by Joe Jackson
Kari mounted the stairs, and found herself hardly fatigued at all when she reached the top, even with the heavier plate armor. Zalkar’s power was still flowing through her, the blades she held continued to glow golden, and she had the angelic light beside her. She climbed up the metal rungs and threw wide the trap door, but took one cold, stinging hit as she emerged on the top of the castle tower. The demon’s advantage of darkness soon dissipated, the globe of warm light emerging to reflect the swirling vortex above.
Kari looked at her luminescent sidekick and then up at the vortex. There seemed to be some sort of connection there. Was it possible the vortex was not swallowing light, but claiming what didn’t belong in this shadowy hell? Whatever the case, another biting pang of cold along Kari’s side told her to get back to the task at hand, as did the distant sounds of moans and shrieks, and a sense of movement in that outer darkness. Kari’s sidekick had indeed woken something in the deeper shadows, and if Kari’s instincts were right, it was moving toward the castle now.
The demon used the shadows as it could, but with the vortex above and the reflecting presence of the angel, Kari was able to stand her ground. When she finally struck the demon, a piece of it burned off in a hissing whisper of smoke, and it howled in rage at the touch of the apparently holy scimitar. Now that Kari had actually harmed it, it tried to flee, but found itself met at every turn by the ball of light. While Kari’s benefactor didn’t directly engage the demon, they forced it to come back to her and fight.
Every cut of Kari’s swords caused the demon spirit unimaginable pain, and little by little, she whittled it away. It struck her and left cold behind where it did, but she was burning from within with the righteous fury of her deity, and the presence of the warm light was only aiding in that. Her inner fire could not be dulled, not by doubt, and certainly not by the chilling touch of her hellish foe. With a final deceptive movement, Kari impaled the demon on one sword, which was quickly joined by the other. Still it wouldn’t die, but on a hunch, Kari looked up, and then she heaved the demon skyward in the direction of that fascinating vortex of light.
The demon screamed in protest, but a tendril of light came forth and caught it, dragging it up into the vortex. It uttered threats and curses in that alien shrieking and moaning, but it was no longer a danger, and Kari knew that in her soul. It was dragged into the light, where its darkness was consumed by the thing it feared most. She recalled what Sakkrass had said when he used her to threaten the demon that had possessed Kaelin Black; was that vortex connected to her adoptive father, then? Kari considered the vortex for only a minute before she felt a stir in the very air, and she walked to the parapets of the tower.
Far below, shapes and shadows began moving in tandem, converging on the castle atop which she stood. She had killed a demon, but what gathered below looked like an army of them, or perhaps something far worse, if any such thing existed. Kari’s guiding light paced back and forth, and then made its way down through the hatchway and into the tower. Kari followed after it quickly, and the light led her back to the front doors of the shadowy castle. Throwing them wide, the demonhunter paused for a moment before she stepped back through to Citaria.
“Whoever you are, I owe you a beer, at the least,” Kari said. “Thank you, my friend.”
The ball of light winked at her, then disappeared, and Kari jumped through the portal back to home. She arrived in the upper room of the keep again, alone in the quiet solitude of Annabelle’s old haunt. She wanted to go get her things from her friend’s corpse, but first she resolved to go tell everyone that the threat had passed. Or had it? It was always possible that Zaliskower had returned and there was another battle raging outside. With that thought, she made haste out the front door of the keep.
She was immediately greeted by men with swords drawn, but they quickly recognized her and began welcoming her back with cacophonous praise.
“Sir, Lady Vanador is back!” one of the Red Masks shouted.
Colonel Prescott and Major Ingram approached, but they were swept aside by Aeligos as he rushed to embrace Kari. “Gods, girl, where did you go?” he asked breathlessly.
“Back to that shadow fortress on the other plane,” she said, and her explanation left the Red Masks in the area speechless. “Annabelle wasn’t just a vampire, she had a demon in her as well. That’s why you lot had such a difficult time outmaneuvering her and killing her. But her body is down below, and I followed the demon back to its lair and killed it. I think Zaliskower may have one in him as well, but there’s no way to be sure until we can kill him.”
The colonel saluted Kari respectfully. “Well, ma’am, Alamarise is waiting for you. He said he chased Zaliskower as far north as he could. There will still be work to be done in the future, but you’ve won the day.”
“We’ve won the day,” Kari corrected. “But if you’ll excuse me, there’s something I need to take care of.”
Colonel Prescott, Eugene, and Aeligos followed her downstairs, probably to keep an eye on her in case something else decided to try its luck. Kari wanted to get her armor back from Annabelle, but there were two things she wanted even more than that. The back wall was no longer a portal to the shadow plane – at least as far as Kari could tell – but she was still leery of it. She had attracted a great deal of attention while fighting in that otherworldly hell, and she wasn’t sure if something would try to force its way here to avenge its friend. With a shrug to herself, Kari took up her dog tags from the decapitated corpse and put them back over her neck, and found her wedding band loosely wrapped about the vampire’s finger. “Now I feel complete again,” she said quietly.
No one offered any words, so Kari got to work removing her armor and padded clothes from her friend’s body. Once she was dressed and armored again, she wrapped Annabelle in her cloak. “Colonel, can I trouble your men to take her body back to town with us? I want to bring her back home to DarkWind and give her a full military funeral from the Order.”
He seemed a bit confused. “You want to give a military funeral to a vampire?”
“She was my sister, my partner, and my friend,” Kari clarified. “Whatever the demon did with her body after it killed her, she’s still one of us. She died in the line of duty, and I’ll see to it everyone remembers that, and that she’s honored, as is right.”
“My apologies, ma’am, I didn’t realize she was one of yours. So you… knew her in your past life?”
Kari nodded, but didn’t feel like explaining. As charged as she’d felt carrying Zalkar’s power into battle and fighting beside her little angel, she felt emotionally drained now. Satisfied, but still drained.
They left the keep, and there was another great cheer as Kari emerged from the front door. She saluted the applauding Red Mask soldiers in the demonhunter way, and took in all the faces around her. These men had owed her nothing, and many of them had paid with their blood – and many of their companions with their lives – for this victory. And that was part of what made this hunt so much different. This victory wasn’t hers, nor was the glory: she had given all of it to Zalkar. And now, she realized, she should also give a portion of the glory and praise back to these men.
“Thank you, all of you,” she said, normally not one for giving speeches. “What we’ve accomplished here today is something your grandchildren’s children will talk about. The Red Mask was around when I walked this world the first time, and let me say, you’ve all brought great honor and achievement to a company that already had both in spades. On behalf of myself and my entire Order – Zalkar included – thank you. You’re all heroes.”
Kari turned to Aeligos finally, and gripped him in a tight hug. “And thank you,” she whispered in his ear.
“I’m glad I was worthy of fighting beside you,” he returned.
Kari leaned back and patted his face playfully. “More than that,” she said, then she turned back to the gathered men. “Come, let us take our fallen comrades back to town and honor them and their sacrifice.”
Kari approached the great silver dragon, who had moved inside and curled up to fit in the courtyard but still allow the men to get to and fro. “And you,” she said, staring into those purple eyes as he leveled his head with hers. “I hope I’ve earned the honor of being called your friend, because I call you mine.”
“I have lived many generations, and may outlive you by several more, but know this, Lady Vanador: I will always cherish the memory of carrying the Avatar of Vengeance into battle on my back. I have done a great many things in my lifetime, but this will ever hold a special place in my ancient heart.”
“As it will in mine,” she agreed.
Alamarise ducked his head in a bowing gesture, and Kari lightly brushed the side of his face with her fingers as she touched her forehead to his. She had thanked all those who had aided her directly; now she only hoped that she might encounter Peri again on the return trip, that she could properly thank the elven people for their contribution.
*****
They returned to Chandler’s Grove, where the town’s healer, a priest of Tigron, took care of prayers for the dead. The men were prepared for their funerals, but only a few were interred in the town’s graveyard. Others, marked by military-style dog tags, were set to be sent back to their home towns with honors. Many of the Red Mask volunteered to accompany their dead companions back home, to explain their bravery and sacrifice to their surviving loved ones.
Kari wished there was some monetary gift she could give the surviving families the way the Order did for those who died in the line of duty. “Our people’s families normally receive a death benefit when they’re killed in the line of duty; I don’t suppose your guild is able to do the same for those who fall?”
“We’ll make sure nobody’s left without a provider,” Eugene assured her. He didn’t go into specifics on how they planned to do that, but the Red Mask was well-organized, and she considered Major Ingram and Colonel Prescott to be men of their word. She supposed it was as much as she could hope for, and trusted that any widows and orphans could find further care through the temple of Kaelariel.
With funeral arrangements and the like taken care of, Kari and Aeligos began the long trek back to Flora. Kari had hoped for a speedy ride from Alamarise, but the silver dragon opted to remain in Chandler’s Grove to watch for any sign of Zaliskower’s return. It was a safe bet the dragon would seek vengeance for all that had happened if he returned. With Annabelle’s body to transport, it was probably better that they took the slower overland route, as anxious as Kari was to get back to her husband and children.
The number returning directly to Solaris was a dozen and a half, so there was plenty of protection during their travels. Kari and Aeligos shared a wagon with Eugene, with Annabelle’s body in the rear with the supplies. Already desiccated and practically mummified, there was little rot or stench of decay to worry about, but Annabelle had been properly wrapped in a burial shroud in Chandler’s Grove regardless.
“You said Annabelle was your sister?” Eugene asked as they traveled.
“My sister of the blade,” Kari explained. “She was a young demonhunter when we met, and she was assigned as my partner so I could make sure she was ready to advance to the higher ranks of the Order. She became like a sister to me, but after a while, assigned partnerships are usually broken up. We went our separate ways, and the next time I heard from her, she asked me for my help at Fort Sabbath. By the time I got there, she was already a vampire; Zaliskower had already turned her.”
“That…must have gotten lost to history,” the human said, turning to look over the shroud lying in the bed behind them. “Our company has been fighting her for so long, we just thought she was some ancient, nasty vampire. We had no idea she was a former demonhunter.”
“I wonder where her dog tags ended up,” Kari said. “Might be that Zaliskower has them as a trophy.”
“Well, you’ll get them back someday, I’ve no doubt.”
“Kari, when you fought the demon…,” Aeligos began from his seat in the rear. Kari looked at him over her shoulder. “Was it there again? The angel?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile. “I offered it a beer, but it still declined to tell me its name.”
That drew a laugh from the rogue, but Eugene beheld her curiously. “An angel helped?”
“Some sort of angelic being aided us a few times during this mission,” she confirmed. “But I’ve been the only one that could see it every time it showed up. I’m not sure who it is, but I have some suspicions. Might be it wasn’t an angel, but an avatar of a deity, or at least a piece of one trying to aid me. I guess in the end, it’s not really important. If they want their free drink, they’ll have to let me know who they are to get it.”
The men both laughed, and the wagon rolled on into the afternoon. They reached Solaris after a week and a half. Kari and Aeligos stayed only long enough to help get the Red Mask settled in their guildhall after handling funeral arrangements. Peri had left the city during their absence, which Kari found disappointing. The elf had been quite helpful, and Kari had looked forward to sharing the good news with her. She trusted that the news would reach the elven court before long anyway.
Joining a short caravan taking goods to the coastal city for shipping, Kari and Aeligos were soon on their way back to Flora. They spent most of the trip telling their benefactors all about the battle and all those who had helped in some way. It seemed news was spreading even quicker than usual, and since Kari typically hated talking too much about herself or her deeds, Aeligos was happy to do the majority of the storytelling.
What was more concerning were the tales they heard in return. The gnoll attacks to the north were getting more frequent and far deadlier, and there was no news of any luranar working to set things right. More rumors continued to come out of Aurun Ch’Gurra, suggesting there was a conspiracy among several noble families to wipe out each other’s children. From what Kari and Aeligos heard around the campfires at night, necromancers were causing issues in some of the smaller towns as well, and that left Kari to wonder about their encounter at the cemetery outside the city of Jade.
Terrassia was a mess these days, it seemed. Kari made a mental note to increase the number of hunters being sent to patrol the continent. She had that nagging feeling that all of it was connected somehow, and she had half a mind to turn around and return to Solaris to begin looking into it. Thankfully, Aeligos told her flatly that she had other concerns, and that the many kingdoms of the continent were well-equipped to look into such things themselves. She knew that was the truth, but oftentimes, being so duty-bound meant it took someone else to say so for Kari to accept it as such.
The caravan took nearly a week to reach Flora, but it didn’t matter. Kari was so giddy when she got to the edge of the city that her sore rump, accrued boredom, and growing distaste for road rations fell from her mind. She spent the time only to make arrangements to bring Annabelle’s coffin to the docks for storage, and then she was off, racing into the city. Aeligos laughed as he worked to keep up with her, jogging through the streets toward the Ranger’s Respite and her family. She saw many people point at the two of them, and had to suppress a laugh; news really was travelling fast on this matter.
They reached the square that housed the Ranger’s Respite, Kari’s heart thundering with the strain of her run and the anticipation of joy. She skidded to a stop when she saw the long blonde hair. It took her a moment to even process what she was seeing, and she wasn’t sure whether to be confused or even giddier. “Mom! What are you doing here?”
Kyrie didn’t answer. She simply rushed forward and grabbed Kari in a tight, tearful embrace.
“Oh, no,” Aeligos said from behind Kari, and his voice broke. “Oh, shit, no...”
Chapter XVII – Unacceptable Loss
Kari sat on a bench, a lifetime between each breath
and beat of her heart. Grakin lay on a stone table, unmoving, his peaceful form perfectly preserved by the priests’ magic. There was an annoying irony there: that the priests could preserve his corpse, but not his life. After all he had given to the god of freedom and death, an unfairly shortened lifetime of service, now he lay in that god’s temple, a victim of Kaelariel’s own domain.
The tears wouldn’t even come anymore. Kari felt empty. All sense of accomplishment had been stripped away, the mixed emotions of finally putting her sister to rest and bringing some small measure of safety to Terrassia. She couldn’t help but think if she had waited just a while longer to undertake her hunt, she may have gotten to spend Grakin’s last days with him. It wouldn’t have softened the blow of his passing, but he would not have been left alone, far from home, when his time came.
But he wasn’t alone, a voice whispered in Kari’s mind. As if on cue, she heard the patter of little feet across the cool granite floor of the temple, and Little Gray came and wrapped Kari’s lower leg in a hug. She picked him up to stand in her lap, and he hugged her tightly. He was too young to understand what had happened, but old enough to know something was wrong. How long had he been living at the inn with only Seanada to care for him before Kyrie arrived?
“Daddy goed home?” he asked, his voice unsure and a little afraid.
“He went back to the gods,” Kari said, bringing up the tearful green eyes of her mother-in-law across the way. Kari felt empty of anything but longing and pain, but she remembered what it was like to die of Dracon’s Bane. Grakin was free now: free from the pain, from the emotional torment of having friends and loved ones watch him die. It was confusing, but there was no denying that a part of Kari was happy that Grakin was finally at peace. But there was so much of her life in tatters now that any such feelings lay buried under a solid bed of anxiety, loss, and longing.