by Joe Jackson
“When I got to Fort Sabbath, the place was deserted. At first I guessed they were all out fighting something that had threatened the fort. But it didn’t take long to figure out that wasn’t right: there were no guards whatsoever, so I started looking around. No bodies, no blood, and no signs of struggle: the place was simply deserted. The whole situation was just wrong. At first I suspected maybe a brys or two had attacked, but there would’ve been blood and signs of a fight even if that had been true.”
Makauric popped an eye open when she said brys, and the two demonhunters chuckled as he smiled and closed his eye again. Kari continued, “I wasn’t sure what I’d find inside, so I went up to the keep, picked the lock, and went in.”
“You picked the lock?” Erik repeated with a raised brow.
“You pick up quite a few skills when you live on the streets of a city like Solaris for five years,” she said, and his other brow joined the first. “It’s not like I was adopted when I got to Solaris, Erik. I lived on the streets for five years before I managed to scrape up enough money to buy passage to Askies to get to DarkWind.”
Erik shook his head and Kari waved off her own comments before he could prod her further. “But that’s a story for another time, too. Once I got inside the keep, I started to find the bodies. They all had their throats torn out, so I suspected the demon that Annabelle needed my help with had attacked the fort, to beat her to the punch. I went upstairs with my blades drawn, but when I got there, all I found was Annabelle: no demon, no sign that anyone or anything else was or had been there. And when I saw her face, I knew something was terribly wrong.”
Kari paused for a minute to get her emotions back in check. Erik propped himself up on his side with his head in his palm. “Take your time,” he said softly.
Kari bit back a sob. “Annabelle was my friend,” she said, and she bit her lip. “To see her that way, a friend and fellow demonhunter...all I wanted to do was find and kill whatever had done that to her. When she saw me, she tried to…I don’t know, she tried to put me under a charm or something – like the sylinth did – trying to convince me that she could give me the same gift she had received. It didn’t work Just the sight of her pale face and those cold, dead eyes...I tried to kill her, but she slipped away down the stairs. So I chased her into the keep’s lower level, and found myself face to face with…”
She paused and swallowed, looking away into the night, and Erik sat up a little straighter. “Another vampire?” he prompted. “Or the demon she was hunting?”
“The biggest black dragon I’ve ever seen,” she said when she met his gaze again. “But it wasn’t just a black, Erik: it was a vampire dragon. I had no idea such things even existed.”
His eyes were wide and he shook his head. “Neither did I. What did you do?”
Kari sighed and said, “I just turned and ran. There was nothing I could do against a demonhunter-trained vampire and a dragon. I felt like such a coward, and expected to be called one when I went to the temple of Zalkar in Dira Ch’Tori. But they told me I did the right thing, and that they would gather a force to take care of the problem. But when I returned with a strike force, the fort was guarded again by a bunch of undead that we assumed might all be vampires. So we returned to Dira Ch’Tori, and I think the task was appointed to another.”
Erik crawled forward a bit and touched Kari’s hand as she frowned. “Give yourself some credit,” he said. “You’re no coward, I can tell you that for sure, and at least you didn’t rush headlong into a fight you had no reasonable chance of winning to try to prove otherwise.”
Kari nodded but her frown remained. “It hurts just to think about her, and the fact that she might still be out there with that dragon,” she said, looking off into the darkness again. “Or that they might be terrorizing the northlands of Terrassia to this day.”
“You did what you could,” Erik said. “No sense worrying about it now. If Zalkar needs it taken care of, he’ll ask. Vampires and dragons aren’t exactly our specialty.”
Kari nodded, but was hardly satisfied with his approval. She felt and had always felt that she’d let her friend down. Erik told her to get some sleep, so she laid out her bedroll and blanket and forced herself to sleep. She was surprised when she wasn’t awakened in the early hours of the morning, but at first light: Erik and Makauric had stood watch in turns and let her sleep the night through. Kari was thankful and made sure to let them know. After they shared a breakfast of reheated meat and trail rations, they set their feet on the road once more, running across the savannah under the effects of the shaman’s blessing.
Makauric suggested they travel to the metropolis of Raugro, the largest city on the island and the most likely place Erik’s siblings would have gone after the shakna-rir kingdom if they were trying to raise an army. He didn’t know exactly where to find it, but based on things he’d heard from other travelers and fellow serilian demons, his best guess put it less than four days west of Saint John’s pass. When they paused for lunch, the brys cleared some grass away and drew them a rough map of the island in the dirt, and he showed them their northward route to the pass, and then west to Raugro. In the end they agreed to avoid other cities and head straight to the largest, where they would either find their companions or else be able to send out couriers to the nearby cities to find them.
The savannah gradually turned to longer grassy plains as they continued their steady trek north, and after two and a half days of travel across the grasslands they came into the foothills of a long chain of jagged mountains that stabbed into the belly of the heavens. Makauric led them across the base of the foothills, and flew above them for most of the day so that he had a better vantage point from which to spot trouble. The threat of war kept most of the intelligent, hostile humanoids of the hills and plains out of sight, so their progress remained unimpeded.
Two and a half more days brought them to the pass through the mountains, and from there they turned their journey west. The plains turned to farms and grazelands, and Makauric began walking between his demonhunter companions to avoid drawing attention. He didn’t hunt in the grazelands, wary of upsetting the locals if he happened to kill someone’s livestock, and his companions surrendered the remainder of their meats to him and went back to their trail rations. There were established roads, but the group decided against following them, and instead cut across the grazelands and avoided the farms as they approached the metropolis.
After another two days of their shaman-enhanced travel they crested one of the hills close to the city, and Kari’s mouth fell agape as she beheld something unlike anything she’d ever seen. Metropolis hardly began to describe the size of the city of Raugro. Even Kari’s childhood in the cities of Flora, Solaris, and DarkWind didn’t compare to the staggering sight. From the hilltop she could see whitewashed stone buildings built atop twin hills on opposite sides of a river, with the largest man-made bridge she’d ever seen connecting the two sides. Kari guessed it had to easily be three times the size of Solaris, which to her was almost unfathomable. It had a high white wall, with farmhouses in the fields outside and gates at regular intervals. Kari considered for a moment that it could take them more than a day just to find their friends in such a place.
Makauric expressed doubt about entering the city, but Kari reminded him of Talvor and how she had managed to get him not only within its walls but also into the temple of Zalkar without incident. The brys relented and they took to the main road, and headed to the largest of the gates to the city. Kari was glad to find that traffic into the city wasn’t too slow despite its volume, and she led her companions to the gate. There were almost a dozen guards posted at the gate at ground level, and Kari pulled her dog tags up to fall over her breastplate. She was shocked when two of them brought up their crossbows, and before she could even speak, the click and snap of the weapons being fired preceded the startled scream of a brys in pain.
Chapter XV – Charisma
Aeligos led his siblings and their human com
panions west just after breakfast the next morning, and they traveled along the major road toward Raugro. They passed by the farms and grazelands quietly, enjoying the landscape as they moved along, though Aeligos had his thoughts focused solely on the mission ahead. He knew that in Raugro, he would once again have to convince a government to send its armies into a preemptive war, but this time he wouldn’t have the advantage of speaking to a militaristic, warlike people. It was possible that they wouldn’t need the help of the people of Raugro, but Aeligos knew the larger the opposing force they could marshal outside of Gaswell’s gates, the more likely they would either draw out his entire garrison or else quickly overpower it.
It took them nearly four days to reach the metropolis, and Aeligos and his companions stood in awe of its majesty. It was even more impressive than the sight of Kulthon, which was the most breathtaking city the rogue could remember visiting. Like the seat of the shakna-rir empire, the city was built so that it ascended a hill, though unlike Kulthon, Raugro was built on two hills: one on each side of a wide, sun-streaked river. Its buildings were made of white stone, and a similarly colored wall surrounded the city, with only farmhouses and a few guard towers outside. Spanning the river was a massive stone bridge of masterful construction that was obvious even at the distance from which Aeligos first saw it. It had six large towers and arced over the river in such a way that smaller ships could easily travel under it. As Aeligos and the others made their final approach to the city gates, he wondered whether it was two cities linked by the bridge, or if Raugro included both sides. Either way, it seemed most likely that the city was the largest on the island, and that it was the seat of non-shakna-rir civilization.
The guards at the main gate regarded the group only briefly and waved them through even before Typhonix remembered to show his dog tags. Aeligos led his companions up the main thoroughfare into the heart of the eastern city. The main road ran straight southwest to the bridge, with other roads that ran at angles to form a diamond that was bisected by the main road. The city was clean but noisy: a bustle of activity surrounded the friends on all sides, and Aeligos had to make sure they didn’t lose themselves in the rush and flow of the busy citizens. Like Erik had done so many times, Aeligos led them to a plaza down one of the side streets, where he found a cozy little inn called Guzman’s Hearth.
Aeligos arranged for rooms for his siblings and their human companions, and then he bid the others stay near the inn and out of trouble while he explored. Sonja offered to go with him, so once the innkeeper told them where to find city hall, he returned to the streets with his sister. Their travels took them over the bridge, which looked wide enough for more than six carts to cross abreast. Its towers had catapults mounted atop them to defend the city in case of a water-borne attack, and the bridge itself was a meticulously cleaned, cobblestoned expanse.
The west side of the city was set up almost exactly the same way as the eastern side, except that the main avenue had a circular plaza at the top of the hill, and in the center sat the white, domed building the innkeeper had identified as city hall. Made of marble and gorgeously crafted with columns and arching windows, it was a stately home for a governing body. The traffic outside of it seemed light, and after passing by a fountain with a statue of a robed judge standing within, Aeligos and Sonja entered through the oaken front doors.
The interior was no less impressive. The open marble foyer floor was imprinted with a metal seal depicting Zalkar’s symbol in its center, with the words Love of Justice, Application of Mercy, Annihilation of Lawlessness inscribed around the outer edge. A desk flanked by two sets of double doors stood directly across the foyer, and other doors led off of the entry chamber on two levels. A mocha-skinned human woman with dark eyes and her hair set high in a bun sat behind the desk, but she didn’t look up until Aeligos and Sonja approached.
“Good afternoon, and welcome to city hall,” she said, her angular face flowing into a smile as the pair drew up to her desk. “What can I do for you today?”
Aeligos regarded her for a moment and wondered if her accent was common for all the people of the city; the innkeeper had a similar one. “We need to make an appointment to see your governor or city council,” he said.
The young woman nodded. “The council session for today ends in a half-hour,” she said. “Tomorrow’s session is a general assembly, and all citizens and visitors to the city are allowed a turn to speak if time so allows. Do you need a specific, private appointment?”
“Yes ma’am,” Aeligos replied. “If you could inform the council that I bring official sealed documents from the shakna-rir of Kulthon, I’d appreciate it.”
The young woman took the documents from Aeligos, and she broke the wax seal and unfurled the scroll. Her brows arched as she read it, and once finished, she looked back up. “These appear to be in order,” she said. “I will pass them along to the council, and let them know you’ve requested a private meeting at the earliest possible time. Where are you staying?”
“Across the river, at a place called Guzman’s Hearth.”
The young woman nodded. “I’m familiar with it,” she said. “Go on back and relax. I’ll have a courier come inform you of your appointment time once I’ve spoken with the council.”
“Thank you,” Aeligos said. Sonja nodded to the young girl and the two turned to leave. They returned to the inn and found the rest of their companions already gathered for dinner, and the group shared the evening meal. The innkeeper served them a thick, hearty beef stew with freshly baked bread and butter, and large steins of ale. Aeligos dug into the dinner hungrily, glad to finally have something other than roast pork or trail rations. The others regarded him for a few moments before returning to their meals, and remained quiet until everyone had finished.
“So did you get an appointment with whoever's in charge?” Typhonix asked before he sat back and took a long sip of his drink.
Sonja nodded. “We’re not sure when, but the documents Aeligos brought from Kulthon should allow us to see them without too much waiting.”
“I’m just glad Maktus gave me those scrolls,” Aeligos said. “As nice as these people seem so far, I’m not sure I’d have wanted to walk into the city and ask for a meeting without them, considering we’re half-demon.”
“You could always ask Katarina and me to go in such a situation,” Sherman said.
Aeligos nodded but waved off the comment. “I appreciate your offer, but with all due respect, you’re just not experienced enough in dealing with people to handle this sort of thing.”
Katarina took up her brother’s line of thought. “True, but perhaps you could take us along with you, both to ease tensions and teach us how you go about such diplomacy.”
“Can’t argue that point,” Sonja said.
“Indeed, it would be beneficial to their training as paladins,” Grakin added. “We should be taking every opportunity to teach them whatever we can. If we want them to remain a part of our group after this mission is over, it would benefit us to make them a part of our group now.”
“Yes, but I’m not sure what Erik will want to do when we’re done here,” Aeligos said.
“I am not interested in what Erik thinks,” Grakin countered. “I am interested in what you think. And if you think this young man and woman are worth our time to train and initiate into how we do things, then now is the time to do so more seriously.”
The rogue looked to his other brothers, who both nodded, and when his gaze fell over Sonja, she did as well. “You’re right,” he said, and he looked to his teenaged companions. “All right, I want you to come with us when we go to meet with the city council. For now, what you two can do for me is a little information gathering.” He held a finger up to stifle Sonja before she could even say something, and he gestured for her to let him finish. “I don’t want you in taverns or near any of the docks; stick to inns and shops, and do your best to fit in. Shops and inns run by humans – like this one – are your best bet.”
“What would you like us to try to find out?” Katarina asked.
“Everything you can,” Aeligos said, resting his elbows on the table. “Impress me. See what you can find out and give me a full report on the city and its movers and shakers tomorrow at dinner. But you have to be smart about it: don’t give people the impression you’re paladins or possibly agents of the city watch trying to find out secrets. Act like you’re tourists thinking about moving to the city, and see what the people are willing to share. Let them tell you all about what’s great about their city, because what they don’t talk about is what we want to know. But don’t ask about those things: their silence will tell us enough for now.”
“Are you sure that's the best way to go about it?” Sonja asked.
Aeligos could see that she was mindful of second-guessing him even as she asked, but the question didn’t bother him. “Grakin’s right, we need to get them acclimated to functioning on a team, and practicing swordplay with Jol and Ty every day won’t change Erik’s mind when the subject of them staying on with us comes up.”
“So you want us to stay on with you?” Sherman asked, trying to mask his surprise without much luck.
Aeligos waved a hand dismissively. “Look, I won’t make any promises,” he said. “But if this is the kind of work we’re going to be doing in the future, a large, well-balanced team is only going to make things easier. Certainly a pair of paladins will make a welcome addition regardless of what else you bring to the table, since as you’ve already suggested, sending you ahead to break the ice, so to speak, will really make our lives easier.”
