and my rightful conquest. Spread far and let my errant flock
know the name of Qarthus, their Lord Creator.
-From the Book of Creation, Chapter VII
Chapter 6
Three Months Ago
Karis raised her head, drenched in sweat, heart beating like it wanted to escape, and her entire body shaking as if winter was biting at her. Looking down, she saw stacks of books, at least a quarter hundred, all surrounding her on the table where she sat, a single candle to her side that had long since burned to a useless stub. Straining her bleary eyes to see further, she noticed rows upon rows of shelves, all stacked with books and scrolls and tablets, and remembered that she was in the coven library, whereas a moment before she had been in the throes of a nightmare, the memory of which still chilled her.
“Why weren’t you here?” her sister had asked for what felt like the thousandth time, and yet Karis could still not answer.
She wiped the sweat from her face with the sleeve of her tunic, then pulled her dark brown hair back, feeling the thick coat of grease that had accumulated on it over the weeks. She imagined her odor was horrendous, though had been too fixated on research to give much heed to anyone’s reaction as they smelled her, her eyes dedicated to reading for most of the day when she was not either eating or sleeping.
Not that it availed her of much. Over a year of ceaseless research, scouring the library of her own and any other coven that would lend her access, digging into texts so ancient that the parchments they were written on came near to crumbling between her fingers, much of them in tongues beyond her understanding, necessitating even more time spent translating the damn things, all to learn what was of such common understanding that it verged on uselessness, consisting of six major facts that were repeated in almost every book or scroll she read.
- Demons appear primarily at night, though can be seen during the day. The reasons are unknown, as daylight has never been seen to harm or weaken them.
- They seem to take no sustenance, always killing anything alive that crosses their paths, but never eating any, leaving what’s left for carrion.
- Few demons look the same and can vary more wildly in appearance than any other being. Some are no larger than a rat, while others (though primarily regarded as legend) reach the size of castles. The same is true of their innards, as no surgical study of a demon has found commonalities in their organs, some having nothing, while others possess more than enough, sporting at least one redundancy.
- There seems to be nothing known about how demons come to be, as more often than not, they lack any visible reproductive organs, and nothing resembling a nest or hive or lair has ever been discovered, let alone a newborn or child demon.
- Their process of decay resembles no other living being, a demon’s corpse lasting no more than ten days until everything from flesh to bones fades into a grey dust that has been proven elusive to capture and study, as it appears to be almost incorporeal.
- Demons are known as the Pursuing Plague, as any major incursion of them always follows some great disaster or catastrophe, a group of several dozen or hundreds appearing at the tail end of a war, famine, earthquake, city wide fire, or any event defined by substantive destruction and a considerable loss of life. It is believed by the worshippers of Qarthus that any such event is the result of the Four Gods of Calamity gaining influence, so, according to them, it stands to reason that their demonic forces should always follow.
Karis thumbed through her notes, written on a short stack of papyrus sheets, and felt like throwing them in the nearest fire. Though it was not the scantness of findings which kindled her despair, but the ever dwindling chance of there being anything more to discover, as she had, to the best of her knowledge, read every book on the subject of demons available.
She slumped in her seat, her stomach growling, reminding her that she had skimped on food for most days, subsisting on water and hardtack more often than not. But the hunger did not bother her, as appetite had been a distant friend for the past year, most food tasting bland, no matter the spice, making it more of a chore to eat.
And, upon the realization of her failure, everything, whether it be the simplest of movements, seemed a titanic effort, Karis’ body feeling melted till limpness, and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep again and never wake up. She was about to doze off again when someone shook her shoulder.
“How are you, stinky?” Yurina said from behind her.
Karis shook up and jumped from her seat to face her friend, feeling all the sudden conscious of her dishevelled state, especially when seeing how Yurina had dressed herself up, her long black dress-robe flourished with pink flower patterns that bloomed from her feet and reached to her chest, her dark hair adorned with a crown of cherry blossoms and her face painted with thick blush on the cheeks, a deep rouge on the lips and black lines around the eyes, making them all the more prominent. “Is it that bad?”
“Well, I hear that most people avoid this wing of the library these days, and…” she sniffed the air around Karis. “I can see why. When was the last time you bathed?”
“Don’t really remember. Most days kind of meld together. For all I know, I could have been here for ten years without realising.”
“Well…you’re making progress?”
Karis looked down in shame and picked up the papyrus stack on which her research was written. “Might as well have not read anything at all.”
“It is a field that most people avoid. Makes sense that research is lacking. But hey, that just means it's a fertile field for newcomers. Think about it: you could be a pioneer of demon research.”
“Not as long as this is all I’ve got to work with.” She traced her hand over the stacks of books. “If I wanted to achieve any more, I’d need to do field research and…” Karis’ eyes widened as she raised her head, staring nowhere in particular, her mind brimming with ideas.
Concern furrowed Yurina’s brow. “Karis, you are not thinking of going outside?”
“Where else could I do research? What better place than an entire empire swarming with them?”
“Karis, you know how dangerous they are. And even without the demons, the Empire itself is no place for a Yor, let alone one that is a witch as well. And do you know where you would even start?”
“No, but there might be someone who does. Or to be more precise, someone who knows how to find someone who does.”
Karis rolled up her research, tied it with a string, and placed it in her satchel, then returned each book to its original place before racing out of the library, Yurina following at a slower pace.
“Where are you going?” Yurina said, her voice echoing in the cavern corridor they walked through.
“You’ll see. But first, I must make myself presentable.
Her first stop was the communal hot springs, where she discarded her tunic and washed away all the grease and grime that had accumulated over her weeks of demonic fixation, at the end of which she felt as close to reborn as she presumed anyone could. She then made her way to her quarters covered in nothing but a large piece of cloth that hid all but head and feet, and dressed herself anew in a shirt of Yor fashion, with letters from the lunar alphabet decorating the collar and the end of each sleeve, a white pair of pants, leather sandals, and a woolen cape.
“Are you sure you want to come with me?” she asked Yurina as they met outside Karis’ bedchamber.
“Someone has to keep you steady. And I want to know what you intend to do. Maybe stop you from doing anything too dangerous.”
“Well, this person I want to talk to. She may be a bit…particular. And she may require something massive in return for what I’m about to ask.”
Confusion was written all over Yurina’s face as she was about to open her mouth to ask further. But then realization hit, and her eyes widened with shock. “You don’t mean–”
Karis nodded, then took Yurina’s hand to lead her on.
They travelled further into the caves of Hollowhills than most would, the corridors getting narrower, darker, and rougher than in the more populous areas. Soon they were in an area that had not been carved by magic, but found in the creation of the coven’s hideaway, a cold place lit only by an occasional candle every twenty or so steps, the walls wet with condensation and everything smelling of earth and mold. They walked in silence, hearing only the echoes of their footsteps and falling drops of water, which were at times broken up by what sounded like something crawling on the walls and floor, though darkness concealed whatever it was. Karis could feel Yurina shivering, her friend’s hand damp with sweat and gripping harder the further they went.
The whole trip took them almost an hour of walking through half remembered paths, with only faded signs leading them on, the veracity of which Karis doubted, as it was known that some moved them around so as to obscure the correct directions, all to hide one person. But whether by luck or good memory from her childhood days of being dared to travel there, they reached a large and circular wooden door that looked as old as the two of them combined, its hinges rusted through and risking to fall apart, the rope that served as its knob torn and ragged, and the planks riddled with holes and looking brittle enough to crush with one’s hand. When Karis knocked, it created a hollow sound, which was followed by an agonizing screech of the hinges as the door opened by itself, revealing only darkness behind it.
“You…you don’t have to do this,” Yurina said in a shivery voice. “You’ve heard the stories.”
“Yeah. Blind Bava, the eye eater. Blind Bava the doomsayer. Blind Bava, the eater of children. Just tales to scare off kids. You think the Lunaran would allow someone like that to live here?”
Just as Karis finished, there was a loud echo of someone breathing in and out that traveled from deep inside the darkness and towards them, the voice hoarse and shrill, which was followed by a low cackle. “Blind Bava this, Blind Bava that,” the voice from the dark said. “Blind Bava would never do any of that. Except to naughty little girls who disturb her.”
Yurina backed away and would have gone further if not for Karis holding her hand and standing still, staring into the dark, trying to adjust her sight to it and see the speaker inside. “I apologize for any disturbances,” she said. “It is hard to know the right time to visit you. I have a request, if you would hear it–”
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“You wish to know the nature of demon-kind.”
Karis’ body tensed up. She had heard of Bava’s skills, though found it hard to believe, even after years of practicing magic. But Bava’s words were proof enough, so Karis let go of Yurina’s hand and walked further in, leaving what little light there was behind, her friend stalling for a moment before following.
The path was longer than expected, extended by their slower steps, as the two girls kept their feet close to the ground, always testing the surface before putting their full weight on it. Karis and Yurina then stopped at the sight of a small torch just a few paces away, its light dim, but bright enough to illuminate the face of the one who held it. Blind Bava was much younger than Karis expected, though still wrinkled with graying hair, being about fifty years old by a rough estimate. The young witch had expected a withered old crone, skeletal and crooked of back, with long nails that bent like disfigured ram’s horns. The woman who sat cross legged before them was by no means remarkable, her thick woolen robes, although ragged and stained, looked plain and grey, her face possessing a maternal warmth to it, thanks to her round cheeks. But then there were her eyes, both covered up by a white cloth on which an illustration of the real things was drawn. Though to hear tell, there were no eyes beneath that cloth at all.
“Come, sit,” Bava said as she patted the ground before her. The surrounding space was then bathed in light as torches and rows of candles were lit up all at once, giving the small cavern space an orange hue. Karis went on both knees before the woman. Yurina stood still behind her, looking at Blind Bava with a mix of fear and suspicion.
“I suspect there is no need for explanations,” Karis said.
“Not on your part.” Blind Bava’s voice was low and ragged, as if every word was a struggle. “But I must give you a warning and an explanation of my skills, so as to elucidate my limits. I may demand a great price, but not without absolute clarification of what you buy.” She stretched out her right arm towards a straw basket, from which she produced a rolled up piece of parchment. Unrolling revealed it to be a map of the Qarthan Empire, a colossal piece of land that encircled the Stillwater Sea, in the center of which was the island of Qarthala, where the imperial capital stood.
“Future sight works much the same as your normal sight,” Bava said as she placed a rock on each corner of the map. “The further you spy, the less clear your target becomes, some events being so far away that all that can be glimpsed is darkness. Though sometimes there are events of such cataclysmic nature that they are illuminated to those trying to see them from the past. But doing so can prove…dangerous.” She raised the white cloth that covered her eyes, showing that beneath was nothing but burned pits. “I tried once to see such an event, and paid dearly for it. Take heed of that, dear Karis, as the cost of your request may outweigh its benefit.”
“What did you try to see?” Karis said.
Bava pulled the cloth back over the burnt ruins of her eyes. “The end of the world.”
“And how was it?”
The old woman smiled at that, revealing a set of yellowed teeth that looked on the verge of falling out. “Fire. A clash of gods, both new and old, and a hunger that wanted to devour the world.”
“Something I should worry about in the future?”
Bava gave a throaty, low laugh, then reached out with her left hand, palm facing up, and every finger stretched out. “Now, do you wish to expedite your search by having me spy into the future for a time when either you or someone else discovers the answers you seek?”
Karis nodded. “I have brought what little I have. I hope it pleases you.” She pulled out a satchel that hung on her belt and opened it wide, showing the small pile of gold and gems within, then remembered the state of Bava’s sight and shook the bag to give a hint of its contents.
Bava plunged one hand into it and dug around for a few seconds before pulling back and tilting her head. “You must have misunderstood,” she said. “The price is not for me. Treasures such as these carry little value here.”
Karis closed the satchel and laid it to her side. “What is the price then?”
“Your eye.”
Karis raised an eyebrow and leaned in, bringing her right ear closer to make sure she heard right. “What?”
“You may choose which one.”
Karis stared at the blind woman, searching for any hint of a joke or trick. But Blind Bava was stalwart, her face expressing absolute seriousness.
“Why?” Karis said in a trembling voice.
“The question you want answered could be far into the future, be it decades, if not centuries. There is no guarantee of my being able to see much of anything. So the nature of our query must be different. And I believe the most secure way is to ask if there is someone out there who will lead you to the answer, as such vagaries are easier to spy. Though they demand a great price, and I have already paid mine twice over. That is, unless you want your friend to offer hers.”
Karis closed her right eye to see how it was. There was a chance of adjusting. But such a price for just the vaguest of chances to clench her goal?
Yurina leaned in next to her and grabbed both of Karis’ shoulders. “Let’s go,” she said. “You’ll find some other way.”
Karis closed both eyes and bent her head, breathing in deep as she thought of Bava’s offer. She thought of her caravan and the corpses of her people. Of her mother left bent and broken. Of her father, his head smashed in. And she thought of Dala. Of her small body, limp and lifeless on the ground, with two bloody pits where her eyes had been. “Where were you?” she had asked. “I waited for you.”
“Take my right one,” Karis said as she raised her head and looked at the blind woman, a frown arching across Bava’s mouth.
“Karis, are you mad?” Yurina shouted, grabbing her friend by the hand. “There must be some other way. Something you’ve missed or haven’t found yet. I’ll help you. I’ll read every book as well. Just don’t do this.”
Karis gave her a wan smile. “And how long will that take? How many more will die? How many have died since the time I started?” She freed herself from Yurina’s grip, which had grown limp after Karis’ response, and faced the blind woman. “Take my right one.”
As if Karis had commanded them to do so with her words, every candle and torch died out. She tried to stand or just sit in a more comfortable position, but her body had become stiff and numb, as if the link between it and her mind were severed. But she did feel some things. She felt the pressure of Bava’s finger on her right eye as the blind woman dug beneath it, reaching deep inside. It was not painful, but the discomfort was still such that she wanted nothing more than to rush back and run away. But all she could do was clench her teeth till they felt on the verge of breaking. Then, in only a second, Bava pulled her finger out, taking Karis’ eye with it, leaving her with a cold and empty feeling in the socket.
Karis regained her ability to move, and before she had time to think, she was on her back, clutching the hollow socket, crying from her remaining eye, and screaming till it hurt. She writhed on the ground like a fish plucked from the sea, slamming the back of her head on its hard surface, taking no heed of the pain it caused.
“You mad woman!” Yurina cried out as she tried to hold onto Karis. “Just wait until the Lunaran hears about this. You’ll be cast out and left as demon food.”
“Quiet down,” Bava said in the calm tone of someone trying to soothe a whimpering babe. “We’ll have little time to finish the spell, as your eye will decay quick beyond the point of usefulness.”
Karis bit into her right arm, tasting blood as she broke through skin and muscle, then screamed at the top of her lungs, her own flesh muffling the cry of agony. She then let herself go limp to breathe in deep and rapid before she clenched her fist and rose to say: “Do it.”
Bava began chanting in a low and hoarse voice, speaking in a language that had never passed through Karis’ ears, sounding almost inhuman thanks to the echo of the caves.
The place was then lit up by a pale green light that Bava held within her palm. It took Karis little time to realize that it was her eye that emitted it, as well as the plumes of smoke that wafted out of it and filled the air with the smell of burning wood, corpses, and sulfur.
“Ask your question,” Bava said, her entire body shaking as her head bent backwards, mouth agape in an expression of awe.
“Who can guide me to a way to destroy all demons?” Karis said after thinking of the question for a few seconds.
The eye’s color turned purple and emitted the faint sound of a thousand screams of agony. “There is one who knows half the truth, but will surely kill you,” Bava said. The eye then turned to a dark red, and the sounds of screams turned to the roar of a great fire. “Yet another can lead the way, but the answer is locked behind his death.” Red gave way to blue, and the sound of rattling chains could be heard. “Then there is one who can answer all, but their location cannot be seen. Hidden somewhere far beyond even my sight.” The eye began alternating between the three colors. “You can only choose one. Do so wisely.”
Karis felt like a drill had been plunged in the empty eye socket, which she clutched onto with one hand as if doing so would keep her brains from leaking out, the pain that spread throughout her skull pulsating in rapid succession. “Why is the third one hidden?” she said in a low and hoarse voice.
“Only one question is afforded to you. Is that the one you wish answered?”
“No.”
Karis repeated all three options in her mind, hoping she had heard Blind Bava well enough to understand. “The second one,” Karis said as loud and clear as she could, forcing the words through a throat that felt scraped by rusty nails. “The one who can lead the way.”
“Is that your final choice?”
“Yes.”
The eye’s glow settled on red, which grew brighter till the entire cave was bathed in crimson, the smell of burns and sulfur reaching suffocating levels. She could hear the sounds of footsteps. Of someone running on a ground strewn with leaves. There was also a roar, gurgling, as if whatever creature emitted it did so through a mouth full of mucus. From there followed the sound of fire, and the scream of the once roaring creature.
“I see him,” Bland Bava said, her face turned upwards. “A demon hunter by the looks of him. And his name…his name is…Laurian. Laurian Cain. And he–” Bava crashed on both knees as she clutched the glowing eye to her chest. She then bent over the map of Qarthus and began tracing the index of her right hand across it while she rubbed Karis’ eye with her left. Then, as the eye’s glow dimmed, Bava stopped her finger on one north-western province of the Empire. “He’s near a small town named Hamalt. Close to the city of Longton.”
The eye’s light died out, leaving all three in darkness for a moment before flame returned to the surrounding candles and torches. Bava lay on one side, mouth agape, her left hand wide open, showing the black mark where Kari’s eye had once been. “He’s there,” she said in a trembling voice. “And he’s…there’s something about him. I never felt its likeness before. Something repelled me from seeing him much longer. But I swear on my life that he’s where I pointed. Though for how long is unsure. If my guess about him holds true and he is a hunter of demons, odds are he will leave soon enough.”
Karis looked at the map and placed a finger where Bava had pointed. “Hamalt.” She then rose and went to help the blind woman sit straight. “Thank you, Bava. You have no idea the boon that you have given me.”
“Is that a way to talk to someone who just took out your eye?”
“It is a way to talk to someone who helped me. And an eye is incomparable to what may be gained from its sacrifice. Or at least I hope so.”
Bava cackled. “Hope is for the blind. Not the blind like me, but those who have not seen what I’ve seen. Enjoy your hope while you still can. Its sweet taste may not last so long. My tongue has long since dulled to it.”
Karis and Yurina left the blind woman sitting there, Bava rambling on, her words growing more incoherent with each utterance. Yurina was the one to lead on this time, supporting Karis on one shoulder.
“So, Karis,” Yurina said.
“Yeah?”
“How are you going to explain your lost eye to everyone?”
“Hopefully I’ll be gone before needing to.”
Yurina stopped and helped Karis sit down before kneeling next to her. “You’re…truly set on this path?”
“I've given too much to quit now.” Karis tweezed the eyelids of her empty socket open with thumb and index, Yurina looking away at the sight of it. “And I've little time to decide. Each day I spend here leaves me further away from Laurian Cain.”
“And what if you die?”
Karis shrugged. “Lost everything already. I can only–”
Yurina rushed in to press her lips to Karis’ own, then embraced her friend near tight enough to squeeze the air out. And when Yurina relented, Karis paid her in kind, kissing gently while caressing her hair. She wished then that this moment would never end. That the rushing sensation that permeated her entire body and sent her heart racing would go on indefinitely. That she could forever enjoy the sweet warmth of her. That the safety their embrace instilled was constant.
Yet Karis put an end to their kissing by looking aside and pushing her friend away. “You should have tried that before I had my eye plucked out.”
Yurina’s eyes had the glistening beginnings of tears in them, her trembling mouth in the shape of a slight frown. “Stay here. Stay with me.”
Karis stood up and walked on. They finished their trip back in silence.