by Joe Jackson
Alyssa graced Kari with an enchanted, awe-filled smile before she turned to the other door to the back rooms. “Chelsea! Come see who our newest guest is!” she called, and then she turned her attention back to her two patrons. “Welcome to One Small Favor, lord and lady. Can I get you something to drink before you check in?”
“I’d love a double-godhammer, please,” Kari said almost instinctively, and she had to curb the desire to laugh at herself. “Haven’t had one in ages.”
“Black coffee,” Eli answered in turn, and Alyssa nodded and went to get the hot drink before she would mix Kari’s own beverage.
A young terra-rir girl came out of the back, and her eyes lit up as soon as she saw Kari. Chelsea looked almost exactly like her mother must have when she was a pre-teen, and the girl dashed to the bar and stepped up on a platform behind it so she could meet the guests face-to-face. “You’re that lady that gave mommy all that money, aren’t you?” she asked, nearly breathless.
“That’s me. My name’s Kari,” she answered, and she didn’t miss the look Eli was giving her from the corner of her eye. “I take it you’re not begging for apples anymore?”
Chelsea laughed, a high-pitched giggle that soon had Eli chuckling as well. “Not since you gave mommy all that money,” she answered. She turned toward her mother when Alyssa returned from the back room with Eli’s hot drink. “Mommy, is the demon-lady staying here?”
“Demonhunter, Chelsea,” Alyssa corrected, blushing somewhat. “Yes, she is going to be our guest for a week or so. Why don’t you go get washed up, and we’ll see if we have time to share a meal with our guests before the supper crowd comes in, hmm?”
The girl hopped down with an emphatic okay and rushed into the back room. Alyssa placed the coffee before Eli. She then began pulling up bottles from under the bar and mixing Kari’s potent beverage, though she didn’t offer any judgmental looks or comments while she did so. Like Kari remembered Dave doing, Alyssa was quite generous with the drink – especially considering it was completely made of liquor to begin with. Once she’d finished, she slid the drink before Kari, and then poured herself a very small glass of wine to share with her guests.
“Normally I wouldn’t do this, but to see you again…I enjoy a small glass of wine when I’m feeling thankful to the gods,” Alyssa explained. “I have some fresh turkeys roasting in the back for supper, if either of you are hungry. The supper crowd won’t be in for a couple of hours yet, but the birds are finished cooking, and I have some potato pie and vegetables to go with them. Forgive me if this seems a bit forward, but I would very much like to break bread with you if you’re willing, my lady.”
This is why we fight, a voice echoed in Kari’s mind, and she smiled inwardly as Sakkrass’ soft caress blew through her mind like a zephyr. There was a tingle and a brief flash of memory, and Kari understood in that moment that sharing a meal with his friends was one of Sakkrass’ favorite things. Kari held her hand out and Alyssa took it in hers, and the women smiled to each other as Kari nodded in agreement. “I’d like that as well,” she said. She gestured toward Eli and added, “This is my companion, Eli. He’ll be working with me to try to catch this killer you’ve no doubt heard all about.”
Alyssa’s expression changed but she made an effort not to let the subject dampen her mood. “Yes; it’s been all I can do to keep it from falling on Chelsea’s ears,” she said. “I am happy to have you stay here, but will there be any danger to the inn while you are on your hunt?”
Kari waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll be taking steps to make sure the killer stays far from here,” she said. “I give you my word on that.”
Alyssa smiled and nodded, satisfied with Kari’s promise, and she excused herself to go and prepare their meals. Kari enjoyed the taste and tang of her potent beverage. She had always liked the taste of a double-godhammer as much as the numbing effect it had on her nerves after a stressful hunt, but even with its warmth spreading through her core, Kari found that it was a poor substitute for the other fires that burned in her heart. Her inner fire was fueled by her family and once again by her work, and she found a solace in both things that made the drink’s other effects unsatisfactory and unnecessary. She nursed the drink slowly; it had been some time since she and Eli had eaten breakfast, and Kari had no desire to become intoxicated.
Eli spent the quiet time studying her, and Kari understood that she must be as puzzling to him as he was to her. He was clearly as interested in her past as she was in his, and it seemed he saw something in her that was intensely attractive. Eli wasn’t a bad looking man: he was scarred and somewhat short for a serilian-rir, and he lacked the manners that Grakin and even Kris Jir’tana possessed, but there was something about him Kari couldn’t deny being attracted to. She figured it was the mystery combined with his compassion, and that the latter was what made the former so interesting. Kari normally wasn’t the type of woman to fall for the brooding, mysterious type of man – she could hardly stand men like Kaelin Black – but something in Eli’s words and the way he held himself appealed to her. Kari got the impression that he’d gone through a hell somewhat like her own growing up, but somehow had turned out a decent, caring person. It made her love him, in a sense, simply for being a kindred soul who had overcome.
Kari wondered if Eli had the same sense about her past that she did about his. Kari had worked hard over both lifetimes to push down the hurt and the hatred her abusive childhood had scarred her with, to make certain that people only saw the strong demonhunter woman she was now. She considered how she had opened up to her family after giving birth to Little Gray when the memories and the scarred girl in her soul resurfaced, and how her mother-in-law in particular had shown deep concern, especially once she learned of the episode Kari had suffered in Flora. It was the love and support of her family that kept Kari grounded, and allowed the strong woman to curl up around that scarred little girl and drive her fears away. Though the memories were still painful, Kari felt she was a better woman for having told her family the truth, and she was continuing to slowly learn to draw strength from tragedy. Even Erik, who was overbearing and overprotective at times, was left speechless by Kari’s admission, but his behavior afterwards said that he now understood the incredible strength in Kari.
As they continued to stare at each other, Kari wondered how Eli would react to her story, and whether he would ever open up about his own past. She could tell his past filled him with shame, but Kari wasn’t sure if it was his ties to the Five Clans and the things he had done on their behalf, or something from before then. Still, Kari could see that the grizzled warrior drew strength from that past, and it somehow made him a more compassionate and determined man. While Kari’s past derived from a spiteful and abusive father, she got the sense that Eli’s came more from his surroundings and having grown up in the city of Oge as a half-corlyps: a type of serilian-rir looked down upon by most everyone, even other serilian-rir. A part of her wanted to lend him the same comfort and support that Triela had shown Kari on Kirelia. At the same time, she was hesitant to dredge up her own past or risk putting Eli through any sort of pain.
The silence was broken by Alyssa returning with a few plates of food stacked along her arm, and she called for Chelsea to stop dawdling and come join them straight away. Kari and Eli moved to one of the tables for four, and soon they and their hosts were seated around the table with a good helping of food and drinks before them. Kari waited expectantly before beginning to eat, and when Eli saw her hesitate, he waited as well. With a smile, Alyssa gestured for them to all join hands, just as Kari was accustomed to doing at her mother-in-law’s table, and the innkeeper gave a prayer of thanks to the pantheon.
“I haven’t heard someone do that in some time,” Eli commented.
“I must confess: I only started doing it myself a few years ago,” Alyssa said before she turned her gaze toward Kari.
“You’re not going to tell me you bought all this with the money I gave you, are you?” Kari asked
, gesturing around.
“Oh, no, not like that,” Alyssa returned. “No, at first I was tempted to take Chelsea and head north toward DarkWind, to either see if my husband was there, or at least get confirmation that he was lost in the battle.” She lightly gripped Chelsea’s wrist, and her daughter looked up and managed a smile. “The more I thought about it, though, I realized that it might be better for both of us if I just accepted what you told me and moved on. Right, Chelsea?”
“Daddy went to be with Sechre Tori and the angels,” the girl said, and there was only a slight tinge of longing in her voice.
Alyssa patted Chelsea’s hand. “That’s right, sweetie,” she said comfortingly. She turned back to Kari and continued, “I took the money, sold our old things, and bought a little house here in the temple district, away from the darker parts of the city. I got us cleaned up, and was able to find work here at the inn, serving tables and tending bar for the old owners, Dave and Millie Marrack. I was also able to get Chelsea into one of the temple schools, to make sure she gets a better education than I did. Those schools can be expensive, but with the money you gave me, I was able to at least get her in and then make payments as I earned money here at the inn. After a little over a year, Dave and Millie decided to retire, and they sold me the inn for a share of its earnings for the next five years. All I asked was that they let me change the name of the inn, and they agreed.”
“And you named it for that small favor I did for you three years ago,” Kari reasoned.
“Yes; the inn is named for you,” Alyssa confirmed with a smile. “To commemorate what one small favor from a stranger can do.”
“Hmph, and here I thought you just killed demon princes for a living,” Eli said dryly.
A wave of emotions washed through Kari, and she felt all at once uplifted and adrift as feelings of happiness collided with the shadows and fears of her childhood. She recalled the way she’d felt when she shared her dark secret with Grakin in Flora, and then with her whole family after Little Gray’s birth, and she realized that true freedom lay in not letting her scars control her feelings or her fate. Kari decided to strip the power from her hurtful memories. “I grew up on the streets of Solaris,” she said quietly, which drew looks of surprise from both Eli and Alyssa. “I know what it means to be ragged and hungry, and not a day goes by that I don’t remember what that felt like.”
Eli tapped his right shoulder, though Alyssa couldn’t see the tattoo under his armor, and didn’t register the significance when he said, “You never forgot where it was you came from.”
“They used to tell us at the Academy, ‘you change the world by saving one life at a time,’” Kari said with a nod. “It took me a long time to realize they didn’t just mean saving people by hunting demons. Considering it was a demonhunter that saved me from a short life that ended on the gallows, I guess I should’ve figured that out a lot faster.”
Eli fixed her with another curious glance, but Alyssa’s smile broadened. “The gods only know how many lives you’ve saved, or at least changed,” she said. “I swore to you I would never forget your kindness, and I never have. I try to return your favor by helping the homeless and the poor whenever it’s within my means.”
“That’s all anyone can really ask for,” Kari said, and she went quiet and began to eat. The others also took to their meals, and there was a silent but pleasant air about the table as they shared in the delicious food Alyssa had prepared. The turkey was moist and savory, cooked in a mixture of herbs and spices, and the potato pie and mixed vegetables only helped to bring out the full flavor of the meal. Kari nursed her drink slowly over the course of the meal, enjoying its taste but avoiding coming anywhere near intoxicated. No one spoke while they ate, but it was as close to home as Kari could imagine feeling while sharing a meal with relative strangers, and there was a contentment that settled into her soul.
After supper, Kari helped Alyssa and Chelsea clean up the dishes and glasses, despite the innkeeper’s protest. Kari was happy to be of help like when she was at home. While they cleaned up, some of Kaelin Black’s guards arrived in the company of Marshal Saracht, and the marshal spoke with Eli about how to best set his men to guarding the inn. Eli’s experience as the head of security for his brothel served them both well, and he suggested the marshal set his men to watching from nearby rooftops as well as regular patrols, and to set burglar traps near the inn’s upper floor windows. Alyssa was clearly more relaxed with the thought of the marshal’s men watching over her inn. With the two men engrossed in their work, Kari got the room keys from Alyssa, and took her and Eli’s packs upstairs to put them in their respective rooms.
When Kari visited three years before, Dave and Millie had given her the master suite free of charge, but Kari refused to take the inn’s most desirable room this time. She took one of the smaller dormitories and set Eli’s pack into the one next door to hers. The rooms were cramped but efficient: they clearly weren’t meant for more than sleeping or sex, lacking anything more than a credenza with a wash basin on top, a bed, a nightstand that was little more than a stool with a lantern on it, and an armoire that was barely big enough to fit a few days’ outfits into. Their windows were tiny and allowed just enough light to filter in so that the guests should be awakened with the morning sun. The master suite, Kari remembered, was bigger than the room she and Grakin shared, but a part of her felt much more at home in this cozy little dorm.
Kari lay down on the bed for a minute to test its comfort, and as she gazed to the little window high above, she was glad to see it wasn't big enough for even a lithe succubus to slip through. If the assassin wanted to attack her in the dormitory, she would have to either teleport in or else come in through the door, and this time, Kari would not leave anything to chance. She planned to go across to the Unyielding’s temple and see if the priests there could ward the entire inn against demons, or at the very least give her some tips on preventing the succubus from slipping into her room. Kari was nervous about being attacked in her dreams again, but there was a strange sense of challenge there. A part of her wanted to face the succubus in her dreams and beat her there as well. It was dangerous, but given the way she had begun to turn her dreams against her assailant in Lajere, Kari believed she had the will to do so.
Kari didn’t want to doze off, especially after eating such a rich meal, so she rose from the bed and returned to the common room. She was surprised to see Eli and the marshal shake hands as their conversation came to an end. Eli had said he was never very good at taking orders, so she found it odd that he and the head of Black’s police force would get along well. She supposed it was because they both – theoretically – were in the business of protecting others, and there was a clear respect there that Kari appreciated. The marshal bowed politely to Kari and assured her that he and Eli had come to a suitable arrangement to protect her, the inn, and its owners and patrons, and he took his leave.
Eli turned to Kari expectantly, and she nodded toward the door. “Let me introduce you to Zalkar’s temple here in the city,” she said. “I want to get their help in protecting the inn, and maybe see if they have any information that might help us in this hunt.”
“Sounds good,” Eli said. He and Kari bid Alyssa farewell, stepped past some patrons coming in for supper, and headed toward the temple.
Inside the church, Devin Sanstrom was giving a pre-supper sermon to a handful of worshipers. Devin was the same priest who was in charge of this small church of Zalkar when Kari passed through three years before. He was an elder human, in his sixties if Kari’s instincts were right, and he wore the typical light blue robe that was common among the Unyielding’s clergy. Kari didn’t know him very well personally, but she had a good amount of respect for him simply for being the head of a church of Zalkar in a city like Barcon. Such had to mean he was well-trusted by Zalkar and his fellow priests, and held in high regard by Attir Surallis, the Unyielding’s high priest. Devin met Kari’s eyes, and he smiled and nodded briefly to let her
know he’d be with her soon, and that she should make herself comfortable.
Kari and Eli took seats and waited for the sermon to come to a close, and Kari could see from the way Eli looked around that he’d never been inside one of the Unyielding’s churches before. It struck her as odd after how long he had worked for Bosimar and the Order, but she recalled his words regarding walking the grounds of the demonhunter campus and figured he was not one to be found hanging around in churches, either. With his tattoo and his “fear” of the demonhunter patron, Kari wondered if Eli served any of the gods, or whether he believed any of them were gods at all. He’d worn no holy symbols on his person when she’d seen him stripped to the waist in Lajere. The way he looked around the church now led Kari to wonder if perhaps he felt his past was unforgivable, and that in part gave rise to his protective nature.
Agnosticism and atheism among the rir were rare, since nearly all of their pantheon were once mortal and were sometimes seen upon the world itself. On the other hand, those who fell into one of those two beliefs usually pointed to those very facts as the basis of their beliefs. Kari found it all rather strange, but then she had to admit to herself that she had always thought of Zalkar as more of a boss, and not so much her deity. Despite her feelings and her doubts, Zalkar had apparently never doubted her: Kari had wielded his power many, many times before, in the minor healing she could draw from him or in the tremendous power she’d used to destroy the demon prince, Ressallk. Kari believed in the gods and in their benevolence, but at the same time, she had a hard time dedicating herself to any one of them. She supposed overall, her faith was simply in the strength and goodness of the pantheon as a whole; if she had to choose any one deity she felt closest to, her choice, oddly enough, would be Sakkrass.
Thoughts of her adoptive celestial father led Kari’s thoughts to wander. She’d never heard anything regarding Sakkrass introducing himself to her own pantheon, as he’d said he would do when she encountered his avatar on Tsalbrin. Kari could still feel his presence in her mind at times, so she was sure he still watched over her, but she was at a loss as to why he hadn’t allied himself with her own deity. Kaelariel and Zalkar had begun working together to allow the serilis-rir to try to integrate into normal society after Kari’s work on Tsalbrin, and the Order had ceased killing serilis-rir of the lesser types on sight, to gauge their loyalties. Relations were still rocky between the races – it had only been a few years since the Apocalypse, after all, and many still called the serilis-rir “demons” – but peace was digging its roots into the hearts and minds of both sides. Kari was certain that with time, the wars between the rir and the serilis-rir would be but a bad memory.
