by Joe Jackson
Master Vlad met her stare evenly and smiled slightly. “What would you say if I told you Lord Ambergaust is not a human at all?” he asked, and he chuckled when Kari’s brows rose. “In short, Lady Vanador, my deity’s appearance has little to do with my devotion to him. He is a god of valor and chivalry, a staunch protector, a blessed life-giver, and a true husband and father to his family. I value these qualities and everything Lord Ambergaust stands for, and though I have a great deal of respect for Lord Fletcher and your own patron Zalkar, I don’t find that I relate to them quite the same way.”
Kari nodded absently but her brow furrowed. “Ambergaust’s not human?” she prodded.
“None of his pantheon are,” Master Vlad said. “They take human form when they deal with the people of Citaria to make themselves…more appealing, I suppose you could say. But if you take a look at the crest on my lord’s shield, you will see a deeper truth.”
Kari looked up again at the engraved holy symbol, and then swung her gaze back to Master Vlad. “He’s a lion? Wait, he’s kwarrasti?” she asked, and he nodded. “So some of his people are here on Citaria too, just like Sakkrass’ czarikk.”
“Indeed,” the priest said. “I tell you this not to confuse you, but to let you know that Gori Sensullu had many friends that were not a part of his pantheon. I know the rir people and, to a lesser extent, most of the other peoples of Citaria are not overly receptive to my lord and his own pantheon, but they are all here to help, Lady Vanador. Just as you call upon Sakkrass for his aid in your times of need, do not be afraid to call upon Lord Ambergaust and his family for help or guidance when the road is dark.”
“The world has changed so much since my first life,” Kari said, and the priest nodded. “Thank you, Master Vlad. I appreciate everything you’ve done. What Lord Ambergaust told you and what you were able to find out…that was the only reason I was able to stop Turillia.”
“I am honored to have been of service, Lady Vanador,” Vlad returned. “May the Golden Lion and his pride see you safely home.”
Kari bowed politely to the priest, and left the warm confines of the temple. Her mind whirled with the revelation that Ambergaust was a kwarrasti and what other secrets the little-known additions to the Citarian pantheon might hold. To find that Sakkrass and Ambergaust were like brothers made Kari a little more comfortable with Ambergaust’s presence, and she realized she would be well served to get to know him and his pantheon better. If anything, she surmised that one of them might know something about the Temple of Archons and Salvation’s Dawn.
Kari returned to the inn, where Alyssa was kind enough to fix a late dinner for her. Kari found she was famished, and she enjoyed her meal even with the nagging pain of her newly-healed chin. She considered what she was going to say to Eli afterwards. He wasn’t in the common room, and when Kari inquired about him, Alyssa said that he’d moved his own things to a separate room while he waited for Kari, and that he was upstairs. With the hour growing late, Kari retired to her room, her hunger sated but the fatigue of a hard hunt and a lot of running around afterwards deep in her bones.
Kari knocked on Eli’s door before she went to her own room. When he opened it, she could see in his expression that he was ready to be yelled at. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I may have been partly blind to what Turillia was up to, but I’m not an idiot, Eli,” Kari said, and she waved off his attempt to interrupt. “I’ll go to Sarchelete with you, but on one condition: if you don’t ask Danilynn on a date when we’re there, I’m going to make good on wanting to punch you in the mouth.”
Eli was shocked. “You really think I should?”
“From the way you talk about her, yes,” Kari said. “Even if she says no, if you don’t ask her, it’s going to be something you regret for the rest of your life. So, do we have a deal?”
The half-corlyps smiled. “Yes. Yes, we do,” he said. “I thought you were mad at me.”
“I am mad at you,” Kari returned, but then she shrugged. “But that’s part of being friends. We can disagree, I can be mad at you and want to slap you in the face, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re friends. And it doesn’t change the fact that I’m very lucky to have met you and had your help here.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Eli said. “Hopefully when Danilynn and I have had time to fill you in on things, you’ll understand why I let Emma go. It wasn’t to hurt you or make you mad. I was really lucky to have met you, and I was glad to get to serve Zalkar one more time by helping you. You really are a hell of a gal, Kari. You’ll be a great Avatar of Vengeance.”
“If I make it that far,” Kari said with a sigh. “I feel like I’m getting too old for this.”
“You will,” Eli said. “And with any luck, I’ll be by your side when you do. And with a very hefty amount of luck, maybe Danilynn will be by my side.”
Kari chuckled and kissed him chastely on the side of his snout. “Good night, Eli.”
“Good night, my friend,” he returned, and he shut the door.
Kari entered her own room, latched the door, and then walked to her bedside. She knelt down and prayed to Zalkar and then Sakkrass, thanking each of them for the strength they gave her to fulfill her Blood Oath and her mission. She prayed for them both to watch over Grakin and her child. While she paid no real mind to Turillia’s threat of harm to her family, the decision to accompany Eli to Sarchelete meant she would be away from her family longer than she’d expected or wanted. She wasn’t thrilled with the prospect, but she wanted to hear Danilynn’s insights, and see if the fures-rir woman could tell her anything new.
Kari slid into bed with a smile and considered the gift she planned to give Grakin when she got home. She hoped she would dream of that gorgeous little girl again, and she drifted off to sleep peacefully.
Chapter XXIV – The Hand of Zalkar
Kari went to visit Kaelin Black again first thing the next morning. He seemed a bit like a trapped animal, clearly not happy to be immobilized and forced to stay in Ambergaust’s church. Still, his mood was better than it was the prior night, and he seemed almost happy to see Kari. They spent a while discussing the prior night’s events, and Kari filled the Earl in on what had happened after he was thrown from the tower’s top level. She even included the details around Sakkrass’ involvement, though thankfully, Black didn’t ask about how her relationship with the czarikk deity came about; it was a story Kari was fairly tired of telling after a couple of days of doing so. Ultimately, the Earl asked Kari if she wanted anything from him as a reward for her help, and Kari seized the opportunity.
“Actually, I wanted to ask you something personal, if you don’t mind,” she said.
Kaelin Black beheld her suspiciously, which hardly surprised her. “I would advise against it, but you can ask me whatever you like. After all, with two broken legs, it’s not likely I will be jumping out of my seat to throttle you,” he said, the first bit of true humor Kari had heard from the man. He looked around at the priests and acolytes tending to him and the rest of the church, and shooed them away. “Leave us.”
There was a brief hesitation by the temple clergy, but soon enough, they vacated the room and left Kari and the Earl to themselves. It reinforced Kari’s perception of Lord Black’s iron-fisted rule, or perhaps just the amount of respect his subjects gave him. She dismissed the thoughts and folded her arms across her chest as she prepared to ask what she’d wanted to for some time. “In the lower level of your tower, there’s a painting of you over the fireplace,” she said. Lord Black seemed surprised by the start of her question, but he nodded. “I’ll be blunt, Lord Black: you look happy in that painting. I’m wondering what happened to change that.”
At first he seemed upset by the question, but then his expression softened. “Well, to put it plainly, Lady Vanador, my mother died.”
“Oh,” Kari blurted. She started to apologize for even asking, but the Earl continued before she could interrupt.
“I
didn’t care much for my mother,” he said. He blew out a sigh and held Kari in a measured gaze. “She never much liked having a half-demon child, but then she wasn’t given a choice in the matter, if you understand. What really changed my life, Lady Vanador, was that before she died, she told me who my father was.”
“You must be half-guardian,” Kari reasoned. “Though it seems unlikely one of the guardians sired you by force.”
“It wasn’t a guardian demon,” Lord Black affirmed. “My father...was Gaelix the Shadowborn.”
Kari couldn’t mask her surprise or her alarm. Gaelix the Shadowborn was one of Seril’s highest-ranking lieutenants, and had held the post of Lord of Serilian Demons before Kaelariel killed him and took over his command. So much of the darkness around Kaelin Black – his demeanor, his reputation, the way the other nobles regarded him, and even the attitude of Kari’s Order – made more sense now. She wasn’t sure if any of those were directly related to the knowledge that Black was the son of Gaelix the Shadowborn, or if it was just some lingering sense about him that made them treat him as such, but there was little doubt it contributed.
It was still shocking that he would be so open with Kari, and she couldn’t help but wonder why he would tell her such a thing. She tried to consider what advantage he could gain by sharing such information with anyone, let alone a high-ranking demonhunter. It was a huge risk for the Earl to take, and after several long, uncomfortably silent moments, it dawned on Kari that he was trying to get her to trust him, for whatever reason. Kari had little doubt that the Earl respected her ever since their first true meeting, but she never felt as though the rift between Lord Black and her Order had been even partially patched by her work here – until now.
“I appreciate that you trust me enough to tell me that,” she said quietly at last.
“It has nothing to do with trusting you,” he countered. “It has to do with getting you to trust me. You see, I know something about you, something you don’t want anyone to know.”
Kari’s throat tightened, and she had to fight to keep her breathing and her voice steady. “And what might that be?” she asked, afraid that the demon might have stolen information from her when it held her under its charm.
“That you’re Salvation’s Dawn,” the Earl said quietly.
“No,” Kari whispered. “Damnit, how could you possibly know that?!”
Kaelin Black held up his hand and hushed her. “Don’t be alarmed; Dominick Harrington told me this morning, so the demon was not aware of it,” he assured her. Kari was as surprised that he knew she was afraid of the demon finding out as at the fact that he knew at all. “And please, don’t be angry with Mister Harrington: he is one of my subjects, and owes his loyalty to me before you or your Order. He told me he’d detected it the moment his arcane seal passed over you. Mister Harrington spent many years researching the Temple of Archons; he was quite surprised to find Salvation’s Dawn on his doorstep.”
“What do you know about any of this?” Kari pressed, a little calmer now.
Lord Black waved his hand casually. “Not much, aside from what seems to be common knowledge,” he said, “but there is one thing I know that no one else does. You see, when my father died, I inherited some of his memories, along with his power and the right to challenge Kaelariel for lordship over the serilian demons. My father didn’t know what was in the Temple, but whatever it was, it made Seril extremely angry. Whatever is inside that Temple, Lady Vanador, Seril hated it with every fiber of her being. My father believed it may have been the reason Gori Sensullu and Seril spent so many millennia fighting each other, but as to what it actually was, even he had no idea – and he served Seril for centuries.”
“Just understand, I told you one of my secrets so you’d know you can trust me to keep yours,” he said. “I know what the demons can do with this knowledge, and I assure you, I’m not interested in any demon lords – let alone demon kings – coming to our world.”
“That makes two of us,” Kari muttered. She looked at Kaelin Black in a different light now: he was still far from being someone she’d want to be close friends with, but for him to have divulged his biggest secret to her was a telling gesture. He could have used the knowledge that Kari was Salvation’s Dawn to his own advantage, selling it to demons for money, power, or anything else the demons or their lords might be able to provide, . Instead he’d willingly handed over his leverage to keep things even between them. “Well, I’ll swear to you that I won’t tell a soul what you’ve told me about yourself.”
“And I will not tell a soul that you are Salvation’s Dawn, until such time as we both know a bit more about what role you are to play, if any,” the Earl said. He offered his hand to her and they shook over their oaths. “I’ve already instructed Mister Harrington that he is to keep this bit of information to himself, but I have given him free rein to research the Temple further, to see if your resurrection and appearance as Salvation’s Dawn holds more than the typical significance.”
“And you’ll let me know if the two of you find anything?” Kari prodded.
“Of course,” he said. “In the meantime, I would advise you to avoid hunting any highly-trained succubus assassins from the underworld, until we find out what this all means.”
There was an ever-so-slight smile on his face, and Kari couldn’t help but chuckle. “If I ever see another one of those again, it’ll be too soon,” she joked, and the Earl actually joined her in a laugh. “Thank you for all of your help in my hunt, Lord Black. I know you and my Order have been at odds for a long time, but you’ve more than earned my respect.”
“You earned mine in your previous life, and that has not changed,” the Earl returned. “When you return to DarkWind, I’d like you to tell your Order that they are welcome to keep a few demonhunters within my city going forward, and that they are free to pass through at their leisure when hunting here in the south. I am also going to reward you with a substantial amount of money that you may keep for yourself, or give to your Order to aid in their work.”
“I’m sure they’ll appreciate that; I certainly do,” Kari said, but then she dismissed the latter portion of his offer. “Keep the money, though. Give it to Kaelariel’s church. They’re going to have a good number of widows and orphans to tend to after Turillia’s spree.”
“Ha! Quite right, good Lady,” he said with that barest of smiles again. “I shall double it, then, and let them know that it is a gift from you.”
“Kaelin Black, are you in danger of becoming a nice guy?” Kari joked.
“As it stands, Lady Vanador, it’s going to take me a long time to figure out what I’ve done and what BlackWing did over the last fifty-seven years,” he said solemnly. “I don’t think anyone will be mistaking me for a good man any time soon. And that brings me to one last thing I wanted to say to you. Apparently, when the demon was in me, I was...dormant, I guess you could say. But when the demon needed information from me, it had to wake me up, as it were, and the deeper in my memories that information lay, the closer to the surface I was.”
“What are you saying?” Kari prodded when he paused.
“The demon insulted you when you spoke with it last evening,” he said. “I want to make sure you know that it was the demon and not me. You may not be well-educated, Lady Vanador, but you are clever and quite adaptable, and those are two traits that cannot be learned. The demon underestimated you, and that cost it everything in the end. Never, and I mean never, let anyone call you stupid. You may be one of the brightest people I’ve ever met, and I mean that.”
Kari wasn’t sure what to say to that, but the obvious answer came to her a moment later. “Thank you,” she said. “That may be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.”
“I find that to be a shame, actually,” he returned.
Kari almost frowned, but instead she chuckled again. “Farewell, Lord Black. Get well, and if the shadow demon or anything else threatens your city, send word to us immediately,” she sai
d. He agreed with a bow of his head, and shook her hand again, though he apologized for not being able to get on his feet and give her a proper farewell. On her way out, Kari bid Master Vlad farewell, and he was sorry to see her go as well.
Once she left Ambergaust’s church, Kari stopped in to bid the two half-elite priests of Kaelariel farewell. She thanked them for their aid, which had proven instrumental and had helped Kari figure out what Turillia had truly been up to. The priests were just as thankful to Kari for aiding the people of their city, and helping them to serve Kaelariel’s justice to the undead and the demons alike. Kari let them know that they should expect a stipend from the Earl to help care for the widows and orphans left behind, and the half-elite priests expressed great gratitude for Kari’s intervention on the matter. Before she left, she asked them to pass along word to Kaelariel that Kari wanted to speak with Trigonh, and they agreed. Kari wasn't sure what the erestram was up to these days, but she hoped he might find the time to come see her.
Master Devin was waiting for Kari when she entered the church of her deity. The priest commended her on a job well done, and told her to see Master Bennet first thing when she arrived back in DarkWind. He tried to give Kari her wages, but she refused. She told him that there were other people who could use the money far more than she could. She took just enough to cover the costs of her and Eli’s stay at One Small Favor, and told Master Devin to give aid to the victims or lend the money to Kaelariel’s priests to do so.
Kari informed him that she would be going to Sarchelete first for a short visit, and asked that Master Devin let Zalkar and the other members of the priesthood know. When he heard where she was headed, he told her to see Master Attir Surallis in Sarchelete instead. That left Kari to wonder if there was already another matter Zalkar wanted her to look into. It would mean a delay in her plans to have another child with Grakin, and Kari simply hoped her mate’s health would hold strong long enough to see that end. After agreeing to meet with Master Attir Surallis, Kari bid Master Devin and the acolytes of the Unyielding’s church goodbye.
