by Joe Jackson
Danilynn shook her head. “Anthraxis is a rather specific term in the infernal tongue; it’s not exactly straightforward to translate to ours.”
“Any idea?” Kari asked Shefter, but the elven ranger shrugged his answer.
“Ground zero,” Sonja said, drawing interested stares from the others. Kari and Danilynn looked to the scarlet-haired woman as well; Sonja had hardly spoken since they’d left Moskarre. What she said put everything into the proper context, though, and Kari was left with little doubt why the Overking’s realm and city were where they were, or looked the way they looked. This had been where his conquest of Mehr’Durillia had begun.
“So Tess’Vorg was the birthplace, and this was the beginning of the end,” Kari said more to herself than anyone else, but Danilynn and Sonja both nodded.
“Indeed, though this is a subject best reserved for when we’re far from this place,” Sonja said, and there were no arguments raised.
They had hardly taken ten steps into the city before a cloaked figure emerged from a side street in the mortal quarter. Those golden, slit-pupiled eyes fixed on Kari, and the half-succubus swept her cloak back to show the hilts of her blades, but she made no actual threatening move toward Kari or her friends. Turillia simply stared at Kari with an unblinking gaze, and it was all Kari could do to not draw her own swords then and there.
“Ignore her; she can’t touch us here,” Danilynn said, gently prodding Kari with a hand to the shoulder.
The others passed them by, and once her friends were all on the other side of her from the half-succubus, Kari began walking toward the Overking’s palace again. They made it halfway to the obsidian tower before Eliza found them. She gestured for them to follow her wordlessly, and the companions quickened their pace as they felt their escape looming so close now. Kari looked over her shoulder a couple of times, but there was no indication Turillia was following. Kari checked the skies to see if the woman had taken wing, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Eliza brought them to a hotel room in the northeast quarter, and ushered everyone inside quickly. Kari expected to find Aeligos and Eli waiting there for them, but there was no sign of the boys. “I had to take your companions home not long after you left the city,” Eliza answered before anyone could ask. “They were drawing a lot of attention from the Overking’s servants – through no fault of their own, I might add. Now, there’s no time to waste. Gather in a circle, join hands, and let’s get you lot home.”
There was no argument or hesitation from anyone, even Se’sasha, who didn’t understand their words, but understood their mannerisms well enough. They joined hands, and when Eliza completed the circle, she tore a hole in the fabric of reality and brought the companions from one world to the other in the span of a heartbeat. In just a moment, the nightmare had come to its close, dispelled by the light of day that graced them as they landed upon the safety of Citaria.
Never before had Kari been so glad to smell the dank scent of a city mixed with the tang of sea salt. Even DarkWind’s lower east side, the city’s rougher part, was like the pristine grounds of a grand temple, compared to where she and her friends had just come from. Their senses were thrown into disarray: the sun was still hanging in the sky at mid-afternoon height, whereas they had left under twilight in Anthraxis. It was a welcome contrast to where they’d come from, though, and Kari nearly fell to her knees in thankful relief.
Several townspeople scattered when the group landed in the middle of the street, and the presence of a half-succubus only exacerbated the issue. City watch responded quickly to the growing commotion, but when they saw Kari among the arrivals, they took the situation under control and worked to calm the townspeople. Kari pulled out her dog tags despite the fact that the guards already recognized her, and she looked around cautiously to see if anyone made a move toward either Se’sasha or Eliza. The townsfolk kept their distance, and many simply went back to their business, so Kari turned to Eliza.
“I must go,” Eliza said. “The Overking’s eyes will settle upon me, so if I am away from you, then your escape might avoid his notice for a while. We have no time for lengthy farewells; take care of yourselves. We will speak again in due time.”
Kari waved a simple farewell and her friends sputtered quick thank yous, and then the half-succubus sorceress was gone in a flash with a short pop. Only Se’sasha had failed to say something or at least acknowledge Eliza’s help, but that was likely just the language issue. Kari turned to the syrinthian priestess. Se’sasha had her face tilted up toward the sun, drinking in its warmth with her eyes closed. They had walked under the sun of Mehr’Durillia for many days and then the bloated, angry sun of the Overking’s realm for a couple more, yet Se’sasha had never reacted to the sun’s warmth in this way. And then what happened made Kari’s jaw drop.
Se’sasha’s finely scaled skin, whitish-tan with a green undertone, began to glow. She let her robe fall to the creases of her elbows, much to Kari’s surprise, but Se’sasha still wore the prison garment as a slip underneath. With more of her flesh bared, tattoos began to show where they hadn’t been before: tribal designs and markings depicting the sun on her arms, shoulders, and even around her navel, glowing so that they showed through the slip. After basking in the warmth of the sun and the glow of her own scales for a couple of minutes, Se’sasha began to speak quietly in the syrinthian tongue.
Kari wanted to get Se’sasha off the streets quickly, but she was intrigued. “What are you doing?” she asked, though she neither expected nor received an answer.
Danilynn spoke up. “She’s praying,” she said, and motioned for everyone to be patient. Kari wasn’t sure how her fures-rir friend knew that, since Se’sasha was speaking in syrinthian, but she figured one priestess would know another, regardless of language barriers.
Finally, Se’sasha opened her eyes and shrugged her robe back onto her shoulders. She looked at Kari, gestured to the side, and said what had to be “lead on” in syrinthian.
The group was still a bit of a spectacle in the middle of the street, but they fell into step with Kari as she started toward home. She would send word to the campus once they were at home, but she wanted to get Se’sasha settled in, and let her family know that they were all alive and well. Along the way, they were approached from time to time by some of the townsfolk, but though Kari was suspicious, she realized that they were coming to the priestess to be healed. Se’sasha was laying her hands upon them and speaking in the syrinthian tongue, but the people were thanking her and walking away overjoyed.
Kari was left to wonder why these people didn’t simply go to Tigron’s temple, or to see her mate at Kaelariel’s temple if they needed healing. That they would avoid their own peoples’ priests for healing but go looking for it from a syrinthian seemed very odd. In a way, she found it inspiring that the people might be willing to trust a syrinthian priestess; was it the golden aura the woman was giving off? Or did it have something to do with the prayer and the power of whoever might have answered it, drawing converts to the girl’s side?
Kari decided not to get ahead of herself. Se’sasha was healing people, and there wasn’t any good reason for Kari to be suspicious of that. Instead, she simply concentrated on keeping them all moving toward home, and protecting Se’sasha whenever the priestess stopped to heal someone. It seemed every time she healed someone, it took some of the sheen off of her aura, so that by the time they reached Kyrie’s home, it had dissipated completely.
Kyrie was in the garden pulling up weeds when the group arrived at the house. Grakin and Aeligos were sitting side by side in rocking chairs on the porch. Little Gray was playing on the lawn by his grandmother, and he was the first to look up and exclaim Mama! Aeligos and Grakin both started at that declaration, and they came down off the porch with surprising speed, especially for Grakin. Kyrie straightened up and turned to the new arrivals, and she only just got her wits about her and took off her gardening gloves before putting her hands to her snout.
Graki
n wrapped Kari in a tight hug, and Aeligos welcomed his sister home in similar fashion. Kyrie came and joined them, and when Kari glanced back at Danilynn and Se’sasha, it was clear both of them appreciated the reunion. Kari was glad when Aeligos went over and welcomed Danilynn home too, and to her surprise, he took the time to introduce himself to Shefter and Se’sasha. The elf was cordial and polite, and the syrinthian priestess bowed her head despite the language barrier. Se’sasha’s attention seemed focused more on Kyrie, and soon the two priestesses faced each other amidst the rest of the gathering.
Se’sasha said something to Kyrie and bowed respectfully to the serilian-rir priestess. Kyrie nodded politely, and Se’sasha held her hands out, palms up, toward Kyrie.
Kari’s mother-in-law took the syrinthian girl’s hands in her own. “I welcome you to my home, priestess of the sun,” she said. Kari wondered how it was her mother-in-law could detect that. “Come inside; let us get you settled so you may relax. The next few weeks will be quite tumultuous for you, I’m sure.”
Se’sasha bowed her head again, and Kyrie turned to Shefter. “Welcome, friend. I am Kyrie Kyleah, high priestess of Kaelariel; Sonja’s mother; and Kari’s mother-in-law.”
Shefter bowed stiffly before the priestess and greeted her in elvish, though Kari was pretty sure only she could understand his words. He translated them himself a moment later, though, saying, “It is my honor to make your acquaintance, Your Excellency,” he greeted her, maintaining that strict formality of the elven language even in the common tongue. “I am Shefter Dragonseek of the Arborean Guard.”
While introductions were made, Kari picked Little Gray up and held him a little tighter and a little longer than when she’d returned from Barcon. Somewhere on Mehr’Durillia, a mallasti mother was grieving the loss of her daughter, and a part of Kari’s heart remained with her. Kari’s child – children, she reminded herself – were safe, and there weren’t enough thanks to be given to all those who looked out for her in return for that. She pulled Grakin in and their little family held tightly to each other in the warm bonds of love.
Danilynn touched Kari’s shoulder briefly as she passed, and she, Se’sasha, and Shefter followed Kyrie up to the house. Kari looked over at Aeligos and Sonja and saw that Aeligos was already working to comfort his sister, even though he had no idea what had happened. Aeligos may not have had the same empathic ability as his sister, but he was extremely sharp, and didn’t miss much. It took him no time to see the hurt in Sonja, and his half-guardian protectiveness and love for his siblings went into action without hesitation.
Kari looked up the street a little ways and saw a courier leaning against a lamp post while he waited for work. She whistled to get his attention and beckoned the young human over. She gave him instructions to deliver the news of her return to the Order’s campus, and to have them send Erik, Typhonix, and Lord Allerius to Kyrie’s home as quickly as possible. She gave him a gold piece, well more than the service cost, and sent him on his way. Well-paid and with an important job on his shoulders, the courier ran off without delay.
“Words cannot express how glad I am that you have returned safely,” Grakin said, and he wrapped an arm around Kari as they walked toward the house beside Aeligos and Sonja. “Were you able to avoid notice or violence?”
“We had some close calls, and quite a few people who helped us were killed,” Kari said, trailing off for a moment. Grakin gave her a comforting squeeze. “It’s a really long story, so if you don’t mind, we’ll save it until Erik, Ty, and Albrecht get here.”
“Of course,” Grakin said.
Aeligos opened the door, and they filed into the house to find Se’sasha and Kyrie sitting together by the fireplace with Shefter and Danilynn. The elf was sitting quietly, almost cat-like, while the two priestesses engaged in light banter. They were turned toward Se’sasha, and were speaking about her, but trying to be polite about it. Kari wondered at her mother-in-law and the syrinthian girl having already found something in common. It was obviously the relationship between their respective faiths: though Kaelariel was not a sun god per se, he was called The Ascending Dawn, and the sun-themed tattoos on Se’sasha pointed to her following Ashakku – who may also be Sakkrass.
Kari reached into her belt pouch and approached Se’sasha. She drew forth Se’ceria’s holy symbol, the mark of the Great Mother and her holy siblings, and held it out to the syrinthian girl. Se’sasha took it with reverence, and no one needed a translator to understand her sibilant words of thanks. She asked a question after that, though, and Kari was at a loss as to what she could be asking – at least until Se’sasha uttered her mother’s name and gestured toward the floor.
Kari looked to Danilynn, and the priestess said, “The valley near Atrice; we buried her among the remains of the czarikk village when all was said and done. I don’t imagine it’d be all that difficult to get to, but…” Kari figured she almost said with you in your condition, but caught herself. “If she wants to go there, it’s a long trip, to be sure.”
Kari gave that some thought; she had hoped Se’sasha might be able to start filling in the holes in their knowledge and theory right away, through a syrinthian translator from the prison on campus, at least. A trip to a gravesite, even on the other side of the continent, wasn’t much of an additional price to be paid for all they stood to gain, but Kari was thinking the same thing Danilynn was. She was a few months along in her pregnancy, which would last around forty weeks in total, if all went well. To undertake a trip now would be somewhat foolish, but at the same time, if Se’sasha wanted to visit her mother’s grave, that was something Kari wanted to see and understand for herself.
“How do you feel about taking us there?” Kari asked Sonja after some careful thought.
Sonja seemed to break free of her melancholy at the question, and she perked up a little. “I didn’t give transportation any practice while we were in dangerous territory, but I think I can manage,” she said. “If you give me a couple of days to explore the power, I’ll have a definite answer for you then.”
Kari nodded and smiled when she saw all the interest Sonja’s confident words drew from her siblings and mother. Uldriana’s death was a tragedy, but her life had been a blessing to Kari, Sonja, Danilynn, and especially Se’sasha. Kari knew Sonja would need time to mourn – Kari was going to have to do so in her own way as well – but she hoped she could gently guide Sonja toward looking at the positives of having met the mallasti girl. If Sonja became an archmage, it would be a testament to Uldriana’s power and tutoring, and a legacy for the slain mallasti girl.
With her mind back on the positive side of things, Sonja made a face at Kari, and the demonhunter had to stifle a laugh. The others looked to Kari for an explanation, and she kissed Little Gray and then Grakin before she spoke. “Little Gray is going to be a big brother,” she said, keeping her attention on Grakin for his reaction.
His eyes went wide and he stammered a few times, and he shook his head lightly when he finally found his voice. “You are…with child?” he asked rhetorically. “I had no idea you were not taking the herb…”
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Kari said, stifling tears as best she could.
“Oh, that it is,” Grakin returned with a hearty chuckle, which only grew louder when Aeligos patted him on the shoulder. “An amazing, wonderful surprise, my love.”
“I didn’t know,” Kari said, anticipating her family’s concern. “If I’d known before I went, I would’ve stayed home and found another way to get Se’sasha out. Right now I’m at a few months…four or so, I think.”
Grakin wrapped Kari in a tight hug and Little Gray giggled happily, though he didn’t know what they were saying. Kyrie came and hugged them both as well, offering them her congratulations. When everyone had hugged Kari and Grakin and expressed their joy, Kari met the slit-pupiled, golden-eyed stare of the syrinthian priestess. Se’sasha rose to her feet and faced Kari squarely, and even with her features gaunt from having been starved and i
mprisoned for so long, she managed a beautiful smile. She said something in syrinthian, but then bowed her head, knowing no one could understand her words yet, so she made a gesture for patience.
“All right, well, let’s wait to get into details until we have some demonhunters and scribes to take it all down,” Aeligos suggested. “This young lady looks like she’s been through hell – literally – and the rest of you honestly don’t look much better.”
“Aeligos is right,” Kyrie said, and she gestured toward Grakin. “Let us cook a nice, hot meal; this syrinthian girl doesn’t look like she’s eaten a proper meal in ages.”
Se’sasha sat by watching all the activity curiously, and Kari took the time to show the syrinthian girl around the house. She assumed Se’sasha would be transferred to the Order’s campus once Lord Allerius and Kari’s other in-laws arrived, so the priestess would have a safe, comfortable place to stay. Even with all its rooms, Kyrie’s house was getting a bit crowded with Danilynn and Eli staying there as well; even Shefter was going to have to find someplace to stay on the campus until he decided whether or not to return to Laeranore. Kari showed Se’sasha to the room she shared with Grakin, and let the syrinthian girl take some time brushing out her hair and tending to her reflection in the mirror. When Se’sasha saw herself in the looking glass, it was clear she was horrified by what she saw.
Kari was confident the girl could and would recover: after all, she’d survived twelve years or more in the dungeons of a demon king, and her faith was strong. Kari stepped behind the syrinthian priestess and used Se’sasha’s long, silky black hair to frame her face so that it hid some of the gauntness of her features. Se’sasha reached up and lightly grasped Kari’s wrist with her weak, delicate grip, and smiled at the demonhunter in the mirror. Kari smiled back automatically, reminding herself pointedly that what she was staring at in the mirror was quite possibly one of her adoptive father’s priestesses.
