by Joe Jackson
While she dressed, Kari felt a soft breeze blow past her again, but rather than alarm her, it filled her with a sense of calm. She had felt this particular breeze before when she encountered Sakkrass, the deity of the lizard-folk called czarikk, during her mission on Tsalbrin. After she killed a sylinth – a type of serpentine demon – to avenge its slaughter of the czarikk children, Kari had met the czarikk deity in avatar form, and he had blessed her with the ability to speak and understand their language, both in verbal and written form. His presence manifested as a soft breeze, sometimes upon her body and sometimes only within her mind. Though it had been some time since she felt his presence, when Kari felt the cool tickle upon her skin she relaxed, knowing that Sakkrass still kept his word to watch over her.
This did not dismiss the possibility that there was something in the house, though. The breeze she felt now was not the same as the one she’d felt when exiting Little Gray’s room; that had almost certainly been a passing body. All the same, she was comforted by Sakkrass’ presence, which would doubtless drive out any unwanted or unclean spirits or presences in the house, whether Kyrie could detect them or not. She mused that it was possible that the first breeze had also been Sakkrass, and that Kari simply wasn’t expecting his touch given her alarmed mental state. It left her to wonder if her son was able to perceive the czarikk deity on some other level: whether he was more aware of the deity’s presence due to having the more open mind of a child. Kari found it unlikely, though, as the czarikk were lizard-people and her son called the unseen presence “the Fuzzy Man.” Of course, she also couldn’t dismiss the possibility that her son simply had a very good, active imagination.
Kari belted on her swords and wrapped her cloak about herself to ward off the chill of the spring evening. She descended the stairs, kissed Grakin and Little Gray, promised to be home soon, and then she departed with Irressa. Aeligos volunteered to go along. He was perceptive and suggested that he might be able to find clues that Kari’s thorough but less detail-oriented coworkers may have missed. Kari guessed it also had to do with the fact that Aeligos’ mate, Eryn Olgaryn, was a member of the Blood Order, and that the assassin’s guild may have been involved in whatever happened. Whatever the case, Kari was glad to have his help once again: something resembling an open mind would be a welcome presence when dealing with a man she hated probably more than was healthy.
DarkWind was a lively city even after dark, though with its heavy complement of watch patrols, the streets were unusually safe for a city of its size. As Black had insinuated, the city did indeed have a very large and very dangerous assassin’s guild that ran its underground, but Kari knew the guild better than most demonhunters. Eryn had become a friend during their journey to and from Tsalbrin, and though Kari didn’t fully trust Eryn to be honest regarding her profession, their friendship gave the demonhunter certain insights into the guild and its workings. Foremost was the fact that the guild was not just a conglomerate of murderers: they didn’t ply their trade against the common folk of the city. Instead, the Blood Order was more of a political guild, eliminating other organized crime and threats to DarkWind’s major houses and merchants’ guilds – for a price. Kari still didn’t like them; the demonhunters and the city watch should have been all the protection the people needed. Still, many of the common folk supported the guild, and if the Duke, Christopher Bosimar, felt at all inclined to rid his city and duchy of their presence, he gave no indication it was so.
Irressa didn’t speak while they walked, focused on rooting out any danger and keeping her superior and Aeligos safe. Kari exchanged more than one glance with Aeligos to see if he was detecting any danger. Aeligos had worked for many years as a rogue and infiltrator, and consequently had very finely-tuned instincts when it came to sensing trouble. Whether it was a feel to the air, a sense of anxiety among the common people, or even just a troublesome look to where they were walking, Aeligos had the street smarts to pick up on things that most people missed. Kari had a great sense of danger of a physical nature: people, creatures, or even unclean spirits. She had the instincts of a seasoned demonhunter that made her an incredible survivalist, even three years removed from active field duty, but still Aeligos’ senses left Kari in awe at times. He seemed to have a sixth sense for danger, which either stemmed from or contributed to his roguish nature and brilliant tactical mind.
Thankfully, Aeligos seemed perfectly at ease walking the nighttime streets, which were well-lit but far from bright, even with the light of the rising moons. The night air was cool, so most people had cloaks wrapped about them, but still Aeligos saw little that he seemed to find alarming. Irressa led them to the city’s lower east side, south of the docks and the arena, an area known to be one of the dirtier and rougher parts of the city. It wasn’t a slum, but simply where the laborers and dockworkers tended to congregate, so it was more in line with what many called low-class. It may have lacked the polish and luxuriousness of the nicer parts of the city, but to Kari, even this rougher part held some charm. She had grown up on the streets of Solaris, a street urchin who survived by her wits and wiles, and she had seen far worse in those days than the so-called lower class of DarkWind’s lower east side.
Irressa led them to an inn called Charlie’s Boarding House, a ramshackle-looking two-story hostel. In the nicer districts near her mother-in-law’s home, Kari imagined the place would likely see no patrons and go out of business in short order. Here, though, its rugged exterior fit right in, and likely gave visiting sailors and migratory workers the impression that it wasn’t a high-priced establishment. It was the type of place Kari remembered visiting in those odd times as a youth when she’d squirreled away enough coin to afford a decent meal and a bath. Those times were few and far between in her days as a homeless teenager, but for all the rough reputation such places held and the disdain the more well-to-do might have held for them, Kari remembered well the pity those proprietors had taken on her. Despite her Lady title and her position among the Order, Kari still considered these “her people.”
Kaelin Black was standing outside on the inn’s porch speaking with several members of the city watch as Kari, Irressa, and Aeligos approached. Black glanced toward Kari briefly and his expression was a mystery to her. She expected he would either be angry that his safety had been threatened or embarrassed that he’d been wrapped up in a homicide in another duchy, but she found neither in his measured gaze. She thought, based on his expression, that he was expecting her to be angry, and bracing himself for a verbal lashing. Kari held her tongue. She knew that she couldn’t let her personal feelings toward Kaelin Black lead her to do or say anything foolish or threatening. The Order had broad authority, but they still had to respect the authority of the nobility, as Master Bennet had reminded her. With that in mind, Kari merely nodded her head curtly to him as she approached, and after returning the gesture, he returned to speaking to the serilian-rir watch captain. Aeligos regarded the armored female watch captain curiously, but gave no voice to his thoughts.
“Ah, Lady Vanador, thank you for coming,” the watch captain said, turning toward the demonhunter and bowing her head politely. She was a burly serilian-rir – a half-elite by Kari’s reckoning – with smooth features and a warm smile, given the situation. Female half-demons were fairly rare, and were generally marked by strong features and accentuated curves. The captain’s hair was braided and tucked into her chain coat, which had splits in the back to allow her wings through, and her dull crimson eyes were full of skeptical experience that was plain to see when she met Kari’s gaze. “I am sorry to have bothered you at this hour, but I understand Lord Black has been speaking with the Order, so I assumed when I found him at the scene that the Order might take an interest in this.”
“I seem to have underestimated the Blood Order,” Black said dryly, which drew an irritated glance from the watch captain. “They found me a lot faster than I expected.”
The watch captain sucked in her lower lip, clearly trying hard not to say an
ything rude to the visiting Earl, and Kari was relieved to find he had that effect on more than just her. It was well-known that the Blood Order was a sore point to bring up with the city watch, particularly its officers, who doubtless felt powerless to rein in the guild’s activities. Kari had to imagine that Kaelin Black would know such a thing, given his own ties to organized crime. The captain was working hard to keep up the appearance of respect and courtesy, but the Earl’s words had clearly struck a nerve. Kari had to stifle a laugh as she beheld the serilian-rir fuming quietly at each other. Though Kaelin Black was a big man, the watch captain was a burly woman and Kari didn’t imagine she’d hesitate to cuff the Earl if she felt she was within her rights to do so.
Kari sized up the massive form of Kaelin Black and shook her head. “Somehow I doubt finding you would be any trouble at all,” she commented, and he smirked at her before Kari turned her attention to the watch captain. Kari extended her hand, and the captain shook it and took the cue to introduce herself.
“Captain Sul’Imadra,” the half-elite woman said with another polite bow of her head. “We’ve kept anyone from entering the inn so the scene would remain relatively undisturbed. If I may ask, Lady, who is this?”
Kari introduced Aeligos and her reasons for bringing him along, and soon the captain ushered them into the inn to have a look around. Irressa stood by the door to let Kari and Aeligos investigate uninterrupted. Whatever the outside of Charlie’s Boarding House may have suggested based on its rugged exterior, its interior quickly overcame. Its common room was cozy and warm with the heat of a fire that also bathed the room in a soft glow that was eerie given the circumstances. The floors were of smooth, sanded wood that was comfortable to Kari’s bare, clawed toes, and clean except in those places where the killings had taken place. The furnishings were all well maintained, lacking the cracks, gouges, and stains that would have truly made the place a dive, and two simple chandeliers would allow for more lighting as necessary. It seemed odd to see a good-quality inn with no one about so early in the evening, especially in the busier section of the city south of the docks. As Kari looked at the scene of the crime, though, the inn’s emptiness became the least curious thing.
Splayed about the room were three dead humans laying in pools of their own blood. It was obvious even at first glance that each had died from slash and stab wounds that seemed to have found every seam and weak point in their armor, and their weapons lay impotently beside the bodies. Aeligos confirmed in seconds that they were members of the Blood Order: their shoulders were tattooed or branded with the guild’s mark. Something seemed strange about the scene, but Kari couldn’t quite put her finger on it; she was glad she’d brought Aeligos along. She looked around again, getting a measure of what might have happened, and marked the positions of the bodies: one at the base of the stairs, one in the far left corner, and the third halfway between the far left corner and the bar. It seemed unlikely to Kari that Kaelin Black could have killed three well-trained assassins without getting so much as a scratch on him, and she looked over at Aeligos when he muttered a surprised whoa.
“What is it?” Kari asked as she approached him.
“Take a look here,” he said, pointing to one of the stab wounds on the body nearest the stairs. Kari assumed that had to have been the first to have been killed.
Before she reached him, Kari stopped and looked around again. The very fact that the bodies were here in the common room didn’t make sense to her; Kari expected to find them up near Black’s room. For them to be in the common room suggested the fight started with Black coming down the stairs. It left Kari to wonder if Black had initiated the fight, coming down the stairs looking for trouble and, of course, finding it. As she considered it further, she wondered why Black would be in such a place to begin with: he was an Earl, a visiting noble, and regardless of his relationship with the Blood Order, Kari had to imagine that the Duke would have taken steps to keep him safe. Instead, Black had come to one of the rougher parts of the city and taken up residence at a hostel; it didn’t add up. Kari glanced around one last time and took note of the assassins’ weapons: drawn and lying askew near their bodies, but without a drop of Black’s – or anyone else’s – blood on them.
“This is weird,” Kari muttered as she knelt down and looked at the wound Aeligos was pointing to, and he offered no argument. She immediately saw the same thing he did: though it was clearly a stab wound, there was little blood and the edges appeared to have been burned by acid or something similar. The other wounds on the body didn’t have the same burns, and when Kari met Aeligos’ gaze, she could see he was as confused as she was. He moved to inspect the other bodies, and Kari sat back on her heels and looked at the positioning of the body at the base of the stairs. She couldn’t dismiss the fact that the three dead men were highly trained assassins, and that all three had died without inflicting even a single wound on any opponent was very suspicious.
“Initiate, go and get the watch captain,” Kari said absently to Irressa, and the young demonhunter nodded and went to do as she was told. “Aeligos, if you and Eryn were trying to kill someone, how unlikely is it that they’d kill both of you without you hurting them in return?”
Aeligos’ grim chuckle confirmed her suspicions, and Kari stood up and faced Captain Sul’Imadra as she approached with Irressa. “Where’s the innkeeper?” Kari asked.
“I had two of my watchmen escort him to another nearby inn, Lady,” the captain replied. “He said he was in the kitchen when the fighting started, and he slipped out the back and alerted the watch when he heard trouble in his common room. He also said that having members of the Guild in his inn is not uncommon.” She looked over her shoulder toward the door, then folded her arms across her chest and met Kari’s gaze once again. “I’m far from a proficient detective, Lady, but to me this looks like Lord Black started the fight.”
Kari nodded. “I’d have to agree,” she said.
“Not necessarily,” Aeligos interjected, and when the two women fixed him with their gazes, he pointed out the positions of the bodies. “There was someone else here, too; possibly two others. If Lord Black killed the one at the bottom of the stairs, there’s no way the other two were killed there and there. They would’ve attacked him while he was engaged with the first. They were clearly killed by someone else.”
“Very astute, though not entirely accurate,” the Earl commented dryly from the doorway. “I didn’t kill anyone.”
“You had best step outside and close your mouth before you spend the rest of the night in prison,” Captain Sul’Imadra threatened, pointing a finger as she approached the obnoxious male.
Kari had to suppress a chuckle and the Earl turned and walked away. “How long will it be before the Guild knows about this?” she asked.
The captain turned to face her again. “They likely already do; they’re probably watching us from the shadows. They won’t interfere with us, but Lord Black is another matter.”
The terra-dracon woman nodded again. “Let’s take him to the Order’s campus. We’ll hold him there until we can get him out of the city safely. Have your guards bring the innkeeper there as well, and keep some posted here to protect the scene until your investigators can do a thorough search,” Kari ordered, and Captain Sul’Imadra saluted her crisply before issuing orders for the guards to do as instructed. Kari looked to Aeligos and added, “We’d best go with them in case any Guild members try anything.”
“I doubt they’d risk endangering the captain and her guards, but you never know,” he replied. Once the guards were outside, he leaned close and whispered, “I’ll see what Eryn knows. No doubt she’s on high alert with Black in the city.”
Kari sighed as she exited the inn with her brother-in-law and fell into formation with Captain Sul’Imadra and the other guards. The captain took point, with Kari and Aeligos behind her, two of her guards flanking Lord Black, and Irressa bringing up the rear. The Earl seemed to find the protection amusing, but he offered little pro
test and the group made its way north toward the campus of the Order. Three more guardsmen stayed behind to keep the inn undisturbed. With a good number of guards accompanying them and Aeligos’ assurance that the Guild was unlikely to attack the guards – and, Kari thought to herself, a prominent demonhunter – her mind wandered to the scene they had just left. Something about it just didn’t make sense to her, even after Aeligos’ observations and Black’s statement. Her instincts as a demonhunter warned her to stay on her guard, and she flexed her fingers absently as the group approached the dock district.
It was those instincts that had her scimitars in her hands only a heartbeat after the guard captain’s blood hit her in the face. Kari absently wiped the blood from its precarious position over her eyes using her forearm, and in the span of only another heartbeat, she bounded two steps forward and swept the assassin away as Captain Sul’Imadra fell to the dirty street. The other guards moved to attack the assailant, but Kari’s eyes locked with the serpentine gaze of the assassin and she knew the guards would be badly outclassed. Kari had only ever seen a syrinthis in the pictures shown to recruits at the demonhunter academy; never before had she encountered one face to face. The creature showed her fangs in a hiss, though, and Kari knew that was what stood before her.
“Protect Black!” Kari ordered, though she felt foolish for more than one reason saying so. It hardly seemed likely Kaelin Black needed protection given the grisly scene they had left only minutes before. Even still, Kari knew she faced a demon – a minor one, perhaps, but a demon nonetheless – and she wanted the guards to stay out of harm’s way.
The seasoned demonhunter stepped between the assassin and the fallen captain, but the syrinthian woman seemed more interested in Black. Kari gained her full attention by pressing the assassin with a combination. The syrinthian woman’s white, semi-scaled face contorted oddly and she dodged Kari’s attacks, but then her face set into a scowl. From the billowing folds of her cloak she produced a second long, straight blade. She deftly parried Kari’s attacks and countered with a measured but vicious combination of her own that forced Kari back a few steps. Three years removed from field duty, Kari was no less polished a swordsman, but it had been a while since she’d been in a truly life-or-death battle. Fortunately, Kari was far from alone: Irressa came around to flank the syrinthian assassin, and tried to drive her in towards Kari.
