She was tempted to ask Eli more—about his background, his adventures, his thoughts on Emma and Amastri, and especially his tattoo—but further conversation was interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves.
7
The Earl of Lajere
The effects of three years were apparent.
Though he wasn’t quite fully mature, Sherman cut a much more dignified profile than he had the first time Kari met him. He stood speaking to the captain in charge of the situation at The Satin Palace, and Kari saw that his years under the tutelage of Count Markus Garant had sculpted the young human into a fine example of a man. His beard was fuller but still trimmed, accenting his jaw and his lean facial features, though his straight brown hair was shorter than Kari remembered, only reaching his shoulder blades while still kept in a neat tail. Sherman stood with his hands folded behind his back as he received a report of the incident from the watch captain, and Kari could see that though he was only twenty years old, Sherman had matured a great deal.
He had a steel breastplate on over a riding outfit, which suggested he’d been concerned with speed and not a confrontation. He wore a tabard displaying the coat of arms of the county, and had a longsword belted on his hip rather than the two-hander he had trained with during their trip to Tsalbrin. Kari recalled the grievous injuries the young man had received in battle with General Braxus Gaswell three years earlier, and was glad to see Sherman had recovered fully and still pursued the path of a paladin. She waited for him to finish speaking with the captain, and noted that Eli was watching the young human with a wary expression.
Once Sherman finished speaking with the captain, the watchman gestured toward Kari and Eli. The young human turned and his eyes widened in surprise. “Kari!” he said with a smile, and she could see the light in his chestnut eyes even from across the room.
“It’s good to see you again, Sherman,” she returned. She rose and accepted a hug once the paladin closed the distance between them. He seemed taller than she remembered, though not by much, and it nearly made her chuckle to think of anyone as tall compared to her in-laws.
“The guards mentioned there was a demonhunter in the city investigating the incident, but I would’ve never guessed it was you,” Sherman said. “What brings you this way, my friend? Are Grakin and the little one with you?”
Kari beheld her friend for a few moments, astounded by how much he’d grown up. She could only imagine how beautiful his twin sister Katarina had become in that same span. Sherman’s voice was deep and more dignified than she remembered, and he spoke with the grace and mannerisms appropriate to one who trained with the nobility.
I’m really interested in meeting the count, she thought.
“No. Unfortunately, I came here on business, so they’re at home in DarkWind,” she answered. “And that business seems to have followed me here, which is why this happened. On a positive note, I think this demoness that attacked is simply after me, so once I’m out of the area, the city should be safe again.”
Sherman considered her, but then he turned to look at Eli. “Mr. Sorivar,” he greeted the half-corlyps, who returned the greeting just as stiffly. Kari wondered what their relationship was like. She could hear the lack of warmth in their greeting, and wondered if Eli’s connections to the Five Clans were a part of it. Sherman was polite, as she assumed he always was, but it was clear he considered Eli a problem, just as it was clear Eli didn’t like having the paladin in his establishment.
“You say it was a succubus?” Sherman asked, turning his attention back to Kari.
“It’s a fairly complicated story, one I’d rather wait to share until I can tell it to you, your sister, and the count.”
His brows rose, but then he nodded. “The earl,” he corrected with his warm smile. “I suppose it might be best to have you stay the rest of the night at the castle, if you don’t mind a short ride. Unless you or Mr. Sorivar are uncomfortable leaving this place for the evening…?”
“With the help of your guards, I’m sure we can keep the building secure,” Eli said.
“I understand, but the earl will doubtless want to speak with you to get as much information as he can,” Sherman said.
It seemed to take Eli a second to register what Sherman meant, and he cocked his head curiously. “You want me to stay the night at the castle?” he asked, and he grunted a laugh when the paladin nodded. “Well, I’ll be damned. Always figured the only way you’d ever ask me to the castle was if there was a noose waiting for me.”
Sherman smirked and turned back to Kari. “I don’t mind walking to the castle, it doesn’t look that far,” she commented, but the paladin waved his hand dismissively.
“You may take my steed,” he offered. “I will not ride while a woman walks.”
Eli chuckled and walked over to instruct his bouncers and security personnel on what to do in his absence. He put his armor back on and retrieved some leisure clothes to take with him, and Kari took the time to fetch her own things from her suite.
Soon, they were on their way to the castle, and their breath showed in the cool air of the spring night. The moons were bright, lightening the land enough that approaching danger would be easy to spot, but Kari kept on the alert, remembering how suddenly and brutally the demoness had attacked in DarkWind.
It’d been ages since Kari had ridden a horse, but the basics came back to her. Sherman’s steed was a beautiful, muscular white gelding with an intricate military-style saddle, and showed no fear while the winged female mounted up. Kari recalled the lessons on proper posture, and a smile found its way to her face as she thought of all she had learned from Suler. As someone accustomed to traveling back and forth across continents on foot, riding in a coach, wagon, or even on horseback always felt alien to her. She supposed she’d better get used to it, considering she’d likely be riding a horse the remainder of the way to Barcon.
Kari regarded the two men with her as they kept a steady pace along the road under the light of the moons. Sherman and Eli made an interesting pair, and Kari couldn’t help but wonder if Eli had any idea what Sherman had been through on Tsalbrin. Did he know the young human had nearly been killed in the final conflict with General Gaswell? She wasn’t sure how old Eli was, but he had the look of a grizzled veteran about him, and the fact that he’d served under Jason Bosimar before the War suggested he was likely in his thirties or forties. That was still young for a serilian-rir, but in the times he’d lived in, it meant he had quite a bit of experience. Kari assumed Eli looked at Sherman as an unseasoned whelp, and suspected that the half-corlyps didn’t think very much of the young paladin, based on their interactions.
“So how did you two meet?” she queried. She couldn’t help but chuckle when the two men looked at each other and seemed to hold a silent conversation.
“You want to tell her?” Eli asked dryly after a few moments.
“I wouldn’t dream of denying you the pleasure,” Sherman answered, seeming all at once amused and embarrassed.
“The earl and his family have never liked having a brothel in the city, but as long as I’ve run it, I’ve had an understanding with them,” Eli began as they left the city’s confines. He glanced around warily and continued, “A couple of years ago we had a drifter come through the city who thought slapping girls around meant he was tough, and that paying them for their company meant he could slap them around at will… right up until I threw him out of a third-story window. As I told you earlier, we have strict rules about that sort of thing, and my understanding with the earl has always been that inside that building, my word is law.”