The Huntresses' Game

by Joe Jackson

  He didn’t answer, so Kari opened her eyes to meet his gaze. “Kari, I know you. No, I don’t think you’re a whore. And I don’t care if you slept with a woman or a man or how many of each. You’re my brother’s wife, one of the best people I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and someone I’d give my left wing to have as a wife if things were different. I love you. And I don’t care what some undead husk thinks of you.”

  “Please don’t talk like that,” Kari said, closing her eyes again.

  “Kari, Eryn knows I’m always going to come back home to her. She knows how I feel about you. It doesn’t bother her that I’m over here helping you this closely. So think about it: you know how I feel about you, and you know how Eryn feels about you. How often are either of us wrong about someone?” Kari smiled, but didn’t answer. That certainly eased her tensions a bit.

  “Get some sleep,” he told her, and she didn’t even hear him approach until he kissed her chastely on the side of the snout. “We’re going to be busy tomorrow.”

  Chapter XI – Trail of Fire and Blood

  Kari woke the next morning, still terribly tired and sore. Aeligos was asleep beside her in the bed, but she could hardly fault him for it. He had done just as much fighting, had braved the inferno to look for survivors, and probably overextended himself too much to stay up all night watching over her. She rose from the bed quietly and didn’t rouse him; she wasn’t sure what time he had finally succumbed to sleep.

  She moved to the window and opened the drapes and then the panes. There were no shouts of terror, no signs of trouble in the immediate area. The streets near the inn were mostly deserted. Kari was certain the city was coming together to assess and fix the damage of the prior night’s attack. It would not be so easy for the Red Mask, who’d lost more than a building or property. More than half a dozen of them had fallen to Annabelle’s assault, and the way she had raised them as thralls was of deep concern to Kari.

  She wondered just how many thralls a single vampire could make, and if that was what manned the fort when she’d seen its walls in her prior life. Were they all vampires? And were all of them under Annabelle’s command? They seemed autonomous, but Kari knew they had to be enslaved to the vampire’s will somehow. It didn’t seem as though Annabelle had to consciously control their actions, but on some level, she did. That could represent an advantage if Annabelle tried to bring too many underlings to bear against Kari: her attention might be too fractured to fight as effectively.

  Kari reached up to scratch the side of her head, and her claws found the remnants of dried blood. She had almost forgotten about the strike to the side of the head she’d taken, another in a long list of reminders that she needed to wear her helmet, no matter how much she hated it. She tucked into the back of her mind the thought that she needed the helmet redone again so it didn’t make her appear horned. Kari turned and glanced at her pillow, and sure enough, it was marked with dried blood where she laid her head. Had Annabelle wanted to kill her, Kari would be waiting for her mate in the realm of the gods instead of the other way around.

  That just raised even more questions. Why hadn’t Annabelle simply killed her? What was this game the former demonhunter was playing at? It reminded Kari a bit of Turillia’s plan to lure Kari to Barcon and kill her there; did Annabelle have a similar idea? What was special about Fort Sabbath that kept the dragon and vampire there, and made them seek to lure others to their doom within the old keep?

  “You’re not still thinking about what she said last night, are you?”

  Kari nearly jumped in shock, and she saw Aeligos was awake and watching her. “No, I’m wondering why they want me to come to Fort Sabbath. Annabelle should’ve killed me last night, but she just clubbed me instead. This isn’t the first time someone’s tried to draw me to a specific place to be killed, so I’m suspicious.”

  “Well, that’ll be something else we can try to figure out while we scout the fort,” he answered, rising from the bed.

  Kari watched him dress, but tried to be somewhat discreet about it. She admired his build, the finely-toned engine that was his body, as capable in bed as it was in a sword fight. She couldn’t imagine much that she wouldn’t sacrifice for her mate to be in such a condition, to not be dying of a dreadful, wasting disease. Kari figured Grakin and Aeligos must have looked like twins at some point, before Dracon’s Bane began to drain the vitality from her husband. The thought of her husband being in the same physical condition as Aeligos left a longing in Kari’s heart, but she pushed it away. There were too many pressing matters before her.

  Once they had their things together, they made their way down to the commons to have some breakfast. Peri was already there waiting for them, and the elf was enjoying a hot meal with a cup of something steamy. She smiled when she saw the two approach, and gestured for them to join her at the table. “Were you able to get any sleep, my friends?” she asked.

  “Enough,” Kari said, but she yawned despite herself. “Better than nothing, I suppose.”

  Aeligos nodded with Kari’s assessment. “How’s the city? Did you take a look before you came here?”

  “There is much work to be done, but the spirit of Solaris has always been one of hard work and perseverance. The people of this city will recover, and thankfully, the death toll was fairly small considering how extensive the damage was. But this cannot be your concern. If you are to hunt this vampire and her dragon, then you must leave the rebuilding to those better suited to that task. And I will aid you with the power of the Earth Mother, as promised.”

  “What exactly do you have in mind?” Kari asked.

  “I can cloak you in the Mother’s shadow,” Peri explained. “You will need to move swiftly, for I believe this particular shroud will last only one week. It will hide you from prying eyes, and allow you to slip past their defenses. Be forewarned, however, that should you move too close to them, the effects of the enchantment will falter. You said you wish to scout their stronghold first, so this power should be sufficient for you. If you plan to attack, know that the Earth Mother’s shroud will not protect you in combat.”

  “No, reconnaissance is our goal for the time being,” Aeligos assured her. “I think we know what we’re dealing with now where Annabelle is concerned. We’re going to need to make sure when Kari fights her, it’s either just the two of them or, hopefully, the two of us against her. If she’s got even just a handful of thralls, she might be too much for us.”

  Kari rubbed the former wound on the side of her head reflexively. It wasn’t bleeding at all anymore; in fact, she couldn’t find the wound itself, just the traces of it dried in her hair. “And I’ll be a lot smarter about things next time,” she promised.

  The innkeeper brought over fresh eggs and ham, and Kari and Aeligos began to eat. It didn’t look like Peri was eating any meat. The elves weren’t vegetarians, but they were specific about how and when they consumed meat. Kari never understood all the particulars, but she knew that eating meat for a casual breakfast would be atypical among the elves. Still, they held their associates and guests to none of the same rigidity, and Peri didn’t seem at all mindful of what her companions were eating.

  “Thanks for your help last night,” Kari said between bites. “I don’t think we’d have had a chance of putting out that fire without some kind of magical aid.”

  “As I said last night, my people consider it an honor to be of service when visiting our neighbors. The luranar have a saying that, while we do not necessarily agree with it, I have always wondered about: there are no coincidences in life. While surely there are, one does have to wonder if the hand of the Earth Mother moves us to places we should be. My presence here coinciding with a fiery attack that required my assistance does seem curious, does it not? It may be that you find your presence here in this place at this time is not simply to do the work of your deity, but to witness his divine influence in some other area. Keep your wits about you and do not overlook anything, Lady Vanador. The ways of the gods
are yet a mystery to us.”

  Kari nodded. “I hope it’s not rude to ask, but your deity…the Earth Mother isn’t the same as the Great Mother of–”

  “No, she is not,” Peri answered before Kari could complete the question. “The goddess of the Mehr’Durillians is not our goddess. Our goddess embodies and encompasses nature and the world around us…and you! She is not a deity that one bends knee to the way your people show their devotion in church or in supplication. She is a part of us, and we a part of her, what you would call a symbiotic relationship of creator and creation. Oh, I do seem to rambling, do I not? I am always pleased to find those who are truly interested in learning about our goddess.”

  Kari smiled, and she and Aeligos finished their breakfasts. Peri accompanied them to the north gate out of the city, and the demonhunter was pleased to see there was no further damage outside of the western district. She wanted to go see it, and lend her aid, but knew the elven druidess was correct: her work was of a different nature, no less important, and it demanded her immediate attention. If she didn’t put a stop to Annabelle and Zaliskower, the damage to Solaris would only be the beginning of something much worse.

  They made their way a short distance up the road. Peri was obviously mindful of using her power in plain sight of the people too often. Away from the gate and into the forests a short distance, the druid beseeched her goddess with a prayer not all that dissimilar to the one that summoned the rain. Kari didn’t feel any different when the elf was done; she didn’t feel a tingling or a surge of power anything like after receiving the czarikk shaman’s blessing on Tsalbrin. When she looked to her left, however, Aeligos practically blended into the forest around them. The way he was looking back at her suggested it was the same for Kari.

  “Blessings of the Earth Mother be upon you, wherever you are,” the elf teased, a rare bit of humor from the normally rigid people. “Go and scout your enemies. Gather your strength, and bring victory to your people and honor to your gods. Should you need the aid of my people, Lady Vanador, know that you only ever need ask, and the Queen will be happy to assist you.”

  “We’ll keep that in mind, we may need it,” Kari said. “If I could trouble you for one last favor, are you able to send messages across distances?” The druidess nodded. “Could you send word to my husband, Grakin? He is staying at the Ranger’s Respite in the city of Flora. If you could just let him know we are on the way to scout out the enemy, and we’re both fine, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “Consider it done. Now, off with you! The enchantment will not last beyond six days from now, so be fleet of foot and complete your reconnaissance before then.”

  “Farewell,” Kari said, echoed by Aeligos, and the two turned and made their way deeper into the forests, staying off the road but following its general path toward the city of Jade.

  Kari paused after a couple of minutes and closed her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Aeligos asked, but she ignored him.

  She took in a deep breath through her nose, pulling in the scent of the rain-moistened earth, the mix of pine and deciduous trees, the undertones of decay among the fallen leaves and needles. She smelled the early spring berries, listened to the songs of the birds calling to or for a mate, heard the distant sound of a deer treading through the underbrush. All around her were the smells and sounds of nature – of the Earth Mother, as Peri would no doubt correct her – and they opened the floodgates.

  Memories of her past life crashed into her consciousness like a wave. There were shards of her abuse in there, but they were crushed into fine particles, like sand borne on the surf. This land had been her home for years, and after treading its roads and paths for all that time, learning from the elves to see the land for more than what it appeared to be, she felt like a part of it. It was the same feeling she’d gotten when she’d fire danced with the czarikk for the first time on Tsalbrin. She wasn’t just a single life existing on the world, but part of it and, more specifically, a defender of it. This was her world, her land, her home.

  “Everything all right?” Aeligos asked when she opened her eyes again.

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “Come.”

  She led her brother-in-law unerringly through the vast wilderness, no longer concerned with where the road lay. Her instincts and the small, telltale signs of the forest around them let her know where they were headed, and kept them on the proper course. Aeligos was amazed with her tracking and navigation, and made no secret of it. Kari felt like one of the elven rangers she had befriended and learned from in that past life: like she was part of the forest, and it was not such the strange and mysterious place it normally seemed.

  They traveled for a few days until Kari turned them eastward for a while. “I want to see if the city of Jade was attacked at all,” she explained.

  “I wondered if it was wise to have Eugene start to muster the Red Mask anywhere near the fort. If Annabelle and Zaliskower think the Red Mask are going to marshal in Jade…,” the rogue mused. “It could turn out that they attack the city, and a lot of innocent people get hurt to cover our movements.”

  Kari shook her head. “I don’t think they’ll do that. The attack on Solaris was to flush me out, but if they attack Jade to get at the Red Mask, they’re going to want to cause as many deaths as they can. They’ll wait until the Red Mask is gathered before they attack, and hopefully, by the time they realize they’ve been duped, we’ll be attacking their home.”

  “Timing is going to be everything.”

  “It always is,” Kari agreed.

  They reached the edges of the city after sundown, and there were no immediate signs of damage. Jade was a trapping and logging town that had grown into a city as more services were required and more people moved in. With a name that played on the evergreen trees of these northern forests, it still felt nestled among the woodlands despite its urban nature. It was smaller in the days of Kari’s past life, now boasting a sizeable wall and defensive fortifications, though the gates were still welcomingly left open. Kari had to imagine the troubles with Annabelle and Zaliskower over the centuries, not to mention the gnolls, rogue brys, and whatever else led to the city becoming more fortified.

  While tempted to stay in the city overnight and enjoy a bath and a hot meal, Kari opted against entering at all. Annabelle and Zaliskower clearly had eyes and ears in some or all of the major cities if they’d become aware of Kari’s presence and intent so quickly. Even if the city had shown signs of attack, Kari wasn’t sure it would be wise to go announce her location to her enemies. They already knew she was coming, but not how or when, and it was likely they expected Kari to simply raise an attack force and siege their fort. And even if they suspected she was coming to scout them out first, the elven druidess’ blessing would hopefully keep her and Aeligos safe.

  They returned to the deeper woods without attracting any attention or approaching the city. Kari trusted that if her plans or tactics were flawed, Aeligos would let her know. As much as she’d been against anyone accompanying her, she was glad for his help. He was a lot more intelligent than she was, and also just presented an outside point of view on things. If Kari was working alone, she may have missed out on opportunities thus far, or even been overwhelmed in the Red Mask guildhall a few nights ago.

  The cemetery was in a cleared area of the woods to the west of the city, and Kari made to skirt it, but something caught her eye. She nudged Aeligos and gestured toward some activity in the deeper region of the graveyard, and he made a sound deep in his throat, low but threatening.

  “Necromancers,” he whispered, getting a hold of his emotions.

  Kari remembered the tale of the family’s battle with necromancers and their animated zombies during the hunt for the Tilcimer. It was possible these were just common grave robbers, but either way, Kari planned to put a stop to them. She gestured for Aeligos to go around to the west while she crept to the east. He was able to disappear into the shadows of the forest, while Kari used the tombs and s
epulchers to keep herself out of sight.

  Drawing closer, it was clearly a necromancer, accompanied by one shambling corpse already. What the hell is going on here on Terrassia? Kari wondered. It seemed too strange for there to be problems with Annabelle and Zaliskower, necromancers, political uprising in Aurun Ch’Gurra, gnoll attacks in the north, and who knew what else all at the same time. She briefly recalled Peri’s mention of the luranar proverb about coincidences. Was there something greater going on that nobody had made the connection to yet?

  The necromancer, a shaven-headed human, made his way to one of the crypts and began to fiddle with its lock. Kari crept closer, but couldn’t see Aeligos across the way. She realized she wouldn’t be able to see him at all with the blessing they were under, and trusted he would wait for her to make the first move. She slid her scimitars silently from their sheaths, less concerned about being seen when she considered she couldn’t spot Aeligos. The human was intent on the lock, and had no idea his death was approaching. Kari would kill him first, and if that didn’t sever the force animating the corpse beside him, then she would dispatch that as well.

  There was a sudden cold to the air, and Kari looked around quickly in a near-panic. It was similar to the cold emanations of the demon she’d fought in Barcon. Was the necromancer possessed? If that was the case, she needed to…

  A black mass erupted from the door of the crypt, and the human fell to his rump and then scrambled backwards from it. His zombie servant moved to intercept the inky cloud that gave chase, but the cloud passed through the undead creature. With his mobility limited, the man couldn’t get away from the pursuing, roiling mass, and once it was upon him, it took a vaguely human shape.

  Not a demon, a wraith, Kari thought. She remembered the description well from the stories Eli and the undead-hunting priests, Deirdre and Piotyr, had traded when they’d all met in Barcon. She couldn’t help but think of the elestram assassin that used the moniker as his own name, and wondered if he was even half as terrifying as the creature before her.