“So,” her master began. “How did everything go? I had a quick chat with the authorities, and as pleased as they are about us eliminating their enemies, they’re a little less pleased about all of the explosions and fires.” He glanced meaningfully at Avraniel.
The elf rolled her eyes. “Hey, don’t blame me. The people eater said she wanted a distraction. Consider the enemy distracted. As for the fires, it’s not like I wanted to set parts of the city on fire. If I happened to set some dumb bastards on fire and they ran around and set other things on fire, that’s their fault not mine. Besides, the authorities can just blame it all on those guys in the compound. They’re criminals, right? They’re already charging them with every crime they can think of. They might as well charge them with arson too.”
Katie could understand Avraniel’s point of view. The elf wasn’t exactly known for her light touch. If Amanda had asked her to create a distraction, she should have expected something like this to happen. Given what Avraniel could do, she’d actually shown a reasonable degree of restraint this time. If she had wanted to burn the city down, it would already have burnt down. Just the fact that the compound was still – sort of – standing and not a giant crater spoke volumes about the progress she’d made since she’d joined the team. She’d even managed to capture three of her opponents, which had to be a new record or something.
“That’s what I suggested. The story they’ll be going with is that the criminals decided to light fires outside the compound to draw the attention of the authorities. Blaming the fires on Lord Tarrick’s people actually works out quite well for them and us. The authorities look great since they were able to bring down a bunch of criminals and put out the fires they started, and Captain Zaran’s men did most of the hard work against the fires. Our friend the captain is now guaranteed a promotion and a position of power. I won’t say that he’s pleased you set parts of the city on fire, but he’s not unhappy either since it worked out for the best.
“Oh?” Avraniel raised one eyebrow. “I thought a bastard like him would be too uptight to appreciate the wonders of fire.”
“Like I said, he’s not pleased about the fires, but he is pleased about the outcome. Once word gets out of the role he and his men played in putting out the fires – and it will get out – he’ll be the most popular captain in the city. Regardless of how the other authorities feel about all of this, we’ll have a firm ally in the captain for the foreseeable future.”
“See?” Avraniel folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair. She would have put her feet up on the table, but the look Amanda gave her was enough to make her reconsider. The former councillor was a proponent of good manners, and putting boots covered in ash, soot, and who knew what else on the table was the opposite of good manners. The elf looked like she was about to pick a fight anyway, but Spot slithered over and flopped onto his back. Avraniel chuckled and contented herself with scratching Spot’s belly instead. “It all worked out for the best. I don’t know what’s wrong with you idiots, but fire is awesome and so am I.”
Her master gave her a small smile, and Katie bit back a giggle. For all of her bluster, Avraniel did not like it when people outperformed her on a mission. This time, the elf had not only managed to capture three people but she had also helped to secure a hoard of valuables, as well as various relics and weapons. Her opponents didn’t have the biggest bounties on their heads, but extra income was always welcome, and they did know a few useful pieces of information. Capturing them was better than killing them, and taking them into custody gave Captain Zaran a few more feathers to add to his cap. All in all, the captain had to be ecstatic about working with them. If they were ever in this area again, they would definitely be able to count on his support.
“How did it go with your objectives?” It was already late in the evening – or possibly early in the morning, it was hard to tell – but her master wanted to talk things over before they went to bed. It was usually easier to remember everything when it was still fresh in their minds, and the smallest details were sometimes the most useful later on. “You do remember those, right?”
Avraniel snorted and scratched Spot under his chin. The dragon preened and looked toward Chomp to see if the dog wanted a scratch too. However, Chomp was already fast asleep, his massive form curled up by the fireplace. The three-headed dog had done well, but he wasn’t used to so much running around. He was more of a watchdog. It was easier if his enemies came to him. However, the happy sounds he’d made when she and her master had approached him earlier were a sign of how much he’d enjoyed himself. “Ask the people eater and the paper pusher. They’re the ones in charge of that stuff. I was just the distraction, and I can guarantee you the enemy were extremely distracted.”
“We were successful,” Gerald began. Katie was always worried when she wasn’t around to keep an eye on him. The bureaucrat had a knack for attracting danger – and a knack for surviving it by the skin of his teeth. His hands weren’t shaking too badly to hold his mug of tea, which was a good sign. Whenever his hands shook really badly, it meant he’d gone through more than his usual two or three brushes with death. She’d have to talk to the rats. Hopefully, they hadn’t had to save him too many times. “Thanks to some, uh, cooperation, we were able to retrieve far more documentation and evidence than we expected. We can definitely prove that Lord Tarrick was responsible for the princess’s kidnapping and that he acted at the empire’s behest. We also have almost complete knowledge of Lord Tarrick’s dealings, both legal and otherwise.”
“Fantastic work, Gerald. You too, Old Man.” Her master smiled warmly. “But what do you mean by cooperation?”
“We ran into a fellow named Jiren,” Old Man explained. “And unlike the fellow responsible for the giant tree, Jiren was most cooperative once it became clear he couldn’t win. In exchange for letting him ‘escape’, he provided a great deal of assistance.”
“Jiren?” Her master laughed. “I didn’t think he’d be here. He must have only been hired recently. Was he some guy who threw around exploding paper?” Old Man smiled and nodded. Her master rubbed his chin, and Katie’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t shaved in a while, so he was beginning to look a bit scruffy. Hopefully, he’d go back to his more clean-shaven look. It made dealing with the authorities and random villagers easier since he looked less nefarious. “I’ve run into him before. He’s not the bravest man, but he is extremely practical.”
“Wait… did you say exploding paper?” Katie asked.
Old Man chuckled. “Yes. Jiren could control paper – both its movement and durability – and also make it explode. The blasts were powerful enough that getting caught in them would be an awful, awful idea. He was troublesome at first, but I defeated him in the end. He was certainly less dangerous than the half-elf who created the giant tree.”
“How did that happen?” Katie asked. She’d been wondering about it. She’d seen the remnants of the tree after arriving with her master, but it had clearly taken severe damage before their arrival. Even so, the rotting remains of the tree had still towered over everything. “Did he create it using his magic?”
“When we ran into him, he immediately destroyed the corridor we were in with a wave of roots, branches, and vines. It was a truly impressive attack. Within moments, he’d managed to grow that tree. It was tricky, but we managed to beat him. Gerald did well to help me end it using some remarkably strong herbicide.”
“That must be some herbicide,” her master murmured. “That tree was enormous.”
Avraniel leaned forward and growled. “I remember that stuff! I better not catch you pointing that crap at Mr Sparkles or any of the others because I will set you on fire if I see so much as a single withered leaf on any of them.”
As Gerald hastily stammered a promise to keep the herbicide as far away from Mr Sparkles as possible, Old Man continued. “In any case, Jiren surrendered once he was beaten. The aid he provided ensured we missed nothing, and it greatly reduced how much
time we had to spend in the archives.”
“That sounds like him, all right.” Her master gave Katie a wry smile. “I ran into him back when you were still too young to leave the castle with me on missions. I was raiding the headquarters of a minor crime lord. He’d managed to get his hands on an artefact I wanted, and he’d hired Jiren to help fight off his rivals. But once I had Jiren cornered with my zombies, he surrendered and showed me where the artefact was.” He rubbed his temples and smiled wearily. It really was quite late. “He even asked me to hit him with my shovel a few times. He wanted to convince everyone he’d put up a good fight before being overwhelmed by the evil, villainous necromancer.”
“He asked me to do something similar,” Old Man said. “And since he’s still working as a mercenary, then it must be a reasonably effective strategy.”
“We found plans for Lord Tarrick’s fortress,” Gerald added. “They don’t show where it is, but they do show its layout. They must have been used during its construction.”
Katie gasped. That was an excellent find. “Really?”
“Here.” Gerald cleared some space on the table and then laid the plans out. Spot peered at them for a moment and then hopped off the table to finish his steak. He’d likely grab another one in a few minutes once he was done with the first one.
“Good boy.” Katie patted Spot on the head. “Thank you for moving. It’s nice that you’re being considerate of others.”
The dragon nudged her with his head. I’m helping.
“Yes, you are.” Even if he did his best to eat more neatly, the odds were good that Spot would have gotten some food on the plans. However, he’d gotten clever enough to realise that the plans were important, so getting them dirty was a bad idea. It didn’t hurt that the kitchen was fully stocked with food, plenty of which had placed on the ground on plates to make it easier for him to reach.
“I’m not an expert in interpreting these kinds of plans,” Gerald admitted. “But I think that’s where you all step in.”
Katie leaned forward and studied the plans intently. When she was wasn’t able to get a good enough look, she sighed and stood on her chair. Thankfully, all Avraniel did was snicker and mouth the word ‘twerp’ at her. That wasn’t too bad.
Her master had taught her how to read plans not only to make sneaking into tombs or the fortresses of their enemies easier but also so she could supervise the tradesmen who were helping to renovate the castle if he was, for whatever reason, incapacitated or otherwise occupied. Honestly, it was probably so he could foist more of his work on her, but she couldn’t deny how useful a skill it was to have.
The fortress was shaped like a square with a square-shaped wall around it, but what drew her attention immediately were the towers at each corner of the wall and the central building. She wasn’t an expert on barriers like her master was – and she intended to improve her skills in that area as much as she could as quickly as she could – but she was no novice. If the plans were right, the fortress had complex systems in place to handle massive amounts of magic being channelled through the corner towers and the central building, which meant… “Master, they must have a powerful barrier around this place.”
He smiled and would have ruffled her hair if Rembrandt hadn’t put down the grape he was eating to brandish his sword. She giggled and patted the rodent affectionately. He was her favourite for a reason. He nodded and went back to enjoying some of the grapes he’d gotten his paws on. “Well spotted.” He glanced at the others before continuing his explanation. “As my apprentice has noticed, the central building and the corner towers are each built deep into the ground – far deeper than is necessary for normal foundations. That is so they can tap into the currents of ambient magic flowing through the surrounding area. Combined with the specific geometry of the towers and the mechanisms in these chambers here, here, and here, we’re looking at what is likely to be a very powerful and versatile barrier. At the very least, it seems to be designed not only to repel intruders but also to conceal the fortress from prying eyes.”
“To build an illusion into the barrier…” Amanda bit her full lips ever so gently. She was wearing a fine silk robe although she’d been wearing Old Man’s cloak earlier. She must have shredded her clothes again. Katie wondered if that was something all ancient vampires did, or if it was specific to Amanda. Avraniel insisted she was a nudist, but Katie wasn’t so sure. Amanda seemed perfectly happy to wear clothes most of the time. “Whoever built this barrier had to be incredibly skilled. Illusions of this size are generally flimsy and easy to disrupt. If the fortress has escaped notice for so long, then it must be very well made.”
“I doubt Lord Tarrick has a barrier master of that skill level under his permanent employment. Even he would be hard-pressed to afford it, and trying to imprison or coerce one is generally considered an exercise in futility since barrier masters are, by necessity, masters of runes and seals as well.” Her master shrugged. “He most likely received assistance from his backers. After all, the other crime lords are trying to stay as far away from the coming war as they can. Why would he act at the empire’s behest? Either they’re paying him very generously, or they’ve been backing him for some time, and he owes them some favours.” He gave Katie a teasing smile. “Can you see anything else?”
Katie studied the plans again. “I know our mission is to locate and capture Lord Tarrick because he’s the only one guaranteed to know the whereabouts of the princess he kidnapped, but isn’t it possible she’s being kept at the fortress? It’s his centre of power, the safest place for him and anything he considers valuable. It’s what I would do.”
As her master nodded in agreement, Katie’s mind drifted back to the start of this mission. Someone had kidnapped the princess of the Shimmering Isles, a strategically located archipelago. Some digging had first uncovered Lord Tarrick and then the suggestion that he had acted at the behest of the Eternal Empire. If the empire could use the Shimmering Isles as a staging ground, then Everton would be hard-pressed to keep their navy at bay. Holding the princess – who was the king’s only child – hostage would force her father to cooperate. But if Everton could use the Shimmering Isles to launch an assault on some of the empire’s naval bases, then they could cripple any potential naval campaign before it began. Both Everton and the Eternal Empire were playing a dangerous game, and although the empire had made a bold first move, Everton still had a chance to make the winning move.
Their mission was simple: capture Lord Tarrick, retrieve the princess, return her to her father, and present conclusive evidence that the empire had been the mastermind behind Lord Tarrick’s actions. If they could do that, then there was no doubt in her mind that the king would be willing to work with Everton. Kidnapping a member of the royal family was a slight that could not be overlooked. The Shimmering Isles lacked the might to contest the empire directly, but with Everton’s help, it was another story. Naturally, they needed to act swiftly and without the empire realising what they were doing until it was too late.
Gerald had already found convincing proof of the empire’s culpability. She’d have to review it with her master later, but she trusted the bureaucrat’s judgement. Now all they had to do was to capture Lord Tarrick and get the princess back. It went without saying that they needed to get the princess back safe and sound. The king would not be happy if they gave her back without all of her limbs intact. She winced. They’d have to keep an eye on Spot and Avraniel. Even if it wasn’t on purpose, returning the princess heavily singed wouldn’t go too well either.
“They must have a lot of people in this fortress. It’s bigger than the compound you guys attacked tonight, and they’ve even got multiple barracks. They won’t have to hold back either since they’re not in the city. If we attack them, they’re going to hit us with everything they’ve got.”
“Indeed.” Her master smiled thinly, and she could tell he’d already come up with a few ideas. “But we have two advantages: we know the layout of their fortress,
and they will be reluctant to harm the princess.” He grimaced. “I know it’s not pleasant to talk about, so I’ll be blunt. If the princess dies or is seriously wounded, we win as long as Everton can plausibly deny its involvement and implicate the Eternal Empire.”
“Master!” Katie hissed. “Really?” Sure, they were necromancers, but they were supposed to be rescuing the princess. They could hardly say they’d rescued her if she ended up dead or missing a limb or two.
“Relax. I’m not saying we should kill her. On the contrary, we’ll be doing our best to save her. But this works in our favour. If something happens to her, her father will undoubtedly blame her captors, especially since we don’t officially exist and we will be able to provide proof of who kidnapped her and why. Once the king realises who was involved, he’s going to blame them and go looking for allies against the empire – allies like Everton. The empire isn’t stupid and neither is Lord Tarrick. There will be strict orders in place to ensure her safety and survival. She is worth nothing to them if she is dead because her father will not cooperate. They need her alive more than we do.”
“I guess…” Katie huffed. Her master had a point – he usually did when it came to stuff like this – but it wasn’t nice to have it laid out so bluntly. “That means we don’t have to hold back either, doesn’t it?”
“Exactly. Neither side wants to harm the princess, but they have to be especially careful about harm befalling her, which means they can’t use her as a human shield.” He chuckled and smiled at Avraniel. “What you did tonight actually helps us. If they think we don’t care about collateral damage, they definitely won’t risk her. But getting through the barrier will be tricky. I doubt I’ll be able to bring it down the way I brought down the Nameless Citadel’s barrier.”
Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City Page 12
