by Joe Jackson
Once she was dressed in the under-armor clothing, Kari opened the door to find Morduri just about to enter. They were both startled for a moment, but she laughed and he followed suit. “Did you kiss me before I fell asleep?”
“No, you must have dreamt that.”
The demonhunter shook her head. “You know, for a demon king, you’re awfully bad at lying. Don’t you go getting either of us into trouble with Emma.”
Morduri stepped past her into the room with a snort. “I assure you, getting into trouble with her is an impossibility. I see her twice per year; do you think she is the only person I share a bed with? She is the one who means something to me, and that is enough for her. For both of us. And as for you…you are an asset to her master. Her feelings about you are irrelevant.”
Kari shook her head again. “Well, that’s only half of it anyway. You can’t imagine the sort of pushback I’d get if it ever came to light I’d been intimate with a demon king.”
Morduri grabbed the arm of a couch against the wall opposite the bed, and pulled hard on it. Kari balked when the wall came away. At first she thought maybe he was leading her into some secret chamber, but the floor and the furnishings spun along with the wall, replacing the couch with a bathtub. It was an old-fashioned tub without the indoor plumbing, but it was still an impressive way to put one in a bedroom without it being a constant fixture.
“I’ll be damned,” she muttered.
“You just might,” he returned. “Kari, what have you learned since you first came here to Mehr’Durillia? You learned that the beshathans aren’t demons, yes? And you have spent the last few weeks apparently learning to regard them not just as people, but as a people you care for. Why, then, do you continue to call me a demon king? I am no more a demon than you are.”
“Force of habit,” she explained, but it felt as pitiful as it sounded. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how much of an insult it is every time I say it.”
Morduri made a noncommittal gesture. “Honestly, I can understand why you regard us all that way. Outside of the Ancient Ones, though, it isn’t true. So say what you must in front of your Order and your masters, but when in polite company here, there’s no need to keep up such pretenses. They know what they are, and we know what we are. In any case, it’s simpler to just refer to us all as kings, and avoid the need for any such modifiers.”
Kari nodded. “It’s easier than remembering whether to call you King, Your Majesty, or Lord Irrasitus, at least,” she teased.
The elestram king snorted, but said nothing. Kari was surprised when there was a knock at the door. Answering it, she was met by a pair of mallasti servants who brought in buckets of hot and cold water to fill the tub. They left brushes and towels once the tub was full, and then departed with respectful bows to Morduri, and less formal bows of the head toward Kari. The demonhunter was confused, and turned to Morduri for explanation.
“Turning the panel to bring out the tub sounds a bell in the kitchens,” he said. “Go ahead, get washed up so we may meet with Emanitar and the others.”
He started for the door, but Kari called after him. “Care to join me?”
Morduri looked at her over his shoulder. “Another jest?”
“No, not a jest,” Kari said, shedding her clothes and slipping into the tub. She settled down in the warm water and let it soak into her fur and the skin beneath. She let out a long sigh of contentment, and opened her eyes to meet Morduri’s curious gaze. “You shared your bath with me when we first met; consider this a return of the courtesy.”
“True, but I did that because the bath chambers of the Overking’s palace are warded against spying of any kind,” he answered. “Did you not just tell me not to do anything that was going to get us in trouble with Emma?”
“Didn’t you just tell me that’s nothing to be concerned with?”
Morduri looked down. “I can feel it,” he said. “I can feel my fur turning grey.”
Kari laughed and grabbed a brush, and began lathering her fur. She wasn’t sure if such was the typical way a mallasti bathed; other than Morduri, Uldriana was the only other beshathan she’d ever bathed with. And, she mused, Uldriana had bathed as much to remove the dyes from her fur as to clean herself. Kari felt dirty on account of not having bathed for several days, but she found she didn’t really smell. The mallasti carried a peculiar scent, but one that was warm and inviting, and that seemed to be unique from person to person with slight variations. When she had first been shape-changed, she had to bathe to rid herself of the scent of rir that clung to her. Now she wondered if bathing might change her scent in the short-term.
Morduri stood a few feet away from the tub thinking to himself. At last he shed his leather hunter’s vest and then his trousers, and he stepped into the tub. Kari gestured for him to turn around and sit with his back to her, which he did after a slight hesitation. She began to wash his back and his muscular shoulders, and in her mind’s eye, she replaced him with Kris. She thought of what she’d told Seanada, and had to fight off the urge to sigh, which would only make the elestram king ask questions.
Kari laughed when Morduri took one of her feet and brought it to his lap, where he began to give her a delicate foot massage. She thought of Emanitar, Seanada, and whoever else sitting around wondering where the two of them were, and the laughter only deepened. She reached under his arms and felt his chest muscles. Despite the lanky appearance of the elestram, which was augmented by fur, he had the sculpted body of an athlete.
“I know you’re a hunter, but did you ever play sports, like football?” Kari asked.
“Indeed I did,” he answered. “I was a goalkeeper for a team for many years. The duties of being prince interfered with that, though, and to be honest, the mallasti are very rough when they play football. That’s why you do not see many elestram play in the mallasti games, despite our own fascination with the sport.”
Kari smiled, finished washing his upper body, and then teased his ears, which flicked rapidly once she released them. “I think I’m done,” she said, rising to her feet. She stepped from the tub onto one of the towels, and took up another to begin rubbing down her sodden fur. Morduri stood and gave the rest of himself a quick wash before he exited the tub as well. “Have fun explaining why you’re wet to your uncle.”
Morduri chuckled. “You are terrible. Are you still thinking of that man back home?”
Kari nodded. “I am, but not just of him; of family in general. I spend so much time on the road or doing some work at the campus these days that I sometimes feel like a stranger in my own home. And that’s to say nothing of satisfying my, well, more base urges.”
He cocked his head at her. “There’s nothing base about desiring intimacy,” he countered. “We are designed to seek it. It is a gift from our Celestial Queen, only one we must take care not to abuse. If I may be so bold as to say so, I think you have honored your departed mate quite well. It’s time to see to yourself for a change.”
“I just always hesitate to do that. There’s always something more important that comes up and needs my attention.”
“Kari, there is nothing more important than self. I know that sounds like a defense of being selfish, but it’s not. You must take care of yourself if you hope to be able to care for others. Think of it as less selfish to take care of yourself so that you can better see to others,” he explained. Kari nodded; it did make some sense. “Now, let’s go meet with the others before we end up finishing this discussion under the covers.”
“Would that be so bad?” she asked him.
“No, not bad. Complicated, yes, but not bad. But come.”
He opened the door and Kari followed him toward King Emanitar’s room. Before they even reached the door, she could sense the form of the Wraith within.
Chapter XV – Shifts
The Wraith stood roiling on one side of the room. Seanada stood near him, all of that openness and congeniality Kari had seen now gone. They looked every bit the assassins they were
purported to be, all business and no nonsense. Seanada had opted for her true form for this meeting, and the Wraith had apparently brought her equipment so that she would cut a more striking figure beside him. Kari found it interesting that Seanada had shed her false form while her master refrained from doing so, but she kept that thought securely tucked away.
On the other side of the room, Morduri sat on the edge of the bed, his hands folded before him. Every so often he would scratch at his fur, which was still drying, but despite the stony gaze he tried to keep up, he was fidgety. And Kari wasn’t the only one who noticed. She wondered if the elestram king had ever met the Wraith before, but either way, she was sure he knew nothing of the Ashen Fangs’ true purpose if he was behaving this way.
Emanitar sat in a padded chair, better maintaining that mask of impassiveness his people were so renowned for. If he was intimidated at all by the Wraith, it didn’t show, but neither did he give any sign that he knew the shadowy assassin. On the contrary, he looked unconcerned by the Wraith’s appearance, both physical and symbolic. Kari had to bear in mind that as good a fighter as the Wraith was, Emanitar was supposedly the oldest living creature on Mehr’Durillia, one of the strongest kings, and currently sitting within his own realm. After the displays Prince Fesarri had managed in controlling his father’s realm, Kari could only imagine what Emanitar could do on his home soil.
Kari kept waiting for one side or the other to speak, but it felt like a standoff. She rolled her eyes; while she didn’t mind being in charge, she did find it unfair that everything seemed to get left to her these days. It was yet another reason she thought she’d like to have someone like Kris around all the time. She attracted Emanitar’s attention and gestured around to see if his wards were still in effect, and he gave her a single nod.
Finally, she cleared her throat and broke the silence. “Look, we’re all here for the same reasons, or at least really similar ones, so I don’t see the point in staring at each other. If I knew you all were going to have a staring contest, I’d have taken Morduri under the covers and left you to it.”
Emanitar turned his impassive gaze on Morduri, who rubbed a hand up the side of his snout and fought off – unsuccessfully – a nervous laugh. The Wraith roiled in what had to be amusement, and there was a gleam in Seanada’s eye despite maintaining her stone-faced façade.
“So this has all been your doing?” Emanitar asked, turning back to the Wraith.
“Not entirely,” the black shadow replied. “I intended for Lady Vanador to destabilize the area and Sekassus’ rule enough to accomplish her goal, and open other avenues of attack for our people – and yours. She has instead accomplished far more than I had anticipated, though about as much as I had hoped.”
The mallasti king’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Do I know you? You seem oddly familiar.”
“We have never met before, Your Majesty.”
“Not as such, no.” Emanitar waved away his own line of thinking. “I know you have worked extensively with my former kast’wa in the past, and with many of the other kings. I must confess, I typically have little use for mercenaries. What you ask me to do could spell ruin for the plans I already have. Oh, yes, I know you likely think as our off-world ally does, that I have no plans, having fallen into complacency. I assure you I have had plans for some time. This is not my intended path, but if things work out as we would both like, this development may simply accelerate my own plans.”
“Are you willing to invade Sorelizar?”
“Invade? I do not have my standing army with me, nor could I rally them quickly enough to take advantage of the weaknesses you and Kari have exposed. So, no, invade would not be the proper term. I am willing, however, to walk into the lands of my enemies and further rally his people against him, to continue the work Kari began. What concerns me is the involvement of you and yours, for, as I said, I have little use for mercenaries. What exactly is your goal in all this, as leader of the Ashen Fangs?”
Seanada put a hand to the Wraith’s shoulder, but it slid through his incorporeal form. It did attract his attention, though, and he regarded her with those glowing orange eyes before he turned them back to the mallasti king. “We are not mercenaries, Majesty. We act as such where it benefits us, to both see to our goals and cover up the true aim of our society. We are not a guild of mercenaries, spies, and assassins: we are loyalists to your mother. And our goal…is to put you back on the throne as the rightful heir of Mehr’Durillia.”
Emanitar rose from his chair in one quick, fluid motion. “Is this some game?”
“This is no game, Majesty. I only tell you this because I feel I can trust the other three people in the room with us, and because this room is warded against any eavesdropping. If not for this unique circumstance, I would still be but a figment of the shadows, manipulating events to bring about our goal without you ever being the wiser. But you stand at a crossroads, and this decision must ultimately be yours. I cannot put an unwilling king on a throne; as it stands, it will be an incredible undertaking to put you on it even if you are willing.”
“So this goes much deeper than simply annexing a part of Sorelizar, then?”
“Of course, Majesty. Conquering Sorelizar as a whole is a longer-term goal, and only the first small step in reclaiming your birthright. But this was the work of my father, and his father before him. It has ever seemed such a dream more than something attainable, but ever since the first time this woman,” the Wraith said, indicating Kari, “set foot upon this world, I have been curious. Without divulging too many specifics, it is not the first time our paths have crossed. And the fact that she is Salvation’s Dawn cannot be coincidence.”
“Epaxa chi’pri,” Emanitar whispered, looking at Kari. He turned back to the Wraith. “But who are you?”
“I feel it too early to reveal that, Your Majesty, but if you demand it, I will show you.”
“No,” the mallasti said, shaking his head. “No, the mystique is essential to your ability to lead, I am certain. Keep your secret, as much as I feel I do already know you. Tell me of your short-term plans. How much of Sorelizar would I be looking to annex, and how well-defended will it be? As I said, I do not have my armies with me at this time, so if I were to go there and take possession of a land with no fighters, it could be short-lived.”
“Prince Amnastru has one of his father’s legions in and around the town of Yugava,” the shadow answered. “That is the only significant force within reach of the lands you would seek to take in your initial assault. Your strength is well-known to me, Majesty: you would have little trouble destroying even a full legion of Sorelizarian soldiers. However, there should be little need to do so: your presence would only serve to draw them near, while Lady Vanador and the Silent Fang accomplish their surgical strike.”
“The killing of Amnastru,” Morduri interjected at last.
“And The Vandrasse,” Kari added, drawing everyone’s attention. “She’s going to be with Prince Amnastru, I’m pretty sure. If they’re watching the border because they expect an attack, then there may even be other princes with Amnastru. But I have sort of a crazy idea that just may work anyway, because no one will ever expect it. And we don’t even have to wait for King Emanitar to gather his armies for an attack.”
She had everyone’s attention, so Kari utilized her best imitation of Aeligos’ speaking gestures. “We need to get Mastriana back from Kaatherai,” she told the Wraith, but she never got the chance to finish.
“You want Mastriana to be in two places at once?” he interrupted.
“Thanks for stealing my thunder,” she grumbled, drawing chuckles from the others. “But yes: you send the real Mastriana to Gaeshokk with King Emanitar, while I sneak toward Yugava with Seanada. If Mastriana can rally the people of Gaeshokk, Haestronn, and maybe Saovonn, Amnastru will have to turn the legions to the south and west, and try to eliminate her on his own. She’ll be safely with one or both of our kings here, and the shift should expose either Amnastru or The Va
ndrasse to Seanada and I.”
“How do you propose I sneak across the border?” Emanitar asked.
Kari put a hand to her chin. “Well, if you’ll forgive me saying so, Your Majesty, you are…rather plain-looking,” she said, and his brows arched to their limits. “I just mean you look like most of your people. There isn’t some characteristic that makes you stand out, except maybe the way you dress, as opposed to someone like Morduri, who’s the only elestram I’ve ever seen with purple eyes. As far as getting across the border itself, I think you can cross into the farmlands east of Gaeshokk. They might be watching the border that far south, but even if they are, their forces will be thin enough that even someone who wasn’t a king would probably be able to break through.”
“The problem this raises is that I don’t think Mastriana is a fighter, is she?” Kari added as she turned back to the Wraith.
“Hardly,” he answered.
“Even once this is done, she’s going to need to stay close to someone who can protect her. I’d recommend King Emanitar himself, for several reasons. And that’s only after all is said and done. In the meantime, the people are going to expect her to be a fighter. She’s going to have to look the part, if not act it.”
“What do we know of enemy troop movements?” Morduri asked. “Are we going to encounter further legions than just the one Prince Amnastru has with him?”
“No,” the Wraith said with a shake of his head. “They are being kept close to the king after the destruction wrought upon his palace. Further smaller attacks and incidents have been planned for some time going forward to keep the king pinned down in his capital city while we execute our work here in the south.”
Kari considered her many games of chess with King Koursturaux and the lessons she learned from the demoness regarding multi-faceted plans. “Maybe I’m thinking too straightforward,” she said. “Maybe what we should do is all head to Gaeshokk, and from there, send either myself or Mastriana to one of the other towns that haven’t been abandoned. Cause a ruckus in both places, and force Amnastru to split his forces since he won’t know which is the real Mastriana – or I suppose the troublesome one is more accurate.”
