“They used to tell us at the Academy, you change the world by saving one life at a time,” Kari agreed. “It took me a long time to realize they didn’t just mean saving people by hunting demons. Considering it was a demonhunter that saved me from a short life that ended on the gallows, I guess I should’ve figured that out a lot faster.”
Eli fixed her with another curious glance, but Alyssa’s smile broadened. “The gods only know how many lives you’ve saved, or at least changed,” she said. “I swore to you I would never forget your kindness, and I never have. I try to return your favor by helping the homeless and the poor whenever it’s within my means.”
“That’s all anyone can really ask for,” Kari said, and she went quiet and began to eat.
The others also took to their meals, and there was a silent but pleasant air about the table. The turkey was moist and savory, cooked in a mixture of herbs and spices, and the potato pie and mixed vegetables only helped bring out the full flavor of the meal. Kari nursed her drink, enjoying its taste but avoiding intoxication. No one spoke while they ate, but it was as close to home as Kari could imagine while sharing a meal with relative strangers, and contentment settled into her soul.
After supper, Kari helped Alyssa and Chelsea clean up the dishes and glasses, despite the innkeeper’s protest. Kari was happy to be of help like she was at home. While they cleaned up, some of Kaelin Black’s guards arrived in the company of Marshal Saracht, and the marshal spoke with Eli about how best to use his men. Eli’s experience as the head of security for his brothel served them well, and he suggested watching from nearby rooftops as well as regular patrols and setting burglar traps near the inn’s upper-floor windows.
Alyssa was more relaxed with the marshal’s men watching over her inn. With the two men engrossed in their work, Kari got their room keys, and took her and Eli’s packs upstairs to put them in their respective rooms.
When Kari had visited three years before, Dave and Millie had given her the master suite free of charge, but Kari refused to take the inn’s most desirable room this time. She took one of the smaller dormitories and set Eli’s pack into the one next door. The rooms were cramped but efficient, clearly not meant for more than sleeping or sex. They had only a credenza with a wash basin on top, a bed, a nightstand that was little more than a stool with a lantern on it, and an armoire that was big enough to hold a few days’ outfits. Their windows were tiny and allowed just enough light to filter in so that the guests should be awakened with the morning sun. The master suite, Kari remembered, was bigger than the room she and Grakin shared, but a part of her felt much more at home in this cozy little dorm.
Kari lay down on the bed to test its comfort, and as she gazed to the little window high above, she was glad to see it wasn't big enough for even a lithe succubus to slip through. If the assassin wanted to attack her in the dormitory, she would have to either teleport in or come in through the door, and this time, Kari wouldn’t leave anything to chance. She planned to go to the Unyielding’s temple and see if the priests could ward the inn against demons, or at the very least give her some tips on preventing the succubus from slipping into her room.
She was nervous about being attacked in her dreams again, but there was a strange sense of challenge there. A part of her wanted to face the succubus in her dreams and beat her there as well. It was dangerous, but after the way she had begun to turn her dreams against her assailant in Lajere, Kari believed she had the will to do so.
Kari didn’t want to doze off, especially after eating such a rich meal, so she rose and returned to the common room. She was surprised to see Eli and the marshal shake hands as their conversation came to an end. Eli had said he was never very good at taking orders, so she found it odd that he and the head of Black’s police force would get along well. She supposed it was because they both—theoretically—were in the business of protecting others, and there was a clear respect there Kari appreciated.
The marshal nodded politely to Kari. “I believe we have come to a suitable arrangement, Lady Vanador. The inn should be well-protected. Now, if you will excuse me, I will see to other matters of security.”
He took his leave, and Eli turned to Kari expectantly. She nodded toward the door. “Let me introduce you to Zalkar’s priests,” she said. “I want to get their help protecting the inn and see if they have any information that might help us in this hunt.”
“Sounds good,” Eli said. He and Kari bid Alyssa farewell, stepped past some patrons coming in for supper, and headed toward the temple.
When they entered the church, Devin Sanstrom was giving a pre-supper sermon to a handful of worshipers. Devin was the same priest who was in charge when Kari had passed through three years before. He was an elder human, in his sixties if Kari’s instincts were right, and wore the typical light blue robe common among the Unyielding’s clergy. Kari didn’t know him personally, but she had a healthy respect for him on account of being the head of a church of Zalkar in a city like Barcon. Such had to mean he was well-trusted by Zalkar and his fellow priests, and held in high regard by Attir Surallis, the Unyielding’s high priest.
Devin met Kari’s eyes, and he nodded and gestured to one of the benches. Kari and Eli took seats and waited for the sermon to come to a close. By the way Eli looked around, Kari guessed he’d never been inside one of the Unyielding’s churches before. It struck her as odd after how long he’d worked for Bosimar and the Order, but he’d mentioned being uncomfortable walking the grounds of the demonhunter campus. She figured he wasn’t one to hang around in churches, either.
Kari thought of Eli’s tattoo and his “fear” of the demonhunter patron; did he serve any of the gods? Did he believe any of them were gods at all? She hadn’t seen any holy symbols on his person when he was stripped to the waist in Lajere. The way he looked around the church now, Kari wondered if he might feel his past was unforgivable. Had that given rise to his protective nature? He was such an enigma, and his faith or lack thereof added to the mystery.
Agnosticism and atheism were rare among the rir; nearly all their pantheon was once mortal, and sometimes seen upon the world itself. Of course, those who fell into one of those beliefs usually pointed to those facts as their basis. Kari found it all rather strange, but then she had to admit she’d always thought of Zalkar as a boss, and not so much her deity. Despite her feelings and her doubts, Zalkar had apparently never doubted her: Kari had wielded his power many, many times before. Whether it was the minor healing she could draw from him or in the tremendous power she’d used to destroy the demon prince, Ressallk, she knew he was real.
Kari believed in the gods and their benevolence, but at the same time, she had a hard time dedicating herself to any one of them. She supposed overall, her faith was simply in the strength and goodness of the pantheon as a whole; if she had to choose any one deity she felt closest to, her choice, oddly enough, would be Sakkrass.
Kari’s mind wandered with thoughts of her adoptive celestial father. She’d never heard anything regarding Sakkrass introducing himself to her pantheon, as he’d said he would when she encountered his avatar on Tsalbrin. Kari could feel his presence in her mind at times, so she was sure he watched over her. But why he hadn’t allied himself with her deity?