by Joe Jackson
Kari gathered up her empty teacup and headed inside, and she was only slightly surprised to find Danilynn sitting at the dark dining table. The fures-rir priestess was wearing a long night-shirt that extended to mid-thigh, and her glowing blue eyes followed Kari as she entered the kitchen. The demonhunter wasn't sure how long Danilynn had been there or how much of the conversation with Gil she might've overheard. Kari refilled her teacup and silently offered one to Danilynn, who nodded. Kari set the teacups on the table and sat, and the priestess finally spoke.
“Trouble sleeping?” she asked rhetorically.
Kari shook her head, but not out of disagreement. “There's just so much going on right now,” she said. “Even if we weren't planning to go to Mehr'Durillia, I think I'd still be a bit overwhelmed by everything. Things were so quiet for a while after the Apocalypse and our work on Tsalbrin, but now…there's a storm coming, Danilynn; I can feel it in my blood. Those couple of years I had to relax and raise my son…that was the quiet before the storm. I have this feeling like I'm never going to be able to sit still again, and going to Mehr'Durillia is going to be like kicking a hornets' nest.”
Danilynn took a sip of her tea and pursed her lips for a moment. “We've been through this before, though,” she said. “When the Apocalypse started, and our brigade crossed the Ceritan Mountains in our march toward Atrice…it was like we were on Seril's world instead of our own. You remember how high morale was when we left the staging grounds in the north, but once we started to see the effects of the occupation, and the enormity of what we faced sank in, most of the troops started to lose courage and even faith. But do you remember what the Warlord said?”
“One day at a time, one step at a time, one swing of the blade at a time,” Kari recited.
The priestess laid her hand on top of Kari's. “One step at a time,” she repeated. “We're not going to the underworld to find out everything, defeat the demon kings, or try to forge any kinds of alliances. We're going there to set one woman free, and we're going to do it by the rules, so our very enemies have to either help us or else make a lot of trouble for themselves to try to stop us. We have the advantage here, Kari: the law and time are on our side.”
Kari considered Danilynn's words; she had a point. Kari realized she was looking at things the wrong way for the most part. Koursturaux, whatever her personal goals may be, wanted Kari to succeed; Sekassus couldn't harm or try to waylay Kari and her companions without violating the law; and Koursturaux would be sure to take her enemy to task before the Overking if he violated that law. The prospect of time being on their side was a little tougher for Kari to puzzle out, but she assumed Danilynn simply meant that while the demon kings looked to the long-term to accomplish their goals, Kari and her friends sought to affect things in the short-term, and perhaps in such a way that the kings would not anticipate.
“Are you ready for this?” Kari asked after a silent minute.
“We are as ready as we could reasonably be,” Danilynn affirmed. “Say your prayers, find strength in your faith, and rest knowing that what we do, and whatever the outcome, our cause is a just one. And the gods favor the just, even on the Overking's world; remember Turik Jalar.”
Kari finished her tea and patted her friend's hand. “Thanks, Danilynn,” she said. “I think I just may be able to sleep now.”
The priestess rose in tandem with Kari, and the two shared a short hug. Kari headed for the staircase, and Danilynn went back to the guest bedroom. Before she returned to her own bed, Kari walked down the hall and stood at the end of her son's bed, where she watched his peaceful sleeping form. She glanced briefly at the reading chair, but it was in its correct place, so she looked from corner to corner, trying to will her senses to detect some trace of the elestram who'd been there a week before. She sensed nothing of his presence, but a part of him remained with her for some reason.
After a minute, she understood: he had been sent by some demon king to protect her, and Kari had to wonder if he would do so again when she ventured to his world. With the prospect of an added layer of protection on her mind, Kari returned to bed and was able to fall asleep at last.
Chapter VII – The City of Black Glass
The next few days went by in a blur. Nothing Kari spent her days doing seemed to slow down the passage of time. Playing with Little Gray outside in his grandmother's gardens seemed to speed things up, and even when Kari passed time in front of the fireplace reading one of Jason Bosimar's journals, or at her office doing paperwork, the sand passed through the glass with alarming speed. In the back of her mind, Kari grumbled that paperwork and tedium had never made the time go by so quickly on those days when she wanted nothing more than to get home to her child.
Tensions mounted as the days went by, and it soon became apparent that a good deal of the city's more important and influential people knew where Kari was going, if not why. No word had come from Eryn or her associates in the Blood Order with regard to the capture or death of Sekassus' agent, but Kari tried not to dwell on it too much. She reasoned that whether or not he received advanced word, it wouldn't take long before Sekassus was aware of Kari's presence on Mehr'Durillia, once she met with Morduri. She resigned herself to trusting in Eliza and Amastri's assurances that the law would be on her side if she did things correctly.
Erik, Typhonix, and Damansha had worked tirelessly over the last few days making sure that the house and Kari's son would be well-protected in her absence. On the same token, Kari had extra security put in place around the syrinthian spies the Order was holding in its prison, to make sure no word could get out to Sekassus' hidden agent in DarkWind or to anyone else that Kari's family was not as well protected as usual. Once Kari was safely on Mehr'Durillia, the city watch would be increasing security around Kyrie's house as well, with Damansha likely being put in charge of the details. At the very least, Kari was satisfied that those she left behind would be safe during her foray into the lair of the enemy.
Aeligos, Sonja, Danilynn, and Eli seemed as ready as Kari could expect. Sonja seemed the least ready for what was to come, but Kari knew her sister-in-law's protective nature would rush quickly to the surface if and when the situation demanded it. Aeligos, not surprisingly, was clearly excited by the prospect of a trip behind enemy lines, as it were, and was looking forward to seeing how much information he could dredge up while in Anthraxis and beyond. Though Eli had long been avoiding any pending trip to the underworld, Aeligos' enthusiasm seemed to catch on with the half-corlyps, and as the time drew closer, he was possessed of a calm acceptance that he had a job to do and didn't want to fail Kari or Danilynn.
The priestess, by contrast, seemed possessed. There was a quiet fire burning within her, as if she was staring at an opportunity to accomplish her entire life's work. It became clear to Kari in those few days that rescuing Se'sasha was something Danilynn had thought long and hard about over the last twelve or more years, and that there was little the priestess wanted more than to fulfill her obligation. She made comments now and then about the excitement of exploring a strange new world, too, but her focus was entirely on the rescue. Kari only hoped that she would find even a fraction of the satisfaction Danilynn did when they rescued the syrinthian girl.
Little Gray, surprisingly, was taking everything better than anyone else. He wasn't happy that Kari would be going away again, but the prospect of her beating up monsters excited him like it had before her trip to Barcon. Kari promised him that she would be back as soon as she could, and that she would be staying home with him for a while once she returned. Her spirits were lightened a bit when he asked her to bring him back a toy from wherever she went.
Eliza arrived again the night before they were to leave, and was happy to spend a few hours around the dinner table in Kyrie's house detailing the risks as well as the precautions that would be in place for the pending trip. The rest of the family took a bit of comfort from the half-succubus' words, and Kari worked to make it increasingly clear that ultimately, she wasn't
in much more danger than she normally was undertaking missions for the Order. For Kari, the most comforting part of Eliza's visit wasn't actually anything the wizard said, but the fact that she had not even been able to approach Kyrie's house until the priestess gave permission. The strength of the ward around the house kept Eliza away, her good nature and allegiance to the gods of no consequence when weighed against her demonic nature.
Sleep evaded Kari for the better part of the night before her intended departure, even after the usual lulling effect of her intimacy with Grakin. She tried a hot cup of tea, and sat for a while under their bedroom window, her eyes closed in a state of meditative prayer. Though she enjoyed precious little true sleep, by keeping her thoughts on Zalkar, she was able to relax, and when she thought of Zalkar and Sakkrass both keeping watch over her, she found the emotional release she needed to finally get to sleep. Though it was well past midnight when she finally did so, she was able to crawl into bed and fall asleep by her mate's side.
The next morning brought a bustle of activity, but Kari was able to pull Eliza aside and let her know that she did not want a lengthy farewell. The plan was to go to the campus of the Order and leave from there under the supervision of the Council. Kari knew that if people had their way, she'd be stuck giving hugs and handshakes for half the day before they could finally get underway, and that was the last thing she wanted. The longer the goodbyes went on, the more it would feel like Kari was marching to her death instead of doing her job, and the effect of that would probably be even worse for everyone else than for her.
They made their way to the campus in separate, smaller groups to avoid drawing too much attention, and once they arrived, the Council came out to see Kari and her friends off. They gave their blessing, as did Kyrie, and Kari kissed her mate and son and promised them she would be back as quickly as possible. Amusingly, Erik told Aeligos to take care of Kari, to which the rogue informed him it would probably be the other way around where they were going. With a chuckle, Erik wished them luck and, sensing the cue, Eliza pulled them through a portal between worlds with no warning.
The sensation was jarring, like being ushered through a tunnel full of warm water. It lasted only an instant before Kari's feet touched down on warm stone. Once her eyes readjusted and she was able to take in her surroundings, she found that she and her friends were inside a building. Everything was made out of black stone that had the consistency of glass, and Kari's first impression was that she was inside a treasury house or bank. Eliza gave the place only the most cursory of glances before she turned to the others, waiting for them to get their wits about them again. When she met Kari's eyes, she gestured toward a row of windows like those of a treasury house.
“This is what your people might call a customs house,” Eliza said. “All off-world arrivals are funneled here, and must declare themselves to the Overking's agents before they're allowed to walk the city or the lands beyond. Go on up to the counter and tell them your name, and that you're here to see Lord Morduri Irrasitus; any one of them should understand your tongue.”
“Lord Morduri? Won't they complain that we don't call him king?” Kari asked offhand, still taking in the details of the building. While the floors, walls, and ceiling all appeared to be made of that black glass-stone, there was some wooden furniture and décor to offset the dreary nature of the base material. Sunshine streamed in through high windows, but it had an angry red tint to it, and Kari wondered what the sky outside would look like.
“There is only one King in Anthraxis,” Eliza answered. “While here in the city, the other kings are referred to as Lord and Lady, and you will not be disciplined for calling them such.”
Kari nodded absently and approached one of the counters, Aeligos close behind her. He was studying the people in this strange building very carefully, but masking it well behind a façade of curiosity and wonder. Kari took in the creature at the window she approached more closely. It was a light tan elestram female with corrective lenses mounted on her snout. Her long, pointed ears perked in Kari's direction when she approached, and the creature's yellow eyes bored into Kari with a questioning intensity that made her skin feel warm.
“Identification?” the creature said in a barely-accented Citarian common tongue, and in a tone that suggested whatever impression her eyes gave, she was quite bored working this post.
“Karian Vanador,” she answered, leaving off her titles. The last thing she wanted to do was create more questions for the elestram to ask.
“Citarian,” the elestram female muttered, but then her brow knitted. Her finger came up and traced a short pattern in the air, and before Kari could ask what she was doing, her dog tags came up and floated in the air. “A Citarian hunter? What is your business on the Overking's world?”
“I'm here to meet…Lord Morduri, by his request,” Kari answered, only hesitating when she almost called him King Morduri.
The elestram female continued to hold Kari under that penetrating gaze, but her facial expression gave Kari little clue to what she was thinking. With a gesture, she let Kari's tags fall down onto her breastplate again, and Kari tucked them inside self-consciously. She tried to keep from fidgeting under the yellow-eyed stare of the jackal demon, until at last the elestram spoke again. “Lord Irrasitus only just arrived in the city this morning; he will likely be unavailable to you for a few days. Since Lord Irrasitus has no personal servants with him, you are advised to make your intentions known to the Overking's servants, and allow them to arrange a meeting.”
Eliza stepped forward then and spoke quickly with the elestram female. The infernal language was harsh-sounding and imperious, but the elestram reacted well to Eliza's words. Kari figured the elestram probably knew Eliza, at least professionally, and that Eliza was explaining that everything was already pre-arranged for Kari's meeting. As they spoke, the elestram female looked to Eli, Aeligos, Sonja, and Danilynn, and eventually nodded and began speaking quickly.
Soon their hurried conversation was complete and the elestram female turned back to Kari, pulling up five small tokens from under the counter. She handed them to Kari and said, “Each of you must take one of these and keep it on your person while visiting the city. I must warn you that should you lose them, you may be detained by the Overking's guards and held for questioning. You are advised to seek accommodations in the Mortal Quarter, and await your meeting with Lord Irrasitus there.”
“Not going to tell us to enjoy our stay?” Eli muttered, but the sharp ears of the elestram apparently heard him clearly.
“Whether or not you enjoy your stay is entirely up to you,” she said curtly.
With no farewell forthcoming, Kari and her companions made their way outside behind Eliza. They had no sooner stepped out onto the street when their gazes were all drawn up to a massive ebon tower that stretched hundreds, if not thousands of feet into the air. It was easily the tallest structure Kari had ever seen in her life, but she broke free of the astonishment and began looking around the city. The tower sat in the middle of a circular plaza, and foot traffic into the tower was quite heavy. Only then did it hit Kari that she was at the heart of the world of demons; the creatures flowing into the tower were of every demonic – or non-demonic, in the case of the syrinthians – race Kari knew of. Elestram and mallasti seemed to make up the bulk of those entering the tower, but there was the occasional erestram towering above its smaller kin, a vulture-headed valiras here and there, and two harmauth guards stationed beside the tower's wide double doors. Sylinths seemed to be the only demonic species unaccounted for at first glance.
What truly struck Kari as odd was that she and her friends attracted very little attention from those streaming toward the tower. Their rir forms did draw a curious glance now and then, but that seemed to be the whole of it; the demons simply went about their business as if Kari and her friends were a perfectly common sight. Kari had little doubt the importance of the coming Council session weighed more heavily on their minds, but she assumed that many o
f these demons had to be servants to the kings and, therefore, should have been on the lookout for anything unusual like a band of rir in the city at this time.
“Come, I'll point you to an inn in the Mortal Quarter,” Eliza said, and Kari beheld her with interest. “I can't enter the Mortal Quarter, Kari: I'm not even half mortal. The Overking's laws are very specific and very strict. The only time one of my kind can enter the Mortal Quarter is to make an arrest. It even has its own mortal guards.”
Well, that's interesting, Kari thought. Such gave her a little more hope where the strength of the Overking's laws and rule were concerned. If the Overking went to so much trouble to give mortals a safe quarter in his own city, was it that much of a stretch to think any of the other kings would think twice about violating the Seven Days' Grace? It also allowed for the possibility of hiding in the Mortal Quarter should any trouble arise while they were in the city. So far, Amastri and Eliza had been proven correct: they had arrived unmolested in the city, and were even now going to be shown to safe quarters that the demons were not allowed to enter.
Kari and her companions followed Eliza southeast, or at least it seemed so based on the position of the bloated, angry red sun burning high above. The air was dusty and dry, heavy with a strange stagnancy, though it didn’t smell like waste or rot at all. It was only when she checked the sun’s position to get a bearing on direction that Kari realized how alien this world appeared. Halfway between apex and horizon, glaring down like the angry, bloodshot orb of an enraged god or titan, was a red sun that set the sky around it ablaze in shades of crimson. No traces of blue or of any puffy white clouds were to be found among the heavens, shrouded instead in a scorching haze. Kari looked down at the streets, made of the same black, glass-like stone as everything else around them, and wondered that the sun didn't make it impossible to walk upon.
