by Joe Jackson
“Yes,” Amastri answered. “If you wish to bring others with you, I would advise you to take only Danilynn and perhaps your sister-in-law. I would advise you bring no males with you, and do not bring more than two or three others along, or you will be too conspicuous. As it stands, rir travelling through the realms will be a curious enough thing.”
Kari shook her head; this was a bad development. Danilynn and Sonja were both quite capable in their own right, but at the very least, Kari wanted the espionage expertise of Aeligos along with her as well. She thought perhaps she could ask Eryn to go, especially in light of the half-brys woman saying things were quiet for her right now. Still, even with Eryn going along, just four women traversing the underworld to go meet with a powerful demon king sounded like a recipe for disaster. Kari considered perhaps she should just forget the entire plan. “So no men?” she asked.
“I do not recommend it,” Amastri said, but then she shrugged. “On the other hand, you may bring them with you to Anthraxis, and simply leave them there should Her Majesty and King Morduri agree with my assessment. That is up to you, Lady Vanador. I am only telling you what I think will be the best course of action. Clearly, Her Majesty and King Morduri will be better able to advise you on that matter.”
Kari nodded; that seemed less a threat than a warning. “Where is your king’s realm?”
“Her Majesty’s realm, Mas’tolinor, lies to the west of Sorelizar, on the far side from Tess’Vorg,” Amastri said. “At no time are you to enter Her Majesty's realm. As I explained, she aids you for her benefit, not yours. While it will be little mystery to King Sekassus who has aided you in frustrating him, you are not to directly interact with or implicate Her Majesty in this matter. You will not be welcome to enter Mas'tolinor, certainly not immediately after infuriating the Cobra Lord, and so you are advised to stay far from Her Majesty's realm, and instead return straight to Anthraxis when your exchange is complete.”
“Why does King Koursturaux care? She's more powerful than Sekassus, no?”
Amastri’s shook her head and said, “Ketava; you do not understand the laws of the Overking. No king of higher station may attack or else besiege those below them in any way unless first attacked. This is how the balance is maintained among the Council, so that the entirety of the Overking’s domain does not fall under the control of solely the Ancient Ones. It is easier for the Overking to control his subordinates if their power and influence is more widely divided, and so his rules protect the weaker ones from those above them in both rank and power. Her Majesty wants no direct part of your plans to maintain her…innocence, I suppose you would say, in this matter.”
So the Overking plays the kings against each other with his own rules, Kari thought. The underworld was a lot more complicated a place than she’d guessed even just a few days before meeting Amastri for the first time. She realized in that moment just how important her plan was: if she could rescue Se’sasha and the girl was willing to talk, this sea of information upon which Kari and her Order floated adrift would become a much more familiar place. Even if everything else during the journey went in their favor, Kari knew that still required that Se’sasha would actually talk, but that was a more acceptable risk than going to get her in the first place. The more she thought about it, Kari started to believe that rescuing Se’sasha might also make the other syrinthians she held prisoner more willing to talk.
“But the same won’t be a problem if we were to go into Sorelizar from Tess’Vorg and cause trouble?” Kari asked. “Couldn’t King Sekassus attack King Emanitar if we do that?”
“In theory, yes,” Amastri said. “You are missing the subtle point: King Emanitar can legally invade Sorelizar; King Koursturaux cannot. King Sekassus would not fare well in a war against either of them, but if Her Majesty attacked unlawfully, then it would be the Overking who would enact the penalty, not King Sekassus. Understand?”
“I think so,” Kari said. It seemed to make sense, like the troublesome types in school who provoked people to punch them in order to get their enemies in trouble. It seemed Amastri was saying that Sekassus wasn’t strong enough to stand against either Emanitar or Koursturaux, but only Koursturaux would get punished if she attacked first. And so, in what was likely typical demon king political fashion, Koursturaux was all too happy to shift the blame onto Emanitar or Morduri and let them deal with any repercussions.
“Whose realm borders Sorelizar to the north?” Aeligos asked.
“To the north lies Si’Dorra, the Weeping Woodlands, realm of King Arku Chinchala,” Amastri answered. “It is not a place your kind should visit, considering the defeat you handed King Arku just scant years ago.”
“That’s a fact. Is there anything else you can tell me?” Kari asked, though she wasn’t sure whether Amastri’s claim that she would tell everything freely was an honest one.
“Just one thing with regard to logistics: you will not be able to spend your gold while you walk through the realms of my home,” the woman said. “While gold does hold value, one of the Overking’s more archaic laws makes it illegal for commoners or even nobles to possess it. Only the kings and the Overking may possess actual wealth. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of acquiring a sack of marks for you to do business while in…the underworld.” From her purse she produced a pouch of something that clattered and placed it on Kari’s desk. “Consider this a part of what you have bartered for with my king.”
Kari nodded her thanks, but she had a hard time putting it into words. “Aeligos, anything else you want to ask?”
“Where is King Celigus Chinchala’s realm compared to Sorelizar?” he asked. Kari was glad for his thinking; if all else failed, Kari and her friends could flee to Sansrigar to evade capture by one of the other kings.
“Southwest of Sorelizar, along the southern border of Mas’tolinor,” Amastri answered, but she shook her head as she did so. “There is no direct way to get there from Sorelizar or the Overking’s realm; you would have to pass through Mas’tolinor or, worse yet, through Vistarra, the realm of King Abaddon. You are not welcome to pass through my king’s realm for the reasons I have already told you, and your life would be in great danger if you set foot within King Abaddon’s realm. You are advised to do as I told you, and stay far from the realms of the other kings. You will not be afforded the same courtesies of King Emanitar and King Morduri should you venture into the wrong realm.”
“I have only one last question, then, if you’ll allow my curiosity,” Kari said, and Amastri tilted her head and nodded. “Since you mentioned Turik Jalar, I wanted to ask: were you in the Overking’s palace when he supposedly laid his list of demands before the Overking?”
Amastri laughed, but it was jovial, if Kari’s ears didn’t deceive her. “No, I am not that old,” Amastri said. “I have heard Her Majesty mention it from time to time; it is always an interesting tale to hear. Perhaps someday, should Her Majesty find you of use again and grant you the honor of a face-to-face meeting, she will be willing to share the tale with you.”
“You’ll forgive me if I say I hope that never happens,” Kari said evenly, and the woman laughed again. “I think we’re done here. I'll let you know what I decide–”
“There is no need for that unless you require me to transport you to Anthraxis myself,” Amastri interrupted. “Rest assured that King Morduri will be waiting for you to make contact, and if you do not, then it will be assumed that you backed out of the deal. In that case, there will be no debt or duty between us. If you decide to go, do so quietly, so that as few people will know as possible.”
Kari tilted her head. “So Sekassus' spies don't alert him ahead of time,” she ventured. Amastri didn't answer, but the set of her eyes did that well enough. “Do you know who his spies here in the city are?”
“You already captured most of them,” Amastri said, but then she shook her head. “If there are others, they keep themselves well hidden from me.”
Amastri rose and bowed her head slightly to Kari. S
he drew out a stack of folded papers from her purse and laid them on Kari’s desk. “It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Hand of Zalkar,” she said in what sounded like sincere tones. “These pages contain a written explanation of what we have discussed thus far. Bear in mind that Her Majesty would not have involved herself in this plot of yours if she did not feel you had a good chance of success.”
Kari nodded to that and put the Celestial Token on her desk for Amastri to take. When the woman picked it up, Kari said, “I’m honestly curious how she even knows enough about me to think so, if the Overking doesn’t know who I am.”
Again that smile crossed Amastri’s face. “You have a mutual friend who has told Her Majesty much about you. Do what you think is best, Lady Vanador, and should you choose to go, I shall look forward to seeing you safely returned.”
I’ll bet you will, Kari thought. The thought that she and Koursturaux had any kind of mutual “friend” left a bad taste in Kari’s mouth, but she didn’t say anything about it. Such might have pointed to yet another plant among the Demonhunter Order; after all, Jason Bosimar had let Amastri stay in the city for however many years, and Lord Allerius hadn’t seen fit to remove her even after Bosimar’s death. If the syrinthians could plant spies in the Order and a servant of King Koursturaux herself could live in the city free from harm or trouble, what other parasites did the Order have that Kari and her superiors weren’t even aware of?
Amastri left the office and Kari glanced to Aeligos. She was surprised he’d had so little to add, but she took it to mean Amastri had been quite thorough in her disclosure. In his gaze Kari could see concern: he was clearly thinking about Amastri's suggestion to not bring any men, and he was not happy about it. Kari was glad for his protective nature, but she realized that it meant she was going to get a lot of resistance from her other brothers-in-law, from Grakin, and from Eli if she followed Amastri's advice. None of them would be content letting the women go separately into such a dangerous realm.
“Aeligos, am I crazy to even be considering this?” she asked. “Be honest with me.”
“I’d be a hypocrite if I told you that you were,” he answered with a shrug. “After all the times I’ve snuck into castles full of enemies and demons and whatever else all by myself…no, I don’t think you’re crazy. Very brave, probably a little foolish, but I know what you’re trying to do and why. It just aggravates me that I might not be able to help.”
Kari nodded; she knew that already. “But her information sounded good? To be honest, it was a lot more detailed and open than I was expecting.”
“Her info was good, and what she said about King Koursturaux putting effort into your plan…there’s something to that,” he said with a nod. “If you’re killed, Koursturaux doesn’t get her payment, and they know that now. It’s entirely possible she’s not really interested in it and she just wants to get you killed, but if that was her goal, I’m sure she has better resources at her disposal that don’t require such elaborate schemes. So yes, I think Amastri’s information was good and you can trust it, as much as you can trust anything the demons tell you. The question that remains is whether it was enough.”
“And did you make anything of the Overking’s rules?” she prodded.
“Sounds like he’s a smart king,” Aeligos answered with another shrug. “It doesn’t matter how powerful he is, if he has all those other demon kings under his rule, he’s got to use more than strength to keep them in line. Sounds like he has a system of rules and laws that keep them fighting and undermining each other so they can’t undermine him.”
Kari rose from her seat with a sigh. “Subtle demons,” she muttered. “Well, I guess there's no avoiding it. Let's go tell the others what we've found out.”
*****
The family gathered for dinner again with all the same guests except for Eryn. The half-brys assassin had flat-out refused to set foot in the underworld, and despite the fact that neither Kari nor Aeligos had taken offense to it, Eryn then ducked out of joining them for dinner as well, probably out of embarrassment. She insisted it was because she had to hunt down the agent of Sekassus, but it was precisely the type of reaction Kari had hoped to avoid getting from her friends and family. She already knew what she was planning was dangerous and, despite what Aeligos had said, crazy to some extent, and she didn’t want anyone to feel ashamed for not wanting to go with her.
Everyone ate quickly, apparently eager to hear what Kari had to share after her second meeting with Amastri. It was late; Kari had stayed longer than anticipated at the campus to let the Council know what she'd found and to get their input. It seemed to Kari that Amastri had been honest and straightforward with her, and yet it didn’t ease Kari’s suspicions all that much, let alone those of the Council. She knew that on top of being vicious and evil, the demon kings were also cunning and could be subtle when they wanted to be, and the Council had warned her to take great care before jumping into the situation. Fortunately, Kari had eleven days to reach her decision: a part of her wondered if she was being baited into a trap by Koursturaux, though Kari couldn’t imagine what she’d done to draw the demon king’s attention if that were so.
Once the dinner plates were cleared away and everyone was sharing an after dinner glass of wine – the ouzo hadn’t lasted beyond the first night it was open – Kari pulled out the stack of notes Amastri had given her. “So, we met with Amastri, and the information she gave us was thorough,” she said. “I wouldn’t say it was good, though. The first thing you should know is she advised against me taking any men to the underworld. She said that would increase our chances of being attacked for whatever reason.”
Erik bristled at those words but held his tongue for the time being, so Sonja took the opportunity to speak. “But she said you can take other women with you?” she asked.
“Yes, but she suggested only taking a couple,” Kari said. She nodded toward Danilynn but kept her eyes on Sonja. “Danilynn already wants to go; I know that. Are you comfortable going? I already asked Eryn, but she said she was busy with something else. I mean, Amastri suggested I only take women, but that's not an absolute. I can take whoever is willing to go, but she seemed to suggest that a small group of women would get a lot less attention.”
Aeligos’ expression barely changed as Kari hid Eryn’s reasoning behind a polite fib. “Don’t feel pressured to go, Sonja. This is not a hunt or a fight Kari’s walking into,” he told his sister. “It’s just a negotiation. Might be that you could help her with the actual negotiating, but if you’re leery about your spells not working or anything else, just keep in mind this is supposed to be small and subtle.”
Kari nodded in response to Aeligos’ words, but Sonja waved them off. “No, I want to help,” she said. “If I can get a good look around at some of the cities or towns, I’ll probably be able to send us there in the future if I ever master transportation spells. I’ve also been studying the infernal language – spoken and written – in my spare time, so it might do me a world of good to go there and actually encounter it in use firsthand.”
Danilynn seemed to appreciate that development. “That’s helpful,” she said. “I’m quite well-versed in the infernal tongue myself, but multiple ears may hear different messages in the same words.”
“So after you finally get me to agree to go, I guess I’m not expected to help,” Eli said to Danilynn. She stroked his jawline with a smile, but said nothing.
Erik agreed with Danilynn. “That’s a good point. You’re certain this isn't going to turn into a fight?” he asked, turning his attention back to Kari. “I’d honestly rather send enough muscle with you to make any demons you come across in your travels think twice about coming after you.”
Kari understood the sentiment, doubly so because of the physiques of her larger brothers-in-law, but sensed it might be misplaced. “More muscle would make it more likely we were attacked, from what Amastri suggested,” Kari returned. “She seemed to be saying that if it’s just a few women,
then demons would be afraid to do anything on the off chance we belonged to a king. If there’s men with us, they’d probably assume we belonged to the men, and that wouldn’t end well.”
“Sounds like a swell place,” Jol muttered, probably the only bit of sarcasm Kari could ever recall hearing from her eldest brother-in-law. It made her realize just how uncomfortable he was with her plans, regardless of how muted his emotions typically were on the surface.
“What’s your plan? And how long will you be there?” Erik asked.
“From what Amastri told us, we wouldn't be heading there until eleven days from now,” Kari answered. “We won't know exactly where we're headed – aside from Sorelizar, that is – until we arrive in Anthraxis and speak with King Morduri. It seems King Koursturaux wants to pin all this on him if something goes wrong, so he's our main contact once we get there. If I go talk to him and it seems like a poor plan or a trap, though, we'll have the option of just coming home and forgetting the entire deal. That's why some of you can at least come with us to Anthraxis, and then we can see what King Morduri has to say about you going with us to see King Sekassus.”
“But you don't know how long you'd be gone?” Erik reiterated.
“Well, from the way Amastri described the travel, about six to eight weeks or so,” Kari answered. Grakin stiffened up at those words, and Kari bit her lip; she knew he was already anxious about her going, but if she was going to be gone that long, it was so much worse. She had only been home from her hunt in Barcon for a day, and that hunt had taken her away for over a month as well. “On the positive side, if everything she said was true, there really won’t be too much danger involved. There shouldn’t be any fighting, and she said the most likely dangers would be natural ones – weather, animals, stuff like that.”