by Joe Jackson
“With my life, if necessary,” Seanada answered. “I am sworn to protect her at all costs.”
“And what can you tell us about the Ashen Fangs?”
“I will tell you nothing.”
There was a tense silence, but Kari made a gesture to let that matter drop.
“So, your stay with King Koursturaux was productive?” Master Bennet asked, turning everyone’s attention back to Kari.
“I’d say downright pleasant, with the exception of a few minutes of hot tempers,” Kari answered. “She has an offer for us, one I’ll let you consider and consult with Zalkar about. I assume the answer is going to be No, but it’s at least an intriguing offer. King Koursturaux has offered that, should we help her attain the keys and enter the Temple of Archons, she will put an end to any and all attacks upon our world from Mehr’Durillia, her peers, or even from herself.”
“I should say the answer will be No,” Master Perez muttered, drawing a chuckle from Master Arinotte.
“It does beg the question of what’s in that Temple,” Kari returned. “She knows, but how did she find out? How can none of our gods know what is in there and yet a demon king does?”
“Remember that she is older than your gods,” Seanada commented quietly.
“Hmm, that is a valid point,” Master van Holtzer agreed.
“I did think of something about the Temple, though,” Kari said. She wondered briefly if it was wise to be discussing it in front of Seanada, but she figured if she was supposed to trust the half-succubus at all, she had to be able to trust her becoming privy to some of these things. “Lord Kaelin Black told me that Seril hated whatever was in the Temple with every fiber of her being. Seril – or Chiylija – was a goddess, so I don’t think the Temple holds the means to become a god like we thought. I think it must be something else, something that was much more personal to her and Gori Sensullu both.”
“Young lady, you said that you followed Lady Vanador and her friends to the Isle of Morikk; did you look at the Temple at all while you were there?” Master Bennet asked, and Seanada nodded. “Were you able to make any sense of it? Did the writing seem familiar?”
“Not at all,” Seanada answered. “And I do not understand the tenets of your theology well enough to speculate on its purpose.”
Kari raised a brow at that, and saw that she wasn’t the only one. Seanada was clearly well-educated, especially for having been raised by a mallasti family out in the countryside. There was a lot more to this girl than just being an assassin and a rebel, and Kari had to wonder if the same had been true of Turillia. Turillia had turned out rotten for whatever reason, but in Seanada, Kari saw a more refined, less volatile, and possibly more intelligent version of Turillia. She wondered if it would turn out that Seanada was anywhere near as intelligent as Sonja or Aeligos.
“There was one other thing I wanted to mention to you,” Kari told the Council. “I was able to speak with King Koursturaux at length about her relationship with Seril. I told her what we’d found in the journals, and she didn’t seem offended or secretive about it at all. She told me that they weren’t related, but that Seril had taken King Koursturaux’ last name to honor her – which, she also mentioned, didn’t do any such thing.”
“Was King Koursturaux involved in the Devil Queen’s attacks upon our people at all?” Master Goldberg asked, dipping a quill into his inkwell.
“Not according to her, no. She could certainly have been lying, but after spending a week with her, I’m pretty sure I have a good feel for King Koursturaux. She’s crafty, and a lot smarter than I am, but she strikes me as someone powerful enough that she doesn’t have to lie. She told me that she never aided Seril, and in fact she advised against Seril attacking our world just about every time she did.”
A thought struck Kari, though, as she recalled one of the things she had spoken to the demon king about. Koursturaux had mentioned that Seril often housed her soldiers in a largely uninhabited part of her realm. Could that be where Kaelariel is sending the serilis-rir who don’t want to live with the rest of us? Kari wondered.
“King Koursturaux had little issue with criticizing Seril’s tactics,” Kari continued. “She said if she tried to invade Citaria, it wouldn’t be by force or…what was the word she used?”
“Attrition,” Seanada offered.
“Yes, attrition. She said if she wanted to conquer Citaria, she would have started by turning all of our different races, nations, and religions on each other. And, frankly, I thought that was pretty brilliant. She said Seril’s mistake was making everyone her enemy, and that that was what made us unify, and that’s why we were able to beat her consistently.”
“So, you believe King Koursturaux may be coming at our world from a different angle, then?” Master van Holtzer asked.
“I’m not certain. She taught me very quickly in chess that she’s always thinking several moves ahead. She made us this offer regarding the Temple, but I think that’s only one of many plans she has. If that one fails, there’ll be others, for sure.”
“Well, we will have plenty of time to discuss these matters in the days to come,” Master Bennet said. “You should go home and see to your family, relax, perhaps get this young lady acquainted with your household if you plan to take her there. We will speak more tomorrow.”
“Maybe,” Kari said, surprising the priests. “Masters, I’m being called to go take care of Annabelle on Terrassia; that’s to be my final test for our lord. I’m going to find the first ship heading to Terrassia or at least Sarchelete and make my way there as soon as possible.”
“So soon?”
“I may take some of my family with me, at least to Flora. They can stay there while I work, and then I can spend time with Grakin on the way. But I know exactly what Zalkar wants now, and I’m going to see to it.”
“Very well. Keep us informed,” Master Bennet said. “Good day.”
“By your leave, Masters,” Kari said with a salute, and she gestured for Seanada to follow her back out. They left the temple and Kari began leading the half-syrinthian across the campus. “I should go secure passage on a ship, but I want to see if my mate and children want to come with me as far as…Flora.” She wasn’t sure why she hesitated to mention Salkorum to Seanada, as though the assassin would have any idea what it was or who was there.
“You have a syrinthian among your Order,” Seanada said, looking across the square to the training form of Liria again. “How did this come to pass?”
“Let’s just say Se’sasha has had quite an influence on your people that came here.”
“They are not my people, Lady Vanador.”
She couldn’t help but stop and meet Seanada’s eyes at that comment. “You don’t consider yourself a syrinthian?”
“I am an abomination,” the assassin returned. “You call the serilian-rir half-demons, but I am half-demon, Lady Vanador. I was fortunate to be taken in by a family, but I belong to no people, and no people will ever fully accept or trust me. Not even you or yours. There is no need to deny it or apologize; it is something I have long since come to terms with, and honestly, care little about. My sense of duty supersedes your feelings.”
Kari touched Seanada’s shoulder in an attempt at a comforting gesture. The assassin regarded Kari’s hand briefly and met her eyes, but didn’t smile or say anything. They walked on in silence to Kari’s home, the half-succubus drawing many of the same skeptical or outright fearful gazes that Liria often did. It suddenly occurred to Kari that Seanada’s appearance might have more than this typical effect on two people in particular – Eli and Damansha.
It would be tricky to introduce the two of them to the assassin, though Kari wasn’t sure Damansha would even remember what Turillia looked like. Eli was usually pretty level-headed too, so it was unlikely he’d do anything rash. Still, Seanada’s appearance might reopen those wounds from their dealings with Turillia. It left Kari to wonder what Seanada’s reaction might be to others acting threatening toward her.
She didn’t seem to care what people said or how they treated her verbally; would the same hold true if someone made a threatening move toward her?
Kari hoped everyone would be smarter than that. If anything, the fact that Seanada might be as deadly – or more so – than Turillia would likely keep any foolishness in check.
Soon, they reached Kari’s estate, and many more sets of eyes watched the pair walk up the road to the house. There were waves and respectful nods to Kari, which she returned, but no one graced Seanada with the same courtesy, and she didn’t seem inclined to do so either. When they reached the house, Seanada stopped and looked around, then gazed at Kari expectantly.
Kari hesitated, but then said, “Welcome to my home, Seanada. You may enter freely.”
The half-succubus strode forward with Kari, who was soon met and wrapped up in hugs by Grakin and Little Gray. She clung to them tightly, taking Little Gray in her arms and sitting him on her hip. Grakin didn’t ask intrusive questions or pester her about business, he just used touches and kisses to welcome her home and let her know how much he’d missed her. Little Gray was just as insistent in hugging her, and Kari basked in their love for a couple of minutes. It occurred to her suddenly to look and see what Seanada’s reaction was, but the half-succubus looked as impassive as usual.
Erik and most of his siblings came out of the house after giving Kari and Grakin a few minutes for their reunion. Everyone was there except for Serenjols and Damansha, who were most likely working, and Corbanis, who didn’t live at the house. Every set of eyes was upon Seanada, wide and questioning, especially Eli’s, though he didn’t make any move toward her as Kari feared.
“Everyone, this is Seanada Te’Montasi,” Kari introduced her, and the half-succubus gave that crossed-wrist gesture and bowed her head graciously toward the gathering. “Turillia was her twin sister. Now, I know you all have questions, but it’s a long story, one I’ll go over with you during dinner. But I’ll sum it up for you now by saying that Seanada is sworn to protect me and my family from the demon kings, and–”
“From any threats,” the assassin interrupted.
Kari glanced at her, then back to her family. “So, we have another bodyguard that’s going to be staying with us a for a while, sort of like…” Kari looked at her son. “Sort of like the Fuzzy Man, except we can all see Seanada.”
“Snaky lady!” Little Gray greeted Seanada.
“No, no, Little Gray! This is Seanada,” Kari corrected. “Can you say Shen-AH-duh?”
“Snaky lady!”
There it was: the slightest trace of humor and a suppressed smile on the assassin’s face. Did anyone else see it? Kari wondered.
“Welcome home, darling,” Kyrie said, wrapping Kari in a tight hug. She whispered in her daughter-in-law’s ear, “Are you certain this is wise?”
“There’s a lot we need to go over,” Kari said, casting an apologetic look Grakin’s way. “Let me feed the baby, and then we can have dinner, and I’ll tell you all what you want to know, if not what you want to hear.”
Everyone started to head inside, but Kari took Grakin’s arm and kept him outside with Seanada and the children. “You know I have another hunt to take care of,” she told him quietly, as if low volume might soften the blow. Grakin sighed, but merely nodded, avoiding her eyes. “Grakin, I want you and the children to come with me, at least as far as…” She glanced at the half-succubus again and mentally shrugged. “At least as far as Salkorum, or all the way to Flora if you prefer. You can’t come with me during the hunt itself, but we can have a few weeks together on the way there and back. And then I’ll make time to spend home with you and the children when I’m done. I promise you.”
“That seems unlikely if you reach the rank of Avatar,” he said, but there was the hint of a smile on his features. “The children may be a lot to manage on a sea voyage, but I think you are correct. We should not waste a moment that we have.”
Kari cupped the side of his face. “You could’ve come to Mas’tolinor with me. It was a pleasant stay, all things considered. And King Koursturaux had a grand ball the last night; she had hoped you’d be with me for it. Gods, I wish we’d known. It was a pretty amazing place, even considering it was home to a demon king. And you should see the dress she gifted me.”
Grakin took her hand and led her inside the house, with Little Gray and Seanada in their wake. Kari sat near the fireplace and took Uldriana in her lap to nurse. Seanada looked around at the home’s layout, and then she leaned against the fireplace mantle with her arms folded across her chest. She spent a good deal of time studying each of the people in Kari’s home, and had no issues meeting Eli’s stare whenever she noticed it.
Kyrie started preparing supper, and it seemed to Kari as if her mother-in-law needed an inordinate amount of help. She wasn’t sure if Kyrie was just trying to get people to stop sitting and staring at Seanada, or if her mother-in-law was passing comments back and forth. Either way, it didn’t seem to bother Seanada, which was apparently the case for nearly everything. With most of the family dodging this way and that running quick tasks for Kyrie, Seanada appeared to relax, exchanging stares only with Typhonix, who was taking a great interest in the half-succubus.
Seanada, by contrast, seemed to be taking the most interest in Kari nursing Uldriana. The demonhunter supposed it might have something to do with her daughter bearing a mallasti name. It was just as likely the half-syrinthian had been raised among a family with many generations living in one domicile, as seemed common to the hyena-folk. Depending on how many mothers were in Seanada’s family and possibly neighborhood, she no doubt saw quite a lot of nursing. Kari wondered if any part of the woman desired a family of her own, or if being an assassin in service to the Ashen Fangs was pretty much the entirety of her life.
Questions for another time, Kari thought.
As if to punctuate her thoughts, there was a knock at the door. Ty rolled over and opened it, and he wheeled back to let Se’sasha enter the house. The syrinthian priestess wiped her feet once she was in the door, and she approached Kari. “Sister, I have heard…,” she began, but she stopped when she suddenly noticed Seanada leaning against the wall beside the hearth. “By the word, it is true!”
Seanada stared at the priestess with that same unwavering, impassive gaze. “Seanada, this is Se’sasha Solaristis, high priestess of the syrinthian people,” Kari explained, but she turned back to Se’sasha. “How did you find out so fast?”
“My people saw her on your Order’s campus, and alerted me. I thought you would bring her here if you were leaving the campus, so I followed.” The syrinthian priestess turned back to the assassin. “What brings you here, sister?”
That clearly caught Seanada by surprise, a shock that she didn’t bother trying to mask. “I am not your sister, Lady; I am but an abomination sworn to protect Lady Vanador and her family from any and all threats, including the kings of Mehr’Durillia.”
“You are a child of Ashakku, just as I am…”
“No, I am not.”
“…and just as Lady Vanador has become.” Seanada’s golden eyes fixed upon Kari, that shock still not having dissipated. Se’sasha finished, “And you are not an abomination. You are a child of free will, with a destiny of your own to seek. And you have taken a positive step by protecting my sister.”
“Your people will not accept me any more than hers will,” the assassin said with a gesture toward Kari.
“Worry not about the approval of the people. Find your approval in Ashakku, and in him you will find the love and honor of our people.”
Kari watched the two women staring at each other, and she wondered if those kind words might be all it took to turn someone’s life around. It seemed such an easy offer, yet Kari knew Sakkrass-Ashakku: she knew that he wouldn’t turn away those who sought him honestly and earnestly. Even his shaman among the tribe on Tsalbrin, who had insulted and misrepresented the deity in error, had been welcomed back with a simple apology. He was a very forgiv
ing deity, and as far as traits went that was always an attractive one – much like Zalkar’s tenet of loving justice but showing mercy.
“Thank you for your kind words,” Seanada said, though she offered no actual reply to Se’sasha’s offer.
“I should like to speak with you further when time permits,” Se’sasha requested, being answered by a simple nod.
“Dinner is ready,” Kyrie said, approaching. “Good evening, Se’sasha. Would you like to stay for supper?”
“If it is no trouble, I would be delighted,” the syrinthian priestess said.
The family gathered around the table, making room for everyone. After a good deal of coaxing, Kari finally got Seanada to sit beside her and take a plate of food. The assassin seemed quite self-conscious as she began to eat, and that was only multiplied when everyone else waited to say a prayer first.
“I have already disgraced your table,” Seanada said in exasperation. She started to rise.
“Sit. It’s not an issue,” Kari assured her. She gestured for the woman to continue eating.
Once everyone had started on their meals, Kari spoke. “As I mentioned before I went to Mehr’Durillia, I’m being tested to become Avatar of Vengeance. I’ll be heading to Terrassia to see to it, and Grakin and the children are going to come with me at least as far as Salkorum, if not Flora. The rest of you, though, are going to remain here. This is something I have to take care of myself.” She saw peoples’ eyes wandering to Seanada, and cut off their line of thought. “Seanada will be going with us, but staying with Grakin and the children wherever they go.”
“If that is what you wish,” Seanada said.
“I’m going with you,” Aeligos said.
Kari sighed. “Aeligos, I–”
“I’m not taking no for an answer,” he interrupted. “I know you have Erik and our father busy, and you won’t want Jol or Eli to come while their ladies are expecting, but you’ll want to bring someone who can get information from sources that won’t talk to you. I’ll help you find out where to go and what you’re doing. If you want to duel your old friend alone, I’ll honor that, but sorry, Kari, I’m not letting you go over there blind. And I don’t think that’s what Zalkar wants or expects, anyway.”
