Dead End part 1
This is the first part of Dead End, with Dana Illwind and Sorcerer Lord Jayden.
*****
“Dana, I do believe we can finally travel.”
Jayden’s cheerful voice made Dana sit up from where she was playing on the floor with a toddler boy. This was harder than it sounds, since the boy had no intention of losing his playmate and wrapped both arms around her. She staggered for a moment before grabbing him and carrying him to the window.
It wasn’t a cheerful sight. Dozens of fruit trees in straight lines were still bare of leaves. The ground was covered in wet snow as slippery as grease. Smoke rose from the chimneys of nearby houses even during the day.
“It wouldn’t be fast or dry,” she pointed out.
“A temporary situation. Look by those rocks. Green grass, proof that spring is upon us, and with it mobility.” Jayden rubbed his hands together in gleeful anticipation. “Muddy boots is a small price to pay for ending two months inactivity.”
“Ba,” the toddler said.
Dana rubbed his mop of messy yellow hair. “You’re not a sheep.”
“Ba, ba, ba. Da? Ba!”
The rest of the family they were staying with gathered around the lone window of their house. Grandfather Glen Stex, his two daughters, three daughters-in-law and fifteen grandchildren made for a large family. Dana and Jayden’s presence made their house even more crowded. Still, it was a cheerful place, and their hosts were always kind.
After destroying the undead horde hidden in Duke Wiskver’s estate, Jayden had been adamant on pursuing whoever had made the skeletal horrors. They’d marched to the nearest village, where Jayden introduced them as Stanly and his daughter May. He’d questioned the locals if there had been strangers or suspicious events in recent months. The residents had been happy to help, especially when Jayden started buying drinks.
Then the snow came. Winter storms were nothing to sneer at in the kingdom, and this one had been brutal. When the storm ended there was nearly two feet of dense snow, the kind that packed down easily and clung to boots. Walking a mile became a grueling challenge, and going to the next village was impossible.
Fortunately the villagers were only too happy to take them in until the weather improved. This didn’t surprise Dana. Merchants and travelers came to small villages like this only rarely, leaving residents starved for information on the outside world. So great was their isolation that they didn’t even have wanted posters for Jayden, surprising given how high the price on his head was. Jayden had insisted on paying for room and board, making Glen and his family even happier to have them. Their stay had been pleasant, but Jayden had chaffed at the delay as days stretched into weeks and then two months.
“I’d wait another two weeks if I were you,” Glen cautioned. “Roads are going to be thick mud where they’re not covered in ice.”
“Delightful as your company has been, I have work to do and limited time to complete it,” Jayden said. He shook Glen’s hand and smiled. “Your hospitality exceeded all expectations. I’m glad we met.”
“I’m not sure it counts as hospitality when you paid for everything you received,” Glen told him. “I’d have been happy with half what you offered.”
“Many men wouldn’t have opened their home up to strangers, a testament to your kindness and generosity,” Jayden replied. “Nevertheless, I fear our paths must separate.”
Glen opened the door for Jayden and Dana. “Let me at least walk you to the road.”
“It’s been wonderful spending time with you,” Dana told the women and children. She tried to hand off the little boy to his mother. Then she tried again. The boy’s grip tightened. “And, um, it was great getting to know you all. Come on, little guy.”
The toddler’s smile turned into a shockingly serious look. “No.”
“Some children’s first words are mama,” the boy’s mother said. The family laughed as Dana tried to pull the little boy off her.
“No! No, no no!”
A girl of eight years came up and put her hands on the little boy. “Sorry, he gets like this. You kind of have to pry him off. Mom, you get his left arm and I’ll get the right.”
The little boy’s face turned red as his sister and mother removed him from Dana. He made a humming sound that turned into a howl before screaming, “Dada!”
Dana looked away as the boy’s mother held him tight. He squalled and struggled to break free, his howls doubling in intensity when he saw Dana heading for the door.
“I told you not to play with him so much,” Jayden reminded her.
“I couldn’t help it. He’s cute.”
Glen picked up a wood ax by the door and went outside with them. “I’m sorry about that. He’s a good boy, strong willed and with a loving heart. He took it hard when his dad was conscripted. We all did.”
Dana and Jayden’s stay had provided fresh evidence of hardships in the kingdom. Glen was 57 years old, patriarch of his little clan and the only man left. Press gangs had come through the village in late autumn and forcibly enlisted Glen’s sons and son-in-laws. Each man was presented a spear, dagger, wood shield and uniform, and declared to be infantry in the king and queen’s army. Rumor was nearby villages had suffered similar losses, and farmers rich enough to own draft animals had lost those as well. Dana wondered how these people would run their farms.
She also wondered if men in her hometown were being conscripted. The king and queen had already called up the militia to serve, but many men weren’t in the militia. Life had been hard back home with so many farmers and ranchers gone, and could get even worse in press gangs came for the rest.
As they walked down the muddy, snowy road, Glen took a scrap of paper from his pocket and pressed it into Jayden’s hand. “These are my boys’ names and descriptions. Chances are you won’t meet them, but if you do, tell them we miss them, and we’re doing the best we can.”
Jayden studied the paper before slipping it into his backpack. “I’ll keep this with me, but I intend to avoid armies as much as possible.”
“No surprise when they’d impress you the second they got the chance.” Glen walked on in silence for a few more steps. “I can’t imagine why the king and queen need so many soldiers. I heard talk of trouble at the border with Kaleoth, but that’s a small kingdom. If war breaks out it would be a short one.”
“You’re following us farther than I’d expected,” Dana said.
Glen’s brow furrowed. “I don’t talk much about it, but there’s a frozen one hereabouts called Jenny Glass Eyes. Long ago a woman died in the cold and evil spirits moved into her body. She’s haunted these parts for decades, coming out on winter nights, scratching at doors trying to get inside, ambushing travelers when she can. I figure it’s too warm for her to come out if the snow is melting, but I want to be sure you two are safe.”
Dana smiled at him. “That’s very kind of you.”
“I got worried when you went out for a walk last month,” Glen told Jayden. “I wouldn’t have allowed it if I’d known you were going, but you left when I was in the barn. You seem like a clever sort, plenty strong, too, but Jenny Glass Eyes is tougher than she looks. I was plenty glad to see you come back that night.”
“I apologize for troubling you,” Jayden said.
“I understand staying indoors for weeks can be trying,” Glen said as they walked. He pointed at depressions in the snow. “Those must be your footprints. You went pretty far. Wait, what’s that?”
Ahead of them was a patch of bare ground covered in a layer of wet ashes. Glen approached it carefully with his ax held high in case there was danger. Up close they saw what looked like blackened bones mixed in the ashes. Most of the remains were unidentifiable, but there was a charred skeletal arm wearing a melted gold ring. Glen’s eyes opened wide, and he pointed his ax at it.
“That’s Jenny Glass Eyes!”
Dana went for her sword Chain Cutter hidden deep in her backpack. “You’re sure?”
“I saw that ring on her hand when she attacked me twenty years ago. Look, she’s missing her little finger. Back then I had to cut it off to get away.” Glen pointed at footprints in the snow, wider now that the snow was melting around them. “You can see where the fight happened. Those are her prints right there, and those ones are… yours.”
Glen’s face turned white as he looked at Jayden. Jayden’s earlier cheerfulness was replaced with a studious look. “I see a rose sprouting from the remains. Legends say when a frozen one dies a blue rose grows where it was destroyed. Check what color the flowers are in summer.”
“What kind of man are you?” Glen whispered.
“The kind who doesn’t tolerate abominations.” Jayden turned to face Glen. “It angers me such a threat was allowed to exist for so long, and pleased me greatly to end it. Good day, Glen. May the future be more merciful than the past.”
Dana and Jayden left without another word, leaving Glen dumbfounded behind them. Once they were far away, Dana said, “You should have taken me with to fight Jenny.”
“Doing so would have alerted our hosts. And I needed the exercise. When I heard it scratching at the door, I suspected it was a frozen one and went to deal with it. Frozen ones are legitimate threats to farmers, not sorcerer lords. I’m surprised its remains melted out before we left.”
“Do you think it had anything to do with the necromancer we’re after?”
Jayden frowned. “I thought so at first, but our generous host’s tale proves my concern baseless. This was a local threat that should have been slain long ago, further proof that the king and queen are delinquent in their duties. We were in the right place at the right time to remove the threat.”
“One of these days you’re going to get yourself killed,” she scolded him.
“Likely so, but I plan on taking a great many monsters like Jenny Glass Eyes with me before I go.”
This was typical of Jayden. He didn’t seek death, but he didn’t fear or respect it the way he should. Such a cavalier attitude was going to get him in trouble. They walked on in silence for a time before Dana spoke again.
“I’m sure you still want this necromancer. How do we find him?”
“The first way involves making inquiries among the locals in the hope that one of them saw or heard something ominous. This is risky because it might draw royal attention. It’s also time consuming, and futile if the necromancer resides in an isolated location where few would notice him.”
“Let me guess, the second way involves magic.”
“It does, and is even riskier. Sorcerer lords in ancient times developed a spell to detect other sorcerer lords. Generally they used it to find and kill one another, as they were a paranoid and vengeful lot, but it can be used to find any form of magic. I need a body of water to cast the spell on, and with winter over we should find one shortly.”
Dana frowned. “Exactly why is this risky?”
“Wizards from every school of magic crave privacy. You know of my mind cloud spell, which makes it hard for other wizards to find me. Rival schools of magic have their own ways to deter spying, some of which retaliate against the spy.”
“The necromancer made lots of skeletons once,” Dana said. “If he figures out he’s being watched, he could come looking for us with an army behind him.”
“We could be in serious danger, but I fear there is no choice. We lost two months in our hunt for the necromancer, giving him time to produce horrors similar or even greater to what we already saw. The longer he remains at large the more damage he can do. That means doing this the hard way.”
It took the better part of a day, but they found a narrow pond clear of ice. Jayden stood at one end and began chanting. The water turned choppy like someone was splashing in it. Waves grew until they were as tall as Dana and incredibly noisy. Jayden’s chanting grew louder until he clapped his hands together. The waves fell silent, and the water became as still and reflective as a mirror.
A tiny ripple formed in the water, then another. More ripples formed as if someone was dropping pebbles into the water. Dana tried counting them and stopped when she reached fifty. She waved her hand at the scattered ripples. “There can’t be this many wizards in the kingdom!”
“The spell detects any form of magic, including wizards, magic items and certain monsters.” Jayden pointed at a wide, shallow ripple near the middle of the pond. “That, for instance, is me. My mind cloud spell dissipates traces of magic left behind when I cast spells. A wizard hunting me wouldn’t be able to pinpoint my location, nor how powerful I am.”
“What about that big ripple at the edge?”
“It’s too strong to be a spell caster. I suspect a dragon or other powerful monster. There’s a dragon living in Kaleoth who’s been hibernating for three years. We used to have two living in the kingdom before the king and queen thought they could give them orders. Both dragons left for greener pastures, or at least more peaceful ones.”
Dana couldn’t see a pattern to the ripples or way to tell them apart. “How do you know which one is the necromancer?”
“I don’t. Our foe is powerful enough that his magic will be easier to detect if he casts a spell. If he is silent for a few days then the traces of magic I’m trying to detect will fade away. He may use spells to conceal his position the same way I do. But if he uses powerful magic no spell can hide him, and making a horde of undead like we saw at Wiskver’s estate qualifies. He did it once. I’m counting on him being rash enough to do so again.”
“If that happens we have a big fight on our hands.”
Jayden studied several of the larger ripples. “True. Some of these are much too close together. They’re likely magic items owned by nobles.”
“Do you use this spell to find old sorcerer lord treasuries?”
“If only I was so lucky. Magic items only show up when they’re used, making magic treasures buried a thousand years ago impossible to detect. In truth I’ve found this spell to be of questionable value. I can detect only some magic with it, and at such a great distance that it’s often long gone before I reach it. My hope is the necromancer doesn’t live far from Wiskver’s estate, or that he’s…that’s bad.”
Water in the middle of the pond suddenly spiked up three feet in the air before dropping back down. It did so again, and then a third time that didn’t fall back down.
“My, my, my, what an inquisitive little boy you are. Not many hunt me. Smart wizards don’t try.” The taunting voice came from the pond. It spoke with an accent that made the letter w sound like v.
“Smart wizards don’t degenerate into necromancy,” Jayden retorted.
“Cowards turn down power because they fear where it leads. I fear nothing. I see you, a brat and an impetuous fop. I saw through the eyes of my creations when you two idiots destroyed them.”
Jayden began chanting again. The pond began to ripple around the spike of water.
“Oh this is rich, like frosting on a cake. You think you can focus your spell to learn where I am? I’d forgotten how foolish apprentice wizards are. It’s embarrassing.”
The pond grew choppier until water shot into the air like a waterfall flowing in reverse. Only the part of the pond with the spike of water representing the necromancer’s magic remained unchanged. Dana pulled back and drew her sword. Jayden continued chanting.
“Do you want to know what’s funny? I’m not trying to hide from you. I could have broken this spell in seconds if I desired. I don’t care. Come to me. Fight me. Die. You wouldn’t be the first to follow those well-worn steps, nor will you be the last.”
Water in the pond shot thirty feet into the air. Suddenly the huge waves turned inward and hit the spike of water. Dana heard the necromancer’s taunting words change into frightened cries as the entire pond seemed to turn against itself.
“What did you do?” Dana demanded.
“He was foolish enough to allow me to determine his precise position. I used my detection spell to send a pulse of magic at him, nearly everything I had. I imagine it hurt.”
“You pile of maggot-infested dung! Two can play that game!”
The sky darkened around them and grew cold. Plants died and the few animals present fled. A globe of utter darkness formed over the pond. The globe hummed and shimmered before vanishing to reveal a hideous mockery of a man, with greasy white skin, tangled black hair, long nails and longer teeth. The monster wore only tattered bits of filthy clothing and stank like rotting meat. It was hunched over to fit in the globe, but now that it was free it bounded toward them on all fours. As it neared them, Dana felt a stab of pain followed by rage, like she had when the undead appeared at Wiskver’s estate.
Jayden cast a spell to form his black sword and met the monster head on. He swung at its legs, but the monster leaped over him and landed next to Dana. It howled and lunged at her face, its toothy maw opened wider than her head. She screamed and swung her sword. Sword met teeth, and Chain Cutter hacked through the monster’s yellowed fangs. Pain should have driven it back, but the monster rammed into her and knocked her onto her back.
The monster leaped at her with outstretched hands, claws reaching for her throat, when Jayden drove his sword through its back with a powerful overhand swing. He speared the beast, pinning it to the ground. The monster shrieked and tried to reach Dana. She got to her feet and swung Chain Cutter, hacking off the monster’s right arm. Another swing took off the left one. Anything else should have died, yet the monster howled and struggled to reach her.
“Enough!” Jayden roared. He pressed his left foot against the monster’s back and pulled his black sword up, cutting the beast in two. Once his sword was free he brought it down again, removing the monster’s head. The air chilled again, and Jayden turned to see another black globe forming. He charged it, and as the globe dissolved to release another monster as wretched as the first, he plunged his sword into it. The monster’s howls died stillborn as his sword went through its heart.
“Send another barrow wight!” Jayden yelled. “Send three, a dozen, a hundred! There’s nothing your foul magic can produce that I can’t kill!”
“We shall see, little mage,” the taunting voice said with its strange accent. It grew softer as it spoke for the last time. “All that lives must one day die.”
Dana ran over to Jayden. The monster he’d impaled was blackening and crumbling away until there was nothing left of it. Once it was entirely gone, he marched back to the first one and drove his black sword into each piece, destroying those as well.
“He’s stronger than I’d feared,” Jayden said as his sword destroyed the final piece of the monster. “Barrow wights are as hideous as they are uncontrollable. Bending two of them to his will is difficult, and sending them over such a great distance staggeringly hard.”
Dana stared at the ashes at her feet, the only sign that there had been a fight. “I never saw your sword do that.”
“In times long past this land was infested with necromancers, some working alone and others in cabals dozens strong. They damaged both the people and the land itself. Shadow magic was developed in direct response to the threat of necromancy and is especially potent against it. Early sorcerer lords hunted down those necromancers and slew them.”
“Then why is he willing to fight you?”
Jayden let his magic sword dissipate. “Sorcerer lords died out long ago. I daresay my spells will come as a surprise to him. But that is a small advantage, and he has large ones. The necromancer has power to spare, time to use it, and royal support. Most necromancers live in fear of the law, constantly moving, never able to build laboratories or spell libraries. Our foe has no such concern, and my spell tracked him to where he has no shortage of human remains.”
Worried, Dana asked, “A graveyard?”
“The biggest and most isolated in the kingdom. Heaven help us, it’s not far away.”
Spring days were short, and they had to make camp not long after Jayden confirmed the necromancer’s location. There were no villages here, just wilderness encroaching onto old fields. Jayden said these lands once had farms, but they’d been destroyed in the civil war and were never resettled. Eventually they found the ruins of an old church and took shelter there.
“We’re fortunate to find this church in more ways than one,” Jayden said as he piled up loose boards and dry brush over the doorway. “The ceiling is intact, no animals or monsters have occupied the building, and I feel lingering holy influences. The necromancer’s creations may be unable to force their way in.”
“I feel it, too,” Dana said. She unrolled a blanket and used her backpack as a pillow. “It’s sort of a calm feeling, like the church is waiting for people to come back.”
“We have a long walk tomorrow, and possibly a battle with the necromancer. Sleep well, Dana, for the future will be taxing.”
Before she went to bed, Dana asked, “What if he runs away?”
“He has little reason to flee with the power and resources at his command. He can comfortably wait until we come to him and face him at his strongest.”
Dana was tired and wanted to sleep, but she forced herself to stay awake. That was difficult under a warm blanket on a cold night. She stayed quiet and motionless, waiting for what she knew was going to happen. She could only guess what time it was when she heard Jayden get up and collect his belongings. She let him go a few steps before speaking.
“Go back to sleep, Jayden.”
He stopped but didn’t turn to face her. “I’m trying to be gallant. Pick a direction other than the one I’m taking and you’ll be safe.”
“You’re not trying to be gallant. You are gallant. You’d go into a fight alone that you might lose if that means I live. The necromancer knows there are two of us. I get the feeling he’d kill me, even use his magic on me after I’m dead and send me after you. The only way I’m getting out alive is with you, and I’m sorry if this upsets you, but I don’t think you’re getting through this alive without me.”
“Your prediction is possibly, even likely given how morally degenerate our enemy is.” He set his belongings down and wrapped himself in his blanket. “It’s strange. I’m grateful we met, yet terrified and ashamed at the same time. I’ve been alone for so long partly because I never wanted to be in this position. I have few friends, Dana. I can’t lose one.”
* * * * *
Morning came, and Dana was relieved to see that Jayden hadn’t left in the night. She recognized how brave he was to try facing this madman alone, but she’d seen him hurt in fights and nearly killed by Wall Wolf. Jayden needed her just as much as the kingdom needed him.
“Our destination has no name by design,” Jayden explained as they headed out after breakfast. “The king and queen wanted its location unknown, as well as its occupants, for the graveyard contains rebels who died in the civil war.”
“My parents never told me much about the war,” Dana admitted.
“They likely knew very little. The king and queen worked hard to erase less savory aspects of our kingdom’s history.” Jayden grimaced as he spoke. “Rebels in the civil war were needlessly brutal, causing considerable damage to infrastructure like bridges, dams, canals, granaries, even schools. If they couldn’t hold territory, they made sure the victors would gain no benefit from it. Nor were they merciful to prisoners or civilians.
“The king and queen were equally brutal. They ordered fallen rebels buried in mass graves without headstones or memorials. These mass graves were placed deep in the wilderness and in utter secrecy. In theory this meant the gravesites couldn’t become rallying points for rebels eager to avenge their losses.”
Dana thought back to the graveyard outside her hometown. It wasn’t visited often since people had so much work to do, but the entire town went there on the first day of the year, drinking toasts to their ancestors and sharing stories of loved ones who had passed on. It was a time of celebration and remembrance. Originally Brotherhood of the Righteous priests led the event, but her father did the honors after the priests were expelled from the kingdom.
“That’s terrible, and stupid,” she said.
“It didn’t stop there. The king and queen declared that rebels lost their property. Farms, livestock, coins, legal rights, it was all forfeit.”
“What happens to their things?”
There was fierceness in Jayden’s voice when he answered. “It went to the crown. Loyalist forces were clamoring for rewards for their services, and they accepted rebel property in lieu of cash. Widows and orphans who had already lost so much were evicted and made beggars. Many of them had no involvement with the civil war. Their men went to war because treacherous noblemen ordered them to fight or forced them to, and their families suffered for it.”
“How do you force someone to fight for you?” Dana asked. “Give a guy a sword and he could use it on you instead of your enemies.”
“The first way is to seize his loved ones and hold them hostage. The second way is to put unwilling soldiers in the front of your army and dependable troops behind them. They can’t run without being cut down by their enemies or their allies.” He saw Dana’s terrified expression and added, “I did say the rebels were brutal.”
“It doesn’t sound like there was a good side in the fight,” she said reluctantly.
“There could have been. The king and queen refused to let Brotherhood of the Righteous priests bless the bodies or hold funerals for defeated rebels. Priests argued these blessings made sure bodies couldn’t be inhabited by foul spirits or used by necromancers. The king and queen didn’t care. Denying rebels even such a basic right was another way to take revenge. Our enemy is camped on one of those mass graves. We are paying the price for the king and queen’s act of spite.”
“That’s how the necromancer made his army!” Dana exclaimed. “I couldn’t figure out where he got the bones for all those walking skeletons at Duke Wisker’s estate, but he’s got an entire cemetery to dig up.”
“The bones were from men who died fighting, so many were badly damaged. I believe the necromancer experimented with replacing destroyed or missing limbs with bones taken from animals.”
Fearing the answer, Dana asked, “How many men were buried there?”
“I don’t know. The necromancer may have looted other mass graves. Worse still, you saw the barrow wights he sent after us yesterday. He may have other undead more dangerous than animated skeletons.” Jayden stopped walking and turned to face her. “I don’t exaggerate when I say this battle may be more than I can handle. Your life is in mortal peril if you come with me.”
“What happens if we don’t stop him?” she asked.
“The necromancer will continue amassing undead followers for uses too horrifying to contemplate. The king and queen will try to use these abominations in their war. Perhaps the necromancer will humor them and send his minions to fight their battles, but it’s equally possible he’ll unleash his nightmare army against the two of them. Innocent people will die by the thousands or tens of thousands before he’s stopped.”
“Who can we call on for help who could get here in time?”
Jayden paused. “Reginald Lootmore and Suzy Lockheart are too far away to reach us in time. I don’t know where Ian McShootersun is. Other men I know lack the power or skill to make a significant impact. They would be targets rather than assets. I might be able to convince nobles or army officers of the danger and get their aid, but they have little reason to believe me when I’m a wanted man.”
“Then you need me.” Before he could argue, she said, “He’s got to be stopped. If you fight him alone he’ll swarm you with skeletons and wights. I’m not a sorcerer lord, or lady, I guess, but I can help. You need friends, Jayden, and right now I’m it.”
He smiled at her. “It’s ironic. The harder I try to keep you safe by excluding you, the harder you insist on remaining.”
“You could have more help, you know. There are people who like you and could fight. And let’s face it, you’re going to run into more big battles, not fewer.”
“More fights like this,” he said ruefully. “Dana, you have no idea how many battles I’ve fought, how many enemies I’ve defeated—”
“How many people you’ve saved?”
“There is that. I’ve done much, yet there is so much more to do. This battle will be terrible, and you’re right that coming battles will be as bad or worse. Would you stand with me through that, knowing it will never end?”
“We saved hundreds of children and young girls sold as property. I’ll stand with you through anything to save even one more.”
They spent much of the day heading deeper into the wilderness. Abandoned farmhouses gave way to scrub forests thick with briars and weeds. The roads had already been muddy and narrow, but as they went on the few roads shrank into narrow game trails. Wildlife was rare so early in spring, yet they saw not one bird or rodent.
“Hey, it’s our anniversary,” she said playfully.
Jayden stared at her. “Our what?”
“We first met on this day one year ago.”
“I’m surprised you keep track of the date,” he said. “You know, it’s embarrassing, but outside family members or servants, this is the longest I’ve known a woman.”
Dana laughed. “What about those two girls you told me about?”
“The first young lady and I were together for eight months. The second lasted only eight weeks. I have difficulties with relationships. I’m told I rub people the wrong way when I don’t offend them intentionally.”
Feeling mischievous, Dana asked, “And how long were you with Suzy Lockheart?”
“She and I weren’t together in any sense of the word. We were in the general vicinity of one another for less than a month total, although it felt like years spent in purgatory.”
“You were a little rough around the edges when we first met, but you’re doing better these days.” Jayden gave her a questioning glance, and she went on. “You don’t lose your temper as often, and insults and snide remarks are way down.”
“Judging by that left handed compliment, you’ve taken it upon yourself to compensate for my good behavior.”
“It’s good you’re getting better around people. You deserve to have healthy relationships like you did when you were a boy. Maybe you could fall in love. No, seriously, there’s a woman my hometown who…oh.” Dana stopped marching. “Oh dear.”
“Not a cheerful sight,” Jayden agreed.
Ahead of them was a wide path beaten through the undergrowth. Seven men could have walked down it side by side, and the thick growth of plant life had been trampled into the muddy ground. Strange as this path already was, trees growing alongside it were dead, their blackened bark peeling off in strips. Normally hardy weeds sprouted this time of year, but here they were stunted and brown. Dana touched a dead tree, only for it to topple onto the path.
“One way leads to our foe, the other to Duke Wiskver’s estate,” Jayden declared.
“How did the necromancer get so many walking skeletons into Wiskver’s estate without anyone noticing?”
“I imagine Wiskver brought them to his property inside armored wagons, the same way he did the slaves.” Jayden ran his fingers along a dead tree branch. “The necromancer may have used magic to temporarily mask the natural aversion all life has to the undead.”
The branch crumbled apart under Jayden’s gentle touch and fell to the ground. He scowled and drew back his hand. “I have to wonder how Wiskver thought he could profit from such monsters. They don’t require food, drink or rest, but how could he have used them as laborers without others noticing? How could he think such bloodthirsty monstrosities would consent to cutting timber or tending crops?”
“How close are we to the graveyard?” Dana asked.
“Close enough I should take precautions. Hold still.”
“What are you,” she began, but stopped when Jayden placed the palms of both hands on her forehead. He began to chant and his fingers grew warm. Dana waited for him to finish before she asked, “What did you do?”
“I placed a mind shield on you. It will last long enough for our purposes. As you don’t cast spells it won’t hide you from magical detection, but it protects you from the fury you felt when near the undead.” He smirked and added, “Blinding rage has its uses, but your best feature has always been your mind, and I need it to be as keen as your sword.”
Dana held up Chain Cutter. “Can wizards sense my sword?”
“You saw how unfocused my detection spell was. Your sword will register as one of hundreds of magic sources with no way to determine what it is or who wields it.”
“That’s helpful, I guess.” Dana paused when she saw green among the dead plants. “Jayden, look, that plant is growing. I didn’t think anything would—”
The tiny weed grew so fast it shot across the ground, spreading new leaves and sinking deep roots before lashing out at Dana. She screamed and swung her sword, hacking the plant in half, only for it to sprout four new ends that wrapped around her and pinned her to the ground.
More vines grew outrageously fast and headed for Jayden. He barely had time to cast a spell that formed a shield of spinning black blades in front of him. Vines grappled the shield, were shredded, regrew and were shredded again when they hit the shield. He cast another spell to form his black sword and cut off the vines holding Dana. For a moment the floral assault paused.
“Why does this not surprise me?” a familiar voice called out.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dana said as she got up.
“Green Peril?” Jayden asked in disbelief.
It was the elven wizard, wreathed in living vines as he emerged from the ruined forest. He wore the same white and green robes as when they’d last seen him in Fish Bait City. His face was as handsome and sneering as ever, but there was one big difference in his appearance. Jayden had destroyed the elf’s staff in their previous battle. Green Peril held a new one, dark red like blood made solid, and with a cluster of opals near the tip. Dana didn’t know much about magic even after a year traveling with Jayden, but this staff looked impressive.
“Birds in the sky told me they’d found you but dared not approach. Land soaked in death and suffering, unhallowed and unwelcome to all life, this would scare anyone with wits and working eyes. Yet this is where I find you.”
“Don’t you know when to quit?” Jayden demanded as he stepped between Dana and the elf. “The last time we fought you ran for your life! You didn’t bring allies for this battle, proof you learned nothing from our encounter.”
“The last time we fought you had help! No ghost is here to save you, but that would explain your destination. Do you seek to recruit another tortured soul?”
“Shadow magic doesn’t work that way, you pampered twit! You’d know that if you’d done even the most rudimentary research into the man you’re trying to kill.”
“Why are you even here?” Dana asked. “The king and queen must have hired a court wizard by now.”
“I’d have heard about it if your idiot king and shrewish queen had accepted another wizard into their service,” Green Peril retorted. “Even if they don’t honor their promise made months ago or pay the ever growing bounty on your head, I have reason enough to hunt you down after you humiliated me! I suffered endless insults for losing to a human! Your death will cleanse the stain upon my honor.”
Green Peril held his staff in front of him. “I learned new spells, and spent a fortune in gold and promises to lesser elves to produce my staff. Blood wood harvested from a willing tree, carved with the finest tools, imbued with nature magic, it is the ultimate weapon.”
Dana’s brow furrowed. “Lesser elves?”
“Each elf thinks himself superior to all other elves,” Jayden told her.
“I had to grovel to get the blood wood!” Green Peril yelled. He drew a step closer to them, and to Dana’s surprise green grass sprouted and seeds burst into life. That hadn’t happened the last time they’d seen the elf. It made her think his replacement staff was as powerful as he claimed.
“That’s just peachy,” Dana interrupted. “You got your stick finished in time to use against an actual enemy instead of someone who saves lives.”
“What’s your pet babbling about?” Green Peril asked.
Before Jayden could issue an angry reply, Dana said, “We’re chasing a necromancer who made an army of walking skeletons and hid them in a duke’s estate. We killed them, and we’re after the necromancer before he makes more.”
Green Peril laughed. “Do you seriously expect me to believe that?”
“Look, these plants died a long time before we got here. Jayden’s magic didn’t kill plants the last time you two fought, or he would have won even quicker than he did.”
Before the elf could answer, Jayden said, “I’m facing what could be the biggest battle of my life against a man who will do unspeakable acts if left alive. I can’t afford to exhaust myself beating you hours before doing battle with the necromancer.”
Green Peril hesitated, given Dana hope that this meeting could end peacefully. The elf wizard retreated a few steps and pointed his staff at a tree left half dead by the necromancer’s magic. He cast a spell, and to Dana’s amazement the tree’s branches bent like they were made of loose cloth.
“Brother tree, friend to elves since ancient times, speak to me,” Green Peril said to the tree. Normally Dana considered talking to trees to be a bad sign, but it made a rustling, whispering noise as it moved. It waved branches along the trail of devastation, and it trembled as if in fear. Green Peril’s face turned pale, and he placed a hand against its trunk.
“You have suffered much, brother,” Green Peril said solemnly. He cast another spell, and fresh growth burst from the trunk to replace what it had lost. The tree stopped moving as Green Peril turned to face Dana and Jayden. “You speak the truth, a shocking a turn of events.”
“Then can we call off this senseless vendetta?” Jayden asked.
Green Peril bared his teeth in a snarl, only gradually regaining self-control. “Vulgar and brutal as you are, there is a greater foe I must deal with. I declare a truce until this perversion of a man is destroyed. After that, no promises.”
“Fair enough,” Jayden replied. “We haven’t far to go to reach him.”
“I said truce, not partnership,” Green Peril snapped. “I’d sooner fight alongside an drunken ogre with lice than trust you not to put a dagger in my back. The only concession I’ll make is to care for your pet girl after you’re dead. What’s her name again?”
Dana slapped a hand over her face. “I can’t believe this.”
Jayden spat in disgust. “This necromancer is a threat like none I’ve faced, and we are mere miles from the graveyard he plunders for bodies. He knows I’m coming and is not intimidated. Battling him together stands the best chance of success. Claim you lead us if it sooths your bloated ego, but if you go alone don’t expect to do anything except die.”
The two wizards stared at one another in mutual loathing. Jayden had often told Dana how ancient sorcerer lords fought one another. Watching these two, she had no trouble believing the tales.
“We’ll let you have any treasure or magic he has,” Dana offered. A shocked look from Jayden made her hastily add, “Minus sorcerer lord spell tablets.”
Green Peril hesitated. “And I get to claim leadership of the expedition?”
“If that’s what it takes to keep you two from butchering each other before we even reach the necromancer.”
“We have a deal. I won’t insult either of us by offering to ‘shake on it’, as you clearly don’t want to and I don’t know what diseases the two of you carry.” Green Peril headed down the trail of devastation. “Come along.”
*****
“Dana, I do believe we can finally travel.”
Jayden’s cheerful voice made Dana sit up from where she was playing on the floor with a toddler boy. This was harder than it sounds, since the boy had no intention of losing his playmate and wrapped both arms around her. She staggered for a moment before grabbing him and carrying him to the window.
It wasn’t a cheerful sight. Dozens of fruit trees in straight lines were still bare of leaves. The ground was covered in wet snow as slippery as grease. Smoke rose from the chimneys of nearby houses even during the day.
“It wouldn’t be fast or dry,” she pointed out.
“A temporary situation. Look by those rocks. Green grass, proof that spring is upon us, and with it mobility.” Jayden rubbed his hands together in gleeful anticipation. “Muddy boots is a small price to pay for ending two months inactivity.”
“Ba,” the toddler said.
Dana rubbed his mop of messy yellow hair. “You’re not a sheep.”
“Ba, ba, ba. Da? Ba!”
The rest of the family they were staying with gathered around the lone window of their house. Grandfather Glen Stex, his two daughters, three daughters-in-law and fifteen grandchildren made for a large family. Dana and Jayden’s presence made their house even more crowded. Still, it was a cheerful place, and their hosts were always kind.
After destroying the undead horde hidden in Duke Wiskver’s estate, Jayden had been adamant on pursuing whoever had made the skeletal horrors. They’d marched to the nearest village, where Jayden introduced them as Stanly and his daughter May. He’d questioned the locals if there had been strangers or suspicious events in recent months. The residents had been happy to help, especially when Jayden started buying drinks.
Then the snow came. Winter storms were nothing to sneer at in the kingdom, and this one had been brutal. When the storm ended there was nearly two feet of dense snow, the kind that packed down easily and clung to boots. Walking a mile became a grueling challenge, and going to the next village was impossible.
Fortunately the villagers were only too happy to take them in until the weather improved. This didn’t surprise Dana. Merchants and travelers came to small villages like this only rarely, leaving residents starved for information on the outside world. So great was their isolation that they didn’t even have wanted posters for Jayden, surprising given how high the price on his head was. Jayden had insisted on paying for room and board, making Glen and his family even happier to have them. Their stay had been pleasant, but Jayden had chaffed at the delay as days stretched into weeks and then two months.
“I’d wait another two weeks if I were you,” Glen cautioned. “Roads are going to be thick mud where they’re not covered in ice.”
“Delightful as your company has been, I have work to do and limited time to complete it,” Jayden said. He shook Glen’s hand and smiled. “Your hospitality exceeded all expectations. I’m glad we met.”
“I’m not sure it counts as hospitality when you paid for everything you received,” Glen told him. “I’d have been happy with half what you offered.”
“Many men wouldn’t have opened their home up to strangers, a testament to your kindness and generosity,” Jayden replied. “Nevertheless, I fear our paths must separate.”
Glen opened the door for Jayden and Dana. “Let me at least walk you to the road.”
“It’s been wonderful spending time with you,” Dana told the women and children. She tried to hand off the little boy to his mother. Then she tried again. The boy’s grip tightened. “And, um, it was great getting to know you all. Come on, little guy.”
The toddler’s smile turned into a shockingly serious look. “No.”
“Some children’s first words are mama,” the boy’s mother said. The family laughed as Dana tried to pull the little boy off her.
“No! No, no no!”
A girl of eight years came up and put her hands on the little boy. “Sorry, he gets like this. You kind of have to pry him off. Mom, you get his left arm and I’ll get the right.”
The little boy’s face turned red as his sister and mother removed him from Dana. He made a humming sound that turned into a howl before screaming, “Dada!”
Dana looked away as the boy’s mother held him tight. He squalled and struggled to break free, his howls doubling in intensity when he saw Dana heading for the door.
“I told you not to play with him so much,” Jayden reminded her.
“I couldn’t help it. He’s cute.”
Glen picked up a wood ax by the door and went outside with them. “I’m sorry about that. He’s a good boy, strong willed and with a loving heart. He took it hard when his dad was conscripted. We all did.”
Dana and Jayden’s stay had provided fresh evidence of hardships in the kingdom. Glen was 57 years old, patriarch of his little clan and the only man left. Press gangs had come through the village in late autumn and forcibly enlisted Glen’s sons and son-in-laws. Each man was presented a spear, dagger, wood shield and uniform, and declared to be infantry in the king and queen’s army. Rumor was nearby villages had suffered similar losses, and farmers rich enough to own draft animals had lost those as well. Dana wondered how these people would run their farms.
She also wondered if men in her hometown were being conscripted. The king and queen had already called up the militia to serve, but many men weren’t in the militia. Life had been hard back home with so many farmers and ranchers gone, and could get even worse in press gangs came for the rest.
As they walked down the muddy, snowy road, Glen took a scrap of paper from his pocket and pressed it into Jayden’s hand. “These are my boys’ names and descriptions. Chances are you won’t meet them, but if you do, tell them we miss them, and we’re doing the best we can.”
Jayden studied the paper before slipping it into his backpack. “I’ll keep this with me, but I intend to avoid armies as much as possible.”
“No surprise when they’d impress you the second they got the chance.” Glen walked on in silence for a few more steps. “I can’t imagine why the king and queen need so many soldiers. I heard talk of trouble at the border with Kaleoth, but that’s a small kingdom. If war breaks out it would be a short one.”
“You’re following us farther than I’d expected,” Dana said.
Glen’s brow furrowed. “I don’t talk much about it, but there’s a frozen one hereabouts called Jenny Glass Eyes. Long ago a woman died in the cold and evil spirits moved into her body. She’s haunted these parts for decades, coming out on winter nights, scratching at doors trying to get inside, ambushing travelers when she can. I figure it’s too warm for her to come out if the snow is melting, but I want to be sure you two are safe.”
Dana smiled at him. “That’s very kind of you.”
“I got worried when you went out for a walk last month,” Glen told Jayden. “I wouldn’t have allowed it if I’d known you were going, but you left when I was in the barn. You seem like a clever sort, plenty strong, too, but Jenny Glass Eyes is tougher than she looks. I was plenty glad to see you come back that night.”
“I apologize for troubling you,” Jayden said.
“I understand staying indoors for weeks can be trying,” Glen said as they walked. He pointed at depressions in the snow. “Those must be your footprints. You went pretty far. Wait, what’s that?”
Ahead of them was a patch of bare ground covered in a layer of wet ashes. Glen approached it carefully with his ax held high in case there was danger. Up close they saw what looked like blackened bones mixed in the ashes. Most of the remains were unidentifiable, but there was a charred skeletal arm wearing a melted gold ring. Glen’s eyes opened wide, and he pointed his ax at it.
“That’s Jenny Glass Eyes!”
Dana went for her sword Chain Cutter hidden deep in her backpack. “You’re sure?”
“I saw that ring on her hand when she attacked me twenty years ago. Look, she’s missing her little finger. Back then I had to cut it off to get away.” Glen pointed at footprints in the snow, wider now that the snow was melting around them. “You can see where the fight happened. Those are her prints right there, and those ones are… yours.”
Glen’s face turned white as he looked at Jayden. Jayden’s earlier cheerfulness was replaced with a studious look. “I see a rose sprouting from the remains. Legends say when a frozen one dies a blue rose grows where it was destroyed. Check what color the flowers are in summer.”
“What kind of man are you?” Glen whispered.
“The kind who doesn’t tolerate abominations.” Jayden turned to face Glen. “It angers me such a threat was allowed to exist for so long, and pleased me greatly to end it. Good day, Glen. May the future be more merciful than the past.”
Dana and Jayden left without another word, leaving Glen dumbfounded behind them. Once they were far away, Dana said, “You should have taken me with to fight Jenny.”
“Doing so would have alerted our hosts. And I needed the exercise. When I heard it scratching at the door, I suspected it was a frozen one and went to deal with it. Frozen ones are legitimate threats to farmers, not sorcerer lords. I’m surprised its remains melted out before we left.”
“Do you think it had anything to do with the necromancer we’re after?”
Jayden frowned. “I thought so at first, but our generous host’s tale proves my concern baseless. This was a local threat that should have been slain long ago, further proof that the king and queen are delinquent in their duties. We were in the right place at the right time to remove the threat.”
“One of these days you’re going to get yourself killed,” she scolded him.
“Likely so, but I plan on taking a great many monsters like Jenny Glass Eyes with me before I go.”
This was typical of Jayden. He didn’t seek death, but he didn’t fear or respect it the way he should. Such a cavalier attitude was going to get him in trouble. They walked on in silence for a time before Dana spoke again.
“I’m sure you still want this necromancer. How do we find him?”
“The first way involves making inquiries among the locals in the hope that one of them saw or heard something ominous. This is risky because it might draw royal attention. It’s also time consuming, and futile if the necromancer resides in an isolated location where few would notice him.”
“Let me guess, the second way involves magic.”
“It does, and is even riskier. Sorcerer lords in ancient times developed a spell to detect other sorcerer lords. Generally they used it to find and kill one another, as they were a paranoid and vengeful lot, but it can be used to find any form of magic. I need a body of water to cast the spell on, and with winter over we should find one shortly.”
Dana frowned. “Exactly why is this risky?”
“Wizards from every school of magic crave privacy. You know of my mind cloud spell, which makes it hard for other wizards to find me. Rival schools of magic have their own ways to deter spying, some of which retaliate against the spy.”
“The necromancer made lots of skeletons once,” Dana said. “If he figures out he’s being watched, he could come looking for us with an army behind him.”
“We could be in serious danger, but I fear there is no choice. We lost two months in our hunt for the necromancer, giving him time to produce horrors similar or even greater to what we already saw. The longer he remains at large the more damage he can do. That means doing this the hard way.”
It took the better part of a day, but they found a narrow pond clear of ice. Jayden stood at one end and began chanting. The water turned choppy like someone was splashing in it. Waves grew until they were as tall as Dana and incredibly noisy. Jayden’s chanting grew louder until he clapped his hands together. The waves fell silent, and the water became as still and reflective as a mirror.
A tiny ripple formed in the water, then another. More ripples formed as if someone was dropping pebbles into the water. Dana tried counting them and stopped when she reached fifty. She waved her hand at the scattered ripples. “There can’t be this many wizards in the kingdom!”
“The spell detects any form of magic, including wizards, magic items and certain monsters.” Jayden pointed at a wide, shallow ripple near the middle of the pond. “That, for instance, is me. My mind cloud spell dissipates traces of magic left behind when I cast spells. A wizard hunting me wouldn’t be able to pinpoint my location, nor how powerful I am.”
“What about that big ripple at the edge?”
“It’s too strong to be a spell caster. I suspect a dragon or other powerful monster. There’s a dragon living in Kaleoth who’s been hibernating for three years. We used to have two living in the kingdom before the king and queen thought they could give them orders. Both dragons left for greener pastures, or at least more peaceful ones.”
Dana couldn’t see a pattern to the ripples or way to tell them apart. “How do you know which one is the necromancer?”
“I don’t. Our foe is powerful enough that his magic will be easier to detect if he casts a spell. If he is silent for a few days then the traces of magic I’m trying to detect will fade away. He may use spells to conceal his position the same way I do. But if he uses powerful magic no spell can hide him, and making a horde of undead like we saw at Wiskver’s estate qualifies. He did it once. I’m counting on him being rash enough to do so again.”
“If that happens we have a big fight on our hands.”
Jayden studied several of the larger ripples. “True. Some of these are much too close together. They’re likely magic items owned by nobles.”
“Do you use this spell to find old sorcerer lord treasuries?”
“If only I was so lucky. Magic items only show up when they’re used, making magic treasures buried a thousand years ago impossible to detect. In truth I’ve found this spell to be of questionable value. I can detect only some magic with it, and at such a great distance that it’s often long gone before I reach it. My hope is the necromancer doesn’t live far from Wiskver’s estate, or that he’s…that’s bad.”
Water in the middle of the pond suddenly spiked up three feet in the air before dropping back down. It did so again, and then a third time that didn’t fall back down.
“My, my, my, what an inquisitive little boy you are. Not many hunt me. Smart wizards don’t try.” The taunting voice came from the pond. It spoke with an accent that made the letter w sound like v.
“Smart wizards don’t degenerate into necromancy,” Jayden retorted.
“Cowards turn down power because they fear where it leads. I fear nothing. I see you, a brat and an impetuous fop. I saw through the eyes of my creations when you two idiots destroyed them.”
Jayden began chanting again. The pond began to ripple around the spike of water.
“Oh this is rich, like frosting on a cake. You think you can focus your spell to learn where I am? I’d forgotten how foolish apprentice wizards are. It’s embarrassing.”
The pond grew choppier until water shot into the air like a waterfall flowing in reverse. Only the part of the pond with the spike of water representing the necromancer’s magic remained unchanged. Dana pulled back and drew her sword. Jayden continued chanting.
“Do you want to know what’s funny? I’m not trying to hide from you. I could have broken this spell in seconds if I desired. I don’t care. Come to me. Fight me. Die. You wouldn’t be the first to follow those well-worn steps, nor will you be the last.”
Water in the pond shot thirty feet into the air. Suddenly the huge waves turned inward and hit the spike of water. Dana heard the necromancer’s taunting words change into frightened cries as the entire pond seemed to turn against itself.
“What did you do?” Dana demanded.
“He was foolish enough to allow me to determine his precise position. I used my detection spell to send a pulse of magic at him, nearly everything I had. I imagine it hurt.”
“You pile of maggot-infested dung! Two can play that game!”
The sky darkened around them and grew cold. Plants died and the few animals present fled. A globe of utter darkness formed over the pond. The globe hummed and shimmered before vanishing to reveal a hideous mockery of a man, with greasy white skin, tangled black hair, long nails and longer teeth. The monster wore only tattered bits of filthy clothing and stank like rotting meat. It was hunched over to fit in the globe, but now that it was free it bounded toward them on all fours. As it neared them, Dana felt a stab of pain followed by rage, like she had when the undead appeared at Wiskver’s estate.
Jayden cast a spell to form his black sword and met the monster head on. He swung at its legs, but the monster leaped over him and landed next to Dana. It howled and lunged at her face, its toothy maw opened wider than her head. She screamed and swung her sword. Sword met teeth, and Chain Cutter hacked through the monster’s yellowed fangs. Pain should have driven it back, but the monster rammed into her and knocked her onto her back.
The monster leaped at her with outstretched hands, claws reaching for her throat, when Jayden drove his sword through its back with a powerful overhand swing. He speared the beast, pinning it to the ground. The monster shrieked and tried to reach Dana. She got to her feet and swung Chain Cutter, hacking off the monster’s right arm. Another swing took off the left one. Anything else should have died, yet the monster howled and struggled to reach her.
“Enough!” Jayden roared. He pressed his left foot against the monster’s back and pulled his black sword up, cutting the beast in two. Once his sword was free he brought it down again, removing the monster’s head. The air chilled again, and Jayden turned to see another black globe forming. He charged it, and as the globe dissolved to release another monster as wretched as the first, he plunged his sword into it. The monster’s howls died stillborn as his sword went through its heart.
“Send another barrow wight!” Jayden yelled. “Send three, a dozen, a hundred! There’s nothing your foul magic can produce that I can’t kill!”
“We shall see, little mage,” the taunting voice said with its strange accent. It grew softer as it spoke for the last time. “All that lives must one day die.”
Dana ran over to Jayden. The monster he’d impaled was blackening and crumbling away until there was nothing left of it. Once it was entirely gone, he marched back to the first one and drove his black sword into each piece, destroying those as well.
“He’s stronger than I’d feared,” Jayden said as his sword destroyed the final piece of the monster. “Barrow wights are as hideous as they are uncontrollable. Bending two of them to his will is difficult, and sending them over such a great distance staggeringly hard.”
Dana stared at the ashes at her feet, the only sign that there had been a fight. “I never saw your sword do that.”
“In times long past this land was infested with necromancers, some working alone and others in cabals dozens strong. They damaged both the people and the land itself. Shadow magic was developed in direct response to the threat of necromancy and is especially potent against it. Early sorcerer lords hunted down those necromancers and slew them.”
“Then why is he willing to fight you?”
Jayden let his magic sword dissipate. “Sorcerer lords died out long ago. I daresay my spells will come as a surprise to him. But that is a small advantage, and he has large ones. The necromancer has power to spare, time to use it, and royal support. Most necromancers live in fear of the law, constantly moving, never able to build laboratories or spell libraries. Our foe has no such concern, and my spell tracked him to where he has no shortage of human remains.”
Worried, Dana asked, “A graveyard?”
“The biggest and most isolated in the kingdom. Heaven help us, it’s not far away.”
Spring days were short, and they had to make camp not long after Jayden confirmed the necromancer’s location. There were no villages here, just wilderness encroaching onto old fields. Jayden said these lands once had farms, but they’d been destroyed in the civil war and were never resettled. Eventually they found the ruins of an old church and took shelter there.
“We’re fortunate to find this church in more ways than one,” Jayden said as he piled up loose boards and dry brush over the doorway. “The ceiling is intact, no animals or monsters have occupied the building, and I feel lingering holy influences. The necromancer’s creations may be unable to force their way in.”
“I feel it, too,” Dana said. She unrolled a blanket and used her backpack as a pillow. “It’s sort of a calm feeling, like the church is waiting for people to come back.”
“We have a long walk tomorrow, and possibly a battle with the necromancer. Sleep well, Dana, for the future will be taxing.”
Before she went to bed, Dana asked, “What if he runs away?”
“He has little reason to flee with the power and resources at his command. He can comfortably wait until we come to him and face him at his strongest.”
Dana was tired and wanted to sleep, but she forced herself to stay awake. That was difficult under a warm blanket on a cold night. She stayed quiet and motionless, waiting for what she knew was going to happen. She could only guess what time it was when she heard Jayden get up and collect his belongings. She let him go a few steps before speaking.
“Go back to sleep, Jayden.”
He stopped but didn’t turn to face her. “I’m trying to be gallant. Pick a direction other than the one I’m taking and you’ll be safe.”
“You’re not trying to be gallant. You are gallant. You’d go into a fight alone that you might lose if that means I live. The necromancer knows there are two of us. I get the feeling he’d kill me, even use his magic on me after I’m dead and send me after you. The only way I’m getting out alive is with you, and I’m sorry if this upsets you, but I don’t think you’re getting through this alive without me.”
“Your prediction is possibly, even likely given how morally degenerate our enemy is.” He set his belongings down and wrapped himself in his blanket. “It’s strange. I’m grateful we met, yet terrified and ashamed at the same time. I’ve been alone for so long partly because I never wanted to be in this position. I have few friends, Dana. I can’t lose one.”
* * * * *
Morning came, and Dana was relieved to see that Jayden hadn’t left in the night. She recognized how brave he was to try facing this madman alone, but she’d seen him hurt in fights and nearly killed by Wall Wolf. Jayden needed her just as much as the kingdom needed him.
“Our destination has no name by design,” Jayden explained as they headed out after breakfast. “The king and queen wanted its location unknown, as well as its occupants, for the graveyard contains rebels who died in the civil war.”
“My parents never told me much about the war,” Dana admitted.
“They likely knew very little. The king and queen worked hard to erase less savory aspects of our kingdom’s history.” Jayden grimaced as he spoke. “Rebels in the civil war were needlessly brutal, causing considerable damage to infrastructure like bridges, dams, canals, granaries, even schools. If they couldn’t hold territory, they made sure the victors would gain no benefit from it. Nor were they merciful to prisoners or civilians.
“The king and queen were equally brutal. They ordered fallen rebels buried in mass graves without headstones or memorials. These mass graves were placed deep in the wilderness and in utter secrecy. In theory this meant the gravesites couldn’t become rallying points for rebels eager to avenge their losses.”
Dana thought back to the graveyard outside her hometown. It wasn’t visited often since people had so much work to do, but the entire town went there on the first day of the year, drinking toasts to their ancestors and sharing stories of loved ones who had passed on. It was a time of celebration and remembrance. Originally Brotherhood of the Righteous priests led the event, but her father did the honors after the priests were expelled from the kingdom.
“That’s terrible, and stupid,” she said.
“It didn’t stop there. The king and queen declared that rebels lost their property. Farms, livestock, coins, legal rights, it was all forfeit.”
“What happens to their things?”
There was fierceness in Jayden’s voice when he answered. “It went to the crown. Loyalist forces were clamoring for rewards for their services, and they accepted rebel property in lieu of cash. Widows and orphans who had already lost so much were evicted and made beggars. Many of them had no involvement with the civil war. Their men went to war because treacherous noblemen ordered them to fight or forced them to, and their families suffered for it.”
“How do you force someone to fight for you?” Dana asked. “Give a guy a sword and he could use it on you instead of your enemies.”
“The first way is to seize his loved ones and hold them hostage. The second way is to put unwilling soldiers in the front of your army and dependable troops behind them. They can’t run without being cut down by their enemies or their allies.” He saw Dana’s terrified expression and added, “I did say the rebels were brutal.”
“It doesn’t sound like there was a good side in the fight,” she said reluctantly.
“There could have been. The king and queen refused to let Brotherhood of the Righteous priests bless the bodies or hold funerals for defeated rebels. Priests argued these blessings made sure bodies couldn’t be inhabited by foul spirits or used by necromancers. The king and queen didn’t care. Denying rebels even such a basic right was another way to take revenge. Our enemy is camped on one of those mass graves. We are paying the price for the king and queen’s act of spite.”
“That’s how the necromancer made his army!” Dana exclaimed. “I couldn’t figure out where he got the bones for all those walking skeletons at Duke Wisker’s estate, but he’s got an entire cemetery to dig up.”
“The bones were from men who died fighting, so many were badly damaged. I believe the necromancer experimented with replacing destroyed or missing limbs with bones taken from animals.”
Fearing the answer, Dana asked, “How many men were buried there?”
“I don’t know. The necromancer may have looted other mass graves. Worse still, you saw the barrow wights he sent after us yesterday. He may have other undead more dangerous than animated skeletons.” Jayden stopped walking and turned to face her. “I don’t exaggerate when I say this battle may be more than I can handle. Your life is in mortal peril if you come with me.”
“What happens if we don’t stop him?” she asked.
“The necromancer will continue amassing undead followers for uses too horrifying to contemplate. The king and queen will try to use these abominations in their war. Perhaps the necromancer will humor them and send his minions to fight their battles, but it’s equally possible he’ll unleash his nightmare army against the two of them. Innocent people will die by the thousands or tens of thousands before he’s stopped.”
“Who can we call on for help who could get here in time?”
Jayden paused. “Reginald Lootmore and Suzy Lockheart are too far away to reach us in time. I don’t know where Ian McShootersun is. Other men I know lack the power or skill to make a significant impact. They would be targets rather than assets. I might be able to convince nobles or army officers of the danger and get their aid, but they have little reason to believe me when I’m a wanted man.”
“Then you need me.” Before he could argue, she said, “He’s got to be stopped. If you fight him alone he’ll swarm you with skeletons and wights. I’m not a sorcerer lord, or lady, I guess, but I can help. You need friends, Jayden, and right now I’m it.”
He smiled at her. “It’s ironic. The harder I try to keep you safe by excluding you, the harder you insist on remaining.”
“You could have more help, you know. There are people who like you and could fight. And let’s face it, you’re going to run into more big battles, not fewer.”
“More fights like this,” he said ruefully. “Dana, you have no idea how many battles I’ve fought, how many enemies I’ve defeated—”
“How many people you’ve saved?”
“There is that. I’ve done much, yet there is so much more to do. This battle will be terrible, and you’re right that coming battles will be as bad or worse. Would you stand with me through that, knowing it will never end?”
“We saved hundreds of children and young girls sold as property. I’ll stand with you through anything to save even one more.”
They spent much of the day heading deeper into the wilderness. Abandoned farmhouses gave way to scrub forests thick with briars and weeds. The roads had already been muddy and narrow, but as they went on the few roads shrank into narrow game trails. Wildlife was rare so early in spring, yet they saw not one bird or rodent.
“Hey, it’s our anniversary,” she said playfully.
Jayden stared at her. “Our what?”
“We first met on this day one year ago.”
“I’m surprised you keep track of the date,” he said. “You know, it’s embarrassing, but outside family members or servants, this is the longest I’ve known a woman.”
Dana laughed. “What about those two girls you told me about?”
“The first young lady and I were together for eight months. The second lasted only eight weeks. I have difficulties with relationships. I’m told I rub people the wrong way when I don’t offend them intentionally.”
Feeling mischievous, Dana asked, “And how long were you with Suzy Lockheart?”
“She and I weren’t together in any sense of the word. We were in the general vicinity of one another for less than a month total, although it felt like years spent in purgatory.”
“You were a little rough around the edges when we first met, but you’re doing better these days.” Jayden gave her a questioning glance, and she went on. “You don’t lose your temper as often, and insults and snide remarks are way down.”
“Judging by that left handed compliment, you’ve taken it upon yourself to compensate for my good behavior.”
“It’s good you’re getting better around people. You deserve to have healthy relationships like you did when you were a boy. Maybe you could fall in love. No, seriously, there’s a woman my hometown who…oh.” Dana stopped marching. “Oh dear.”
“Not a cheerful sight,” Jayden agreed.
Ahead of them was a wide path beaten through the undergrowth. Seven men could have walked down it side by side, and the thick growth of plant life had been trampled into the muddy ground. Strange as this path already was, trees growing alongside it were dead, their blackened bark peeling off in strips. Normally hardy weeds sprouted this time of year, but here they were stunted and brown. Dana touched a dead tree, only for it to topple onto the path.
“One way leads to our foe, the other to Duke Wiskver’s estate,” Jayden declared.
“How did the necromancer get so many walking skeletons into Wiskver’s estate without anyone noticing?”
“I imagine Wiskver brought them to his property inside armored wagons, the same way he did the slaves.” Jayden ran his fingers along a dead tree branch. “The necromancer may have used magic to temporarily mask the natural aversion all life has to the undead.”
The branch crumbled apart under Jayden’s gentle touch and fell to the ground. He scowled and drew back his hand. “I have to wonder how Wiskver thought he could profit from such monsters. They don’t require food, drink or rest, but how could he have used them as laborers without others noticing? How could he think such bloodthirsty monstrosities would consent to cutting timber or tending crops?”
“How close are we to the graveyard?” Dana asked.
“Close enough I should take precautions. Hold still.”
“What are you,” she began, but stopped when Jayden placed the palms of both hands on her forehead. He began to chant and his fingers grew warm. Dana waited for him to finish before she asked, “What did you do?”
“I placed a mind shield on you. It will last long enough for our purposes. As you don’t cast spells it won’t hide you from magical detection, but it protects you from the fury you felt when near the undead.” He smirked and added, “Blinding rage has its uses, but your best feature has always been your mind, and I need it to be as keen as your sword.”
Dana held up Chain Cutter. “Can wizards sense my sword?”
“You saw how unfocused my detection spell was. Your sword will register as one of hundreds of magic sources with no way to determine what it is or who wields it.”
“That’s helpful, I guess.” Dana paused when she saw green among the dead plants. “Jayden, look, that plant is growing. I didn’t think anything would—”
The tiny weed grew so fast it shot across the ground, spreading new leaves and sinking deep roots before lashing out at Dana. She screamed and swung her sword, hacking the plant in half, only for it to sprout four new ends that wrapped around her and pinned her to the ground.
More vines grew outrageously fast and headed for Jayden. He barely had time to cast a spell that formed a shield of spinning black blades in front of him. Vines grappled the shield, were shredded, regrew and were shredded again when they hit the shield. He cast another spell to form his black sword and cut off the vines holding Dana. For a moment the floral assault paused.
“Why does this not surprise me?” a familiar voice called out.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dana said as she got up.
“Green Peril?” Jayden asked in disbelief.
It was the elven wizard, wreathed in living vines as he emerged from the ruined forest. He wore the same white and green robes as when they’d last seen him in Fish Bait City. His face was as handsome and sneering as ever, but there was one big difference in his appearance. Jayden had destroyed the elf’s staff in their previous battle. Green Peril held a new one, dark red like blood made solid, and with a cluster of opals near the tip. Dana didn’t know much about magic even after a year traveling with Jayden, but this staff looked impressive.
“Birds in the sky told me they’d found you but dared not approach. Land soaked in death and suffering, unhallowed and unwelcome to all life, this would scare anyone with wits and working eyes. Yet this is where I find you.”
“Don’t you know when to quit?” Jayden demanded as he stepped between Dana and the elf. “The last time we fought you ran for your life! You didn’t bring allies for this battle, proof you learned nothing from our encounter.”
“The last time we fought you had help! No ghost is here to save you, but that would explain your destination. Do you seek to recruit another tortured soul?”
“Shadow magic doesn’t work that way, you pampered twit! You’d know that if you’d done even the most rudimentary research into the man you’re trying to kill.”
“Why are you even here?” Dana asked. “The king and queen must have hired a court wizard by now.”
“I’d have heard about it if your idiot king and shrewish queen had accepted another wizard into their service,” Green Peril retorted. “Even if they don’t honor their promise made months ago or pay the ever growing bounty on your head, I have reason enough to hunt you down after you humiliated me! I suffered endless insults for losing to a human! Your death will cleanse the stain upon my honor.”
Green Peril held his staff in front of him. “I learned new spells, and spent a fortune in gold and promises to lesser elves to produce my staff. Blood wood harvested from a willing tree, carved with the finest tools, imbued with nature magic, it is the ultimate weapon.”
Dana’s brow furrowed. “Lesser elves?”
“Each elf thinks himself superior to all other elves,” Jayden told her.
“I had to grovel to get the blood wood!” Green Peril yelled. He drew a step closer to them, and to Dana’s surprise green grass sprouted and seeds burst into life. That hadn’t happened the last time they’d seen the elf. It made her think his replacement staff was as powerful as he claimed.
“That’s just peachy,” Dana interrupted. “You got your stick finished in time to use against an actual enemy instead of someone who saves lives.”
“What’s your pet babbling about?” Green Peril asked.
Before Jayden could issue an angry reply, Dana said, “We’re chasing a necromancer who made an army of walking skeletons and hid them in a duke’s estate. We killed them, and we’re after the necromancer before he makes more.”
Green Peril laughed. “Do you seriously expect me to believe that?”
“Look, these plants died a long time before we got here. Jayden’s magic didn’t kill plants the last time you two fought, or he would have won even quicker than he did.”
Before the elf could answer, Jayden said, “I’m facing what could be the biggest battle of my life against a man who will do unspeakable acts if left alive. I can’t afford to exhaust myself beating you hours before doing battle with the necromancer.”
Green Peril hesitated, given Dana hope that this meeting could end peacefully. The elf wizard retreated a few steps and pointed his staff at a tree left half dead by the necromancer’s magic. He cast a spell, and to Dana’s amazement the tree’s branches bent like they were made of loose cloth.
“Brother tree, friend to elves since ancient times, speak to me,” Green Peril said to the tree. Normally Dana considered talking to trees to be a bad sign, but it made a rustling, whispering noise as it moved. It waved branches along the trail of devastation, and it trembled as if in fear. Green Peril’s face turned pale, and he placed a hand against its trunk.
“You have suffered much, brother,” Green Peril said solemnly. He cast another spell, and fresh growth burst from the trunk to replace what it had lost. The tree stopped moving as Green Peril turned to face Dana and Jayden. “You speak the truth, a shocking a turn of events.”
“Then can we call off this senseless vendetta?” Jayden asked.
Green Peril bared his teeth in a snarl, only gradually regaining self-control. “Vulgar and brutal as you are, there is a greater foe I must deal with. I declare a truce until this perversion of a man is destroyed. After that, no promises.”
“Fair enough,” Jayden replied. “We haven’t far to go to reach him.”
“I said truce, not partnership,” Green Peril snapped. “I’d sooner fight alongside an drunken ogre with lice than trust you not to put a dagger in my back. The only concession I’ll make is to care for your pet girl after you’re dead. What’s her name again?”
Dana slapped a hand over her face. “I can’t believe this.”
Jayden spat in disgust. “This necromancer is a threat like none I’ve faced, and we are mere miles from the graveyard he plunders for bodies. He knows I’m coming and is not intimidated. Battling him together stands the best chance of success. Claim you lead us if it sooths your bloated ego, but if you go alone don’t expect to do anything except die.”
The two wizards stared at one another in mutual loathing. Jayden had often told Dana how ancient sorcerer lords fought one another. Watching these two, she had no trouble believing the tales.
“We’ll let you have any treasure or magic he has,” Dana offered. A shocked look from Jayden made her hastily add, “Minus sorcerer lord spell tablets.”
Green Peril hesitated. “And I get to claim leadership of the expedition?”
“If that’s what it takes to keep you two from butchering each other before we even reach the necromancer.”
“We have a deal. I won’t insult either of us by offering to ‘shake on it’, as you clearly don’t want to and I don’t know what diseases the two of you carry.” Green Peril headed down the trail of devastation. “Come along.”
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