“Nothing of the sort that I’m aware of,” the marshal said. He took his hat off, stepped into the church proper, and sat down on one of its benches. He spun his hat slowly as he held it before him. When he turned his dark eyes back up to Kari, he continued, “I understand why you don’t trust Lord Black, and your Order’s feelings on him. I imagine it must be difficult for you to trust me as a result. However, you don’t fully understand the function of my position. I am a marshal: technically, I am supposed to be under order of the king, but since the king pays little enough attention to what goes on in our parts of the country, I am instead the duke’s man. So, while I work with and answer to Lord Black, I am not beholden to him. I have the authority to arrest and depose Lord Black, and that power comes from the duke. So, when I tell you that I will help you in any way possible, I mean it.”
“You work for the duke?” Kari repeated. She folded her arms across her chest; this was an interesting development.
“Ultimately, I answer to His Grace,” he confirmed. “In the course of my duties, I am expected to work with the earl and safeguard his home city and county. However, when his orders or desires go against those of the duchy, my duties to His Grace supersede my duties to Lord Black. You should also consider that the duke has great respect for the Demonhunter Order on account of his lineage, so on matters involving the Order, my authority broadens.”
Kari didn’t react to his last declaration immediately, still hung up on what he’d said about answering to the duke over Lord Black. If that was true, and Lord Black still trusted the marshal enough to keep him by his side all the time, such would point to Kaelin Black either being truly innocent, or unbelievably devious. Kari wanted to give it some more thought, but she perked back up. “His lineage?” she repeated. “Who’s the Duke of Sutherland these days?”
“I thought you would know,” Saracht chided her with the barest hint of a smile. “His Grace, Krycyd Jalar, is a descendent of one of your Order’s greatest champions.”
Kari wasn’t familiar with much of the nobility, but that was shocking. Turik Jalar had sired several children with his mate, but none of them had become hunters. If she recalled correctly, some had followed the path of the paladin and joined a militant paladin order called Avengers, who served the Ghost similarly to how demonhunters served Zalkar. The name James Jalar came to mind; he’d been head of the Avenger Order but was killed in the Apocalypse. She guessed Krycyd must be James’ son, following in his father’s footsteps as a paladin, and lineage as duke. If the marshal served the duke, and the duke was part of the Avenger Order, then Kari could rest a lot easier having the marshal and his men work for her.
“So, I can trust you?” the demonhunter asked rhetorically. She was answered with a simple nod, but the strength of Saracht’s eye contact carried as much weight as a spoken oath to her. “I need to know if any of what my Order suspects is actually true: If your boss is a criminal, if he conspires with demons, if he’s really the head of the Black Dragon Society, and if he’s in bed with this assassin, one way or another.”
Marshal Saracht stood and put his hat on, and he gestured toward the door. “While such questions demand in-depth answers, Lady Vanador, all I can say on those matters is not to my knowledge,” he answered, stepping outside. “I understand the suspicions that surround Lord Black, and the reputation he has been saddled with throughout much of his life. However, for as long as I have served him, never once have I witnessed him committing a crime, ordering a crime committed, conspiring with demons or their servants, working with the Black Dragon Society, or speaking with this assassin in any way. And he is certainly not BlackWing. If he had done any one of these things, I would have arrested him, as I explained.
“Perhaps there were other things that made your Order suspect him in the days of your first life; on that, there is little I can say. However, I can tell you what I know of one of your Order’s suspicions. The priests of Achirun are only allowed to stay in the city because Lord Black calls upon their services in rendering justice. You will find their church sees few visitors outside of those seeking representation before the law. All that being said, I have long suspected that much of Lord Black’s reputation stems from the fact that he is the only half-demon in a position of nobility, a fact that has irritated his fellow nobles for centuries.”
Kari hadn’t considered that, even after speaking to Kaelin Black directly. Since she had worked extensively with serilis- and serilian-rir since her resurrection—not to mention the fact that she was mated to one—she’d forgotten how poorly they were treated before Kaelariel’s rise to power. It was possible everything attributed to Kaelin Black was propaganda aimed at having the only “half-demon” noble removed from power. She found it improbable, but it wasn’t impossible, and she was half-tempted to put some stock in it simply based on the marshal’s words. As hard as it was for her to trust Lord Black, she couldn’t deny that it was becoming more and more likely that he was innocent of any wrongdoing where this syrinthian assassin was concerned, at least.
“So, what was it you wanted to talk about?” Kari asked. His words had already helped quell a few of her fears, and if everything he said was true—and she had no reason to feel otherwise now—then she could focus her efforts away from Kaelin Black.
“There has been another killing, and I would like you to look at the scene,” he answered, gesturing for her to accompany him. “My detectives have already scoured the scene for clues, but I would like the perspective of a demonhunter to see if there is anything we have been missing. At the very least, you will have the opportunity to see if the killing fits anything you know of ritualistic murder.”
“Let me get one of the priests from the Unyielding’s church; they’ll know more about ritual magic and what we’re dealing with,” Kari said, and the marshal readily agreed. “I need to let them know what we’ve found out so far, as little as that may be.”
The marshal returned to the church with her. At least he wasn’t aware of any portals. That left the possibility that BlackWing had or was building one. “Are you aware of anyone else building something big, like a portal?” she asked. “I’d guess there would be a lot of stone being purchased and delivered, and masons being hired to work it somewhere within the city.”
“No, as I said, I am not aware of any such thing being built, by Lord Black or anyone else, but once we deal with this murder scene, I will set my men to investigating the possibility.”
Kari nodded. If they could eliminate portal magic, that would rule out the murders being a ritual to summon a demon king. Still, Kari couldn’t shake the feeling that the killings played into something much larger, and she wondered if her life being taken would factor into it. She swallowed uneasily as she realized twenty-nine murders had now been committed.
14
Demon Against Demon
Sherman, Katarina, and Sharyn were already at the scene. They stood outside chatting, and Kari guessed they had already taken a look. They greeted Kari but didn’t stop her, and she headed inside with the other two men in tow.