by Sever Bronny
Augum had had enough and shoved at the air. “BAKA!” Erika disappeared with a laughing whoosh. Behind her, his desk chair was sent tumbling into the far wall.
“Now you’re really scaring me. Who were you talking to? Aug? There was no one there.” Leera took his face in her cold and clammy hands. “My love? Please, talk to me—”
He took her hands in his own. “I’m fine. I love you, you know.”
Tears sprang into her eyes. “Your hands are shaking.”
That’s because his worst fears had been surpassed. His father was forcing their hand. He wanted a confrontation now, now when they weren’t even close to being ready. Now when they were in shambles. Now when Augum was losing his mind completely, and everything was falling apart.
The windows flashed. The castle reverberated with the deep gong of thunder as the rain pelted the windows even harder.
Augum glanced at the darkness outside, at the storm, at the poor Kingdom of Solia. History was being made out there as they spoke, but it was a new and dangerous and dark history.
The shadow of Robin glided over to a window. “I should be out there commanding an army. I would have passed my Torment Trial, you know.” He turned to face Augum, an ever-morphing dark specter of malevolence. “But you denied me that. You denied me my black stripes, my destiny. You murdered me in cold blood, Augum.”
“You fulfilled your destiny,” Augum spat. Now he would fulfill his.
Robin disappeared, but his voice echoed on. “Madness is your destiny, gutterborn …”
Just as Leera was about to plead with him again, Bridget burst into the room, breathing hard. Her jaw firmed when Augum and Leera placed their gazes upon her. By the look on her face, it was obvious Mrs. Stone could not be roused.
Augum glanced down at the open trunk, at the Exot ring lying on a Dramask blanket. His father was out there, slaughtering and raising an army of undead from his own people. If something wasn’t done, Solia would soon be a kingdom of empty buildings.
Augum reached into the trunk and closed his hand around the captured Exot ring, before placing determined eyes on the girls. “This is it. We go now.”
The girls stared at him. Both knew what he meant. He expected them to argue, but it seemed they were of the same mind. This was their chance, perhaps their only chance.
They were going to retrieve his mother’s body.
They were going to the Black Castle without Mrs. Stone.
War
The trio raced down to the dining room, where they found a throng of people. It seemed half the village was in there, haranguing Jezebel, begging for her to do something, anything to protect the kingdom. The trio was quickly briefed by a breathless Jengo, echoed by Haylee and Devon, all shaking in fear.
“Mass conversions taking place—”
“Demons being summoned—”
“Some sort of grand plan has begun—”
“End times, Augum, these are the end times of old.” Jengo had to sit down. “I always thought it was us that was doomed. But it’s our poor kingdom. It’s poor Solia. Even all of Sithesia. Gods, I think I’m going to be sick.”
Augum took a look around the room. All he saw was terrified faces. Many were arguing. Some were rocking back and forth like Jengo, mumbling to themselves. Others were weeping. Still others stood frozen, ashen-faced. And beyond the crowd stood the shadows, grinning devil smiles.
People began to turn to him with pleading eyes. They wanted answers, they wanted to feel secure. But he knew he could not give that to them. They were not safe here. They were not safe anywhere. But a plan was forming, and all that was required now was courage and conviction. Somehow, he sensed they were all waiting for the word. Now was the time for action. Now was the time to be decisive. Now was the time to remove the sword from the scabbard. And though he had not learned enough, as Sir Westwood used to say, one must do one’s best with what one knows.
There was no more hiding from who Augum had to become. No more cowering from his destiny, no more prolonging the inevitable. It came much sooner than he wanted, but it had come nonetheless. Beyond the skulking shadows, he saw history unfolding before him, watching, judging. And he knew with every fiber of his being that he had a big part to play in what was to come. He felt his body tense and his fists curl.
This was it.
Augum turned to Bridget first. For a moment the two friends just stared at each other with eyes of steel. That’s when he knew she was willing to go all the way with him. And Leera had the same look. The steel in their eyes was their friendship, their willingness to sacrifice on behalf of a kingdom that needed them now more than ever.
Augum nodded. “So be it. Bridge, tell Elizabeth Beaumont to gather everyone she can—students, families, as many people as she can—and get Mrs. Hawthorne to teleport them here. Tell them to make sure they’re not tracked.”
Bridget nodded and brought the Exot orb to her lips before he had even finished speaking.
Augum next whirled to Jezebel Terse, who was arguing with Mrs. Haroun. “Jez, we need your help. We need you to teleport us to Blackhaven.”
Jez gave him a look like he had completely lost his mind, something he wouldn’t disagree with.
“You know what you’re asking for, right?” she said.
“I do. We need to go, and we need to go now.”
Haylee hobbled between them. “What about us?”
“Stay with the castle and Mrs. Stone. Keep watch, keep everyone inside, and keep us posted.”
Haylee nodded gravely. Her eyes fell upon Chaska and the two exchanged a knowing look. Augum sensed it too. War had come in all its horror to the defenseless, and the pair knew it. It would soon be upon them too. Now the trick was managing how it came.
Augum summoned his courage and went to Leland, who was held tightly by his father. He crouched down before the stricken boy. “Leland, I’m going to ask you and your father to help us in a very serious way.”
Mr. Goss was breathing fast. He drew his boy closer to him, but said nothing, only stared at Augum with the hardest expression Augum had ever seen on the man. Was it determination? Fear? Protectiveness?
“Mrs. Stone believed in you and what you can do with the Agonex,” Augum went on. “And I know your training is not complete. Neither is ours. But we are out of time. Mrs. Stone said that the only way for us to penetrate the Black Castle is if the guards are drawn away from their posts. That’s what we need from you. We need you to conduct a direct attack on the gates with part of your force. We need you to work with Ms. Terse to make that happen. Do you think you can do that for us? We will, of course, understand if you decline.” He stood and locked eyes with Mr. Goss, adding in a whisper, “Or if your father declines on your behalf.”
For a moment none of them said anything. At last, Mr. Goss closed his eyes and lowered his chin. “I have always known this day would come. I have known it since Leland took to the Agonex. Perhaps I have known it since the day the three of you returned to Sparrow’s Perch and found us amongst its ashes.”
Mr. Goss crouched before Leland, placed his hands upon the boy’s shoulders, and made him face his father. “Leland. My dear, beautiful boy. Your mother would be so proud of you, you know that, right?”
Leland made a weak moan.
“I have always known you would amount to great things. You have made me proud. You have made me very, very proud.” He brought the boy in for a gentle hug.
Augum found his hand being sought out by Leera’s. Her fingers entwined with his. He drew her near. Every moment together now was more precious than ever. How many more moments like this would they have left? How many more embraces? Handholds? Kisses?
Mr. Goss whispered into Leland’s ear for a time. The boy kept nodding. At long last, he gave his father a tight hug. Then Mr. Goss’ arms slipped from his son’s frail body, and the boy turned to Augum. He gave a single firm nod.
Augum placed a hand on Leland’s shoulder. “Our brave little warrior.”
&
nbsp; “Caireen’s going to need to be picked up,” Bridget said to Jez. “She’s hiding at the Hilt & Scabbard Inn & Tavern. And what’s going on with Secretary Klines? I can’t reach her.”
Jez fiercely shook her head. “I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save my best friend … my poor, poor Prudes …”
The trio dropped their heads out of respect. Augum recalled the beetle-like woman and her squeaky voice, those giant spectacles. His heart panged for the poor woman. She was gone. He never expected it, the suddenness of it, the suddenness of all of this.
“What do you mean you couldn’t save her?” asked a quivering voice. “What do you mean you couldn’t save my dear aunt?” It was Lord Bowlander, repeatedly running his hands through his hair.
“I’m so sorry. The library, the dormitories … there was an ambush. So many lives …” She was shaking her head. “So many lives …”
Bowlander slumped into a chair. Charissa immediately hugged him, but he remained still and detached.
“Jez, we need to go,” Augum said quietly.
She sniffed and nodded. “Right. Our destinies await, don’t they?”
“Is … is Senior Arcaneologist Lien Ning all right?” Bridget asked in a frail voice.
“That I do not know …”
Augum wondered the same thing. He’d never forget that floating chair and the shriveled peculiar genius that occupied it. He hoped she was all right. And her husband, Rafael Herzog, who had given Augum precious information, information he was now going to use to retrieve his mother’s body.
A bright flash illuminated the windows, quickly followed by a crack of sharp thunder, startling everyone.
Jez squared her jaw at Augum. “Sure you want to do this?”
“Certain.”
“Very well then. Let’s go.”
For the Resistance
After hurriedly retrieving the map to the sewers, the invisible key, some basic supplies, and changing into spare necrophyte robes scrounged by Constable Clouds just for such an occasion, the trio and Jezebel Terse said hasty goodbyes before Jez teleported them to a cobbled dark alley somewhere in the city of Blackhaven. It was raining there too, with lightning occasionally flaring up the sky. Leland stayed behind for now, going over all his training. They had made arrangements for Jez to teleport back and retrieve him at a crucial moment that would be signaled by Bridget via the Exot orb. Then Jez was to help the boy secretly lead a distraction attack on the gates of the Black Castle while remaining hidden on a nearby rooftop. It was a daring plan, one Augum prayed would work, for there apparently were a great many guards in the castle.
Jez briefly peeked out of the alley. “Streets are eerily quiet.” She withdrew. “All right, we all know the plan. You have your map?”
Bridget adjusted the strap of her rucksack so that she could dig it out of her necrophyte robe. “Right here.”
“Good. I’ll expect to hear from you within a few hours. In the meantime, I’m going to help those students evacuate the academy.”
“And try to take out the necromancers,” Augum added. “Doing so kills off everything they raised.”
“Say goodbye to her, she ain’t gonna make it,” Sal the bandit said. His shadowy form passed by the alley entrance, disappearing from view. Augum had to ignore it.
“I’ll do my best,” Jez said. She glanced between the three of them. “Brave fools. Do you even know anything about the inside of that castle?”
They shook their heads, having run out of time before making a plan.
“All we know is how to get in,” Leera said.
“We have an invisible key,” Augum added.
“You have an invisible key.” Jez blinked. “Anyway, I’ve never been to the dungeons below the cellar as it’s heavily restricted. I suspect that’s where you want to go.” She fixed Augum with her sharp eyes. “Just remember, I can’t teleport in there, so you’ll have to get your mother’s body back out on your own and alert me with the Exot orb.” She took a breath. “You sure this is necessary?”
Augum recalled what he had read about his father in the Library of Antioc. “My mother is the only thing he really cares about. Knowing she’s missing will unhinge him just enough to make poor decisions.” Hopefully disastrously poor decisions.
Jez’s face contorted with undisguised skepticism. “You’re making a rather large bet here.”
He acknowledged the point with a nod. “A bunch of those guards have gone to help my father in whatever he’s doing now. The rest will be drawn to the gate to ward off Leland’s attack.”
“There’s no rescuing you in there. You know that, right?”
The trio nodded.
“We know what we’re getting into,” Bridget said. She forced a smile. “Fools though we may be.”
“Fools though you may be,” Jez repeated, straightening. She glanced between the three of them. “They don’t teach bravery in the academy, but I’ll be damned if you monkeys don’t have enough of it.” She took a deep breath. “I wish you success in this crazy endeavor. For the kingdom’s sake. For all our sakes.” Then she extended her hand to each of them. “For the Resistance.”
“For the Resistance,” they each replied, taking it and shaking firmly.
“And good luck to you too,” Leera said.
“Certainly going to need it. See you on the flipside,” and Jez stepped back before teleporting away with a THWOMP, leaving them to listen to the patter of rain on red-tiled roofs.
“Last you’ll ever see of that stupid wench,” shadow Robin said.
“Shut up.”
Bridget placed a hand on Augum’s shoulder. “I can see my own shadows too. Ignore them.”
Augum nodded.
“Just wait until Bridget’s crawling on her knees, begging to be killed.”
Augum grit his teeth, fighting off the urge to react to Robin’s taunts.
Meanwhile, Bridget crouched behind a rotten iron-banded barrel and splayed the map on her knees. “All right, we’re supposed to enter through any sewer entrance in the Stone Quarter, then find this spot here.” She tapped a central sewer hub. “From there, we take these set of tunnels all the way to the door.”
Augum withdrew the captured Exot ring from his pocket.
“What did you bring that for anyway?” Leera asked.
“Just in case. I have an idea—” and before the girls could stop him, he slipped it on his right hand.
“You’re going to give our position away!” Leera hissed.
“Wait, I think I know what he’s up to,” Bridget said.
Augum brought his normal Exot ring, the one on his left hand, to his lips. “Contact Bridget Burns. You there, Father?”
Bridget acknowledged she had heard him inside her head with a nod. Luckily, his father did not answer. “It’s as I thought,” he said. “Have to talk into the specific ring.”
“But this way, your father can contact you,” Bridget said. “He might tip his hand if something should go awry in there. Clever.”
“Exactly,” Augum said. He glanced beyond them out of the alley. “Are we ready?”
Bridget folded the map before fixing Augum and Leera with a stern look. “Stay close. If anyone gets lost, we communicate via the Exot rings.” She wrung her hands. “Oh, and … if I should get captured in there, I want you two to go on without me—”
“—no one gets left behind,” Augum said. “No one.”
Bridget swallowed.
“Say it with me,” he said. “No one gets left behind.”
“No one gets left behind.”
“No one gets left behind,” Leera echoed. “It’s all of us or none of us.” She brought her hand out, palm down. Augum placed his upon hers, followed by Bridget.
“For the Resistance,” Leera said.
“For the Resistance,” Augum and Bridget echoed.
Leera smirked. “Now let’s go kick some undead butt.”
Quiet Streets
They drew their hoods and were about to d
epart the dark and rainy alley when Bridget stopped them, withdrawing her Exot orb.
“I told you to stop contacting me. Cease contact.”
“Bowlander?” Leera asked.
“We need to take that Exot ring from him,” Augum said. “Give it to someone like Brandon.”
“The nerve of him,” Bridget replied. “He’s totally obsessed and we hardly spent any time together, ugh!” She took a breath to collect herself. “Come on.”
Yet just as they stepped out of the alley, a body crashed through the window of a home across the way, slamming onto the cobbled street. They glanced up at a three-story brick building and saw shadows in the top floor. The trio quickly hid in the alley to watch. Not long after, the front door was suddenly blown off its hinges and a hooded figure stepped out. It positioned itself over the body and began conducting a complicated spell. Eight black rings flared to life around the person’s arm.
“A necromancer,” Augum whispered.
From the gaping doorway, two walkers stumbled out, jaws clacking, peasant clothes torn, faces black. Freshly-raised dead, perhaps from a nearby cemetery. They stood near the necromancer, awaiting their next command. The trio watched in horror as the necromancer finished the ritual. The body quivered before suddenly rising on its legs, jaw clacking.
“Feratey,” the necromancer said with a limp gesture, and the newly-raised walker stumbled after the group, as if learning to walk all over again. They entered the house next door, from which immediately emitted a scream.
Augum turned to the girls. “There aren’t that many necromancers out there. We kill this one and all his minions die too—”
“—too risky,” Leera interrupted.
“But it’s the right thing to do,” Bridget said. “We can’t let those things slaughter this whole quarter.”
“And it’s only 8th degree,” Augum added. “We can take it.”
Leera glanced between the two of them before nodding reluctantly. “Let’s make it quick.”
