by Dante King
Talon, my harpy, flew ahead of my party, and I shot my spirit into hers every half hour to get a bird’s-eye-view of the landscape ahead. I needed her to do some reconnaissance, just to make sure we weren’t walking into any ambushes. The Blood God still had some allies here, and I wasn’t about to let my guard down.
Everything ahead was safe and clear when my party split from the army, and it stayed that way for a few hours.
Later on the first day of the journey, a sparrow from the Emperor came to Ji-Ko. The monk traced his fingertips over the raised characters on the paper, and a look of concern crossed his face as he read the message.
“God of Death, the Emperor humbly asks that you visit him at once,” he said. “There is a matter he urgently needs your help with. The reward he can give you will assist you greatly in your quest against the Blood God.”
Helping the Glorious Emperor would mean a delay in getting to the coast, but I was intrigued by the promise of a reward. We had to pass the City of Jewels anyway, so I figured I could stop by the Forbidden Palace and find out what the Emperor wanted me to do. I could always politely refuse and continue on my way if the reward didn’t merit a delay.
“Send a sparrow saying we’ll go to the Forbidden Palace,” I said to Ji-Ko.
“As you command, God of Death,” he said with a sweeping bow.
We headed straight there, and due to the speed of our mounts we arrived at the Forbidden Palace that evening. The palace was still in something of a state of disrepair. The emperor had hired hundreds of craftsmen, landscapers, and artists to restore the buildings and grounds to their former glory, and they’d already made a lot of progress. Tens of thousands of candles burned with many colored flames, giving the sprawling grounds a surreal, dreamlike beauty, while thousands of paper lanterns bathed the corridors in gentle light. Our second entry into the Forbidden Palace couldn’t have been more different to our first one. This time we were welcomed as heroes, and the feast the emperor laid out for us in his dining hall was fit for a king, with hundreds of exotic, delectable dishes.
The Emperor and I exchanged pleasantries, and I told him about the battle with the Warlock. I also described the treasures and artworks we’d salvaged from the Warlock’s tower. As it turned out, many of the artworks and treasures we’d taken from the Warlock’s tower had been stolen from the Forbidden Palace by traitorous soldiers and servants who had deserted the Emperor. I offered to return them to him. He was pleased at the prospect of getting them back, but insisted I keep some as rewards. After this, our conversation turned to the topic of his request for aid.
“Glorious Emperor, I appreciate the feast and the hero’s welcome and everything, but you know I’m on a very time-sensitive mission. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t beat about the bush.”
“I owe you my kingdom, God of Death, and I would never dream of asking anything more from you,” the Emperor said. He already looked far healthier than he had when Anna-Lucielle and I had exorcised the Warlock’s spirit from his body. The last few days seemed to have shaved twenty or thirty years off his appearance. “However, there is a situation in which you could be most helpful to me. The reward you gain from your effort will be of tremendous use to you in your campaign against the Blood God in Prand.”
“What’s the situation, and what’s the reward?” I asked, trying not to grow impatient with the man’s vagueness.
“Not what, but who,” the Emperor answered, clasping his hands together and smiling cryptically. “My head alchemist was kidnapped a few weeks ago, when I was helplessly ensnared in the Warlock’s trap, and he is being held to ransom by a renegade warlord.”
“You have a large portion of your army back,” I said. “I don’t mean to sound flippant, but why do you need me? Can’t your own troops go get your alchemist back? Surely some minor warlord shouldn’t present too much of a challenge to the Imperial Army?”
“It is because of my alchemist that this cursed warlord is proving to be such a thorn in my side,” the Emperor answered, clenching his bony hand into a fist. “He has forced the alchemist to create a new weapon with Yengish gray powder. I sent a division of my army against this warlord yesterday. They outnumbered the warlord’s troops three to one, but because of this new weapon, they were massacred. Only a handful of survivors, battered and bleeding, staggered back into the City of Jewels this morning. Warlords have sprung up all over Yeng in these times of anarchy and chaos, and now that I’m healthy and in control again, my Imperial Army will not have any trouble defeating and subduing most of them … but this warlord, who has my head alchemist, cannot be defeated by conventional means, not with this new super-weapon he has. This is why I am humbly asking you for your help, God of Death.”
I took a long, slow sip of my wine as I considered everything the Emperor had just said to me.
“I don’t mean to sound too mercenary,” I said eventually, “but what’s in it for me? What’s the reward?”
“Whatever this super-weapon is, you can have it when you defeat the warlord,” the Emperor answered. “And, what is more, I will instruct my head alchemist to make as much gray powder for you as you can carry across the ocean. I will also order him to teach you the formula to make more.”
Ji-Ko, who was sitting across from me at the table, whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “This is an unheard of honor, God of Death! The formula for gray powder is one of the most closely guarded secrets in all of Yeng! It has never been revealed to anyone outside the Emperor’s Dynasty and the head alchemists of the Forbidden Palace!”
“That’s the powder that creates a mighty explosion when a flame or spark touches it, right?” I whispered back.
“Yes! With enough of it, you can bring down the thickest and strongest city walls!”
Well, that seemed to explain how so many of my ships had been destroyed. Someone must have had this gray powder. Because of the destruction of my navy, I needed an ace up my sleeve, and this Yengish secret weapon could be exactly that.
“How far away is this warlord and his army dug in?” I asked.
“Not far at all, God of Death,” the Emperor answered. “A day’s march for infantry troops, but only a few hours for fast cavalry.”
“Well then, Glorious Emperor,” I said with a swift grin, “I think I’m in the mood to help.”
Chapter Five
Morning fog, dense and milky, blanketed the undulating landscape of green hills and shallow valleys. The fog was so thick that visibility was limited to a dozen or so yards at the most, but I was able to navigate using Fang’s senses. The huge lizard could sense the warmth of living things, so my party and I raced confidently through the fog, knowing that there was no way that we’d be walking into any sort of ambush. The Emperor had given me command of a hundred of his cavalry troops, who were racing along behind my party on horseback. I’d enchanted their weapons with Death magic, and my party carried tower shields strengthened with the power of Death.
I’d learned that the warlord’s name was Hengchun, and that he was a former general of the Imperial Army. He’d been one of the first people to swallow the Warlock’s Spirit of Prosperity bullshit, and he’d been stripped of his rank and kicked out of the Forbidden Palace. That had been before the Emperor fell under the Warlock’s spell, of course. It made sense that he had an axe to grind with the Emperor. I suspected that Hengchun had been involved in the sabotage of my ships in Gongxiong Harbor, since Yengish gray powder had been involved in that, and he was wielding weapons using this substance. Whether Hengchun was in league with the Blood God, though, was something I wasn’t entirely certain of. I’d find out soon enough.
As we galloped through the fog, Elyse pulled up alongside me on her undead panther. A vivid memory flashed through my mind. I remembered how disgusted and frightened she’d been when I’d first resurrected Fang, and how much convincing it had taken for her to ride him. Now she was racing along like a veteran cavalry trooper on her own undead saber-toot
hed panther.
“What are you chuckling about, Vance?” she asked, a sparkling smile brightening her angelic features.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I answered, grinning. “It’s just funny how some things change.”
“Strange indeed, yes,” she answered. “I never could have pictured this, not in my wildest dreams. There is something I wanted to ask. Have you considered how to get your army across the ocean? As much of an adventure as we’ve had in Yeng, I yearn to return to Prand.”
“As a matter of fact, I do have an idea. It’s a pretty simple one, and I know it’ll work, but the only problem with it will be the time it takes to get it done.”
I was about to give her the details of the plan, but Fang’s heat sensors picked up the unmistakable signatures of a large number of living beings ahead. I called a halt to our march and told Elyse I’d explain the details of the plan to her later. I ordered everyone to wait while I sent Talon high up into the air to discern who and what we were up against. There were patches of cloud in the sky, so Talon was able to stay out of sight of the warlord’s troops on the ground.
Hengchun and his forces were occupying the ruins of a stone fort on a hilltop about a mile from us. The morning fog was lifting, but thick, soup-like pools of it still lay in the many valleys surrounding the hills. If we kept to the valleys, we could get very close to the fort without being detected. The east side of the fort was weakest, and most actively defended, so I wasn’t about to launch an attack there. The west side was strongest, with the entire twelve-foot-high stone wall still intact. The entrance lay to the north, and the gates had been heavily reinforced. The south wall was intact, but with Talon’s sharp harpy eyes I saw that there were hairline cracks in the stone and masonry. One well-placed corpse explosion would bring the whole wall down. That was where I would launch my attack from.
Captain Jengshen, the commander of the Imperial Army division, trotted over to me on his horse. He was a big man with a severe-looking face, with long mustaches that hung down to his chest. He was dressed in magnificent yellow and gold fluted armor and armed with a katana and a lance.
“God of Death, may I humbly request that my men and I form the vanguard of the attack?” he asked. “My cousin was among those killed by Hengchun in the recent battle, and honor demands that I avenge his death.”
“It’s an honor I’ll gladly grant you, Captain Jengshen,” I said. “Move your troops through the valleys under the cover of fog until you’re positioned as close to the south wall as you can get. I’ll distract Hengchun by launching a fake attack on the gate, then I’ll blow a hole through the south wall. The moment that wall comes down, you and your troops charge in.”
“We will fight like cornered panthers, God of Death,” Captain Jengshen said, bowing in his saddle. “I will move my men now, and attack the instant the wall tumbles.”
“Excellent. I know you need to avenge your dead cousin but remember that the Emperor’s alchemist is a priority here. He needs to come out of this alive.”
“I understand, God of Death. My men and I will not disappoint you.”
Captain Jengshen and his men galloped off into the fog. I needed to find a corpse to use for a corpse explosion. The easiest thing to do, of course, would be to create one. I harnessed Fang’s heat-seeking senses to search for enemy scouts nearby; Hengchun would surely have some scoping out the hills. I found one close enough to kill; he was two hundred yards away, skulking around a copse of trees.
“Yumo-Rezu, could I borrow your bow for a second?” I asked.
Yumo-Rezu rode up to me and handed me her Ice bow and a blue arrow.
“Here you go,” she said, looking a little skeptical. “I’m not sure how you’re going to hit your target in this fog, but you’re welcome to try.”
“I don’t need conventional eyes to slam an arrow through my enemy’s skull,” I said with a grin, reaching down to scratch Fang behind his ear holes. “Watch this.”
I closed my eyes and focused intently on merging my senses with Fang’s. Through his senses, I was able to clearly see the outline of a human figure glowing red and orange in the distance. No fog or darkness could conceal the man from the giant lizard’s heat-seeking senses. I took aim at him and loosed the arrow. It streaked through the air, arcing up and then speeding downward with silent, deadly speed Two seconds later, Grave Oath buzzed in its sheath on my hip, signaling that I’d made the kill.
“Done and dusted.” I handed the bow back to Yumo-Rezu.
“You really killed him?” she gasped. “Just like that, without being able see a thing?”
“Dead as one of my zombies, yes. But this motherfucker isn’t going to become one of my undead troops. Everyone, prepare for attack!”
I explained to my party how we were going to fake an attack on the fort’s gate. Once the south wall had been blown apart, we’d veer around to that side and follow Captain Jengshen’s troops in.
While me moved silently through the fog-shrouded valleys, I sent Talon to pick up the corpse of the scout I’d killed. When everyone was in place, I positioned Talon just above the clouds. Directly below the harpy was the foot of the south wall.
I drew the Dragon Sword and swung it twice over my head, giving the signal to attack. Fang and I charged out of the fog, leading the attack on the fort, with my party on their various mounts hot on my heels. Hengchun’s archers and crossbowmen, who were on the walls above the gate, raised the alarm and loosed a storm of arrows and bolts at us. Most of the projectiles shattered harmlessly against the glossy black surface of the shields. A few thudded home into the panthers and Layna’s war spider, but the arrows had little effect on the undead beasts.
In response, Yumo-Rezu picked men off in rapid succession with her Ice bow, the blue arrows shattering whatever soldier they hit into chunks of ice.
Rami-Xayon blasted a series of tornados at the defenders. Each whirling creation plucked a handful of men from the walls and hurled them, screaming, hundreds of feet up into the air.
Layna was firing webs from her hands, ensnaring soldiers in these sticky traps.
Elyse, clad in her golden armor in the morning sunlight, was burning men to ashes with searing blasts of white light from her mace.
Anna-Lucielle wasn’t much of a fighter, but she’d borrowed a nifty repeating crossbow from the Emperor’s armory, and was shooting from the rear, making every shot count.
Friya transformed into her werewolf form and started scrambling up the wall, climbing the horizontal stone as easily as if it had been a ladder. At the sight of a ten-foot-tall werewolf scaling the walls, many of Hengchun’s troops simply threw down their weapons and ran, screaming in terror.
Ji-Ko and his monks whipped fist-sized rocks through the air with powerful slings, taking aim via the sound of the enemy’s bowstrings, and each precise shot smacked an enemy soldier in the head and knocked him unconscious.
As for me, I was having great fun racing parallel to the wall on Fang and picking off soldiers with my wrist-mounted Tree crossbow. The enemy troops screamed and writhed as leaves and branches burst through their skin.
Then, just as I wheeled Fang around to do another run, I saw Hengchun himself on the walls. I knew it was him from the description the Emperor had given me: he was a rotund, bald man with a dense black beard and thick eyebrows. He was wearing an ornate suit of white and purple armor, displaying his loyalty to the dead Warlock. A large red spear was gripped in his hands, waves of magic rolling off it like steam.
“Reinforcements!” he roared. “Everyone to the North Gate, now! Move, move! Ready the weapon; we’ll blast these foreign fools into the center of the earth!”
Ah, the secret weapon that Hengchun had used to defeat the Emperor’s troops. I intended to approach the weapon with caution since it had been used to win a battle where they’d been outnumbered three to one.
I ducked behind my tower shield just as a volley of arrows shattered against it. A few projectiles streaked past me, missing me by mere
inches, and I flung my spirit into Talon. I summoned my Corpse Explosion spell and dropped the body from her claws, watching as it hurtled earthward. I needed to detonate the explosion at exactly the right moment to bring down the south wall. Just before the cadaver hit the ground, I blasted a charge of Death energy into it. With a loud boom, it exploded in a fireball and a green-tinged mushroom cloud. The south wall groaned for a few seconds before disintegrating into a tumble of rubble, accompanied by a billowing cloud of thick dust.
“For the Glorious Emperor!” Captain Jengshen roared, spurring his horse into a charge. His men echoed this shout in a unified roar and charged in perfect formation behind him.
Through Talon’s eyes, I watched as they raced up the hill. Inside the fort, I saw Hengchun’s men wheeling out a few large steel tubes, each about the size of a horse. They had been cast in the shape of a snarling wolf’s head with open jaws, and each was mounted on two wagon wheels. The soldiers operating them also wheeled out a small wagon, stacked with large red balls. The men poured gray powder into the mouths of the “wolves”, then rolled a red ball down after it. Hengchun jumped acrobatically off the battlements, landing in a pile of straw, and raced over to the war machines to operate them himself.
“Come fools,” he growled as Captain Jengshen and his cavalrymen started pouring through the broken wall into the fort. “Come and meet your doom!”
He pointed his spear at the first of the steel wolf heads. There was a titanic boom, like a thunderclap, and bright pink fire belched from the wolf’s jaws, while the head was hurled backward from the force of the explosion. Immediately, a series of similarly powerful explosions detonated. They proceeded in a perfectly straight line from the wolf’s mouth at intervals of a few yards, blowing a passage of carnage through Jengshen’s troops. Men were turned into splatters of blood, flying organs and red mist, and horses were similarly vaporized from the force of these explosions. It was both horrifying and darkly fascinating to watch.
