The Ghost's Crusade

XIII: Akkali (cont.)

“Would you give the coldblooded killer act a rest for the night? You're not stupid—if you were going to kill me you'd have put one of those pointy sticks of yours through my spine the minute I headed for the door.” The Inquisitor walked back to the table and resumed sitting. “Why in Junan's name would you do something like this, Drys?”

“We thought it was a good idea at the time,” replied Drystan with a shrug. “We still do.”

“Bloody hell, Drystan, give me a real answer, not one of your jackass remarks!”

“I was dying and I had just seen the results of a monster chopping up seven Enkiri to make them into a portal into another world,” said the Inferi finally. “I walked through a field of fallen men and women who knowingly let themselves perish to keep creatures from Pandemonium from reaching our world. I saw Eral—the whole of our entire world, floating like a glass bauble within the branches of an infinite tree. I wish I could explain how utterly insignificant that made everything I'd grown up believing, I really do. But I don't even know where to start.”

Tiernan laughed coldly at the man's words. “You think everything I believe in is insignificant, do you now.”

“There's so much more to everything, Tier,” explained Drystan with a frown. “The church says that espiri witches are the worst evils known to mankind. I've seen people drink the blood of demons summoned from Pandemonium and then run off to do things that make killing fields look as safe as a patch of wildflowers. Hell, I've seen actual demons suck out the souls of men, slaughter them with shadows, and then burst out of their decomposing chests in full-grown pairs. And that's only what the smallest ones can do!”

“I want to believe you, but what proof do you have?” He shook his head. “You know me.”

“Yeah, I do.” The Inferi laughed and went back to sit in his chair. “You know that trinket Æbenforth was always grousing about having to get back? That was a demon claw—a schaden claw, specifically.”

Akkali watched Tiernan's expression intently, curious as to whether or not he'd let his grim-set face belie any hint of another emotion. To her dismay he just kept the same dour, betrayed look he'd had since Drystan told him the truth about Inferi. “It's been locked away in the Reliquary of the Abyss since before I became an Inquisitor. You know I can't request anything from there as Inquisitor Captain, and you know that I'm not getting any higher in rank because I'm not Imperial.”

Sighing, Drystan glanced sidelong at Akkali. “Lend me a hand here?”

The woman glared at him. “What, you want me to help you now? You both just told me and the dog to keep out of your business."

“Do you know how hard this is for me?” he hissed back, his eyes narrowed with a rare mix of anger and frustration. “Any idea at all?”

“Of course I do!” she railed at him, feeling the stitches along the side of her head tug as her expression twisted into a snarl. “Which is why I told you to keep your damn mouth shut! But no, you've high and mighty ideals about being honest with the zealot! Well you just found out for your damn self why it's better to lie about things like this.” She crossed her arms against her chest and leaned back against the wall. “Aside from that, what the hell could I tell him that would be any different than what you have already?”

“You have that book, don't you? The one Caspar sent you about the founders of Antenox.”

Ignoring the sour glare she received from Tiernan she growled, “Drys, what is the man going to do with that book besides burn it for not being on the list of things his sheep are allowed to read?”