“Are you telling me that the thing over there was a zombie kraken and it somehow defeated a force made up entirely of sky knights?” The emperor’s eye twitched, and he made a choking sound. “Forgive me, Lord Carlton, but I was under the impression the sky knights flew around on giant eagles and that krakens, however large, cannot actually fly. How exactly did it kill and injure so many of the sky knights? Surely, they could have simply kept their distance and bombarded it with magic until it fell.”
“The survivors I’ve spoken to tell me that they tried to do exactly what you suggested, Your Majesty. However, there were… complications.” Carlton pointed to where the bits and pieces of several ships and even some buildings lay broken upon the remains of the facility that had once covered most of the island. “The zombie kraken used its strength to turn some of the ruined ships from the fleet defending this island into projectiles. It also threw some of the smaller buildings near the docks at the sky knights.” He grimaced. “Our sky knights are skilled, but dodging ships and buildings is… well, difficult even for them.”
The emperor covered his face with one hand. He could hardly blame the sky knights for losing if their foe had been hurling ships and buildings at them. Unlike his Lords of Magic, the sky knights were chosen first and foremost for their prowess in aerial combat. They could be highly effective against infantry and other land-bound units, but a zombie kraken was hardly the same as regular infantry. “Of course, that’s what happened. I suppose my next question is the one I should have started with. Where did the zombie kraken come from?”
“We believe the zombie kraken was made using the kraken which Lord Merton mentioned in a report not long ago. It was slain after being drawn here by the magical energies we were using to repair the Eye. Kraken corpses are notoriously difficult to dispose of, and Lord Riven mentioned reanimating it once its soul had become more detached from its body.”
“Detached?”
“I am not entirely sure of the specifics, Your Majesty. I am not a necromancer. However, Lord Riven explained that the souls of powerful creatures often remain attached to their body for some time. Reanimating it before its soul had become more detached would have resulted in it immediately turning against us.”
“I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that was what happened, which begs the question: who reanimated it?” William could feel a headache coming on. Hiring Lord Riven had been a gamble, but it had paid off handsomely – until now. They should have gotten rid of its damn corpse or at least taken it somewhere less dangerous.
“We have spoken to some of the survivors of the attack, and we have also recovered some scrying spheres. Unfortunately, the spheres have been damaged. All we have are some images, many of them disjointed, and all of them lacking sound. Still, even those are enough to give us a good idea of what happened.”
William’s eyes widened as the minister produced several scrying spheres – all of which bore signs of damage, mostly scorch marks – and began to work through the images they contained. His foul mood only darkened as he saw the island’s fleet get obliterated before the attackers split into several groups to attack the docks, the fortress, and the complex that housed the Eye. What troubled him the most was the group who had stormed the complex. It had contained some very powerful individuals. And then there was that… that thing.
“What is that?” William asked. He gestured, and the image in the air above the scrying sphere froze. The creature in front of him appeared to be some nightmarish abomination featuring parts from a shark, a hydra, and something with wings.
“We have been referring to it as a zombie shark-hydra-drake. According to the survivors, the enemy deployed it against the fleet first and then used it to counter our summoners together with a zombie hydra-griffin. That is all I can say with any certainty. Necromancy has long been banned in the Eternal Empire, and we… sort of burnt our remaining necromancers a few centuries ago. In accordance with your wishes, Your Majesty, we have made efforts to rectify the situation, but we have had problems securing the services of highly skilled necromancers. They are leery of working for us on account of the, well, long ban on necromancy and the burnings that occurred. Lord Riven was one of the few exceptions.”
“I’ve already repealed the laws against necromancers,” the emperor muttered. “If we’re going to fight a proper war against Everton and its allies, I don’t want to have to do all of the work myself. If the clerics continue to protest, I’ll have to tell them a bit about this.” He gestured at the wreckage around them. “Because clearly necromancy works.” The image above the scrying sphere moved again. It showed the zombie hydra-griffin and the zombie shark-hydra-drake tearing through a host of summoned creatures and their summoners. “Those damn zombies ate or melted two entire squads of summoners! Two!”
“Technically, some of them were trampled or otherwise crushed.” Carlton winced as William glared. “But, yes, you are largely correct, Your Majesty.”
“What happened to Lord Riven? He is our necromancer here, and he’s being paid very handsomely to ensure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen. At the very least, he might be able to tell us how to make one of those… those…”
“Zombie shark-hydra-drakes.”
“Yes, one of those. In fact, seeing how effective it is, I’d like to have ten.”
The Minister of War winced again. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
William glanced up at the sky. Had he done something to anger the gods? “Did they kill him?”
“It’s worse. They were able to capture him.”
“I see.” William hid his concern behind a frown. Lord Riven had been one of only a handful of skilled necromancers to accept the Eternal Empire’s offer of rich rewards and immunity from prosecution in exchange for their services. True, he’d originally been from Everton, but his loyalty had never been in doubt. Once William had promised him a chance to avenge his master’s murder, Lord Riven hadn’t hesitated to accept his offer. Hatred could be an exceptionally good motivator. “Then we must assume that they are already interrogating him and prepare accordingly. What of Lord Valance? Has he been found? I remember him being quite formidable.”
Carlton waved at one of his soldiers, and the soldier came forward with an urn full of ashes.
“What is that?”
“We found these ashes at the end of Lord Valance’s labyrinth, not far from the remains of his minotaur. He was burned to ash.”
The emperor’s mouth opened and closed several times. “He was burned to ash?” He snarled. “It must have been the elf who proved so effective against our ships. Valance – the fool – he must have let himself get overconfident.” William shook his head. What a waste. Lord Valance had obviously failed to protect the island, but he would see to it that his ashes were delivered to Lord Valance’s family. Lord Valance had failed – badly – but he had also served with honour and distinction for years. “But I have to ask. Why did he even have a labyrinth and a damn minotaur? What possible purpose could those have served?”
“Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but powerful mages are often eccentric, and you did give Lord Merton and the others almost complete freedom and discretion in building and defending this island, as long as they could guarantee the Eye’s restoration and safety.”
“Apparently, I gave them too much freedom. And if powerful mages are often eccentric, do you think that I’m eccentric? After all, I am the most powerful mage in the entire empire.”
“I would describe you as delightfully charming, Your Majesty.”
“Of course, you would. Fine. Lord Valance is dead, and Lord Riven has been captured. What about Lord Merton? He always was best at fighting from an advantageous position. Did he hide in a cellar or something?” William asked. Lord Merton was a brilliant man in many ways, but courage was not one of his strong suits. If push came to shove, William doubted that Lord Merton would give up his life for the empire.
“They captured him too.”
&
nbsp; “By all the gods.” The emperor covered his face with both hands. “He’s probably spilled his guts already. He’s always been a coward despite his power. I would have preferred to leave this island in braver hands, but he was one of only a handful of people with the expertise to help repair the Eye. Fortunately, he doesn’t know a lot about our other projects.” He took a deep breath. “I doubt that I’ll like the answer I get, but what about Lord Darren?”
“He was also captured.”
“For crying out loud!” The emperor clenched one fist, and one of the ruined buildings nearby was crushed into a sphere of fine powder about a yard in diameter. “Wasn’t he powerful? I remember him being quite useful when he fought alongside me during my last campaign overseas. He was also two thirds demon or some garbage like that although I could never understand how that worked. Shouldn’t he have been a full demon, a half demon, or three quarters demon?”
“He never did explain it to me, Your Majesty. Lord Darren was incredibly touchy about it.”
“All right. Was there anyone here of importance who they didn’t capture or kill?”
“I believe Lord Baker was able to evade capture.”
“Wait, who is he again?”
“He was the Lord of Magic who invented the invincible, killer acid blobs. He sent one to court for your amusement last year.”
William chuckled. “Ah, yes. I remember. The blob was most amusing. It melted that would-be assassin quite nicely although I suppose it was fairly gruesome. Very well. Bring him here. Perhaps he can tell us more.”
It wasn’t long before Lord Baker was dragged before the emperor.
William peered at the other mage. Lord Baker didn’t have a single scratch on him, so either he’d won his fight easily, or he hadn’t fought at all. Given the man’s current demeanour – trembling like a leaf and looking for any possible way to escape – he would hazard a guess that it was the latter. “May I know how you evaded capture, Lord Baker?”
The skinny man shrank into his voluminous, rust-coloured robes. “I may have instituted a… tactical retreat when it became obvious we were losing, Your Majesty.”
The emperor’s eyes narrowed. The air grew thick and heavy with magical power. “Do you mean to tell me that while your comrades were being captured or killed, you ran away and hid?” He lifted one hand. “Give me one good reason why I should let a coward and a traitor like you live.”
“Wait!” Baker threw his hands up. “Please, Your Majesty! I’m not good at fighting. I only became a Lord of Magic because of my skills in alchemy and artifice.” William glanced at his two ministers. They both nodded. It was true. “And those skills are the only reason I am here. I was responsible for creating many of the components necessary to repair the Eye. I can still be useful – we have many other artefacts in need of repair.”
William lowered his hand, and the crushing weight of his magic lifted. “Fine. You can live for now. But I suggest that you give me more reasons if you’d like to do your living free of chains.”
Baker produced a battered scrying sphere. “I was able to salvage images from the scrying spheres my comrades set up in their areas, Your Majesty.”
William leaned forward. His Minister of War had only been able to show him images from outside the complex. “That is indeed useful. Show me.”
When William had seen everything, he had a full-blown migraine. The elf’s fire magic was truly incredible. There was a dragon that appeared to be tame. There was also a vampire whose concealment magic made it impossible to make out more of her appearance than the colour of her hair and her eyes. There was a child with powerful shadow magic, and an old swordsman of incredible skill. And then there was the necromancer – the necromancer who had somehow managed to beat Lord Merton in what should have been an easy fight for the Lord of Magic.
“Who are these people?” he growled. “They’re not members of the Council, but at least two of them would fit right in based on their power alone. They must be connected to Everton. Only Everton would know about the Eye and be able to find it, never mind have the audacity to attack it and actually take it.”
“The elf is an infamous criminal,” Lord Robertson, the Minister of Information, said. “By all accounts, her fire magic is unmatched, and I believe the elves of Everton have put a considerable bounty on her head. She was supposed to be lurking in their forest, but that is clearly no longer the case. As for the others, the swordsman is not known to me, nor is the vampire or the child. However, the necromancer seems familiar.”
“The necromancer is Timothy Walter Bolton,” Baker said. “The Lord of Black Tower Castle.”
“How do you know that?” William asked.
“Lord Riven was obsessed with killing him. He wouldn’t shut up about it. He even had a picture of him in his chambers that he used as a dartboard. Timothy’s master was the one who murdered Jonathon’s master.”
“Ah, yes. Lord Riven often spoke of wanting to kill him although I did expect him to be taller. Lord Riven was very clear about Timothy and his master being murderous monsters of the worst sort. And isn’t Black Tower Castle…?”
“Yes. It is indeed the castle of legend, which was built upon lightless chasms of horror and despair, within which reside monsters from beyond this world,” Robertson said. “Timothy has ruled it for some time now. But before him –”
“Lord Grimm ruled it,” William murmured. “My father employed him several times. I can’t say that I’ve met an eviller man, but he certainly did some good work. It’s a pity Timothy is more patriotic than his master was.” William had made sure to destroy any and all evidence of Lord Grimm having worked for the empire. Lord Riven would not have been pleased. “We tried to get him to work for us several times, but he refused.” Something in his mind clicked into place, and he banged his fist on the arm of his chair. “And I know who the vampire is now. Given her appearance and her knowledge of the Eye, not to mention the fact that she was able to walk in the sun… she must be Amanda Aurora Arthurs. I can’t believe it. My ancestors spent years puzzling over her apparent immortality when she was actually an ancient vampire all along.”
“I thought she was dead,” the Minister of War said. “Well, you know what I mean.”
“As did I. She was supposed to have died centuries ago.” The emperor rubbed his chin. “This cannot be a coincidence. What are the odds that an ancient vampire reappears after centuries of being thought dead to work with an elf criminal of tremendous power and an assortment of other people, all of them led by a necromancer who was trained by one of the most talented and evil people in history? The Council must be behind this.”
The Minister of Information nodded slowly. “I will begin investigating this matter immediately, Your Majesty. However, it makes sense. Amanda ruled the House of Arthurs from behind the scenes when they were still a part of the empire. She could easily have faked her own death, which would give her the chance to plot our demise for centuries without us realising the danger we were in. Yes, there have long been rumours that the Council has shadow members, councillors who are not known to the public and who are not acknowledged officially. And if there is one such councillor…”
“There could easily be two.” William leaned back in his chair. “To have defeated Lord Merton, Timothy has shown himself to be both cunning and powerful. His master was truly a force to be reckoned with. To have been raised by such an evil, cruel man, there can be no doubt that Timothy must have become incredibly cruel, devious, and power hungry as well. Yes, I can see it now. He must have grown obsessed with power – power the Council alone could have offered him. Why else would the others follow him? This… group must be a special unit under the sole command of the Council, one that can take on the very hardest of missions but which they can disavow if necessary. Yes, this group gives the Council a way of operating from the shadows. To have deployed it so openly against us, they must be growing more confident.”
“There is more, Your Majesty. The girl – the child
with the shadows – I recognise her magic. There was once a family of great power and influence in Everton, one that wielded magic much like hers. They were supposed to have been wiped out by the Council centuries ago because of their madness, lust for power, and truly bloodthirsty nature.”
William’s jaw clenched. “Then she must come from a lost branch of that family, a branch Timothy was able to find. This is yet another apparent coincidence that is nothing of the sort. He must have searched long and hard for her.” His lips curled. “We all saw how well she wielded her magic. No normal child could do that. He must have taken her from her family and raised her from birth to serve as the perfect weapon. How terrifying. Only a necromancer could be so devious and heartless.”
The Minister of Information shuddered. The empire’s enemies had grown powerful indeed. “He is a threat, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, he is. But we will deal with him in time. Yes, along with Amanda, he must be a shadow member of the Council. Why else would they entrust him with ships, soldiers, and mages?” The emperor laughed. “And it would explain how Black Tower Castle survived the purges that the former Supreme Cleric of the Order of the Blessed Dawn carried out. Timothy was working for the Council all along, so they would have no reason to go after him. How diabolical. He may even have been the puppet master behind all of the recent proxy wars. After all, every battle simply gives him more corpses to work with.”
Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire (The Unconventional Heroes Series Book 3) Page 49
