by Joe Jackson
“So already your eyes are being opened,” Amastri said, but the inflection in her voice made it difficult to tell if she was pleased or mocking Kari. “Perhaps in time, you will begin to understand that the price you paid for what you have received was quite small.”
Kari shook her head. “Not likely,” she said. “What does your master want with this sword, anyway? It’s not like I can go back on our deal, and there’s nothing I can do to stop her, so what does she want with Taesenus’ sword, really?”
Amastri shrugged her slender shoulders while she took a careful sip of her hot tea. “I honestly have no idea, Lady Vanador,” she said. “You know I am a negotiator for Her Majesty, but aside from knowing what she wants and what she offers, I know little of what her ultimate intentions are. And, of course, even if I did, that is not something I would share, particularly with…her enemies.”
She let that disconcerting, beautiful smile spread fully across her face, and Kari found it to be a trifle insulting. Kari kept her feelings to herself, though, and shrugged off the woman’s words. “So was your master pleased with the results of our work?” she asked. “I’m curious to know if there’s been any reaction…like whether King Sekassus has sent anyone to try to hunt down and kill Se’sasha. His people harried us all the way out of Sorelizar.”
Kari left out the parts about Turillia, the succubus, or the fact that they’d crossed into Si’Dorra and been followed; she was curious to see if Amastri would mention any of it first. The part-elven woman tilted her own head to the side. “Nothing that I have been made aware of; I would wager that if someone were being sent to kill Se’sasha, I would be alerted to it due to the danger it poses to me. I understand you are keeping Se’sasha and her people on your Order’s campus; that is not exactly a good tactical place for King Sekassus to make a move against his former high priestess, now is it? No, for the time being, I would wager that Se’sasha is safe, and if that is to change, I will surely know before anything happens.”
“And you’d tell me?” Kari prodded.
“I did not say that, Lady Vanador,” Amastri countered. “If you wish Her Majesty to put resources toward keeping Se’sasha safe, then that will require a separate bargain. Her Majesty has given you what you wanted, and now you are to give her what she wanted. There are no other benefits to this bargain for either of you.”
Kari nodded; that didn’t surprise her at all. “So your master is satisfied?”
“With the outcome of your work? Yes,” Amastri answered. She started to say more but stopped herself and sucked in her upper lip for a second. She shrugged and took a sip of her tea, and after settling the cup carefully in its saucer, Amastri raised her eyes to meet Kari’s evenly. “King Sekassus believes he can keep the syrinthian people under control by brute force, but the escape of their high priestess is going to cause ripples through their society for some time. The more stress and strife that piles upon King Sekassus on account of what you have done, the happier Her Majesty will be with your work.”
Kari nodded, satisfied with that, but before she could say anything else, Amastri added, “Keep something in mind when you think to come deal with me, Lady Vanador: I strike deals for Her Majesty, but King Koursturaux is ancient even by our peoples’ standards. She has dreams and goals that are older than your world, and given my relative youth among our peoples, I have not been, and am unlikely to be made privy to those dreams and goals. And if I, being a member of Her Majesty’s court, am not kept abreast of such things, then the likelihood that you will ever have even the slightest inkling of what Her Majesty desires is next to nil.”
“That sounds vaguely like a threat,” Kari said, though her voice didn’t make it sound as though she really thought so.
“Not a threat, Lady Vanador, simply an observation,” the part-elven woman said. “You must understand that if you plan to deal with Her Majesty, then you must be prepared to lose. Her Majesty has been long at this game and craft, and she knows all possible outcomes. You have but a few decades of experience on which to draw, and your experience and wisdom, while quite considerable for one of your years, simply cannot compare to those of Her Majesty.”
Kari considered those words; she knew she was at a disadvantage and that Koursturaux was likely to get what she wanted in the end, so it was hard for her to fathom why releasing Se’sasha had satisfied the demon king’s goals. Kari simply didn’t understand how a syrinthian priestess spilling the many secrets of the kings and the peoples of Mehr’Durillia served anyone’s purposes. There was always the possibility that King Koursturaux sought to draw members of the Order to Mehr’Durillia to be trapped or, perhaps, in turn taken hostage to spill the secrets of the Temple and Citaria in general. If there was even the possibility that was Koursturaux’ – or anyone else’s – goal, then Kari had to safeguard the lives of her hunters against such trickery.
“So should I be surprised if some member of an assassin’s guild or some other ‘demon’ from your world shows up with Taesenus’ sword, shortly after I give it to you, and tries to kill someone I love?” Kari asked evenly. Amastri seemed shocked by the question and didn’t even bother to try to mask it. “You have to admit, there’d be a certain…poetry to having me give her a sword, and then using it to kill me or one of my friends.”
Amastri looked away while making a dismissive gesture. “Lady Vanador, though I am not at liberty to discuss Her Majesty’s past or personality with you, I can and will tell you one thing,” she said when she turned her gaze back to meet Kari’s. “If King Koursturaux wanted you or your friends dead, she would not be subtle about it. Though it may pain you to hear me say as much, Her Majesty is pleased with your work and sees you as a resource; she has no reason to kill you as of this moment.”
“What about King Sekassus?” Kari prodded. “I’ve now killed one of his sons and, from what you say, embarrassed him in front of his syrinthians.”
That disconcerting smile spread across Amastri’s face once again. “Do you not have a dozen syrinthians on your Order’s campus?” she asked. “King Sekassus is never going to stop trying to kill you and dismantle your Order. Fortunately for you, this blow you have struck against him…while the killing of his son may have given the syrinthian people some momentary satisfaction or even hope, having rescued their high priestess from his clutches is going to have much more far-reaching results. You may find, in the future, that any of the syrinthians sent to infiltrate your Order, or otherwise bring harm to you, may defect to Se’sasha’s service instead.”
Kari’s brows rose; she hadn’t really thought about that, but it made sense. “So that’s what your master was after? Further humiliation over time now that the syrinthians’ loyalties might be split?”
Amastri held her hands out wide. “That was simply my deduction on the matter,” she said innocently. “As I have said before, what Her Majesty is truly after in this situation – as with all others – only she knows.”
Kari nodded and gave up on trying to wrest any information about Koursturaux from the demon king’s courtier. She looked around briefly and folded her arms before her on the table. “So I’ve already been told that the beshathans aren’t demons,” Kari said at last, and there was a subtle shift to the set of Amastri’s eyes. Kari wasn’t sure what to make of that; perhaps it was because Uldriana had been lying, and Amastri was pleased to know that the Order was being duped. She tried to push the thoughts aside until she had a clearer picture. “I was wondering what you might be able to tell me about that: where they came from, how they ended up enslaved to the kings, anything like that.”
The part-elven woman picked up her teacup and smiled at Kari over the rim while she took a sip. “Ah, but that is why you rescued Se’sasha from King Sekassus, is it not? Let her be the one to tell you such things. Her Majesty would be…displeased, to say the least, were I to go wagging my tongue to her enemies.”
Kari sighed; she simply wasn’t a skilled enough interrogator or negotiator to get things out of Amastri
that the part-elven woman didn’t want to share. She supposed she had heard enough already: Koursturaux was pleased with their efforts; she was unlikely to be working to kill Kari or any of her friends through subterfuge; and King Sekassus was angry, but no more so than he’d already been with Kari. Any other information Kari could wrest from Amastri would be a bonus, but then she mused that it wouldn’t likely be much more than what Se’sasha could tell her once she communed with her mother’s spirit.
Kari wondered, as she stared at Amastri, if the part-elven woman or her demonic king knew that Se’sasha needed to go to her mother’s grave. As she recalled Danilynn’s story, Kari realized that Koursturaux would know where that grave was. If Amastri was lying – and Kari had little doubt that she would if it suited her master’s purpose – then the distant valley would be a fantastic place to set an ambush to recapture or kill Se’sasha. Amastri said that Koursturaux didn’t use subterfuge to kill her enemies, but she also said that the demon king had been long at the “game” and “craft.” Those words certainly seemed to suggest that all of the violence and death surrounding the king was as a giant game to her, and Kari and her friends were little more than pawns on the board.
“So tell me: that man that was talking to you when I arrived…what did he want from your master?” Kari asked.
Amastri glanced toward the door and then back, and she chuckled, though she didn’t smile. She whipped her high tail of long, lustrous red hair back and forth and then purred, “He wanted nothing from Her Majesty.”
Kari laughed after the briefest hesitation. “Get that a lot, do you?”
“Even your Order thought I was a succubus for the longest time,” the part-elven woman said with a shrug. She sipped her tea and smiled at Kari over the rim, but this was a genuine smile that spoke of amusement, not the disconcerting smile that hid whatever she was truly thinking. “Most are smart enough to know that I do not mix business with pleasure. And, of course, it is of little help to their cause when they have a basic lack of respect and manners.”
“But you do strike deals with others, right? I mean, my Order isn’t the only one that you make bargains with,” Kari stabbed while Amastri’s guard was down.
The woman recovered quickly and set her teacup down gently. “I am not at liberty to discuss that with you,” Amastri said quietly. “However, be satisfied knowing that Her Majesty does not strike bargains with anyone incapable of offering something she desires in return.”
“Like their souls?” Kari asked through her teeth, her eyes narrowed. She felt the sweet release of adrenaline as her body prepared to kill.
Amastri’s face remained expressionless for what felt like an hour, and Kari was prepared to draw her blades and decapitate the woman then and there. All of a sudden, though, Amastri threw her head back and began to laugh hysterically. Her laughter drew the attention of the few others in the inn, but she seemed to pay no mind to the reaction to her hysterics. When she was finally finished with the display after over half a minute, Amastri glanced to the barkeep and beckoned for him to refill her teacup. While she waited for him to come do so and then depart, Amastri held Kari’s gaze, and though she didn’t laugh outright, the amusement still showed clearly in her eyes.
“Their souls…that is quaint, Lady Vanador,” Amastri said at last. She snickered one last time with a shake of her head. “You have either listened to the boasting of sorcerers for far too long, or you simply have little grasp of what the kings are, and what they desire. Her Majesty is not a collector of souls; the things she desires from those she makes bargains with are items of power, or else acquaintanceships with those who can provide her with such items or other means to power. Take yourself, for example: in making a bargain with you, she has acquired both. She will obtain Taesenus’ sword from you, yes, but she also now has a relationship with the head of the Demonhunter Order. You may never trust her or wish to do business with her again, but there is always the possibility that you will want or need to; that is a part of her price. But your soul, Lady Vanador? Let us just say that a soul does not make a fitting mantle-piece.”
Kari wasn’t sure what she believed at this point, but she didn’t see any point in arguing the matter with someone she wasn’t even sure would be honest anyway. “All the same, I don’t want you brokering deals with commoners who have no idea what they’re getting themselves into,” Kari said. “You can stay here to provide and receive aid from the Order, but the common people are off limits, understand?”
“As I said, the common people rarely have anything of worth to offer Her Majesty,” the part-elven woman returned. She waved a hand around casually. “Still, if they come to me, it is not my place to be concerned with whether or not they know what they are getting themselves into, Lady Vanador. I am a listener: they come to me with a problem, and they offer a price to pay for the solution to that problem. If it suits Her Majesty, a bargain is struck. Your concern seems to be that there will be people running about your city seeking to kill your hunters, or members of the Duke’s court, or what-have-you, at Her Majesty’s command. Rest assured that if anyone is asking for people to be killed, it is the people who come to me for Her Majesty’s aid, not the other way around. And you may further rest assured that such requests do not even make it to Her Majesty’s ear. If your people wish to kill each other, that is a purpose they can serve themselves all too well, as evidenced by the Blood Order that calls this city home.”
“Touché,” Kari said. “Be honest with me, because that’s part of the deal that will let you stay here in the city: what kinds of requests do make it to King Koursturaux’ ear?”
Amastri shrugged. “Honestly, the most basic of desires,” she said. “Adventurers looking for wealth or some magical trinket that they think will solve their problems. If they have some trinket of their own that interests Her Majesty and that they are willing to part with, then from time to time a deal is struck. But Her Majesty is a very difficult patron to satisfy, and so most are turned away. She is not interested in gold, family heirlooms, slaves, or even, as you said, souls. Those who have something to offer usually do not even realize the value of the thing they wish to trade away. You asked me for information and offered a Celestial Token in return; those are the types of deals I normally broker. Primarily, Lady Vanador, I deal in information, and I have no better or more frequent customer than your Order.”
Terrific, Kari thought. A part of her burned with anger toward Jason Bosimar for ever letting the woman take up and keep residence in the city. Kari wanted to get rid of Amastri one way or another, but she heeded the advice and orders of the Council to leave the woman be for the time being. Kari had to be satisfied that the woman didn’t normally barter deals with the common people, and that – assuming what she said was true – she wasn’t trying to gather souls for her master. Kari had to give some credence to Amastri’s amusement: she hadn’t actually ever heard of souls being collected except in stories. Her mind flashed to the story Tormaar had told her about Dryad’s Lake up near Atrice, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Kari rose to her feet. “Well, as I said, I’ll be leaving to go gather the payment for your master soon,” she said. “I may be gone for a couple of weeks, but don’t be concerned: I just have some other things I have to look into while I’m gone.”
“Such as taking Se’sasha to her mother’s grave,” Amastri said casually, though she kept the smile from her face. “Yes, I know all about that. I wish you and your friends good luck on your journey. Oh, and congratulations on expecting your second child.”
Kari tilted her head and stared at the part-elven woman suspiciously. It seemed like a genuine well-wishing, but Kari just didn’t understand how Amastri found out such things and so quickly. It made her wonder if there was another mole on the campus of the Order, one of a kind that wasn’t as “easily” discovered as the syrinthians. Kari wasn’t sure how else Amastri was able to find out everything she planned and the things in her personal life. Kari simply wasn’t comfortab
le with the servant of a demon king having their finger on the pulse of her life.
“Thank you,” Kari offered finally, not wanting to be rude or offend Amastri since she wasn’t even sure there was an issue to be angry over. “And please give my thanks and those of Se’sasha to your master. We’re both grateful that your master was willing to help and that we both escaped King Sekassus’ realm unharmed.”
Amastri nodded. “You may, of course, thank her by upholding your end of the bargain,” she said. “Until then, good journey to you.”
Kari left the inn and headed back to the Order’s campus. The spring day was warm, the sunshine was strong, and Kari’s blood was warmer than usual from being pregnant. But as she walked, she had a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach that none of those things could dispel.
Chapter XXI – The Price of Success
Kari wasn’t pleased that Amastri – and consequently, Koursturaux – knew where she and her friends were going, and what for. Still, she had to trust that Koursturaux truly was interested in acquiring Taesenus’ vorpal sword, and that she knew what Se’sasha’s freedom represented to Kari and her Order. Still, retrieving the sword before going to the valley where Se’ceria was buried might be the only thing that kept them from being ambushed by servants of the demon king. There was always the chance that Koursturaux might send assassins to kill Kari and her friends and simply take the sword, but that scenario didn’t make any sense. The sword was, effectively, already Koursturaux’, and there was little point to fighting for it when Kari was going to hand it over willingly.
Dealing with the demon king became so much more frustrating the more Kari thought about it. While Amastri’s words days before were meant to soothe Kari’s worry – or maybe they were really meant to multiply it; it was hard to know when dealing with demon kings and their servants – all they did was raise more questions. Kari refused to believe that she had struck a bargain with Koursturaux and come out ahead; there had to be more to what the demon king wanted. A relationship with Kari didn’t seem to fit that theory well enough on its own.
