by Joe Jackson
Sonja regarded her curiously but didn’t disagree with her. “He raised the rest of us as much as our father did,” she said. “I think he still sees himself as our father-figure, and worries more about us than himself. As you said, he rarely speaks of anything but his duty to Zalkar and advancement among the Order, and even when women show him interest he seems oblivious to it. He seems to push away or lash out at the things he can’t control – like you.”
Kari nodded solemnly. “Yea, the beginning of our trip through the rainforest was interesting,” she said. She rose to her feet and took the towel Sonja offered her. Once she patted down her hair, she began drying off the rest of her body and continued, “He basically told me he thought I was a phony, and he wanted to know what I wanted from his brother other than sex.”
Sonja sighed. “I had a feeling he would confront you as soon as you were away from the rest of us,” she said. “I hope he wasn’t too nasty with you?”
“No worse than the drill sergeants when I attended the Academy,” Kari said with a shrug, and Sonja laughed aloud. “I thought sleeping with those czarikk girls might loosen him up, but he’s very tense.”
Sonja’s eyes grew enormous. “What?! Erik, with czarikk girls?! Oh, do tell.”
“Not my tale to tell,” Kari said with a shake of her head, and she began to get dressed. “If he wants to share, he will. They were very happy when we destroyed the sylinth, though, and a few of them let him know it.”
The larger woman started laughing, but she cocked her head and fixed Kari with a curious glance. “Not you, though?”
Kari shook her head. “I have a mate,” she said simply, and Sonja smiled.
The two made their way back out to the common room. The others all watched when she came out of the bath chamber, and she walked around the table to give Grakin a kiss and a hug. “Feeling better?” Typhonix asked, his expression one of genuine concern.
“Much, thanks,” Kari answered, and she gestured toward Aeligos. “Can you start again from the beginning? I was a little busy in my mind when you were speaking earlier.”
“Sure, that’s not a problem,” the rogue answered, and he looked over his shoulder to the innkeeper. “Emil, could you give us the common room to ourselves for a half hour or so?”
The innkeeper nodded and made his way into the kitchen, and Aeligos drew forth the map and notes from his cloak pocket and slid them to the center of the table so everyone could see. “This is Gaswell’s castle?” Kari prompted.
Aeligos nodded with a lopsided smile, and the others began chuckling before he spoke. “Yes, based on what Eryn wrote in her letter to me, which you don’t want to read. This may not be entirely accurate, but what it does show is that there are multiple ways into the castle, most of which are on a second level, inaccessible from the ground – unless you have wings. There’s also a back entrance through a sewer tunnel that runs out from the dungeons,” he added and pointed to an exit marked on the south wall of the castle. “It runs off a cliff and out into the lake and has a grate over it, so it’s unguarded, from what Eryn says. She thinks if we send two of our stronger members down that way, they should be able to pry the iron grate off of the sewer tunnel and make their way into the castle’s belly. While it won’t be the best-smelling entrance, it’ll be the path of least resistance, and possibly lead to this kirelas-rir Gaswell has reportedly kidnapped.”
“I’d almost forgotten about her,” Erik commented with a nod. “Did Eryn mention what she does around the castle?”
“I think she’s a porter,” Aeligos said. “She’s disguised herself as a terra-rir woman, but she’s too small to be really useful as a guard or soldier, so Gaswell has her doing menial tasks around the castle. Basically, he’s treating her like a housewife without the sex.”
“Much to her relief, I’m sure,” Kari said, which drew laughs from her companions. “How did she disguise her wings?”
“Eryn knows a little shapeshifting magic. It’s not much but she’s very good with it, and it’s very hard to detect,” the rogue answered, and he pointed to six other entrances located on the upper balconies and a second-floor patio of the inner keep. “These doors will be our most likely points of entry. She’s in charge of making sure the doors are all secured, and she assured me that they can be opened from the outside. We’ll obviously attack under cover of night: terra-rir can see well in the dark, but with these patrol routes she’s outlined for us, we can pick a lock in the least-heavily patrolled part of the keep. Using our wings, we slip in through the dark, unlock a door, and get inside. Once we’re in, the rest of you will stay put while I explore the castle a little and find Eryn. Her letter did include a brief description of the inside of the keep, but since we’ll be going in at night, we don’t know exactly where Gaswell will be. He could be on his throne, in the dining hall, in his bedchambers…if we have to crash from place to place looking for him, we’ll end up fighting everyone in the castle.”
“So we’re going to try to rescue the kirelas-rir girl that he captured?” Kari asked.
Aeligos nodded without looking at Erik. “Yes,” he said. “I don’t know if Gaswell has anyone else locked in his dungeon, but we can pretty safely assume that if he has prisoners down there, then they’re probably our friends. This whole business about capturing a kirelas-rir girl doesn’t make any sense unless he has other plans besides simply conquering the island. It was pretty obvious by Eryn’s letter that there’s more to this situation than what we see, and this kirelas-rir girl may be able to tell us what. In any case, she deserves our help.”
Erik merely nodded, and Aeligos continued. “From what Eryn tells me, Gaswell has two lieutenants who are his right hand. Chances are when we find him, we’ll find them, too. I don’t think it’ll be an issue given how many fighters we have, but we have to be prepared for an even fight; she wasn’t able to tell me how many other guards to expect. It depends on how committed Gaswell is to meeting the shakna-rir forces and what sort of crew he leaves behind to man the walls and gate of the castle.”
“She did good work,” Kari commented.
“She always does,” Aeligos returned with a grim smile. “So we have a basic plan of attack, but our first order of business is to get the city council here to send their forces south to meet with the shakna-rir under Warlord Maktus Tuvurasti. Once the two armies are together, we should be able to circle around to one of the castle’s flanks so we’re not crossing directly through enemy lines and we don’t have to worry about getting caught in the middle when the two armies clash. As long as Maktus gives us enough time to get into position, the actual battle should be a short one: once Gaswell and his two lieutenants are dead, we can secure the castle and leave his army nowhere to retreat to. Their surrender is almost assured.”
“If they don’t surrender?” Sherman prompted.
“They’ll be crushed between the castle and the combined armies,” Aeligos said, but he sighed. “If they drag the battle out or are able to retreat to a nearby town, it may attract the attention from Dannumore that we’re trying to avoid, but I doubt it. It’s a risk, but a calculated one. This entire mission is, really.”
Kari shook her head with a sigh. “This would be a lot easier if those idiots at the gate hadn’t killed Makauric,” she said, and the others glanced at her curiously. “Getting into the castle at night would be simple with a brys guiding us: they can see in the dark like it’s day.”
“True enough,” Erik said.
Kari met Aeligos’ gaze and realized he was waiting to see if she had anything else to add. “This is a good plan, Aeligos,” she said.
The rogue smiled and nodded at last. He folded the papers and put them back in his cloak. He made his way over to the kitchen door and asked Emil to bring dinner for the group, and shortly after he returned to the table, the barmaid brought them all drinks and meals. They shared their dinner quietly and confidence settled in among them. After dinner they played cards for a while, and then everyone retired to thei
r rooms for some rest, waiting for the courier to come summon them before the council the next morning.
Kari and Grakin retired to their room, and the priest had barely closed the door before Kari started undressing him. She didn’t even wait to get to the bed before she began their lovemaking. He was shocked, and after a minute he drew away from her, so she followed him to the bed. They made love passionately: Kari’s sorrow over having lost a friend mixed potently with the joy of being with her mate once more, and Grakin left her in control. There was no bed beneath them, no world around them: there was only the two of them melded together in the throes of passion.
They didn’t speak after their passions had run their course: everything that needed to be said came out in their lovemaking. Kari fell asleep in Grakin’s arms with her face pressed to his warm chest, and he folded his wings over them as well. She felt safe and warm, and her dreams were the same, though Makauric manifested within them at one point in the night. Contrary to what she expected, his appearance did not cause heartache or pain, but she had smiled in her sleep and enjoyed a last moment with him, ethereal as it was.
Kari and Grakin returned to Kaelariel’s temple the next morning, and Samuel presented her with an urn containing the brys’ ashes. She stowed it in Grakin’s travel pack, since he was less likely to drop his in the face of trouble. They thanked the priest, and made their way back to the inn. Kari was surprised to find several guards at the inn when they returned, and the rest of her companions were seated around the table waiting for them. Aeligos made a gesture to the guards, who nodded, and he approached.
“You’re not under arrest,” he started, holding up a hand to stifle any reply, “but the city council has ordered you to appear before them for an inquiry. On the positive side, we’ve been summoned back to see them at the same time, so we should get all of our business taken care of this morning. The guards will escort you to city hall, but again, you’re not under arrest.”
“I understand,” Kari said. She gestured for the guards to lead her along, and the rest of her companions rose and followed as well.
Chapter XVII – Consequences
The guards escorted Kari and her companions to city hall, and after a short wait in the foyer they were escorted into the council chamber. The gallery was full. The guards gestured for Kari to follow them to the open floor, but ordered the others to stay behind. Aeligos started to protest, but Kari told him it was all right, and she moved to stand at attention several paces before the podium. She looked at the six people before her and waited for them to speak.
“Please state your name for the record,” Governor Potter said from his place on the right.
“Karian Vanador, Shield of the Heavens, by Zalkar’s grace,” she replied formally.
The governor nodded. “Welcome to our city, demonhunter,” he said. “While no formal charge was filed, we understand there was an incident yesterday involving yourself and one of our captains of the guard. The report states that you attempted to bring a demon into the city, and nearly attacked several guards when they refused to allow him entry. While we respect the authority of the Demonhunter Order, such an incident required a formal inquiry at the least. The report of the captain stands in evidence; what say you on this matter?”
Kari put her hands to her hips and looked at the floor, fighting to keep her emotions in check, and she blew out a short sigh. She looked back to the governor after a moment and said, “Your guards killed my friend yesterday.”
The council was clearly surprised by the declaration, and the governor banged his gavel to restore order as the gallery erupted in mumbling. Once the chamber was quiet again, Potter leaned forward and fixed Kari with a curious gaze. “Please explain,” he said.
“My partner and I were sent to this island to track down a demon,” she said, trying to think of the best way to keep the story short and to the point. “Our search started in the Kavin Rainforest of the southeast, but we got lost out there, having expected to find the czarikk and ask them for help. We were approached by a brys who offered to show us the way to the czarikk and then to the demon we hunted, called a sylinth. Since our other task here needed to be done as quickly as possible, we had little choice but to accept the brys’ offer.”
She turned and looked at Erik over her shoulder. After a moment, the governor waved him forward and he approached to stand beside Kari. “The brys was a great guide, which wasn’t surprising since he ranged the rainforest and the savannah north of it for years,” she said, but then she paused for a moment. “I enjoyed his company, at least as much as you can enjoy the company of a creature with no sense of humor and little personality. During the fight with the sylinth, I was wounded and my partner got a…concussion. Makauric – the brys – didn’t help us during the fight: he was afraid that he would be put under a charm by the sylinth, but after, when I was trying to care for my partner, he came for us. He hunted for us, guarded us while I slept, and helped me tend to my partner, and when we were ready to travel again, he led us here.”
“The reward he received for his help was to be shot down without question by your guards, and that was my failure,” Kari said, her eyes beginning to tear up, and she cut off the governor when he tried to speak. “That demon was under my protection, and I had to watch him die because your guards didn’t use a shred of common sense when they saw red skin.”
The chamber was silenced for a minute by her words. The councilors exchanged glances, and the gallery remained quiet, waiting to see what the council’s reaction would be. Kari looked at Erik and he met her eyes, and he gave her a tight-lipped nod and patted her shoulder. Kari bit her lower lip. All at once she wanted to scream at Erik, the council, and every guard in the city; did none of them understand the value of Makauric’s life? She curbed her emotions as best she could. The fact that she’d been called before the council for a hearing spoke of the damage the situation had already done, and the threat of it compounding was obvious. As much as she wanted to vent her anger, Kari knew that she also needed to patch things up if there was any hope of asking the council for their aid.
“Clearly the actions of the captain and his guards were rash, but understandable under the circumstances,” Potter said at last. “But you say this brys was your friend?”
“I don’t know what else to call someone that protects and provides for you,” she said, and Kari bit her lip again as she caught her breath and tears rolled down her cheek. Erik put his hand on her shoulder once more. She was tempted to shake it off: to reject what she assumed was a false attempt to comfort her, but she decided not to make any more of a scene than her vehement declarations already had.
“What would you have us do, officer?” Petra asked, folding her arms before her.
The chamber was silent for several minutes, councilors, spectators, and friends alike awaiting Kari’s next words. She remained silent; her eyes were on the council but her thoughts were on her slain friend. Soon she realized what it was the council was asking her. After a minute had passed, she calmly wiped the tears from her face and shook her head. “Nothing. What’s done is done, and your people shouldn’t suffer for what was…a mistake,” she said quietly. “All I would ask is that they don’t make this same mistake again.”
“You’re certain you do not wish the captain punished?” Potter asked. “As a high-ranking official of the patron of Law, you have the authority to demand it.”
Kari shook her head again. “No. I’m no judge, and punishing him for protecting the city would be as much a crime as his men killing my friend,” she said. “Just let it be. Explain things to him, since I can’t. Knowing he was wrong should be his only punishment, since it’ll calm his hand in the future.” She glanced over her shoulder briefly and then fixed her gaze on Potter. “Have him look at the seal in the foyer, and remind him that it’s not just words.”
The council held her under their intense gazes, and Kari wasn’t sure what they were thinking as she held their stares, until at last the shakna-rir
woman in the center gave the barest of smiles. “Well spoken,” Petra said with a nod.
The governor seemed to take Petra’s words as a cue. “As you wish,” Potter said. “What would you ask of the city as compensation for your friend’s death?”
Kari was dumbstruck, and wondered what exactly they thought they could offer her in exchange for a life taken. She waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t mean this to sound like a threat, but I’m not the one you should worry about compensating,” she said, which drew more curious stares from the councilors. “If what Makauric told me is true, there are quite a number of brys in the forests to the north and west of you. They’re the ones you should be worried about.”
“How so?” Max Soroza asked.
“The brys are vengeful, and quite often consider each other brothers,” Erik said, and Kari was thankful for the brief respite to collect her thoughts. “But they’re also fairly predictable as serilian demons go. If they find out that their brother was killed at the gates of your city, they may come to collect a blood price: ten of yours for one of theirs is the standard. But an apology may go a long way with them. If they believe it was a mistake, they may leave you in peace.”
“Would a handful of brys really pose a threat to our city?” Avery Nash asked.
“A handful of brys could sack this city if they put their minds to it and worked together,” Kari answered. She blew out a short sigh as the councilors mumbled among themselves. It was apparent the city had little contact with serilian demons, and it left Kari to wonder whether the other brys on the island were anything like Makauric. “And they will if they’re angry enough about Makauric being killed. He said he rarely saw his brothers, but that doesn’t mean they won’t care about his death. Also, what my partner said is only partially true: while their blood price is ten to one, each of them would collect it.”
