The Huntresses' Game (Eve of Redemption Book 5)

by Joe Jackson

  The fures-rir priestess had to stifle a laugh despite the serious nature of Kari’s words. Kari could well understand it, though. “Well, for one thing, I would highly advise against either calling her a bitch to her face or making good on wanting to hit her,” she chided playfully.

  Kari grumbled. “And that’s to say nothing of this final test to become Avatar.”

  “Take things as they come,” Danilynn said, putting her hand to Kari’s shoulder. “It’s all you can do.”

  The demonhunter nodded, and they began to approach Kyrie’s old home. The sound of children laughing echoed down the nearby streets, and Kari guessed they wanted to be out playing no matter how cool or dreary it was after the previous day’s rains. When the house came into sight, the children were playing ball in the yard, its fruit trees conspicuously absent. And there, in the middle of the pack of laughing, smiling kids was Eli.

  Danilynn’s hand moved up over her heart, and Kari didn’t miss it. The priestess’ hand then dropped to her lower belly. Kari smiled despite her somber mood: if she or Danilynn had any doubts that Eli would make a good father, the scene before them would have crushed any such thoughts. The demonhunter turned her gaze up to the porch, where some kids sat in the rocking swings and chairs along with a couple of caretakers. The caretakers, both terra-rir at first glance, seemed to clearly appreciate Eli’s interest in the children.

  “So this is where he spends all his time?” Kari asked rhetorically. “I figured he had gotten a job working with Jol down at the forge.”

  Danilynn didn’t respond immediately, but turned a confused gaze Kari’s way after a few moments. “At the forge? Eli doesn’t know the first thing about smithing. No, he’s been tending to these kids almost since we arrived here in DarkWind. I thought maybe he wanted to adopt one, but now that we have one of our own on the way, I’m not sure what he’s thinking. Maybe he wants to settle down and work here instead of adventuring.”

  “Well, no sense wondering when we can just go ask,” Kari said with a half-smile. This scene was lightening her mood beautifully, and she thought of her own husband playing with their children in similar fashion. The thought of him not being there to do so nearly blackened her mood again, but she concentrated on what was, and not what would be.

  “Danilynn, Kari!” Eli called when he saw them. He waved them over, but then began looking around at the children. “Sidney! Sidney, come over here for a minute.”

  A young boy came running over and stood beside Eli when Kari and Danilynn reached him. Sidney had the black hair and dull red eyes that suggested serilian-rir, and the black teeth when he smiled confirmed it. The boy looked to be about four or five, just a bit older than Little Gray, and he was dressed in mud-stained black pants and a shirt that seemed to have a boat on it, for what little Kari could see through the dirt. He was too young to have the wing buds yet, but those would come in a few years. A mischievous smile found its way to Kari’s face as she thought of the launderer cursing Eli’s “help” in tending to the children.

  Eli squatted down next to the boy and handed him the ball. “Sidney, this is Miss Danilynn that I told you about, and this is my good friend–”

  “Oh my goodness! You’re Karian Vanador, aren’t you?”

  “Lady Karian,” Eli corrected with a smile.

  “Kari is fine,” the demonhunter said. The boy stared at her wide-eyed for a minute, as did most of the other children, but then Sidney got his wits back about him and said a shy hello to Danilynn. “You thinking of taking a job here, Eli?”

  “Funny you should ask, but the answer is no,” he said, rising to his feet. “Go ahead and play with the others, Sidney, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The children returned to playing, and Eli took a deep breath and faced his mate. “Sidney’s half-corlyps. His mother died near the end of the War, and the temple’s been taking care of him since. Danilynn, I…”

  “You want to adopt him?” the priestess finished when he trailed off.

  “Yea, if that’s all right with you,” he answered, turning back to watch the children play. “It’s just…he has nobody, obviously, and it seems unlikely anyone else is going to up and adopt a half-corlyps…”

  Danilynn hugged Eli without a word, and Kari turned to look at the children. It was a shame to see so many orphans, but that was the cost of war for many, and the Apocalypse had been a war like no other. At the very least, these children had the temple of Kaelariel to take care of them, so they’d be warm, well-fed, and well-educated growing up. It didn’t erase the lack of parents, though, and if not for the fact that Eli and Danilynn were possibly about to adopt one of them, it may have added to the weight on Kari’s heart.

  She’d become a self-imposed orphan, but at least she was fourteen when she ran away from home to escape her father’s abuse. As much of a street rat as she’d become, she was old enough and wily enough to take care of herself. It made her think of Kaelariel, and of the deity growing up with only a single parent, and then how he had been required to learn to take care of himself at a young age just like Kari. It made the picture before her make more sense, and she became so much more appreciative for the efforts of her husband and mother-in-law, working for a temple that met such demands.

  “There’s one other thing, though,” Eli said, breaking Kari free from her introspection. “These people don’t really know me, and I have old ties to the Five Clans. And, not that they’ll say as much, but I’m a half-corlyps, so…they’re a little leery about the sale and adoption, so I was hoping you could vouch for me?”

  Kari blinked. “Sale? What sale?”

  “I told you she wasn’t paying attention,” Danilynn whispered with a chuckle.

  “The fellas that used to work for me at the Satin Palace scraped together enough gold to buy the place from me, so I think it’s high time Danilynn and I moved out of your house,” Eli said. “Much as I appreciate you giving us a place to stay, mind you.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to leave unless you’re ready,” Kari said, waving off his words.

  “Well, that was what we were just discussing. I made the people next door,” – he pointed to the neighboring house – “an offer for their house that they couldn’t turn down, so we’ll be moving in there, and Sidney will be coming to live with us – all assuming you’ll vouch for me. This way, he can have a home of his own but stay close to his friends here at the orphanage.”

  “Why do you need me to vouch for you?”

  Eli half-shrugged. “Like I said, they wouldn’t specifically say so, but I’m a half-corlyps and they don’t know me, so they’re a little nervous about letting me adopt a kid or move next to an orphanage. Danilynn can at least tell them she’s a priestess of Garra Ktarra, but if you told them you know me, it might make all this a bit easier.” Kari narrowed her eyes, and Eli held his hands up. “Easier than what you’re probably thinking right now, anyway.”

  Kari let out a dissatisfied hmph, but her mood quickly changed again. “So you two are going to adopt that little boy? And you said he’s half-corlyps?” Eli and Danilynn both nodded, and the priestess took Eli’s hand in hers and leaned into him. “That’s very kind of you. How did you even meet him?”

  Eli turned and watched Sidney playing with the others. “I walked by the old orphanage a few days after I arrived back here with you the first time,” he related. “There he was, sitting on the steps all by himself while the others played, and I just knew. I don’t think he’s had anywhere near as hard a time of things as I did growing up – Kaelariel’s people see to that well enough, it would seem – but he’s still a bit shy. Started telling him about some of the things I did for the Order and for you, and that being half-corlyps didn’t mean anything where it really matters. I think he took it well.”

  Kari watched the kids playing for a minute and was amazed. She guessed Sidney was a bit older than he looked at first glance. While some of the other children were sitting up on the porch, that seemed more by choice than force, and the ones pla
ying in the yard were all having a good time. If any of them thought less of Sidney on account of his parentage, it didn’t show in their faces. Kari was glad that whatever the general populace might have thought about half-corlypsi, the caretakers didn’t seem to let the kids subscribe to those theories. The children all had one major thing in common: they had all lost their parents, presumably to the War, and that bound them together rather than allowing their differing races to divide them.

  “Have you given any more thought to joining the Order?” Kari asked.

  Eli shook his head. “I did. I’ll work with you when you need me, but being a soldier just isn’t for me,” he answered, which was what Kari had gathered over the previous months. “I sold The Satin Palace for a lot less than I could have, because selling it to people I trusted meant more than the gold. But I have enough to live on comfortably for a long time.”

  “Maybe there’s other ways you can help us,” Kari suggested, and that clearly piqued Eli’s interest. “I know you were never really a member of the Five Clans, but you seem to know your way around information.”

  “What do you need?”

  “Can you see if you can find the link between the Duke’s court and the Blood Order? Eryn can’t tell me anything without betraying her own guild, which I don’t expect her to do, considering it would likely get her killed. But there’s someone from the Blood Order in the Duke’s court, and I want that person exposed. The Duke’s got people spying on my Order, and then his information ends up in the lap of the Blood Order, which I don’t appreciate. I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger, but if you can ask around and get some names, would you do that for me?”

  Eli stroked his chin, red eyes wandering. “I don’t have a lot of contacts here yet, but I can certainly get things started,” he offered. “Anything else specific you’re looking for?”

  “You couldn’t infiltrate the Blood Order itself despite your old ties to the Five Clans, right? Because you and Eryn know each other?” Kari asked, receiving the expected answer. “All right, then, nevermind that. Was there anything you needed from me other than to vouch for you buying the house and making the adoption?”

  Eli glanced at Danilynn, who simply leaned into him again. “No, I think we’re good.”

  Kari smiled. “I’ll see you at supper, then.”

  She waved farewell and headed off to the city center, DarkWind’s busiest trade plaza, where the black tower of the Archmage Gareth Maelstrom stood in vigil. All that remained for the morning’s business was to meet with Amastri. Liria would be heading to the orphanage, but she’d likely go back to the campus when she realized Kari wasn’t there anymore. Kari had a brief wave of anxiousness as she considered the snake-girl walking the streets of DarkWind alone, but she’d been doing so for months without trouble. Kari had to trust that the Duke, and consequently his guards and subjects, understood that there would be hell to pay if anything happened to the syrinthian cadet.

  Kari arrived at the up-class Silver Chalice Inn, Amastri’s home on Citaria and where the half-elf conducted her business. It was quiet and sparsely populated before the lunch hour, and Kari found Amastri at her usual table, reading through a stack of letters. Kari wondered if they were correspondence from King Koursturaux, or possibly even leads from a network of spies. Either way, it wasn’t what Kari was there for, so she approached.

  “Ah, Lady Vanador, please take a seat,” Amastri said without even looking up from the letter she was reading. This close, Kari saw that it was written in some other language, and she could tell that it wasn’t infernal. “What brings you here this morning? Good tidings, I hope?”

  Kari gestured over her shoulder with a thumb. “I’m on my way to the Archmage’s tower after we’re done. I’ll be sending a message to Eliza asking her to take me to Mehr’Durillia next week. Is that going to be suitable for your king?”

  Amastri glanced over the rest of the patrons with a flick of her eyes. “Her Majesty will be quite pleased by your prompt attention to her desires,” the half-elf said, her smile actually reaching her eyes, which was rare. “As I said, you will be met at Anthraxis and escorted safely to Her Majesty’s realm.”

  “But you said it would only take a few days to get there by carriage? It took a lot longer than that to cross Tess’Vorg and Sorelizar; isn’t it a lot farther to Mas’tolinor?” Kari prodded.

  The half-elf smiled again. “Suffice to say that the erestram are not the only great runners of our world. The carriage will not stop for rest until you have reached Maurinoth, and its beasts of burden can maintain a considerable speed even when towing a coach. Your escorts are also likely to be erestram, so that their endurance allows them to deliver you quickly and safely.”

  “I guess that makes more sense. So they’re not horses, then?”

  “Not as you would know them, no,” Amastri answered. “Similar, but of a much hardier stock. Her Majesty uses them for her own transportation between Anthraxis and home.”

  Kari considered that. “She must hate the summer Council session, no? I mean, if her summer palace is much farther north, it must take her some time to get to Anthraxis.”

  “Very perceptive. Usually, she tours her holdings between her summer and winter palaces so that the trip to Anthraxis coincides with her presence near Maurinoth. Are there any other questions you have regarding the journey? And may I inform Her Majesty as to who will accompany you?”

  “It’ll just be me and my daughter,” Kari answered, and she decided to throw her disdain on the table as politely as possible. “Grakin is too ill to make the trip, and having both children would be too much for either of us in this situation.”

  “I understand,” the half-elf said with a nod.

  “As for questions, I was curious if there is something King Koursturaux likes, some small token that I could bring her as a gift?”

  Amastri tiled her head. “As a matter of fact, there is something I was meaning to get for Her Majesty myself, but I will allow you the honor. Have you heard a particular bard who plays here that folk call ‘The Ivory Maestro’?” Kari shook her head; she spent very little time in inns and taverns these days. “He is a pianist, and an astonishingly talented one. He plays one piece in particular that I believe Her Majesty would positively love, and was planning to ask him for a copy of the sheet music. If you were to do so instead and bring it to her, I believe it would set you rather high in her good graces.”

  “She plays piano? That’s interesting; when we went to the Overking’s palace, we–”

  “Doubtless heard Her Majesty playing at some point,” the half-elf finished, and she let out a short chuckle at Kari’s surprised reaction. “She is fond of many of the human classics, but as I am certain you can understand, she gets a bored of them after a thousand years or so. So when a talent like ‘The Ivory Maestro’ comes along and presents a new portfolio of music, she takes quite an interest – through me, of course.”

  Artists, in Kari’s experience, usually guarded their work rather jealously. “And you think he’ll just give me a copy of his sheet music?”

  “Give? Perhaps not. But for the head of the Demonhunter Order, he might be willing to part with some.”

  It was the best thing Kari wouldn’t have even thought of, and seemed easy enough to get. “When can I find this pianist here?”

  “He should be due to play here in two nights. You can check with Mr. Simmons, the innkeeper. But you should be able to find the Maestro before your planned trip.”

  “All right, then, thank you,” Kari said. “I have some work to do, and plenty to get ready for the journey, so if you’ll excuse me.”

  Amastri bowed her head and gave a short, casual wave farewell. Kari stopped only long enough to verify the performer’s schedule before she left the inn. She had to arrange for Eliza to come take her to Mehr’Durillia, let the Council know of her plans and the timeline of them, and then let her family know as well. A peal of thunder rumbled from the east, and Kari grimaced.

/>   “You and me both,” she muttered.

  Chapter III – Departure

  Kari sat in her office, perusing another of Jason Bosimar’s journals. She wasn’t learning anything pertinent to recent events, but she was finding that the more she knew of Jason, the better she understood his decisions and thinking. She certainly wouldn’t have gone about things the way Jason had before the War, but Kari understood two basic principles: firstly, she had the benefit of hindsight, whereas Jason likely didn’t know the Apocalypse was coming. And second, she had what they called outcome bias, where she could judge a decision based on the results it had garnered rather than how risky it may have been at the time.

  The journals were careful to leave out any details that might have pointed to Jason having a relationship or family. Kari and Aeligos had suspected he was hiding something, and after she spoke to Danilynn about it, Kari was all but certain that Jason had courted Jori-an Stromrider, if they weren’t mated. So much about Jason was a mystery, and she wondered what all his other official records might say about his tenure as Avatar. He’d reached the post at a very young age, even younger than the legendary Turik Jalar, and despite being killed in the Apocalypse, he had accomplished a great deal as Zalkar’s champion.

  Kari considered her own impending promotion, should she succeed in the final task her deity had set before her. Was it too late for her to make the sort of differences Turik Jalar and Jason Bosimar had as Avatars? Kari was nearly forty now, and though she still felt fairly young and she was incredibly fit, she knew that Time eventually defeated even the greatest warriors. At the very least, she figured she was helping to tilt the balance in the gods’ favor in their struggles against the demon kings, and even if Kari never went out and personally slew some god-like being when she became Avatar, she’d accomplished something very important.