by Joe Jackson
She paused again with a sigh, and Kari touched her shoulder lightly. “Don’t talk about it if it bothers you,” Kari said.
“Yea, it does, sorry,” the half-brys woman said.
“Any brothers or sisters?” Kari asked, trying to keep the conversation going while only changing the topic slightly. She wasn’t sure why, but she found Eryn’s candor refreshing. Most people either took a long time to get to know, or otherwise were so open that they quickly became obnoxious. In keeping with the efficiency of their forefathers, the half-brys just seemed to know how to hold a conversation without being too open or too closed. Like everything else in their lives, their answers were direct and to the point, leaving unsaid what they did not desire to share and being brutally honest on the things they did.
“Just one, by adoption,” Eryn answered. She produced a flask, took a sip and then held it toward Kari. She waved it around for emphasis and told Kari it was simply brandy-milk. Eryn sighed lightly as Kari took and tried a sip from the flask, and Kari nodded appreciatively before returning it. “My brother was human, believe it or not.”
“Your father adopted a human?” Kari asked, surprised. It was not all that rare for rir to adopt human children and vice versa, but it was fairly uncommon. It was unheard of for a serilian demon to adopt anything, though.
“Maybe you’ve heard of him: Buk Denning?”
Kari thought about the name briefly, and came up with only a single reference she could recall from the War, something about an enforcer who worked for the Five Clans out of Oge. Oge was the heart of the Devil Queen’s empire during the Apocalypse: the city was her base of operations for centuries, and the assassin’s guild had thrived there for many years. Something changed during the war, and the Five Clans’ endless fighting with a rival guild called the Blood Order came to a head during the War itself. The Five Clans collapsed: Olgaryn, their leader, was assassinated, and the remaining members of the clans had either folded into the Blood Order or else been conscripted into the Devil Queen’s army.
Buk Denning, as far as Kari had heard, was Olgaryn’s right hand, a utility man who was skilled at either assassinating his lord’s – or rather, his father’s – enemies, or else meeting them on the field of battle in mounted combat. He was killed at some point during the Great War, but Kari knew few of the details surrounding his death, other than the fact that age had a lot to do with it. Buk was not a young man when the War began, and with the chaos surrounding the seat of evil and the fierce fighting between the clans, he had apparently lost his life.
“Only briefly,” Kari said after a silent minute. “He died during the Apocalypse?”
Eryn nodded. “Just as well,” she said, though it was clear from her expression that she was not pleased. “He was getting older, and there was no telling where his loyalties would lie after I killed our father.”
“You killed your father?” Kari repeated with surprise.
“You didn’t know that?” Eryn confirmed. “He was going to use me as some sort of bargaining chip with the Blood Order. It was only a matter of time before he betrayed me, so I beat him to it: I sold him out to the very people he was trying to sell me out to.”
“So you’re a member of the Blood Order now?”
The half-brys woman nodded. “Unfortunately,” she said, and she shrugged in answer to Kari's curious stare. “I’ve wanted out of this life for a long time. Never wanted into it, really. But after everything that happened…” She paused and let out a long sigh. “What about you, any siblings?”
“I had two sisters,” Kari said. “They’ve both been dead a long time: Beth-Ann and Marian.”
“Your parents really liked the sound of Ann names, didn’t they?” Eryn asked with a chuckle. She looked Kari over, and Kari could tell her half-brys companion was trying to put together all the pieces Kari had shared with her over the previous week. Eryn let out a sigh and gave an appreciative, lopsided smile, something she seemed unaccustomed to doing.
“What’re you smiling about?” Kari asked suspiciously. She assumed Eryn was trying to dig up secrets, all the better to help her beat Kari at cards. The half-brys woman was clever and deductive, and Kari imagined no secrets were safe around her for long.
The half-brys woman shrugged. “Everyone on this ship has secrets,” she said. “You’ve got a lot, I can tell.”
Kari studied her companion for a minute and gave a soft shrug as she looked out over the water. “In your line of work, I’m sure keeping secrets is an important skill,” Kari said at length. “If there’s something you want to know, ask. Just don’t repeat what I say if I choose to answer.”
Eryn looked over her shoulder and noted no one within earshot – certainly not with the wind that was blowing past as the ship plowed through the water. “Who are you, really?” she asked, wiping a few drops of mist from her snout as the seas became rougher and the ship’s smashing through waves began throwing water even farther back.
“I’m exactly who I said I am,” Kari answered quietly.
The half-brys woman shook her head. “You’re either a liar or you’re a reincarnation of someone who’s been dead for hundreds of years,” she said. “I’ve become an expert at reading people over the course of my career, as it were: you’re not a liar. So are you the same Karian Vanador from the twenty-ninth century, or are you an impostor like Erik and Typhonix think?”
Kari looked over her shoulder toward the sparring males and shook her head lightly. She could scarcely believe that either of her demonhunter companions, let alone both of them, would suspect her of such deception. Considering how rare the mutation that created a terra-dracon was, she couldn’t believe that so many coincidences could come together to even allow such a deception. If they had doubts, why hadn’t either of them asked their superiors? Or even she herself? After all, she wore dog tags that very clearly had both her name and date of birth, not to mention her rank, on them. And what did they think she stood to gain even if she was pretending to be someone else?
“Do you know Trigonh?” Kari asked.
“Of course,” the half-brys woman answered. Kari wasn’t surprised: probably everyone in the world knew of the erestram’s name, if not all of his deeds.
“He used some sort of divine favor he was owed to return me to life,” Kari said with a sigh. “He said it was because he thought I could help turn the tide of the Apocalypse, but I think that’s a bunch of crap. He brought me back because he wanted me to be his lover, and the Apocalypse gave him a good excuse if things didn’t work out.”
Eryn laughed, and Kari’s first instinct was to draw away from her. The half-brys woman looked Kari up and down for a moment. “You’re very pretty, but I can’t see why he would be attracted to you…giant wolf-demon falling in love with a rir? That’s just crazy.”
Kari’s tensions eased up at Eryn’s words. “I’ll drink to that,” she said, prompting Eryn to share another sip from her flask.
“It’s quite a story you tell,” the half-brys woman said after they shared the drink. She waved her hand as Kari started to hold up her dog tags and added, “I don’t need to see those; I believe you. I had my suspicions, but someone coming back from the dead…that was something even Seril never managed to pull off. If you don’t want me to tell the others, I won’t.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t,” the demonhunter replied. “It’s better for me to see how Erik and Typhonix treat me if they don’t believe me. Not to mention, by the look of things, at least two of the brothers have an eye for me.”
“Only two?” Eryn said, a brow rising inquisitively, and the two shared a laugh. Eryn rose to her feet as the splashing mist blowing back from the bow became heavier, and she and Kari walked over to stand beside Sonja and Grakin. They watched Erik and Typhonix spar with weapons under the stern but equally impressed gaze of Jori-an. While the rir first mate clearly wasn’t happy with the men swinging sharp weapons around on her deck, she was appreciative of both their skill and their caution, as
they made sure not to strike the ship or anything else besides each other. Even with the captain’s permission to spar on the quarterdeck, it was clear that the men were mindful of damaging the ship or hitting passersby.
Kari was surprised at Typhonix’ skill with the massive axe he wielded, despite the fact that such weapon mastery came with membership in their Order. She didn’t expect much from the strapping brute, but as she watched the way he twirled and spun his axe to keep even his larger dual-wielding brother off-balance and out of reach, she had to admit to herself that his mouth was not the most dangerous of his weapons. He was a student of the great-axe in the tradition of Turik Jalar, Kari’s legendary contemporary. Ty moved gingerly, his leg recovering from whatever damage Aeligos had done, but he still posed quite a threat to Erik. If nothing else, it was a pleasant surprise from a man she had found completely unpleasant during the first week they had spent together.
She found Erik’s fighting style intriguing: he dual wielded a combination of longsword and scimitar. The curved blade of the desert-dwelling shakna-rir had many notches and pits on its backside, and he was using it primarily to distract or attempt to pull his brother’s weapon out of position. His longsword came up for stinging thrusts and brutal swings whenever he had successfully broken through Ty’s defenses, but he stopped his attacks short or turned the flat of his blade whenever it was clear he would strike home. Ultimately, he had to respect the raw strength of his shorter but stockier brother, as the butt end of Ty’s axe often came up and nearly caught Erik in the face whenever he thought he’d found an opening.
Their sparring session came to an end, and the two saluted each other in the demonhunter way. Erik sheathed his swords while Typhonix stood his axe up against the wall beside Sonja’s seat. Erik took a towel from his sister, wiped his face, and hung it over his shoulders. Ty fixed Kari with a piercing gaze. He seemed to be thinking of something to say, but simply snorted, took up his axe, and headed down below decks. His siblings watched his egress, and then they all turned what looked to be apologetic glances toward Kari. Kari was dumbfounded as to what the brute's issue was, but she tried to keep Sonja's words in mind.
“You and I will spar tomorrow,” Erik said to Kari after a moment. “I’m sure I don’t need to worry about you, but I’d at least like to see how well you fight before we get to Tsalbrin. I already know what to expect from the rest of my siblings.”
Kari nodded. She kept in mind the fact that Attir Surallis was curious as to how well Erik could lead as well as hunt and fight demons. If he wanted a demonstration, she would give him one, though as she thought about it she realized the potential to damage her monitoring should she best or humiliate him. She decided she would push him just enough to ease any doubts, but let him think himself superior – it wasn’t improbable that he was better than she anyway. He would push her, and she would push him in return, and both would learn a lot about their partner.
“Just don’t wear her out,” Aeligos commented, stretching his legs now that their workout was done. “She wants me to show her some of the arts, and I can’t do that if she’s exhausted.”
Erik chuckled lightly through his nose. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me for dinner, please,” he said before heading down into the cabin.
“I didn’t think half-guardians even had to sleep,” Kari commented as he left, and she received a nod from Sonja.
“We do not have to all that often, but we are certainly healthier and more active if we do,” Grakin said quietly. He still hadn’t fully recovered from the fatigue that had dogged him since the end of the War, but he was looking a little better each day. “Not to mention that once they are tired from sparring, there is not much else to do on this ship.”
“That’s because your brothers are too dense to try to bed Kari,” Eryn said. Kari put a hand to the end of her snout as she blushed, and the half-brys woman waved away her own comment. “I’m sorry, I was just teasing.”
Kari understood that. It wasn't what Eryn had said so much as who she'd said it in front of, Jori-an and Sonja not the least of them. “It’s ok,” Kari said trying to laugh at herself as the others smiled. “I’m just not used to people being so frank about such things.”
“Welcome to the half-demon corps,” Sonja said with a giggle.
“You’ll get used to us eventually,” Aeligos said, and he rose to his feet as he finished stretching. “Well, off to wash up and then a nap for me. Have a good afternoon, ladies.”
“Actually, reading in my cabin sounds like a good idea,” Kari said. “It’s too windy and damp up here to bring a book.” She bid the others farewell and headed below decks.
Chapter V – Salkorum
Another week and a half passed as the ship continued its steady and swift course across the ocean. Kari now spent most of her time reading, training with Erik and Aeligos, and chatting with Eryn, dealing with the tedium as best she could. Typhonix continued to be miserable toward her, taking nearly every opportunity to insult or harass her, though she gradually began to shrug off his cruelty and learned to ignore him altogether. Dinners were taken nightly with the captain and his officers, as Galdur continued to do his best to ease the discomfort of the long trip while getting to know his semi-famous passengers. In all things, Kari and the others did their best to simply stay out of the way of the crewmen.
Kari learned that the Tesconis siblings had begun referring to themselves as the Silver Blades during the Apocalypse, and much of what she had heard about them fell into perspective. She had heard much about the work of the Silver Blades during the War, and likewise the work of the Tesconis siblings, so to find out they were actually the same group was impressive. They hadn’t served in an established battalion during the war, but instead performed self-imposed covert missions to take out high-profile but isolated targets wherever and whenever they could. News of their victories had always brought a bit of joy and hope to Jir’tana’s brigade, and Kris had spoken of the Silver Blades in high esteem quite often.
The most specific instance Kari could recall involved a minor underworld demon lord named Curlamanx, who by all reports was a vassal of a demon king called Arku. Arku had attempted an invasion on Terrassia during the war, seeking to use the chaos and confusion of the conflict to slip through the dimensional barriers uncontested, but was thwarted. Kari was ignorant to the details of how Arku was stopped, but she knew that at the same time, Arku created a diversion on Askies by sending Curlamanx to fake an invasion there. Apparently the Silver Blades had foiled the demon lord’s plans, and sent him fleeing back across the planar boundaries to his master. For a half-dozen people who were mostly under the age of twenty-five at the time, it was an impressive feat.
Kari was not one to enjoy another’s suffering, but the thought of the years of punishment Curlamanx would doubtless be subjected to for his failure, particularly when that failure came at the hands of a relatively young group of mortals, brought a smile to her face. She had little patience for the demons: they had chosen their lot in the grand scheme of things, ultimately choosing to become what they were rather than repent the things that had earned them such a fate in the first place. She did not feel sorry for them at all, and it was that absence of sympathy or mercy for them that fueled her as a demonhunter. Her Order's tenet of love justice, but do mercy applied to the demons she hunted, but the mercy she gave them was that of the sword.
For ten days Kari trained with Aeligos, and the flexible, acrobatic male taught her the basics of his unarmed combat style. Though Kari was a formidable boxer – boxing was a fundamental training block at the Academy, as one could not always expect to keep their weapons in hand – Aeligos showed her how to avoid and minimize the damage of incoming blows rather than simply blocking or taking them in anticipation of a counterstrike. He further showed her how to take fights to the ground: to throw, tackle, or drag her opponents down where she could use leverage and contortion rather than strength to win.
Ignoring Typhonix’s numerous sugges
tions that they try their exercises without clothes and behind closed doors, Kari learned a lot even in a week and a half. By the end of five days, she was able to mimic the leg-lock she witnessed the first time she saw Aeligos practicing with his brothers, though not as fluidly or quickly. By the end of ten days, she was grappling with the larger and stronger Erijinkor, and forcing him to submit as often as she was submitted by his strength. Even Jori-an, whose expression normally said little to her guests, was clearly impressed by Kari’s advancement.
“Speed will always beat strength,” Aeligos impressed on her over and over, and the lesson was always driven home by his speed and agility. Though Kari was also very quick and stronger than Aeligos, he always seemed a step ahead of her even before taking his technical prowess into account. Even still, he was clearly impressed by her athleticism, and he watched intently one afternoon as Kari demonstrated considerable dancing skills. She explained how dancing was the basis of her movements both while fighting with swords and while practicing the techniques Aeligos was sharing with her. Aeligos’ obvious pride and the way he spoke of her advancement lent Kari a sense of acceptance that had been lacking from the siblings – with the exception of Sonja – and reminded Kari of the way Suler Tumureldi had treated her.
Kari spent further portions of her days sparring with weapons against Erijinkor, who proved to be a deceptively skilled adversary. Though Kari was already impressed by his demonstrations against Typhonix, she soon discovered that he had been holding back, and the more she pushed him during their sparring sessions, the more of his skill surfaced. When combined with his inhuman strength, his prowess left her with little doubt as to why he was advancing so quickly among the Order. She couldn’t imagine anything less than an elite or guardian demon standing much of a chance with him in single combat, and figured the weaker of the underworld demons would find themselves overmatched by him as well. Kari didn’t recognize his fighting style, but the more she was exposed to it, the easier it became to stifle him in their training. She was careful not to push him too hard, though, as she didn’t want to either tip her hand or let him know that she was evaluating him.
