The ancient vampire sighed. “I suppose I am the most suitable person.” She gestured at Gerald. “Please prepare what I gave you earlier.” The bureaucrat nodded and produced a large box. “The Eye is an artefact born from the Abyss. If we store it with your magic, Gerald, it would corrupt you, and you would most likely be either killed or driven completely insane.” The bureaucrat almost dropped the box. “Thankfully, I know enough about the Eye to protect you from such… unpleasantness. The box will shield you from the deleterious effects of the Eye and suppress its presence. Once we get it, we hardly want them to know where we are keeping it.” She frowned. “However, I would strongly recommend that you hand the Eye over to the Council as soon as possible. The less contact it has with your magic, the better.” Her frown deepened. “In all honesty, I would prefer to destroy this entire island. The magic they’ve been using to repair the Eye could also be used to repair other artefacts, but we do not have enough time to destroy everything.”
Avraniel grinned. “I can take a few extra shots at the island while we’re leaving.”
“I would appreciate it.” Amanda beckoned Old Man forward. “Be ready, please, and wait for my signal.”
Amanda’s eyes closed, and her magic filled the shrine. Timmy shivered. She must have been incredibly powerful for a human, but the years that had passed had made her even more powerful as an ancient vampire. Something within the Eye responded, and the barrier protecting it trembled several times. “Now, Old Man!”
Old Man drew his sword and struck. Timmy stared. His strike had been absolutely perfect, and its perfection was accompanied by a huge amount of Old Man’s magic. A gap in the barrier appeared. It was like reality itself had been torn apart, and Amanda rushed forward with inhuman speed. There was a flash of light, and the air was suddenly opaque, hiding Amanda from view. She must have grabbed the Eye because the barrier collapsed, and she stumbled back toward them and dropped to one knee with the Eye clutched in her hands. Timmy gaped. Amanda’s entire body was covered in deep lacerations, most of which revealed bone. Multiple puncture wounds dotted her body as well, and her cloak had been completely shredded.
“Gerald, stop gawking. Give her the box and get her something to wear.” Timmy yelped as Gerald almost dropped the box after Amanda put the Eye in it. “Careful! I don’t want to know what happens if we drop the Eye. Knowing our luck, it’ll probably kill the lot of us or something.”
“Sorry.” Gerald stored the box away with his magic and handed Amanda some clothing. “Um…” He fidgeted, and several objects appeared in the air beside him only to vanish until he finally settled on a bottle filled with red fluid. He handed it to Amanda, careful to keep his eyes strictly on her face. “Here. It’s blood. You asked me to hold onto some earlier.”
Amanda opened her mouth to reply, but no sound emerged, which wasn’t surprising since there were several punctures and gashes in her throat. Holding one hand up to close the holes in her throat, she used her other hand to lift the bottle to her lips.
“Good work.” Timmy and the others turned away as Amanda healed and dressed herself. “Let’s get out of here.” He stopped mid-stride. “Avraniel, the others captured the Lords of Magic they encountered. What about you? Did you not run into one?”
The elf looked away. “I might have… burned him to ash.”
“What? You burned him to ash? How are we supposed to interrogate him if you burned him to ash? Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to reanimate him.”
“Oh, shut up, idiot. It’s his fault for being so weak. Besides, the paper pusher and I raided the treasury. There’s bound to be something useful amongst all the stuff we took.”
“Wait, paper pusher? Do you mean Gerald?”
“Whom else would I be talking about?”
Timmy scowled. “I thought Gerald and I were both idiots. Why am I still an idiot, but he’s been upgraded to paper pusher?”
“Because you’re still an idiot whereas he saved Spot.” Avraniel marched off. “Come on. We’re wasting time, and I can’t wait to blow up as much of this place as I can on our way out.”
Epilogue
Timmy looked over at Jake’s dreadnought. They were all celebrating merrily, and the ones who saw him looking raised their mugs of what was probably alcohol in salute. Apparently, the former – well, not former anymore – privateers had stumbled across the fortress’s treasury and had helped themselves to a rather considerable amount of gold. Of course, they’d have to share it with the others, but they’d made a very, very tidy profit, more than they could have possibly imagined before meeting Timmy. Their find and the overall success of the mission meant that everyone was in high spirits.
Personally, Timmy wasn’t happy about leaving his zombie kraken behind, but he hadn’t had a choice. Based on what he’d seen through its mind before it had been brought down, it had put up a heck of a fight and gotten its revenge. It had devastated even more of the island before finally being defeated by the remnants of the island’s defenders and the first few waves of reinforcements. It hadn’t gone down quietly. The Eternal Empire would be missing quite a few sky knights. It had helped that Avraniel had gone nuts on their way out. Anything flammable within her range – which meant most of the island – was soon alight. The last that he’d seen of the tower, the top half of it had been melting while clouds of fire billowed out of the bottom half and consumed the buildings around it.
Given how long it had taken their enemies to kill the zombie kraken, to say nothing of all the damage the island had suffered, Timmy was confident Amanda’s concealment magic would see them safely back to Everton’s waters without further incident. As the celebrations on the two remaining ships continued – they’d used the remaining smaller ship as a decoy crewed by some zombies – Travers ambled over to him with a mug of ale. Timmy accepted it, and they each drained their mugs.
“You did well,” Travers said. They were both staring up at the moon. “We have the Eye, and it may take them years to rebuild after all of the damage we did to the island.”
“I’d say you did just as well.” Timmy leaned on the railing. “You and the others were able to take the fortress and hold the docks. You were even able to secure a route for us to retreat along. It couldn’t have been easy.”
“We did have help.” Travers gave a deep, booming laugh. “That zombie kraken of yours, that zombie hydra-griffin, and that zombie shark… thing certainly made our lives easier.” He took a gold coin out of his pocket and tossed it into the water. It was an old custom, a way of honouring the god of the ocean after a successful battle. “We’re not out of the woods yet although I can’t stop the others from celebrating. We won a great battle today, Timmy, and with all the concealment magic we’ve got going, someone would have to be right on top of us to see us, and even then it’s no sure thing. They certainly don’t have a chance of catching us by sea.” He called for a passing sailor to bring him more ale. “And if they’re looking for us by air, you had some of your zombies crew our smallest vessel and sail it in the opposite direction.”
“It seemed like a good idea.” Sky knights could cover a lot of ground from the air, but he was hoping the decoy ship would draw their attention until the rest of them were safely out of the area. And it would be hard for any patrol to spot them without being spotted first thanks to Avraniel’s keen eyes.
“Gerald has already contacted Councillor Winters and Councillor Arthurs to report our success,” Travers said. “And you were even able to capture some valuable prisoners. I’m sure the Council will enjoy speaking to them.”
“Only one of them was my doing,” Timmy replied. “And Merton might be a jerk, but he’s a powerful jerk.” A sailor handed him and Travers more ale. “I’ll be glad when we’re back on land, and I still need to talk to Katie too.”
“Did something happen?” Travers’s jaw tightened. “Was she harmed?”
“Not really.” Timmy would have to talk to Jonathon at some point, even if it was just to tell him that he would be
handed over to the Council. He deserved that much, but Timmy wasn’t looking forward to it at all. “You could say it’s simply a matter of my master casting a very long shadow.”
“Your master was a bastard.” Travers wasn’t one to mince words. “Everyone thought so.”
“Yes. Yes, he was.”
“Master!” Katie cried, waving at him. “Stop moping around. We won, didn’t we?”
“You want me to celebrate, do you?” Timmy’s gaze drifted to the others. Amanda was watching everything with faint amusement as she sipped on some blood. Old Man and Gerald had retreated to a quieter corner of the deck to enjoy some food and drink while Avraniel, Spot, and the rats led the crew in a bawdy victory chant which involved Everton doing some very improper things to the Eternal Empire’s anatomy.
Katie shook her head. “Not exactly. Spot has just finished eating and the song will be over soon. It’s your turn to brush his teeth.”
Timmy downed the rest of his ale and flashed Travers a grin. “Duty calls.”
“Have fun with that.” Travers waved his mug at Timmy. “You’re a braver man than me, sticking your arm into a dragon’s mouth.”
“It helps that he’s not too big… yet.”
As the song came to an end and Avraniel moved on to challenging Amanda to a drinking contest, Timmy got to work on Spot’s teeth. The vampire accepted the elf’s challenge with a faint smirk. Could she even get drunk? He doubted it. As for the rats, they had moved over to Katie and were busy telling her all about what they’d gotten up to during the battle since only Rembrandt had been with her the entire time.
“Not a bad day’s work, right, Spot?”
The dragon made a low rumble of agreement. Fun.
* * *
Vicky floated over the carnage. What a mess. What was supposed to have been nothing more than some posturing against the Eternal Empire in the seas southwest of Everton had turned into a complete debacle. The plan had called for a bit of posturing, and for several days, the enemy fleet had played along. Whoever had been in charge had understood how this sort of thing worked. Both fleets would posture, perhaps a few warning shots would be fired, but neither side would commit to a real attack since neither Everton nor the Eternal Empire wanted to start a war just yet.
Unfortunately, the Eternal Empire had not come alone, and one of their allies had led a raid during the middle of the night. What should have been nothing more than grandiose posturing had escalated into a full-blown naval battle involving dozens of ships. To make matters worse, someone on the other side had summoned some kind of gigantic aquatic demon thing that had spawned hordes of smaller aquatic demon things.
Vicky sincerely hoped the whole thing had been a mistake and that the Eternal Empire’s allies had acted against orders. It did not bode well for Everton if the Eternal Empire was truly committed to launching an attack already. They simply weren’t prepared for all-out war yet. She and James had been forced to intervene, and she’d devastated much of the enemy fleet herself. They simply hadn’t had anyone on their side strong enough to stop her. Oh, there had been Lords of Magic, but the greatest amongst them had not been with the fleet, and they were the only ones who had a hope of challenging her, save for the emperor himself. Besides, she could hardly stand by while her countrymen and their allies were attacked even if her original intention had been to merely observe the Eternal Empire’s navy to see how much it had improved. The answer was that they had gotten better although they were still significantly worse than Everton’s navy.
The glow around her dimmed ever so slightly as she sensed her flagship’s approach. James stood on the bow. He’d done the lion’s share of the work protecting the flagship and dealing with the lesser spawn of the demon thing. All of the ships she’d blown apart had left behind so many little bits and pieces for him to use as projectiles with his magic.
“If this wasn’t a mistake,” James said. “Then things have changed. They’re really serious about staging an attack by sea. And if we hadn’t been here…”
“Our fleet would most likely have been completely destroyed by those demons.” Vicky spotted one of the vile creatures trying to swim away. A beam of blindingly bright light lanced through the water and killed it before it could swim so much as a single yard. “We’ll have to inform the rest of the Council and move up our timeline.” She landed next to James and let her glow dim even further. “I am also concerned by their use of an aquatic demon. Some of their summoners also had aquatic creatures at their disposal. This suggests a much greater level of preparation.” They would have to put more summoners on their own ships and ensure that those summoners could summon creatures suitable for naval warfare. “At least Gerald had good news.”
“There is that.” James spotted some allied sailors clinging to some debris nearby and lifted them onto the ship with his magic. They’d come across survivors from the enemy fleet too, and they had taken all of them into custody. “In fact, I’d say it’s better than good news. It’s great news.”
They’d received the news shortly after the conclusion of the battle here. Timmy and the others had succeeded. The Eye was theirs, and the island where it had been repaired was in shambles. The forces in charge of the island’s defence had also been all but obliterated.
Vicky chuckled. “You know, James, at the rate he’s going, he’s going to earn himself more than a pardon. The Council might have no choice but to make him the official administrator of the entire area around Black Tower Castle.”
“I wouldn’t exactly like that outcome,” James muttered. “But he’ll have earned it he keeps doing what he’s been doing. Hopefully, all of the paperwork and responsibility will keep him from being too much of a nuisance. I wonder how the Eternal Empire will respond to losing the Eye.”
“I sincerely hope the emperor challenges me to a duel to the death.” Vicky clenched one fist. “It would certainly be an interesting fight. It would be very close, but it would save us all a lot of trouble if I could kill him.”
“Yes, it would, which is why it’ll never happen.” James peered out across the water. The remaining ships in the enemy fleet had retreated, but the ocean around them was littered with debris. He shook his head. Vicky’s power was ridiculous. “We should do one more sweep for survivors and then pull back. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have more ships in the area or on the way.”
Vicky rose back into the air, and the glow around her brightened. “There’s no rush. If they want to come back for more, then I’ll be happy to oblige.”
* * *
Emperor William Winston Wesley Wilbur Waverton leapt off his giant eagle. He had waited long enough to find out what had happened to this place. From above, the island was clearly in shambles. The central tower was almost completely destroyed. It looked like someone had melted most of it, and fires were still raging across much of the island. Debris and wreckage from the island’s fleet floated in the harbour, and a gigantic corpse of some kind lay sprawled over the ruins of the fortress that overlooked the docks. He snarled. What a mess. What a very expensive mess.
He hit the ground hard enough to shatter the cobblestones and send chunks of broken stone flying in all directions. His lips curled. It was to be expected. His eagle had been several hundred feet above the ground. Nevertheless, there wasn’t a single scratch on him – his magic had seen to that. As soon as the cloud of dust cleared, the soldiers nearby dropped to their knees. They waited for William to nod in acknowledgement before two of them rushed off to fetch their superiors. Mere moments later, the emperor was seated upon a comfortable chair as the Minster of War and the Minister of Information went to one knee before him. He waved aside the gesture of respect. It was only right for mere soldiers to bow before him, but these were two of his most capable ministers, men who had served first his father and then him with distinction. He already had their loyalty and respect. Right now, he was more interested in what they had learned about this debacle.
“Gentlemen,” William rumble
d. His magic filled the air, an oppressive weight that would have crushed lesser men. Indeed, it sent the soldiers around them back to their knees. However, his two ministers got back to their feet with only a few beads of sweat upon their brows – a testament to their power – and he allowed his magic to recede. There could be no doubt in their minds now about how much the loss of this island and the Eye displeased him. It was also a reminder that he ruled not only by virtue of his royal blood and imposing intellect but also because of his overwhelming power. “What happened here?”
The two ministers exchanged looks. Neither of them particularly enjoyed being the bearer of bad news although they both understood they were not in danger here. The emperor’s wrath was no small thing, but he was also careful about directing it only at those who deserved it. They had not been responsible for the island’s maintenance and defence. That duty had been Lord Merton’s. In the end, it was the Minister of War who spoke.
The minister, Lord Carlton, was a burly man with hair that had gone grey more than a decade ago. But the ease with which he moved his powerful frame and the large sword upon his back suggested that he had many days of fighting still ahead of him. “Your Majesty, we are still investigating, but I will tell you what we have learned. Yesterday, as you know, the island sent word that they had come under attack. Although they were confident in their ability to repel the intruders, I thought it prudent to dispatch an advance force of sky knights. I also diverted several patrols to this area to offer further assistance.”
“Clearly,” William drawled, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Their confidence was misplaced, and you were right to send reinforcements. Otherwise, we would not be having this conversation.” He gestured vaguely at the gigantic dead… thing sprawled over the ruins of the fortress that overlooked the docks. “And what is that? I presume our enemies deployed it against us.”
Carlton took a deep breath, and William sighed. This could not be good. The older man had often done that when explaining the Eternal Empire’s previous military follies to William when he’d still been a boy learning the history of warfare. “It, Your Majesty, was a zombie kraken. Our sky knights arrived only hours after the attack concluded. However, they were unable to pursue those responsible due to the use of impressive concealment magic and the intervention of the zombie kraken.” He ran one hand through his grey hair. “The zombie kraken was in the middle of wrecking the rest of the island, so the leader of the sky knights, knowing the value of the island, chose to engage with most of his forces while breaking off a group to scour the seas nearby.” His jaw clenched. “We have lost more than half of the sky knights I sent, and the rest are wounded.”
Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire (The Unconventional Heroes Series Book 3) Page 48
