Death Mage's Curse

by Jon Bender

  They continued the trek away from the battle, angling toward the opening of one of the smaller canyons. At first, Adriana was unsure it would take them around, but the sight of hundreds of dead men in grey proved that the enemy had tried to break through here at one point. If they had reached this far, there was surely a way for the small force to make it. Vaniece stayed in front surrounded by the dark men and their dual swords, occasionally looking over her shoulder to check on them. Adriana paid no attention to the distrustful woman. Instead, focusing on each step that took her closer to Jaxom.

  Coming around a bend in the canyon, they encountered a group of Ostegans being overwhelmed by the enemy. The Rilnorman foot soldiers and twenty lightly-armored Calvary had come from a large connecting tunnel that led down into the earth. The fight was not going well, and she made no comment as Vaniece headed straight for them. These men stood between her and Jaxom.

  Vanice was the first to reach the fight, her arms outstretched and flinging small swirling balls of black smoke. Her aim was so precise that it slipped past the Ostegans without touching them while striking enemy soldiers. The wave of Desert Walkers followed, and Adriana stared in amazement as they danced through the line, their spinning blades in perfect harmony as they cut down the enemy. The mounted skirmishers tried to wheel around between the embattled forces and the canyon wall, but Laiden and Darian were there to meet them. The apprentice whipped the coil of white smoke back and forth, unhorsing men as Darian flung ice daggers at anyone who slipped passed the apprentice. Adriana rushed into the line as Brenin climbed a small boulder to fire a stream of arrows over their heads. Raising her mace, she brought it down hard on the first helmeted head that presented itself. The man dropped without a sound. Stepping over the corpse, she was met by another just as the ground gave a slight tremble. From behind the enemy, a towering human form of rock pulled away from the canyon wall. Its eyes glowed dark green from the emeralds placed in its head. Risking a quick look over her shoulder, she confirmed it was the earth mage accompanying them that had summoned the creature.

  The stone golem tore through the back of the enemy with abandon, its massive arm knocking the Rilnormans aside like a boy batting his toys about. Pressed on two sides, the enemy fled with what remained of the Calvary. Adriana grabbed Vaniece’s shoulder as the woman prepared to chase them. “We are here for your brother,” she said.

  Vanices shrugged the hand off and stared at her, those dark, familiar eyes boring into Adriana’s very being. “If he is my brother, what is he to you?” she asked.

  Adriana held up the ring hanging from her neck. “My husband,” she said quietly, staring at the small circle.

  Vaniece smirked. “Well, come along then, sister,” Vaniece mocked, but she had lost some of the bluster in her voice. The walkers followed her lead as the soldiers they had rescued carried their wounded from the field.

  It took them another fifteen minutes and several turns, but they finally made it back to the dried lake. The scene had changed dramatically since Adriana had last seen it. The Ostegans were marching forward at a steady pace, pushing the enemy back, but Adriana and the others were still behind the Rilnorman army. So far, the enemy had yet to notice the small force, but that would change any moment. Not able to wait any longer, she rushed out and ran along the wall, catching only the beginning of Vaniece’s curse as the woman pursued. She jumped over the smaller debris to where she last saw Jaxom. Climbing on top of a boulder, she came on something that stopped her dead. Scattered around the newly-made hill of stone were over twenty Rilnorman soldiers carrying away rocks. Further up, the powerful durgen was using its four front paws to roll a large stone off the pile. Jaxom was alive. He was using the risen to dig himself out. Sliding from the top, she landed in a crouched position. Several of the risen turned to look at her with normal eyes. At first, she thought she had been wrong, that these were living men. But the dead stares and open wounds showed her error.

  The risen turned back to their work just as Vaniece came running around the boulder. She came to a dead stop and stared. “What are they?” she whispered.

  “Jaxom is alive. He is having these risen dig him out,” Adriana replied.

  “Those are not normal undead. I can’t even feel their minds. Something powerful is keeping me out.”

  “Where are the others?” Adriana asked. The earth mage arrived shortly after she spoke, accompanied only by a few of the Desert Walkers. The middle-aged man with greying hair had much the same reaction as Vaniece. Adriana grabbed the earth mage by his brown robes and pulled him along. “Get him out,” she ordered.

  The mage nodded, shock still evident on his face. He lifted his hands, and Adriana heard the heavy stones groan in protest as they began to move. The risen, seeing what was happening, stepped out of the way. The rocks moved at an agonizingly slow pace. For Adriana, each one seemed to take an eternity to shift out of the way. When the last boulder slid to the side, light filled a small hole to reveal Jaxom behind a shimmering barrier. His arms were still upraised, holding the cast in place. He looked over at her, and she felt the vice that had been around her heart loosen its hold. He stepped out, passing through the barrier before it disappeared. Its absence allowed the rock cavern to crash down behind him.

  “That’s not possible,” she heard the earth mage mumble.

  She ran forward and threw her arms around Jaxom. At first, she felt that everything was once again right in the world, but his body was different, unmoving and hard. He did not return the embrace. She felt as if she were embracing a statue. He had no words of love or even a smile to greet her. Taking a step back, she stared into his eyes and saw there what she had seen in the risen: nothing. He looked at her as if she was insignificant.

  He stepped forward, forcing her to move or be trampled, his path taking him back to the Rilnorman army. His risen already charging forward to rejoin the fight. “Jaxom,” she yelled, trying to get his attention. He did not turn or even acknowledge he had heard her.

  “I have questions for you,” Vaniece shouted, but Adriana could tell that the woman was shaken. Vaniece formed the coil in her hand and whipped it toward him before anyone but Jaxom could react. He spun around with his arm upraised, his own coil slapping hers away with contemptuous ease. Adriana jumped in front of him to stop whatever he had been about to do with his other hand. Jaxom looked at her then. A spark of recognition flitted across his face then was gone. He was still in there, somewhere. She stepped slowly toward him until she once again stood directly in his path. Without warning, she lashed out with her palm, striking him as Darian had struck her. The impact with Jaxom’s cheek left a hand-shaped welt. Her palm stung with pain. She saw his arm twitch, but it never came past his waist. She struck him again and again. The spark turned into a flame, and he screamed, spilling forth a dark cloud from his hands that quickly enveloped her. She did not know how long she stood in the absolute darkness or how far it stretched, but something told her that it had enveloped most of the lakebed. When it finally broke apart, Jaxom was back, a grin stretched across his face.

  “Hello, wife. Did you have to hit me so hard?” he asked before his legs folded beneath him, and he collapsed forward into her arms.

  She lowered his considerable weight to the ground as best she could. He was still conscious and continued to smile at her. “Next time, don’t make me,” she whispered, choking on tears.

  Chapter 16

  The sun shone on Corin’s still clean shaven face. The heat of the day was offset by the cool eastern breeze that blew across the golden fields of knee-high wheat. Their flexible stalks rolled in waves with the wind. His horse nickered and shifted to the side a bit before he could reign the animal in. Next to him, Shana stared out across the fields. She had traded her red dress for a blue shirt, dark pants, and comfortable boots. The clothes, meant to fit a man, did nothing to detract from her beauty or shapely figure. Their relationship seemed to be changing slowly. He could now manage a conversation with her without remembe
ring her betrayal. For her part, she had done her best to give him the space he wanted, never forcing the matter. He knew it was her way of trying to repair the damage she had done. The fact that she wanted to be nearer to him, and restrained herself, showed how much she cared. Looking at her now, Corin’s feelings for her were back, stronger than ever.

  On their left, General Nelix held himself erect, his figure the perfect example of a hardened veteran. His black hair, greying at the temples, gave him an air of wisdom, and the long scar running down his face and neck added a touch of ferocity. He had rejoined them after the army entered Bruxa, looking no worse for having spent so many days hiding from searching patrols. With the General back, Celia had gladly returned his responsibilities as the army’s leader before taking command of the Calvary. Corin’s cousin had performed admirably, and Nelix had offered to split the duties between the two of them. Celia had quickly declined, stating that she would not feel right. Corin suspected that she truly wanted to avoid further dealings with General Travon, who had not been much put off by her repeated and often violent rejection. If anything, his pursuit had only intensified.

  Out here, away from the army, Corin allowed himself to pretend that the weight of the fifteen kingdoms did not rest on his shoulders. He was simply out for a ride with friends on a sunny afternoon. All he needed was for Jaxom to be with them. Corin understood why his brother had left after only one night of being reunited, and he had even wanted him to go. Still, he missed his brother. If Jaxom were there now, they could swap good-natured insults and the world would feel whole again, for a moment.

  “They’re coming,” Nelix said.

  Corin focused his eyes. Three riders were emerging from the large force before them. The alliance outnumbered the Bruxans twenty to one, but Corin had requested a parlay with the commander of the forces. He hoped to sway him to their side and avoid further waste of lives. Still, the occasional shadow of a durgen passed over them. He had directed the riders to circle above. He would meet in good faith, but he was not about to make himself an easy target again.

  So far, the strategy of winning hearts and minds had been mostly effective. Corin had sent smaller units throughout Bruxa to spread the word that they were not here as conquerors, but to place Shana on the throne and bring the kingdom into the alliance. Many of the towns and villages had celebrated the news, some even offering food and supplies to support the campaign. Until now, they had yet to meet any resistance.

  “Just be your usual, pleasant self,” Corin said to Shana.

  She looked at him with a small smile. “I’m always pleasant. And this commander will see that I am a better choice than my sister.”

  Corrin nodded and turned back to watch the three mounted men trotting closer. “If he doesn’t, just hold a knife to his throat. It has a way of getting men to appreciate you,” he said with humor.

  He surprised himself with the joke. The words just slipped out. More surprising, he did not feel the familiar stab of anger at the memory. Instead, he found himself thinking of times they had spent together when she was pretending to be Eleanor, moments of laughter and companionship she could not have faked. The joke caught her off guard, and he could see her watching him out of the corner of his eye, trying to decide how to respond. Corin already held a small grin from the comment, but seeing her discomfort appealed to his sense of humor. His grin spread into an outright smile.

  “I have always found it the best way to deal with stubborn men,” she said. The retort sounded only a little forced, like dipping a toe into a lake.

  “I am happy you two have made up, Your Majesty, but…” Nelix said, nodding toward the approaching Bruxans.

  Corin removed the smile, leaving his features flat. The man slightly ahead of the other two approached with his cleft chin slightly uplifted and narrow shoulders back. He exuded an air of self-importance. He was older than Corin by at least ten years with thinning light brown hair, and looked to be quite tall and very thin. Corin guessed that he would be difficult to convince, no matter how pleasant Shana was. The second man wore the simple armor of a soldier and carried a carved signal horn hanging from his shoulder. The third was a good looking young noble, with thick brown hair who carried himself with a sense confidence rather than arrogance.

  The three men reigned their horses in close enough to be easily heard while keeping a safe distance. All gave a small bow to Corin but ignored Shana completely. Corin’s messenger had informed them that she would be the one with whom they would be speaking. Corin’s presence was only to show solidarity between her and the alliance. The show of disrespect was a calculated display by the Bruxan commander. Even so, Corin caught the slight nod the young noble gave to Shana when he leaned forward.

  “Your Majesty, I am Lord Maridun,” the older man began. “Holding Lord to Queen Deena, regional lord of northern Bruxa, commander of …”

  Corin held up his hand, stopping the litany of laurels. “I am pleased to meet you, Lord Maridun, but Queen Shana speaks on behalf of the alliance. She has full authority to negotiate for all kingdoms who have joined us.”

  Maridun’s face turned a light shade of red. “Your Majesty, I do not have permission from my queen to negotiate anything. I have been commanded only to reiterate her generous offer and to request that you turn over the traitor to my custody,” Maridun said haughtily.

  Corin felt his temper rising. The man was just here as a mouthpiece for Deena. He did not care that his actions could lead to the deaths of thousands of his men. Corin was also sure that, somehow, this Lord Maridun would survive the day.

  Before he could respond in a most undiplomatic way, Shana moved her horse directly in front of Maridun. “Lord Maridun, only a short time ago, my father ruled brutally over Bruxa. Do you really wish to return to similar times under my sister?” she asked. Maridun did his best to ignore Shana, so she continued. “Look behind me. You see what she has sent you out here to face alone. She doesn’t care for you or Bruxa any more than my father did. I beg you to reconsider. Join me, and we can save our kingdom together.”

  Maridun finally met her eyes. “Queen Deena is protecting Bruxa from an invading army and the traitor who killed our king. When this is over, and this rabble has been thrown from our borders, I will drink a toast at your public execution.”

  Shana lowered her head. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. “Please, think what you are saying. I do not wish to see our people suffer.”

  “You are the one who will suffer, Princess,” Maridun sneered.

  Corin heard the sound of steel drawn across the leather as the young noble drew his sword. Corin had drawn his own blade when Nelix moved forward, blocking his advance. Panic gripped him. Two riders thumped to the ground atop their durgen, but they were too far away to reach Shana in time. Maridun looked just as surprised as the rest of them, his mouth opening to say something to the young lord. Whatever the words were, they were lost as the flat of the man’s blade connected solidly with Maridun’s head, dropping him from the saddle to land in a pile amongst the wheat. A long gash at the commander’s temple oozed blood. Three riders had flown in low to hover over them, their bows trained on the two men.

  No one moved as the young man dropped his sword to the ground. Shana had drawn the long dagger she kept at her belt, and Nelix held his sword extended in the direction of the horn signaler. The soldier looked from Nelix, to the unmoving Maridun, before his eyes finally settled on the young lord who had put the commander down. Maridun’s attacker nodded slowly to the soldier’s sword. The signaler carefully pulled the blade out and dropped it as well.

  Corin was stunned. He expected to hear horns and the sound of men charging to rescue their fallen leader. Instead, the Bruxan force remained standing where they were, in full view of these events. Nelix gave Corin a questioning look, to which Corin nodded. The general sheathed his blade and sat patiently. The riders, seeing Nelix replace his weapon, lifted higher again but kept their bows trained on the Bruxans. Shana replaced he
r own small dagger as well. Corin made a mental note to get her a proper weapon. If this had been an assassination attempt, the dagger would have been poor protection.

  “Do you care to explain, Lord…” Shana said.

  The young man bowed to her from his saddle. “Bashorthin, my queen, but my friends call me Bash.”

  Shana looked to the unconscious Maridun. “Appropriate.”

  “I was there when Queen Deena gave him the command to slow the Alliance’s advance. She didn’t care if it cost the lives of every man she sent. Lord Maridun was promised lands in the north if he obeyed,” Bash said.

  “What about the others?” she asked, nodding towards the gathered force behind him.

  “A few lords and officers will not agree with what I have done. Most of those will only protest because they hope to gain the queen’s favor. I can have them all executed, along with Lord Maridun.”

  “No,” Shana said quickly. “Strip them of weapons and armor, then send them back on foot. I do not want to begin my reign by killing defenseless men.” Bash looked doubtful but gave a small bow. He hopped down from his horse and waved for the singaler to do the same. When they had tied Maridun over his saddle, they remounted.

  “You were his second in command?” Shana asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. My father is a minor noble to the south. Our land borders Ostega and does not hold much value, which is why I was selected.”