Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire (The Unconventional Heroes Series Book 3)

by L. G. Estrella

  “Can I borrow that?” Timmy asked Travers, nodding at the cone-shaped device the captain could use to amplify his voice if he wanted to. He turned to the pirates and raised the device to his lips. Magic rustled through it. “You have ten seconds to surrender and submit to our questioning. Fail to comply, and we will be forced to open fire.”

  He didn’t even need to look through a spyglass to know the pirates were laughing. Indeed, a few more attacks came their way, this time in the form of lightning that dissipated harmlessly against the galleon’s magical defences.

  “I don’t think they’re impressed.” Travers laughed. “Shall we fire a warning shot of our own?”

  “No.” Timmy shook his head. “I want to speak to them, but I’m worried they’ll fight if they think they can win. We need to get them to surrender, and the only way we’ll do that is with overwhelming force.” He turned to Avraniel. “Fire a warning shot – but try not to sink their ship. We can’t talk to them if they’re all dead.” He paused. “Well, technically, we could since Katie and I are both necromancers, but you get the idea.”

  The elf cracked her knuckles. “I’ve been waiting for a chance like this all day.”

  Timmy nudged Travers with his elbow. “Prepare to be impressed. I don’t think there is a single fire mage in the entire world more powerful than her.”

  A split-second later, Avraniel’s magic roared to life. A bolt of flame rocketed from her hands and struck the water about fifty yards from the dreadnought. The resulting explosion created a geyser of water hundreds of feet high and sent a wave thundering into the dreadnought that almost knocked it over. As the water thrown up by the blast began to descend, it was almost like it was raining. Travers and the rest of his crew stopped and stared.

  Timmy shouted to the pirates again, “Okay, I don’t know if that was exactly ten seconds, but I think I’ve made my point. This is your last chance to surrender. If you want to live, then I strongly suggest you raise the white flag and draw level with us. If you try anything funny, we will sink you, and it will not be pleasant. Think fiery death, lots of fiery death.”

  The white flag was up almost before he had even finished speaking. It was really quite impressive. Avraniel, however, appeared to be vaguely disappointed. Perhaps she’d wanted to fire another warning shot, one that was a tad closer to the pirate ship.

  “Okay,” Timmy said. “Let’s go talk to some pirates.”

  Travers grinned and addressed his crew, “You heard the man! They’ll be pulling up alongside. I doubt that they’ll try anything after what they just saw, but I want all of you ready in case they do try something. If they try anything, we’re sinking them. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  Timmy stood at the railing of the quarterdeck as the two ships drew level with one another. The pirates were a motley bunch – a mix of both men and women of wildly different ages. Some of them were in the prime of their lives while others were clearly much closer to the ends of theirs. It was yet another sign that something strange was going on. What kind of pirates brought octogenarians on board? The children were also nowhere to be seen, and the general shabbiness of the ship was easy to see from up close. It was a fine vessel – or it had been once – but it was in desperate need of maintenance.

  The captain of the pirates came forward. He was older than Timmy by several years, and he had a hard, grizzled look about him. He was tall and lean, and a scar ran the length of his face from his hairline to his chin, barely missing his right eye. The parrot on his shoulder had a matching scar, and Timmy had to bite back a smile. It was amazing that both the man and the bird had survived that kind of injury, and what were the odds of the two running into each other? The pirate leaned across the railing of his deck. They couldn’t be more than ten yards apart.

  “What are your terms?” the pirate captain asked.

  “We’ll get to those,” Timmy replied. They’d made a deliberate show of force, but it was now time to soften the blow, so to speak. He tossed a glance at Katie, and his apprentice gave him a questioning look before using her shadows to glide up onto the deck beside him. The pirate’s gaze flicked over to Katie for a moment before settling back on Timmy. “My name is Timmy.”

  The pirate captain looked at Katie again, probably wondering why a child was on board. “My name is Jake, but you have us at a disadvantage, Timmy.” He gestured at the people standing behind Timmy and at the two other vessels nearby. “You have us outnumbered three to one in ships, and I’m not fool enough to think you can’t overpower us as well. Those are siege mages behind you.” Siege mages were mages whose magic allowed them to specialise in siege warfare, either at land or at sea. Technically, Timmy could be classified as a siege mage since his earth magic was ideal for bringing down walls and hurling large amounts of rock and stone at things. “But you’re mistaken if you think we’ll turn ourselves over without a fight. My crew and I have no interest in being hanged.”

  Timmy leaned on his shovel. Technically, the punishment for piracy depended on the type of piracy someone had engaged in, and it went all the way from a simple fine to hanging. Exceptions were also made all the time. Governments all around the world found pirates useful for certain dealings, and Everton was no different. He looked at Travers, and the captain met his gaze before nodding. Travers was the captain, but Timmy was the one in overall command of the mission. The Council had given him almost complete authority to do whatever he felt was necessary to complete this mission. There was something about the pirate’s voice and the situation that made Timmy certain he could turn this to their advantage. Besides, the pirates wouldn’t be much use to anyone if they were dead, and he didn’t think they’d make good zombies.

  “Let me ask you a question, Jake. Do you normally engage in piracy in these waters? You’re a bit close to Everton. Tell me the truth. I will know if you lie.”

  Jake took a long time to reply. The expression on his face was that of a man with very little left to lose. “We were privateers once. We worked for the Eternal Empire. They needed ships and sailors, and they even set us up with a galleon of our own. There were more of us then – a lot more – but they turned on us. They didn’t need privateers anymore, and they didn’t want any lose ends. We stole this dreadnought and ran. We plied our trade in their waters for a while, getting revenge where we could, but it got too dangerous. The Eternal Empire’s navy has begun to stir.” He sighed. “You’re actually the first ship we’ve attacked since sailing into these waters.”

  Timmy would have to check Jake’s story using magic later, but he hadn’t seen any signs of lying. “Then you’re in luck, Jake. We’re no friends of the Eternal Empire.” There were a few grim chuckles from behind him. “In fact, you could say we’re their worst nightmare, or we will be soon. If you’re familiar with the waters between here and the Eternal Empire, you might come in handy.”

  Never one to miss an opportunity, Jake nodded slowly. “How handy?”

  “I’m sure that you’re aware of the tensions between Everton and the Eternal Empire.” Jake snorted. It was common knowledge. “A man of your former employment could prove to be very useful to Everton, and unlike the Eternal Empire, Everton looks after her friends.” Timmy spotted the girl from before. She must have snuck back out from wherever the children had hidden. “I’m guessing she’s your daughter. A pirate ship with no safe port to turn to is no place for a girl to grow up.”

  Jake turned and scowled at the girl before turning to face Timmy again. “Is that why you didn’t attack earlier? Did you see the other children?” Timmy nodded. “When the Eternal Empire turned on us, they ordered our home towns to turn us over or face punishment. They refused, and the Eternal Empire burned them to the ground. The only ones who survived – old or young – were the ones we managed to bring aboard. No port in the Eternal Empire would take us in. Is that what you’re offering, friendly ports and safe harbour?”

  Timmy paused. This was the moment of truth. He was normally good at rea
ding people. It was one of the things that had let him survive this long. He knew how to make alliances when he had to. The desperation in Jake’s eyes and voice was real, and he could see it mirrored in the eyes of the rest of Jake’s crew. This man wanted – needed – a way out, and Timmy could give him one if he was willing to work for it. “You wouldn’t be working for Everton. The Council could never have someone like you on the books officially. You’d be working for me instead.”

  “A man named Timmy?” Jake’s lips curled. “If I’m to bet the life of my crew – of the only family I’ve got left – on your word, I’ll need more than your first name.”

  “Fair enough.” Timmy straightened his posture and slung his shovel over his shoulder. It was at times like this that he kind of wished that he’d practiced posing in front of a mirror like he’d caught Katie doing several times. “My full name is Timothy Walter Bolton. I am the Lord of Black Tower Castle. I’m sure you’ve heard of the place: bottomless pits of lightless woe and endless despair filled with creatures from beyond this world that want to murder us all. Oh, and I’m a Grand Necromancer too.”

  Jake was taken aback, but he quickly regathered his wits. He folded his arms across his chest. “Prove it.”

  “Gerald.” Timmy lifted one hand. “Get me the thing.” He paused. “Oh, and everyone else, brace yourself. The ship might tilt a little.”

  Gerald hurried up onto the quarterdeck. The space beside Timmy shimmered as one of his zombie hydra-griffins appeared in all of its acid-spewing, poison-blooded glory. Its seven heads hissed and swayed back and forth as its great wings beat the air. Timmy reached out with one hand, and the zombie hydra-griffin obediently lowered one of its heads for him to pat. The creature’s eyes narrowed, and it hissed menacingly at the dreadnought, acid leaking from its jaws to sizzle in the water between the two ships. The rest of the crew had scrambled back to get clear. None of them had expected something quite like this. Ah, this was one of the great joys of being a necromancer. Nobody ever expected much from him and then – bam! Zombie hydra-griffin!

  “I could have asked Gerald to get something bigger, but I thought this little guy would be enough to prove my point.” Timmy smiled thinly as Gerald put the zombie hydra-griffin away. “Let me be blunt. I’m very selective about my employees. I don’t care if you quit at some point, but I expect at least two weeks notice, and you can’t spill any secrets that you may have learned. If you do, I may have to introduce you to my zombie griffin-basilisk-salamander-dragon.”

  Jake blinked slowly. “Does something like that even exist?”

  “I can assure you that it does exist, and it is terrifying. Think of a griffin with a basilisk head that can turn people into stone mixed with a salamander and a dragon, so it’s largely invulnerable to fire and can shoot fire from its mouth and its skin. It’s a lot harder to make than the zombie hydra-griffin I showed you earlier, but it is exactly the kind of thing to give my enemies nightmares.”

  “Right…”

  “If you work for me,” Timmy continued. “I’ll see to it that you get fair wages and then some. I believe in rewarding good work with good pay.” Timmy dangled the next part of his offer in front of Jake – the part he was sure would seal the deal. “I have agreements with certain officials. You would be covered under those agreements.” Timmy had checked the fine print of his agreements with the Council. If he and Katie earned a pardon, any and all of their employees would also receive a pardon provided they had been employed for at least six months and had helped in significant fashion without committing any further crimes severe enough to merit having to earn an individual pardon. Furthermore, the protection granted to Timmy and Katie by the Council while they earned their pardons extended to their employees as well, provided they were acting in the interest of Everton and the Council. “In the meantime, you would be allowed to act as a privateer for Everton, and you know what that means.”

  Jake knew. Oh, he knew. He looked like he wanted to accept the offer right away, but he was wary and cunning enough to hold back. A privateer would be able to find safe harbour in any of Everton’s ports, provided they were discrete.

  “How can we trust you or Everton? We trusted the Eternal Empire and look where it got us.”

  “It’s a reasonable concern to have. But you can trust me, and even if you can’t, then trust this: you haven’t got a chance without my help. Let me be frank. My friends on this galleon would be more than happy to arrest the lot of you or sink your ship with you on it. Pirates, I’m afraid, are not the most popular people in the world with the authorities. I imagine that you’ll put up quite a fight, but you have to realise that you can’t win. My elf friend there could set your entire ship on fire and sink it in about five seconds.”

  “You have a point.” Jake rubbed his chin. “Can I have five minutes to discuss this with my crew?”

  “Take your time. I’ll even give you fifteen minutes.”

  As the pirates hurried out of sight to confer, Travers approached Timmy. Thankfully, the big man didn’t look too upset. Timmy was fairly sure that he could handle Travers, but that would only turn the crew against him. “Was that wise, Timmy?”

  Timmy lowered his voice, so only they could hear each other. “I know some pirates. I’ve heard about the privateer program Jake mentioned, and they are definitely on an Eternal Empire dreadnought. The privateer program was stopped a while ago, but I was never able to find out why. It seemed strange. The pirates I know haven’t seen any of the privateers either, and you’d think they’d see at least a few of them around. It’s like they vanished off the face of the earth. Jake’s story makes sense, and we can confirm it with mind magic later if we need to. And look at their clothes and equipment. Those are all from the Eternal Empire. It fits. It all fits, and I don’t think he’d lie about his daughter. I’m worried about if the Council will authorise my offer. I know they gave me authority, but…”

  Travers chuckled. “You should have thought about that before making the offer.” He clapped Timmy over the shoulder. Damn, he was strong. “For what it’s worth, I think they’ll agree. We need all the information we can get about the Eternal Empire’s fleet, and a former privateer who continued to sail in their waters should know more than most. If he speaks the truth, and he has never preyed on Everton ships before, then the Council should have no problem with him. And if he knows about the island we need to reach, they won’t even think twice about handing him his papers and making him a privateer.”

  “That was the idea.” Timmy twirled his shovel. He was always a bit nervous out on the open sea. There wasn’t a lot of dirt or rock around for him to use. Katie, of course, had no such worries. She could use the shadows around her and even create her own if she was willing to use more of her power. “At the very least, he should know where the Eternal Empire’s ships are because he’s had to either attack them or avoid them.” He smirked. “And I’m sick of paying extra to get things brought in via sea. Having my own pirates on my payroll would make things so much easier.”

  Beside him, Katie nodded. “Considering how much we pay to have things transported, especially some of the stranger things, they could pay for themselves in a year or two if we repair their ship, shore up their crew, and let them take side jobs.”

  “Do I need to be concerned about you building your own fleet?” Travers asked half seriously.

  “Not really. I don’t want to be a warlord or anything. I just want to have my own castle without worrying about people trying to assassinate or arrest me. Plus, I want to get the things I want in a timely and affordable manner.”

  “Well, at the rate you’re going, the Council might end up making you the official administrator of the area around Black Tower Castle.” Travers sniggered. “Who knows? They might even offer you a seat on the Council.”

  Timmy shuddered. “I wouldn’t mind being the administrator of the area around my castle. I’ve got a lot of ideas about how to improve things. But a seat on the Council? Even if they offe
red me one, I’d never take it. I’d have to deal with them on a regular basis. If I didn’t end up killing some of them, some of them would definitely end up killing me.” There was a commotion from the pirate ship, and Jake went over to the railing again. “Have you come to a decision?”

  Jake nodded firmly. “We’ll take the deal.”

  “Good,” Timmy replied. “We’ll need you to come aboard. We have some more things to discuss, and we do need to confirm your story.”

  * * *

  Once upon a time, Jake had been a privateer working for the Eternal Empire. It had been an easy job for him. He’d been born and raised on one of the many islands that dotted the seas around the mainland, and he’d worked on the sea his whole life, like his father and his father before him. When the Eternal Empire had come around looking for people to lead privateering crews, Jake had agreed. He and a whole bunch of men and even some women from his town had signed up. He’d been given his own ship and the trust of his superiors.

  Those had been good times.

  The Eternal Empire’s navy spent most of its time quelling insurgencies and fighting off raids from its neighbours and pirates. Oh, he’d heard a lot of talk about Everton, but he’d never given much thought to it. Everton was across the sea, and the two nations hadn’t had much to do with each other in centuries other than some proxy warfare, sabre-rattling, and tough talking. The odds of a real war, he’d thought, were close to nil.

  Everything had changed a few years ago. The Eternal Empire had begun to ramp up its military spending. Whispers of war turned into open talk of aggression. And the privateers who had worked so loyally for the Eternal Empire were no longer needed. They’d participated in too many missions that their superiors did not want to acknowledge – or could not afford to acknowledge. They’d done all of the dirty work, so they were loose ends that had to be tied up.