A young woman—the one who'd led him to his room the previous day—entered the common room, a steaming kettle in her hands. The fragrance of the mint tea mixed with her unique scent of rose oil, cinnamon, and the unfamiliar spice. The Hunter's anger gave way to an intense desire for her. It had been too long, indeed.
He opened his mouth to speak to her, but she scurried away before anything came out. A familiar scent reached him: oak moss, cedar, and steel.
The Hunter inclined his head, but didn't turn to the figure seated beside him. "Captain."
Captain Al-Zahar wore nondescript clothing, clearly intended to blend in with the caliber of customers in the taproom. "Come with me." He gave no other word of explanation.
"When I finish eating." The Hunter stuffed another piece of flatbread into his mouth, hiding a grin.
Captain Al-Zahar's hand gripped his bicep. "Now," he said through gritted teeth.
With a theatrical sigh, the Hunter pushed away his mug, stood, and turned to the captain. "I must dress."
Not waiting for Al-Zahar to reply, he strode from the common room. Once around the corner, he rushed down the hall and nearly leapt down the stairs. Reaching beneath his pillow, he snatched a small cloth-wrapped object and tucked it into a hidden pocket. By the time Captain Al-Zahar descended the steps, the Hunter had strapped on his leather armor and busied himself adjusting each buckle and strap twice, taking his time.
Captain Al-Zahar chafed with impatience. "The queen commands your presence. She has ordered you to the palace immediately and sent me to ensure you make haste."
"Patience, Captain. It wouldn't be decent for your queen to see me in my nightclothes." The Hunter turned his face away to hide his sardonic smile.
"Now," the captain said, his voice filled with menace.
The Hunter decided he'd tested the man's patience sufficiently. "Well then, let us be off." He reached for the sword, but Al-Zahar shook his head.
"You need no sword, qattala. You cannot enter the palace armed."
The Hunter pondered for a moment. He felt naked without a sword at his hip. "How will I carry out my queen's orders without the tools of my trade?"
Captain Al-Zahar crossed his arms. "Everything you need will be provided!"
Soulhunger hung in its hidden sheath at his back; it would have to be enough. Watcher have mercy on the captain if he tries to stop me from bringing it.
The captain cleared his throat. "The…the queen sends a message." He hesitated, his eyes darting around the room.
The Hunter raised an expectant eyebrow at the captain. "Well? Am I to guess her message?"
Captain Al-Zahar glared. "She says to bring it. Does that have meaning to you?"
He nodded. "Of course. I understand fully." The captain looked like he wanted to say more, but the Hunter gave him no time. Reaching for his cloak, he gestured toward the stairs. "Well, I believe the queen would have us make haste. No sense dawdling now, is there?" The muscles in Captain Al-Zahar's jaw twitched, and the Hunter suppressed a grin.
"Yes," said Al-Zahar, clearly controlling his temper. "Now let us be off!"
The Hunter shook his head and extended his hand in a courtly bow. "After you, Captain."
Growling something in the language of Al Hani, the captain marched up the steps. With a grin, the Hunter followed.
It is a good day to piss people off!
Chapter Thirty-Two
Queen Asalah sat on a simple stone bench amidst a microcosm of plant life. Bright colors rioted through the garden. Here, pink, red, and white blossoms grew in neat rows along the walkway and hung from the branches of flowering trees. There, roses and lilies filled the air with their delicate scent.
In the distance, stately oaks spread protective branches over the gardens, while beside them towering pines reached toward the heavens. Enormous bloodwood trees stood guard around a small pond, rivaling the height of the palace itself. A blanket of multi-hued leaves and needles carpeted the ground.
For every familiar plant, there were two more the Hunter couldn't identify. Shrubs and trees of every shape, size, and color imaginable met his gaze. Sharp spines thrust up from stubby plants with spiked leaves, and unfamiliar vines crept sinuous fingers along the ground like emerald serpents. The queen looked up as he approached, and her face brightened. "Ah, Hunter, it is good to see you again. I trust you slept well?"
The Hunter shrugged. "Well enough, all things considered." He'd spent most of the night tossing and turning. The demon's screams had driven back rest, and concerns for Hailen only augmented his disquiet.
The queen nodded at Al-Zahar. "Captain. I trust his entry to the palace went unnoticed?"
Captain Al-Zahar bowed. "Only my trusted lieutenant saw us enter through the garden gate."
"Good man. You may leave us, Captain."
"My queen, I…"
Queen Asalah's sharp look cut off the captain's protests.
Captain Al-Zahar bowed. "Very well, my queen. I will be but a few paces away. You have only to call out." He shot a pointed glare at the Hunter.
"Thank you, Captain. As always, your devotion is valued. But I would have private words."
"As you wish." With a deep bow, the captain turned on his heel and strode away. Both Hunter and queen watched the man's departure, neither speaking until Al-Zahar had disappeared from sight.
Queen Asalah gestured around her. "Tell me, Bucelarii, what do you think of my garden?"
The Hunter glanced at the oasis of greenery around him. "I must admit, I have never seen anything its like."
Queen Asalah smiled. "It is a marvel of the modern world. I have labored long on this garden. For decades, I—in various guises—have expanded it, adding plants from around Einan. Nowhere else will you find such a wide variety of life as you see here."
"A marvel, indeed. Though I find myself wondering why you would prize something of this nature. After all, we both know what the Great Destroyer will do to the world upon his return."
"A wise question, Bucelarii. I can see that you inherited the intelligence of your father, not the dull wits of your mother." She held out her arm. "Come, walk with me. I would speak of matters best discussed away from listening ears. Here, amidst the trees and flowers, there are none to overhear us."
The Hunter hesitated. She would expect him to obey her commands—she was Abiarazi, after all. He'd have to continue playing the submissive Bucelarii, but only a short while longer.
He took the queen's arm. "As you wish." Though his skin crawled at the demon's touch, he kept his face a mask of calm. Her flesh felt like that of every other woman, but he knew what lay beneath her façade. No amount of perfume could hide the reek of decay from his sensitive nostrils.
"You ask why I maintain this garden, when my kind are disposed to death and destruction." She smiled at him. "Humans may call us demons, but you and I both know that we are much more than beasts. We have desires, emotions, and feelings just as mankind does, only different…from those of humans."
The Hunter said nothing, but a maelstrom of confusion whirled in his mind. He'd believed demons to be mindless killing machines, bent only on carnage and blood. The garden paradise around him made him uneasy—what else had he blindly believed about his kind?
"We have our own perception of what we believe to have value." Queen Asalah's grin turned feral, ugly. "Human life, of course, has little to none. But this," she gestured around, "this is something even I can appreciate."
"But when Kharna returns, will not our master destroy everything in his path?" The word “our” helped to cement the lie. He needed her to see him as a faithful soldier or follower, nothing more. "This garden, and everything else on this world, will be obliterated."
The queen shook her head. "That is a misconception—one put forward by those envious of the power we wield." She stopped suddenly, narrowing her eyes. "I'd think one so close to the Sage would have learned the truth."
Damn it! The Hunter's mind raced. What could he say? He shrugged
. "He tells me what he believes I need to know." Perhaps he could downplay his ignorance. From what he knew of demons, they were a mistrustful, suspicious lot.
After a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity, Queen Asalah nodded. "Indeed, it is his way."
The Hunter hid his relief. A lucky guess, indeed.
"So, you were saying?"
Queen Asalah gestured around her. "When the Great Destroyer awakens from his slumber, he will not destroy Einan. What use would he have for a dead world, devoid of life? No, he intends to rule this world, as he so nearly did millennia ago."
"And you believe the humans will allow it? They will…"
The queen rounded on the Hunter, a snarl twisting her face. "They will be cleansed!" Her features swam in a wave of gristle and bone, her true face showing for an instant. Her eyes darkened until they matched the depthless void of his own. "Those who do not fall in the cleansing will be herded like cattle, until such a time as they can be useful to us."
The Hunter's pulse pounded in his ears. He knew only too well the “use” to which the Abiarazi put humankind. An image flashed through his mind.
Graves overflowing with hundreds—nay, thousands—of bodies, mountains of skulls and bones. Demons feasting on the carcasses of children, devouring screaming men and women alive.
He'd seen the same thing that night in the Serenii tunnels beneath Voramis. The vision—or memory—was all too real.
The queen seemed not to notice his expression. "Once the world is cleansed, we will rule in peace. The Abiarazi will claim this world for our own, leaving behind the fiery hell once and for all. In our new home, we will multiply as we once did, until we are prepared to conquer other worlds."
"As we were meant to." The Hunter forced a smile, hoping the queen couldn't feel the hammering of his heart.
Queen Asalah nodded. "Indeed. It is our right, promised to us by Kharna himself. Every demon on Einan today has staked a claim to a slice of this world. This," she said, gesturing to the garden around her, "this is my portion of the paradise that will be once the Great Destroyer returns."
The Hunter nodded. "You say every demon on Einan. How many remain after all this time?"
The queen eyed him askance. "What does it matter to you?"
He shrugged. "The more there are, the more who can challenge our right to rule. I am simply learning of my competition. Besides, once we have the Twelve Kingdoms, we could use strong allies to subdue the rest of Einan."
Queen Asalah rounded on him, midnight eyes flashing. "We alone will conquer! None of the others will take credit for our achievement."
Perfect. The Hunter hid a smile. Demons never trusted their own kind, only used them to achieve their end. He could play on that mistrust. If he pushed her a little more…
"And what does the Sage say to your plans? Does he know?"
"He knows as much as he needs to." Queen Asalah narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask?"
"I simply find myself wondering how he will respond to your actions. Surely he will not be pleased to discover you have disobeyed his commands."
"And you will tell him? You will go running back to your master?"
The Hunter growled. "I have no master!" She needed to see an opening, a crack in his loyalty to the Sage. "I carry out his will because it serves my purpose. He has not yet given me cause to doubt him nor reason to swear fealty."
A hint of a smile teased the queen's lips. "And tell me, Hunter, what if there were someone you could trust? Someone who would trust you in return, who would offer you everything you want and more?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I would listen to what that person had to say." She'd taken the bait.
"Join me." She gripped his arm with ferocious strength. "Once, we ruled the Twelve Kingdoms together. We were more than allies: we were friends. We trusted each other, guarded each other's backs. Can you say you share the same bond with the Sage?"
The Hunter shook his head. "I cannot."
"Then what is to prevent you from doing to him what he intends to one day do to you? You know what he will do to you once you have served your purpose. Surely you have seen what happens to those who outlive their use."
The Hunter nodded.
"Would you suffer the same fate? Would you be cast aside like a broken tool? Unite with me, and you will find a trust and loyalty the Sage could never offer you." She held out a hand. "What say you?"
He held her gaze and scrunched his face up in a pretense of contemplation. If he appeared too eager to betray the Sage, it would ruin the charade.
Slowly, he clasped her outstretched hand. "So be it. The Sage has given me no reason to trust him. I will give you a chance to prove you are a better partner." He narrowed his eyes. "Not master."
Queen Asalah smiled. "To allies and comrades!" Her grip on his hand tightened, and nodded. "Nasnaz the Great and Khalid al-Waziri, united after centuries."
"Allies and comrades," he repeated. Releasing her hand, he crossed his arms. "Now, we must anticipate the Sage's response to news of our alliance and your conquest of the Twelve Kingdoms. Surely he will not let it stand."
The queen chuckled. "Let him piss blood and fury. Once we have It-Nashar securely in our grasp, he will be unable to act against us."
"And what of the other Abiarazi? Will he not send them to wreak vengeance on us?"
The queen sneered. "Let them come! There are not so many on Einan that we need fear their wrath! Save for the Sage, there are none in a position to challenge us. Not even the Warmaster himself will have more power!"
"You are certain? I have no qualms slaying a human, but an Abiarazi…" The Hunter shrugged.
Such an easy lie, but one she would accept without hesitation. The Abiarazi saw the Bucelarii as willing servants, bred to obey. The demons he'd met in the past had been shocked when he tried to kill them. It simply didn't fit with what they knew of their offspring.
Queen Asalah's voice deepened to a hateful growl. "There is nothing on this wretched world capable of slaying our kind!"
The Hunter stepped back, but smiled inwardly. Despite the confidence in the queen's expression, her eyes flashed to the Hunter's torso.
She's hoping I don't know what Soulhunger can do to the Abiarazi. His mind raced, pieces of a complex mechanism falling into place. Twisted hell! Can she be ignorant of what happened in Voramis and Malandria? She has no idea four of her kind are dead at my hands.
In Malandria, Garanis and Toramin had heard what he'd done to the Bloody Hand, but neither knew the details. They'd been unaware of the presence of demons in Voramis or that he'd killed them.
If so, it means these demons all know that others exist, but they know nothing of where to find them.
It couldn't be random chance that led the demons to cities like Malandria, Voramis, and Aghzaret—cities with power and influence on Einan.
The Sage. It made sense. Garanis and Toramin had asked if the Sage sent him, a question repeated by Queen Asalah. Is he coordinating everything?
He had to find out more. If I can locate and kill the spider at the center of the web, all the threads will come loose.
Could it be that easy? The queen's words indicated that the other Abiarazi hid around Einan, each playing a small part in a larger game. The Sage controlled all the pieces, and the demons waited on him for their orders.
If no orders come, they will remain in the shadows.
Of course, each had their own agenda and plans. Abiarazi hated any who sought to command them, even their own kind. Quiet dread thrummed in his chest. Even a handful of Abiarazi could spell doom for Einan. He'd lost too many of those dear to him at the hands of the demons. But killing the two he'd encountered in Voramis nearly cost him his life. What would happen if he faced dozens?
No matter. If it means Hailen and those like him are safe, I will do what must be done.
He would hunt down the Sage, just as soon as he rescued Hailen. With the boy's help, he could find the demons around Einan. The world would be rid o
f the Abiarazi once and for all.
But first, I have to find out as much as possible about the demons, as well as the Sage himself. He would use any means to discover more, starting with getting as much information from the queen—hopefully without arousing her suspicions.
"It has been far too long since I have seen Abiarazi in all their glory. Why do you all wear the guise of humans? Wouldn't it be easier to conquer in your true form?" The Abiarazi had proven prone to hubris. That made them easier to manipulate.
"If only!" The queen's eyes turned sorrowful. "We took on the guise of humans during the Great War. It was the only way to escape the notice of the gods. Until we can be certain the Thirteen are powerless to stop us, we will remain in hiding. But that day will come sooner, now that you"—her eyes flicked to his torso again, her desire for Soulhunger plain—"are here."
"When we return Kharna to the world."
"Precisely." A smile broadened the queen's face. "Until then, we wear these suits of flesh and bone. They serve a purpose and are easily discarded when we have no further use for them."
"Alas," the Hunter said, "if only I had inherited that trait from my father, I would be much better able to help you in your efforts."
"But you did!" Her eyes burned. "It is simply a skill you have forgotten. Which is why you are forced to cover your eyes with more…mundane methods. Tell me, are those featherglass lenses?"
He nodded. "They hide me from those who would seek to do me harm." He'd purchased the lenses at the Temple of Whispers in Drash. None outside the Secret Keepers knew how to craft featherglass.
"Let me help you, then," the queen said, her voice rising in fervor and pitch. "I instructed you in our ways long ago. Now that you have joined me, I will once again teach you everything you must know to be a true Bucelarii."
The offer held appeal. He'd searched for hints into his past for so long, finding none. Until now. The demon seemed willing to help him unlock his abilities. She'd embraced him as an ally, if not a partner. Could he pass up the opportunity? Once he rescued Hailen, he could return to Aghzaret, at least long enough to learn everything about the Sage, the Abiarazi, and himself. He would finally have answers.
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