Turillia was a brilliant fighter, one Kari would’ve loved to have as an ally, but Kari was confident she could beat the succubus in a straight-up duel. Up until now, every time Kari had faced Turillia, the succubus had held some advantage: Surprise, unfamiliarity, Kari being unarmored. Were they to fight now, evenly, Kari knew she’d emerge victorious.
Emma was the unknown variable, and one Kari was worried about. Emma’s power was like nothing she’d ever felt. She had seen a display like Emma's only once before, when the kirelas-rir war wizard Triela had unleashed her fury on the island of Tsalbrin. While Emma’s exact motives were still unknown, Kari was growing increasingly uncomfortable having so powerful a creature on her world.
I might have to call upon Triela or someone equally powerfully to help deal with Emma, Kari thought. Who else would be strong enough? Perhaps Maelstrom, or the shakna-rir court wizard, Blake Malgar?
A strange thought came to Kari’s mind: Emma was a victim here. Kari had no delusions about protecting Emma or helping her the way she’d helped the black dragon Ashurinax in her previous life, but realizing Emma was a victim allowed Kari to put her thoughts in order. Emma was trouble, no doubt, but Turillia was the aggressor here, and the greater evil. Turillia was murdering people; Emma—to Kari’s knowledge, anyway—was not. Turillia might open a portal to the underworld; Emma seemed intent on keeping any from being opened. Turillia wanted to become a goddess and a demon king; Emma seemed to have limitless arcane power, but was using it toward her master’s plan, whatever that may be. In short, Emma was less of a threat.
I’ve got to prioritize killing Turillia, she concluded. Capturing and questioning Emma has to be secondary.
Zalkar’s symbol began to pulse on her chest, illuminating the chamber with its soft blue light. Kari started to reach for a towel, fearful that Turillia might be close by. After glancing around, though, she realized her Blood Oath was reacting to her thoughts: Zalkar was agreeing with her. That settled her nerves, and she let her mind go blank, relaxing in the water.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Kari wondered how long she’d been soaking in the tub. The pruning of her fingers said she’d been daydreaming about the previous night and today’s plans for some time, so she called for whoever was there to enter.
“Are you proper?” Markus asked through the door.
Kari fought off a chuckle. “No, but I will be in a minute,” she called back, and she wrung the water from her hair before she got out of the tub. She was so used to being among her family and not worrying about being proper she forgot humans had different standards when it came to nudity. She dried herself off and got dressed in her dry, toasty garments. “All right, it’s safe for you to come in, Your Lordship.”
The paladin came in but averted his eyes until he felt Kari was fully dressed. “The marshal stopped by my cabin last evening and told me you wished to speak to me first thing this morning,” he said while Kari brushed her hair.
She sighed. “I’m going to need your help more than ever.” Kari brushed harder and faster as her emotions welled up.
She wasn’t even conscious of breaking some of the silky black strands until Markus took her hand gently to stop her. “What is wrong?” he asked. “You seem quite out of sorts.”
“Markus, I…,” she started. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and put her hand to the end of her snout. Kari called on Triela’s mental exercises, thought of the courage she’d summoned when she told her family of her past abuse, and the contentment she felt knowing she was a good person. She didn't want to break down in front of Lord Garant; he’d probably think she was unfit for hunting if she did. She got her emotions under control as much as she could and blurted, “Kaelin Black nearly raped me last night.”
“What?!” He turned Kari and grabbed both of her arms firmly but non-threateningly. “Tell me you jest, or I will go arrest him myself this very moment!”
Kari laid her hand on Markus’ shoulder and shook her head. “Don’t,” she said. “It… it wasn’t his fault. Markus, he’s been possessed by a shadow demon! I don’t know how it got into him, but it’s the same one that was possessing BlackWing.”
“Shepherd’s Mercy,” the paladin muttered. “BlackWing was possessed, you say?”
Kari gestured toward the common room to go sit and speak quietly. Markus opened and held the door for her, and Kari couldn’t help but smile as she passed through into the commons. Alyssa was tending to the hearth, and she offered her guests breakfast. Kari and Markus both agreed on their breakfast choices, and then took seats near the hearth to talk.
Markus laid his hand atop Kari’s. “Tell me everything, but take your time.”
Kari filled him in on all that had happened the night before. He was just as surprised as everyone else by Katarina’s display, and the set of his eyes showed he was alarmed by the description of the shadow demon. She described the fight at the graveyard and the involvement of the werewolves as fairly and accurately as she could. She told the paladin of her thoughts regarding Emma and Turillia. And she told him of her encounter with Kaelin Black, putting emphasis from the moment she felt the warning tingle in her mind to choking him unconscious.
“But he seemed… well, normal after he awakened?” Markus prompted her.
“He seemed more like himself, for what little I know of him,” she answered honestly. “I haven’t really told him anything, Markus, and now I’m glad I haven’t. I don’t know how much of what Lord Black knows is open to the demon, but I didn’t want to risk telling that demon anything about myself, my family or friends, or even Emma.”
“And you do not want him arrested?”
“No, not at all,” Kari answered. “We killed BlackWing, and the demon moved to Lord Black. I don’t know what that means, but it means you can trap the demon. As long as you can keep Lord Black busy, the demon won’t be able to go looking for trouble, and Turillia will have to stay away from him. Lord Black was also planning to have wards put around his tower to keep the demon out, so he may have trapped it in the tower with him. That is, assuming the wards are strong enough to hold a shadow demon; my Order doesn’t know much about them.”
“Well, I will lend you what aid I may, but I can only keep Lord Black busy for so much of any given day,” Markus said. “However, we may be able to have my students keep tabs on him when I am not meeting with him.”
“Or Sharyn,” Kari mused. He cocked his head; did he not know of Sharyn yet? Kari wondered what he’d think of Sherman’s relationship with the woman. The twins respected Markus as both a mentor and a nobleman, but did they look up to him as a father-figure as well? Either way, Markus had to watch the twins’ behavior carefully, making sure they didn’t stray from the path. If Markus found Sherman’s relationship with Sharyn questionable, Kari assumed he would step in. “So, the real trick will be keeping the succubus from entering his tower when you’re not around.”
“That should not be an issue. If the priests put a ward around Lord Black’s tower, the succubus will not be getting in or out of it, I am certain. As you said, I am not sure it will affect this shadow demon, but the succubus should not be strong enough to breach the defenses.”