by Joe Jackson
“So how are things between you and Eli?” she asked the priestess while they walked.
Danilynn smiled, but her gaze stayed out over the grassy hills. “He seems more mature than I remember him,” she said quietly. “I’ve gotten older, but he’s grown up in that same time. He seems less concerned with his lineage than when we traveled together, and having helped you in Barcon apparently reawakened that old, adventurous flame in him again.”
“Do you think you two will become mates?” Kari prodded, perhaps a bit too personally.
The priestess shrugged. “I think we will, in time. Right now there’s so much to consider, and I’m a little hesitant to think about settling down with the weight of everything that’s come up in the last couple of weeks.” She glanced at Sonja and Uldriana, who were engrossed in their lesson. “We had a rather lengthy discussion about…making love, and what he expects, and what I expect. I assume you had a similar conversation with Grakin when the two of you became involved?”
Kari nodded. “Yes. At first, I didn’t think I would be receptive to his advances all the time, either, but I think you’ll find that if Eli treats you well, and you really love being with him, your body will adjust. I know serilian-rir are supposed to be different than us, but I’ve found that’s not really the case. Not for me and Grakin, anyway.”
The priestess smiled again. “Thank you, that’s something to think about,” Danilynn said. “You and Grakin share a special bond; I could see that even in the short time I’ve seen you two together. Even when he is angry with you, it’s tempered by his love and his respect for you, and that says a lot about both of you, and the two of you as a couple.”
“The best advice I can give you is to be honest about everything,” Kari said. “No matter what the issue: how often you have sex, how he speaks to you, who makes the decisions, whether or not you want children. Always make sure he knows where you stand, because I think half of the arguments I’ve seen other couples have come from neither knowing where the other stands on the issues between them.”
“That’s very insightful,” Danilynn said, looking off into the distance again. “He is very eager to make love, but I’ve told him that’s not going to happen until I’m sure it’s what I want – what we both want, that is. So in sharing a bed with him in your mother-in-law’s home, I found that I can trust him absolutely.”
“So why the hesitation?” Kari prodded. “It’s not because he’s half-corlyps, right?”
The priestess shook her head. “Not exactly. I suppose it is, in a way. It’s the issue of how long he’ll live, and the fact that he’ll still be young when I’m old and gray and dying. I’m still a little uncomfortable putting either of us in that position.”
“It won’t matter,” Kari said, her thoughts turning to her erestram friend, Trigonh. “If he loves you, he’ll always be there, and a part of you will stay with him for all of his days, even if he finds another love.”
Danilynn looked at Kari sideways and chuckled. “I forget sometimes that you’ve died and been resurrected,” she said quietly, hoping Uldriana wouldn’t overhear and ask questions. “It gives even more credibility to your words when you speak of these things.”
Kari smiled and patted her friend’s shoulder. “Do you think you two will get married?” she asked. “Grakin and I never really talked about that step; being mated has been good enough for us, but I’ve always appreciated the ceremony when I’ve seen the humans or the elves perform one. Now that I’ve been granted a noble title, it’s something we’ll be discussing more, at the very least. I know Eli doesn’t have any family, but if you’re from the Tenari Kingdom like I suspect, you might be able to invite your family to the ceremony to meet your new husband.”
“Something else to think about,” Danilynn said with a nod. “It has been some time since I’ve seen my family.”
Kari watched the sun retreating toward the horizon, and realized it would be blocked off by the distant hills until they ascended another. “Uldriana, I think we should make camp soon,” she commented, hoping she didn’t interrupt the mallasti girl’s lesson with Sonja. The mallasti glanced over and nodded, then went back to her conversation without complaint, so Kari turned back to Danilynn. “So what drove you away from home, anyway? Askies Island is a long way from the Tenari Kingdom.”
“Wanderlust,” Danilynn answered, as if expecting Kari would suggest it was trouble at home. “Garra Ktarra is the god of explorers, so it seemed I would learn and embrace little of his teachings if I stayed home and served there. So I thought to take in a bit of the world, and it was by blind luck that I met Tor, Jori-an, Rhiannon, and the others.”
“Not Eli?” Kari asked curiously.
The priestess shook her head. “No, he joined our group after a year or so,” she answered. “Anyway, I felt to deny the calling of exploration would be to deny the calling of Garra Ktarra, so I left home and came to Askies. I keep in contact with my family when possible, but they understand: a priestess cannot deny the calling she receives from her deity, and she must have faith to follow that wherever it leads, even if it is away from family. She must always trust that her deity leads her to where she needs to be.”
Kari chewed on that for a minute, and tried to put her mother-in-law’s past into that perspective. Kari didn’t understand why Kaelariel would’ve called Kyrie away from her family just to move from one large city to another – and not even the holy city, at that. Kari trusted Zalkar, but she didn’t think her faith would be strong enough to walk away from Grakin and Little Gray if that was what he demanded of her. She just didn’t understand if that was what Kaelariel had done at all, and why he might have done so. She resolved to try to find out as unobtrusively as she could when she returned home; Kyrie’s mate was still a demonhunter, and now under Kari’s command.
The conversation trailed off but Kari met Danilynn’s eyes and the two smiled to each other as if to say we’ll talk more later. They paused halfway up a hillside, and Kari pointed out that it was a good spot to make a camp, sheltered on all sides by other hills, with no apparent signs of civilization anywhere near. Even with Sonja’s masking spell, it was better to keep their camp as hidden as possible. They set up their bedrolls and dug out a fire pit so Uldriana could cook some meat she brought with her.
They shared a quiet but mostly cheery dinner, and Kari found she had a lot of things on her mind. Foremost, naturally, was the fact that she was pregnant. She hadn’t told Grakin that she was going to stop taking the herb that served as a contraceptive for rir females, but after their efforts had yielded nothing for over a year, she had given up hope that they would be able to conceive again. When she was a young woman, Dracon’s Bane had destroyed her ability to have children before she’d ever matured, so to find that Grakin had been able to sire children at all had been a miracle. Now, if what Uldriana said was accurate, they had conceived again not long before Kari went to Barcon, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the dreams of having a little girl had been somewhat prophetic. Either way, it was another miracle.
Kari lay back on her bedroll when she finished eating and laid her hand on her lower belly. She was pretty sure the gesture wouldn’t be lost on any of her companions. A strange thought entered her mind as she relaxed, and a smile curled her draconic lips as she passed along her mirth silently. You’re going to be a grandfather again, Sakkrass, she thought happily.
*****
After a couple of days, they approached the road that served as border between Pataria and Tess’Vorg. Uldriana continued her lessons with Sonja, and Kari’s sister-in-law seemed to pick up something new every day. Sonja was being very cautious about exploring her powers, though, only practicing the things Uldriana showed her, to avoid overextending herself or tapping into things she couldn’t properly control. Both of them were satisfied with Sonja’s pace, and Kari was glad to see her sister learning power and control in equal measure. Considering her teacher was a mallasti, that wasn’t what Kari expected.
&
nbsp; To Kari’s surprise, Danilynn requested that they spar together when time allowed, and when they were confident that Sonja’s masking spell would keep their activities quiet. Kari was quite impressed by Danilynn’s skill, and found the priestess had a peculiar style that Kari hadn’t encountered before. Among Garra Ktarra’s areas of control was skill at arms, as he was one of the greatest fighters among his people when he lived, and among the pantheon after he ascended. His priests, by extension, sought mastery of melee combat when they were of the adventuring type. Danilynn had adventured for years before the Apocalypse, and then fought for eight years among Jir’tana’s brigade, and so she was quite familiar with weaponry and how to use it.
Her preferred weapon, in honor of her deity, was the axe. She had a great two-handed decapitator that she kept on her back, but most often she used a pair of wicked twin-bladed axes when sparring. Her style was nothing like Typhonix’, and in a way, it actually reminded Kari of her own style: primarily defensive, utilizing offensive flurries timed to counter or react to her opponent’s mistakes. Danilynn would often hook one axe back on her belt and concentrate on parrying blows with just the other, but then she would explode offensively, pulling the second axe off her belt and unleashing a flurry. Kari adapted to it quickly, but she was left with little doubt as to how useful Danilynn would be in melee.
Kari glanced side to side, trying to see how busy the road ahead was. It seemed deserted, and Kari wondered when, if ever, it saw considerable traffic. Despite being a dirt road, it was well tended, with virtually no overgrowth encroaching upon its expanse, a detail Kari could see even from a respectable distance. Pataria had turned to flatter, open land near its border with Tess’Vorg, and the neighboring kingdom looked to be golden plains as far as the eye could see. Without Sonja’s masking spell, Kari would’ve been nervous about crossing such flat, open land in the midst of enemies. As it was, she still didn’t like being out in the open and exposed.
They crossed the road and into Tess’Vorg, and Kari asked, “So Tess’Vorg is ruled by King Emanitar Te’Mordrin, right?” It was small talk, but she wanted to get any additional information she could from their mallasti guide. If it turned out Se’sasha was unwilling to talk, Kari figured she could still bring back a good amount of information from their semi-talkative guide. With what little the Order actually knew about the demons and their kings, anything would be helpful.
“That is correct. What do you know of King Emanitar, hun…Kari?” the mallasti girl returned, catching her own error.
“Not all that much,” Kari admitted. “Hmmm, he’s a mallasti, he’s the eleventh on the Council, and from what I’ve heard, he’s friends with King Morduri.”
Uldriana’s brows rose momentarily, and she shook her head lightly. “Ketava, you know even less than I suspected. Where to begin…? I suppose I should expand on what you already know. Do not mistake King Emanitar’s low position on the Council for weakness; he is one of the oldest kings, and is nearly a god in terms of power. His low position on the Council is due to the Overking’s belief that he lacks ambition; the fact that he will not attack the higher-ranked kings around him is the so-called evidence of that. In truth, we believe it is because he has seen his land ravaged by war for far too long as it is, and he knows that invasion will visit far more suffering on his people than on whatever king he seeks to depose.”
That opened up so many questions for Kari, but she remembered Uldriana’s indignant reaction when interrupted. She stayed quiet and let the mallasti girl continue. “Tess’Vorg is also called the Fields of Gold; it is flat plains of golden grass almost throughout the realm, save for the more northern portion, where the pine forests of Si’Dorra encroach. Since King Emanitar is himself one of my kind, as you know, our people are the most populous of the races within his realm. Most of the settlements are like my village of Moskarre, but there are a few large cities built by the elestram. The most prominent of these is the city of Rulaj, where King Emanitar’s palace is located.”
“Like King Morduri, King Emanitar does not wield his power any more than is required to keep order and make certain his population – and thus his army – thrives,” Uldriana continued. “Tess’Vorg is bordered almost entirely by the realms of kings who cannot legally invade: King Sekassus to the west, King Morduri to the east, and the Overking to the south. Only King Arku to the north can legally invade, but as I said, King Emanitar is one of the oldest kings and could crush King Arku in battle with little trouble, whether that battle be single combat or a full-scale war. King Emanitar does not get on well with any of his neighbors save King Morduri.”
“You recall the manner in which I told you King Morduri gained his throne?” the mallasti girl asked, and Kari nodded. “King Emanitar was nearly murdered by King Sekassus in a similar incident some time ago. It was believed that he had been murdered, and that King Sekassus was going to claim Tess’Vorg as his own at the next Council session, but King Emanitar arrived at that session alive and well, putting to rest rumors of his death. Since then, relations between King Sekassus and King Emanitar have understandably been volatile, but Prince Vassiras, in the city of Saristor, has been working to patch things between the two to at least keep the peace. Before you ask, it is because Vassiras’ holding lies on the border between Sorelizar and Tess’Vorg, and not because of any love of peace.”
Uldriana stopped speaking, and Kari took the opportunity to pose a question. “I’m just curious: why don’t your people live in Tess’Vorg if King Emanitar is one of your kind?” she asked. She was more than curious: she wanted to know how the kings viewed the various types of demons, and whether the demons had any tendency to gravitate toward kings of their own species. Sekassus seemed to have the greatest number of sylinths and syrinthians – whether they were demons or not – and so Kari wondered if Morduri attracted more elestram, Emanitar attracted more mallasti, and so on.
“It is our ancestral home,” Uldriana answered as though it was a strange question. “As you may have inferred, the elder of my village is older than your race. If my people are not mistaken, then the rir people were first created a little more than three millennia ago? The eldest of our village is approaching the fourth millennial anniversary of his birth. Our people, those who sired the bloodlines of my village, have lived in that place since before Morduri’s great grandfather claimed it as his own.”
Kari’s head nearly swam trying to put such long years into perspective. Standing before the elder of Moskarre, she hadn’t gotten even the slightest feeling that he might be nearly four thousand years old. She could only imagine the knowledge and the wisdom that came with such age, and as she thought about it, it made her realize why the demon kings were so dangerous. On top of the knowledge and wisdom that came with thousands of years of rule, was the power they amassed during that time. There was simply no way for a mortal to compare.
“Would you rather live under King Emanitar’s rule, though?” Kari pressed.
The mallasti girl considered the question with a slightly furrowed brow. “Personally, I would not be opposed to it, but I find little difference between the kings,” Uldriana answered. “Certainly they are more gracious to their people than any of their neighbors, or any of the other kings in general, from what is said amongst my people. Pataria and Tess’Vorg are both fairly peaceful, prosperous realms that rarely see war or famine visit them. Were it not for the laws against migration, I am certain their populations would swell accordingly.”
“Laws against migration?” Danilynn echoed. “You mean the kings don’t allow their people to move to other realms? Probably to avoid espionage or the bolstering of enemy armies, I assume?” The mallasti girl nodded but didn’t expand on the subject.
“So what does ketava mean?” Kari asked.
“It does not translate specifically into your tongue,” the mallasti said with a shrug. “That is why we say it in ours, even when we speak your language. I think the best way to explain it is to say that our language contains no expl
etives. Your people say curse words to express surprise, anger, or dismay; our language has no such words. We say ketava instead; it is a meaningless word, but is considered proper enough for social situations, even with a noble or a king.”
“No shit,” Kari said jokingly, and the mallasti girl actually snickered in response: a rapid, cackling chuckle that sounded a bit like that odd sound hyenas made. It made Kari laugh openly, along with Sonja and Danilynn. Uldriana’s cackle was one of the funniest things Kari had ever heard. She composed herself quickly and added, “Honestly, I try to stay away from talking like that myself, especially since my mother-in-law took me and my mate into her home.”
Sonja leaned over and half-hugged Kari, and Uldriana took in the exchange with great interest. “You two are sisters by marriage?” she guessed. It wasn’t exactly accurate, but Kari simply nodded, and Sonja didn’t correct them. “I should have sensed that sooner. How is this other one related to you?”
Kari followed Uldriana’s glance to Danilynn. “Good friend,” Kari said, and Danilynn gave a warm smile in response.
The mallasti girl nodded. “Well, if I have explained enough about King Emanitar, I will continue with teaching your sister-in-law,” she said.
Kari was agreeable to that and nodded. She spent some time thinking about Koursturaux and whether – or rather, how much – she should worry about being drawn into the demon king’s service further. If someone as crafty and sharp as Amastri was a servant to the female demon king, then Kari had to assume that Koursturaux was exceptionally skilled in the ways of words and wiles. Kari had no delusions that she could hold her own in a contest of wit or will against something as powerful or ancient as a demon king, but at the same time, she was fairly certain the demon king couldn’t trap her into service beyond what she was currently doing. In any case, she reminded herself that she wasn’t to implicate Koursturaux under any circumstances.
