by Joe Jackson
“Virtually everything Lord Black said, at least when we were present, was a lie,” Aeligos said. He waved a hand dismissively, apparently expecting some form of rebuttal, and continued, “I know some people would say he spoke in half-truths, but it’s all the same.”
Albrecht seemed more surprised by those words than Aeligos’ declaration that the entire situation was a trap. “What makes you so sure?” he asked, though his tone was light and it was clearly not a challenge.
“First and foremost, his reaction when I mentioned Emma,” the rogue said. “If he really had no idea who Emma is, his reaction would’ve been a lot less dead-pan. There was no emotion in his response, not even confusion, and the way he spoke – ‘I have no idea who you are talking about’ – that’s pretty typical of people lying through their teeth. I could tell you I’m the long-lost son of Karmi G’Dorrinn more convincingly than that.”
There were scattered chuckles from the members of the Council, but Lord Allerius kept his focus. “So you think he knows about Emma?”
“To some extent,” Aeligos confirmed with a nod. “Not to say she’s necessarily wrapped up in this the way she was in our mission to Tsalbrin, but at the very least, he knows her name. He knows what she is, if not exactly who she is, if that’s clear.”
“Clear enough,” Albrecht said. “You said he spoke in half-truths; was there useful truth to anything he said?”
Aeligos made what appeared to be a semi-apologetic gesture. “Well, bear in mind that what I’m telling you is based on my perceptions. Divinations by a priest or the use of someone who can read thoughts would’ve given you more solid evidence,” he said, and Lord Allerius and the Council nodded their understanding of the rogue’s intentions. “Lord Black is a practiced liar. Trouble is: so am I. That’s part of my function within the Silver Blades. I don’t think he’s had many occasions to test his skills against someone who does the same thing. So when he was lying, to me it seemed painfully obvious, and when he was telling half-truths, again, it seemed pretty easy to separate fact from fiction – based on my perceptions, of course.”
Aeligos’ hands moved with soft gestures again as he began to explain his thoughts and feelings. “Lord Black mentioned the priests of Achirun,” he started, and he paused briefly when the Councilors bristled with mention of the demon lord’s name. “While I believe what he said was true with regards to not wanting to ever serve or be subservient to a demon lord, his involvement with those priests runs a lot deeper than just using them to his own ends. He truly believes he’ll never fall into Achirun’s trap, but he doesn’t realize that he already has. To what extent, I don’t know, but if he thinks he’s using Achirun’s priests for his own ends, you can rest assured they’re using him for theirs as well.”
“Indeed,” Master Arinotte said. “That is typical of the hubris of those who deal with demons and their ilk. Everyone believes they are too smart and crafty to ever get caught in the webs of beings that have lived for thousands of years. Such arrogance leads to one end only.”
“How truthful was he with regards to the actual killings?” Lord Allerius prompted.
“That’s where things get a bit more complicated,” Aeligos answered. “Everything in his mannerisms and words seemed to point to him telling the truth: that he didn’t kill anyone. On the other hand, that still doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved: if it was a half-truth, as most of what he said seemed to be, then it’s possible he helped the assassin kill those three Guild members, he just didn’t strike the killing blow himself. Also, it’s hard to believe that the assassin wanted him, killed three people to get to him, and then walked away without making an attempt on his life. There’s something here we’re missing, and nothing makes that as clear as the crime scene itself.”
“I think the biggest clue we found was the positioning of the bodies,” Aeligos continued. The Councilors regarded the notes from their own investigators that sat before them, and several nodded when they saw the notations that clarified the rogue’s words. “If Lord Black truly didn’t kill anyone, then there has to be some other rational explanation as to how three Guild members were not only killed, but that they were killed nowhere near each other and before they could react fully. That would seem to suggest they were assaulted by at least three enemies, one of which may have been Black himself, despite his words to the contrary.”
Master Perez rolled his eyes slightly and let forth a chuckle. “Not that we have any reason to trust the sincerity of Lord Black, but what makes you think he was a part of this?”
“The timing of the kills,” Aeligos explained. “If I were going to kill three people by myself, the last thing I would ever do is confront all three of them at the same time, particularly in a room with fewer exits than enemies. I would figure out some way to divide them, either by waiting for one to use the commode or such, or else by trying to lure one away. The scene we looked at suggested the Guild members were attacked simultaneously. Now, that assassin was very fast, but not fast enough to kill three people in seconds nowhere near each other.”
“So there’s more than one assassin?” Master Perez asked.
“Either that, or Lord Black was involved,” Aeligos answered. “I suppose it’s possible that Lord Black assaulted the first Guild member at the base of the stairs, the assassin killed one of the others, and the third was indecisive as to which of his guildmates he should help first. If so, the assassin could’ve killed the second while Black grappled with the one by the stairs.”
“And the one by the stairs would have been easily slain by the two once the assassin dispatched the second Guild member. A very plausible explanation,” Master Bennet said.
Aeligos continued, “That’s also not the whole of it: all three of the Guild members were killed with some sort of poison. Based on the wounds, I think what the assassin used was a type of necrotic venom that eats away at flesh and can leave the appearance of burn-like wounds. Lord Black said he didn’t see the assassin apply anything to her weapons, but if he was grappling with the third Guild member, that could be an inadvertent truth. Either way, this venom clearly made it that much easier for the assassin to dispatch the Guild members. Whatever it was, it was very potent. In my line of work, I’ve come across many types of poisons, but I’ve never seen one that works that fast.”
Kari raised her brows and wondered if that might also be something Eryn told him about in the wake of the attack. Kari knew about the venom of many dangerous types of sand spiders and scorpions from her travels through the Khalarin Desert in her early years, when she trained in the shakna-rir kingdom under King Suler Tumureldi. She had no idea what effect the venoms might have had other than bad wounds and sometimes death, but it gave her pause to think that the syrinthian woman had brought something even more toxic from the underworld.
“Both of the wounds with burns on the men in the dining area were between the ribs here,” Aeligos said, demonstrating on the side of Kari's armor. “Their armor has a seam up the side there and the assassin knew exactly where to hit them to not ruin her blades on the ribs and miss the mark. This assassin is deadly, much more so than anyone you might deal with here in the city. I watched her fight with Kari, and I saw how fast and, more importantly, how efficiently she moved. I was honestly thinking there were multiple assassins when I first started studying the crime scene, but after seeing how quickly that syrinthian moved, I’m pretty confident she could’ve pulled this off alone – if she had Lord Black’s help.”
“But this brings us back to the questions: why would Lord Black help her if she was after him, and why did she not make an attempt on his life after slaying the Guild men?” Master Perez asked.
“Because it’s a trap,” Aeligos said with confidence as the conversation came back full circle. “Based on what Lord Black said and the inconsistencies in the evidence, I think this entire incident was meant to set the Order up. It was clear that Lord Black was hoping Kari would be the one sent to Barcon to investigate, and considering the as
sassin is some type of syrinthian, it seems pretty obvious that the trap is meant to ensnare her.”
“For the obvious reason?” Master Bennet asked.
Kari nodded. “Revenge for killing Ressallk,” she said quietly, referencing the sylinthian demon prince she had killed on Tsalbrin. Ressallk was a son of Sekassus the Calculating and a part of the demon king’s schemes on the island of Tsalbrin, and Kari had decapitated the demon prince after a fierce battle. Though the Order and Zalkar’s church both assured Kari they would stay vigilant in monitoring the demon king for a reaction, Kari had little doubt that Sekassus was making an attempt on her life. The presence of a snake-woman all but confirmed it in her mind.
“The only thing that makes me wonder is Lord Black’s mention of Sekassus, and the way he very easily pointed a finger at Sekassus when we interrogated him,” Aeligos said. “If Black’s a part of the plot, then it doesn’t make sense for him to mention the one behind it. It’s possible he’s just trying to throw us off by mentioning the obvious culprit, but it could turn out to be far more elaborate than it would seem.”
“So then we must send someone else,” Master Bennet said, but even Lord Allerius shook his head in response along with Aeligos.
“No, if this involves Sekassus, it’s something I have to handle personally,” Kari said before either of the two men could speak. “This is my responsibility, and I already swore a Blood Oath, so I’m bound to put an end to this myself.”
Master Perez made a gesture and Zalkar’s symbol began to glow brightly on Kari’s chest, prompting the Councilors to begin whispering among themselves for a minute. Aeligos and Lord Allerius both fixed Kari with surprised gazes, but both men seemed to come to the same conclusion as to why she would’ve done such a thing, and nodded. Kari folded her arms across her chest and waited for the Council to address her directly. She knew they’d be concerned with her safety, especially walking headlong into a trap, but at the same time she figured they would understand that she couldn’t ask someone else to do so in her place.
“If this is the decision you’ve come to and Zalkar has given you his blessing, then we have no place questioning that decision,” Master Bennet said after a couple of minutes. “We would like to know, however, who you are planning to bring with you.”
“No one from here,” Kari said, and Aeligos whipped his gaze back to her. She held her hand up before anyone could protest and continued, “I’ll be bringing a few friends with me, but no one from the Order, and no one that Lord Black or the syrinthian have already seen.”
Aeligos put his hand to his chin, apparently disappointed that Kari didn’t want his help, but it was clear by his expression that he understood her logic and what she was thinking. “You raise an interesting point,” he muttered, but then he turned to address the Council. “Kari’s instincts may have figured out what I missed. It’s possible the killings were not just to get her attention, but to see who aligns with her to put a stop to it. A good assassin never goes after their mark until they’re well aware of everyone and everything they’ll have to deal with in the course of and in the wake of the killing.”
The Councilors nodded, and Aeligos turned toward Kari again. “So you’ll be taking a boat south to Lajere and making your way to Barcon from there?” he asked and, when she nodded her confirmation, he bobbed his head appreciatively. Aeligos understood exactly what she was thinking: despite his infiltration skills, Black and the assassin had both seen him and his presence might cause more problems or, more likely, get him killed.
“Yes,” she said after another moment, turning to face the Council. “I think it best if I bring people Lord Black doesn’t know, the assassin hasn’t seen, and who won’t stand out as members of the Order. They’ll be able to get some answers while I draw the attention of Lord Black and the syrinthian assassin. I have a feeling there’s more going on here than even Kaelin Black realizes. Despite his words, I think Aeligos may be right and he may be serving an underworld power; whether willingly or not, I don’t know.”
“When were you expecting to begin?” Master Perez asked.
“There’s a ship heading south to Lajere tomorrow,” she said. “In the meantime, I was going to try to find one of the people Jason Bosimar's journals mentioned working directly for him during his tenure as Avatar. Are any of you familiar with a gnoll named Tormaar that may still live here in the city?”
“Tor?” Master Bennet repeated, and a warm smile crossed his face. “Of course. He is a staff sergeant with the ducal army. You can likely find him at the garrison any time.”
“Then with your leave, Masters, I'll see to that and then head to Barcon first thing in the morning,” Kari said, and the Councilors all nodded their assent.
“Good luck in your mission,” Master Bennet said. “Love justice, but do mercy.”
Kari repeated the tenet in kind with a salute and, after bidding the Council and Lord Allerius farewell, she and Aeligos took their leave. The rogue looked at her every so often as they left the campus and ascended the hill to the citadel. Kari could tell Aeligos understood her reasoning and agreed with it, but he was nervous about letting her go into danger without him or his siblings. She had to smile: though he lacked the physique that typified Erik, Serenjols, and Typhonix, Aeligos was still half-guardian and still had that protective nature. More to the point, though, Kari understood that Aeligos did not like being duped or outfoxed, and his competitive nature was clearly piqued by the challenge the assassin and Lord Black’s involvement presented.
As usual, Aeligos had clued in quickly that she intended to ask Sherman and Katarina for their help in Barcon. The young human paladins had moved south to the city of Lajere a couple of months after the Silver Blades returned from Tsalbrin, since the lord of the city and county was a paladin. They went to train with and learn from him, and though the Silver Blades were sad to see them go, at the same time they were glad to see the youngsters taking the next step in answering the calling of paladinhood. Kari looked forward to seeing them again, though she reminded herself that they would now be close to twenty years old: hardly youngsters anymore.
The citadel was an impressively large castle that stood on the top of a hill in northern DarkWind. It had several levels, which allowed the Duke and his staff to live and work on the upper floors while the Duke’s honor guard, the local garrison, and the officers of the city watch lived and worked on the ground floor. Constructed in the mid-twenty-fifth century, the citadel was a replacement for the grand Fortress of DarkWind that stood outside the city’s walls. The citadel was nowhere near as large as the Fortress, but its stalwart appearance and the fact that it had housed many of the city’s non-combatants when DarkWind came under siege during the Apocalypse made it a symbol of strength to the people. The rumors that there were dungeons below the citadel, carved into the very bluff upon which it sat, did little to dispel or dilute that public image.
Kari ascended the hill with Aeligos, and cast her gaze westward over the city’s walls to behold the old Fortress of DarkWind. The beautiful old castle had fallen into disrepair even before Kari’s first life, and the way she remembered it from her days training at the Academy was not all that different than it appeared now. If Kari remembered her history correctly, the Fortress was abandoned after a brief war called The False Apocalypse, wherein the Devil Queen captured the city of Oge and made it her base of operations. Several attempts were made by the Duke’s armies to retake the city from the Devil Queen’s clutches, but none found any measure of success. In an effort to stem the endless tide of assaults on her new base, the Devil Queen launched one efficient, deadly assault on the Duke, killing his entire household except for him. By all accounts, the Fortress had been haunted ever since, causing the Duke to move within the city limits and construct the citadel.
They reached the top of the hill and approached the gates, and Kari and Aeligos received only a cursory glance from the guards, who noted Kari’s dog tags and let them pass. Several militiamen getting re
ady to go on patrol were kind enough to give them directions to the officers’ mess, where they said the two could find Sergeant Tormaar. The citadel was deep and shadowy, and as Kari looked around at its mighty walls, she couldn’t help but try to imagine the bulk of the city’s population trapped within while the defenders made one last desperate attempt to hold off the siege. Fortunately, such a scenario had never unfolded: thanks to the heroics of the Eleventh Light Division – which was completely lost in the battle – the city was spared. Kari looked to the statue in the center of the citadel’s main hall, which depicted a guardian demon wearing the coat of arms of the DarkWind nobility, and she did a double-take when she saw the demon was named Aeligos.
“My namesake,” the rogue said as they continued deeper into the citadel. “Kaelariel put him in charge of the Eleventh Light Division, and he died with his men while breaking the siege. I’d guess they probably wouldn’t have succeeded if they’d been led by anyone other than a guardian demon. The guardians really had a knack for spurring our soldiers to victory.”
Kari recalled that her mate and all of his brothers were named after guardian demons, and she appreciated the gesture a little more as she heard one of their stories. “So I take it he wasn’t an infiltrator?” she asked.
Aeligos chuckled. “None of the guardians were,” he answered. “Father named me so because Aeligos was the fourth guardian demon created, and I was his fourth-born son.”
Kari nodded, and soon the two came to the officers’ mess. The men inside seemed surprised when Kari and Aeligos entered, but as soon as they saw Kari’s dog tags, they waved the guests in. Two humans that looked like they had just finished their shift sat at a long table across from a gnoll. Gnolls were hyena-like humanoids, typically very tall and broad with short fur that had the same coloration as their animal counterparts. Tor was easily as tall as Erik, who was about six-foot-ten, and the gnoll had a powerful build that was obvious even with his furry coat. What surprised Kari most about him were his legs: most gnolls were digitigrade and had bent legs typical to canines. It appeared that, like the czarikk, there were some gnolls that were more humanoid, and Tor was one of those.
