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aineng’s gray hulk emerged from the icy mist, revealing a day that was both bright and brittle. The cold still air was ruddy with filth and in need of a good wind or rain shower to make the air palatable. Not that her opinion about the weather or the relative filth of the world’s most crowded city counted for much. Ebony Starfall was a practical woman, and her practicality was causing her to question this brave move so late in life.
She sat on the dock amid a small mountain of chests and bags. Her pair of tawny cats howled miserably in their leather-bound cages. Wrapped in three layers of finest Kamadan linen, nothing had prepared her for the chill of a Canthan winter.
“Hush, darlings, I know it’s cold.”
In the way of cats, they completely ignored her and she wondered what her host would think when he saw her wrapped up in a mound of cloth with squalling animals and all of her worldly possessions piled beside her. He had said to bring everything she needed and had promised rooms appropriate for her needs. Gazing up at the towering tenements, she prayed those rooms were warm and close to the ground. Her old knees had scarcely endured the long journey over the sea.
Still, a part of her was thrilled to be starting over while the rest of her shivered with regret. She liked teaching best of all and was looking forward to interacting with young people, with the added bonus they were unlikely to die as Sunspears as so many of her former students had. Elona was a sad place these days. It was just as well she had left. There was no greater tragedy than war, and civil war was more terrible still.
It would not do to dwell on such sad things. Ebony forced a smile onto her heavily lined face, wondering if her gray-streaked hair made her appear dignified or haggard. After such a long wearisome trip she feared it was the latter. Shivering, she hugged her brightly colored print shawl around her shoulders and sat huddled on the largest of her chests.
“Madame Starfall?”
She lifted her head and gazed up into the kindest face she had seen for weeks. He was a perfect Canthan gentleman with golden skin that betrayed a few fine wrinkles of middle years. His dark almond eyes were a warm deep brown and his immaculately trimmed hair was lustrous black. Arrayed against the cold in a black great coat, a few details of his fine black robes nevertheless peered past the heavy wool. He removed one of his silken gloves to take her hand in greeting and nodded his head deeply to her in respect. If he found the howling of her feline pets distressing, he made no indication of it. She could grow to like this man.
You must be Master Bei. I am very pleased to meet you,” she said, rising stiffly from her makeshift perch. Now she noticed he had an entourage: three fully armored warriors and two others so swathed in wool she was uncertain of their nature but supposed they were magi. A sixth had tattoos peering past a heavy cap and she guessed he was a monk. There was also a pair of muscular men in matching gray livery with a hand cart in tow. Thank the gods.
“I apologize that we were not here to meet you when you disembarked. My sources told me you would arrive yesterday.”
“Ah yes. Well, we hit a bit of a snag weather-wise. At least you found me today. Better late than never, I always say.”
“I worried you would not have adequate protection from our weather,” the man said and she admired how clear and pleasant his speech was. He must have labored many years to achieve such perfect diction in a foreign tongue. To her delight he produced a heavy wool cloak from the handcart and offered it to her. It was lined with a fine silky fur. The moment she donned it, she grew warm at last.
“Thank you, Master Bei, you are far too kind.”
“Please, let us be going. You will no doubt wish to rest and spend some time adjusting to your new home.”
He urged her stand beside him as her possessions were carefully piled onto the cart and she observed the faintest shadow of a smile on his face when her howling cats’ cages were nestled gently in the sheltered lee of the crates out of the open air.
“I trust your journey was not too unpleasant?” he asked. They had been corresponding for several months now, ever since some friends had urged her to answer the call for an experienced necromancer to serve as a private tutor in Cantha. The invitation had sounded quite interesting. It included full accommodation, access to a generous library and the possibility of becoming a founding instructor at an emerging magical academy.
The requirements were years of teaching experience and basic demonological studies. Of course, she had never mentioned in her letters that most of her students were now dead on the field of battle. Nor had she mentioned that her experience with demons was relatively recent. Sure, she had received the standard training. Most necromancers did somewhere along the way. But Elona was crawling with the boogers these days and her piffling knowledge had been stretched thin and then expanded upon by life events. When he had asked her to describe what possession looked like and how she treated it, she had almost laughed. Almost. The only alternative was to weep.
Apparently she had convinced him she knew a thing or two. Now here she was admiring the man behind the finely crafted missives, so polite, wise and well educated. She had expected someone much older and a lot less attractive. Demon hunters tended to look more… well, like they had tangled with demons. Somehow he had managed to keep all of his fingers, both of his eyes, and was blessed with a distinct lack of visible disfiguring scars or injuries. He was either very inexperienced or very good and she hoped it was the latter. Then again, why hire a tutor if he were so well versed himself? Come to think of it, she had asked relatively few questions of him. It had never occurred to her to ask who she would be teaching.
“I wondered about your lack of curiosity in that regard,” Master Bei said, indicating he could sense her surface thoughts. She blushed and quickly suppressed her alarm. It was no doubt his way of politely telling her he was a mesmer. Or he was testing her. She should have known. At her age, she had worked with more than a few and he had the characteristic calm and natural charisma.
“You have an unusual profession for your kind,” she remarked, “Demon hunting is usually considered a dirty job.”
“Indeed. Perhaps I will enlighten you as to the reason for my hobby,” he quipped lightly, “but not today. I hope you will find satisfaction here, although I cannot promise anything. You should know that even as your country falls into civil war, this one decays slowly from within. Serving me will not be without a degree of peril.”
“I never expected this task to be easy, Master Bei. You would not have asked me about my experience with demons had you planned otherwise.”
She met his eyes, unafraid of what she would find there. Looking into such a beautiful face, even one with such a penetrating gaze held little fear for her. Not after the things she had seen. This one was made of steel. She did not have to be a mesmer to know that. He was taking her measure and a slight smile lurked upon his lips, indicating he approved of what he saw.
“Would you care to walk or ride upon the cart?” he asked her kindly when the servants signaled they were ready, “The streets can be treacherous with the ice and if you are still unsteady after being upon the sea, the danger is greater.”
He was trying to accommodate her stiff joints without making her feel awkward. Now it was time to conduct her own test.
“If you would give me and arm to lean upon, I should enjoy a stroll. The ship was cramped and these old bones could use the exercise.”
Overall, a nice man, she decided, when he came to her side and offered his arm. No protest that she should sit on the cart like a bunch of old baggage, no offer of anything more than what she requested. And he did not ask one of his subordinates to do it.
“It’s not far to the compound,” he assured her, “If you feel up to it, I would like you to join me for an afternoon meal while the servants are putting your things away. Do you like tea?”
“I would murder for something hot in my belly,” she chuckled, “Tea would be lovely.”
He smiled crookedly and she realized murder might have been an unfortunate use of the word. Yet his presence put her at ease. Master Bei was right about the streets. They were alternately slick and disgusting. She noted he was careful where he stepped and equally watchful of where that consequently caused her to walk. The ice was sharp and brittle, at times hard on her ankles and she gripped his arm a little too tightly at times.
The compound was beautiful when they finally reached it. The two men with the hand cart had arrived well ahead of them and were already offloading her things and carrying them carefully inside. The pathway with its intricately fitted stones was swept clean of ice and lean skeletons of trees lined the wide courtyard outside a great building. Off beyond it she could make out trellises that marked a garden that now slept under the snow.
“Mai will show you to your room so you can get freshened up and take care of your pets,” Master Bei said when they were met at the door by a petite young woman in a simple slate blue gown. She bowed pleasantly and smiled sweetly. He conversed with Mai in Canthan for a moment before turning back to her, “Now if you will excuse me, I will see you soon.”
Charming fellow, she would enjoy working for him. Mai smiled shyly at her and nodded for her to follow, which she did without further ado. One did not complain long about the difficulties of growing old, it did not change anything and few cared to hear about it. Nevertheless, she would be grateful for some warmth and a comfortable place to rest her weary bones.
“My weary bones don’t belong to Grenth yet,” she thought to herself with a chuckle as the pretty young woman led her a short distance through a parlor and then a long corridor. The smell of baking and the toothsome odor of meat reminded her that she had not eaten well for at least a week. Shipboard rations were hard on her teeth but worse on her more wary stomach. Oh and if only the world would stop wobbling beneath her feet. She had left the sea behind but her legs still insisted upon adjusting for it.
Her rooms were splendid, nothing like the plain little cottage she had left behind. There was nowhere to hang or dry herbs but, then again, they must have apothecaries in the city that did that. She stumped quickly into the little sitting room and saw there were two adjoining rooms, one on either side. A nice cozy bedroom lay to the south with its own little fire already blazing in the hearth and a nice warm rocking chair beside it. To the north there was a work area, sparse now, but empty shelves and a bench were there as well as a couple chairs. And ample room on the clean slate floor to draw diagrams and demonstrate the various bindings and containment forms her student would need. Then Ebony panicked as she realized she could not hear her cats.
“Where are they?” she nearly shrieked in horror. They were her little piece of home and safety, sacred temple cats from Kamadan that she had raised since they were tiny balls of tawny fluff. Mai looked confused, “My cats… in the cages.”
The light of realization dawned upon Mai’s innocent face and she smiled, gesturing whiskers and making a single syllable that sounded like a cat sound. She laughed and gently took Ebony’s hand, tugging her lightly toward the door. They were civilized, they would not harm the cats, she kept telling herself, and yet she had heard the typical stories of foreigners eating innocent pets. Apparently Tyrians and Canthans had nothing better to do than ambush unsuspecting animals from Elona. She chuckled to herself at the thought.
And then she really did laugh, for at the end of the hallway Mai led her into an empty room where a large cage resided. It was ornamented with gilt work and had fine filigree bars. No doubt it normally served as a flight for exotic birds but currently its floor was covered with fragrant wood shavings and scraps of cloth. There was a large bowl of clean water and a smaller bowl with what appeared to be finely chopped pieces of meat. A brazier steamed in the far corner of the room near one end of the cage and the cats were currently curled up there it in sleepy contemplation. Poor things had suffered in their little carrying cages and it was good to see them finally relaxing in a quiet room. Ebony hoped, however, they would not be expected to stay there.
“Thank you,” she said, relieved. Now she wandered back to her room where a pair of women were already hanging up her clothes in a wardrobe and had moved a few of the chests into the workroom. No one seemed the least bit alarmed by the trappings of a necromancer and she shrugged, going to the fresh jug of lavender scented water at the washstand and allowing Mai to help her clean up for the coming meal. Oh but she was tired and the bed was looking more inviting by the moment.
Master Bei greeted her a short time later in a small room overlooking the sleeping garden. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth beside them as she pulled up a chair at the black lacquered table. He poured her tea and offered her honey.
“I won’t keep you long,” he said gently, “You must be tired. I apologize for the situation with your cats. We were not expecting them but it is probably best if they rest somewhere quiet tonight. My late master was rather fond of cats, it will be nice to have them around.”
How could she not like someone who appreciated her cats? What a charmer.
“But to business. You will be working with my apprentice. He does not know this, of course, but it is not his nature to challenge my decisions in the matter of his education.”
“I see.”
“I expect you to treat him with kindness, but you should be warned that he can be headstrong and troublesome, particularly when frightened. He has a long standing habit of deception. You have my blessing to do what you must to train him. I will not intervene.”
“I would not dream of doing anything to harm a student, Master Bei.”
“Call me Zhou, please.”
“Ebony would do for me.”
“I assume that is a craft name.”
“Yes. I am by birth, Fadwa Maizha.”
“I am honored you chose to share that with me.”
“You do not go by a craft name. That is an interesting choice for a demon hunter.”
“They already know my name by and large and I have no tolerance for them,” Zhou said darkly.
Ebony sipped her tea for a moment, luxuriating in the sensation of it warming her from the inside out. Thank the gods for simple things.
“This headstrong student of yours… what am I teaching him exactly?”
“First, blood magic. He is ascending today and we will perform the ritual tomorrow that will open him to Grenth. If all goes according to plan, of course. After that, my priority is banishing and protection rites. My teacher in both regards was also a necromancer. It is right and proper that Pendaran should experience the same quality of instruction.”
“Do you know how he will react to bloodletting? Not everyone is… cut out for that, for want of a better term.”
“Would a demon hunter be complete without that knowledge?”
“Point taken. But does he know that?”
“He will soon enough.”
Ebony nodded, hiding her initial misgivings. It was never fun introducing neophytes to blood rites. In her experience, roughly half failed immediately, unable to muster the courage to make the initial offering. The others either learned to cope or slowly went insane until she sent them home. When it was not done in the right spirit, it was damaging. What if she failed now after her long journey across the sea?
“You will not fail,” Zhou said gently, “but you also must not let Pendaran deceive you. He is by no means weak and the pain of a mere blood ritual will be as nothing compared to what he has already endured.”
“You don’t… encourage injuring your students I hope?”
Zhou frowned, a hurt expression upon his face.
“Madame Starfall, your concern over such things is precisely the reason I chose you. My apprentice is a dear friend. I would not have him suffer as I did at the hand of an unkind master. Please, do not ask him to endure more than he must to learn, but I expect him to treat you with at least as much respect as he shows me. By the same token, you are entitled to be as angry as I when he betrays your trust. How you choose to make your ire clear is a matter between the two of you and I will not intervene.”
“I will do what I can, Master Bei. I’m only one old lady…”
“One old lady indeed. You do not think I neglected to check your references?” Zhou chuckled, “You greatly understate your abilities.”
She bowed her head, blushing in a way she had not for many years. It was as if he could see right through her. Very well, so she had defeated some very powerful demons in her time, but at heart she was a very simple soul. Nothing special, certainly. The servants interrupted their awkward silence with large bowls of steaming noodles sprinkled liberally with sweet onions, carrots and some kind of poultry in a savory smelling broth. The smell was heavenly. He nodded at her to eat and she fumbled with the chopsticks and the spoon awkwardly. Cantha was going to be an amusing place, she decided.
“There is a third thing I wish,” Zhou said after a time, looking away now as he leaned back in his chair, his half-eaten bowl pushed aside.
“What is that?”
“If something happens to me… I know this is a great imposition… but will you take care of my apprentice?”
“I suppose that is always a risk of the trade,” she said, smiling gently to allay his fear, “Of course I will.”
Zhou sighed and a look of great sadness marred his gentle face. There was something he was not telling her. He believed he was soon to die. She recognized that look from the many students she had lost to war. Her throat clenched in remembered grief as he reached to his throat and drew a gleaming crystal into the light. It was set in gold and hooked to a humble thong of leather. He removed it from his neck and held it out to her.
“In that event, you will give this to him when you deem it right.”
“What is it?” she asked, feeling the unnatural warmth of the stone.
“A piece of the creature that once possessed me, the one for whom I now do penance. Its name will be known to Pendaran if I should die. Do not encourage him to seek me, but if he will not turn back, that will be his only true weapon.”
“Very well, I will do as you ask, Master Bei.”
His burden seemed to ease a little and he smiled at her.
“This is your home now. Do not hesitate to ask for anything you might need. Be sure to inquire about the baths when you are rested, they are most restorative. I apologize for having to part now, but I have much to do. Good day, Madame Starfall, and welcome.”
She rose and nodded to him, admiring his graceful form as he departed. He was very like a cat in his way, she only hoped he was as good at landing on his feet.
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