“No, Lady Vanador; thank you,” he returned with a smile. He turned toward Eli then, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Had I known you would be with Lady Vanador, I would have had a set crafted for you as well.”
“What?” Eli blurted with a double take.
“Do not think the Unyielding has been ignorant to your contributions to our cause all these years. In light of your past service, and the aid you gave to Lady Vanador in this most recent mission, I have been given the authority to welcome you to the ranks of the Demonhunter Order, should you so choose to join.”
“I’ve never been very good at taking orders,” Eli admitted.
“Perhaps not from Jason Bosimar or Lord Allerius, no. However, I think you may learn to do so very quickly with a woman like Lady Vanador as commander,” the priest countered. “If you wish to join, the invitation is open. You will, of course, be required to attend the Academy to learn our policies and procedures in hunting, but I think you will have little trouble passing the physical portions of our basic training.”
“I’ll definitely think about it,” Eli said, at a loss. “When do you need an answer?”
“I do not require an answer. Should you wish to join, accompany Lady Vanador back to DarkWind and she will initiate you herself. She is now the head of the Order, you know,” the priest quipped, and the three laughed.
“Thank you; it’s an honor to even be asked,” the half-corlyps said, and it was his turn to chuckle as Kari squeezed his shoulder.
“Master, how well-protected is the Temple of Archons?” Kari asked.
“There is a full military unit camped at the base of the mountain on which it sits, and we have been rotating shifts of two to four demonhunters to keep watch over it as well,” the high priest answered. “Has there been a change in the threat to the Temple?”
“I’m not sure,” Kari answered. “We encountered the mallasti Emma again during this mission. At first, I thought maybe she was looking to get revenge for the fact that I helped stop her plans on Tsalbrin, but as the mission wore on, I started to suspect that wasn’t the truth. She had several chances to kill me, and though she left me in danger a few times, she never took advantage of those opportunities herself. She helped me indirectly in killing Turillia—the succubus I hunted in Barcon.”
“You think she seeks to manipulate you, perhaps?” he reasoned.
“Yes, because I found out in the end that I am, in fact, Salvation’s Dawn.”
The priest put his hand over his mouth while he studied Kari’s face. “This is actually quite a positive thing,” he said at length. “If it were anyone else that was Salvation’s Dawn, they might be in greater danger. However, the head of the Demonhunter Order being Salvation’s Dawn will make any attempts by the demons to capture them—you, I suppose—so much harder. I must ask, though: How do you know you are Salvation’s Dawn?”
“A wizard who aided us in Barcon found out inadvertently,” Kari said, managing not to trip over the last word.
“How many others know of this?”
“Myself, Eli, the wizard Dominick Harrington, and Lord Kaelin Black,” Kari said. She saw the high priest’s mouth tighten when she mentioned the earl’s name, so she added, “All of them have sworn to keep it a secret. They know what’s at stake if the demons find out.”
“Very good. This is fascinating,” Master Surallis said, and Kari almost chuckled at how he echoed Dominick’s typical reaction to things. “I will consult with the other high priests of the pantheon and see what we can find out with regards to Salvation’s Dawn. Our assumption has long been that Gori Sensullu passed this gift down through the generations, so that one day he could open the Temple for whatever reason. However, with the creator’s death and his son’s seeming indifference to the Temple, we began to suspect that perhaps Salvation’s Dawn was no longer of use. Let me see what we can find out through cooperative study and prayer.”
“Is there anything I should do in the meantime?” Kari asked.
Master Surallis waved off her concerns. “No, Lady Vanador. Even in light of the fact that you are Salvation’s Dawn, you should change nothing about your life or the way you conduct yourself. Continue to slay demons that are a threat to you or our world, and do not think that you should hide yourself from the dangers they pose. Gori Sensullu did not create the gift of Salvation’s Dawn so that it could be hidden in a cellar; you are a light for all the world to see. And the demons will come to know that trying to capture Salvation’s Dawn and use it for their own ends can lead only to their destruction.”
“I understand, Master,” Kari said, and she bowed her head. “I won’t be staying long. I’ll be leaving for DarkWind tomorrow morning, but it was a pleasure to see you again.”
“The pleasure was mine, Lady,” Master Surallis said. “Farewell to you, and to you as well, Mr. Sorivar.”
Eli bowed to the priest and followed Kari out to the streets. He regarded her under the strong afternoon sun, likely wondering about the fact that she was Salvation’s Dawn. She realized after a minute that he probably had no idea what Salvation’s Dawn even was.
Whatever the case, he didn’t ask any questions. He gestured across the way toward Garra Ktarra’s church, and then led her to where they should find Danilynn Stahlorr.
25
Full Disclosure
The church of Garra Ktarra was unlike any Kari had ever been inside. The interior was kept dim, the front doorway and windows shrouded so the room was only a few shades above darkness, just enough so that humans could see. The air was warm and quiet, heated by ensconced torches that shed minimal illumination, and whose gentle lapping was nearly the only sound. The air was full of the scent of incense, though it was light and pleasant compared to some churches. Within moments of entering, Kari felt relaxed and at peace, and the quiet sigh that escaped Eli said he felt the same way.
The floors and walls were made of marble, and there were columns set about the room so as not to obstruct the view of the altar. The altar itself stood on a short dais in the back, but it was not the altar that drew Kari’s attention. Instead, her gaze was drawn to the wall behind the altar, where, halfway up, a pair of engraved, glowing green eyes stared at her with a cold intensity. The eyes may have been carved into the stone, but between their enchanted glow and the way the dim firelight of the torches danced around them, they seemed very much alive.
Transfixed by the eyes, neither Kari nor Eli saw the rir priest as he approached. “The eyes of the Night Runner see all,” he greeted them.
Kari turned to the priest and hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should bow or salute him. She went with the latter, tapping her fist over her heart with a bow of her head, and Eli bowed politely. The priest, an elder terra-rir with the white hair and green eyes typical to his kind, bowed his head to his guests. His eyes were glowing slightly in the dim light, but Kari could see well enough to make out the age lines on his snout and around his eyes. She guessed he'd been quite handsome in his younger days, and age had given him a wizened charm.
“Welcome to the grand temple of Lord Garra Ktarra, demonhunter,” the priest said. “I am Maurice Elutire, his high priest. How may we be of service to you?”