by Joe Jackson
Kari wondered how her brother-in-law seemed to know everything before she did. “Yea, that one. From what the Duke told me, they've been keeping the vineyards running – oh, and it has olive groves, too. But the house was wrecked during the Apocalypse, and since the whole DeSales family is apparently dead, nobody's taken care of the house itself since.”
Grakin turned to Aeligos, who elaborated, “It's a big place, lots of very profitable land to it. If you fix it up, it'll be a nice place for you two to raise your family.” Aeligos folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head. “You might want to think about getting married, though; titles of nobility don't pass or extend between mated pairs. You two would have to actually be married for the Duke to recognize Grakin as a baron, or Little Gray as your heir.”
Kari was surprised to hear that, and Little Gray ran over to his uncle when he heard his name. Many rir were satisfied with their peoples' tradition of mated pairs, and Kari and Grakin had fallen into that category as well. While neither of them was against the human tradition of a marriage ceremony and the exchanging of promissory tokens, they hadn't ever felt it necessary. Now, though, the prospect of holding real noble titles – again, Kari had never known exactly what her initial Lady title had meant when she ascended to the rank of Sword of the Heavens – and passing them down to their children meant they might need to seriously consider a wedding.
Grakin had looked up at Kari, smiling. “Our relationship has always been fine the way we have it, but I would certainly not be opposed to a marriage, if it is what you want.”
Kari didn't answer right away. It was what she wanted; there was no denying that. After her illness had sabotaged any hope of a long-term relationship with Suler Tumureldi in her prior life, and the realization that she had unwittingly turned away Kris Jir'tana in this one, Kari had leapt at the chance to become Grakin's mate once she recognized her attraction to him was real. She was satisfied being Grakin's mate, but the thought of a wedding, of being legally – as far as the nobility was concerned, anyway – part of his family, and of bonding their souls even further warmed Kari's blood.
It didn't take her long to realize what it was: the feeling of belonging to a family, something she had only fleeting experiences with in her prior life. Her thoughts wandered briefly to her old friend Trigonh, the one directly responsible for her resurrection, and she realized how much more she had to be thankful to him for. Thinking about her biological family and prior life, though, brought with it another, stranger emotion; one she had great difficulty putting into words because she couldn't quantify it even to herself.
“I'd love that, too,” she said quietly after the few moments' introspection, and she could see that her brief hesitation hadn't alarmed Grakin or Aeligos. Little Gray came and tugged on Kari's scabbard, and she picked him up to hold him. “The only thing is…I know it might sound really strange, but…I'd want to keep my surname if we got married.”
That caught both of them by surprise, but Grakin shrugged lightly. “If that is what you wish, I see no cause to argue.”
“If you'll forgive my saying so, I figured you'd want to shed it,” Aeligos said lightly.
Kari shook her head lightly. “I know I should feel that way, but…I don't. It's hard to put into words.”
Grakin waved off any attempt on her part. “Then do not bother,” he said. “It is your wish, and I am happy to oblige. You did not take my name when we were mated; it matters little to me if you do when we are married.”
Kari nodded silently, and Aeligos tapped Grakin lightly in the shoulder. “And now she has even more reason to come home safely,” he said, half in jest and half to reassure his brother.
Grakin nodded. “Indeed. I suppose the details of a wedding will provide plenty to keep me occupied while you are away, then.”
“And you can see if Typhonix is interested in helping us figure out how to keep track of the money from the estate,” Kari said. “He likes all those eco…economics books he has. He should have a better idea of how to run an estate than I would, at least. We can fill him in over dinner, which we should probably get started. As soon as the rain lets up, I imagine we're going to have a bunch of hungry mouths to feed.”
*****
Sleep evaded Kari for the better part of the night. There was simply too much on her mind, from the inheritance she'd been granted by the Duke to her coming trip to Mehr'Durillia. Typhonix' assurance that he would show Kari and Grakin how to properly run their new estate helped, but Kari knew that with land ownership came further responsibility over the lives and livelihoods of those who worked her fields. Being a baroness meant she would have to start paying attention to the politics of the duchy – and indeed, the kingdom as a whole – and take an active part in them, both within the bounds of her role as head of the Order and outside of them.
Her impending trip to Mehr'Durillia, growing closer by the hour, dominated her thoughts. There was no denying that she was afraid; one wrong piece of information or inadvertent false move on her part might mean never coming home to her family again. In such a case, death would undoubtedly be the best outcome she could hope for. To be enslaved, imprisoned, tortured, or worse by any of the demon kings terrified her far more, but on the same token, she drew conviction from her fear, knowing that Se'sasha was going through those very things. She didn't owe the syrinthian woman anything, but that would make saving her so much more a mercy, and possibly impress the snake-woman enough to make her spill secrets to Kari and the Order. It would, however, be unlike anything Kari had ever been through in her entire storied career; even having met Seril in person several times now seemed to pale in comparison to the dangers that awaited her on Mehr'Durillia.
And all that said nothing of the anxiousness over a wedding. Kari had only ever attended elven weddings in her past life, and she wasn't sure exactly what to expect from or want in her own. She assumed her mother-in-law would be all too happy to perform the actual ceremony, but as to where to hold a reception and who to invite, she wasn't sure. Her initial thought was to hold the reception on the campus of the Order, and thus invite her entire Order by extension; that would only leave the question of how many nobles and commoners to invite. Kari, being fairly private, didn't know very many people around the city, county, or duchy aside from the members of her Order; she would need Grakin and the rest of her family to give their input.
Her constant tossing and turning was disturbing Grakin, so Kari got up, put on some clothes, took up her cloak, and went down and out to the front porch. The city was shrouded in darkness, but the air held just enough warmth that it was comfortable. She sat in one of the wide swings and curled up on it, wrapping the cloak around her. The rocking motion of the swing and the retained heat from her cloak lulled her into a light sleep, but she kept having strange dreams that jolted her awake. Once she dreamed about a wedding in the underworld with all of the demon kings attending, she got up and went back inside to make some tea.
When she returned to the porch swing, Kari got the distinct feeling that she was no longer alone, and she turned instinctively to the north. There was hardly anyone about at this late hour, and the streets were quiet and near-deserted under the sparse light of the lamps. Still, Kari could sense something nearby, her hackles prickling with a subdued sense of danger, and she kept her eyes on the far end of the porch. Her instincts did not deceive her, and she wished that she had brought her blades with her when the intruder swung down off of the overhang and landed lightly at the end of the porch. Kari made no move to go back inside, but kept quiet, waiting to see what her “guest” would do.
The great werewolf crouched low and took account of the streets from behind the porch's railing. Under its arm was a tight bundle, and even in the low light of the lamps, Kari's night vision was strong enough to see it was carrying clothes. Once it seemed satisfied that no one had seen it or was giving chase, the werewolf glanced at Kari and held her stare for a few moments. Kari held her ground, making no move of either fear
or aggression, and then the werewolf turned its back on her and began one of its awe-inspiring transformations.
Kari gritted her teeth just listening to it, never mind the partial view she had. The sound of bones popping and the accompanying snaps as her legs changed shape was excruciating even to the ears. Kari could barely see the girl’s head change shape as well, though she watched the long, lupine ears disappear shortly before the creature’s grey, salt-and-pepper coat shrank into skin that became smooth and youthful-looking. It felt like it took minutes, yet the entire process lasted only a few seconds, and soon there was a naked young woman where a beast had stood only moments before. With the incredible change complete, the young woman got dressed hastily and then approached Kari.
“Do you have any idea how much I'd like to slap you right now?” Kari asked quietly.
The silver-haired young woman's shoulders shook in a silent chuckle, but the mirth didn't spread to her face. “That's a big part of the reason I'm only coming to see you just now,” Gil said. She still had that light sweetness to her voice that betrayed her age, but there was an edge to it now, something that indicated a hardness to her that lay beneath. It could have just been the fact that she was a werewolf, but Kari had to wonder. “Sorry, Lady Vanador, but coming to see you was too risky. I'm sure you're aware that there's an assassin's guild and black market here in the city; I can assure you that werewolf parts and pelts fetch a high price in the right circles.”
Kari shook her head. “So why are you sneaking around advertising the fact that you're a werewolf?”
“Had to make sure I could trust you,” the young woman responded without hesitation. “Last thing I needed was to reveal myself to your Order and then end up getting skinned alive before I left town. So I was making sure that you really could keep all these superstitious gits and all the bloodthirsty ones under control. Strange way to test whether I'd be safe, I know, but as I'm sure the city watch has told you, I'm very difficult to catch when I'm expecting pursuit.”
Kari gestured toward one of the other rockers, and the girl took a seat. “I'm still very confused,” Kari said. “If you'd just come to see the Council, if it turned out they weren't willing to trust you, you could've left the city without anyone knowing you were a werewolf.”
“And what would they have had as evidence that I could be trusted, aside from your word?” Gil returned. “Now you've had a werewolf prowling your streets for nearly a week, and not only have I not killed anyone, stolen anything, or done more to your citizens than make a few of them wet their pants, but I've even broken up a few robberies and showed the assassin's guild that they're not the scariest thing that prowls the night.”
Kari considered Gil's words for a few minutes. It still all struck her as entirely reckless and even stupid, but the girl did have a point, of a sort. “You broke up a few robberies? I didn't hear anything about that.”
Gil’s mouth twisted to the side briefly. “I should've guessed the watch wasn't going to give me credit for it, but yea, this city can be pretty rough south of the docks,” she answered. “So, is it true what I've been hearing? Are you really planning to go into the underworld?”
“Where did you even hear that?” Kari asked, alarmed.
“Overheard a few of those Blood Order clowns talking about it,” Gil said, and she sat forward in her seat. “From what I gather, they're nervous about you going: they like you being head of the Demonhunter Order, because they think Eryn Olgaryn has you in her pocket.”
“Good,” Kari said to the girl's unspoken question. “They're in for a very rude surprise in the future, then. But anyway, yes, I am planning to visit the underworld for a short time. Maybe you'd like to go with me? You seem–”
“Screw that,” Gil said. “There's no way in hell you'd ever get me to go there. Things are dangerous enough on this world, especially for someone like me. Besides, coming to see you wasn't the only reason I came to DarkWind, and I have other work I need to get done.”
“Like what? Is there another necromancer or demon in the city?”
Gil waved off the question. “Nothing you need to worry about. You've got enough on your plate right now. It's got nothing to do with hurting or killing anyone in the city, though. I plan to keep a low profile once I've spoken with your Council. I may even have to cut and dye my hair, since you apparently gave everyone my description.”
Kari sat staring quietly at Gil for a couple of minutes. Something seemed terribly off about the girl, but it wasn't that she was a werewolf. It was something in her behavior, from the gruff way she talked – not unlike Eli in tone and vernacular – to the secretive and underhanded nature of what she did and didn't say. It clicked after a minute, and Kari got the impression that on top of being a werewolf, Gil might also be a member of an assassin's guild.
If that was the case, Kari was at a loss as to which one it might be. As far as she knew, the Blood Order had two main rivals: the Five Clans of Oge, and the Black Dragon Society based in Barcon. The Five Clans had fallen during the Apocalypse, due in no small part to the betrayal of Eryn Olgaryn. The Black Dragon Society was supposed to be dismantled by Marshal Everett Saracht and the city militia of Barcon, under the command of Earl Kaelin Black after Kari had left the city, but that didn't mean it had actually happened. Still, the thought of Gil being a member of the Black Dragon Society while living in the wilds as a werewolf seemed unlikely.
Was it possible there was a new guild, or an old one that did a better job of staying out of the public eye than either of the big three Kari knew of? Was there one among the werewolves themselves? Or could Gil possibly – and it almost made Kari laugh to consider it – be a member of whatever underworld assassins' guild Turillia had belonged to?
Finally, Kari sighed. “You know, the thought of leaving you behind in the city is just the kind of stress I don't need when I'm going to Mehr'Durillia,” she said.
“Mare what?” Gil returned.
“Mehr'Durillia; it's the proper name for the 'underworld,'“ Kari said.
“Probably just means 'underworld' in their language,” Gil muttered.
“So are you going to come to the campus tomorrow and let me introduce you to the Council?” Kari asked.
Gil shook her head, then tucked her long hair behind her ears. “Nope. You said midsummer, so that's when I'll meet with them. Until then, like I said, I've got other things I need to look into. But I'll probably be leaving the city until midsummer, so all the commotion over my activities should die down a bit by then.”
“I really wish you'd tell me what you're up to.”
“I really wish I could,” Gil returned. “You're just going to have to trust me on this, Lady Vanador. If not…I'm not sure why you invited me here in the first place. And if you're really going to the underworld, you should probably get used to people not telling you everything – or anything, even. But whatever happens, you can trust me. If you don't now, you'll see why you should have, eventually.”
“You're giving me a headache,” Kari said, taking a sip of her rapidly-cooling tea.
“Yea, I have that effect on people,” Gil said with a chuckle. She seemed to consider making another wisecrack, but then simply added, “I know my commander feels the same way.”
Kari started to repeat the word commander, but held her tongue. That was a calculated thing for Gil to say; it was a way of giving Kari something to ease her tensions without saying too much. Kari understood that she shouldn't press for more details, because there was no chance she would get any. It immediately made Kari think that perhaps Gil was a member of an army; was it possible she was an agent of the Duke's, tasked with digging up information about the Blood Order and black market? Suddenly Kari felt she may have been foolish in giving the girl's description to the entire city – including the Blood Order.
“Is there any way I can help you with your work?” Kari asked tentatively, unsure if the question would sound like she was fishing for the information she knew she wouldn't get.
“Come home alive,” Gil answered. “Other than that, the best way you can help me is to not try to help me. Keep the watch and your Order off my tail, let me do what I need to do, and try not to ask any questions. As for me, I'll try not to be any more of a headache to you than I have to be.”
The girl cracked a grin at that, and Kari chuckled lightly through her nose before taking a sip of tea. “How were things with your pack after I left?”
Gil shrugged. “I left them not long after you met with us, to head up here and start my work. I can tell you this much: Jared likes you, and he trusts you. Sharyn's much less trusting, but she usually follows his lead on things, and so do the others, for what little I know of them. Jared seems to be a good leader, and one who holds power out of respect, not fear. I think the pack will be very helpful to you if your Council will allow it.”
“If any of them are half as sneaky as you are, I don't doubt it,” Kari said, drawing a chuckle from the werewolf. “Do you need a place to stay for the night?”
Gil shook her head. “Nope. In fact, I need to go leave another false trail for the watch and their dogs to follow. Like I said, try not to worry about me; you've got enough to worry about as it is. Come home safely, and I'll see you at midsummer.”
Kari nodded and waved casually, and the girl trotted to the end of the porch and looked around the area suspiciously. Once she was satisfied the area was deserted, she shed her clothes and shifted back to that hulking, bestial hybrid form, grabbed up her things, and bounded away into the night. Kari stared after her and let out a long sigh, then finished the rest of her cool tea.
She had only days left before she would be going to Mehr'Durillia, and what made that even more nerve-wracking was the fact that a lot of the city apparently knew about it. If the Blood Order knew, and Gil was able to overhear them talking about it, there was little doubt that Sekassus' agent had found out and passed along word. The element of surprise was almost surely lost, and Kari would have to rely on the laws of the Overking to keep her safe and allow her to make her pitch to Sekassus. While Kari was fairly confident she could trust Gil, the things the werewolf had told her had done little to relieve the stress she was under.