by Joe Jackson
Kari thought perhaps Grakin was comforting Sonja over the death of Uldriana, but when she saw the look on Grakin’s face, the truth of the situation came to her. He must have finally told his family his dark secret, and Sonja would’ve been the only member of the family not present when he did so. In the wake of the loss of Uldriana, Kari could only imagine how much worse the news that Grakin was dying would’ve hit Sonja. Kari wondered what had convinced Grakin to finally share his secret; with the arrival of Se’sasha and the simple fact of Kari’s safe return, no one had mentioned it to her yet.
Sonja sat up straight and wiped the tears from around her eyes when Kari approached. Grakin rose from the swing and gave Kari a tight hug, and she kissed him and held him for a couple of minutes. Kari backed away enough to meet his eyes and it was obvious in their depths that her instincts were right. It was just as hard for him to share his secret with anyone, even his family, as it was for them to hear it. Kari knew the feeling; she had generally kept her illness a secret in her prior life, even from her friends and lovers.
Sonja rose and hugged Kari once the demonhunter had separated from her mate. “You have to promise me: no more secrets!” Sonja said in a gentle but stern voice. “I don’t think I can take another shock like this. Not for a good, long while, anyway.”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell,” Kari said quietly, trying not to argue.
“Indeed; I did ask her not to tell anyone,” Grakin confirmed.
“Where’s Se’sasha?” Sonja asked, looking around.
Kari gestured back over her shoulder with a thumb. “She’s going to be staying on the campus, where there’s room,” she said. “She also wants to stay somewhat close to her people.”
They went inside, where the rest of the family and their friends were seated around the dining table sharing an after-dinner drink. It looked as though they’d gotten another bottle of ouzo from somewhere, but Kari stopped in the kitchen to warm up something to eat before she took a seat with the others. She found a covered plate with warm food already on it, so she took her dinner over to the table and sat amongst her friends and family. There were glances at Grakin, but the eyes of the family soon settled on Kari.
“So when are you due?” Erik asked.
“About six months or so,” Kari returned with a smile. She looked across at Little Gray, who was sitting on his grandmother’s lap, and she tried to imagine another little one at the table. It warmed her blood even more than the food – or the drink she was avoiding would have.
“I’m surprised you and Grakin were able to conceive, if he has Dracon’s Bane,” Kyrie said. “As I understand it, it usually kills before puberty, or at the least it sabotages puberty if you manage to live longer. Sorry if it’s something you don’t want to talk about, sweetie.”
Kari waved off the apology. “Far as I could tell, I went through puberty,” she said. “I mean, I had breasts and hips, and I was definitely attracted to men, I just couldn’t ever seem to have a baby in my prior life…not that I ever really tried.”
“Not even with Suler?” Ty asked, and Kari’s wasn’t the only curious stare he received. “What? I read those books, too. I can put two and two together, you know.”
The stares turned back to Kari, and she shook her head. “I was on the herb when I was with him,” she said, and the surprised looks turned to gasps and shaking heads. “The shakna-rir wouldn’t simply trust that I couldn’t have children; they had to be sure of it. They didn’t want any children we had together trying to usurp the throne.” She turned her own attention back to Grakin. “Yes, it’s a surprise we’ve been able to conceive twice, but I just call it a blessing.”
“Now I better understand your concerns about Little Gray having Dracon’s Bane when he was born,” Kyrie said. “I suppose we have to test the new little one when they’re born as well.”
“And as much as I hate to say this, Grakin’s adventuring days are over,” Erik said. Kari didn’t bother to argue, and she was only somewhat surprised when no one else did, either. Erik seemed to take that as a good sign, and added, “Your skills will be just as much in demand here at home in the temple, so I’d rather keep you away from conflict, if we can.”
Grakin accepted it with a half-shrug. “If you need me, you can always change your mind,” he said. “I suppose it makes sense that I avoid taking to the field and possibly slowing you down or putting you in danger with my growing frailty.”
Kari nearly choked on her dinner at those words. Grakin had hinted that his health might be failing in ways Kari wasn’t seeing before she had left for Mehr’Durillia. She didn’t think he looked much thinner or seemed any weaker than he had since they’d become mates, but she had to wonder if she simply wasn’t seeing it. Being so close to him all the time meant that she might not notice the changes because they were happening subtly over time. Even having returned from the nearly six-week trip to Barcon and then a similarly long trip to Mehr’Durillia, she still didn’t think he looked much different, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel different.
There was a serenity to him even as he spoke of it, though, and Kari suddenly saw the strength in her mother-in-law as well. They served the god of death, she remembered, and so they probably had a very different view of death than the common man did, just like Kari on account of the fact that she’d already been dead once. Death scared the wits out of most people, but though Kari couldn’t exactly remember what heaven had been like, she remembered being safe and warm and having not a care in the world. She trusted that such awaited her once again, and that her loving, gentle mate would find a similar reward when he passed. She didn’t want to lose him, obviously, but she reminded herself that death was not an end, just a new beginning.
Aeligos put his hand atop Grakin’s and the two exchanged smiles. Kari knew that Grakin and Aeligos had a closer, more special relationship than any others of the siblings shared. “I’m just amazed you would stay with him, even knowing he was sick,” the rogue said to Kari. “Most people would’ve avoided that.”
Kari saw that those words stirred something in Danilynn, and Kari figured the priestess was remembering their conversation about Eli staying with her when she got old and gray. “It’s like I told Erik when we were on Tsalbrin,” Kari said. “I’ve been dead before, so I really only look at what’s right in front of me. There’s no sense looking ahead to being fifty and not having Grakin around, when I might not live to see fifty, myself.” That seemed to raise a few of her family members’ hackles, so she continued, “Given the work I do, it’s possible Grakin will outlive me. And that’s not even taking into account the fact that his half-guardian blood might fight off whatever Dracon’s Bane is…we really don’t even know.”
“She’s practical,” Erik said with a slight joking air in his voice.
Between that and Kari’s amended words, everyone seemed to calm down a bit. There was no easy way to talk about the subject, but Kari talking about their dangerous work in such a light seemed to make sense to everyone. Fighting demons and demon kings and trying to unravel their plots was dangerous work; had all of them jumped into it without giving serious consideration to the possible outcomes? Kari had known from the day she set foot on the campus of the Demonhunter Order as a hopeful applicant that she was more than likely going to get killed pursuing that line of work. It had never stopped her. It was what she wanted to do, and something she thought was worth dying for. She assumed her family and friends felt the same way; she just wasn’t sure they had ever truly considered that they might die – especially the long-lived serilian-rir.
They chatted for a while longer about the trip out west to help Se’sasha commune with her mother’s spirit, and Sonja said that her initial trials of arcane transport had gone well. She promised to continue practicing. Soon, people started retiring to bed. Kari put Little Gray down to sleep, took a bath, and then joined Grakin in bed despite the fact that it wasn’t all that late. Still, it was dark, the bed was warm, and she wanted to be cl
ose to her mate on the first night he knew he was going to be a father again.
They didn’t make love; Kari wasn’t really in the mood. Her body was changing due to the pregnancy, just as it had the first time, and she knew her urges would come and go during the long months. Grakin was a patient and loving mate, though, and he was content simply to hold Kari and stroke her hair while they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Kari had made it home safely, and before she fell asleep with her mate, she prayed silently to Sakkrass and Zalkar, thanking them for watching over her.
Chapter XX – Settlements
Kari strode across the campus toward the administrative building. If she was planning to take Se’sasha to the place where her mother had nearly punched a hole through the dimensional barriers, there was paperwork that needed to be filled out first. Kari needed to make sure she left written details about what she was going to undertake, what the possible consequences were, and what the Order should do in case of betrayal or any other mishap. If it turned out that something went wrong when Kari and her family and friends were in this mysterious valley, the Order had to know what to expect and what steps to undertake to safeguard the campus and the kingdom.
The campus was still abuzz with having a syrinthian priestess staying on the grounds. It was no mystery that not one other hunter on the campus trusted Se’sasha, not even Erik or Ty. Kari couldn’t fault any of them; the syrinthians had been enemies of the rir people and all of Citaria for thousands of years, since their first attempted invasion on Terrassia during the Third Demon War. To have one show up on the campus now and claim to be a friend or ally simply wouldn’t convince anyone. Se’sasha and her people had a lot of work to do to earn peoples’ trust. Kari was confident they were willing to work to earn that trust, and she hoped her faith in them wouldn’t prove foolish.
Kari scouted the campus grounds for only a short while before she found Se’sasha. The syrinthian priestess had her people with her, and they were doing some stretching exercises on one of the less-used parks among the buildings. Se’sasha was emaciated, and it was even more apparent now that she was dressed in what Kari guessed was more traditional garb for her people. Her upper body had a wrap that covered her chest but left her belly and arms exposed, and she wore a skirt not all that unlike the one Kari remembered Sakkrass wearing in her dream. With how badly Se’sasha had been starved at Sekassus’ hands, though, she was even thinner than her companions: her breasts were nearly non-existent, and her hip bones protruded out in a way that left little doubt she’d been near death.
The syrinthians all turned their attention to Kari at her approach and bowed respectfully. Kari briefly considered saluting them, but then she simply nodded her head. The snake-people looked happy to be outside and getting some exercise after being cramped in the prison for several weeks. Some of them still appeared distrustful of Kari – which she found ironic – but several now looked at Kari as someone deserving of respect. She wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the training they’d received while posing as cadets, but it didn’t really matter.
Kari approached Se’sasha, and Liria came forward to translate without even being asked. “Where does Lord Allerius have you staying? Are you still holed up inside the prison?”
“No, Lord Allerius was kind enough to have one of the barracks converted for us to stay in,” Liria said. “It is under posted guards and the doors were kept locked from the outside during the night, but it is comfortable and secure. We’re very appreciative of the favorable treatment we’re receiving, given what our people were sent here to do. We give you our word: we will be no further trouble to you.”
Kari nodded and Liria translated their words to the priestess. “I’m going to go speak with Amastri again: I want to make sure there isn’t anyone looking for you already. Is there anything you want me to ask or tell her?”
Se’sasha seemed to think on that for a minute, but then she shrugged. “Tell her I said thank you,” she answered through Liria. “She and her master may have done it for their own benefit, but their aid saved my life, and I should show the proper gratitude.”
Kari smiled and bid the syrinthians farewell, and though their return pleasantries were hesitant, they did say goodbye. Kari made her way as quickly as she could to the administrative office. She wanted to find out if Erik’s work had turned up any more syrinthians among those hunters out on patrol. Once she took care of that, she made her way to the Silver Chalice to meet with Amastri. The thought of all the walking ahead of her made her wish she could simply lie down for a while. She was definitely pregnant.
The Silver Chalice had only sparse clientele early in the afternoon. Its common room was bright but quiet, and smelled of whatever stew they had served for lunch. A couple of rir men were seated at the bar having a muffled conversation, and a human couple occupied one of the tables near the front windows. The windows were open, letting in the ever-warming late spring air and sunshine, and the couple’s conversation was lost on the breeze. Kari turned her attention to the opposite far corner, where Amastri was predictably seated.
The part-elven woman was drinking a cup of tea that whispered its steamy heat into the air between her and the man seated before her. Amastri’s eyes flicked to Kari once and then again, but she never paused in her discussion with the human traveler. The man looked like an adventurer at best or a vagrant at worst, but his back was to Kari and he never bothered to stop and look at her. Between his dusty overcoat and wide-brimmed hat, Kari couldn’t see much detail other than long brown hair. She didn’t want to intrude on or interrupt their discussion, so she made her way to the bar instead, leaving a fair distance between herself and the two rir men.
It occurred to her after a minute that she and her Order weren’t the only ones who came to Amastri looking for information or aid from her master. The thought of commoners making the mistake of striking deals with a demon king made Kari very uncomfortable. Her thoughts shifted sideways only slightly, and she considered that Erik’s summary confirmed that there were no more syrinthians among the Order. That relieved Kari on more than one level: not only did she not have to worry about the snake-folk infiltrators committing evil under the Order’s banner, but the investigators were now free to look into other things for Kari – things like Amastri and the elusive agent of Sekassus still at large.
She asked the barkeep for a glass of water while she waited for Amastri to conclude her business, and Kari turned to watch the part-elven woman while she sipped the drink. Kari wasn’t sure if anyone was even keeping an eye on Amastri since the death of Jason Bosimar; did the woman have free rein to do whatever she wished? Not while I’m in charge, Kari thought. As soon as she got back to the campus, she planned to set several investigators to keeping tabs not only on Amastri, but everyone that went to see the woman to discuss business. Kari wondered if the Duke knew about the not-quite-demoness living in his city, and whether he’d loan the Order some of his investigators and detectives to assist in keeping tabs on Amastri. It was unlikely the Order’s investigators alone could catch the woman doing anything she wasn’t supposed to, but she might not know the Duke’s men quite as well.
The dusty traveler rose from his seat at last and left without so much as a respectful nod or goodbye to Amastri, and Kari found that interesting. Amastri seemed to bring out the best and most polite side of everyone she spoke to, and Kari had little doubt that the part-elven woman would be flustered by the man’s rudeness. When the woman’s green, cat-like eyes turned back Kari’s way, the demonhunter nodded her head and kept eye contact. She wasn’t sure why she sought Amastri’s permission to go and speak with her, but the woman seemed to run her table at the Silver Chalice as if it was a private office. Strangely, Kari felt some odd sense of wanting to respect that, though she wasn’t exactly sure the thought was her own. It aroused her suspicions about the woman even more than they already were.
Amastri gestured amicably for Kari to come join her as if they were old friends. Kari moved over t
o the table, and Amastri waved casually toward the seat Kari had taken before her trip to Mehr’Durillia. “Lady Vanador, please, have a seat,” she said. “It may do wonders for my mood to speak with someone who has some grasp of etiquette and decorum.” Kari sat down, and Amastri beckoned the barkeep over to warm up her tea. “Would you like some? Never have I had mint tea like they serve here.”
“No, thanks,” Kari said casually when the barkeep reached the table. He filled Amastri’s cup again and moved off with a polite bow of his head. Once he’d left, Kari got to the matter at hand. “I’ll be leaving to go retrieve your master’s payment soon, just like we bargained. I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised by how thorough your master’s information was, but make no mistake – I am very angry that a young girl was sacrificed, and I wasn’t told beforehand.”
Amastri nodded her head ever so slightly, but her expression remained neutral. “This was expected, but consider that it is better that you be angry in victory than in defeat,” she said. A slight smile curled her upper lip and she added, “I must admit, I find your placing value on the life of a mallasti to be quite interesting, as does Her Majesty.”
Kari tried to keep any emotion from her face or her voice, but she tilted her head to the side and tried to read what Amastri was thinking. “Well, with Uldriana having told me that the mallasti aren’t demons, it’s even more aggravating than it would have been,” she said, willing to tip her hand a bit to the part-elven woman. She wanted to let King Koursturaux know what she thought and felt, but not in a way that would suggest Kari was looking to go make friends with any of the peoples of Mehr’Durillia. She imagined that might have been the very point: that Koursturaux wanted to get the Order to overbalance and do something that attracted the attention of all the kings. Kari was already wary of that, and was planning to take things very slowly.
