by Joe Jackson
Kari bowed to the Council and then turned to Liria. She reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a light silver chain with a pair of dog tags on them. “You know what these are?” she asked, and Liria nodded, fighting the urge to grin. “I had these made for you a few months ago, because I wanted to be the one to give them to you when you graduated. Before I give them to you, though, I want you to make me a promise.”
“Anything, ma’am,” she answered, on the verge of shaking.
“Liria… don’t let anyone else bring these back to me, understand?” It took a moment for her words to sink in, but then the syrinthian girl bit her lip and nodded solemnly. “I have buried or cremated too many of our brothers and sisters in the last couple of years. As it stands, I have to go give our condolences to my friend’s wife and children. Don’t make me go to Ahrue-Sililue to do the same for you. You take care of yourself, back the Silver Blades in their tactics, follow orders, and above all, you come back safely, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Kari gestured the girl forward, and Liria bowed her head. Kari slipped the tags over her head and left them for Liria to settle on her neck. When Liria got them to sit comfortably, she lifted them up and looked at the inscription, then her eyes came up. “What does this letter and number combination mean?”
“The letter A represents this land, Askies. The number is the date I reinstated you as a cadet. I don’t know what your date of birth is, but it doesn’t matter because it probably makes little sense compared to our calendar,” Kari explained.
Liria smiled. “Thank you again, ma’am. And you as well, Masters,” she added, bowing her head toward the council.
There was still the slightest bit of skepticism there, but the council had taken a liking to Liria over the long months. She was a model cadet: She followed orders without question, served as Kari’s personal assistant, and was usually among the first to volunteer for duties the other cadets tried to worm their way out of. She had earned, and continued to earn her keep, and was sharp as a tack, on pace to graduate with high honors. Kari thought the girl might turn out to be one of the finest cadets to ever graduate, whether or not she led a noteworthy career.
“I have one other bit of news for the Council that concerns you,” Kari said, gesturing for the girl to stay. “We have a lot of work to do, so while we’re all here, let me brief you on what I did on Mehr’Durillia.”
Master Goldberg grabbed some paper and dipped a quill into his inkwell. “Ready when you are, Lady Vanador.”
“As you know, I owed a favor to King Morduri, so I went to meet him in Pataria. What he asked me to do… was to assassinate Prince Amnastru.”
“Was he trying to get you killed?” Master Arinotte asked.
Kari half-shrugged. “Not really. He honestly believed I was capable of succeeding, but I turned his request back on him. We planned to lure Prince Amnastru to a place where either Morduri or Emanitar, or both, would be able to help me kill him. I’ll give you the details in a full report later, but for now, I’ll simplify things by saying it didn’t work out as we planned. I fought one of Sekassus’ princes, but he wounded Seanada, and forced us to retreat back to King Emanitar’s realm of Tess’Vorg.”
“Is Seanada all right?” Liria asked, keeping her voice low.
“She’s fine. She stayed behind to spend some time with family,” Kari answered to cover for her companion’s absence. She wasn’t actually sure where Seanada was or what she was doing, but Kari was confident the Wraith would find her and get her mind straight again. The half-syrinthian assassin had nearly lost her mind after using her succubus side’s ability to drain some of Amnastru’s essence. She had accidentally attacked Kari, but the demonhunter didn’t hold it too much against her. She did what she thought she needed to do in order to help Kari beat Prince Amnastru. It hadn’t worked out the way they hoped, but her aid was part of what tipped things in Kari’s favor.
“Anyway, the next attempt came with the help of the Ashen Fangs,” Kari said once Master Goldberg got caught up in his note-taking. “One of their number was a… what do you call it… a transmuter. He shape-changed me into a mallasti, if you can believe that. And not just any mallasti, but a vulkinastra, the ones with the white coat.”
“To try to take advantage of the prophecy King Sekassus is so worried about?” Master van Holtzer asked.
“Exactly, Master,” Kari confirmed. “Disguised as a vulkinastra, I took Seanada with me into Sorelizar and proceeded to start a civil war.” She gave the human priests a few minutes to whisper among themselves, turning her own attention to Liria. The syrinthian girl was staring back at her with wide eyes. “Ultimately, I killed or had a hand in killing four of Sekassus’ sons, including Prince Amnastru, and King Emanitar came in my wake and rallied the people of the south of Sorelizar to take up arms against Sekassus.”
Kari turned to face Liria fully. “If I remember right, you said your family lived in a city in northern Sorelizar, right? Well, there’s a good chance they’re going to be under the rule of King Emanitar in the somewhat-near-future. Sorelizar is in chaos right now, and Sekassus is losing his grip on the realm with every passing minute.”
Tears came to Liria’s eyes, but she stood speechless.
“This may be beneficial to the Silver Blades, depending on where they are headed,” Master Bennet said, still astounded by what he’d heard. “How did you kill Prince Amnastru?”
“With a lot of help from Zalkar, Sakkrass, and Be’shatha,” Kari said. “I know the people of Mehr’Durillia believe the mallasti goddess is dead or asleep, but I was able to rally the faith of the people, and turn them against their princes. As it turns out, King Emanitar is Be’shatha’s son, and though he has to be careful not to upset the state of things with the Overking, the people are eager to follow him when he actually acts like he should. So I see big changes coming soon to Sorelizar, and the entire realm may end up under Emanitar’s rule before long.”
“That is amazing,” Master Arinotte said. “Are you planning to return to Sorelizar and help finish the deposition of King Sekassus?”
“In time, Master, but for now, I want to spend time with my family, and was encouraged to do so by both Emanitar and Morduri.”
“So, if we understand correctly, you are telling us you have found allies, of a sort, in both King Emanitar and King Morduri?” Master Bennet asked.
“Very much so,” Kari confirmed with a nod. “Again, I’ll explain more in my full report, but I have a rather unique relationship with Morduri now. He and Emanitar have to be careful, as I said, to avoid being targeted by the Overking as rebels, but when you consider the offer I received from King Koursturaux, there appears to be a number of kings interested in deposing the Overking as well. We need to be cautious with this information, though.”
“I’m certain we don’t need to remind Liria or Corbanis that anything they’ve heard here should be kept confidential,” Master Arinotte said, and both cadet and hunter nodded.
“Good. Liria, the Silver Blades are leaving either today or tomorrow, so you need to get your things ready to go. I wish I could let you return home to see your family, but with Sorelizar in the state it’s in, that’s not going to be possible. But I promise you: One of these days, I’m going to take you back home to see your parents. I’m going to finish what I started,” Kari said.
“Thank you, ma’am,” the syrinthian answered with a teary smile. “I had accepted that I was dead to my parents and that I’d never see them again. Any hope is better than none, and I thank you for that.”
“Go,” Kari said, gesturing toward the exit with her head. She turned and urged Corbanis to leave as well. Once she was alone with the Council in the chamber, Kari took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “Masters, there’s something I need to tell you before you hear it from anyone else.”
Chapter II – Breaches
That went better than I expected, Kari mused.
She felt strange letting the C
ouncil in on her sex life, no matter how closely tied it might be to her duties in the case of Morduri. But if members of her family knew, it was only a matter of time before rumors began to spread, and she didn’t want the Council to be surprised. She was honest with them, explaining her reasons and the extenuating circumstances. Thankfully, their only concern was that Kari might be setting herself up to be manipulated by the elestram king, but they were otherwise not worried about it.
Kari left the temple feeling a little relief from the tension. She still had to sort things out with her family, but fortunately, that could be done behind closed doors. It was honestly none of their business in the first place, but she couldn’t throw that at them as an explanation, not if she was interested in a stress-free household. She figured she would just explain things to them the same way she had for the Council, and let them deal with the information however they saw fit. They couldn’t know what she felt toward Grakin, and if they shoved aside all they knew of Kari to become angry, that would be on them.
The real question, of course, was what Kris’ reaction would be when he found out. Kari had little idea of what Kris’ sex life had been like to this point, spending so many years in a far-off, foreign land. Had he remained celibate all those years? He was older than Kari; was it a stretch to think he may have had several other lovers before? Whether or not he did was of little concern to Kari, but she wasn’t sure if the same would hold true for him. Would he think she was disgusting for what she’d done?
Kari grimaced, descending the steps to the temple and out toward the campus’ central square. Once Liria was ready to leave, Kari could send the Silver Blades off on their mission, and she could get back to taking care of other matters closer to home. The gods knew there were many: She had to survey the damage to her home and find out how much it would cost to rebuild; she had to find out who was summoning Mehr’Durillian attackers to Citaria and put a stop to that; she had to talk to Kyrie about her tryst with Morduri and make her intentions toward Kris known; and, of course, she had to do her part setting the Order to help repair the city.
And the last meant meeting with the duke, a man she was less and less interested in spending time around the more she dealt with him.
Kari couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was not right with that man. He was fine as far as rulers went, but he almost seemed like two different people at times. Not in such a way as to suggest a Kaelin Black and BlackWing duality like the Earl of Southwick, but Duke Bosimar could go from gracious noble to condescending powermonger at the drop of a hat, it seemed. Kari avoided spending much time in his court, finding his mood swings only slightly less annoying than the puffed-up, arrogant brats that comprised his court.
A dark shadow passed over the courtyard of the campus, and gasps and shouts of alarm rose up as people ran for cover. Kari looked up and saw the circling form of the dragon, and she walked onto the open square and waved casually to the great winged reptile. The magnificent creature circled the campus three times and then began her descent. It was all Kari could do to hold her ground without wetting herself at the sight of this immense, dangerous being flying at her in what could have been mistaken for an attack dive.
Kari’s hair blew back in the rush of wind as the ivory dragon slowed its approach and then touched down before her. It swung its head side to side and spread its wings out in a warning display, then turned that icy, blue-eyed gaze intently onto Kari. The demonhunter felt insignificant standing before this creature whose horns were longer than the blades Kari wielded – bigger than Kari herself, in fact. The hot gusts of the dragon’s breath blew over her, but then the creature leaned in and sniffed heavily, drawing Kari’s hair back toward itself.
“Greetings, mighty dragon,” Kari said, folding her hands before her chest and bowing her head. “We owe you a debt of gratitude for your aid last night, and it is my honor to welcome you to the grounds of my Order. I am Lady Karian Vanador, the Avatar of Vengeance; would you grace me with your name, noble dragon?”
The dragon looked past her for a moment, and Kari sensed that the Council and acolytes had come out of the temple to see what caused the commotion. The dragon was clearly anxious just to be here, which wasn’t all that surprising: It was surrounded by many enemies, small though they may be compared to it. Kari had killed a few dragons in her prior life, so she knew that no matter how big they got, they succumbed to concerted efforts to kill them. The dragon swung its head side to side once again as the hunters and cadets around the square emerged from their hiding places, and lifted its wings in preparation to take flight should anyone threaten it.
“Be at peace, friend,” Kari assured the creature with a palm-up, open-hand gesture. “No one here will harm you. You are a hero and an honored guest.”
“Indeed, you have the thanks of the entirety of Zalkar’s priesthood and the city itself for your efforts,” Master Bennet said, moving up tentatively to stand beside Kari.
At last the dragon relaxed visibly, and sat on its haunches. That only made its size more imposing, as it looked down on Kari and Master Bennet, its great head poised to strike like a snake at the slightest provocation. “You honor me by your words, Lady Karian Vanador,” the dragon said at last. “Know that I am called among my kind Samasurassa, the White Zephyr, the Spring Frost, Lady of the Lazy Clouds.”
Kari smiled and bowed her head again. “I’ve heard of the magnificent ivory dragons of the mountains, but this is the first I have actually seen or spoken with one of your kind. But the events of last night speak for themselves; as I said, we owe you a debt of gratitude. How may we be of service, noble Samasurassa?”
The dragon seemed tickled by how easily Kari remembered the pronunciation of her name, and she settled down to lie before Kari so their eyes were closer to level. “I have a request to make of you and your people,” she said, her voice thunderous when spoken from right before Kari. “The best way you can repay me for my aid is to leave me be. For years, I have fought off your people, who come into the mountains seeking to end my life and plunder my treasures. I have ever avoided your kind, preying instead upon the savage creatures that live in and among the mountains. This courtesy has not been returned by your people, however.”
“I know of a group of adventurers that came into the mountains several years ago to kill Kuriortis the Red. I do not hold this against them, for Kuriortis was vicious and territorial, and often attacked travelers and caravans. This band thankfully never turned its sights to me or my lair, but others have come in the years since. As strange as it may sound, Kuriortis served as a line of defense against those who would hunt me. Now, without his presence, I find the attacks come more frequently. Not constantly, mind you, but often enough to be of concern.”
“No, I can well understand that,” Kari agreed. “The adventurers that killed Kuriortis are actually friends of mine, and as far as I’ve been told, they hunted him down under specific orders from my predecessor. With all due respect, I’ve never heard of you before, so obviously, you’ve never been one we needed to worry about. But we will pay attention to you now. I can only do so much, but I’ll put out word that you are to be left alone. Not everyone will listen, but once we have it on our books as law, at least I’ll be able to enforce it.”
“I thank you, then. I should depart before my presence draws any more attention. It is worrying enough to be grounded among many of your kind, much less those not trustworthy.”
“Before you go, I owe you a personal debt of thanks,” Kari said, and the dragon cocked her head slightly. “The house outside of the city that you extinguished… you saved a great tree that stood beside it. That was my home, and that tree is the memorial for my departed husband. I can’t begin to thank you properly for saving that tree.”
The dragon leaned her head in close enough that Kari could feel the hot breath again. “There are no debts between siblings. Oh, yes, I know who you are, daughter of Sakkrass. I regret that I could not save your home, but that tree will survive
, and the Lord of the Green will bring it to brighter life in the wake of this storm.”
Kari blinked away tears. “You’re a child of Sakkrass?”
“Do we not all recognize our creators? You have the distinction of being claimed by two. You are a hero to the czarikk, and word travels among those of us of the scale-kind. Were you not in this city, I may have hesitated to lend my aid. You bring together many, and I have even heard it whispered you call a few of my kind friend,” she answered. She looked around and rose to her feet. People were beginning to gather at the gates to the campus, trying to get a glimpse of the majestic dragon, and Samasurassa was getting nervous again. “I am yet anxious among your people, but I hope to one day call you friend also.”
“I’ll pass along your concerns and request to the duke,” Kari said. “We’ll do everything we can to keep you safe, until you’re a little more comfortable around our kind.”
“Do you plan to build it?” the dragon asked, raising her wings in preparation to fly.
“What’s that?”
“Sakkrass’ temple.”
“Yes,” Kari said without hesitation. “I’ll find a way. It’ll get built.”
“I will visit it often. Farewell, Lady Karian Vanador. Until we meet again.”
“Until we meet again, noble Samasurassa,” Kari said with a wave. She covered her eyes as the dragon lifted off, blowing dust and dirt about the square. She flew out over the water, and then swung north toward the mountains, and Kari watched until she was out of sight.
“Friends with dragons,” Master Bennet said, clapping Kari on a shoulder. “You continue to amaze, Lady Vanador. Even the great Turik Jalar never claimed a dragon, much less several, as friends.”
“They were probably all afraid of him,” Kari said.
“Good point,” the priest said with a chuckle. “We will send messengers to the duke to let him know of this meeting. No need to concern yourself with it personally.”