by Joe Jackson
“Demon against demon? Perhaps we should just step aside,” Sharyn commented. “Let them kill each other, or we can kill whichever survives.”
“I wish it were that simple, but it’s not,” Kari countered. “Emma knows too much, but more annoying than that is she knows a lot more than we do. She wasn’t just on Tsalbrin to sabotage Sekassus’ plans, she was looking for a way to break into the Temple of Archons. At first I was satisfied with just stopping her, but if we have the opportunity to capture her, we may be able to find out what she knows about the Temple, how to open it, and what’s inside that the demons are after. We need to find these things out, and this succubus has in…inad…eh, she’s helped us without realizing it.”
There were muffled chuckles from her friends, and Kari couldn’t help but chuckle at herself. Dominick addressed her, “So what is it you need from me, my lady? How may I aid in this plan of yours?”
“Well, as a wizard, I had assumed you might be able to detect other wizards or sorcerers, and tell us if Emma is already within the city,” Kari answered. “From everything I’ve heard about this mallasti girl, she’s incredibly powerful, so if she’s here, there’s got to be some way we can detect her.”
“I’m not going to lie,” Kari continued to the rest of the gathering, turning slightly so she could glance at Eli now and again. “I do not like the prospect of being bait. I have a mate and child back home in DarkWind, and I’d like to get back to them alive. I also don’t like the idea that we may actually have to protect a demon to try to get information from her. But I have a job to do, and sometimes that job means looking ahead at preventing future trouble, and not just putting these creatures to the sword. So I need you all to tell me if you’re all right with trying to capture Emma instead of killing her.”
“This is your dance,” Eli said. “I’ll follow your lead.”
“Lady Vanador, do you intend to let the murders continue to further ready this trap?” the marshal asked.
“No! No, of course not,” Kari said. “I think the succubus has already set the trap about as well as she could; she has me here now, which may interest Emma more than we think, based on my work on Tsalbrin, and if Emma hasn’t been drawn here by twenty-nine murders, I’m not sure she ever will be. But either way, we’re going to keep hunting the succubus the same way we have been, and put a stop to these killings as soon as possible. We’re just going to be trying to lay a trap for Emma at the same time.”
“Then I will give you whatever aid I can in that regard, and I will alert my men that we are looking for a mallasti,” the marshal returned. “Those are the ones that look like gnolls, yes?”
“Yes,” Sherman answered. “My friend, you have our support on this as well. We will continue investigating with the help of the citizens, and pass along word to Lord Garant when we see him. Sharyn, do you know how to track a mallasti at all?”
“I may know some tricks that can help,” she said vaguely. “I think our wizard friend here will be more useful on that, though.”
“If she is trying to avoid detection, it may be difficult to find this mallasti of yours,” Dominick said. “However, even using non-detection magic can sometimes leave traces that can be detected indirectly. If I know what I am looking for, it should prove easier. You will have my help in this matter, though I will say that if this mallasti is as powerful as you say, she may prove very difficult to capture.”
“I don’t doubt that. Eli, is there anything else you can tell us about Emma?” Kari asked, and the others seemed surprised that the half-corlyps had personal knowledge about her.
Eli looked to Kari suddenly with wide eyes. “Yes! I’d almost forgotten. I mentioned that she was a slave, right? Slaves in the underworld wear collars that they can’t take off. At the very least, it might let you recognize her on sight, even if she’s taken another form to hide among the people. You’re looking for a black leather collar with metal plates and a metal clasp on it.”
Kari smiled and patted the half-corlyps’ shoulder. “So everyone is comfortable helping me try to capture Emma?” she asked, and there were no words of protest from anyone. “Any other questions? Well then, let’s go set the trap.”
Eli put his hand on Kari’s shoulder as the others began to filter out. “You have another piece of bait, too,” he said. “Remember the coin I gave you? Emma was interested in it.”
Kari nodded. The situation was finally beginning to come under some sort of control, and she felt a lot less adrift than she had when she’d arrived. At Dominick’s request, she and Eli followed the human toward his home. He assured Kari that once there, he would be able to work some indirect detection magic to search for Emma’s presence.
Chapter XV – Complications
Unlike most of the other wizards Kari had encountered over the courses of her lives, Dominick lived in a rather nondescript house in the northeast district of the city. Kari was surprised at its simplicity; the archmages of the major cities she’d traveled through over the years typically had large towers, not unlike Lord Black’s. Dominick’s house, on the other hand, was cozy and modest, with the lower level comprised of one large, open room around a fire pit. In the corner was a ladder that led to half an upper level, where his bedchamber apparently was, and each corner of the lower level seemed dedicated to one use: pantry, study, storage, and sitting area. It seemed a perfect home for a solitary person, though Kari wasn’t sure she’d ever want to live in such a home – particularly if she lived alone.
The wizard indicated that his guests should move to the sitting area, and he walked to the corner set up as a study. Kari took a seat in one of the deep chairs that didn’t seem to see much use, and she waved away the small cloud of dust that puffed up. With a smirk, Eli plopped down beside her, and the two waited to see what Dominick was getting from his study. The old man searched through a bookshelf situated in the corner, and from the look of the worn leather bindings, Kari guessed they were his spell books. Sonja had only a single spell book, but Kari knew that was partially because Sonja was having difficulty mastering magic.
Her thoughts on Sonja, Kari regretted that she hadn’t had a chance to see her sister-in-law before she’d left for Lajere. Sonja was busy studying under DarkWind’s resident archmage, Gareth Maelstrom, and Kari hadn’t seen her for days before she left for Lajere. Sonja was growing frustrated with trying to master the arcane, for while she was able to do some amazing things with it – particularly the conjuration of protective shields and wards – she had trouble with nearly everything else. Kari knew that Maelstrom considered Sonja brilliant and a wonderful student, and even he was at a loss as to why arcane power didn’t respond properly to Sonja’s call. Kari had overheard Maelstrom say that Sonja did everything perfectly, but that something was just not reacting properly when she tugged on the “mana strands” that arcane practitioners called upon.
Kari wondered briefly if studying under another mage, like Dominick, might help Sonja: if perhaps it was something with Maelstrom’s style that left her sister-in-law frustrated. Gareth Maelstrom was widely recognized as one of the greatest wizards in the world, but few people had ever actually seen evidence of it. Maelstrom was at least several centuries old, and whatever great deeds he had done either preceded Kari’s attendance at the Academy, or else had happened after her death. She knew he was instrumental in defending DarkWind from Seril during the Apocalypse, but Maelstrom was not one for flashy demonstrations or public displays: he used his arcane power when it was needed, and lived a quiet, sheltered life when it was not.
Kari’s contemplations came to an end when Dominick approached with a black leather-bound tome and placed it on the short wooden table in the center of the sitting area. It was opened to a page depicting several strange symbols, and after he took a seat, Dominick ran his fingers over the page as if he were reading it at an unbelievable speed. Kari noted that his fingernails were long but filed almost to a point, like a rir claw. He tapped one on the page after a minute, and at las
t those grey, hawkish eyes came up to meet hers.
“I believe this incantation will do what you requested. However, I must give you several warnings before I go through with this,” he said. He sat up straight then, and fixed his guests with an odd expression. “You must forgive me, I do not have guests here all that often. Would you like something to drink?”
“Sure, water would be great,” Kari said, and Eli nodded his agreement. Kari wasn’t really thirsty, but got the impression the wizard wanted to do something polite for his guests, so she figured she’d play along. She glanced at Eli while the wizard walked over to retrieve tankards of water for them. Eli seemed just as amused.
Once Dominick returned and handed the drinks to his guests, he sat back down and gestured toward the open book. “Now, as I said, I must warn you of the dangers posed by what I am about to do,” he said. “You asked if I can use spells to detect whether or not this Emma is in the city, and I told you I can, albeit indirectly. What I didn’t tell you is that doing so will more than likely alert her to my presence. While this doesn’t concern me all that much, since she is most likely aware of me already, it may tip your hand, and let her know that someone is looking for her.”
Kari considered that for a few moments, and Dominick remained silent while the demonhunter gave it some thought. “I think we have to assume she’s smart enough and resourceful enough to figure out who and what she’s dealing with already. What will this spell tell her exactly? What does it do that will let you know if she’s here?”
“This particular incantation is what we refer to as an arcane seal,” he replied. “It puts a barrier around an area – even as large as a city – that lets the user know when something of an arcane nature crosses into or out of that area. It doesn’t impede that creature from entering or leaving; it will merely alert me to whether one does so. On the other hand, creatures with an arcane nature will likely sense the barrier being erected.”
“How will you detect her if she doesn’t have to cross it, though? What if she’s already in the city?” Kari asked.
“It expands outward at my direction,” he explained. “If she is already in the city, it will alert me when it expands outward to surround the city and passes over her. And if she is not in the city, she will have to either cross it or dispel it; in either case, I will know she has come.”
“Wait, but if it expands outwards, it might find the succubus, too,” Eli said, leaning forward in his seat. “Does it let you pinpoint the location of something that triggers it?”
Dominick gave an appreciative nod. “Yes, it does. And the arcane nature of a succubus is diverse enough from that of a mallasti that I will know the difference if I detect both of them. This was the other warning I was going to give you: this succubus will also detect the seal being erected, and she may seek out its source.”
“So you’d be putting yourself in danger,” Kari mused. “Are you–”
“Unless she is an archmage, she couldn’t cross the threshold of this house, even with all of the tricks her despicable kind is endowed with,” the wizard interrupted. “Of course, this also poses another possible trap for you: she may come right to us when I complete the spell.”
“It’d be nice to finally meet her when we're ready for her,” Eli muttered.
“Agreed, but at the same time, I’m nervous about both the succubus and Emma showing up here at the same time,” Kari said, mulling things over. “We’re taking a pretty big risk by thinking they’ll fight each other before they turn on us. If they attack us first and then decide to fight each other after, we could be in a lot of trouble.”
“Maybe we should get everyone else here before we go through with this,” Eli said.
“You will not want to make your trap too perfect, as it were,” Dominick interjected. “One or both of them may be able to sense a large gathering of people, and then, if they should decide to work together, as you say they might, the element of surprise would be theirs.”
Kari considered the situation for a couple of minutes. While it seemed highly unlikely that Emma and the succubus would work together, it was entirely possible that Emma might be under orders to kill Kari. If that were so, it wasn’t that difficult to imagine that the succubus might help Emma kill Kari and her friends simply for the thrill of it. It was hard to know; Kari wasn’t exactly sure of Emma’s intentions, and if Kari was merely the bait for the succubus’ trap, it might mean the assassin would try to kill Emma over all others. Kari also had to take into account the possibilities that the succubus was dabbling in necromancy, werewolves might show up in the city during any battle, BlackWing was still an unpredictable variable, and Kaelin Black was somehow mixed up in all of it. Kari worked not to get overwhelmed, and blew a quiet sigh through her nose as she tried to make a decision.
“Would you be in control of the spell as it expands?” she asked at last. “I mean, can you stop expanding it once it detects one or the other?”
Dominick nodded. “Yes. Yes, I suppose I could do that,” he said. “It doesn’t negate the possibility that both of them might sense it anyway, but it makes it less likely that they would both investigate it at the same time.”
“And remember, if it’s Emma who shows up first, we may be able to talk to her,” Eli added. Dominick was clearly curious about what he meant, so Eli added, “We have something she wants, so if she isn’t here to specifically kill anyone, we may be able to talk to her, or maybe even get her help with the succubus.”
“Conspire with a demon?” Dominick returned. “I must say, that is not a good idea.”
“Eli has dealt with her before,” Kari said, though she motioned for the wizard to not delve too deeply for now. “The last time anyone encountered her, she was searching for something called Salvation’s Dawn, so we’re honestly at a loss as to what she’s up to now.”
“Salvation’s Dawn?” Dominick repeated. “My lady, if this demon seeks to break the seal on the Temple of Archons, she cannot be trusted under any circumstances. Even if she doesn't seek to hurt you or your friends directly, her very presence is a threat to every living thing upon this world. The Temple of Archons has stood sealed since the dawn of time for a reason: to keep Gori Sensullu’s secrets and power safe from the demons.”
“I’m not looking to have tea with her,” Kari countered. “I’ve already said I want to capture her. What Eli’s talking about may just be a means of making her talk. Though I’m curious what you know about the Temple of Archons.”
Dominick made a dismissive gesture. “I made more than a few trips to the Isle of Morikk in my youth to study the Temple and its seal,” he said. “Without boring you with too much detail, I will say that while I cannot read what is inscribed upon the Temple’s face – and indeed haven’t found anyone or anything that can – I understand how the locking mechanism works. And I have been satisfied with that; if Gori Sensullu wanted it opened, someone would know how, when, and why to do so – Kaelariel not the least of them.”
Kari regarded Eli. “What do you think? Should we summon a demon?”
The half-corlyps smiled grimly. “I’ve always wanted a succubus-fang necklace,” he said. “Let’s try bringing her to us instead of chasing her for a change.”
Kari turned to Dominick and nodded, and the wizard picked up his spell book. “Very well,” the human said. “Prepare yourselves, this spell will not take long to prepare and enact. As I said, my home is warded against intrusion; however, if this mallasti sorceress is as strong as you suggest, she may be able to overpower my wards. Keep watch out the windows, for if the succubus comes, she will be held at bay, and you may strike when it is convenient to do so.”
Kari and Eli nodded, and Kari put on her helmet and gauntlets before drawing her swords. She took up a defensive position beside the door, close enough to one of the front windows to keep watch without being easily seen from the road. Eli did likewise on the other side, set in position behind where the door would open. Kari could tell by his behavior that he
wished he had his shield with him, but he spun the haft of his warhammer in his hand and pressed his back to the wall. When his eyes met Kari’s, he smiled grimly and nodded.
Dominick took a position on the far side of his fire pit from the door, and stood studying his black leather-bound spell book for another couple of minutes. Once he finished, he put the book down and looked to Kari for her signal. She nodded to let him know she and Eli were ready, and the wizard began his incantation. Kari listened to him at first, curious to see if there was any noticeable difference between his methods and those of her sister-in-law. Ultimately, it was futile: Kari simply did not understand the arcane arts to any degree. After several seconds, she felt something pass through her, and Dominick fixed her with the same curious gaze she cast his way. He didn’t cease his incantation, but it was clear something about Kari had triggered his spell, and she wondered if it was her Blood Oath.
Kari briefly checked out the window while the human continued with his spell, but she turned back to him when he made a noise of surprise. “I think I have found…,” he started, but then he stopped. Even from across the room, Kari could see the widening of his eyes. “Oh, yes, I’ve found the mallasti. You were quite right with respect to how powerful she is. To say she is an archmage is…quite an understatement. She’s detected me, but…she doesn’t seem to have paid my spell any heed.”
“Where is she?” Kari asked.
“She seems to be in the old city hall – the wooden building with the bell tower,” he answered. “Should I continue expanding the seal?” Kari shrugged, leaving the decision to him. He refocused his concentration on the incantation, and after a minute he blurted, “Oh my.”
“Did you find the succubus?” Kari prompted.
“I did, but she’s with something else, something much more powerful than she is,” he answered, and he immediately ceased his concentration on the spell. His face was a mask of concern, but he didn’t panic. “Whatever that was, I’ve gotten its attention, along with hers. As I explained, this spell only lets me sense creatures of an arcane nature as it expands outward, but that sense is delicate enough to tell the difference between types of arcane creatures. I don’t know what that other presence was with her, but from my incantation, I could tell that it is both powerful and ancient.”