by Joe Jackson
The northeast district seemed to be the commons, and she walked its main avenue away from the bazaar. The houses here were simple but pleasant, though those closest to the bazaar had iron bars over their windows. Kari guessed that the closer the homes got to throngs of people, the more protection they needed, though it was a stark contrast to the safety and security of the temple district. The streets of the commons were dusty but relatively clean, and Kari realized that she had never seen horses or mules on the streets of the city proper. She guessed that had a lot to do with its cleanliness, and she found she didn’t have to pay too much attention to where she walked as she strode purposefully up the main road.
Within minutes of beginning her search in the northeast district, Kari found an inn called The Roosting Griffon, and she suspected she’d found where the Morevilles were staying. It was a simple inn that looked a bit like One Small Favor, and Kari paused to watch several humans enter the building. The scents of baking bread and breakfast wafted out to her. Recalling Aeligos’ lessons, Kari took a minute to look around the streets near the inn, searching for anyone that seemed out of place, or any hiding or vantage points that might allow the assassin to spy on her friends. She noticed someone watching the inn from a nearby rooftop, but to her relief, the man saluted her when he noticed her looking his way: it was one of the marshal’s men.
Kari nodded politely, though she wasn’t sure whether the presence of Black’s guards watching over Sherman and Katarina’s inn made her feel safer or more alarmed. She wasn’t sure if Black’s men simply did as they were ordered, or whether, under the command of Marshal Saracht, they were a bona-fide police force that put the peoples’ safety first. In a city like Barcon, it was tough to guess; Kari’s distrust of Kaelin Black, the presence of the Black Dragon Society, and the general sense of lawlessness her church attributed to the city certainly left a lot of room for doubt. She decided to trust them for the time being, but with a healthy dose of skepticism and caution. Kari decided to stop being conspicuous herself, and finally stepped inside the inn.
The inside was a bustle of activity. Dozens of humans and rir were seated at the many tables enjoying breakfast, but even while they ate, they all had their chairs turned to face the bar. Standing on the far side of one of the tables near the bar, where all the other patrons could see him, was Sherman. Kari noted that his table had what looked to be several maps of the city and surrounding lands on it, marked with arrows, notes, and tickmarks. It immediately reminded Kari of Aeligos’ map from their mission on Tsalbrin, and Kari was glad to see she wasn’t the only person who had learned from her brother-in-law.
Sherman smiled when he saw Kari enter, but he didn’t pause in his speech. He continued to detail where certain groups of the commoners should patrol and search during the day. Kari saw that many of the commoners were armed, and some even had old, faded leather armor on, perhaps left over from the War. The people didn’t look like soldiers, or even a citizens’ militia, but they seemed anxious to help, and their attention remained riveted on Sherman while he spoke. Though she paid little attention to exactly what orders he was giving out, Kari was impressed with Sherman’s poise, the strength and evenness of his voice, and the authority behind his words that so easily kept the people enraptured. She wasn’t sure how far along Sherman had come as a paladin by Lord Lajere’s reckoning, but by what little Kari had seen and heard so far, she thought he was already a fine example of a young knight.
What surprised Kari was that the woman standing next to Sherman while he delivered his speech was not his sister. She was a raven-haired beauty with large, dark eyes, and stood about the same height as Kari. She was dressed in well-kept black leather armor that was trimmed in the weak areas with chainmail. She had a brutal-looking two-handed sword across her back, along with several shorter blades sheathed to her thighs and hips, and though Kari’s first instinct said rogue, the two-handed sword said otherwise, and Kari concluded that the woman was likely a ranger. She had a beautiful face, but locked in the serious expression as it was, she looked dangerous and wary despite being younger than Sherman, if Kari’s eyes didn’t deceive her.
The interior of the inn was set up much like One Small Favor, but it was larger and more spacious, and Kari glanced around while she approached Sherman and the ranger. Kari had her dog tags out, and she received several appreciative nods and even a few military salutes as she passed through the crowd. Katarina came down the stairs and joined them when Kari reached Sherman’s table. Once he finished speaking, Sherman dismissed the commoners to their appointed tasks with a gesture. The people finished their breakfasts quickly, and several looked Kari over one more time before they rose and departed. Katarina gave Kari a hug and Sherman followed suit, and the ranger woman nodded respectfully to the demonhunter when Sherman introduced her.
“Kari, this is Sharyn Valsares, a ranger from the network of the Great Forest,” the paladin said, and Sharyn shook Kari’s offered hand. Sharyn was of a darker complexion than was typical for humans in the deep south: she looked closer to a blend of the darker and lighter-skinned humans, her skin a deep tannish-brown that was uniform across what Kari could see of her. Standing closer, Kari could see she was more than likely correct where the woman’s age was concerned, though there was a hardness to Sharyn’s expression and the scars under the left side of her jaw and on her neck that said she'd already aged quite a bit ranging the forest. Three golden rings in her left ear completed the look, though she had no other jewelry Kari could see.
“Karian Vanador, Sword of the Heavens, by Zalkar’s grace,” Kari said formally.
The barest hint of a smile touched the ranger’s face. “Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Sharyn said. “I keep tabs on the werewolf packs in the southern forest and the plains. When they came to the city, I followed them to see if they were attacking, or what had caught their interest. I sure wasn’t expecting to find a succubus at the root of it.”
“A couple of priests from Kaelariel’s church took me on a tour of the cemetery; it seems this demoness may have necromantic power as well,” Kari said, her words surprising all three of the humans. One of the barmaids brought Kari a simple breakfast of eggs and biscuits, and she sat down to eat quickly while she spoke with her friends. “From what they said, that’s what seemed to draw the werewolves here. Once they scattered the demoness or necromancer, whoever it was, the werewolves apparently left the city without incident.”
“Maybe the pack that came to the city have regained control,” the ranger said with a slight shrug. “I know the Beast has some that worship and serve him, but they’re still mostly considered wild beasts, so the ranger network is leery about working with them. It’s kind of like your Order and serilian demons: it’s going to take more than a handful of good ones to breed trust. In the meantime, me and several other rangers of the network are tasked with keeping tabs on them, both to protect the cities from them, but also to protect them from the cities.”
Kari cocked her head. “You monitor werewolves? What can we reasonably expect from them while we’re hunting this demoness?” she queried between bites. “We’re honestly in a bit of a bind right now. We’re in hostile territory as it is: this city doesn’t welcome members of my Order, so we have to contend with that on top of dealing with a demoness, werewolves, an assassins’ guild, and possibly undead. This may end up being something I have to call in reinforcements from the Order to deal with.”
“Werewolves are very powerful, dangerous, and unpredictable,” Sharyn explained, taking a seat, and the twins followed suit. “But what a lot of people fail to understand is that the combination of man and beast makes them more of a force of nature, not less. They’re more than likely drawn here by the necromancy; normally they stay far away from the cities and even the outlying farms, except to occasionally pilfer one of the livestock if they’re hungry enough. But necromancy goes against nature, so if someone here in the city is practicing it, they’ve probably drawn the werewolves’ ire.”
“How do they feel about demons?” Kari prodded.
“Same way,” Sharyn answered with another shrug. “Demons aren’t natural, so the werewolves would sniff them out and try to get rid of them. They protect their land, mates, children, and pack against threats, just like anyone else would. But threats to nature itself get their full attention, and much faster. I know it probably sounds funny, since people consider them unnatural, but it’s true.”
Kari turned to Sherman and Katarina, who both seemed just as intrigued by the situation. The demonhunter looked around the common room, though everyone had left except for the innkeeper and barmaid, who were in the back room. She glanced briefly at the ranger woman again before she said to her friends, “The good news is none of the people you have working with you are our demoness; my Blood Oath would’ve detected her. Don’t forget, a succubus is a skilled illusionist and shape-shifter, and she may try to help with your search to throw you off the trail and even kill off some of your volunteers.”
Sherman turned a surprised stare on Katarina. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” he said. “Right now, we simply have the common folk searching homes and buildings for signs the demoness has been there. So far we haven’t found anything, thankfully. We’re looking for citizens who have been unaccounted for, who haven’t showed up for work, or whose neighbors haven’t seen them for some time. Katarina and I have been honing our skills of sensing hatred and evil, but that’s honestly proving a little tricky in a city this size, you understand. Whenever the people find something even a little suspicious, we have them call the three of us to check into it. They are under ‘orders’ not to engage or draw the attention of the succubus should they find her.”
“So you’re experienced in hunting and tracking demons, too?” Kari asked the ranger.
“Not nearly to the extent you are, but I know the signs,” Sharyn said. “I know I may look young, but I’ve been ranging the forests for years, and the network has trained me well.”
Kari nodded and Katarina spoke. “Sharyn has been kind enough to teach us a bit of her craft as well,” the paladin said. “Sherman and I figure with the likelihood of us working with you and the Silver Blades extensively in the future, knowing how to recognize the signs of a demon’s passing, how to track them, and how to kill them will be essential.”
The demonhunter couldn’t help but smile. “I love you two,” she said, causing Sherman and Katarina to laugh and Sharyn to smile a little more fully. Kari looked over the maps on the table, and she could see that most of the activity marked on it was concentrated here in the northeast district. “So your work has been pretty much all here?”
“Aye,” Sherman said. “We’re trying to break down the city by district. We assumed the most heavily populated parts would pose the greatest temptation, so we started here.”
“Agreed,” Kari said. “It’s unlikely she’ll be anywhere near the temple district, so if you two can keep the northeast secure with the volunteers, that really only leaves two districts for me to investigate. My guess is she’s holed up somewhere in the northwest; that’s where Black’s people seem to live and hang about, and I still suspect he’s either wrapped up in this or else may even be her real target. Eli is working on getting us some more in-depth information from the Black Dragon Society, though that’s probably going to turn up nothing. Once I hear back from him, I may have a better idea of where to look. In the meantime, just keep doing what you’re doing. I’m going to simply present myself as a target and see if I can’t provoke her into making an attempt on me.”
“Please be careful,” Katarina implored her.
“You three do the same,” Kari said, and she finished her breakfast quickly. “And don’t worry too much about me. Killing me doesn’t seem to be the goal just yet, so I’m not sure I’ll be in all that much danger for now. I’m staying at an inn in the temple district called One Small Favor if you need to contact me. I’m not sure how much Eli will be around, but he’s probably going to pretend he doesn’t know you while he’s trying to gain the Society’s trust. Lord Black knows you’re working with me, so there’s no need to keep that a secret. Oh, one last thing: if you run into any undead trouble, you can get help from Piotyr and Deirdre, the two priests of Kaelariel that run his church down on Temple Street. I’ll see you again soon.”
“Farewell,” Sherman said, echoed by Katarina and Sharyn.
Kari headed back out to the streets and tucked her dog tags inside her armor. The air was a little warmer with the sun rising ever higher in the sky, and the smells of wood fires and cooking hearths overrode the normal, dingy scents of the city. Kari pulled her cloak over her folded wings and her shoulders to ward off the chill a bit, and a sudden thought entered her head. She remembered the church to Achirun the Deceiver that stood across the street from Kaelin Black’s tower, and it dawned on her that a succubus might be most comfortable hiding in the ‘church’ of a demon lord. It almost seemed too obvious, but at the same time, she realized that she couldn’t just walk into the church of a demon lord and either start a fight or throw her authority around. She would have to be very careful to make sure she didn’t break Black’s laws in doing so, as ridiculous as that seemed.
She shook her head, considering that the priests of Achirun would be experts on those laws, and that trying to bluff her way through any sort of direct confrontation wouldn’t work. She wished Eli was around; between his history, his tattoo, and his race, he could likely get into the church and nose around without drawing too much suspicion. Certainly the succubus would recognize him if she were there, but while in Achirun’s church, she would be subject to the same laws that protected her. Kari laughed at the absurdity of the laws in such a city, and her Order’s attitude made more sense. Thinking on that, she headed toward the bazaar.
Kari stopped before she entered the now swarming marketplace, and she took her pack off and began to dig through it. She pulled out the helmet her brother-in-law Erik had brought back from Latalex after one of his patrols to the northern city. The guardian demon Serenjols, a master smith well accustomed to working with palurium, had refashioned Kari’s helmet to better protect her. The armor originally belonged to a half-dragon named Ashanti S’Laviolor, and its helmet had numerous holes and slots for the woman’s horns, so Kari had never bothered to wear it before. Serenjols had reforged it for her, but he added false horns to the helmet and sealed the holes everywhere else: she would now look like a half-guardian when wearing the helmet. Kari wasn’t entirely pleased with it, but figured it was better than being unprotected.
He had reforged the gauntlets for her as well, and Kari was still trying to get in the habit of wearing the entire suit when she was heading out into danger. She put on the gauntlets and the helm and, after shouldering her pack once more, she strode into the bazaar, satisfied that she would now be fully protected should the assassin strike. People practically threw themselves out of her way at first, so Kari pulled forth her dog tags and let them sit out over her breastplate to quell peoples’ anxiety. The gesture served its purpose: people continued to clear a path for her, but they now did so much more respectfully and less anxiously. Several adventurers even saluted the demonhunter when she passed among them, and Kari resolved to simply keep the tags out for the duration of her stay; the succubus knew who she was, regardless.
Kari stopped in the center of the bazaar and let the sounds of the city filter through her. Aeligos had always referred to doing so as ‘finding the pulse of the city,’ and he’d explained many times that simply letting the sights and sounds of a city play out before one could unlock many secrets even in plain sight. Kari glanced around and noted the numerous well-positioned guards, and considered the entire situation in the center of the city’s heart. If the assassin simply wanted murder and mayhem, the bazaar would be an unbelievably ripe target at any time during the sunlit hours. Kari thought of Markus’ words, and her mind worked to process the reason the succubus wanted her to come to Barcon, given that she
could’ve killed Kari in either DarkWind or Lajere just as effectively. The people flowed around Kari and the sounds of a busy bazaar washed over her, and she considered what it was about Barcon that she was missing.
She turned toward the northwest, where she could see Kaelin Black’s tower standing in vigil over the city, and though she knew he was somehow at the center of everything, she still couldn’t put her finger on how or why. She thought about his relationship with the succubus: were they trying to kill each other, or was the Black/BlackWing connection a devious trick, and they were working together? Even if the latter proved to be true, it didn’t explain what Black had against Kari, or why he’d want her drawn to Barcon to be murdered. As she thought on it, Kari began to wonder if the succubus wanted her in Barcon at all, or if she’d drawn Kari here so she could strike at some target in DarkWind. If that was the case, Kari had walked headlong into the trap and left her family exposed.
That still seemed unlikely, and Kari reminded herself that her mate and child lived in the house of Kaelariel’s high priestess. They were well-protected, and Kari took solace in that before she got herself too worked up and succumbed to the urge to run back to DarkWind. It dawned on her that there might be something much darker going on, and that Black – or maybe BlackWing, whatever the case – might be trying to sacrifice Kari for some favor from the succubus. She wasn’t sure what would require such a price, but Kari supposed it was possible that Black sought some underworld protection from his alleged enemies in the Black Dragon Society. That still didn’t explain all the random killings…until Kari remembered Eli’s tale in the czarikk village.