Chapter 53: Family Man

Perspective: Salvador

I spent my time on the ship back to Inolza in quiet thought. I couldn’t get what happened that night in Port Princely out of my head. I’d taken my payment from the Korzon Island mission from Lorelei and left the other two for a ship bound for home.

Sonia was sure to give me an earful when I visited her at the main church of Dhias in Inolza. My Cassandra wouldn’t have let me hear the end of it for how I’d left. My heart clenched at the thought of my wife.

A year had passed since she died. The anniversary was while we were out at sea. I’d left because her loss had made me restless. Our Sonia had grown into a fine young woman under the Church’s care, but Cassandra and I hadn’t gotten to truly raise her.

My wife was furious when they had taken our daughter. Cassandra had never been a follower of Dhias; much of Cavenze wasn’t, though that’s changed since my father’s time.

Before my daughter was born, I thought I understood. Children born with demonic corruption must be raised to gauge its influence and prevent corruption of their minds and souls. When Sonia was born, I knew in an instant she was no different from any other babe. Horns and red skin didn’t change our love for her. Or her love for us.

My parents had thought the child couldn’t be mine at first. I knew my Cassandra would not have gone behind my back, and the family resemblance was evident enough to silence some of my relatives, especially as my daughter grew older.

Cassandra and I had moved to Inolza to be near Sonia at the Church, and I’d gone from trapper and hunter to dockworker and fletcher.

I’d always wanted to know the reasons for children born with demonic features. That grew into a desire to know more about demons themselves. I never imagined they could be anything other than monsters. Unlike my wonderful daughter.

Then I met Renna. That almost inhumanly tall woman had shown us nothing but kindness. Her easygoing attitude reminded me of Sonia. Try as they might, the strict Church instructors never could temper the levity out of my daughter. She took after her mother that way, always nagging me for being serious and brooding.

A good joke never caught a rabbit or took down a lone wolf, I’d say. Then Cassandra and Sonia would laugh and tell me not to be so serious.

Dhias I missed them both. I had to see Sonia.

That night in Port Princely, when I had looked down the alley and saw Renna without her human guise, I’d thought of Sonia. For just a moment, my mind had gone elsewhere. I wasn’t sure what to think; I understood demons were meant to imitate and trick people, but Renna had seemed so open about her feelings.

She’d laughed when I taught her puns and swears in Cavenish. I thought of her smile, and of my daughter’s smile. Regret held me for a moment that night in Port Princely, and before I realized what I’d done by keeping quiet, Renna and Seyari were gone into the night.

I never told Lorelei or Markus and I’d taken the next ship back to Inolza.

I’d left Cavenze because I couldn’t get over Cassandra’s death. I also left because my daughter reminded me of my wife and her greatest regret was that we had never been able to raise our own child. We had both wanted a sibling for Sonia, but Cassandra had taken ill after the birth, and we could not conceive.

I’d been selfish. Sonia knew only that I’d left Inolza for work. She must have been worried sick. I didn’t want to hurt her. Cassandra would have told me to look to the future.

I realized after that night in Port Princely, that looking to our future was exactly what I needed to do.

Now, I found myself standing at the front entrance to the largest church in Cavenze. I’d come here straight from the ship, taking only the time to drop my belongings off at my home.

The first member of clergy I found inside recognized me. I fielded questions about where I had been and was told my daughter was worried about me.

Hardly any time passed when my daughter rounded the corner and jogged toward me in her vestments.

She looked relieved but also angry, if the line of her mouth was any indication. She collided with me and embraced me tightly. After a moment, I hugged her back.

“Dad!” She pulled away and glared at me with watery eyes. “Oh, thank Dhias you’re alright! Please, please don’t do anything like that ever again.”

“I won’t, Sonia,” I replied and my voice hitched. “I promise.”

Sonia looked me up and down. She wore small bronze rings through the piercings in her horns. I remember when she’d managed to convince the head priest to let her get them. Sonia had told him that she had wanted to ‘own’ her demonic features and show everyone that her appearance held no sway over her actions. I didn’t know how horn rings fit into that, but I was happy Sonia could be herself.

The Church had been so restrictive when she was young, I was happy she’d kept her independent mindset.

“I have a shift to hand out bread at the Harborshade shrine, but you can come with me!” She smiled and pulled me close again. “After that, I want to catch up over dinner. I’m paying, and I insist that we play games all night at your place after. Tomorrow’s my day of rest, so I can come stay away until the afternoon.”

“How long is your shift in Harborshade?” I asked tiredly. “I’d like a chance to sleep.”

Sonia laughed. “Sorry, did I say ‘can come with me’? Because, I meant ‘will come with me’. You up and disappeared for almost three months!” She pointed a finger at me accusingly. “I am not letting you out of my sight, old man!”

Sonia only called me old when she was really worried about me.

I sighed, and accepted my fate. “Alright.”

***

The Harborshade district of Inolza got its name for two simple reasons: One was that it cramped up behind the western part of the harbor, and the other was that the cliffs it backed onto cast much of it in shade during afternoons. Atop the cliffs was a wealthy district home to merchants and petty nobility.

I thought the shade was pleasant, but the district had a seedy reputation and was frequented by many of the less savory types that came in through the dangerous side of the harbor.

I thought if Sonia was going here to distribute bread to the needy, she would be in a large group. However, aside from a young man I guessed to be an acolyte, Sonia and I walked alone.

“Is this safe?” I asked the two of them.

The young man looked unsure.

Sonia frowned, “It’s safe enough, Dad. The people here know we’re from the Church and it isn’t like we’re walking into a dark alley at night.”

I looked around. I saw all sorts of places to hide in the shadows. Few were occupied this time of day, and none by the type to really use them.

“The silence means he’s fine with it,” Sonia said to the young man.

I smiled despite myself. I kept a careful lookout all the way to the shrine.

The shrine was a small covered area housing benches and a statue of Dhias behind a shallow podium. The wall behind the statue was the only one. Several people stood about the area, some in prayer.

The young man and my daughter moved to the far end of the covered area from the statue and announced their charity. I watched and helped them give bread and conversation to a wide variety of people. Some were clearly hard up, but others seemed well taken care of. Sonia and the young acolyte didn’t differentiate between the two, so I didn’t either.

After, Sonia led a small prayer and the crowd dispersed. A few lingered idly on the benches.

The whole process only took about two hours. A quick return trip later, Sonia changed and together we returned to my home. I wasn’t feeling up to dinner out, and I’d managed to convince her to make do with a stop by a street vendor.

My place was small and still unfamiliar. I’d moved after Cassandra died, unable to bear her memory imprinted in our old home. Right now, I missed the memory. I knew, without Sonia, this place would feel cold and unwelcoming.

I’d barely sat down at my one table when Sonia slammed both hands down flat on it. “What were you thinking!?” Sonia’s eyes were wet. “You told me you were going out of town and disappeared for months! I was worried you wouldn’t come back!”

“Sonia, I…” I tried to find a way to put my feelings into words. I was never any good at that. I looked up to her for a way out.

She met my gaze with teary eyes and a frown. “Take your time…”

I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair. “I… don’t have a good excuse.”

I waited a moment, but Sonia was silent. I looked up, but couldn’t meet her gaze. I tried to get my thoughts in order. She needed to hear the truth. After some time, Sonia sat down. I didn’t have to look up from the rough wood of the table to feel her stare.

Eventually, I gathered myself enough to speak. “I left because I couldn’t get over Cassandra’s death. I shouldn’t have run away and hurt you.”

I waited for the hammer to drop. I heard Sonia get up and walk over to me. Before I could think of what she might want, she hugged me.

“I miss Mom too,” Sonia said softly.

I stood up and hugged her back. For a long while we said nothing and held each other.

“So,” Sonia said, slowly letting go. “What happened when you were ‘out of town’?” She walked around the table and took the seat opposite me.

I sat back down and leaned forward slightly. I started at the beginning. I told the story, from responding to a last-minute request for a wilderness specialist, to my traveling companions, to the Korzon Island, and to Renna.

I ended with what I saw that night in Port Princely and my thoughts about the demon Renna.

Sonia was silent for a long time. I heard her mumble a prayer to Dhias. After a while, she spoke. “I can hardly believe someone like Renna could be a full demon. Are you absolutely certain she’s not a demon-blooded?” Sonia tapped a horn for emphasis.

I thought for a moment, before shaking my head. “I sincerely doubt Renna is anything other than a greater demon. She had a human form of some sort, and I do not think there are any demon-blooded with six limbs and a tail like hers.”

Sonia sighed and rubbed her temples. “That may be, but I’m wary to believe Renna’s intentions. Are you certain you weren’t affected by demonic magic?”

I shook my head. “I don’t mind being looked over.”

“We’ll go to my church in the morning.” Sonia looked at me intently. “What will you do if you’re of sound mind?”

I took a moment to think. “I wish… to seek Renna out. She said she was from the Edath region in Ordia before the civil war and wanted to go back. I also know that Lorelei, Markus, and the man they work for—Mordwell, I believe his name was—are chasing her down. Lorelei let slip where he hails from and it’s in Ordia. I thought to try at least one of the two places.”

Sonia looked confused “You don’t even know any Ordian!”

I shrugged. “Renna taught me some. And I can get a book before I leave.” I caught her worried look. “I’ll go to your church tomorrow and prove this idea is completely my own.”

Sonia flinched, then nodded slowly. “Do you still have Mom’s old celesternal set?”

Memories of Cassandra and Sonia playing together flitted across my vision. The ancient Cavenish game had been Cassandra’s favorite as well.

“I do,” I replied softly. “You’ll have to remind your old man of the rules, though.”

“Easy!” Sonia replied with a bright smile.

I couldn’t see the sadness behind the expression, but I could feel it in the way her voice wavered. I kept the hefty celesternal box at the bottom of the locked chest in my room. I’d covered it with all sorts of other things, but the aged carvings and brass accents were in excellent shape, if a bit tarnished.

Inside was a board with carved wooden pieces and tokens of silver and ivory. Sonia set the game up while I watched quietly. There were two sides to celesternal; the celestials and the infernals. Terms for angels and demons, respectively. Before the Church of Dhias, Cavenish religion held the two as opposing forces, each necessary to balance the other and provide stability to our mortal world.

Even before the Church of Dhias became the dominant faith, few Cavenish people had still viewed demons as creating any sort of balance. I had to admit, I’d never seen how the old beliefs could make sense. Even if Renna wasn’t like any demon I’d heard of, she was just one drop in an ocean.

Sonia took the infernal side, as I remembered she always did. One of the pieces was red and had horns that nearly matched her own.

The rest of the night, she taught me how to play again, and mercilessly destroyed me. I was certain the one victory I almost had was because she started going easy on me, then had second thoughts. I didn’t mind. I enjoyed spending time with my daughter, and I knew Cassandra would approve, wherever she was now.

***

In the morning, Sonia led me to the church, and I was declared free of demonic influence after a short visit with the head priest. To have him see me so quickly, Sonia must have pulled a few favors.

Before she had to return to get ready for her next day at the church, we stopped and got lunch at a nice outdoor bistro. On the walk there, Sonia looked like something was eating her. I didn’t pry.

Once we got settled into a corner table away from the others and next to a gorgeous late-flowering purple vine, Sonia quietly spoke up. “Why do you really want to seek her out, Dad?”

I felt her gaze searching me for answers. This time, I met her eyes. They reminded me of Cassandra’s, but set into a face with the complexion of spilt blood. “I know you and other demon-blooded aren’t influenced by their bloodline. If Renna, as a full-blooded demon, does not follow the nature of her kind, I want to know why.”

Sonia’s expression brightened as realization dawned on her. “You want to change how the Church of Dhias views demon-blooded, don’t you!?”

I nodded and smiled. Sonia leaned forward and hugged me across the table. This time I was ready to hug back.

“I can’t go with you, but I think you should go,” my daughter said into my shoulder, then lifted her head. “Just promise me you’ll come back, okay? Even if it’s too dangerous and you don’t get your answers. Please?”

“I will, Sonia,” I replied honestly.

She tightened her embrace. “And you just got here, too! When will you leave?”

“As soon as possible,” I replied. “I’ll take the first ship I can get to Ordia and decide if I want to go after Lorelei or Renna herself.”

Sonia hummed her assent. “Do you think they’ve caught her already?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Unless I was wrong about Renna, she’ll not be leaving a trail of misery and destruction for them to follow. She also has Seyari with her and something about that woman made me think she knows more than she lets on. I’m certain Seyari had a plan to let them escape.”

“I hope you’re right, Dad,” Sonia said right as our food arrived.

“Me too,” I replied sincerely.

For the rest of our conversation over lunch we talked about the future, and of Sonia’s rise within the Church. The favors she was able to use for me today had come from the assumption that her rank would soon increase. I was happy for her, and overjoyed that she’d found acceptance and a place to belong.

Two days later, I caught the fastest ship I could that was bound for Ordia and was on my way to find Renna. Unlike the last time I left, I wasn’t part of a group. Funny how I felt less alone.