by Joe Jackson
It was because she still felt as though she’d missed the opportunity to court Kris Jir’tana, she realized. There was no denying she had feelings for him: the way her emotions had gotten the better of her over what was honestly just an obnoxious comment made that quite clear. Kari was still dealing with whether or not she regretted not sleeping with Kris during the War. She huddled into the corner of her bed as a knock sounded at her door, and she closed her eyes. On top of everything else, now she felt embarrassed by how easily Ty had made her cry.
Memories of her past life crept up on her and the trapped feeling intensified. The knock came again more insistently and Sonja asked to be allowed in, but Kari ignored her, lost in a fog of pain. She ignored a third and fourth knock and plea from her friend, and in the ensuing silence Kari could clearly hear her heartbeat. For all the haziness of her distant past, there was one facet that started to become clear: men would hurt her, and then she would walk away, alone. Her separation from Kris Jir’tana at the end of the war had continued the cycle, and her brief encounter with Aaron in Barcon had done so as well, if in the opposite sense.
After several long moments of silence, Kari heard the sound of Sonja’s footsteps receding down the hallway, and tears flowed freely from her eyes. It pained her to push Sonja away, as Sonja had been the closest thing to a real friend Kari had made since her return. While she had plenty of friends among the Thirty-Fifth Light Division during the War, they had been temporary: passing acquaintances in a time of common trouble. Sonja was more what she would consider a true friend: someone who, given more time, would more than likely become as a sister to her. Shrouded as she was in pain, Kari knew that she would have to apologize to her friend, but not until after she sorted through her emotions.
She worked to steady her breathing as she lay down and closed her eyes again. What bothered her so much about Typhonix’ obnoxious comment was that it reminded her she was still alone. In her prior life, she had pushed people away because she knew her days were numbered: that the disease that was slowly draining the life from her was too much to bear and that she didn’t want anyone else to suffer with her. Once again she found herself in a similar situation, though not of her choosing: she was alone because the life she had chosen didn’t allow her any personal consideration. And what she had lost was not just a handsome man, but a great general and, not the least of all, the son of a deity.
Kari’s thoughts wandered briefly to her sisters, and she wondered if either of them had ever found the peace in life that had evaded her. The last time she had seen either of them was on a trip through Flora, the city where she’d been born and raised, sometime after her twenty-second birthday by her reckoning. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she recalled the incident: her sister Beth-Ann recognized her in the market square and was so excited to see her again, and had called to their mother to come see the daughter who’d run away some eight years before. But Kari had told them they were mistaken, that their sister and daughter had died eight years earlier, and that she wanted nothing to do with them.
That had been the end of it: her travels never took her back through the city of her birth, and she had never seen or heard from her family again. She wondered briefly why that was so important to her, but her past life was still shrouded in that mental fog. Large portions of her past were shrouded so that she couldn't properly recall them; it had been that way since she'd been returned. On the other hand, she was able to recall how she’d found a new family twice: once with a handsome king, another time with her best friend. Her breast heaved with the memories, and a deep breath got stuck for a moment before it came out in a rush, and Kari moaned softly as her entire body relaxed. The memories faded quietly but left her with a feeling of peace, and after a few minutes she dozed off.
Kari dreamed lightly of her training under King Suler Tumureldi, the only male to ever sit on the throne in Aurun Ch’Gurra, capital of the shakna-rir empire on Terrassia. Kari had gone to the shakna-rir capital to inquire about attacks upon the city and whether any sort of demons were behind it, and the king took an instant liking to her for some reason she didn’t understand at the time. He took her under his wing and taught her an intricate, intense fighting style that he’d created and mastered. The people called him the Emerald Scorpion, a nickname based upon his green shakna-rir skin and because his blades struck at seemingly impossible angles and as blindingly quick as a scorpion’s sting. It had been one of the best times in her life and, as she dreamed of him, she remembered the first night he had come to her bedchamber – and the feel of his breath against her neck as he kissed her for the first time.
Kari awoke with a start as a knock came at the door, and she stopped herself from telling Sonja to go away, afraid of being as rude as Typhonix. Kari rose, wiped her face clear of the tear tracks streaking her snout, and moved to the door. She took a deep breath to make sure her emotions were still in check, but she was surprised when she opened the door and found Eryn standing there. The shorter woman was leaning against the frame and looked up when the door opened. She held up a large bottle of tequila and said, “You look like you could use a friend, so I brought you one. But you have to let me chaperone you.” She nodded up toward the deck, and Kari laughed despite herself and fell into step behind the half-brys woman.
The two sat on a bench beside the door to the captain’s quarters, and Kari looked at the portal warily. “They already left,” Eryn assured her. “I think the boys all went down below to sleep.” She patted Kari’s shoulder but seemed unaccustomed to comforting others. “Don’t worry about what that meathead said. It’s just nature’s way of making sure he never breeds.”
Kari laughed and put a hand over the end of her snout. She took a long swig from the liquor bottle and grimaced after she swallowed the burning liquid. She gazed briefly at the bottle before giving the shorter woman an apologetic look. “This stuff is terrible,” she said.
“That’s because I finished it already and then pissed in the bottle to refill it,” the half-brys woman said dryly. Kari stared at her for a few moments before she broke into laughter once more, and as Eryn joined her, they were both joined in their mirth by Jori-an in the boatswain’s nest. Kari and Eryn turned their gazes toward the normally silent, vigilant rir female, and Eryn asked, “Don’t you ever sleep?”
“Tenth hour until first light,” the first mate said but added nothing more, and a neutral expression returned to her face.
“What time is it now?” the half-brys woman asked.
“Nearly half-past nine,” the rir female said. “I would appreciate you being off the deck before I retire for the night. The deck and the passengers are my responsibility, and I prefer to sleep without worrying about either.”
“Fair enough,” Kari said. “Where are you from?”
Jori-an shrugged. “All over,” she said cryptically. She remained silent for a few moments before she sprang down from the platform, hurried to the port side, and then practically ran up the rigging to the crow’s nest higher up. Kari and Eryn watched her move, amazed at the fluidity and sureness of her steps while running up what amounted to a rope ladder, and when Kari looked at Eryn, the two shared an appreciative nod. Kari wasn't sure if Jori-an actually needed to go up to the crow’s nest or was just dodging personal questions, but since Kari didn’t like personal questions herself, she didn’t give it too much thought.
Kari and Eryn each took another long swig from the bottle. Kari was at a loss as to the look she was getting from the half-brys woman. She guessed that Eryn was trying to figure her out, just as she was doing in return, each gauging how much they could trust the other. Kari wondered how long Eryn had been with Aeligos, how long she had been traveling with the Tesconis siblings, and exactly why she had chosen to go along on their dangerous mission. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that the half-brys woman couldn’t be a war veteran – after all, the half-brys were undoubtedly the best archers among the mortal races – but rather she wondered why Eryn was there if
the mission was a secret.
Kari soon came to the obvious conclusion: for her to have the surname Olgaryn, Eryn’s father must have been Olgaryn, the lord of the Five Clans and second-in-command among the brys. There was little doubt that the half-brys woman was likewise an assassin, and Kari considered it was likely her mission was to assassinate Braxus Gaswell. While in the end it had little bearing on Kari’s own mission to Tsalbrin, it meant the civil portion of the entire affair might be ended without a blade being raised in combat. If anything, it would at least be efficient.
“How long have you and Aeligos been together?” Kari asked at last, wanting to change both her line of thinking and the silent subject between her and the shorter woman.
“We’re not together,” Eryn muttered, and she took another draw from the bottle. She started to elaborate but stopped, sighed, and took another sip before handing the bottle back to Kari. “If you’ll excuse me being blunt, I’m good in bed, so he stays around. But it doesn’t stop him from letting me know how he feels about my father, my allegiances, or what exactly I do for a living. In short, I’m good enough to fool around with, but not to marry.”
Kari sipped the liquor and chuckled silently as she saw the bottle was already nearly half gone. “Why don’t you just stop sleeping with him, then?”
Eryn sighed. “Because I love him,” she said. “Against my better judgment. I’d have been better off falling in love with a paladin.”
That drew a laugh from Kari, but her companion joined her. “Doesn’t anyone just have normal relationships?” Kari asked.
The half-brys woman fixed her with a curious look. “Do you think you could find five people who agree on what’s normal?” She looked up briefly as she saw Jori-an gliding down the rigging with her unnatural grace, and the assassin nudged her friend. “We’d better get below decks before we get yelled at.”
Kari nodded and the two women headed down to their cabins, where they shared one last sip of the potent liquor before they bid each other goodnight and entered their quarters. Kari closed and latched her door behind her, and she brought up the flame of her lamp before she undressed. She stretched out on the bed and picked up the books Sonja had given her. Stifling a yawn, she glanced at their titles: The Lord of Demons; Sole King of the Matriarchy; Incineration: A Mage’s Mistake; and The Ascension of Saint Bakhor.
She placed the extra books in her footlocker, and she settled back into the soft bedding with Sole King of the Matriarchy in hand. She found it odd that she’d dreamed about Suler Tumureldi only to find a book about him among those Sonja had given her, and she scratched her head absently as she thought about it. Shrugging, she opened the well-kept tome to the first page to find it was written in the rir language, and she began to read.
*~*~*~*
The first week of the voyage passed sleepily and predictably. Kari spent her days either reading or being lulled to sleep by the ship’s gentle rocking, took her evening meals with the captain – and consequently Typhonix, though he behaved himself at dinner after the first night – and the later evenings were spent drinking with Eryn on a bench up on deck. Kari made sure to apologize to Sonja for the way she’d reacted to the larger woman’s attempts to comfort her, but Sonja had simply waved the incident away with a smile and hugged her. It served to ease Kari’s spirit during what was a boring week, though the tedium was no worse than the trip to Sarchelete with the merchant caravan, and much better than any of her time served during the War. Eryn wasn’t overly chatty about her past, just as Sonja had said, but she was pleasant enough to make small talk with, and Kari was surprised to find that Eryn had a good sense of humor, however wicked and blunt it could be.
As the second week of the journey unfolded, Kari ascended to the deck one morning to behold a sparring exercise between the Tesconis brothers. It was unusual to see anyone but the officers on the quarterdeck during the day, but the siblings had apparently obtained permission to use the open area for training during the voyage. Grakin and Sonja sat on the bench that Kari and Eryn normally shared during the evenings, and their three larger brothers formed a loose triangle with Aeligos at its center. Aeligos was telling them something about keeping their guard up, but was getting frustrated by Typhonix’ constant interruptions.
“Listen, you stupid ox, if you’re not going to pay attention, go read your history books and find out what happens to idiots who never listen,” Aeligos said at last.
Typhonix took a swing at his shorter brother, but Aeligos bent smoothly at the hip to dodge the blow. He lightly hooked Ty’s arm as it sailed by, and he dropped to his rear, wrapping his legs around one of Ty’s. Aeligos caught Ty’s foot in his armpit and soon brought the larger warrior down to the ground, and Kari could see the contortion Aeligos was putting on his brother’s leg. Ty tried to reach up and punch his brother while locked in the hold, but there was an audible pop, and Ty fell to his back.
“Damnit!” Typhonix yelled, gritting his teeth. “Let me go, you slippery little bastard.”
Aeligos released Ty’s leg but quickly rolled over backwards to come up on his feet in a defensive stance. Typhonix rose but didn’t lunge for him; the blonde was limping gingerly on his injured leg. “Speed will beat strength every time, Ty,” Aeligos said.
“And try not to get baited so easily,” Erik commented dryly. Serenjols snickered.
Kari marveled at how quickly and precisely the young man moved. She realized her error in judgment: he had the legs of a dancer because he was a wrestler or other unarmed combatant. She looked Aeligos over and realized that he and Eryn had more in common than she had thought. If he was the group’s spy and infiltrator, then he likely applied similar skills as the assassin – though by the looks of his submission-based fighting style, he didn’t have to kill everyone in his way.
“Where did you learn that?” Kari asked Aeligos as he approached and took a drink of the water his sister was holding.
He took a few sips before facing Kari squarely and putting his hands on his hips. He gave one of his boyish smiles, and Kari had to wonder if that was what made Eryn fall for him, or how the two had met. “It’s a human martial art,” he said. “Actually, more of a combination of several. It’s all about leverage, joint locks, chokes on the ground, and kickboxing on the feet.”
“You seem very good at it,” Kari complimented honestly.
He nodded in thanks to her praise. “Well, I’ve been studying and practicing it since I was six,” he said. “I’m sure your skill with the sword is just as impressive.”
“I’d like to think so,” Kari said.
Aeligos’ gaze dropped down, and Kari looked toward her feet, wondering what he was looking at. “Would you like to learn? With those legs, you look like you’d be pretty good at it. Not to mention those arms,” he said. He gripped her upper arm, but Kari shook him off, the feeling more than a little uncomfortable. He seemed shocked by her reaction, but a sheepish look crossed his features as he muttered, “Erm, sorry.”
Kari guessed he was used to the casual way he could speak with or touch his siblings and even Eryn, so she waved away the apology. “It’s ok,” she said. “Just don’t grab me like that until you’re actually teaching me. Instincts, you know.”
Aeligos smiled again and chuckled, apparently at himself. “I can start teaching you whenever you like,” he said. “We’ve got quite a trip ahead of us.”
“We can start tomorrow,” Kari said, and she excused herself and headed over to the rail where Eryn sat by herself. She tapped her shorter companion on the shoulder, and the half-brys woman flashed a brief smile when Kari sat down. “How’d you sleep?”
“Comfortably atop Aeligos, and without the lecture on my lack of morals this time,” Eryn said with her typical dry humor. “How about you? Still having bad dreams?”
Kari shrugged. “Still not used to being on this boat,” she said. “I wake up every night wondering where I am, and why no one’s come to wake me up for my watch. Still used to the war schedule, I g
uess.”
“That’ll take a while to grow out of,” the half-brys woman said. She leaned her elbow on the railing and rested her head in her palm as she fixed Kari with an appraising look. “You realize there’re four other good looking men on this boat, right? Well, I guess you can forget about Typhonix, but Aeligos is still technically available, to be honest. And there’s plenty more if humans tickle your fancy. I’m surprised you haven’t tried taking any of them to your bed.”
Kari tapped her fingers on the rail and shrugged. “It’s not quite that simple,” she said. “Most of the relationships I’ve had, if you can call them that, were the type where I could simply walk away from them. There’s nowhere to go on this ship, and it’s not something I think about all that often, really.” She paused and met Eryn’s intense gaze, and wondered just how easily the woman could read her. Eryn always seemed to know what Kari was up to when they played cards, and the terra-dracon woman could tell the assassin was a tough one to keep secrets from. “Was Aeligos your first love?”
Eryn shook her head with a sour look, and turned her gaze out over the waves. “Nah, I had a boyfriend years ago, well before the War,” she said. She seemed as though she were about to elaborate, but her eyes became distant and fixed upon the horizon and she stopped speaking. She seemed to think to herself for a few minutes so Kari kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt whatever introspection the shorter woman was going through. “What about you?” Eryn asked as she finally turned back to Kari.
“I’ve been with a few different men; mostly mules,” Kari admitted quietly. “Since I’m on the road all the time, I can’t really afford to get attached, or let anyone get attached to me.”
Eryn nodded. “I know the feeling,” she said. “Aeligos is as close as I’ve ever let anyone after that other bastard.”
