by Joe Jackson
Tor turned and looked at them, and Kari could see the intensity in the gnoll’s yellow-eyed gaze that was clearly one of his strengths as a staff sergeant. The reddish-brown fur of his right shoulder was burned away by a brand that marked him as a member of the ducal militia, and there was a special tattoo that colored the fur below the brand to show a staff sergeant’s stripes. He only had the leggings of his armor on, which appeared to be a mixture of scale and plate armor, and a pair of wicked axes hung from his belt. Tor regarded the two humans at the table with him for a moment and they rose to their feet. Tor stood up and saluted them crisply, and once they saluted him in return, they took their leave.
Tor waved his guests over and remained standing until Kari and Aeligos reached the table. He gave the demonhunter a crisp military salute, which Kari answered by touching her fist over her heart. “Staff Sergeant Tormaar, at your service, my lady,” the gnoll said. He turned his head to acknowledge Aeligos with a nod. “I already know why you have come, Lady Vanador, but I am only going to tell you the same thing I told the other woman.”
“What other woman?” Kari inquired, caught off-guard.
Tor gestured to the bench across from him and waited for his guests to take seats before he sat down again. “A young shakna-rir demonhunter named Irressa came by here late last night asking questions,” he said. His voice was gruff and deep, but his articulation was very particular, as though he had received a thorough education. It left Kari to wonder about his background, since simply being a gnoll who was allowed in the city was unusual enough; to be an officer of the ducal army and formally – and thoroughly – educated was bewildering. Kari assumed his tale must be quite fascinating. “She was asking questions about a demoness named Emma and my service to Lord Jason Bosimar when he was Avatar of your Order. I will tell you the same thing I told her: I am bound to speak nothing of either subject to anyone.”
“You know, on the one hand I’m proud she took the…initiative, but at the same time, I’m left to wonder what she was doing investigating Bosimar’s contacts,” Kari commented to Aeligos, and he seemed just as curious. It was possible someone on the Council or even Lord Allerius might have assigned Irressa to do so, but Kari found it strange that no one would have told her about it. Kari turned back to face Tor, who sat straight-backed on his bench with his hands folded before him. It was an odd sight, and certainly far from how Kari imagined her first encounter with a gnoll at arm’s length would unfold. “Why are you bound not to speak about these things?”
Tor took a sip from the mug before him, and by the scent Kari guessed it was a light-bodied beer: enough for a good flavor without the soldier becoming intoxicated, whether he was on duty or not. He placed the mug back on the table and met Kari’s stare evenly, and in his gaze she could see this was a situation he had prepared for very well. “When our service to Lord Bosimar ended, I and the others I worked with were sworn to secrecy,” he explained. “The work we performed for the Avatar was of a very delicate nature, and he was concerned that even other members of his Order might not understand his intentions or his motivations. Judging by your presence, I now see that he was right to be concerned.”
Kari waved a hand dismissively. “We’re not here nosing around about Jason. I trust that as Avatar, whatever he did or was trying to do was for the good of us all,” she assured the gnoll. “Since I’m now technically one of the heads of the Order, right now all I’m trying to figure out is what Jason was trying to do, and if I should pick up where he left off.”
“No,” Tor said flatly.
Kari hesitated a few moments to see if the gnoll would explain his answer, but he stayed completely still and silent. “I need answers…,” Kari began.
“Find them elsewhere,” Tor interrupted. Kari cocked her head, and Tor held his hand up and then nodded apologetically. “Forgive me; I do not mean to be disrespectful. I understand you are now one of the heads of the Order, but I gave my word to Lord Bosimar that I would not speak of these things to anyone. With all due respect, Lady, the only way I will break my word on this is if you hold the same office Lord Bosimar did when I swore the oath to him.”
Kari glanced briefly at Aeligos, who remained silent to allow Kari to handle things her own way. Turning back to Tor, Kari made the same gesture Master Perez had to reveal the mark of her Blood Oath, and she was thankful that the enchantment answered her call. The light blue symbol of Zalkar appeared brightly on her chest, and Tor tilted his head curiously after it faded. The gnoll started to speak, but then bit back whatever he was about to say; instead he sat and thought to himself for a minute, looking off to the side. Kari glanced at Aeligos again, and from the slight smile he let show, it was apparent he was happy with her methods.
“I recognize what that symbol means,” Tor said at last, and he met Kari’s gaze once more. “I still will not break my word to Lord Bosimar, but if the demon you hunt is somehow related to the work we performed for him, then I will direct you to someone who might be willing to break their oath.”
“Anything would be helpful,” Kari said. “We may have won the Apocalypse, but the work of the Order is far from done, and the work Jason was doing before the War may be very important to what’s going on now.”
Tor nodded. “Are you familiar with the city of Lajere?” he asked.
“I’ve never been there,” Kari answered, “but I’ll be passing through there soon. Why?”
“When you arrive in port, look for a brothel near the docks called The Satin Palace. There you should find a half-corlyps named Elias Sorivar,” Tor said, and he paused to sigh. It was obvious he wasn’t comfortable with breaking Bosimar’s trust indirectly, but a part of him clearly wanted to help Kari. “Assuming he still lives in the city, he should be working nights there as a bouncer. He worked with our group for a while when we served under Lord Bosimar, and I believe he will feel less inclined to honor his word to a dead man than I do.”
“Thank you,” Kari said, and Tor nodded politely. Kari could understand Tor’s feelings, being trapped between keeping his word and doing what was probably the right thing. In her mind, she assumed that whatever Jason’s reasons for swearing them to secrecy were related to a short-term goal, and that now would be the proper time to break those oaths. Still, if Jason had requested or Tor had simply inferred that he shouldn’t break the oath until another Avatar of Vengeance demanded it, Kari could understand that as well. In the end, she didn’t want to force him to do something against his nature or his will if he was that adamant about it. She was glad he was willing to point her in the right direction. “Is there anything else you can tell me, either about your group or just about Jason in general?”
Tor put his hand to his chin, which looked amusing given his hyena-like countenance. “Not all of the work we did for Lord Bosimar revolved around demons or that which we swore secrecy over. For a while, we aided the Order in other, smaller matters, such as recovering several of Turik Jalar’s belongings that were stolen from his tomb. We recovered his armor after killing the notorious brigand Cyrus Tevor and his band, and we defeated the red dragon Kuriortis in the Ceritan Mountains to recover the axe.”
“See? I’m not the only one,” Kari commented with a glance to Aeligos.
“What? The only one who ever killed a dragon?” Aeligos returned.
Kari didn’t answer except with a subdued grin, and it was Tor’s turn to be surprised. Whatever he thought of the revelation that Kari, too, had killed red dragons, he didn’t ask about it. “One other thing I will mention, because it might be of particular interest to you, is a trip we made to Dryad’s Lake,” Tor said, and he paused for a minute as the memories came to him. “One of our missions we ran for Lord Bosimar was investigating several disappearances: all high-profile adventurers and elite warriors. We found out after a while that it was Seril’s son that was killing them all…”
Tor paused as he saw the distinct change in Kari’s expression, and even Aeligos beheld his sister-in-law curiously. Kari
never talked much about the War itself. She talked about her commander, Kris Jir’tana; of her experiences within her battalion; and of some of the friendships she’d made during the War; but when it came to the fighting itself, she usually avoided the topic. She knew all about Seril’s second-born son, Taesenus: a master swordsman who had enforced his mother’s will both before and during the War by slaying high-ranking officers and high-profile heroes of the Light forces. He was reportedly slain by Kaelariel during the War, but not before the so-called “Demon Prince” had slain hundreds of people in single combat. The most disturbing thing about him was his penchant for collecting heads: he didn’t simply kill his enemies, he decapitated them and brought their heads to his mother as tribute.
Once Kari met his eyes again, Tor continued without prodding, “The most curious of all of the murders was that of Ellen Morrigan of Atrice,” the gnoll said.
“I remember the Morrigan family,” Kari interrupted, though Tor didn’t seem to mind. “They’re nobility in the city of Atrice; I met them after we liberated the city during the Great War. The local Baron, Jacob, told me he had lost his daughter to the Demon Prince before the War actually began.”
“Aye, and that was truly a shame. The way the people of that city spoke of her, it was clear she was something special, and not just a typical spoiled noble child. We found her body near the shore of Dryad’s Lake, but it was her spirit that helped us to find her,” Tor explained, and Kari hung upon his every word. “We had a vague sense of where she fell in battle thanks to our priestess’ divinations, but we were having no luck finding her. Then, one night when we were camped in the forest, our tracker – a kwarrasti woman named Rhiannon – stopped by the shore of the lake for some water. Under the light of the moons, a shimmering spirit appeared over the surface of the water. At first we thought it might be a ghost or wraith of some kind, but it was beautiful rather than hideous, so we weren’t sure what to make of it. In typical fashion, our priestess, Danilynn, used her magic to float over the water’s surface to approach and speak to the ghost.”
“Was she attacked?” Aeligos asked.
“No, not at all,” Tor answered. “It was Lady Morrigan’s spirit. She was simply trapped there, though she knew not why, nor did we ever figure it out. She was still completely aware of who she was despite how long her spirit had lingered in that place, and she remembered exactly where she’d fallen. Once we found and properly buried her remains, her spirit was released. But that Lake is a place of great power – something your Order and its priesthood should investigate as time permits. If something in the water or around the lake can capture spirits, it could be very useful with the type of work your Order does.”
Kari considered what he meant for a few minutes, and she nodded as she realized he must be suggesting the lake could capture the spirits of slain demons to prevent their rebirth in the underworld. While such seemed to only happen for the more powerful demon lords – and their kings, no doubt – it might serve as an impromptu prison for the demons’ spirits. On the other hand, Kari considered it might also be a target of interest to the demons, who could capture souls for whatever purpose using the lake’s power. Tor nodded ever so slightly, and she guessed the latter was likely what he was referring to.
“Well, thank you,” Kari said, and the gnoll nodded politely once again. “I’ll pass that information along to the Order and suggest they send the right people to look into it. As for Jason’s work, I understand why you won’t break your word. Thank you for directing me to someone who might help.”
“I doubt you truly understand, but I appreciate your patience,” Tor said, and he rose to his feet as his guests did likewise in preparation to leave. “I am an orphan and an outcast; a gnoll trying to live in a society that does not put much stock in my species. My word is everything: if it means nothing, so too does my life.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but I can accept it,” Kari said, and she shook the gnoll’s hand before the two saluted each other and Kari departed with Aeligos.
They walked back to Kyrie’s house so Kari could pack her things in preparation for her trip. Aeligos promised her he would re-read Bosimar’s journal again and again while she was gone until he could offer her more clues to its mysteries. Kari could see Aeligos was curious to what she knew and had felt regarding Taesenus, but Kari kept those thoughts and feelings to herself. Few knew of her encounter with the Demon Prince, and being the private person she was, that was one thing Kari was determined to keep private.
Chapter V – Murky Waters
At Kari’s suggestion, the Order sent a couple of priests and a pair of demonhunters to investigate Dryad’s Lake. With Emma and who knew how many other demons running unchecked across Citaria, Kari was determined to stop them at every possible turn. The Order now had guards at the Temple of Archons, and would likely also start watching Dryad’s Lake. Kari would continue to post guards at every place of power of interest to the demons as she found them. Kari doubted Emma would be concerned with Dryad’s Lake, given her interest in the Temple, but it wasn’t hard to imagine that something would take an interest in the lake.
Her family wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of Kari going into danger without them, but Aeligos’ approval of her plans put them mostly at ease, as did the fact that she had sworn a Blood Oath and was carrying Zalkar’s power with her. Kari wouldn’t be going alone, either, and after three years of tutelage under Count Markus Garant, her in-laws were satisfied that the Moreville twins would be well-trained and of great help. Kari guessed that had there been more than one assassin, the push for her in-laws to accompany her would’ve been much stronger – especially if Erik wasn’t away in Ceritopolonis.
Kyrie, Aeligos, Typhonix, Grakin, and Little Gray accompanied Kari to see her off at the docks. Thankfully, Little Gray didn’t make too much of a fuss over his mother’s departure. Kari was concerned that he might get upset; after all, she hadn’t been away from him for any extended periods since he was born. Little Gray didn’t want Kari to leave, but when she explained to him that she was going to fight monsters, he became excited. He was still too young to understand just what it was she did for a living, but he knew that she wasn’t afraid of monsters and protected him and other children from them. Kari was satisfied that her son considered her a hero. She told Little Gray to ask the Fuzzy Man to watch over him while she was gone, and he agreed.
Grakin stood on the end of the dock holding their son and watched the ship sail away, and Kari was sharply reminded of how much it had ached to be apart from him during their mission on Tsalbrin. As she sorted through the memories, she waved a teary goodbye and tried to keep perspective: to remember her promises to return to his side, both then and now. Kari still wasn’t exactly sure what she faced, but she was confident that she would emerge victorious and keep her promise. She was carrying Zalkar’s spirit into battle once more, and the spirit of Sakkrass was never far from her mind; the syrinthian had only hatred and skill with swords to counter that. Kari was driven by many things, and as the ship began to sail swiftly down the coast toward Lajere, she realized that her concerns that she had improper motivation were understandable, but incorrect. She went to protect the people of Barcon and the rest of the world from an underworld incursion, and to make the world a safer place for her child and for everyone else’s as well.
The journey to Lajere was a short one. The coastal currents, coupled with the swiftness of the sleek sailing vessel she rode, cut down what would’ve been a much longer overland trip. While Lajere was still a good distance from Barcon, she imagined it wouldn’t be all that difficult to convince the Count to loan her a horse to speed her travel. Kari wasn’t an accomplished rider, but she had ridden her share of horses in her previous life and was at least proficient. An overland trip could’ve taken a month or more depending on the severity of the spring weather, but the faster water route coupled with the swift southern horses would mean she could arrive in Barcon in only a couple of weeks.
Lajere was an impressive city on the southeast coast of Askies Island, and was sometimes referred to as the Tower City. During the Apocalypse it was one of the most important cities not captured by the Devil Queen, having an abundance of farms around it and a deep-water port that allowed the Light forces to use it as a beachhead when assaulting the heartlands. Lajere sat at the mouth of a deep river, and Kari took in the sight as the ship was guided into its harbor just before sundown. The city’s main attraction and the reason for its nickname was a black tower with no apparent entryways, rumored to be the home of an oracle spirit that opened an entryway for those it chose to speak to. Kari was never one to put stock in such things; the gods and their priests were much more reliable, in her mind, than some unknown spirit picking and choosing who it wanted to communicate with. Even still, the tower marked the center of the city, both physically and in the minds of those who spoke of it.
The city itself was clean and calm from what she could see, and the docks were well-patrolled by uniformed officers. The officers wore white tabards with an intricate coat of arms upon them, and Kari understood immediately that the Count’s position not only as ruler, but a paladin, meant that he took order in his city very seriously. The thought of the nobleman led Kari’s gaze to where a castle stood in silent vigil on a hilltop south of the river’s mouth. The castle was large but not overly opulent, and the terra-dracon woman took that to mean that it served as a defensive keep and not a demonstration of wealth and power, as might be the case with other nobles. A stone bridge linked the castle on the south side with the city on the north side, and apparently also served to keep tall sailing ships from heading upriver, something Kari understood well as a defensive tactic, based on things Aeligos told her.