Kari balked. “You mean Emma is a demon king?!”
“Oh gods, no,” Vlad said with a wave of his hand. He gestured toward Sherman.
The young paladin cleared his throat. “We found some information in one of Master Vlad’s books regarding mallasti. It said they don’t just have an affinity for arcane power, it’s in their very blood. They’re natural-born sorcerers.”
Kari puzzled it out after a few moments. “So, if she drinks Emma’s blood, arcane power will run through her veins and the power she’s stolen would be sealed in it as well?”
Vlad nodded. “This succubus… I don’t wish to sound as though I admire her, because I don’t, but she is fairly brilliant.”
“Not really,” Kari said. “She made the mistake of coming to my world to do this.”
The others laughed. “Quite right,” Sherman said.
“So, what do we do next?” Sharyn asked.
“Keep researching. Sharyn, if you’d rather explore the city a bit with Sherman, you can see if you can find any trace of where Turillia might be staying. Lord Garant said Zalkar’s priests set a ward around Lord Black’s tower, so she can’t hide there. She probably won’t be anywhere near the old city hall, since that’s where Emma lives at least part of the time. Eli is looking into that, as you know, so stay clear of there. If you want to look around, I’d suggest starting with the southwest district somewhere; that’s where Dominick detected her when he used his power,” Kari said.
“And you?” the ranger prodded.
“I’m going to see if I can find Eli, or go speak to Dominick if not,” Kari answered. She approached Master Vlad and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you so much for your help. I owe you and your deity a great debt.”
“We stand as your allies, and indeed as your friends,” Master Vlad countered. “And we ask nothing in return but the same.”
Kari patted the human’s shoulder with a smile, bid her friends farewell, and left the church. Now that she had a good idea of why Emma was the target, it was time to see if they could make her an ally—or at least a neutral party. And in that, Kari had to depend on Eli.
It was starting to get warm on the latter side of noon, and the streets were alive with the common folk looking forward to summer. The bazaar was chaotic as always when Kari passed through it. She kept her guard up on the off chance Turillia would turn to random killings. She had Zalkar’s symbol to give her advanced warning, but it didn’t emerge while she passed through the bazaar. When she reached the northeast district, she hoped Sharyn and Sherman had decided in favor of scouring the southwest. She had a pretty good idea of where to find Emma, and a working theory of what was to transpire between Emma and Turillia; now, all she needed was to find Turillia, or lure her out into the open.
From the first intersection along the northeast road, Kari was able to get a glimpse of the old city hall’s bell tower. It wasn’t a giant structure, just two stories with a bell tower that rose above the nearby residences and businesses. Why was it unused and unattended? Was it a show of power by Kaelin Black, leaving the old city hall to rot so the townsfolk were constantly reminded of who was truly in charge? That didn’t fit with what she knew of Kaelin Black; it was too blunt, even for him. He was far from philanthropic or openly benevolent, but he kept his anger and power-mongering subtle, so far as Kari had seen.
In the end, she supposed it wasn’t important. Her mind turned to Eli and whether he’d been successful. Going near the old city hall might put Eli and their plan at risk, so she turned east toward Dominick’s house. The old wizard had seemed sure his wards would hold against Turillia, but the shadow demon and Emma were another matter.
I don’t think Emma would bother the old man, but if the shadow demon escaped Black’s tower somehow, it might be looking for revenge or release.
She hurried her footsteps and turned up the road to Dominick’s house. The old wizard was on his front porch speaking with Eli. From the look of the wizard’s cozy home, there hadn’t been any trouble overnight. Dominick appeared to be in good spirits as he talked with the half-corlyps. Kari was glad the old wizard was all right, and she waved and approached. The two men returned the gesture and brought their discussion to a halt when she arrived.
Kari hugged Eli when she reached him. He returned it after a brief hesitation. She wanted to ask what he’d found but turned to Dominick first. “I’m glad to see you’re all right.”
“The night was quiet, though I must confess I did not sleep very well,” the old man said with a chuckle. “I appreciate you checking in on me. Did you learn anything new? Eli said there was a battle at the cemetery and told me of his own encounter with a shadow demon.”
Kari took a few minutes to fill Dominick in on the details of the prior night’s fights. She told both men about the graveyard having been mysteriously put back together in the early hours of morning. She filled them in on the research, Master Vlad’s discovery, and what she believed was the true purpose behind Turillia’s actions. Kari still wasn’t clear on all of the implications, but took comfort knowing things were finally falling into place.
“Were you able to talk to Emma?” she asked Eli when she finished.
The half-corlyps didn’t answer immediately. He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the old city hall, and Kari braced herself for bad news. “Yeah, I was able to talk to her,” he said, turning back to her. He held out the celestial token, and Kari stared at the disc before taking it. “That won’t buy her favor. Keep it; it may still be useful when you go back home.”
“What did she say? Did she tell you why she’s here?”
Eli sighed. “She wouldn’t tell me what her orders are,” he said. “We’re not friends, and she reminded me of that fact rather bluntly.”
Why did that surprise him? she wondered but stayed on point. “So, she didn’t tell you anything useful?”
“I didn’t say that,” he returned. “She won’t tell me what her orders are, but she did confirm that she came to see what Turillia is about. She knows Turillia is drawing power from a shadow demon, and she knows her own blood is the seal for Turillia to keep that power forever. So, what Master Vlad and the kids discovered is more or less right.”
“So why didn’t Emma just kill Turillia in the graveyard?”
“Remember when I told you Emma is an observer?” Eli asked, and Kari nodded. “It’s still essentially true. I know she’s up to something, but like I said, she’s just a slave. She follows her master’s orders without question, but she does it through manipulation instead of direct conflict. I know that sounds strange considering how powerful she is, but she doesn’t want to attract any more attention than she already has—from your Order or the demon kings she’s working to thwart.”
“So, she wants to stay in the shadows,” Kari mused.
“She didn’t say as much, but she’s probably also prodding your Order toward a specific goal,” Eli added. “She’s a master manipulator. If she wanted to kill Turillia herself, I’m sure she could in a way that wouldn’t attract attention. She wants you to do it, probably to lead you toward another of her master’s goals. No sense killing her master’s enemies and getting them angry with her when she can have your Order take care of it and shoulder the blame.”