“I’ll be fine, but thank you,” she answered.
Eli smiled and nodded. “I’m just in the next room over, so if you need anything, you know where to find me,” he said. He bid her goodnight and closed her door.
The door clicked in its latch. Kari picked up her swords and wedged them hilt-up in the crevice between bed and wall, that they would be easily in reach should anything happen during the night. She stripped completely, slid with a purr into the soft, warm bed, and closed her eyes, thinking of her mate and child.
Kari and Eli were invited to break their fast with the earl and the Moreville twins the following morning. The earl was younger than Kari expected, only a few years older than the twins, if her estimation was correct. He rose in her presence, and stood just a couple of inches taller than she. He had shoulder-length blonde hair and pale green eyes. His skin was of a light complexion, as was common among the humans in the southlands, his clothing fine and colored with the same browns, golds, whites, and greens that showed in his family’s coat of arms. The lower edge of a tattoo showed below the short left sleeve of his tunic, though Kari couldn’t make out what it was. Kari bowed to him slightly, as did Eli, Sherman, and Katarina.
“Good morning, Lady Vanador,” he said. He waited for Kari to take her seat.
“Good morning, erm, Your Grace?” Kari ventured before sitting.
The earl smiled and sat. “Lord Lajere is my proper formal title, and an earl is normally greeted as Your Lordship; but please, call me Markus,” he said before gesturing toward Eli’s chair. “Welcome to my home, Mr. Sorivar; please have a seat and join us for the morning meal.”
“Just call me Eli, Your Lordship,” the half-corlyps said cordially.
There was a quiet minute as everyone sat and the servants placed plates of cold fruits, warm bread, and pastries on the table. The table was located in a rear dining room that had east-facing windows so the sunlight streamed in. The table suggested the earl’s family was small and that he rarely had many guests—or, if he did, he entertained them in another room. Kari had grown accustomed to the country-home feeling of dining with her family, enjoying the bountiful meals her mate and her mother-in-law prepared in the presence of all of her in-laws. No matter how many times she took a meal with the nobility or upper echelons of society, she always felt out of place.
Trying not to laugh at herself, Kari turned toward Katarina, who looked stunning, the maturity of the previous few years showing on her much differently than Sherman. Gone were the utility clothes and the rugged look of someone who had labored on the islands, replaced with the smoother, less-tanned skin of a noblewoman. Had Kari not met her three years before, she might’ve believed Katarina had grown up in the castle, but for the flowing locks of brown hair and the chestnut eyes that said she wasn’t a member of the earl’s family. Sitting at the morning table, she was dressed in a simple white gown highlighted in beiges and browns, accenting her hair and eyes and the warm features of her face.
When she noticed her friend’s stare, Katarina beamed her disarming smile. “It’s so good to see you again, Kari. What brings you down this way?”
Kari started to speak but stopped herself. She cast a questioning gaze toward the earl; she wasn’t certain that business was a proper topic for the mealtime table. He understood her hesitation and gestured for her to speak freely. She finished chewing and wiped her mouth before she spoke. “Unfortunately, a hunt. And it’s related to the reason Eli and I are here.”
Katarina regarded her mentor for a moment, and Markus nodded. “I suppose there is little reason to put off discussing the incident last night; please explain,” the earl said.
While her companions continued to eat, Kari folded her napkin and laid it on the table. She glanced briefly at Eli before she met the earl’s powerful gaze. “A couple of weeks ago, Kaelin Black showed up on our doorstep at the Order’s campus,” she began. She paused as the earl gave her a sour look. She thought perhaps referring to his fellow earl casually or even rudely had prompted the look, but Markus made an apologetic gesture and motioned for her to continue. “He came asking for the Order’s help with what he described as a serial killer. He said there had been over two dozen killings in only a couple of short weeks, and that his own men and a hired brys failed to find out anything about the killer. Despite our feelings toward Lord Black—feelings I guess you share—we’re sworn to help his people, if not for his sake.”
Markus wiped his mouth, and Kari paused to let him speak. “Indeed. Earl Southwick has long been a thorn in my family’s side, whether at the duke’s castle or when dealing with him regarding inter-county matters. I will warn you that helping that man poses a great danger to you, but I will elaborate more when you have finished your tale. Forgive my interruption; please continue.”
Kari smiled at the earl’s polite demeanor, glad her friends had found so promising a mentor to continue their paladin training. Kari continued, “Lord Black—or Southwick—was only in the city for a few hours before the demon he came to ask our help with showed up, killed several people, and nearly killed several others, myself included. I was assigned by the council to track down the demoness—a dangerous cross of syrinthian and succubus—and, in the process, draw her back to Barcon.”
“So, you chose to hunt this creature alone?” Sherman prompted. After the discussion he’d had with Kari and Eli the night before, it no doubt struck him as odd.
“Not exactly,” Kari answered. She realized she had her elbows on the table and shifted her arms to correct herself, which drew amused smiles from her three friends. “I came down this way because I thought you might be able to help me. The succubus has already seen several of our other companions, so I thought I’d better bring some friends she doesn’t know and won’t recognize. So, you two sprang to mind, and perhaps the earl, if His Lordship is willing.”
“An interesting proposition,” Markus said. “This succubus, she followed you here to Lajere, and attacked you while you were speaking with Mr. Sorivar?”
“The lady was asking me about some work I did for her Order years ago, before the Great War,” Eli chimed in. Being primarily carnivorous as a half-corlyps, he barely touched the grand assortment of fruits and pastries. “With the late hour, I offered to let her stay in one of the nicer rooms of my establishment, so she could come see you in the morning. I went up to her room later in the evening to give her something related to her questions, and I knew something was wrong. I broke the door of her room off its hinges, and found a succubus in there with her.”
“Were you attacked?” Markus asked, shock evident on his features.
“Not at first,” Kari answered. “She was with me in my dreams, trying to figure out my fears. When I woke up to Eli breaking into the room, there was a brief fight. She cut my leg, but it was a minor wound; it’s already well on the mend thanks to my deity’s power. She bit Eli, though, and I suspect she stole some of his essence.” The half-corlyps pulled down the collar of his tunic so the others could see the sutured wounds, and Kari continued, “Fortunately, no one else was hurt in the attack.”
“What do you suppose she gained by stealing some of Mr… Eli’s essence?”