean-faring vessels and the riverboats that would run supplies and trade inland to Lakeshore and Gnarr. The wide river ran for miles and miles to Lake Fletcher, which was more like an inland freshwater sea. The entire area was named after the deity known as The Ghost: Port Kristofer, Lake Fletcher, and Saint’s River. Gnarr, the home city of the Duke of Sutherland and also of the Avenger Order, was close to the northwest shore of Lake Fletcher, and the farming and fishing community of Lakeshore was on the southern edge. Neither of those was Kari’s destination, but she and her friends would pass through Lakeshore, which was the closer of the two, on the way toward Gavean.
Gavean was a hub town among the farmlands to the south of the great lake, between the cities of Gnarr and Lajere. The Heartlands, as they were called, were farmland nearly from the Great Divide – a pair of rivers that nearly cut the continent in two – all the way to the southern coast. The great swamp of the czarikk near Mandar-Czar, the Sandur Jungle and Barrier Mountains on the west side, and the Crystal Mountains that surrounded the terra-bengal kingdom of Jirtorex kept the farmland from encompassing the whole southern half of Askies. Kari wasn’t sure if Gavean fell under the rule of her friend, the Earl of Lajere, or whether it was part of the Duke’s home county. She knew only that it was a prosperous little town, and that her friend and former subordinate, Captain Lawrence Machall, owned a farm – orchards, if she remembered right – on the western side.
Port Kristofer was a trade harbor, but it was also a fishing port and its piers were lined with fishing ships returned from their day’s work when Kari’s own ship pulled into port. Little Gray was having fun saying pew or ewww every so often when the strong smells of fish blew past on the breeze, and the sailors of The Majestic Run chuckled every time he did so. Kari was more used to the many varied smells of cities on the coasts, from tanneries to fisheries to the sewage and garbage facilities, and none of it really fazed her anymore. Her son, however, spent all of his time at home or in the temple of Kaelariel, and had a much more discerning sniffer.
Once The Majestic Run docked and Kari and her friends were allowed to disembark, they found a comfortable inn farther into the city and arranged lodgings for the night. Kari asked for a double-occupancy room and arranged for Se’sasha to stay with her and Grakin, so she could keep an eye on the syrinthian priestess. The room was crowded with the couple, their son, and the priestess, but it wasn’t a terrible situation, and the night passed quietly for the most part. Little Gray tried to ask Se’sasha a bevy of questions, but Se’sasha didn’t understand the rir tongue, and Kari hadn’t brought Liria along for translations. Little Gray was disappointed, but was easily distracted by games and play.
Aeligos was waiting for everyone to come out of the inn the next morning and proudly showed off what he had spent the wee hours doing. He had purchased several fine riding horses as well as a carriage with a draft team. Kari was surprised to see him spend so much money on what was going to be a one-way trip. She knew he had quite a bit of wealth squirreled away that he’d “acquired” during his espionage and infiltration runs during the Apocalypse, but it had to have cost him a fair amount of coin to get so many horses and a carriage on short notice. When she expressed her concerns to him, he waved them off, merely saying that he was sure he could get back at least three-quarters of what he’d paid when he sold them off in Gavean. Knowing her sly brother-in-law, Kari didn’t doubt that for a minute.
The trip proved to be much longer than Kari had anticipated, and unfortunately, Sonja said she couldn’t use her arcane power to transport the group to anyplace she hadn’t already been before. A couple of weeks passed before they came within sight of Gavean, and Kari realized she had missed the Summer’s Ball to which the Earl of Lajere had invited her and her friends. It was a shame: Kari had been looking forward to attending an entertainment function, and she’d also
wanted to see if any relationship had developed between Sharyn and Sherman. While Kari was still a little upset with the werewolf woman for killing Turillia, she found in her heart that Sharyn was, at her core, a good woman, and a fine possible match for Sherman. She realized she’d have to send an apology to her friend for her forgetful rudeness.
Gavean was a one-road town with not much aside from the basic amenities: a general goods store, a larder, a tack and feed shop, a blacksmith, an inn and tavern, and a barber shop. Kari assumed one or more of the places doubled as other service-providers such as a postal stop and perhaps a doctor or other healer. The sun was still well over the horizon when the group arrived in Gavean, so Kari led them on through the town and out to the west. Little Gray pointed at everything excitedly as they passed through the town, and the farmers and other workers on the streets waved politely to the strange band riding through. Like most farming towns, Gavean was predominantly a human settlement, but there seemed to be little hostility or distrust even in light of the many sets of wings on the riders passing through – not to mention the presence of a snake-woman.
They turned west out of the town and, just as Kari had imagined, the wide and well-used road led through orchards. Apple and cherry trees seemed to be the dominant fixtures, and the workers looked up and waved to the travelers every so often. Pale skin was predominant in the southlands, but some of the workers were of the darker varieties of human as well. As Kari and her friends passed further and further along, Kari got the feeling that Captain Machall’s farm was even larger and more profitable than the land she had inherited.
It took some time before they found the road that led to the farmhouse tucked among the orchards, and Kari wasn’t even sure how many miles of rows of trees they had passed before they did. It warmed her heart: like so many others, her friend had risked everything to join the army during the Great War, and he hadn’t even had the opportunity to defend his home, having been assigned to a company on the far side of the continent. Kari was glad that his home and his prosperity had not only survived, but thrived.
