by Joe Jackson
“This is alarming news, indeed,” Potter said. “How would you recommend we go about offering an apology?”
Kari and Erik exchanged a glance, and Kari shrugged. “Your best option will be to send a ranger to the woodlands to get in contact with one of them,” she answered. “They’re not easy to find, but if there are a number of them in the forests, then the ranger networks must know of them at least, if they don’t know them personally. Have a ranger take them an official, written apology; I’ll write them something, too, so they understand. The word of a demonhunter should convince them your regret is real.”
The governor sat back and nodded. “The council and I thank you for your insight on this matter,” he said. “Thank you for your wisdom, and for your mercy; you are as fine an example of your Order as we have ever encountered. Is there anything else the council can do for you?”
Kari shook her head. “No, only the decision that my friends are waiting for,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go out and get some fresh air.”
“By all means,” Potter said, and he gestured for Kari to take her leave.
Kari bade Grakin remain with his siblings and left the city hall alone. Out under a bright blue sunny sky, she took a long, deep breath to calm herself. The smells of the local bakeries and the fires of the smithies carried to her, punctuating the warmth of the early summer day, and the sound of drums and festivities echoed from one of the nearby plazas. Her tensions relaxed slightly. Tsalbrin was a lovely island, but her senses were still upside-down, her expectations thrown off completely by having gone from autumn to tropical weather and then into summer. She thought briefly of her slain friend, and the desire to drown her sorrows in a strong drink clawed at her mind. Kari set her feet toward the nearest tavern.
She found a cozy inn not far from the city hall, and the barkeep offered her the drink she asked for without reservation or question, which was a welcome change. Normally, requesting the highly potent beverage drew surprise or even some form of judgment, and Kari could never figure out exactly why. She never understood whether it was because of her size, or the fact that she was a woman, or if it had something to do with the fact that she drank them at breakfast sometimes. The last thought gave her a laugh, so she asked the barkeep for something to eat.
Kari offered a silent toast to her departed friend and indulged herself in the intoxicating drink. She savored the bittersweet taste and thought of all that Samuel Tirar told her. It made her think of her conversation with Sonja aboard Karmi’s Sword, when she had asked what it truly was they won in the Apocalypse. With the Devil Queen dead, the mortals still fought the serilis-rir, still fought with each other, and nothing was explained. Kari decided that hunting demons was no longer good enough: she now wanted the why to go along with the what.
The barkeep brought her biscuits and honey, and she ate quickly to avoid ending up tipsy. She thought of Makauric trying to live among mortals, and came to the conclusion that the only people he would likely have been comfortable among were the czarikk. They seemed tolerant of him once they were assured he meant them no harm, and from what she could tell from his normally emotionless demeanor, he found the people and their village intriguing. It was no secret that he’d enjoyed their food and their fire dances. Then again, she thought, maybe he just enjoyed my fire dances.
She chuckled and sighed wistfully, considering once more that Makauric had liked her enough to consider her in a romantic sense – or at least as romantic as a brys could possibly be. She turned in surprise when someone touched her back, and Erik stepped beside her. “Mind if I join you?” he asked quietly.
“Not at all,” Kari said. In honesty, he was the last person she wanted to be around at that moment, but in the interest of fulfilling Master Surallis’ wishes, she kept her feelings to herself for the time being. If Erik had left his siblings to come follow Kari, there must be something he wanted to say or ask her, so Kari tolerated his presence.
Erik asked the barkeep for whatever Kari was having, and she wondered if her partner had ever tried one of the potent drinks. Once the barkeep presented Erik with his drink, the two clinked their glasses. “To Makauric,” Erik said quietly, and Kari repeated his toast after only the slightest of pauses. They each took a good sip of their drinks, and by his sudden change of expression, Kari guessed Erik hadn’t ever tried one before. He coughed a couple of times and laughed at himself afterwards, but then he looked away from her and out the front door. “I can’t even imagine what you must think of me right now.”
“Don’t worry, Erik, the way you treat me won’t change my report,” Kari said.
His blue eyes swung back to her and he shook his head. “That’s not what bothers me,” he said. “I don’t know if I can explain it. Aeligos, Sonja and I had a long talk last night after you and Grakin went to bed, and a lot of what they had to say really came as a shock. Foremost being that what I thought of Makauric shouldn’t have taken priority over how you felt, or how I should have treated you.”
Kari held his gaze, trying to hold back tears, and Erik’s mouth tightened. “I’m sure you’re getting tired of hearing this, but I’m sorry, Kari,” he said, his hands coming up before him helplessly. “Sonja said…she said I’ve always been like this to my siblings, and that it’s only becoming apparent how wrong it is because you’re not my sister and neither are the Morevilles. I’m sure you can imagine this was a lot to hear from my brother and sister in a single night.”
“Keep going,” Kari said, leaning on the bar. She tried not to seem too judgmental, but she wanted to grind Erik under her heel a bit: to make him sweat and remember the moment as something he never wanted to repeat. She wanted it to be a catalyst for change, no matter how small, because in her heart she knew he was a good man who’d apparently – as Aeligos said – simply taken too much after his father when it came to dealing with people.
“I’m a half-guardian,” he said. “It’s in my nature to protect my friends and my siblings, even from themselves if I think they’re wrong. And, well, I tend to always think people are wrong when they don’t agree with me. I’m not sure if that’s because of my heritage or because I’m just hard-headed. I thought you understood after we talked in the rainforest, but you missed as much as you caught onto. It’s hard for me to trust people, Kari: every time we meet someone new, it’s an opportunity for one or more of us to get hurt. That’s why I have such a hard time letting people get close to any of us – like you to Grakin.”
“That’s the real reason you didn’t want to bring Sherman and Katarina?” Kari asked.
Erik nodded. “It’s part of the reason I kept Makauric at arm’s length, too,” he said, shaking his head. “It honestly didn’t even occur to me until you said what you did about him hunting for us, guarding us, and helping you tend to me. To think I not only owed my life to something I might’ve killed without a second thought on another day, but that he was a friend to us…I was…afraid that if I let myself like him, I wouldn’t be able to do my job anymore. That I’d always have doubt and it would be my undoing at some point.”
Erik went silent, and Kari could see that something was definitely changing in him, even if just a little. His contrition was genuine, and a part of her felt bad for him, even though he’d brought the situation on himself. “I admire you,” Erik said suddenly, surprising her before she could speak. “I can’t think of a better example of our lord’s chosen than you, and it didn’t take the governor long to see it, either. You’re a great fighter, but your violence is tempered by the mercy the Unyielding demands, and a compassion I could hardly believe was real. Makauric’s death was as much my failure as yours: anyone under your protection was also under mine, and I failed both of you. And now I don’t just feel like I’ve failed, but like I’ve committed a crime. I still can’t say I feel bad for him, Kari: I never let myself get close to him, so I don’t really have any feelings for him. But I let him die, and that hurt you…and I hurt you, and that’s going to haunt me f
or a long time. Can you ever forgive me, and do you think he ever could?”
“I already have,” Kari replied without hesitation, but then she shook her head. “I don’t hold grudges, Erik: life’s too short for them. At the same time, life’s too short to go around worrying about what the dead think. Where they are…where Makauric is…they no longer care. So it’s left to you to learn your lesson but keep moving forward.”
Erik stared into her eyes for a couple of minutes. “You’re a good woman, Kari,” he said. “I’m proud to call you my partner, and my sister.”
Kari squared her jaw. “Make me proud to call you my brother,” she said, and he nodded. “I lived my life pushing people away because I knew I was going to die, Erik, and it was a lonely life that didn’t need to be that way. People are going to hurt you, and hurt your siblings, but that’s part of what makes you stronger, and what makes you believe in what we fight for. If you don’t let people in, your siblings will always be the only friends you have.”
Erik shrugged but didn’t disagree with her. “For a while I thought that was enough,” he said. “I don’t know how it was for you during the War, but we faced death on a daily basis, and we just grew closer and closer as the years and the trials passed us by. We’ve always relied on each other more than anyone else, given what our life was like growing up, and after the War it seemed there was nothing we couldn’t accomplish together. It seemed like we never needed anyone else, but I guess I should’ve seen the folly in that when Grakin fell in love with you. Honestly, this is why our superiors should have just put you in charge in the first place.”
Kari shook her head. “You don’t learn as much following as you do leading. Even if you’re making mistakes, you’re learning, and if someone else is telling you what to do and how to do it, you’re not necessarily learning the best way to do something. If you want to be Avatar of Vengeance, you have to have the conviction to make decisions and stand by them, and the wisdom to change course when you’re wrong. You’ve definitely got the conviction…now you just need the wisdom to go with it. I think you’ve learned a lot; just make sure you remember all of it. Especially what you learned from those czarikk girls,” she said, and she watched him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip.
Erik laughed and Kari did soon after, and the two clinked their glasses again. “I’ll drink to that,” he said.
Minutes later the others joined them, and it was apparent by Aeligos’ triumphant smile that the council agreed to send the provincial armies to meet with the shakna-rir. The Silver Blades pushed together a few tables, and once they all had drinks they sat down to discuss what happened after Kari and Erik left. Sonja looked at Kari expectantly, and Kari smiled in a way that clearly said all was right again.
“We’re on the road again first thing in the morning,” Aeligos said. “The council and the governor have agreed to send the provincial army to join with the shakna-rir. Five hundred are already making ready to march south in the morning, and fifteen hundred more will follow them in three days. Messengers have been dispatched to the major neighboring towns and cities with standing garrisons, and each of their garrisons will also join with Maktus’ forces. All told, the contribution from the provincial army should number between five and six thousand, though they won’t all reach the war camp at the same time. They could send more, but not in the time frame we’re looking at.”
Erik stared at Aeligos and his astonishment was apparent to all. “Something tells me I should let you do all the talking in the future,” he said.
Sonja laughed and patted Aeligos’ hand. “He did excellent work, for certain,” she added.
“In the morning we have to make our way toward Maktus’ camp to explain our general plan to him,” the rogue continued, turning to Kari and Erik. “I know you two could probably use some rest but we don’t have that luxury right now. As it stands, it should take us about a week to reach the shakna-rir war camp. While we’ll easily keep ahead of the garrisons heading south to join them, we’re going to need more time to get into position for our strike.”
“How much more time?” Erik asked.
Aeligos thought about it. “Depending on how fast the army moves after it’s gathered, at least three to four days,” he said.
“But it’ll likely take more than a week for the garrisons to reach the war camp?” Erik pressed, to which Aeligos nodded. Erik gave the matter some thought, and he looked at Kari and Grakin before he shook his head. “We’ll remain in town two more nights; we can make up the time on the road.”
The others looked surprised. “Are you sure?” Sonja asked.
Erik patted Kari’s forearm. “I’m sure,” he said. “Relax and enjoy yourselves for a couple of days. Gaswell will still be there when we’re ready.”
*~*~*~*
Kari and her companions stayed in the city for two more days, during which Kari assisted the council in writing a letter to the brys of the north and west forests. Initially the council was tentative in its efforts, but with Kari’s help, they crafted a letter that all felt would convey their sincerest regret. Kari ended up writing more than the council did, and she wrote passionately about her friend. She told Makauric’s brothers of his bravery and sacrifice, about his selflessness that was a credit to all of their kind, and that without his help, a war with the underworld may have come to pass. She told them that it was an honor to know him, and that both she and the citizens of Raugro deeply regretted the accident that would deny others the same honor. In the end, she beseeched the brys to seek her out if they questioned her words and to leave the people of Raugro in peace.
The Silver Blades finally headed south on the third morning. Kari felt relaxed after getting to spend three nights with Grakin, and the fatigue of being on the road and the hunt for so long melted away. Makauric’s death stayed close in her mind, but she tried to keep perspective and remind herself that the mission was the most important thing: if she failed, then Makauric’s death would have been in vain. She and her companions traveled through farmlands for several days before the crops gave way to grazelands, and surveying the farmlands further reinforced Kari’s thoughts. Eventually the Silver Blades encountered and passed through the southbound garrisons from Raugro. During their travels the rich plains turned into the more arid savannah that Erik and Kari had described from their own mission. They passed the city of Brehl, which sat on the shore of a great lake that seemed more like an inland sea. It sparkled under the sunrise and marked the eastern horizon for much of their journey.
After nearly a week they began to encounter scouts and patrols from the shakna-rir army, who let them pass and sent runners ahead to announce the approach of the Silver Blades and the provincial army. Late in the afternoon of the sixth day the companions reached the war camp, which was as fortified on the north side that faced Raugro as Kari imagined it would be on the south side. Aeligos explained that the shakna-rir were more than likely setting a false front for Gaswell’s scouts to give the impression that the provincial army of Raugro might come and try to forcibly evict the Tuvurasti army. Kari found it odd, and wondered what relations between the shakna-rir and their neighbors were like during peaceful times.
Once they passed the fortifications, the Silver Blades found several large tents set up in the center of the camp, and they were ushered into the presence of Maktus Tuvurasti. He seemed glad to see Aeligos, and welcomed him and his friends into the command pavilion. Aeligos introduced the shakna-rir warlord to his other siblings, and then to Kari and the Moreville twins.
The shakna-rir warlord beheld Kari and Erik and gave them a respectful military salute. “It is an honor to meet you; all of you,” Maktus said. “I would like to brief you on what we have seen since arriving here, but first I must ask: my scouts say there are several garrisons within a few days’ journey of our camp here, but that they are not Gaswell’s men or sympathizers; I take it this means your efforts in Raugro were successful?”
“Yes, quite,” Aeligos said, but he
shook his head. “I’m surprised you managed to get a force this large out here so quickly.”
Maktus waved off the comment and gestured for his guests to sit on the rugs around the pavilion. He waited until his guests took seats and his servants served cups of red wine. “Saint John’s pass is the most well-known route out of the great desert, and we did send several of our units by that route,” Maktus explained. “But we have other ways out of our kingdom, ways that are fairly secret and well-guarded. We use these to move our military south when necessary, in order to avoid provoking Raugro and its allies.”
The rogue nodded. “Makes sense,” he said. “I assume there’s no one here in the command tent that you don’t trust?”
“Indeed,” the shakna-rir warlord said. “Let us speak of the matter before us. Gaswell’s army returned from their maneuvers once their scouts became aware of our presence. He is marshalling his forces, but strangely, they have made no move to attack or even provoke us. I believe it is safe to say they will not engage us until we draw within short range of their fortress, to avoid being flanked. Experience tells me that should we head south, he will meet us roughly halfway between our present camp and his base. Although they would have a tactical advantage fighting from within the fort, they do not know enough of our siege capabilities to risk their stronghold in the initial skirmishes. They are also unable to post scouts or spies north of our position, so they know nothing of the assistance coming from our neighbors in the northwest. They may assume Raugro is sending its forces, but I have been careful to keep a sizeable part of my forces facing north, as though we expect trouble.”