by Joe Jackson
The marshal looked at her strangely, and Kari wondered if he was going to go report her request right to Black. “Yes, of course, my lady,” he said after a moment. “I thought you knew that Lord Garant was staying just up the road from Lord Black’s tower.”
“I trust you, marshal,” Kari said, and his nod was both polite and thankful. “Get your lord a priest of Zalkar; he’s going to need a strong ward to keep that demon at bay.”
“I suspected as much when he requested one,” Marshal Saracht returned. “Though my lord doesn’t particularly like your Order or the churches of your deity, he’s not so stubborn as to refuse help he truly needs. I will do as you have asked.”
Kari nodded, and she bid the marshal farewell once he delivered her safely to the front door of One Small Favor. She watched him walk away just long enough to see him head into Zalkar’s church, and then she decided she should follow her own orders and get a good night’s rest. She ascended the stairs to her room and found Eli there, and she was thankful for his presence, as it might be the only thing that let her sleep soundly after what had happened. He was laying in his bedding but not asleep, and he looked up with a smile when Kari entered.
“I need a favor from you,” Kari said after she closed the door. “I need you to stay with me tonight.”
Eli’s eyes went wide for a moment, but then his brows knitted and he rose to his feet quickly. He was dressed in his loincloth and sleeveless shirt, as he always was when he went to bed. He touched Kari’s face tenderly and seemed to stifle a sigh. “I understand,” he said. “If you want to talk about it, just let me know.”
Kari didn’t answer. She simply hugged him, and Eli returned the embrace tightly. To Kari, it was a shame that anyone else would have gone through a childhood anything like hers, but in that moment, the way Eli held her made her thankful she’d met someone who had.
Chapter XVIII – The Unyielding
Kari woke up with the tolling of the bell at the fifth hour. It was something she hadn’t done in a couple of years, even after all of the complications that followed Little Gray’s birth. Eli was still sound asleep beside her in the bed, where he’d spent the night as she requested. Just as Aaron had done years before on her trip through Barcon, Eli acted like a security blanket for her, and he, too, was a perfect gentleman. He wore his loincloth and tunic to bed and kept his hands to himself throughout the night, lending comfort through his presence. Kari smiled at him and sat up in the bed.
Eli stirred but didn’t wake up, and Kari, still dressed in her undergarments, made her way downstairs to the bath chamber. The room was dimly lit by the embers of last night’s fire, so Kari moved over to put some fresh wood in, and stoked it until the logs started to burn. She fixed herself a hot bath to avoid disturbing Alyssa and Chelsea’s sleep, and she took advantage of her early awakening by washing her padded clothes. Once her padded clothes and undergarments were hung by the fire to dry, Kari settled into the steamy bathtub and tried to relax.
Her arms still tingled where Kaelin Black had grabbed her the night before, and she twitched every time the feeling of being slammed on his desk replayed in her mind. She was sure the demon had been in full control of him, and she had no doubts just what its intentions were. That didn’t explain how the demon had gotten into him without notice, and Kari’s mind once again returned to the possibility that Kaelin Black and BlackWing were the same person. But all the evidence says otherwise, she thought. Numerous people have seen them fight each other, and even divination magic said that they were distinct individuals, neither illusioned nor shape-changed. That left only one possibility for the theory that they were the same man to be true: Kaelin Black could be in two places at once.
Kari wondered if Dominick might know of any arcane magic that would allow such a thing, and in such a way that it would fool even divinations. BlackWing being nearly identical to Kaelin Black by chance, without shape-shifting magic, seemed impossible, unless they were brothers or even twins. Twins were virtually unheard of among the rir – even the serilian-rir – so Kari cast that possibility aside. But was it possible that they were simply long-lost brothers? Kaelin had told her that BlackWing only entered his life close to sixty years earlier, but that didn’t mean the assassin hadn’t simply lived and operated elsewhere before then. And such a thing might even go a long way in explaining why Kaelin Black was so despised. It left Kari to wonder who Kaelin Black’s father was, and that opened another possibility: could the relationship between Black and BlackWing be that of father and son? If so, which way?
Part of her thought perhaps they had done more harm than good by killing BlackWing and forcing the demon to find a new host. At the same time, she thought it might be easier to contain the demon now: if it stayed in Lord Black, then Markus could keep the resident Earl busy and prevent the demon from causing havoc. Without her demon to feed and feed off of, Kari imagined Turillia’s power would diminish at an increasing rate, and then Kari would be able to fight her in a contest of steel. Turillia was a brilliant fighter, one Kari would’ve loved to have as an ally, but Kari was confident she could beat the succubus in a straight-up duel. Up until now, every time Kari had faced Turillia, the succubus had held some advantage: surprise, unfamiliarity, Kari being unarmored; were they to square off now, evenly, Kari was confident she would emerge victorious.
Emma was still an unknown variable, though, and one Kari was inclined to worry about. Emma’s power was like nothing she’d ever felt. She had seen a display like Emma's only once before, when the kirelas-rir war wizard Triela had unleashed her full magical fury on the island of Tsalbrin. While Emma’s exact motives were still unknown, Kari was growing increasingly uncomfortable having so powerful a creature on her world. The mallasti girl’s presence might call for contacting Triela and asking the young kirelas-rir war wizard for her help; Kari wasn’t sure who else would be strong enough to stand against the demon. Even Triela might have difficulty and require the assistance of other high-ranking archmages, like Gareth Maelstrom or Blake Malgar, the court wizard of the shakna-rir in Aurun Ch’Gurra.
A strange thought came to Kari’s mind: Emma was a victim here. While Kari had no delusions about protecting Emma or helping her in the way she had helped the black dragon Ashurinax in her previous life, the realization that Emma was also a victim allowed her to put her thoughts in order. Emma was trouble, no doubt, but Turillia was the aggressor here, and the greater evil. Turillia was murdering people; Emma – to Kari’s knowledge, anyway – was not. Turillia might open a portal to the underworld; Emma seemed intent on keeping any from being opened. Turillia wanted to become a goddess and a demon king; Emma seemed to have limitless arcane power, but was using it toward her master’s plan, whatever that may be. In short, Emma was less of a threat than Turillia.
Kari came to the conclusion that while she wanted to capture Emma and ask her many questions, killing Turillia had to take priority over that. Even if it meant Emma might escape, Kari placed stopping and killing Turillia as her highest priority. The symbol of Zalkar began to pulse on her chest, illuminating the fire-lighted chamber in its soft blue light, and for a moment Kari thought Turillia might be close by. After glancing around, though, she realized her Blood Oath was reacting to her thoughts: Zalkar was agreeing with her, apparently.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Kari wondered how long she’d been soaking in the tub. The pruning of her fingers said she’d been daydreaming about the previous night and today’s plans for quite some time, and she called for whoever was there to enter.
“Are you proper?” Markus asked through the door, and Kari nearly chuckled.
“No, but I will be in a minute,” Kari called back, and she wrung the water from her hair before she stood up and stepped out of the tub. She was so used to being among her family and not worrying about ‘being proper’ that she sometimes forgot that humans had different standards when it came to nudity. She dried herself off quickly with one of the inn’s thick, soft towels. Her undergarments were dry
and toasty against her skin as she slid on her panties and got her halter in place, and she called for Markus to enter while she began putting on her padded clothes.
The paladin averted his eyes until he felt Kari was fully dressed, and he approached once she was proper. “The marshal stopped by my cabin last evening and told me that you wished to speak to me first thing this morning,” Markus said while Kari brushed her hair.
The terra-dracon woman sighed. “I’m going to need your help more than ever,” she said, pulling the brush through her hair harder and faster as her emotions welled up.
She wasn’t even conscious of breaking some of the silky black strands until Markus approached and grabbed her hand gently to stop her furious brushing. “What is wrong?” he asked. “You seem quite out of sorts.”
“Markus, I…,” she started. She paused and took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and put her hand to the end of her snout. Kari tried to recall the strength of Triela’s mental exercises, the courage she’d summoned when she told her family of her past abuse, and the contentment she felt knowing she was a good person. She didn't want to break down, and certainly not in front of Lord Garant, who she assumed would think she was unfit for hunting if she did. She got her emotions under control as much as she could and blurted, “Kaelin Black nearly raped me last night.”
“What?!” the paladin exclaimed, and he turned Kari and grabbed both of her arms firmly but non-threateningly. “Tell me you jest, or I will go arrest him myself this very moment!”
Kari laid her hand on Markus’ shoulder and shook her head. “Don’t,” she said. “It…it wasn’t his fault. Markus, he’s been possessed by a shadow demon! I don’t know how it got into him, but it’s the same one that was possessing BlackWing.”
“Shepherd’s Mercy,” the paladin muttered. “BlackWing was possessed, you say?”
Kari nodded, and she gestured toward the exit to the common room, where they could sit and speak quietly. Markus moved ahead but opened and held the door for her, and Kari couldn’t help but smile as she passed through into the commons. Alyssa was tending to the hearth, and she politely offered her guests breakfast when she saw them enter the room. Kari and Markus both agreed on their breakfast choices, and they took a warm seat near the hearth to talk.
“Tell me everything, but take your time,” Markus said, touching Kari’s hand gently.
Kari filled him in on all that had happened the night before. She saw that Markus was just as surprised as everyone else was by Katarina’s display, and in the set of his eyes, Kari could tell he was alarmed by her description of the shadow demon. She described the fight at the graveyard and the involvement of the werewolves as fairly and accurately as she could. She told the paladin of her thoughts regarding Emma and Turillia, and he agreed with her decision to prioritize killing Turillia. And finally, she told him of her encounter with Kaelin Black, putting emphasis from the moment she felt the warning tingle in her mind to choking him unconscious.
“But he seemed…well, normal after he awakened?” Markus prompted her.
“He seemed more like himself, for what little I know of him,” she answered honestly. “I haven’t really told him anything, Markus, and now I’m glad I haven’t. I don’t know how much of what Lord Black knows is open to the demon, but I didn’t want to risk telling that demon anything about myself, my family or friends, or even Emma.”
“And you do not want him arrested?”
“No, not at all,” Kari answered. “We killed BlackWing, and the demon moved to Lord Black. I don’t really know what that means overall, but one thing it means is that you can trap the demon. As long as you can keep Lord Black busy, the demon won’t be able to go looking for trouble, and Turillia will have to stay away from him. Lord Black was also planning to have wards put around his tower to keep the demon out, so he may have trapped it in the tower with him without realizing it. That is, assuming the wards are strong enough to hold a shadow demon; we don’t really know much about them, even among my Order.”
“Well, I will lend you what aid I may in that regard, but I can only keep Lord Black busy for so much of any given day,” Markus said. “However, we may be able to have my students keep tabs on him during those times when I am not in meetings with him.”
“Or Sharyn,” Kari mused, though it was clear Markus hadn’t met the ranger yet. Kari had to wonder what he would think of Sherman’s relationship with the woman. While the twins clearly respected Markus as both a mentor and a nobleman, Kari wasn’t sure if they looked up to him as a father-figure as well. Either way, Kari had to imagine that Markus watched the twins and their behavior carefully, and made sure they didn’t stray from the path. If Markus found Sherman’s relationship with Sharyn questionable, Kari assumed he would step in. “So the real trick will be keeping the succubus from entering his tower when you’re not around.”
“That should not be an issue,” the paladin countered. “If the priests put a ward around Lord Black’s tower, the succubus will not be getting in or out of it, I am certain. As you said, I am not sure it will affect this shadow demon, but the succubus should not be strong enough to breach the defenses.”
“Right,” Kari said, tapping a claw on the table. “And if the ward is strong enough to stop the shadow demon from crossing it, then it might keep the demon trapped inside the tower if it was possessing Lord Black when the ward was put up. So the ward may keep the two apart, even if we can’t.”
“It seems this situation is falling increasingly under your control, Lady Vanador,” Markus said with a smile. “Though this has turned out unlike what you expected when you explained it to me at my home, your work here has been most impressive. Leave Lord Black to me; I will either keep him occupied as much as possible, or else take him into custody, should the demon still be in control of him. Focus your efforts on Turillia and finding Emma; that should be enough to keep you busy for some time to come. Let me know if there is any other way I can be of aid to you.”
“I will, thank you,” Kari said. She let out a long, quiet sigh, thankful to have such a good new friend and ally as Lord Garant. Though his position as Earl of Lajere meant he wouldn’t likely be accompanying the Silver Blades on any missions, it was good to have a fairly high-ranking nobleman and paladin as a contact in the south. His help so far had been subtle but invaluable, and Kari wondered just how much more complicated her mission would be had he not agreed to come along. Indeed, had he refused to loan her a griffon or a horse, she might still be on her way to the city – far too late to be of help.
They shared a quiet breakfast, and filled Eli in on what they’d discussed when he joined them just after dawn. He was shocked to hear that it was Lord Black that had sexually assaulted Kari, but he trusted her instincts and honored her request to let the matter pass for the time being. After a speedy breakfast, Eli left with the celestial token in his possession, intent on finding Emma. Once she finished her own meal, Kari decided she wanted to head straight to the cemetery to see what preparations her half-elite friends were making under the watchful eye of Marshal Saracht and his men. She asked Markus to join her for dinner that night, to which he agreed, and Kari was satisfied that she would be able to lay out a plan of attack with everyone present. Markus bid her farewell, and they departed the inn, she on the way to the southwest district, and he on his way to a meeting with Lord Black.
The streets were still mostly empty, so Kari jogged steadily toward the southwest district. She stopped at Kaelariel’s church on her way past, but the acolytes there told her that Piotyr and Deirdre had already left to begin their work at the cemetery. She was glad to hear that Deirdre was up and about. While fast healing was a trait of half-guardians, Kari wasn’t sure half-elites healed quite as fast. She guessed being tended to by her brother and getting a good night’s sleep helped, and being a warrior-priest of Kaelariel made the question irrelevant.
Just as Kari had requested, there were a good number of city guards at the cemetery. Half a dozen stood watch at
the gates, and Kari could see that others were walking along the top of the wall as though there were battlements. She was ushered into the cemetery with no need for introduction, and the guards informed her that the priests were near the center. Kari wondered at that; she expected there would be a lot of work to do beginning just inside the gate after what Emma had done last night. She wondered if her half-elite friends had stayed up all night to begin tending to the cemetery.
Kari stepped through the gates and her jaw dropped. Every crypt and mausoleum was back in order, their doors replaced, and even the graves showed little sign of disturbance. It was almost as if the entire incident the previous night had been a dream, but Kari knew that wasn’t the case. Was it possible it had all been a massive, masterful illusion, orchestrated by Emma? Kari looked around the immediate area and returned the polite nods of the guards patrolling the inside of the cemetery. Satisfied the area was about as safe as it was going to get, particularly under the light of the rising sun, she approached the nearest graves and knelt down.
The earth smelled fresh, as though it had been recently disturbed, and Kari’s sharp eyes picked out the details that told her last night’s battle hadn’t been an illusion. While someone had cleaned the place up and quickly, there were still signs left behind that the dead had indeed risen. Odd footprints dotted the ground between the graves, and though the individual plots had been covered fairly well, they weren’t sculpted the way Kari remembered. She continued toward the center of the graveyard, and noted chips of bone among the grass and soil where Sharyn had cut down one of the undead.
Kari reached Piotyr and Deirdre, and they were busy performing a consecration ceremony under the newly risen sun. There, she could see that though the doors of the crypts and mausoleums were replaced, their faces were still cracked in places. There was plenty of damage and smaller telltale signs of the prior night’s horror, but someone had done an immense amount of work cleaning up after Emma. Was it possible the mallasti girl had come back and cleaned up her mess personally? Kari found it unlikely, but less so than the possibility that Turillia or any of Lord Black’s people had done so.
