by Joe Jackson
There was quiet chatter coming from the general holding cell when Kari and Se’sasha turned down the final hall that led to it. The syrinthians had been in prison now for roughly two months, and Kari imagined they must be tired of being crowded together in a room with virtually no privacy – at least, not from each other. It was one thing to be held in prison, and quite another to be in a room full of people when you had to do your business, and couldn’t bathe regularly. Kari knew her enemies well, and was using that against her prisoners as much as possible.
Kari regarded Se’sasha as they made the final approach to the prisoners. If the prisoners regarded Se’sasha as their high priestess, they might swear fealty to her in whatever way their people normally would outside of Sekassus’ rule. If they did that, and Kari could trust Se’sasha, then that meant she would not only have no prisoners to worry about, but she would, in fact, have a bunch of new allies at her disposal. Se’sasha could put them to good use and get them out from underfoot on the campus.
The conversation among the syrinthians came to an abrupt halt when they heard the approaching footsteps. As soon as they saw Kari, they shied away fearfully, but then Liria went ahead and approached the bars of the cage. The eyes of her companions went ever wider when they beheld Se’sasha beside Kari, and Liria gripped the bars of her cage. “Lady Vanador has returned with our priestess,” she said with wonder still in her voice.
The others rose to their feet in the presence of another syrinthian lady. Se’sasha gestured toward the door. Kari unlocked it and then followed Liria and Se’sasha inside, though she kept her hands as inconspicuously near the hilts of her scimitars as possible. If her hopes were poorly placed, Kari had to be ready to defend herself. The syrinthians may have been dressed in plain clothes and unarmed, but there were still almost a dozen of them, and such a group of people could subdue Kari, weapons or no.
Se’sasha greeted her people with a welcoming gesture, and Kari heard the name Se’sasha Aesiasi Solaristis among her words, along with that name Ashakku. There were muffled gasps when she spoke Ashakku’s name, but the syrinthian prisoners hesitated, as if it might be some trick or deception. Slowly, though, one after another, beginning with Liria, the syrinthian people knelt before the priestess. Once kneeling, they bowed their heads to her, but their eyes came back up quickly, still staring and searching for some further proof that what they were witnessing was real. Kari turned to the syrinthian priestess to see what she would do or say next.
Se’sasha opened her robes and let them hang loosely from her arms so that the tattoos that had appeared when she’d stood under the sun showed. Only the belly tattoo was invisible, hidden by the slip she wore, but the ones on her hands, upper arms, and shoulders were clearly visible. The silent awe of the syrinthian prisoners turned to excited chatter, and they spoke in their quick, sibilant tongue to each other. Kari may not have understood their language, but there was no misunderstanding their tone and their excitement.
Se’sasha spoke with her people at length, and it was Kari’s turn to listen to a translation from Liria afterward. “I must be plain with you,” Se’sasha had said, according to Liria. “You have failed the Cobra Lord, and so one of two results holds true: either your families have been murdered in retribution, or they yet live but you can never return to our ancestral home. So you have this choice before you: return home to the Cobra Lord’s realm and accept the consequences of your failure, or renounce your allegiance to him. Swear fealty to me and to Ashakku, and we will build a new life for ourselves here, and work to free our people from the grip of the Cobra Lord, with the help of this hunter and her people. But this decision must be made, and it must be made now: there is no time left for dallying.”
The others had all offered what had to be their promise of fealty, and when Liria finished telling Kari what was happening, she followed suit. “I have pledged myself to Se’sasha Aesiasi Solaristis, Daughter of Ashakku, and to whatever course she guides us to,” Liria translated for Kari. “As have my brothers and sisters.”
Kari was a bit skeptical: it wasn’t like the syrinthians really had much of a choice. It was easy for them to choose to “follow” Se’sasha and claim to follow Ashakku, but it would be quite another thing for them to prove it was true. Kari was content to keep them under arrest on the campus grounds until she felt she could trust them. She was pretty sure she could trust Se’sasha, but these syrinthians had infiltrated the Order itself under Sekassus’ will: there was no telling if they would betray Se’sasha to get back into Sekassus’ good graces. Even Se’sasha had to understand that it would take time for the syrinthians to be able to earn any sort of trust.
Se’sasha spoke again, and all the eyes of the syrinthians went wide when she finished. Liria stared at Kari, and the gazes of the rest of the syrinthians fell upon her as well. Liria then translated for Kari, “This I tell you also: what you have done against Lady Vanador and her Order, you did at King Sekassus’ command and in ignorance; it will not be held against you. In the future, however, you will defer to her just as though she was my sister, for it is so.” Kari’s brow rose in confusion, but then Liria added, “I pledge obedience to you, Daughter of Ashakku, and sister of our high priestess.”
Kari nodded in to their words; Ashakku had to be the same deity as Sakkrass. It didn’t mean she believed the syrinthians yet, though. To her, it was still a little strange to find that the syrinthians were children of Sakkrass. It wasn’t hard to believe, given that they’d been enslaved to Sekassus for however many generations, but with what Kari had heard regarding the relations between czarikk and syrinthians, it was weird to think of them as siblings or cousins. It left Kari to wonder why the czarikk were native to Citaria but not Mehr’Durillia, while the opposite held true for the syrinthians. She supposed it would be something to pester Sakkrass about when she spoke to him again, or something Se’sasha could explain after communing with her mother.
“I am not truly a high priestess yet,” Se’sasha admitted, with Liria translating when she finished. “I have been in King Sekassus’ dungeon for the last dozen years, so I have been cut off from our father and from the priesthood. However, Lady Vanador and her companions have agreed to take me to my mother’s grave so that I can commune with my mother’s spirit. Once I have done that, I will return to you, and we will see about building a temple to Ashakku.”
“Is there any way we can help, your eminence?” one of the males asked in their language.
Se’sasha shook her head but deferred to Kari to answer once Liria had translated. “The best way you can be of help is to just be as easily managed as possible while you’re here,” Kari said, and the syrinthians nodded, though they didn’t appear happy with her suggestion. “As I’m sure you know, our people don’t trust yours and never have, so it’s going to take time before you can walk the streets of this city without getting killed. The more easily managed you are while you’re here on campus, the easier it’ll be to convince the Duke that he can trust you to some extent. I know you probably want to go out and do some things to try to prove your new loyalty, but that’s not going to happen. As it stands, you’re here because you infiltrated my Order to cause harm; so accept that it’s going to be slow-going for a while.”
That seemed to bring things back to reality for the syrinthians, and they agreed with Kari’s orders. One of the other females spoke up, “May I be so bold as to ask a favor of you, Lady Vanador?” Kari nodded and gestured for her to speak freely. “May we take a bath?”
Kari suppressed both a smile and a chuckle; she certainly did know her enemies well. She called for the guards, who rushed to the cell in moments, probably assuming there was a problem. Kari ordered them to take their syrinthian “guests” to the bathhouse and let them shower, and then to bring them to the Council chamber for a meeting. There were profuse thanks from the syrinthians, and all of them but Liria followed the guards out of the cell and toward the campus proper. Liria stood straight before Kari and hesitated a moment,
but then she saluted Kari in the demonhunter way.
“Thank you, ma’am, for not putting us to death,” Liria said. “If it takes me the rest of my life, I will earn that from you. I swear this in front of my high priestess and our deity.” She then repeated her words to Se’sasha in their language, and the priestess nodded curtly.
Kari nodded and returned the salute. “Go get washed up,” she said. “We’ll see you in the Council chamber soon.” Liria looked to Se’sasha, who dismissed her with a nod, and then she followed her comrades out of the prison complex.
Kari gestured toward Se’sasha’s necklace, and the priestess took it off and held it out to her. Kari took it and gestured toward the cobra-like countenance. “Ashakku?” she asked, and Se’sasha nodded and repeated the name, followed by something that sounded eloquent in the sibilant language of the snake-folk. Kari then gestured toward the cobra-like countenance again and said, “Sakkrass,” followed by the word “father.”
There was no hesitation: Se’sasha nodded and smiled openly. She touched Kari over her heart and said something, and Kari returned the gesture and said, “Sister.”
Kari smiled and wrapped an arm around Se’sasha’s shoulders as they walked, and the priestess did the same. The daughters of Sakkrass emerged from the prison complex together, and all of the syrinthians saw them as they came out. For just an instant, the sun seemed to shine a little brighter on the campus of the Demonhunter Order.
*****
When the meetings were complete and the syrinthians had made it clear to the Council that their allegiance now lay with Se’sasha, Kari returned home. They hadn’t told the Council anything; Se’sasha asked that they be patient and let her explain when she could, so that all blame would fall upon her alone. People were anxious to hear the syrinthians’ story, but the Council had agreed with Se’sasha’s request.
The sun was hanging low in the west, shrouding the sky in pink and purple, and the city in long shadows. Kari was getting hungry again, and hoped that there was some food left over from the family’s proper supper. When she approached the house, she found Sonja and Grakin sitting on one of the wide swings on the porch, and her sister-in-law was lying so that her head was on Grakin’s lap while he stroked her hair.
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’s 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.
Aeli
gos 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 close to her mate on the first night he knew he was going to be a father again.