by Joe Jackson
“I am fine,” Serenjols said.
“All clear in the prison?” Erik asked Kari, and she nodded. “Aeligos, go see if you can find Eryn, and let’s get out of here with the general as soon as we can.”
“Triela sent the soldiers out the front door, so if there was anyone outside waiting to get in, they may find themselves not wanting to do so anymore,” Sonja added.
“It’s over,” Erik said with a satisfied sigh.
“No, it is not,” Triela said, her head tilting curiously.
The blue-eyed demonhunter regarded her curiously. “What do you mean?”
Triela turned toward the door, and everyone followed her gaze. Eryn entered the room, and Triela did nothing to stop the half-brys woman as she approached, drew back her bowstring, and put an arrow through the head of the general at point-blank range. Gaswell could let out only a brief startled cry of protest before his head snapped to the side with the force of the impact. Triela released her holding spell to let the body crumple to the floor.
“Damnit, Eryn!” Erik barked.
“Look, I’m being paid to bring this idiot’s head to my employer,” the half-brys woman said calmly. “I waited until you could finish your mission, now I need to finish mine. Don’t get in my way.”
The blue-eyed demonhunter growled, but Kari approached and held her hand up. “It’s over, Erik. We were never asked to take him into a court of law, just to stop him at any cost. We’ve done that, and we have Eryn to thank for it – don’t give her a hard time.”
Erik regarded Kari for a moment. “I wanted answers from him!”
“He wouldn’t have told us anything,” Kari countered. “Erik, if he was working with demons, he either would’ve kept his mouth shut, lied, or the demons would’ve killed him before he could tell us anything. The answers we can get, we’ll get from Eryn.”
Erik didn’t seem convinced, but he sighed and nodded. “You’re probably right,” he said. He bowed his head toward Eryn. “Thank you for your help, Eryn.”
“My pleasure,” the assassin said, and she went to collect the grisly proof of her success.
“Where are your allies located?” Triela asked, and once Erik told her where the shakna-rir base camp was, the woman closed her eyes, concentrating, and then opened them after a moment. “Prepare yourselves.”
She threw her arms to the sides and a shock of lightning rattled Kari’s senses, and she soon found herself and everyone else within Maktus Tuvurasti’s command post behind the front lines. The Silver Blades were immediately surrounded by the warlord’s personal guard, but once they identified Aeligos and his friends, they stood down and sent for the warlord. Everyone turned as a thunderclap tore past the camp on the wind, and high over the battlefield they could see the lightning-encased form of Triela hovering above Gaswell’s castle. For several minutes, not a person in the command post moved while the small form rained lightning upon the castle far in the distance, and interspersed between the thunderclaps were the sounds of the castle being blown apart. Even Maktus stopped to watch the display when he came forth from his pavilion.
Kari noted that the command post was closer to Gaswell’s castle than she expected, and she guessed that Maktus’ superior force was routing the general’s men easily. She returned her gaze to Triela’s display and smiled grimly: Gaswell’s army was being dismantled and would soon have nowhere to run. Maktus said as much while he watched the display with his honor guard. Aeligos approached the warlord as Maktus ordered one of his subcommanders to take their battalion and strike out to the southwest, to cut off any retreat to the sea. The warlord saluted Aeligos at his approach, and the rogue returned the gesture.
A moment later, the ball of lightning over Gaswell’s castle disappeared, and Triela suddenly stood in the middle of the command post near the Silver Blades. She collapsed almost immediately, and Kari’s proximity and reflexes allowed her to catch the girl when she fell. Triela was exhausted, and Kari recalled Sonja’s tales of how using her sorcery and Grakin’s channeling of divine power burned them out rather quickly. At Maktus’ direction, Kari carried the girl into the warlord’s mobile pavilion, which was smaller than the one at the main camp but still quite spacious. Serenjols carried Sherman into the pavilion as well, and he and Kari placed their unconscious friends on the cushioned floor. Kari put a blanket over Triela to keep her warm, and Typhonix stood beside Sherman while they waited for a runner to fetch Grakin.
Within minutes, Grakin entered the command pavilion and approached Kari, but she held her hand up to keep him at bay. “Don’t touch me, I’ve been crawling around in a sewer for hours,” she said, but he paid her warning no heed. He embraced her and held her tight until she finally pushed him away lightly. “Sherman’s hurt pretty badly.”
That was all she needed to say. Grakin turned and knelt beside his human companion, and helped to remove the young man’s armor so he could properly tend to the wounds. Kari watched with interest while Grakin inspected the worst of the wounds, and after a moment the healer began his work. He closed his eyes as he began to tap into and channel his deity’s divine power, and slowly he sealed the wound, causing Sherman to grit his teeth in pain. After a moment the priest’s eyes opened and he fixed them on Katarina. “Place your hands over his shoulder wounds and concentrate on sealing them,” he said quietly.
“I don’t know how to,” Katarina responded.
“You do; use your faith, like I taught you,” Grakin said. “Put your trust in the Ghost that he will heal your brother through you. It is part of your service as a paladin. Simply believe in your deity, and in yourself. You can do this.”
The young woman did as she was instructed and Kari watched her begin to channel the Ghost’s divine power. Katarina’s eyes widened in joyful surprise when Sherman’s wounds began to close. Within minutes she and her mentor completed their tasks, and though the flesh was still raw around the wounds, the lacerations were sealed and the bleeding had stopped completely. With a satisfied but fatigued sigh, Grakin sat back on his haunches.
“He is stable, and I do not believe any damage was done to his organs. The wounds are sealed but he will need rest,” the priest said. He turned to Typhonix and inspected the wounds he’d suffered, and Grakin asked, “How are you even still walking?”
“Too stubborn to die,” Aeligos quipped. Kari chuckled, which caused Typhonix to do so as well before cringing in pain.
“You should’ve seen what they looked like,” the blonde warrior joked as he lay down.
The shakna-rir warlord smiled quietly and Erik approached him. “I am glad to see you are all safe,” Maktus said. “Was your mission a success?”
Eryn tossed the satchel containing the general’s head to the warlord, and Maktus looked at it for only a moment before he returned it to the half-brys woman. Erik introduced the warlord to the assassin, and also told him who the unconscious kirelas-rir girl was. Maktus gave orders to his attendants in the pavilion to clothe the war wizard and tend to his guests, and even went so far as to order a makeshift bath prepared for the women.
“If you will excuse me, I will take the field myself now,” Maktus said to his guests, and he put on his breastplate and helm. “I sent a good deal of Raugro’s forces southeast to cut off any attempt by Gaswell’s men to flee eastward toward Ursis or Talvor, and now I have another battalion cutting off their retreat to the west. Thanks to your young kirelas-rir friend, they now have nowhere to run. They may continue to fight, but I will go and offer them the chance to surrender before desperation takes hold. You have all done well. Rest now, and I will see you again in the morning.”
Kari and Sonja washed off, and by the time they finished, Triela was conscious again. She washed off with help from Kari and Sonja, and soon the war wizard was seated on the cushioned floor of the warlord’s pavilion eating. Kari wondered just how long Triela had been starved at Gaswell’s hands. Kari found it amazing that after all Triela had been through, she didn’t have any desire to personally ki
ll the terra-rir general. Sitting safely in the command pavilion, the girl seemed concerned only with sating her long-standing hunger.
Kari sat beside the kirelas-rir girl and put her hand on the war wizard’s shoulder, and after a moment Triela’s blue eyes came up. “How do you feel?” the demonhunter asked.
“Very tired,” Triela answered. “I would like to rest here for the night, and in the morning I will take you and your companions to my home. There are things you need to see and hear.”
Kari patted the smaller girl’s shoulder. “If that’s what you think is best,” Kari said. “Get your strength back; we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Erik gave a noncommittal shrug. “We’ll want to make our way back to Riverport at the earliest time. We don’t know when Karmi’s Sword will return, or any ship heading back home.”
“I will take you to Riverport when our business on Kirelia is concluded; that will not be an issue,” Triela said between bites of her food.
“If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to visit the czarikk one last time,” Kari said to Erik. She half-expected him to say no.
“Do you think you can get us back to their village without Makauric to guide us?” he asked, and she nodded confidently. “We can go when we’re done on Kirelia, then.”
Once their hunger was satisfied, they retired to the general camp to bed down for the night. Though the camp was alive with the sounds of orders being issued and men going to and coming from the front lines, there was a peacefulness about the group, and Kari and Eryn slept in their lovers’ arms, surrounded by their friends.
Chapter XIX – Salvation’s Dawn
The next morning was hazy and hot. Kari watched the sun rise, and the shakna-rir were already well under way in dismantling their camp. In the early hours of morning, the terra-rir forces formerly under the command of Braxus Gaswell had signaled their unconditional surrender, and their field commanders submitted themselves to Maktus’ judgment. Kari had spoken briefly with the the shakna-rir warlord in the pre-dawn hours, and he informed her that he’d merely bid them disperse with a warning to undertake no such folly in the future, and he promised them that no further punishment would be forthcoming as long as they kept true to his wishes. Of course, he had his soldiers make certain that the enemy truly dispersed, and that they didn’t all simply begin marching to the nearest city. Kari was nervous about the warlord’s approach, but she trusted in his judgment.
Sherman was up and about with the sunrise, though he was still weak and his movements were obviously painful. Grakin had instructed him to eat and drink heavily until he regained his strength, and both Sherman and Triela were given priority on food. Triela already looked better by morning, though she was still gaunt, and under closer inspection by daylight Kari was able to see many of her ribs. Even still, there was strength of will in her eyes that clearly said no matter how bad her body looked, her spirit was still quite powerful. After the prior night’s display, Kari had little doubt about that.
Kari shared the morning meal with her companions and listened while Aeligos debriefed Maktus on everything from the previous night. Kari made certain to mention the dead scout she and Sonja had found so that his family would have some closure. After breakfast, Maktus began issuing orders to get his soldiers busy preparing to return home, and then the warlord rejoined Kari and the others in his command pavilion. “Allow me to extend the thanks of Her Majesty for your help in this matter,” he said, shaking Aeligos’ hand. “I will be honest: I had my doubts about you when you first spoke to us in Kulthon. I am glad to see I was wrong.”
The rogue nodded. “I’m sure you didn’t expect so grave a warning and help to arrive in the form of half-demons,” he said. “Your queen is wise, and you serve her well.”
“I hope at some point you have occasion to visit our fair city when times are not so dire,” Maktus said with a nod. “This is a beautiful island, and it is a shame that you only came to visit to see war upon it.”
“It’s possible,” Erik said. “One never knows where the Unyielding will send them next.”
The warlord smiled. “We do not see your Order here often,” he said. “Given the small number of serilian demons here on the island, there normally isn’t much call for your people to work here, but we are glad to have had your help.”
Serilis-rir, Kari thought, but she kept it to herself. “And we’re honored to be of service,” she said. She touched her fist to her breastplate in salute, and Erik and Typhonix repeated the gesture, which drew a respectful military salute from the warlord.
“Go with the gods,” Maktus said. “I understand our young kirelas-rir guest has things she must show you on her peoples’ island, so I will keep you no longer. As it stands, I need get my forces moving northward as soon as possible.”
“Farewell,” Erik said on behalf of the group, and Maktus left the pavilion.
“If you are all ready, then?” Triela asked as she stood up.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kari asked. “Could we simply take a boat to your island to let you conserve your strength?”
The war wizard waved off the comment. “Once I return home, my strength will return much faster,” she said, and Kari had to smile for the jovial and juvenile sound of the girl’s voice. “If there is nothing else we need do here, I will take you there now.”
The group agreed. Triela threw her arms wide with a crackle of electricity and tore a hole through the bounds of reality, moving the friends across to a small island off the southwest coast of Tsalbrin. Despite having experienced it before, Kari was still astounded by the power of the woman and the flawless execution of her magical will. While Kari had been impressed by Sonja’s displays – both aboard Karmi’s Sword and during the course of their mission – it simply paled in comparison to Triela’s wizardly prowess. It left the demonhunter to wonder where so young a girl had learned such things and gathered so much power.
As the war wizard’s teleportation magic faded around them, Kari and her companions found themselves in a village that sat within a sheltered glade. All around them stood a lush forest of wondrous beauty, and nestled under the branches of the trees sat huts and tents made of wood or animal skins. It was not unlike the czarikk village in its simplicity, but there was a stark contrast between the people here and those of the reptilian tribe. There was stateliness and unmasked power that flowed through Triela’s people, and it awed Kari and her companions as they looked around.
The kirelas-rir were reclusive, and it was well known that attempting to visit their island without being invited was a surefire way to get oneself in trouble. There was something about the way they thought and the way they carried themselves that made them much different than the other rir people, and drove them to keep themselves apart from the rest of the world as a whole. While it was not uncommon to meet a kirelas-rir here and there, they were rarely found outside their homeland in numbers. Consequently, little was known of the people or their home, or what secrets they hid so diligently.
The people of the village watched the arrival of the group, and they soon gathered around joyfully when they saw Triela amongst them once again. The girl greeted her people warmly and exchanged hugs with many of them, and she introduced the people informally to those who had rescued her. The people took an interest in their guests but, like the czarikk, they didn’t impose themselves too much upon the strangers: they kept their distance, though their demeanor was a welcoming one. Like Triela, the people were all fairly small in size, though taller than Eryn, and Kari nearly laughed at herself when she realized being around Grakin’s brothers was skewing her perceptions. The kirelas-rir all had light blue stripes on the sides of their snouts, which Kari found interesting. She’d assumed Triela’s were arcane tattoos that had something to do with her wizardly might. Their hair colors were all fluorescent, bright and beautiful, and their eye colors were likewise all bright and exotic like the denizens of Salkorum.
Triela kept the friends gat
hered near the center of the village, and after a few minutes a kirelas-rir male in a deep blue robe approached. His shoulder-length hair was shockingly orange and set into small, beaded braids, and he had matching orange eyes that were startling to behold. He smiled as he approached, and he hugged Triela without hesitation. She clung tightly to him for several long moments before they split apart and she bowed before him. “My lord,” she said quietly.
The male bowed before her in turn. “Your Eminence,” he said.
Kari was intrigued. When she looked at her friends she saw they were similarly curious. Kari’s mind flashed back to the previous night, when Triela had healed Sherman seemingly without effort, and she wondered if Triela was also a priestess. After a moment, Triela waved a hand toward Kari and her friends and introduced them to the male. “These are the ones who rescued me from my captivity,” she said. “I do not know all of their names, but I call them my friends regardless. My friends, this is Icavior, the ruler of our people.”
Kari and her companions bowed respectfully to Icavior and he bowed his head in return. “I bid you welcome to the Isle of Kirelia,” he said. “We do not have visitors here under normal circumstances, but for you to have saved the life of our high priestess marks this as anything but a normal circumstance.”
“High priestess?” Erik repeated with a raised brow.
“I thought she was a war wizard,” Kari added.
Triela excused herself to go wash and change clothes, and Icavior looked over the gathered friends and smiled. “Yes...a war wizard,” he said. “Or so our divine souls are called by your people when they leave our island to explore your lands. She is a master of the arcane, but her primary devotion is to the power of the gods.”
“She practices both the arcane and the divine?” Grakin asked.
