by Joe Jackson
Kari gritted her teeth just listening to it, never mind the partial view she had. The sound of bones popping and the accompanying snaps as her legs changed shape was excruciating even to the ears. Kari could barely see the girl’s head change shape as well, though she watched the long, lupine ears disappear shortly before the creature’s grey, salt-and-pepper coat shrank into skin that became smooth and youthful-looking. It felt like it took minutes, yet the entire process lasted only a few seconds, and soon there was a naked young woman where a beast had stood only moments before. With the incredible change complete, the young woman got dressed hastily and then approached Kari.
“Do you have any idea how much I'd like to slap you right now?” Kari asked quietly.
The silver-haired young woman's shoulders shook in a silent chuckle, but the mirth didn't spread to her face. “That's a big part of the reason I'm only coming to see you just now,” Gil said. She still had that light sweetness to her voice that betrayed her age, but there was an edge to it now, something that indicated a hardness to her that lay beneath. It could have just been the fact that she was a werewolf, but Kari had to wonder. “Sorry, Lady Vanador, but coming to see you was too risky. I'm sure you're aware that there's an assassin's guild and black market here in the city; I can assure you that werewolf parts and pelts fetch a high price in the right circles.”
Kari shook her head. “So why are you sneaking around advertising the fact that you're a werewolf?”
“Had to make sure I could trust you,” the young woman responded without hesitation. “Last thing I needed was to reveal myself to your Order and then end up getting skinned alive before I left town. So I was making sure that you really could keep all these superstitious gits and all the bloodthirsty ones under control. Strange way to test whether I'd be safe, I know, but as I'm sure the city watch has told you, I'm very difficult to catch when I'm expecting pursuit.”
Kari gestured toward one of the other rockers, and the girl took a seat. “I'm still very confused,” Kari said. “If you'd just come to see the Council, if it turned out they weren't willing to trust you, you could've left the city without anyone knowing you were a werewolf.”
“And what would they have had as evidence that I could be trusted, aside from your word?” Gil returned. “Now you've had a werewolf prowling your streets for nearly a week, and not only have I not killed anyone, stolen anything, or done more to your citizens than make a few of them wet their pants, but I've even broken up a few robberies and showed the assassin's guild that they're not the scariest thing that prowls the night.”
Kari considered Gil's words for a few minutes. It still all struck her as entirely reckless and even stupid, but the girl did have a point, of a sort. “You broke up a few robberies? I didn't hear anything about that.”
Gil’s mouth twisted to the side briefly. “I should've guessed the watch wasn't going to give me credit for it, but yea, this city can be pretty rough south of the docks,” she answered. “So, is it true what I've been hearing? Are you really planning to go into the underworld?”
“Where did you even hear that?” Kari asked, alarmed.
“Overheard a few of those Blood Order clowns talking about it,” Gil said, and she sat forward in her seat. “From what I gather, they're nervous about you going: they like you being head of the Demonhunter Order, because they think Eryn Olgaryn has you in her pocket.”
“Good,” Kari said to the girl's unspoken question. “They're in for a very rude surprise in the future, then. But anyway, yes, I am planning to visit the underworld for a short time. Maybe you'd like to go with me? You seem–”
“Screw that,” Gil said. “There's no way in hell you'd ever get me to go there. Things are dangerous enough on this world, especially for someone like me. Besides, coming to see you wasn't the only reason I came to DarkWind, and I have other work I need to get done.”
“Like what? Is there another necromancer or demon in the city?”
Gil waved off the question. “Nothing you need to worry about. You've got enough on your plate right now. It's got nothing to do with hurting or killing anyone in the city, though. I plan to keep a low profile once I've spoken with your Council. I may even have to cut and dye my hair, since you apparently gave everyone my description.”
Kari sat staring quietly at Gil for a couple of minutes. Something seemed terribly off about the girl, but it wasn't that she was a werewolf. It was something in her behavior, from the gruff way she talked – not unlike Eli in tone and vernacular – to the secretive and underhanded nature of what she did and didn't say. It clicked after a minute, and Kari got the impression that on top of being a werewolf, Gil might also be a member of an assassin's guild.
If that was the case, Kari was at a loss as to which one it might be. As far as she knew, the Blood Order had two main rivals: the Five Clans of Oge, and the Black Dragon Society based in Barcon. The Five Clans had fallen during the Apocalypse, due in no small part to the betrayal of Eryn Olgaryn. The Black Dragon Society was supposed to be dismantled by Marshal Everett Saracht and the city militia of Barcon, under the command of Earl Kaelin Black after Kari had left the city, but that didn't mean it had actually happened. Still, the thought of Gil being a member of the Black Dragon Society while living in the wilds as a werewolf seemed unlikely.
Was it possible there was a new guild, or an old one that did a better job of staying out of the public eye than either of the big three Kari knew of? Was there one among the werewolves themselves? Or could Gil possibly – and it almost made Kari laugh to consider it – be a member of whatever underworld assassins' guild Turillia had belonged to?
Finally, Kari sighed. “You know, the thought of leaving you behind in the city is just the kind of stress I don't need when I'm going to Mehr'Durillia,” she said.
“Mare what?” Gil returned.
“Mehr'Durillia; it's the proper name for the 'underworld,'“ Kari said.
“Probably just means 'underworld' in their language,” Gil muttered.
“So are you going to come to the campus tomorrow and let me introduce you to the Council?” Kari asked.
Gil shook her head, then tucked her long hair behind her ears. “Nope. You said midsummer, so that's when I'll meet with them. Until then, like I said, I've got other things I need to look into. But I'll probably be leaving the city until midsummer, so all the commotion over my activities should die down a bit by then.”
“I really wish you'd tell me what you're up to.”
“I really wish I could,” Gil returned. “You're just going to have to trust me on this, Lady Vanador. If not…I'm not sure why you invited me here in the first place. And if you're really going to the underworld, you should probably get used to people not telling you everything – or anything, even. But whatever happens, you can trust me. If you don't now, you'll see why you should have, eventually.”
“You're giving me a headache,” Kari said, taking a sip of her rapidly-cooling tea.
“Yea, I have that effect on people,” Gil said with a chuckle. She seemed to consider making another wisecrack, but then simply added, “I know my commander feels the same way.”
Kari started to repeat the word commander, but held her tongue. That was a calculated thing for Gil to say; it was a way of giving Kari something to ease her tensions without saying too much. Kari understood that she shouldn't press for more details, because there was no chance she would get any. It immediately made Kari think that perhaps Gil was a member of an army; was it possible she was an agent of the Duke's, tasked with digging up information about the Blood Order and black market? Suddenly Kari felt she may have been foolish in giving the girl's description to the entire city – including the Blood Order.
“Is there any way I can help you with your work?” Kari asked tentatively, unsure if the question would sound like she was fishing for the information she knew she wouldn't get.
“Come home alive,” Gil answered. “Other than that, the best way you can help me is to not t
ry to help me. Keep the watch and your Order off my tail, let me do what I need to do, and try not to ask any questions. As for me, I'll try not to be any more of a headache to you than I have to be.”
The girl cracked a grin at that, and Kari chuckled lightly through her nose before taking a sip of tea. “How were things with your pack after I left?”
Gil shrugged. “I left them not long after you met with us, to head up here and start my work. I can tell you this much: Jared likes you, and he trusts you. Sharyn's much less trusting, but she usually follows his lead on things, and so do the others, for what little I know of them. Jared seems to be a good leader, and one who holds power out of respect, not fear. I think the pack will be very helpful to you if your Council will allow it.”
“If any of them are half as sneaky as you are, I don't doubt it,” Kari said, drawing a chuckle from the werewolf. “Do you need a place to stay for the night?”
Gil shook her head. “Nope. In fact, I need to go leave another false trail for the watch and their dogs to follow. Like I said, try not to worry about me; you've got enough to worry about as it is. Come home safely, and I'll see you at midsummer.”
Kari nodded and waved casually, and the girl trotted to the end of the porch and looked around the area suspiciously. Once she was satisfied the area was deserted, she shed her clothes and shifted back to that hulking, bestial hybrid form, grabbed up her things, and bounded away into the night. Kari stared after her and let out a long sigh, then finished the rest of her cool tea.
She had only days left before she would be going to Mehr'Durillia, and what made that even more nerve-wracking was the fact that a lot of the city apparently knew about it. If the Blood Order knew, and Gil was able to overhear them talking about it, there was little doubt that Sekassus' agent had found out and passed along word. The element of surprise was almost surely lost, and Kari would have to rely on the laws of the Overking to keep her safe and allow her to make her pitch to Sekassus. While Kari was fairly confident she could trust Gil, the things the werewolf had told her had done little to relieve the stress she was under.
Kari gathered up her empty teacup and headed inside, and she was only slightly surprised to find Danilynn sitting at the dark dining table. The fures-rir priestess was wearing a long night-shirt that extended to mid-thigh, and her glowing blue eyes followed Kari as she entered the kitchen. The demonhunter wasn't sure how long Danilynn had been there or how much of the conversation with Gil she might've overheard. Kari refilled her teacup and silently offered one to Danilynn, who nodded. Kari set the teacups on the table and sat, and the priestess finally spoke.
“Trouble sleeping?” she asked rhetorically.
Kari shook her head, but not out of disagreement. “There's just so much going on right now,” she said. “Even if we weren't planning to go to Mehr'Durillia, I think I'd still be a bit overwhelmed by everything. Things were so quiet for a while after the Apocalypse and our work on Tsalbrin, but now…there's a storm coming, Danilynn; I can feel it in my blood. Those couple of years I had to relax and raise my son…that was the quiet before the storm. I have this feeling like I'm never going to be able to sit still again, and going to Mehr'Durillia is going to be like kicking a hornets' nest.”
Danilynn took a sip of her tea and pursed her lips for a moment. “We've been through this before, though,” she said. “When the Apocalypse started, and our brigade crossed the Ceritan Mountains in our march toward Atrice…it was like we were on Seril's world instead of our own. You remember how high morale was when we left the staging grounds in the north, but once we started to see the effects of the occupation, and the enormity of what we faced sank in, most of the troops started to lose courage and even faith. But do you remember what the Warlord said?”
“One day at a time, one step at a time, one swing of the blade at a time,” Kari recited.
The priestess laid her hand on top of Kari's. “One step at a time,” she repeated. “We're not going to the underworld to find out everything, defeat the demon kings, or try to forge any kinds of alliances. We're going there to set one woman free, and we're going to do it by the rules, so our very enemies have to either help us or else make a lot of trouble for themselves to try to stop us. We have the advantage here, Kari: the law and time are on our side.”
Kari considered Danilynn's words; she had a point. Kari realized she was looking at things the wrong way for the most part. Koursturaux, whatever her personal goals may be, wanted Kari to succeed; Sekassus couldn't harm or try to waylay Kari and her companions without violating the law; and Koursturaux would be sure to take her enemy to task before the Overking if he violated that law. The prospect of time being on their side was a little tougher for Kari to puzzle out, but she assumed Danilynn simply meant that while the demon kings looked to the long-term to accomplish their goals, Kari and her friends sought to affect things in the short-term, and perhaps in such a way that the kings would not anticipate.
“Are you ready for this?” Kari asked after a silent minute.
“We are as ready as we could reasonably be,” Danilynn affirmed. “Say your prayers, find strength in your faith, and rest knowing that what we do, and whatever the outcome, our cause is a just one. And the gods favor the just, even on the Overking's world; remember Turik Jalar.”
Kari finished her tea and patted her friend's hand. “Thanks, Danilynn,” she said. “I think I just may be able to sleep now.”
The priestess rose in tandem with Kari, and the two shared a short hug. Kari headed for the staircase, and Danilynn went back to the guest bedroom. Before she returned to her own bed, Kari walked down the hall and stood at the end of her son's bed, where she watched his peaceful sleeping form. She glanced briefly at the reading chair, but it was in its correct place, so she looked from corner to corner, trying to will her senses to detect some trace of the elestram who'd been there a week before. She sensed nothing of his presence, but a part of him remained with her for some reason.
After a minute, she understood: he had been sent by some demon king to protect her, and Kari had to wonder if he would do so again when she ventured to his world. With the prospect of an added layer of protection on her mind, Kari returned to bed and was able to fall asleep at last.
Chapter VII – The City of Black Glass
The next few days went by in a blur. Nothing Kari spent her days doing seemed to slow down the passage of time. Playing with Little Gray outside in his grandmother's gardens seemed to speed things up, and even when Kari passed time in front of the fireplace reading one of Jason Bosimar's journals, or at her office doing paperwork, the sand passed through the glass with alarming speed. In the back of her mind, Kari grumbled that paperwork and tedium had never made the time go by so quickly on those days when she wanted nothing more than to get home to her child.
Tensions mounted as the days went by, and it soon became apparent that a good deal of the city's more important and influential people knew where Kari was going, if not why. No word had come from Eryn or her associates in the Blood Order with regard to the capture or death of Sekassus' agent, but Kari tried not to dwell on it too much. She reasoned that whether or not he received advanced word, it wouldn't take long before Sekassus was aware of Kari's presence on Mehr'Durillia, once she met with Morduri. She resigned herself to trusting in Eliza and Amastri's assurances that the law would be on her side if she did things correctly.
Erik, Typhonix, and Damansha had worked tirelessly over the last few days making sure that the house and Kari's son would be well-protected in her absence. On the same token, Kari had extra security put in place around the syrinthian spies the Order was holding in its prison, to make sure no word could get out to Sekassus' hidden agent in DarkWind or to anyone else that Kari's family was not as well protected as usual. Once Kari was safely on Mehr'Durillia, the city watch would be increasing security around Kyrie's house as well, with Damansha likely being put in charge of the details. At the very least, Kari was satisfied that those she left beh
ind would be safe during her foray into the lair of the enemy.
Aeligos, Sonja, Danilynn, and Eli seemed as ready as Kari could expect. Sonja seemed the least ready for what was to come, but Kari knew her sister-in-law's protective nature would rush quickly to the surface if and when the situation demanded it. Aeligos, not surprisingly, was clearly excited by the prospect of a trip behind enemy lines, as it were, and was looking forward to seeing how much information he could dredge up while in Anthraxis and beyond. Though Eli had long been avoiding any pending trip to the underworld, Aeligos' enthusiasm seemed to catch on with the half-corlyps, and as the time drew closer, he was possessed of a calm acceptance that he had a job to do and didn't want to fail Kari or Danilynn.
The priestess, by contrast, seemed possessed. There was a quiet fire burning within her, as if she was staring at an opportunity to accomplish her entire life's work. It became clear to Kari in those few days that rescuing Se'sasha was something Danilynn had thought long and hard about over the last twelve or more years, and that there was little the priestess wanted more than to fulfill her obligation. She made comments now and then about the excitement of exploring a strange new world, too, but her focus was entirely on the rescue. Kari only hoped that she would find even a fraction of the satisfaction Danilynn did when they rescued the syrinthian girl.
Little Gray, surprisingly, was taking everything better than anyone else. He wasn't happy that Kari would be going away again, but the prospect of her beating up monsters excited him like it had before her trip to Barcon. Kari promised him that she would be back as soon as she could, and that she would be staying home with him for a while once she returned. Her spirits were lightened a bit when he asked her to bring him back a toy from wherever she went.