Necromancer’s Sorrow: (Series Finale)

by Pablo Andrés Wunderlich Padilla

  The queen—his wife—turned to him, sensing his gaze. Those purple eyes pierced him with their love. She gave him a look that said, Why aren’t you praying? and the lad simply shrugged and kissed her on the lips. The queen blushed and turned her attention back to the Perfect Maker.

  “But not all is a reason for weeping, children of the Gods! There are also reasons for celebration! The worth of those men, of those beings who fought against the God of Chaos will never be forgotten! And the price of their sorrows will be rewarded. We of the Mandrake Empire are men who pay their debts. My King. The podium is all yours.”

  The old man could barely walk. Several pontiffs in their long white tunics and tall hats ran to help him. They handed him an elegant staff and guided him back to his seat.

  Mérdmerén cleared his throat, rose, and walked to the podium. The platform was high enough to allow him to see everyone. He knew that the people more than ten strides away from him would not be able to hear his words properly. It was unimportant because it was the leaders of each culture whom he wished to reward and thank for their efforts.

  “Macadamio,” he called from the podium. Silence reigned with the crowd expectant.

  The king’s butler came forward with four guards who were carrying a large trunk that they laid beside the King of Mandrake. The butler produced the key, opened the lock, and then lifted the lid to expose a pile of scrolls sealed with the royal seal of the Mandrake Empire. The royal seal was a disc of red wax with the emblem of a mandrake flower in the center and two swords in the background. Each scroll bore a small note hanging from a tablet that named the person to be called to the platform to receive his or her well-deserved prize.

  “The world would be a cinder if it were not for the efforts of you all,” he said, waving his hand in a circle. “I have nothing else to say about it because you all know the price we paid to reach this point. It was not by chance, but the result of an intense battle that robbed us of so many loved ones. But not only that.

  “Those who have come from other worlds have done so with absolute devotion. You knew that death was a possibility. You left behind your homes and migrated to an unknown world, brandishing weapons and howling warcries. You fought with everything you had to give. I can bear witness to this, because I was there with you, shedding tears and blood and watching our brothers fall at the mercy of a terror that seemed invincible.”

  He raised his fist. “But we realized that united we are strong, and you showed me that without you, we would be nothing. We kept vigil over the dead, we prayed for their souls, and that was good. It is important to have closure. Believe me, I know this from my own experience. We must say farewell to the past but we must not forget it. It is because of the past that you are here today, at this moment.

  “Your efforts were not in vain. We won the war and indeed, the power of the Gods helped us defeat the emperor of the shadows. But we were successful. The reward for victory is one, but many of you have noticed that you cannot leave this world and that after winning, you have nowhere to return to. You find yourselves in a strange world, a foreign world, with so many differences that it is daunting to consider that you will have to remain here forever.

  “When I put myself in your place, I feel the pain and the difficulty of having to adapt to a new world, customs, climate, and so on. From now on, you will be members of this wonderful planet and we will gladly share it with you as the brothers you are. Here, we are all valued equally. For that reason, you deserve what I have. Each king, each leader, each culture will be granted land so that you can build your nation in your way and to your liking. It will not be easy to start from scratch, but I know you will succeed. Without further ado, I will now begin handing out these scrolls. Each one contains the titles and lands that will be granted to each culture. Then, I will call certain persons—heroes—individually to grant each of them rewards for their courage.”

  Mérdmerén bent over and picked the first scroll, which was labeled Centaurs. “For the centaurs of the world of Terigión and the Gatasclán Empire. The empires of Moragald’Burg, Doolm-Ondor, Grizna, Devnóngaron, the Divine Providence, Yumbala, and Mandrake grant you the unexplored land south of the Divine Providence and east of Mandrake, northeast of Yumbala. This land covers nearly fifty thousand acres. The wildlife and geographical features, together with all its prizes and trophies, are yours now and forever. Ostherlan, please.”

  The centaur in question rose to his four legs and walked to the platform to receive the scroll. He was astonished, smiling from ear to ear, as Nidra translated what had been said. And then, he returned to his place.

  “For the Catalgar of the world of Farwas and the Hoomasaas Empire. The empires of Moragald’Burg Doolm-Ondor, Grizna, Devnóngaron, the Divine Providence, Yumbala, and Mandrake grant you the unexplored land north of Moragald’Burg, a land rich in minerals, geographical features, mountains, and caves. This land covers an area of almost forty-five thousand acres and borders the sea at several points. These places will be yours to exploit and use for social and economic benefit. Valímidos, please.”

  The giant he-goat walked over to the platform and took the scroll. He, too, was very moved. A few tears ran down his face.

  “For the Cristalur of the world of Crallys and the ancient Empire of Cristalur. The empires of Moragald’Burg, Doolm-Ondor, Grizna, Devnóngaron, the Divine Providence, Yumbala, and Mandrake grant you the brittle land of the Lithium Caverns with an underground area of a hundred leagues. This land lies between Devnóngaron and Mandrake and the two aforesaid empires are pleased to cede a part of their land so that you may have the freedom to establish your new empire there. Quelshún, please,”

  The monolith came forward on its many filaments. It shone pink at its center, which, for the moment, Tenchi did not translate. It took the scroll and returned to its place in the crowd.

  “For the elves of Allündel and ancient Érvein. The empires of Moragald’Burg, Doolm-Ondor, Grizna, Devnóngaron, the Divine Providence, Yumbala, and Mandrake grant you with great honor the land called the Lands of Walsham, north of what used to be the Lands of El Malush within the Great Mesh. The Lands of Walsham, Marzgarg assures us, are a sacred region never touched by the evil one. It will be an ideal site for people as special as you. This land covers an area of almost two thousand acres. The land is yours henceforward to do with as you please, to feed off its fruits and enjoy its nature. Lohrén, please.”

  The general of the elves stood up and walked to the podium. He was wearing his armor and his long silvery hair was held in a bun at the top of his head. The elf gave his thanks, bowing his head and bending at the waist. Then he turned and went back to his place.

  “We bid our new neighbors welcome! It will be a pleasure to share the land with you, and we trust you will be kind enough to invite us once your empires have been raised!”

  The cheering echoed loud in the Dome of Victory. The people were leaping and dancing without music, in a mood for celebration.

  “And now I will hand out their rewards to the most noteworthy heroes of this war.”

  Now comes the dullest part of all, Mérdmerén thought. All he wanted to do was sit down at a table with his friends from other nations to talk and tell one another tales of how they had been led to victory in the war of the Times of Chaos. But he still had to hand out a hundred awards and that would take hours. In the meantime, the sooner I begin, the sooner it’ll be over. Let’s get down to it.

  Chapter LXVII — Finding The Way

  Two days after the funeral rites.

  “Someday, will you let me see your face?” Mérdmerén asked as he ate a leg of lamb. The dish was delicious with onions, cabbage, and freshly-baked bread. Today, he and the Baron had met to do something they had never done before: just talk. No business. Nothing to do with government. There was no thief in front of Mérdmerén. His friendship with the Baron had grown enough to mean that they did not need a third party to act as a presence.

  “I’m afraid that’ll never
be possible,” the Baron replied.

  “Come on, man! It’s nothing. I promise your identity will stay protected in my memory until I go to my grave.”

  “It’s something I wouldn’t do even for you, my friend. I’m sorry to say that I wouldn’t do it even for one of the Gods or for Mother, who seems to be the creator of everything.”

  “But Mother already knows who you are.”

  “True,” the Baron replied. “So if you can, ask Her.”

  “All right. If I could only chat with Her I’d have done it by now. What are you so afraid of?”

  “You know that already, Mérdmerén. Much of my function and the power I possess has to do with the effect my absence causes in the people I deal with. The fact that they don’t know my face leaves plenty of unknowns that add to the mystery that surrounds me, and it’s that mystery that’s an important part of the power I wield. Besides, you know that for reasons of safety I can’t reveal who I am. I’d be in imminent danger of being targeted by an assassin. There certainly are assassins, even those who serve the darkness.”

  “You mean the vorwraiths who survived Mórgomiel’s assault?”

  “Precisely, as well as the sea of orcs which we’ve slowly been eliminating. But the orcs have divided into small groups and trapping them all is an impossible task. We’ll wait for them to multiply and start wreaking havoc, then methodically erase them from the world.”

  Mérdmerén helped himself to more wine and went on eating.

  “I’ll tell you one thing. I may not tell you who I am, but I’ll give you this piece of information.”

  Mérdmerén was more interested than ever. This was something different. He swallowed without chewing, put his fork and knife down, and folded his arms. “Come on, tell me,” the king said. His gaze pierced the gloom as if he could see his interlocutor.

  “You may already have seen my face, you may already have met me. We’ve talked at some point during the past few months. In fact, you’ve seen my face and dealt with me.”

  Mérdmerén’s hair stood on end. “What on earth?” he cried with a start. “Are you messing with me?”

  “Messing with you? No, Mérdmerén. We’ve met face to face many times. The honest truth is that a man like me needs to see the sun, go to bed with women, and meet together with comrades as if he were an ordinary man. Otherwise, I’d have gone mad already. Did you really think I’d spend my time in the shadows forever?”

  “Hellfire! I can’t believe it! Give me a clue, please, so I can try and place you in my memory.” Mérdmerén was trying to go over all the faces he had seen in the last few months. Unfortunately, there were too many of them.

  “I’m afraid it’s not possible, my friend. But I assure you that my face is in one of your memories. Never forget it. The day you truly know me will be the day I retire and someone else takes my place as Baron. But that, I fear, will happen in a decade or two. I still have a lot to do before I hand over my position to anybody else.”

  “Well, you are a straight, up-and-down rogue. I can’t believe that all this time you’ve known we’ve met face to face and you’ve kept laughing and juggling secrets in front of me. You’re a real son of a brigand. You are one of a kind, Baron.”

  Mérdmerén smiled from ear to ear and raised his wooden cup. “I raise my glass to you. And to me. May our friendship be long and lasting. When we retire and turn into a couple of wrinkly old men, may we enjoy each other’s company like retired gentlemen of leisure?”

  “So be it! To your health!”

  Mérdmerén drank to his heart’s content. He felt the effects of the wine in his blood and said, “Hey, tell me, what are you thinking of doing with the Wand of Lis?”

  “I thought you’d forgotten about it.”

  “Forget? That artifact is an amazing thing!”

  “We’re planning on replicating it. The Empress of Grizna has agreed to help us so that we can get more than one. Can you imagine how incredible it would be to be able to communicate with the twelve empires?”

  “Twelve? Did you say twelve?”

  “Yes, Mérdmerén. Now there are going to be twelve empires in our world, and keeping in touch is going to be essential.”

  Mérdmerén smiled to himself. The future of the Meridian sounded amazing.

  “So,” said Mérdmerén with a grin. “You deal with magic and say we’ve seen each other on several occasions. I wonder if you could be Sendar Üdessa? Perhaps you’re not even here. You must be far away in some safe place and are talking to me thanks to some magical means. Am I right?”

  “Would you bet your life on that?” asked the Baron.

  “Well, no,” said the king.

  “I admit, you have a wonderful imagination.”

  “So are you or are you not Sendar the Magician?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. I’ll tell you in a decade or so.”

  “I hate you.”

  And they both laughed out loud.

  ***

  After the funeral rites, the princess had stayed in the palace to receive the awards her position granted her. Returning to the house Lombardo had built for her was not the wisest thing for her to do yet, as bands of orcs had been sighted in the area, stealing and going about their business. Hence, the surroundings were being closely searched by soldiers.

  “And those were the events I lived through. I can’t deny it, sometimes I still feel that thirst for power. I swear to you, my love, when the mages created their link with me it was like being in a heightened state of ecstasy. And the strength!”

  Lombardo had given away the tanned leather armor that Savaarb had given him in San San-Tera so long ago during the Massacre of San San-Tera. It needed to be soaked and washed thoroughly and the leather tanned anew to strengthen it. The amount of sweat and blood it had received had damaged the armor, not to speak of all the sabers it had managed to deflect. He was now dressed in leather pants, well-polished black boots, a long-sleeved cotton shirt, and a belt in which he kept his dagger within reach. The farmer felt happy to be reunited with his wife after such an eventful time. Though safety in the Meridian was still a matter of concern and the orcs still had to be eliminated, the future would bring good things for the Meridian and its varied inhabitants.

  “I can’t believe you learned all that,” Ajedrea said. “You were really given magic and linked up with their minds? Awesome! It’s crazy, my love! Congratulations! You fought like the hero you always were—oh!” she exclaimed suddenly.

  “What was that?”

  “The baby moved. It’s the first time I’ve felt it! Come here! Put your hand here!”

  Lombardo ran to the foot of the bed where his wife was still reclining, half-naked. He put his hand on her belly. The warrior-farmer closed his eyes. It was as if he felt a bird flying or a push! He could feel his baby!

  “This is fascinating,” he said with tears in his eyes.

  “It certainly is. Come on, let’s pray. Let’s pray to the God of Light that he may bring enlightenment to all those families, to all those mothers whose children died during the Times of Chaos. We’re lucky and don’t you ever forget it.”

  “Don’t you worry, my love. I’ll never forget how lucky we are.”

  ***

  The retired thief had not wasted her time. After the long and boring closure that granted house and land to the new species, she had set in motion her ambition to start a new branch of the healing art.

  She thought daily about Talo and the other healers who had helped her in her training. Thanks to them, she had learned enough to save many lives. She had no more mandrake flower and was beginning to feel a yearning to visit the library in the south called Cauda Poltos-Par in order to find out more about the origin of the flower and its use in the younger days of the Mandrake Empire.

  “The Art of Healing,” she wrote on a scroll. She began the essay she was going to write to collect the information she already had and begin to formulate the principles of the new study. Before she had students and follow
ers, she needed to document everything she had learned, and then afterward, she would be able to make copies to spread the Art of Healing.

  She had received substantial opposition from Jabajest the Healer, the leader of the school of healing and herbalism of the Mandrake Empire who had been appointed by King Aheron III a long time before. Before him, Urocrest had been the leader of this department during the times of Aheron II.

  “Now it’s the time of King Dragonrider I,” Funia had said in her defense. “With these new cultures come new teachings. The art I’ve learned was taught me by the Catalgar.”

  “Well,” Jabajest had replied. “if the Catalgar taught it, they can keep it for themselves! The school of healers has stayed the same since it was founded by Rogild Lotrus during the reign of Eryund des Guillioth in the days when the Empire was a baby. That’s how it will stay. We’re an empire of tradition.”

  She had spoken to the Baron after her disappointing encounter with the healer. The Baron had told her that she should start her own school as soon as she had written down the principles of her teachings. One of his recommendations had been that she should travel from empire to empire, offering to heal souls, and on her way, acquire more knowledge about healing from those different cultures. Eventually, her wisdom would be such that she would become an erudite source of knowledge. Perhaps she could gather students during her travels. The idea of traveling, healing, and learning had fed this passion in her, and it was what kept her walking day after day.

  “The Dungeon of Thieves will be your home forever. Come back whenever you can to visit us, your arts are as well received here just as your words are. I’m very happy for you, Funia. You’ve found a passion to follow. Thieves can always benefit from learning the basics of the art of healing.”

  Funia recalled that conversation with a smile. She gathered her light baggage and loaded it on to her horse. Her adventure was beginning today. Her first stop, Yumbala. She wanted to know the Dakatak personally and would do everything possible to learn the secrets they used for healing their wounded.