by Joe Jackson
“Our next stop is a hunter’s cabin deep in the woods to the northwest,” Danilynn relayed. “He says it’s only about a day and a half from the border of Si’Dorra if we can keep up a good, steady pace like we have been.”
“Why’d he grab you?” Kari asked Sonja. “Were you trying to use your arcane magic?”
Sonja nodded but didn’t say anything, so they set off again across the dimly-lit landscape. Their erestram guide seemed to have no worries about the tracks they left behind, and Kari wondered if he assumed anyone following would infer that he was chasing Kari and her friends. They kept a relentless pace, made easier by the divine sustenance Danilynn provided and the fact that they no longer had to drag or wait on Se’sasha. Kari followed in the wake of the erestram, all the while drawing comparisons to how quickly and surely the elves moved among their homeland. He was a hunter here, and the entire realm was his home.
They failed to reach the hunter’s cabin by sunrise, but their concerns were mitigated by the fact that they had entered deepening woods. Even this far into Sorelizar, the coniferous forests of Si’Dorra encroached, claiming the northwestern hills from the deciduous and fruit-bearing trees that were more common further south. Their erestram guide wove through the trees with practiced grace, shuffling deeper into the cover of the multiplying boles, until at last he brought them to a log cabin nestled tightly between a number of ancient dark pines. A thin wisp of smoke came from the cabin’s chimney. Even at a glance, Kari could see that the size of the doors and the height of the roof said this was the home of another erestram.
Before they reached the cabin, the soft crunch of old needles and other forest debris under their feet drew the attention of the cabin’s occupant. A single erestram came out armed with the same type of long war-scythe as their guide, though this one didn’t wear armor, dressed instead in what looked like a hunter’s outfit. A quick glance told Kari that this was a female, and when their erestram guide put down Se’sasha and went and embraced the cabin owner, Kari thought she understood.
The greeting was short and cordial after that, and Kari and her companions were led inside and up into a concealed attic space. It was tight and cramped, disguised to make it seem like there was no crawlspace above, and Kari wondered how often the people of Sorelizar hid refugees in such a way. The heat and the closeness would be annoying, Kari knew, but there was little point in complaining when they were fleeing for their lives. The four women got as comfortable as they could, ate a short meal in silence, and then did their best to get some sleep.
Kari was awakened after only a short rest by a strange noise, and she glanced around. The other three women were all still asleep, and she realized the sound was coming from down below. Clearly, their erestram guide and the cabin’s occupant were making love. Kari let out a long, drawn-out sigh, wanting little more than to escape from Sorelizar and get back to the arms of her own mate. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine him wrapping her up lovingly, and she drifted off to sleep again.
When they were awakened after nightfall, Kari was sweaty and didn’t feel like she’d slept very well. This time, they were able to take advantage of breakfast and a privy break before they set off with their erestram guide again. The forest made the night even blacker than usual, with next to no moonlight filtering even through the pine canopy above, but their escort still set off as though his route had been mapped out exactly. Kari was leery about the sound of their footsteps through the needle-encrusted and somewhat-crunchy soil, but at the same time, their destination was nearly within reach.
They had hardly gotten out of sight of the cabin when they heard a pained cry, followed by a deafening silence. Their guide looked back toward the cabin, his eyes wide and his ears perked up, but after a moment, he growled an order and roughly shoved Kari ahead. He threw Se’sasha onto his back and dashed off toward the north, and within moments, Kari could hear movement among the trees. She, Danilynn, and Sonja quickly ran off in the wake of their erestram guide.
The crashing through the trees became more pronounced after a short distance, and Kari glanced over her shoulder. A harmauth had taken up the pursuit, its long strides steady, but not quick enough to close the gap between them. The ram demon carried a heavy mace that looked wet with blood when the moonlight managed to hit it, and Kari had little doubt that the erestram female at the cabin was dead. The thought vanished from her mind, flooded out by blinding pain as Kari’s foot caught on something and she slammed face-first into the hard ground.
Kari dashed forward to grab Little Gray and his sister, and they giggled in her arms. She had a headache, but nothing could distract her from playing with her children. There were shouts from down one of the roads, and she glanced into the shadowy streets of DarkWind, wondering why her children were even up and outside playing at this hour.
Danilynn pulled Kari roughly to her feet, and she managed to get her wits back about her. She started to run again, doing her best to ignore the pain in her head that was causing a large blind spot in the center of her vision. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other with as much speed as she could manage. Kari looked back over her shoulder; the harmauth was still chasing, but wasn’t gaining ground. She silently thanked the gods that it wasn’t an erestram or even elestram chasing them; one of those would be much harder to outpace. Still, it occurred to her that the harmauth didn’t have to harm the four women: it could kill their erestram guide and leave them unable to reach the border in time, if they could even find it quickly enough.
They ran until Danilynn had to stop and catch her breath. Sonja was winded as well, but despite being pregnant and sore, Kari felt a well of strength within her that she was tapped into. Their erestram guide hefted Danilynn over his shoulder and began again at a hustled walk. Kari fell into step with him easily, and Sonja was at least able to keep up with them walking. The night seemed to drag on forever, but they lost their harmauth pursuer eventually, and their erestram guide took them straight west for several hours before turning north again.
The following day found them hiding in a cave to get what sleep they could. It was far from the optimal place for them to rest, but Kari and her companions had to trust that their guide had taken them as far from pursuit as he could. He left them alone, so Kari and Danilynn alternated watches so they could get some sleep and keep an eye and an ear out for any trouble. The day passed quietly, and the cave was refreshingly cool, with no sunlight coming in and its backside nestled against a rocky hill. Kari spent the hours of her watches waiting for trouble to finally find them, but nothing ever came.
The erestram returned well before the sun had set, and he collapsed into a seated position across from Kari, who was on watch. He was exhausted, and Kari wondered at the incredible stamina that let the wolf-demon – or wolf-man, or whatever one wanted to call them – travel for days on end with little or no rest. She imagined her friends must be wondering the same thing about her, keeping up a marathon pace while pregnant and not eating or resting well. Before Kari was even conscious of what she was doing, she reached partway across and laid her hand on the erestram’s knee, and when his eyes came up to meet hers, she nodded. He returned the nod, but there was a sadness in his eyes that was unmistakable, and it left a knot in Kari’s stomach. He held up one finger, and said something in infernal that Kari assumed was “one more night’s travel.”
He drifted off to sleep after only a couple of minutes, and Kari finished the end of her watch and then roused Danilynn. The priestess beheld the sleeping erestram curiously, and there was no need for Kari to explain the extra danger that their sleeping guide represented. Danilynn pulled an axe from her belt and took up a position close enough to the cave mouth to see out while staying in the shadows. Satisfied with the priestess’ vigilance as always, Kari went and got her final short turn of rest.
Almost as soon as night fell, their erestram guide was up and about. Breakfast was fast and silent as always, and once everyone was ready to travel, the erest
ram scooped up Se’sasha and set off on his course once more. The terrain here was much rockier, still dotted or covered with pine trees, and then it started to ascend a bit as well. Even under the sparse moonlight, Kari could see that they were approaching a high bluff, and she wondered how far off it actually was, unable to judge the distance in the low-light conditions.
The erestram picked up his pace, driving the women to their limits. Soon enough, he stopped, put down Se’sasha, and turned to face the group. He spoke to Danilynn and Sonja in infernal, gesturing several times toward the bluff and then toward the west. He waited on them to translate his words to Kari, and Danilynn did so: “He says we should make our way up to the top of the bluff; that’s the border between Sorelizar and Si’Dorra. Once we get to the top, we’re safe…well, from King Sekassus and his people, anyway. King Arku is another matter. Anyway, he’s going to head further west; he says they know who he is, so he’s going to head to the realm of King Koursturaux and surrender himself to her. It’s better than the alternatives.”
“Why?” Kari asked, her words technically directed at Danilynn or Sonja, but she kept her eyes locked with those of the erestram. “Why is he helping us? What does a syrinthian priestess mean to him or his people?”
Danilynn posed the question to the erestram, and he cocked his head before answering. “He says he’s returning a favor?” the priestess said, clearly as confused as Kari.
Seeing their confusion, the erestram loosened the straps of his left bracer and pulled off the adjoined bracer and gauntlet. The companions could immediately see that he was missing two fingers and a fair portion of his left hand, and realization hit Kari even before he reached down to his left greave. He took off the armored boot to reveal part of his left foot and a couple of toes were likewise missing. He let the women get a good look before he put the armor on.
“Etolivor,” Kari said, and the erestram nodded. Sonja and Danilynn both stared at Kari, confused, so she elaborated, “This is the erestram everyone thinks I killed. I keep trying to tell people: I beat him, but I didn’t kill him.”
“Why not?” Danilynn asked.
“That’s a story for another time,” Kari said. “Tell him any debts between us are paid, and thank him for his help. And…apologize for the death of his mate.”
The priestess hesitated a moment but then relayed Kari’s words. The erestram bowed his head for a moment, but then he drew the war scythe from his back. He simply held it in salute to Kari before replacing it. He spoke to Danilynn and Sonja quickly, and this time, he didn’t wait for them to translate his words. He broke into a run to the west, and didn’t look back.
Danilynn turned back to Kari. “He says we need to be swift; we’re not safe here, and won’t be until we get back home.”
“Let’s move, then,” Kari said. “This is the last day of our Seven Days’ Grace. We need to get into Si’Dorra, and quickly.”
Sekassus’ scouts and soldiers were patrolling the base of the bluff. Sonja risked using her masking spell again; they really had little other choice in the face of imminent capture. While they technically had until sundown to escape Sorelizar, all the soldiers had to do was delay them until twilight, and then they could take the women into custody. Even if the masking spell gave away their position to those sensitive to the arcane, it would hopefully allow them to slip past the patrols.
They found a place to creep between some of the sentries, but the going was still difficult. The ascension was steep and rocky, but they managed. It took nearly two hours, and eventually they found a goat trail – though if there were actually goats, there was no sign of them – to facilitate their climb. When they reached the top, they peered around suspiciously, and Kari stared down at the gathering sentries, obviously frustrated that they hadn’t captured their quarry. Now Kari was waiting for some agents of Arku to jump out and apprehend them after all the trouble they’d gone through to escape Sekassus. Nothing moved among the trees, though, and all four women breathed a sigh of relief: they had escaped Sorelizar unharmed.
“What’s that–” Sonja began, but she didn’t get to finish.
Kari was thrown violently to the side by a lightning strike that sapped all the energy from her body. Unlike the ones she had suffered at the hands of Emma, this one tore through her like the fires of hell, setting her nerves aflame and wracking her muscles with painful spasms. She hardly had the mental wherewithal or the energy to push up onto her side and try to get a glimpse of her attacker, but as she thought about it, she realized she didn’t need to: it had to be Turillia.
“Get Se’sasha out of here! Go!” Kari yelled at her companions.
She was only vaguely aware, in her shattered state, that her friends paid her instructions no mind. Kari turned to get a glimpse of the half-succubus, but when her eyes re-focused and she saw her attacker, something wasn’t right. It wasn’t Turuillia standing there as she expected; it was a full-blooded succubus, beautiful and yet deadly, with a fang-filled scowl that screamed of bloodlust. Was this simply one of Sekassus’ minions, violating not just the Seven Days’ Grace, but the very border between Sorelizar and Si’Dorra?
The succubus was all pale beauty and seductive, deadly charm. Her skin shone milky white even in the light of the rising moon, her hair long and lustrous, hanging in wavy, raven locks. Her eyes glowed a malicious red, full of a fury Kari didn’t yet understand. She wore a leather tunic and breeches, which may have constituted armor if she was as graceful as Turillia, but otherwise seemed to offer little protection. Her legs and arms were tattooed with twisting designs that seemed to be black dragons, though the actual detail was hard to make out in the dim light. She brought one hand up before her and it began to crackle with arcane power again.
“You will pay for killing my daughter, you bitch,” she hissed in the Citarian trade tongue, though in an accented, otherworldly voice. She threw her hands forward and the cliff beneath Kari shattered. It turned into a landslide in moments, and Kari had to spread her wings and glide, right back down among the waiting agents of Sekassus.
Chapter XVII – The Weeping Woodlands
Kari angled her descent to try to come back down on the goat trail again. Lightning strikes from above and below missed her, but shattered the walkway, leaving no real avenue of escape. Zalkar’s symbol began glowing on her chest, pulsing as frantically as her heart. If she ended up down below, she would almost surely be captured or killed. Getting back to the top was her safest option, but with the succubus raining down arcane fury, it was also the toughest.
Sonja stepped between Kari and the succubus, her silhouette large and imposing under the moonlight. “Stay back!” Kari heard her sister-in-law yell. “You’re out of the safety of Sorelizar; you have no business attacking us here!”
The succubus tried to throw Sonja away with a burst of arcane power, but Sonja absorbed it and stood unharmed. Kari was impressed; her sister-in-law had learned quickly from Uldriana, and her confidence showed through in her calm, her posture, and in the silent command she now had over arcane power without using a spellbook. The succubus tried another attack, but Sonja’s shield held and she gave their enemy no ground. Still, she held a hand up, apparently to caution Danilynn against charging the succubus with her axes at the ready.
“I care nothing for what realm I kill you in!” the succubus shouted back. “You may die with your friend, or you may stand aside and allow my revenge to unfold. Either way, this murderer will pay for taking my daughter!”
Kari scoffed, but turned her attention the other way. Several elestram were climbing the rockslide to get to her. The arcanists among them had stopped throwing spells her way; no doubt they were afraid of crushing Kari with a rockslide or otherwise inadvertently killing her. They were surely under orders to bring her back alive, all the better for Sekassus to toy with her. She drew her blades, holding her ground as best she could, her legs still a little wobbly from the effects of the lightning strike. She was at her limits, but then she remembered.
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Kari blew out a calming sigh and mentally held her hand out to Zalkar. His strength came flooding into her in a surge of energy and power, pushing away her fatigue and letting her feel her legs more solidly beneath her. Two of the elestram had climbed up to flank her, one on each side, and Kari stared out over the cliff so she could see both of them from the corners of her eyes. Her one-time lover and mentor, Suler Tumureldi, had trained her extensively to fight two opponents at once, such that she often mimicked the motions of such even when fighting only one enemy. It usually confused or distracted them, allowing her to claim an advantage when she brought both her weapons to bear.
The elestram looked at each other, then down over the cliff at their comrades who were likewise approaching. “Go!” one of them shouted, and Kari tensed, readying for their attack. She didn’t even notice that they had spoken the Citarian trade tongue until they added, “Get up the cliff, quickly! Go!”
That got Kari’s attention completely, but she hesitated, unsure if it was a trick to get her weapons out of her hands. She received her answer a moment later when the speaker was struck by a lightning bolt from one of its comrades down below. The heat of the flash and the smell of the burnt fur of the elestram washed over Kari, threatening to nauseate her, but she grimaced and held her ground. She pushed out that aura that she had commanded when wielding the Blood Oath in Barcon, and approached the other elestram. When he moved between her and danger, she risked putting her swords away and started to climb. Her aura deflected another lightning strike aimed at her other benefactor, and she barked for him to follow.
Kari got most of the way up the cliff, and could hear Sonja and the succubus continuing to exchange arcane pleasantries. Kari’s elestram benefactor was caught by the foot and dragged back down. She jumped back down without thinking, drawing her blades during her controlled fall. Her sudden landing was the only thing that kept the elestram from being put to the sword by its “companions.” She engaged one of their enemies, and managed to disable it in short order, cutting the tendons on the insides of both of its knees. A lightning strike deflected off of her aura again, this time causing another rockslide to the west.