Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City

by L. G. Estrella

  “He reminds me of someone I used to know,” Timmy said. “And I doubt they’d send him to prison. I can’t remember the last time someone was convicted of attempted banditry, and so far that’s all he’s managed to do. Besides, I’ve got a plan for him, which is why I’ve got some of our other zombies following him to make sure he gets back to the city in one piece.” Timmy glanced to the side as the extra wagon arrived with some of his other zombies. “All right, the rest of you, climb aboard. I might be handing you over to the authorities, but I’m not completely heartless. I’ll give you a ride there. I’d have given Arthur a ride too, but a jaunt through the woods in the middle of the night might be good for him. He can remember it the next time he thinks of doing something stupid.”

  “I don’t suppose you could let me go too?” one of the younger bandits asked hopefully. “I’m only twenty-one.”

  Timmy gave him a flat look. “How many people have you killed?”

  “Uh… fifteen, I think. I kind of lost count after I got to ten.”

  “No. Get on the wagon.”

  It only took them half an hour to reach the meeting point Timmy had arranged with some of the authorities. There was a group of soldiers waiting for them in a large clearing off the road.

  “Hello there!” The captain of the soldiers waved cheerfully. He was someone Timmy had met during his prior investigation of the city. Captain Zaran might not be the toughest fighter, but he was very cunning. More importantly, he was also a good man, one of the few officers of the law who wasn’t busy cutting deals with the city’s criminals. With the bandits Timmy was about to give him, Zaran would be in a perfect position to push for a promotion. It wouldn’t hurt that his more corrupt rivals with ties to Lord Tarrick were about to find themselves without the protection of their patron. “Not a bad haul.”

  Timmy came forward and shook the captain’s hand as his soldiers took custody of the bandits. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you. Can you handle these guys? We need to get back to the city.”

  “Of course.” The captain grinned. “There have been quite a few explosions tonight. In what can only be a lucky coincidence, my men are the ones rostered for patrols. As per our agreement, I’m having them steer clear of the area.” His grin widened. “Given who owns the compound you’re attacking, hearing about them beg the city guard for help and not get any has been wonderfully therapeutic.”

  “I imagine it would be.”

  Timmy could see how happy Zaran was. For years, the dutiful captain had fought to turn back the criminals strangling the life out of his city only to be stymied by corruption over and over again. Now, however, sitting back and doing nothing was exactly what he wanted to do. It was why Timmy had chosen this specific night to launch the attack. Criminals were happy to ignore the city’s laws, so they could hardly cry foul when someone bigger and scarier turned up to flout those laws too, and he knew Zaran wouldn’t be shedding any tears for them either.

  “Just be ready,” Timmy said. “The compound is only the start. After a little chat with the leader of the bandits, I managed to get a rough location for Lord Tarrick’s fortress.”

  “Lord Tarrick?” Captain Zaran scowled. “The thought of that criminal calling himself a lord disgusts me.” He nodded firmly. “But I’ll leave him to you and your friends. With him out of the picture, I might finally be able to clear the city of his cronies.”

  “Don’t worry. By the time we’re done with him, he won’t be in any position to help them.”

  “You have my thanks.” The captain chuckled. “I never thought I’d be saying that to a necromancer, but I’m a practical man. If a necromancer can help me save my city and bring the criminals who’ve all but destroyed it to justice, then I’ll gladly accept his help.” He glanced at the wagons and zombies. “By the way, do you think we could borrow those until we get the bandits back to the city? We can handle them, but I’d rather not take any chances.”

  “Sure.” Timmy ordered one of his zombie wyverns to land nearby. “The zombies can follow basic commands, and I’ll be aware of everything you’re doing. Just dismiss them once you’re done. They’ll find their way back to me.”

  “Handy things to have, zombies.” Captain Zaran shook Timmy’s hand one more time and then did the same with Katie and Spot although he was particularly careful with the dragon’s claw. It wouldn’t do to lose a finger when he was so close to success. “Take care of yourselves.”

  “You too, captain.”

  “Come on.” Katie tugged on his sleeve. “We need to get going, master. Otherwise, Avraniel might burn the whole compound down before we get there. It’s supposed to have a great library, and I want to see if there’s anything in there we can use.”

  “Ah, my young apprentice.” Timmy ruffled her hair and grinned. She still hadn’t combed it back down. She was halfway to looking like a cactus. “I’m so pleased to see you suggesting stealing from criminals.”

  “Well, Lord Tarrick’s bandits did try to rob us, and we are here to get back the princess he kidnapped.” Katie rubbed her hands together gleefully. “Besides, it’s always great finding another rare book.”

  Chapter Two

  “Why can’t we just go through the damn front door?” Avraniel growled. “Look at that piece of crap. I could bust through it in a couple of seconds.”

  The door in question was a massive slab of metal reinforced with the sorts of magical defences usually seen on bank vaults and fortresses. Even so, it would be lucky to hold her off for more than a few seconds if she put her mind to it. Hell, it would be lucky to last more than a minute against Spot.

  “Because we need to capture the commander of this compound alive,” Amanda replied.

  The vampire was far too comfortable skulking around like a ghost in the middle of the night. As usual, she was wearing some fancy clothes, which she would probably end up destroying later – supposedly by accident. Avraniel smirked. Would it really be an accident? The people eater shredded her clothes on mission so often that Avraniel had begun to wonder if the vampire was secretly a nudist or something. It wouldn’t surprise her. Vampires were always weird, and the ancient ones tended to be the weirdest of all. Just because Amanda seemed more normal than most vampires didn’t mean she wasn’t weird. She was just better at hiding it.

  “Blowing up the front door would give him far too much of a head start.” Amanda gestured at the city around them. “I don’t know about you, but the thought of searching for him in a city of this size is not one that appeals to me.”

  Avraniel scoffed. Sure, Tarelan was big, and it looked nice, what with all of the tall towers, slender arches, and big domes, but she could burn the whole thing to the ground if she needed to. It wouldn’t even be hard since most of it was wood. A little bit of fire here, some more fire over there, and the man they were after would have no choice but to scuttle out of wherever he’d hidden like a rat fleeing a sinking ship.

  “So what is this plan then?” Avraniel liked it better when Timmy was in charge. The necromancer might have been an idiot most of the time, but he was always clear about who needed to do what. There was none of this cloak and dagger garbage. He told her what she needed to do clearly and early, so she could go out there and do what she did best. “Because standing around out here is boring.”

  It hadn’t escaped her notice that there was a tall, thick wall around the compound, which was patrolled at regular intervals. Nobody had security like that unless they had something worth defending, which was really another way of saying they had stuff worth taking. Avraniel had heard about an extremely rare – and stupidly expensive – plant that could turn into a giant, flying plant monster. Since she couldn’t be bothered looking for it herself, she’d have to pay someone to find it for her. Mr Sparkles could use more company, and raiding a vault full of valuables would go a long way toward covering the cost.

  Spot was also a growing dragon. He was already eating enough to feed several families a day although purchasing a he
rd of cattle and making some sound financial investments had helped to lighten the financial load. But it never hurt to have extra money, preferably lots of extra money. Who knows, maybe she’d buy her own castle one day? If she did, she’d have to get one way better than the idiot’s. His castle wasn’t half bad, and there was no way she’d move someplace worse.

  “Well?” Avraniel asked. “How much longer are we going to stand here?”

  Amanda ignored her growing irritation. What really annoyed Avraniel the most was that the people eater was powerful enough to get away with it. Oh, she was pretty confident she could beat the vampire in a fight, but it wouldn’t be easy. She’d actually have to try. “Our first step will be to infiltrate the compound. You will then create a distraction.”

  A distraction? Avraniel knew exactly how to do that. It involved fire, explosions, and stealing things.

  “I will take Chomp with me to help locate the hidden chamber our target is likely to be in.” The massive three-headed dog wagged his tail, and Avraniel gave him a fond scratch behind his ears. This was his first big mission with the rest of them, and the canine was eager to prove himself. “Old Man and Gerald will go to the archives and seize important documents and other evidence while you continue to keep as many of the guards occupied as you can.”

  “Take good care of my dog, people eater.” Avraniel scowled, and the temperature rose. “Because I am not about to go looking for another dog because you got careless.”

  “Chomp will be perfectly safe with me,” Amanda replied. The almost haughty expression on her regal features made Avraniel want to punch her teeth in. It reminded her far too much of some of the elves she’d been forced to deal with for centuries. Unfortunately, Amanda could not only laugh off having her skull caved in but also return the favour with interest. “Try not to burn the entire compound to the ground while we’re still in it.”

  “I’ll try, but it depends on whether or not the idiots we’ll be fighting can handle fire.” Avraniel cackled malevolently, and the demolition rats nearby joined her. They were wonderful little guys, way better than that one-eyed bastard Rembrandt. They knew the importance of inflicting maximum property damage to the enemy. The best way to make sure someone wasn’t a threat in the future was to set them on fire, burn their fortress to the ground, and steal all of their stuff. Anything else was just begging for trouble down the road. “Can we get started? At this rate, Old Man there might actually kick the bucket before anything happens.”

  The swordsman chuckled good-naturedly and tipped his hat. “I’m old, Avraniel, but not quite that old. I still have a few more years left in me, I think.”

  “You’d better. Spot likes you.”

  “I see. Well, I shall endeavour to not die a little longer then.” Old Man patted Gerald on the back. The paper pusher looked like he was about to throw up. He even had one of those paper bags out. Oh well. At least, he wouldn’t make a mess. “Fear not, Gerald. You’ll be safe with me, and you do have a complement of ninja rats to escort you as well.” The rats squeaked reassuringly, and Gerald relaxed ever so slightly.

  Avraniel’s lips curled. The paper pusher might be a coward most of the time, but she was confident he’d pull through if he knew what was good for him. He’d saved Spot during their attack on the empire’s island, and that had taken guts. “He’s right, paper pusher. You’ll be fine. Stay behind Old Man and the rats and let them do the fighting.”

  “Okay.” Gerald took several deep breaths and then nodded. “You’re right. I can do this. I can do this. I can… maybe… possibly do this.”

  Amanda smiled warmly. “Yes, you can. We all believe in you.” Her eyes gleamed crimson for a moment, and she turned to the rats. “We’re ready. On my signal, take out the patrols.” The rats nodded and moved into position. With this many ninja rats, they could take out multiple patrols at once. By the time anyone noticed something was wrong, it would be too late. Amanda waited until all of the rats were ready before she sent the signal, an illusionary owl that hooted loudly over the compound.

  All around the compound, the ninja rats scampered up the walls and struck. In the blink of an eye, the patrols closest to them went down. Avraniel grinned. She might not like most of them, but those sneaky little bastards were good at what they did. She’d give them that much. Spot had gotten a lot better at keeping track of his surroundings after a few of the tiny blighters had tried to steal his cookies as a training exercise.

  “Move.” Amanda dissolved into a mist that enveloped Chomp and carried the dog over the walls of the compound. Old Man transported the rest of the rats and Gerald while Avraniel simply used a burst of flame to help her leap over the wall. Teleporting to somewhere he couldn’t see might have been more draining, but it was easy enough for Old Man to teleport to the top of the wall and then down into the courtyard below.

  As they landed on the inside of the compound, an illusion rippled outward from Amanda. Nobody would be able to see or hear them unless they came into physical contact or used their magic. The elf rolled her eyes. The vampire’s magic might have been able to fool most people, but it wouldn’t have fooled her. Oh well. At least, the people eater was making herself useful.

  “Chomp, let’s go.” Amanda leapt onto the massive dog’s back and pointed. “Old Man and Gerald, the archives are in that building over there. The illusion I cast should hold for a while longer. Have the rats use their invisibility to conceal you once it wears off.” Her full lips curled, and Avraniel caught a glimpse of elongated canines. “Avraniel, I trust you know what to do.”

  Avraniel knew exactly what to do. She waited until the others were out of the open space of the courtyard and well on their way to their destinations before her magic flared to life. Amanda’s illusion shattered around her, and she ordered the remaining rats to take up strategic positions around the courtyard. She might not like all of them, but the twerp would be a nightmare to deal with if she accidentally roasted a few of them.

  “Hey, bastards!” she bellowed, cracking her knuckles as the air around her ignited. “Who wants to die tonight?”

  Her words echoed through the compound, and she felt a savage stab of satisfaction as guards rushed toward her only to stumble to a stop as the cobblestones beneath her began to melt. Her eyes gleamed in anticipation. Their armour wasn’t half bad, and their weapons were pretty decent too. Whoever was paying these guys definitely had plenty of money – money that would soon be hers. Fire swirled around her. She’d have to save some of their armour and weapons. She could sell some of it, and Spot always liked to have a nice, tasty piece of steel to munch on before bedtime.

  “So…” She beckoned the guards forward as the flames around her shifted from orange to white. “Which one of you losers wants to go first?”

  * * *

  “Do you think she’ll be okay?” Gerald whispered as he and Old Man hurried toward one of the larger buildings in the compound. He knew Avraniel was strong, but there were a lot of guards, and all of them were headed in her direction. Some of the ninja rats had taken over from Amanda’s illusion. With the rats’ invisibility in place, all Gerald and Old Man had to do was avoid running into any of the passing guards. The rats had gotten much better at dampening any sounds made by things they were concealing, and the loud clank of armour and the thunder of boots as the guards rushed around were more than enough to drown out any noise they did make.

  Old Man smiled. Apart from his customary hat, he was wearing a dark grey cloak over his usual tunic and trousers. “Honestly, I’d be more worried about the amount of property damage she’s about to cause. She’ll be fine, and she’s not alone. Some of the rats are with her.” His gaze flicked to the building ahead of them. “Be on your guard, Gerald. I can sense potent magical defences in the building ahead of us. Once we get inside, I doubt the rats will be able to conceal us. You have some of Timmy’s zombies, don’t you?”

  Gerald gulped. All of the times he’d been forced to run for his life lately had begun to pay off
. He was getting much better at keeping up with Old Man. “I do. I’ll pull them out if we need them. Most of them aren’t very subtle.” His pulse quickened. He was still getting used to all of this cloak and dagger intrigue, and as much as he trusted Old Man and the ninja rats to defend him, he still wished Spot were here. Few things in the world could make someone feel safer than having a friendly dragon by their side.

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Avraniel to start fighting before we go in?” Gerald summoned his trusty frying pan and tested its weight. It was heavy, but it was a good kind of heavy. There were also a few dents in it from the last time he’d used it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to bash anyone’s head in tonight, but he had a feeling his hopes would be in vain. They usually were when it came to avoiding danger and violence. “There might still be some guards inside.”

  “It shouldn’t be long now.” Old Man glanced over his shoulder. She’s already challenged them, so she should be starting right about –”

  BOOM.

  A massive explosion shook the night. Flame and force billowed outward. The shockwave ripped past them, and Gerald was thrown off his feet. Around them, the rats gave angry squeaks as they fought to maintain their invisibility in the wake of the blast. A towering plume of flame rose up into the air, and the sky was suddenly full of embers. Gerald looked up and blinked. There was something falling toward –

  “Watch out!” Old Man yanked Gerald out of the way as a burning body covered in melting armour thudded into the ground beside him. The swordsman chuckled. “Our elf friend seems quite enthusiastic tonight.” He prodded the body with his sword. “This armour is made of good steel, but it’s been completely melted.”

  “Enthusiastic?” Gerald swallowed thickly and did his best to ignore the smell. The body had been turned into something resembling charcoal covered in molten metal. It was hard to imagine anything except a dragon generating enough heat to do that, but Avraniel was far more powerful than any other fire mage Gerald had met. And unless Gerald was mistaken – and he doubted he was since he kept scrupulous records – then either she’d been getting stronger, or she’d stopped holding back so much after finally getting a chance to face opponents she couldn’t annihilate with a flick of her wrist. “That’s one way to put it.”