The Huntresses' Game

by Joe Jackson

  Kari squinted and shook her head. “Damage? Why would you, of all people, be afraid of black magic?”

  “Even as a demon king, there are lines that must be drawn,” Koursturaux answered. “The use of such power scars the heart and the soul, and absorbing the power of your enemies does not simply grant you their power. A portion of their very soul becomes a part of you, their voices ever in the recesses of your mind, their wants and desires tugging at your heartstrings and your very sanity. Now do you understand his secretive nature, his hesitance to talk about his past?”

  “He’s going to be mad that you told me all this, isn’t he…Your Majesty?” Kari realized she hadn’t been appending the king’s title to her words as often as she should. Though King Koursturaux hadn’t said anything about it, Kari thought she should refrain from getting too congenial with the monarch.

  “Perhaps, but I think not. The weight of secrets is crippling. Sometimes it is better to share them and save ourselves the agony of keeping them, and since you are an ally and close to what he might consider a friend, I think you are the proper person to share such with. If he does get angry, he can always refuse to lie with me. But which of us do you think that would have the greater effect on?”

  Kari burst out laughing, startling Uldriana from her nursing, and she worked to settle her daughter down while she got her mirth under control. “How did you two end up becoming… kast’wasi?”

  The demon king looked into the fire, her hand to her chin thoughtfully as she reminisced. “When he came to the first Council session, he was put in the room adjacent to my own, as you found when you went to see him in Anthraxis some months ago,” she answered at length, her gaze returning to Kari. “I believe the Overking didn’t much care for Celigus, and hoped that putting him in the room next to mine would lead to his swift demise – which it almost did.”

  “The first time I met him, I was in the bath, washing off a few days’ travel by coach, as I am sure you can understand after your travels here,” she said, and Kari agreed with a bob of her head. “I was unaware that he was quartered on my floor, so when he walked in the bath chamber and our first face-to-face meeting involved both of us completely naked, I was not impressed. This was only exacerbated by the fact that when I detected his presence, it was his thoughts that gave him away…and they were exactly what you might expect, knowing him as you probably do. So there he was, fully aroused, staring at me intently. But then he surprised me.”

  Koursturaux sighed, almost wistfully. “When I turned on him, he covered himself and apologized for invading my privacy – a rare thing, even among the more subordinate kings. He simply asked that I knock on his door and let him know when I was finished, and then he tried to leave the room.”

  “Tried?” Kari echoed.

  “I told him to halt, and then demanded a service from him in payment for his indiscretion, unintentional or not. And then I told him to wash my back.”

  “So he sort of tickled your fancy right away?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It was a trap. All I wanted was for some part of his body other than his hands to touch me, and I was going to disembowel him – which I assure you I would be well within my rights to do to anyone who so disrespected me, even in Anthraxis. But again, he surprised me. He managed to be a perfect gentleman – though I would hesitate to use such to describe him in general – and did as he was asked, managing to control his thoughts very well considering the situation he was in.”

  The demon king shrugged. “After that, I invited him to take his baths with me, so long as he continued to behave himself, which he did. I subsequently invited him here for a visit, and as I was still reeling a bit from the death of my mate, we were intimate. He has his faults, to be sure, but Celigus is quite a man. We have remained kast’wasi ever since, though that has not amounted to much over the years, and he has obviously had many children by other women.”

  Kari nearly got lost considering the demon king’s having lost her mate, but managed to focus on what Koursturaux was saying. “Does that annoy you?” she prodded. She was honestly curious how the two viewed each other, and was amazed at how open the demon king was about Celigus.

  “I find it disappointing that he is so careless with his seed, but it is honestly not my business,” she said. “Our intimacy is only a small part of what I love about the man, so I try not to let it cloud my judgment of him.”

  Kari couldn’t help but wonder at the demon king saying she loved anyone, much more so when it came to Celigus. “Forgive me if I’ve been too forward, Your Majesty; he did warn me not to ask about your love life.”

  Koursturaux waved off the apology and checkmated Kari yet again. “Discussing our mates and lovers is well within the bounds of our relationship thus far. Ask me about any of the specifics, and then we will have crossed a line. We will not speak of these things further.”

  “Understood,” Kari agreed and bowed her head. “While you humiliate me at another game of chess, would you mind telling me what you know about my role as Salvation’s Dawn? I know you said we have a week to go over things, but you said you aim to use me, and I’d like to know exactly what for.”

  “Vengeance,” the demon king said without hesitation.

  “Vengeance? Against who?”

  “Everyone who has wronged me these many long years,” Koursturaux answered. “I suppose we may get to this portion of our business now, if you like. It will give you time to consider my offer and your alternatives. All I ask is that you not give me an answer just yet. I want you to think on this while you are here, and while you may give me a preliminary answer before you leave, I want you to discuss these things with your friends and allies. Consider all the ramifications of what I tell and ask of you, and then do as your heart commands. You have fine instincts, Lady Vanador, and I expect you will come to the proper decision in time.”

  “A great change is coming to the world – worlds, I suppose, would be more accurate – that you know. A changing of leadership is needed, and at hand, and the Temple of Archons, as your people call it, will give me the means to both enact my revenge and bring about said change in leadership. Now, I don’t expect you will simply aid me, but I will offer you something you may have difficulty believing, but ultimately have more difficulty refusing.”

  Kari took a deep breath and let it out in a long, calming sigh. “What’s your offer?”

  “I will guarantee a complete and total end to all threats to your world, Citaria, from this world of Mehr’Durillia,” Koursturaux said evenly. “In exchange, you will put your time and resources to gathering the keys and then granting me access to the Temple of Archons.”

  “You must be kidding,” Kari said, forgetting herself for a moment. Thankfully, the demon king either expected such a response or simply didn’t take offense to it. “You can’t ask me to give you the keys to becoming a god in exchange for a promise that you’ll keep the other kings from attacking Citaria.”

  “I fail to recall saying any such words,” the demon king countered. “Where did you learn that the Temple of Archons holds the key to divinity?”

  “It’s what everyone seems to suspect back home. Are you saying it doesn’t?”

  “I am saying only that the Temple holds the means to my vengeance, and nothing more. If I am given access to it, I will not promise to keep the other kings from attacking Citaria: I will guarantee that they stop attacking your world.”

  “But that could just mean you will be the one attacking,” Kari said.

  Koursturaux chuckled. “Oh, you are shrewder than I was led to believe. No, Lady Vanador, I said I would guarantee an end to all threats to Citaria from Mehr’Durillia, meaning either from myself or any of my peers, or any other power or army here upon this world.”

  Kari considered whether to throw down her hand. She figured she had to, or she would never get the full picture of what Koursturaux wanted. “But that could just mean you attack from Irrathmor. Your offer is actually too specific.”


  The demon king smiled. “No wonder Amastri likes speaking with you so much. You certainly play chess with words far better than with physical pieces. Yes, Lady Vanador, there is only so much I can guarantee. Irrathmor is not, and likely will not be, under my control at any point. But you are reading too deeply into what is being presented to you. I am not trying to trick or deceive you; my offer is what you hope it to be, not what your mind twists it to be based on suspicions and skepticism. I am leaving out only the details of what I suspect is in the Temple of Archons, because to lay out my plans before you in totality would be my downfall.”

  “Check,” Kari said, surprised at herself. It lasted only a moment, though, until King Koursturaux moved her king. Kari realized she had a good setup, though, and put her host’s king in check again. “Check. You realize I have to refuse on principle at this point?”

  “I told you I don’t expect a decision until you leave, and that I understood it would be as much of a reaction as a decision.” The demon king moved her king from danger once again, and Kari carefully worked to set her pieces up to go for the checkmate once again. She realized her error a few moments later when her gambit left her defenses open, and with one brilliant, patient move, Koursturaux put Kari’s own king in checkmate. “You are improving, but you still need to learn to plan several moves in advance.”

  Kari considered Koursturaux’ words. “Something you obviously have experience with.”

  “Twelve thousand years’ worth,” the demon king agreed with a smirk. “So recognize the truth of this conversation: I have already planned for you to agree, and for you to disagree. I am offering you the opportunity to get something you need while giving me something I want, but you should realize that I am going to get what I want either way.”

  Kari nodded. It was what she should have suspected all along. Kari was far from stupid, but she was dealing with beings that were older than her race, possibly her entire world, and their plans had been a long time in coming. Koursturaux didn’t pretend to be Kari’s friend or that she had pure, honorable intentions, and she had made Kari an offer that benefited Citaria in ways the demon king didn’t have to bother accounting or planning for. Kari was duty-bound to refuse on principle, just as she’d said, but it was an offer she had to discuss with her Order and its Council.

  “I’ll go over things with my masters when I get home,” she said at last. “At the very least, let me say thank you for even presenting such a generous offer, Your Majesty.”

  Koursturaux dipped her head in recognition of Kari’s respect. “Tomorrow, I would like to take you on a hunt,” she said. “We need not leave early, so don’t fret about preparing your daughter. You may leave her here in the care of a wet nurse. Yes, you will find that because your people have a magical nature somewhat similar to a mallasti, they may nurse your young with no trouble. We will leave on the morrow and return after dark on the third day.”

  “As you wish, Your Majesty,” Kari said. She was leery about leaving her daughter with strangers, much less ones that weren’t her species, but she decided to trust in Koursturaux’ assurances.

  “You are dismissed to do as you please. I will be retiring to the east sitting room in a short time, to play some piano and enjoy some elestram wood bourbon near the great fire. You are welcome to join us there at your leisure. Do not let my proposal or the coming decision you must make leave you uptight or discomfited. We have business to discuss and take care of, Kari, but I want you to feel relaxed while you are my guest.”

  “Thank you, I look forward to attending,” Kari answered, considering she would surprise the demon king there with the new sheet music.

  Koursturaux rose to her feet. “I am not sure what you have been told by my kast’wa, but in light of your mate’s impotence, you may wish to partake of some…carnal frivolity while you are my guest here. As you’ve no doubt heard and seen for yourself, I keep no males on staff within the palace, but you may feel free to go to the outer bailey for companionship, or find one of my girls who strikes your fancy.”

  Kari started to respond, but the demon king waved her hand to cut off any answer. “I only say this so that you do not feel embarrassed if you decide to seek companionship. You are under no obligation or expectation to take advantage of your mate’s absence. I think I know you well enough to understand what to expect. I am only saying do as you please, and don’t worry about what I may think. That is all. As I said, I want you to relax while you are my guest. I will see you either in the east sitting room, or else for breakfast tomorrow morning.”

  Kari watched the swinging hips and long, slender tail of the demon king as she made her way from the chamber. Kari lifted up her sleeping daughter and cradled her to her shoulder, and she made her way back to her bedroom. She got Uldriana settled into the crib, and reached into her pack to get out the sheet music, carefully pressed between thin metal sheets bound together. She considered the demon king’s final offer, and a lump formed in her throat. She thought of Grakin, sitting home worried about her, and how much she missed their intimate time together.

  There’s no replacing that, she thought. There was simply no replacing what Grakin meant to her, not even in the realm of “carnal frivolity” as the demon king put it. The more Kari was away from Grakin, the more she realized just how much he meant to her. It was clear that his death was going to be like losing a part of herself, as though something was cut from her that would never grow back or even heal. What Koursturaux offered was little more than temporary release, the kind Kari was certain she was not interested in, not with anyone. With a final glance at Uldriana’s sleeping form, Kari rose and left the chamber, headed toward the east sitting room.

  There was a fair-sized gathering there when Kari arrived, though within moments she saw that none of the king’s servants that she knew was there, and the conversations were in languages Kari didn’t speak. Many of the women here were those angelic-looking creatures, but there were several mallasti and a few erestram as well. Kari felt out of place almost instantly, but her arrival drew the attention of the demon king, who waved her over. Now Kari felt even more out place with all the eyes of the other women upon her, but she made her way over to the monarch, seated on the piano bench.

  “Your Majesty,” Kari greeted her in infernal with a bow of the head.

  “Speak your own tongue,” Koursturaux said. “My girls get little enough exposure to or opportunity to practice it.”

  “Of course,” Kari said, switching back to the Citarian common trade tongue. “I asked Amastri about a gift for you, and she made an interesting suggestion, so I brought this for you.”

  She handed the demon king the sheet music, and even black eyes couldn’t hide her shock. “Interesting, I’ve not seen this before,” Koursturaux said quietly. “Hmmm, shades of some of the human classics – Johann Sebastian Bach, Chopin, and perhaps even a touch of Mendelssohn. Whoever wrote this has a wonderfully technical talent in music, especially the piano.” She looked up at Kari, not bothering to hide the surprise upon her face. “This is a very kind gesture. I thank you.”

  Kari smiled. “I don’t suppose you could play it tonight?”

  “I fully intend to try,” she answered, setting the music on the piano. “Though, I will make no guarantees as to how well on my first attempt.”

  The other women in the room laughed, and Kari maintained her smile. It was odd to see a demon king thankful, modest, and humorous all in a short stretch. There was so much more to King Koursturaux than Kari had expected, and though she still represented a danger and a force to be reckoned with, Kari was happy to find there was a side of the demon king that she could relate to. She took a seat at Koursturaux’ gesture.

  “I can’t stay long; I’ll need to go check on Uldriana now and then,” she offered as a preemptive apology.

  “Stay as long as you like,” the demon king said. She waved one of the mallasti females forward. “This is Mildasa; she will be taking care of your daughter as a wet nurse while we are
out on our hunt. Mildasa, go and watch over Lady Vanador’s child while she is with me.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” the mallasti woman said with a bow, only the slightest trace of an accent in her voice as she spoke the Citarian trade tongue. She was carrying a pup with her in one of the traditional woven carriers that were so popular with the hyena-folk. She acknowledged Kari with a bow of her head, which Kari returned, and then the mallasti woman left the chamber.

  “As you can see, Mildasa has a pup barely older than your daughter,” the demon king said, turning back to Kari, “so she will be well-prepared to care for your child in your absences.”

  “I appreciate it,” Kari said, not bothering to articulate her true feelings on the matter. She trusted Frannie with her child; was it because Mildasa was a mallasti that Kari was less inclined to leave her daughter with her? As much as she would have liked to pretend otherwise, she knew that was the truth of it. It was partially because the woman was a different species, but there was more to it, and Kari admitted that to herself, if not the demon king or the mallasti woman.

  She sat and enjoyed a glass of bourbon, watching the dance of the flames in the hearth while Koursturaux prepared to play the piano. It was a smooth but powerful drink, better than the few times she’d tried similar stock back home on Citaria. It suddenly struck Kari what was odd about this situation: the demon king was going to play piano to entertain her guest and her servants. Kari had to wonder how many other kings would do such a thing. It was another facet to the enigma that was King Koursturaux, and Kari found herself intrigued.

  Kari recognized a few of the songs the demon king played, having heard them performed on a harp or other instruments on occasion. Many of them were completely new, and Kari marveled at the grace of the large woman’s hands dancing across the ivory keys. She knew that having long fingers was an advantage when playing piano, but Koursturaux was much larger than a typical human, and the demonhunter expected that made playing the slightly-too-small instrument a little trickier. If that was the case, however, Koursturaux showed no sign of it. Even when she tried playing the music Kari brought as a gift, she managed a passable performance, though she did stutter on the keys a few times.