Tales of Dark Fantasy

by Robert E. Keller

  ***

  The next morning, Helen and Geleon were back in the laboratory. The corpse had awakened sometime during the night, and it lifted its head as they approached. It moaned and fought to escape its chains, then moved its lips as if trying to form words.

  "Silence!" Geleon commanded. The corpse closed its mouth. Geleon noted the flesh was a healthy grayish-blue in hue and that the eyes were heavily bloodshot--signs that the hydra's teeth were rooted solidly in place. The corpse's hands had swollen to twice their previous size, the fingers having become webbed, and its ribs now jutted out beneath its flesh. The shoulders had broadened, and the neck had thickened and displayed gill-like protrusions.

  Geleon examined the gills closely, while the corpse watched him with something that bordered on curiosity--a sign of intelligence rarely present in his warriors. "I've never seen anything like this," he said. "It has taken on an almost aquatic appearance."

  "Maybe it can breathe underwater now," said Helen.

  Geleon gave her a piercing stare, his hands clenching into fists. "It does not breathe, remember? It is still a dead body, empty of a soul."

  "I was only joking," she said, her face reddening. "Anyway, it looks like a powerful warrior. Are you going to take it below and test it?"

  "I don't have time," Geleon said, rubbing his forehead anxiously.

  The door opened and Drezian entered. He approached with a scowl, using a cane to help him along. His body seemed little more than bones beneath his robe, his face a haggard map of lines. "Is this my defender?" he asked, pointing at the corpse. "Is this the warrior that will save my life?"

  "We should not speak of this," Geleon said, "when Helen is present."

  "What?" Drezian's scowl deepened. "I don't care what the girl hears. I've been marked for death by Lord Vasyl, and everyone should know it."

  Helen gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

  Drezian inspected the corpse, running his fingers over it, and nodded. "Interesting," he said. "So what makes it so special? What can it do?"

  Geleon swallowed. "I'm not sure exactly. I took a risk and--"

  "You don't know its capabilities?" said Drezian. "Is that what you're saying?"

  Geleon nodded. "I had to try something new. You know this, Master. I'm not half as good at this art as you, and I probably never will be."

  "Perhaps not," said Drezian, "but I think you have something special here nonetheless. What you lack in technical knowledge, you make up for in imagination. This is an ugly creation to be sure and certainly imbalanced, but it's a true monster that is capable of anything. If it manages to protect me in the coming days, you must build more of these as new bodies arrive--until all the red hydra's teeth have been used and I'm surrounded by elite defenders."

  Geleon reached up to tug at his hair, but Helen pulled his arm down. Her hands were trembling. He wrenched away from her. "If this corpse fails, Master, I won't be able to forgive myself. Your life depends on the power I have woven into this body. I wish you hadn't forced this burden onto me."

  "I'm sure you do," said Drezian. "But pressure can bring out the best in someone. Whether I die or not, that's worth something."

  Helen turned away, tears flowing. Geleon patted her on the back. "I shall wait with the corpse warrior outside your door. I'll sleep in the hall, with sword and dagger by my side. If the warrior fails, I will do my best to defend your life."

  "You'll do no such thing," said Drezian. "You're not a fighter, Geleon, and I don't want you in harm's way. You'll sleep in your own room and leave me to my fate."

  "This is foolish, Master," Geleon said, not convinced in the least that his warrior could succeed. "You should leave the keep and flee somewhere beyond Vasyl's reach. You have enough wealth. You could even hire men to protect you."

  "Never," said Drezian. "I would rather die here, in my home, than flee like a coward. And hiring men to protect me--rather than using my own corpse warriors--would destroy my reputation and put me out of business. No, I will rely on the defenders that you build for me to save my life."

  Geleon gazed at Drezian in silence, striving to comprehend his reasoning. Geleon noted a strange glint in Drezian's eye--almost as if Drezian welcomed the challenge of trying to survive.

  Drezian turned away. "We have talked enough."

  "Master, are you sure you don't want to--"

  "We have talked enough!" Drezian rapped his cane on the floor.

  Geleon strode from the room, slamming the door behind him.