assassinated the prior Sauran King, because of the perfection of the disguise.”
Poplock bounced assent. “But we knew that couldn’t be the case because this was an assault by demons and lots of other nasties, all across the continent, and the Wolves don’t work for anyone except—”
“Yes,” Miri said. “Except the Godslayer, Virigar, their own king. They do not work with any other creatures, which is just as well.”
“But it being the first child of Kerlamion, one of the most powerful of all demons? That fits, especially with the tricks he might have gotten from Master Wieran along the way. And this all connects to Evanwyl somehow.”
“I presume so,” Miri said. “I’ve seen his current human guise many times; would you like to see it?”
Kyri’s hands tightened into fists. “See the monster responsible for all this? Oh, yes. I want to know him when I see him.”
Miri concentrated for a moment, then touched one of the gems set in her left armlet.
Light shimmered in the air between them, coalesced into a human figure.
Kyri found herself on her feet, her chair clattering away unnoticed, feeling as though a terrible abyss had opened at her feet; Rion had risen too, and Tobimar as well, all of them staring in disbelieving shock. “Oh, drought,” Poplock finally said, and his tone was utterly devoid of his usual humor.
Before them, floating perfectly defined in midair, was the handsome, blond-haired figure of Jeridan Velion, Watchland of Evanwyl.
Chapter 5
“It makes all too much sense,” Tobimar said quietly.
He saw Kyri nod, still pale under her dark skin. Rion had nearly collapsed after that last revelation, and it was clear that he needed rest badly. Now he and Kyri stood at the edge of Valatar, and he rested a hand on her shoulder.
She started at that, then nodded again. “Of course. And fits perfectly with that sensation I had around him—the one that first led me to be suspicious of the Unity Guard.”
“That’s right, you sometimes really liked him and sometimes got a creepy feeling about him,” Poplock said, nibbling on a beetle he’d caught bumbling by.
“Exactly. Just like the Unity Guard when they were being switched from their real selves to their other…mode of operation, I guess?”
“But if that’s the case…this Demonlord isn’t a simple Eternal Servant type simulacrum or anything,” Tobimar said, trying to make some sense out of the situation. “What does this…two sided sense mean?”
Kyri shook her head. “I can’t say for sure. Just…there were times that I’m absolutely sure that the man I was talking to was a man, and one who sincerely cared about me and my family. Perhaps the demon possesses him on occasion? Maybe this Viedraverion has trapped the soul of the original Jeridan? I don’t know, but I’m sure that it’s not as simple as the demon simply pretending .”
“I’m sure too.” Tobimar remembered how accurate her senses were; he wasn’t sure if that was because she was the Justiciar of Myrionar, or if one of the reasons Myrionar had chosen her to begin with was that she had such a keen ability to see through deception. “Though Thornfalcon fooled you.”
“That’s been bothering me a lot, too,” Kyri admitted. “But I think I know why. I’d been raised with him around—much more than the Watchland, too—and with everyone treating him on face value. I think I’d learned to shove those warnings away even when I was very young, because it was obvious that he couldn’t really be a bad man. And by the time I was older, he’d really perfected his role and, maybe, could use his powers to hide his very nature.”
He saw her face suddenly lighten with surprise. “What is it?”
Kyri looked both angry and sad. “Just remembered another clue that I missed. When the Justiciars came into the house and gave me their…apology, something I guess was almost honest for some and less so for others…they kept glancing back, through the
Poplock bounced assent. “But we knew that couldn’t be the case because this was an assault by demons and lots of other nasties, all across the continent, and the Wolves don’t work for anyone except—”
“Yes,” Miri said. “Except the Godslayer, Virigar, their own king. They do not work with any other creatures, which is just as well.”
“But it being the first child of Kerlamion, one of the most powerful of all demons? That fits, especially with the tricks he might have gotten from Master Wieran along the way. And this all connects to Evanwyl somehow.”
“I presume so,” Miri said. “I’ve seen his current human guise many times; would you like to see it?”
Kyri’s hands tightened into fists. “See the monster responsible for all this? Oh, yes. I want to know him when I see him.”
Miri concentrated for a moment, then touched one of the gems set in her left armlet.
Light shimmered in the air between them, coalesced into a human figure.
Kyri found herself on her feet, her chair clattering away unnoticed, feeling as though a terrible abyss had opened at her feet; Rion had risen too, and Tobimar as well, all of them staring in disbelieving shock. “Oh, drought,” Poplock finally said, and his tone was utterly devoid of his usual humor.
Before them, floating perfectly defined in midair, was the handsome, blond-haired figure of Jeridan Velion, Watchland of Evanwyl.
Chapter 5
“It makes all too much sense,” Tobimar said quietly.
He saw Kyri nod, still pale under her dark skin. Rion had nearly collapsed after that last revelation, and it was clear that he needed rest badly. Now he and Kyri stood at the edge of Valatar, and he rested a hand on her shoulder.
She started at that, then nodded again. “Of course. And fits perfectly with that sensation I had around him—the one that first led me to be suspicious of the Unity Guard.”
“That’s right, you sometimes really liked him and sometimes got a creepy feeling about him,” Poplock said, nibbling on a beetle he’d caught bumbling by.
“Exactly. Just like the Unity Guard when they were being switched from their real selves to their other…mode of operation, I guess?”
“But if that’s the case…this Demonlord isn’t a simple Eternal Servant type simulacrum or anything,” Tobimar said, trying to make some sense out of the situation. “What does this…two sided sense mean?”
Kyri shook her head. “I can’t say for sure. Just…there were times that I’m absolutely sure that the man I was talking to was a man, and one who sincerely cared about me and my family. Perhaps the demon possesses him on occasion? Maybe this Viedraverion has trapped the soul of the original Jeridan? I don’t know, but I’m sure that it’s not as simple as the demon simply pretending .”
“I’m sure too.” Tobimar remembered how accurate her senses were; he wasn’t sure if that was because she was the Justiciar of Myrionar, or if one of the reasons Myrionar had chosen her to begin with was that she had such a keen ability to see through deception. “Though Thornfalcon fooled you.”
“That’s been bothering me a lot, too,” Kyri admitted. “But I think I know why. I’d been raised with him around—much more than the Watchland, too—and with everyone treating him on face value. I think I’d learned to shove those warnings away even when I was very young, because it was obvious that he couldn’t really be a bad man. And by the time I was older, he’d really perfected his role and, maybe, could use his powers to hide his very nature.”
He saw her face suddenly lighten with surprise. “What is it?”
Kyri looked both angry and sad. “Just remembered another clue that I missed. When the Justiciars came into the house and gave me their…apology, something I guess was almost honest for some and less so for others…they kept glancing back, through the
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