The Huntresses' Game Read online

  “I do, but when it suits me, not her,” Kari answered evenly. She’d be damned before she let the demon king badger her into taking her child on a long and dangerous trip.

  Amastri sighed, something Kari rarely heard from her. The half-elf was quite adept at showing very little emotion – or at least showing the wrong one to throw off those she spoke with. She and Kari had managed to foster a pretty good working relationship, though, one that saw the half-elf use her personal time and connections to keep Kari apprised of some of the goings-on of her homeworld. If she was upset, Kari mused, it was entirely possible it was on behalf of Kari, and not King Koursturaux.

  “Her Majesty is hesitant to threaten you, Lady Vanador. She wishes your relationship to remain on good terms, such as they are, but your continued stalling is coming across as playing Her Majesty for a fool. She expects that you will make time for her very soon.”

  Kari chuckled. “Stalling? Amastri, I had a baby. She’s not weaned, and she’s still barely old enough to take on a trip anywhere, much less to Mehr’Durillia. I also have other things to consider, like being away from my mate for a month or more.”

  The half-elf shook her head and took a quick sip of tea. “You would not be gone so long, Lady Vanador. Her Majesty currently resides at her winter palace at Maurinoth, which is but a few days’ journey from Anthraxis. You are expected to spend a week in Her Majesty’s palace, so all told, your sojourn on our world would last perhaps two weeks, or a couple of days more.”

  “Oh,” Kari said. “Winter palace…at Maurinoth? How many palaces does she have?”

  Amastri smiled again, but this one seemed genuine, showing her perfect teeth that lacked the succubus fangs most people suspected she had. “Two. The timing of your visit now would be fortuitous, as her summer palace is located much farther north at Takks’Metaallu. That palace would take you nearly a month to reach by carriage, meaning much more time away from your family.”

  “There’s going to be another Council meeting soon, isn’t there?” Kari asked, receiving a nod in response. “So I could meet with her in Anthraxis then, and accompany her back to her realm…Mas’Tolinor, right?”

  “Yes, that is her realm, but meeting her in Anthraxis would be completely unacceptable. While your visit will not be a secret, neither does Her Majesty wish for your relationship to be common knowledge. Surely you understand that meeting with her would alert all of her enemies – not to mention yours – that the two of you are up to something, yes? Just as she would not meet with you when she aided in your liberation of the syrinthian turncoat, so now she will not meet with you for the same reasons.”

  Kari shook her head. She hated politics in general, but the machinations of the kings made the politics of Citaria look downright simple. “How long has she been kast’wa to Celigus?” she asked, referring to Citaria’s resident turncoat demon king.

  The question was clearly unexpected, and Amastri hesitated for a few moments while she considered Kari. “For well over one of your millennia now, though their relationship, even as kast’wasi, is rather atypical. But that is not for me to discuss with you; you may bring it up with Her Majesty if you truly wish all the details. Her activities in the bedroom are not my business, and certainly not to be discussed so casually, even to you,” the half-elf said, taking another sip of tea.

  Kari took a sip of her own, keeping up her poker face as well as possible. Amastri had strategically taken a sip of tea to hide a reaction, and Kari had to wonder if the half-elf had been chastised for letting out too many secrets or sensitive matters. It was obvious Amastri was being a little too forward and open with Kari, and the demonhunter had little doubt that the half-elf would quickly meet her end if she became a liability to her king. While a small part of Kari was tempted to make the demon king kill one of her own spies, Kari recognized that Amastri was as much an asset to her as the demon king.

  “So what can you tell me about this trip? What should I expect?” she asked.

  Amastri smiled – nervously? – and gestured lightly with her hands. “You will be under armed guard the entire way to Maurinoth, completely safe unless one of the kings themselves attacks you, which I assure you is an absolute impossibility within the Overking’s realm. From Anthraxis and the Overking’s holding, you will pass directly into Her Majesty’s realm, so there will be no opportunity for enemies to strike at you.”

  “Once you arrive safely at Her Majesty’s palace, I honestly cannot say what will occupy your time. As I have told you before, Her Majesty sees you as an asset, but she has also taken quite an interest in you. I am certain she will have several offers to make you, like services in exchange for services. Some, she will expect you to reject outright. Others may interest you, depending on what she desires in trade. Aside from that, you may expect some fine dining, perhaps a short tour of her local holdings, and a lot of chess. I do hope you enjoy playing chess.”

  Kari shook her head lightly, suppressing a smile as memories came to her. “Suler tried to teach me, but I never really took to the game. Maybe just because he managed to fluster me at every turn, even when he was only teaching me to play. Honestly, I spend enough real time on the battlefield without playing a game about it.”

  Amastri chuckled. “It is among Her Majesty’s favorite pastimes. She also uses it to gauge the abilities of her allies and enemies alike, so consider it a bit of a test, but not one that she will use to judge you completely. If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, humor her as much as you can on the matter. She will recognize that she is being patronized, but it should go to your credit.”

  Kari nodded, her thoughts wandering. She really wanted to know whether Amastri and, thereby, her king was aware of the Order’s discovery about the demon king. During the hunt for the Tilcimer, Kari’s in-laws and their close friends, collectively called the Silver Blades, had uncovered evidence that King Koursturaux had been somehow wrapped up with Seril. That evil would work with evil didn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but that the two had a relationship and even shared a surname was cause for alarm. If King Koursturaux had been considered or truly was a relation of Seril’s, then everything in the demon king’s plans might be some form of revenge on Citaria and its warriors.

  And that was only to speak of a king that saw Kari as an asset. After freeing Se’sasha, the syrinthian priestess, from Sekassus’ clutches, Kari was certain many of the kings now saw her as a direct threat. Sekassus was likely already setting numerous plans in motion to ensnare both Kari and the turncoat snake-woman, and the thought of his interference was what made Kari leery about going to Mehr’Durillia most of all. She and her friends had uncovered so much and been told so much more while they were there, and the Order was still sorting through all of it. Another trip to Mehr’Durillia, even if just to go have dinner and play chess in the realm of a “friendly” king, might unearth another wealth of information about their demonic enemies.

  That brought to mind an elestram who’d been killed aiding the Silver Blades when they confronted the Tilcimer and Seril’s son, Taesenus. Kari had used her limited contacts on Mehr’Durillia to try to locate the slain elestram’s sister, but to no avail. All they had was a pair of names to go on: Nessandra and Tarra. That wasn’t terribly much as it was, but the fact that Kari’s contacts could only enter Anthraxis or their own kings’ realms made getting any sort of information near-impossible. She had briefly considered “hiring” Amastri to put her contacts to work on the matter, but decided it wasn’t that big a priority yet.

  Remarkably, Amastri said and did nothing distracting while Kari was thinking. “All right, I’ll have to get in touch with Eliza again to take me to Mehr’Durillia, and I’m not sure when she’ll be available,” Kari said finally. Eliza was Celigus’ daughter, an archmage who sat on the High Council of Wizardry, and an ally to the people of Citaria. She was the one who took Kari and her companions to Mehr’Durillia the first time, and had helped them get settled in the city of Anthraxis once there.

&nb
sp; “Simply inform her of the urgent nature of this visit, and she will make time,” the half-elf returned. “Especially in light of her father’s relationship with Her Majesty.”

  Kari snorted. “So let’s move on to other matters, then. What news do you have of King Sekassus, or the Ashen Fangs, or of Taesenus, if any?”

  “Hmmm, well, I was not expecting to speak of those matters when I came to see you, but I will tell you what I may. King Sekassus has been quiet these last few months. As I believe you know, keeping spies in his realm is exceedingly difficult, so we have little reliable, first-hand information about his plans, but we do get the occasional message from rebellious sources. It would seem that his killing of another vulkinastra has upset the beshathan population of his realm, and rumor – as unreliable as it may be – points to him working to quell the very rebellion her death was supposed to prevent. It certainly makes one wonder if he has simply misread the prophecy that makes him so murderous when it comes to the albino mallasti, does it not?”

  “My brother-in-law said something like that some time ago,” Kari agreed. “Something about how sometimes, trying to prevent a prophecy from coming to pass is what actually makes it come to pass. He said something about the gods…about omniscience meaning that the prophecy takes into account the actions or inactions of those it affects?”

  Amastri bobbed her head. “Your brother-in-law is quite intelligent. I find myself in agreement with him on this. King Sekassus may, to borrow one of your peoples’ phrases, be tightening the noose about his own neck. We can only hope, yes?” Kari laughed. “Now, as to the Ashen Fangs, I have not heard much with regard to them, either. I can tell you that I have heard nothing about any sort of revenge aimed at you for the killing of Turillia, but again, my word only means so much where they are concerned.”

  “One of them was killed hunting Taesenus when my mate’s siblings and our friends went south to hunt that Tilcimer demon you’ve likely heard about by now,” Kari said. She tried to include as much information as possible without actually tipping her hand; she hoped that if Amastri knew anything about the journals and records they’d discovered, she might let that slip. “I don’t suppose you might know anything about that?”

  “I know only that Her Majesty put a sizeable bounty on Taesenus’ head. I have already told you what I know as far as the Ashen Fangs being contracted to make good on that bounty.”

  “The one that was killed was an elestram named Nessandra. She asked my friends to get a message to her sister if possible, a girl by the name of Tarra. Is there any way you could help get that message to her?”

  Amastri made a face. “There are likely a thousand Nessandras just in Mas’tolinor,” she said. “And I thought you would know that elestram are born in litters of three to five, so the odds of those Nessandras having sisters is exceedingly high. How would your people put such a prospect…finding a needle in a haystack?”

  “Some information gatherer you are,” Kari teased.

  The half-elf chuckled. “I can pass along your request, but the likelihood of us finding the elestram you are looking for is very small, without even taking into account that Nessandra and her sister may not even live in Mas’tolinor. Do you at least have a clan name to go with these two?”

  “Kivekt, I believe. Just put out the message, see what turns up, if you would,” Kari asked, fully expecting a price to be attached.

  Amastri nodded but made no such demands. “Kivekt is a very common surname, but it may help to narrow down where to look. As far as Taesenus, he has gone to ground, it would seem. I have no word of his presence here on Citaria or in Abaddon’s realm of Vistarra. It may be that your siblings and friends brought him closer to being caught than he was comfortable with, and he is looking for other friends and allies. If he is, however, he is not doing so on Mehr’Durillia, so far as my contacts are aware.”

  “I have no doubt we’ll see him again soon,” Kari said. “Likely when there aren’t so many of us working together.” That made her consider her potential hunt for Annabelle, and the dangers of going alone. Still, she was expected to complete her trials without an army or even a small unit at her back, so that would be a risk she’d have to take into consideration.

  “Any other questions for me?” Amastri asked, and Kari shook her head. “Very good. I will let Her Majesty know that you are planning to come see her in the next few weeks…? Yes, then I will pass that along and return to keeping my eyes and ears open to your other needs.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you soon, I’m sure,” Kari said by way of dismissal, and the half-elf rose and bowed her head respectfully. That surprised Kari a little bit, and she watched Amastri leave the conference room and shut the door behind her.

  Kari moved to her office, where she gave her attention to Jason Bosimar’s journals that were on her desk, and thought about all the things the previous Avatar had hidden. He’d hidden much of his work from his father, the Duke; it seemed he had hidden a family from just about everyone; and he’d hidden a few of his plots with the denizens of Mehr’Durillia from his own Order. Kari’s job as head of the Order was to sort it all out and make sure the former Avatar’s plans came to fruition if they were proper.

  It made her glad she hadn’t hidden her intentions from the Council on any of the matters she’d undertaken since becoming the Order’s head. She kept her leadership as transparent as was possible without letting all of the Order’s enemies in on their plans. The reward she got for such transparency was the complete and total trust of the Order, its Council, and their very god, Zalkar. Kari was well on her way to becoming the Avatar of Vengeance, and it seemed she had only one last but very dangerous mission to undertake to claim that title. But before she could do that, she had to go meet with a demon king.

  She was certainly living in interesting times. The real challenge would be explaining all of it to her family.

  Chapter II – Stability

  The trip home from work was a trudge through the rain and muddy roads, but the sound of Little Gray yelling “Mama’s home!” made all the aggravation melt away. Kari lifted up her son and carried him into the fireplace area, where most of her friends and family were gathered. Kari sat Little Gray down on one of the wide chairs and then took Uldriana from Frannie, the wet nurse. Kari sat down beside her son, holding her daughter, and Frannie rose and began gathering her things to leave.

  “You’re welcome to stay for supper if you like,” Kari offered.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose,” the nurse said.

  “There’s more than enough room, you wouldn’t be,” the demonhunter answered, and she crossed an ankle over the other knee and used it to support her arm and child. Uldriana latched on but seemed to have already had her fill, but Kari was glad to share the moment with her after a long day of work.

  “I made a couple of casseroles, so there will be plenty for everyone,” Kyrie said as she approached from the kitchen.

  Frannie agreed shyly and sat back down. Kari looked from the wet nurse to the rest of her family and friends, all presenting such a fascinating range of body types, from Eryn’s four-foot-eleven frame to the strapping, seven-foot-two Serenjols. Most interesting to Kari was Damansha, the burly half-elite beginning to show now as her pregnancy progressed. It wouldn’t be long before she was put on leave as a captain of the city watch, but with the success of Jol’s smithy, Kari figured they could easily support themselves on his earnings.

  “Anything interesting going on?” Ty asked Kari from the usual spot where he parked his wheelchair. “You were gone a long time today.”

  “Lots of things I can’t talk about,” Kari answered with the barest hint of a smile. She wondered if anyone would pick up on the fact that she’d invited Frannie to stay for dinner so she wouldn’t have to get into any of those issues now. “The rain never let up, so I never got a chance to train the recruits, but I had a lot of administrative things to take care of. Spent a while reading some more of Jason Bosimar’s journals, too.
Did any of you know he was a five-time national champion in wrestling?”

  “Yes, Sifu has mentioned it before at the dojo. They used to bring Jason in to help train their jiu-jitsu students because he was so good on the ground,” Aeligos answered.

  Danilynn asked Kari a question in the imperious tones of the infernal language, and the demonhunter took a few moments to translate the words in her head. The fures-rir priestess and Kari’s sister-in-law Sonja had been teaching her the infernal language when time permitted, and though Kari wasn’t fluent, she could understand conversations well enough and answer certain questions. She was confused by Danilynn’s question because the words seemed out of order, but then she remembered: word order changed in infernal when you changed to past or future tense. It was a fascinating language, but definitely a tricky one for Kari to pick up compared to elvish.

  “Not particularly, no,” she answered. “Why, did you need me for something?”

  Danilynn didn’t answer right away, and Kari rolled her eyes and chuckled, then she tried answering back in infernal. The priestess nodded encouragingly, but then thankfully switched back to the common tongue. “Eli wants to show me something at Kyrie’s old house tomorrow,” she said. “He wondered if you’d come along with me.”

  “Sure, why not?” Kari agreed. Kyrie’s old house had been converted into an orphanage at Kari’s suggestion when Kyrie moved into Kari’s home. Kyrie was high priestess to the god Kaelariel, and among his domains of freedom and death, he also had his clergy look out for and care for widows and orphans, of whom there were many after the Great War. If Eli wanted to show Kari something, assuming he wasn’t looking for a child to adopt – which would be odd, considering his mate was pregnant – the demonhunter figured the place might need repairs that she could put up the money for. When Kari thought of what a handful of wily orphans could do to her mother-in-law’s old house, she nearly burst out laughing.