Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City

by L. G. Estrella

  The councillor sighed. “I doubt we’ll ever be able to build another – at least not using the same system – since star crystals are legendarily rare, and the one that powers this city is the largest ever found by a massive margin. However, we might still be able to construct vehicles or smaller structures capable of flight. It could take a while, but we would have a powerful advantage in future conflicts. The empire could have made all of those benefits its own if it had succeeded in taking the city. Once they realised the Sky City’s weapons, defences, and engines were not working properly, throwing everything they had at it was the correct move. Unfortunately for them, this was their best chance. The Sky City will never be that vulnerable again.”

  “Where are we going?” Gerald asked. He realised for the first time that he had yet to offer the councillor tea and hastened to rectify his mistake. She accepted a cup of tea with an amused smile.

  “We’ll be stopping off at the Shimmering Isles for a while to resupply and make essential repairs. However, the Sky City will eventually make its way toward our coast. It won’t be much good in helping the dwarves reclaim their lost territory since most of the fighting will be done inside mountains, tunnels, and caves, and I doubt the goblins are going to come out into the open once they see it. But with the damage you and the others have already inflicted, the goblins are in total disarray. I expect the dwarves will strike while the iron is hot, and with some more help, I think they’ll succeed. King Barin is going to rally his forces and launch an all-out offensive. Timmy has promised to produce more of the poison gas, and he will be lending the dwarves a lot of his zombies until they’ve dealt with the goblins. I’m not saying it will be easy, but if King Barin handles this well, the goblins are going to be in a world of trouble. In the meantime, we’ll be establishing a joint settlement/naval base on the coast to serve as a safe harbour for the Sky City and to serve as a point of contact with the dwarves.”

  “That gas…” Gerald shuddered, remembering the twisted, agonised expressions on the faces of the dead goblins. “It was terrifying.”

  “Timmy and Katie are both very creative. That they choose not to use such tactics against all of their opponents is telling. Timmy also mentioned he might be able to develop countermeasures to prevent the cosmic fungi from helping the goblins, but he wanted to consult with Sam first. Apparently, Sam has run into them before, and his people might even have a few… specimens Timmy could experiment on.”

  Gerald nodded, feeling more than a little squeamish. Stopping time was a monstrously powerful ability, but in terms of combat power, Sam and his ilk were definitely superior. They could mould their own flesh as they saw fit to create whatever weapons or organs they needed to best any opponent. Moreover, the rate at which they healed or regenerated flesh was incredible. Blows that had crippled or even killed the cosmic fungi would be barely more than an inconvenience to Sam’s kind. “I’m sure Sam will help although Timmy might have to bribe him with cake. How are things everywhere else?”

  “The empire has suffered a reverse here, that much is true, but the war has yet to truly begin. We’re involved in skirmishes and running battles all along our borders, and most of our allies are in the same boat. The empire has also drawn much of its naval strength together in the form of a Grand Armada, or so our spies say. We’ll have to face it at some point, but we’re hoping to harry it throughout its journey. If they’re unwilling to break formation, we should be able to launch a steady stream of ambushes and raids. If they direct that armada at the Shimmering Isles, we will have to send our own forces. An armada of that size – if the reports are correct – will be enough to simply smash through the Shimmering Isles, no matter how skilled and determined they are. Still, the empire will need to be careful. Without the naval base we destroyed to fall back on, if they overextend, they will find themselves deep in enemy territory with no safe port to retreat to. There’s a reason some people call the sea around the Shimmering Isles the Graveyard of Fleets. Many fleets have tried to break the Shimmering Isles. None of them have succeeded.”

  “So we have the upper hand?” Gerald asked hopefully. He really hoped they did. He enjoyed his life, strange as it had become, and he wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d be able to keep it if the empire won.

  “For now,” she said. “But our advantage is still far from decisive. We’ve given them a bloody nose, but the fight has only just begun.” She lowered her voice. “Although we were able to use this as an opportunity to sneak in several assets while the empire had their most powerful scrying magic aimed at the Sky City.”

  “Ah. That’s good, right?”

  “It is very good.” The councillor stood and squeezed his shoulder. “In any case, Gerald, do your best to relax and unwind. The dwarves are planning a great feast to honour the dead and their victory when we reach the Shimmering Isles, so I suggest you keep your schedule open. It might be a bit rowdy, but the food and drink should be wonderful.”

  “The dwarves did have some excellent food,” Gerald said, thinking of the feast in Cavernholme. “Although I do hope none of them challenge Spot to a drinking contest again. Their singing afterward was atrocious.”

  * * *

  “Why am I not surprised to find the two of you out here?” Vicky drawled.

  Timmy turned away from his plate of food. “Vicky?” The woman grinned and settled down beside him. Katie was on his other side, discussing the merits of grapes grown in the Shimmering Isles in comparison to those grown in Everton with Rembrandt. “Shouldn’t you be back in there with the dwarves?”

  “The same could be said of you.” She chuckled. “Personally, I think it’s safer out here. In there, you’ve got two kings challenging a young dragon to a drinking contest. King Erasmus was barely holding on when I left, and I doubt King Barin will last much longer. Spot looked like he could go all night. And don’t even get me started on the singing.” The Shimmering Isles were known for their catchy and impressive sea chants whereas the dwarves were known for their raucous and often bawdy drinking songs. The two groups had combined to come up with some truly awful lyrics that were made even worse by how inebriated all of the singers were. She adopted an expression of mock seriousness. “Besides, what hope could a mere human or even a dwarf have against a dragon?”

  “Against a normal dragon, they’d have little chance. But Spot is part corruption dragon. I don’t think he can get drunk.” Timmy chuckled and took another bite out of his steak. Steak was not always easy to come by in the Shimmering Isles, but the dwarves had spared no expense for the celebration. Hard times might be ahead, but they would honour their glorious dead and the victory they had helped win with a feast fit for the noblest of dwarves. To his amusement, a brief lull in the singing coming from the hall allowed him to hear Princess Calista as she exhorted her father to ‘uphold the proud legacy of the Shimmering Isles’. “On the upside, the dwarves were foolish enough to take bets this time, and both Katie and I have money riding on Spot, so we’ll be a little richer when the others finally admit defeat.”

  “You’re certain he’ll win?”

  “Like I said, he can’t get drunk. Oh, King Barin, might think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. Spot also has a bottomless stomach. He could drink the entire hall under the table if he wanted to. I’m more worried about what he’ll do with the money he’s about to make.” And there, right on cue, was Avraniel shouting about how Spot was making his mommy very proud and very rich. “I’ll have to speak to him about investing it. Dragons are natural hoarders, but I’m hoping I can teach him how to let his money work for him instead of the other way around.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Katie handed Rembrandt another grape. “Since he is a legal citizen of good standing, he can even own his own business. That way he won’t have to worry about the future, and dragons do live a very long time.”

  “I’m sure we can find something he likes,” Timmy said. “If not, the rats probably will. The ninja rats might be crazy, but they’re good wi
th money. How else could they afford all of those projects they’ve got going?”

  “Well, they are very practical when it comes to money,” Katie said. “Since they spent so much time wandering.” It went unspoken that the rats were always on the lookout for good opportunities and reliable allies. There were few allies more useful than a dragon, especially one with so much room to grow. Any business they opened with Spot would be run well to ensure it turned a profit. There had even been talk of partnering with the dwarves since they had access to all sorts of rare materials, and the rats could help them deal with the goblins. “At least there won’t be too much trouble with Avraniel around – unless she starts it. I’m fairly sure some of the dwarves have started worshipping her too, which is a bit of a worry.”

  “We’ll just have to wait and see if anything comes of it,” Vicky nodded. “What do you think of dwarf cuisine?”

  “It’s interesting,” Katie replied. “Everything is so rich and flavourful. It’s not very subtle or nuanced, but it’s nice. It’s honest food, if you know what I mean, and it’s the kind of thing anyone would appreciate after a long day of hard work.”

  “The dwarves don’t like pretentiousness in their food. They think of it as something us humans and the elves do. They like to save any fanciness they have for the forge, but even then only for decorative or stylised pieces. There are few things as ruthlessly well made and practical as a dwarf axe.” Vicky patted her stomach. “As for me, I’d better watch myself. With all of the feasting going on, I might end up putting on some weight.”

  “I doubt it,” Timmy said. “You’re in perfect shape.”

  Vicky stared at him for a moment. “What?”

  “I said you’re in perfect shape.” He shrugged. It was obvious, wasn’t it? “You haven’t put on a pound since your early twenties. Sure, you’re only in your late twenties now, but you look better now than you did then. You must have kept up with your training. I’m amazed you’re not fighting off suitors.” Katie’s jaw dropped, and she gave him a look that combined disappointment and disbelief. He didn’t understand why she felt the need to give him that look, but who could truly understand the mind of a young girl? Spot couldn’t, and the dragon had access to a rudimentary form of telepathy. Then again, Spot was less than a year old.

  For a moment, Vicky was silent. Finally, she spoke. “Thank you.”

  “Hmmm…” Katie got up. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She winked at Vicky – yet another thing that made no sense. “I’ll go find Gerald. He might need some company since he’s not into the whole drinking thing either.” She paused. Rembrandt had been listening to the yells coming from the hall. “And now that both King Erasmus and King Barin have conceded to Spot, some of the dwarves have decided to challenge Avraniel. I’d better go run damage control.”

  “That would be a good idea,” Vicky said. “And do say hello to Gerald for me. If things get too bad, you’re always welcome to retreat here.”

  Then it was just the two of them. Timmy leaned back on the bench and set his plate aside. The steak was almost done, but he felt like his stomach would explode if he ate another bite. Unlike a certain dragon and a certain protoplasmic horror, he did not have a bottomless stomach. Oh well. He’d give the leftovers to Spot. He’d yet to see the dragon refuse extra food. “Thanks for coming to save us.”

  “You were doing a pretty good job of saving yourselves. I just sped things up a little. Besides, it’s not like I could let you and the others die.” Vicky gave him a teasing smile, eyes twinkling. “Gerald is my favourite bureaucrat, you know.”

  “Ah, of course. A good bureaucrat is hard to find. We can’t have you losing one of yours.” Timmy chuckled. “He’s pretty handy with a frying pan too, and he’s getting better at aiming when he throws things at people.”

  “I should hope so. He’s certainly getting enough practice.” Vicky’s gaze flicked back to the hall. “We have rough times ahead of us, so it’s nice to have nights like these now and then.” The rowdy, joyous singing of the dwarves drifted out of the hall. The guests from the Shimmering Isles and Everton were doing their best to keep up, but the dwarves could handle their liquor better than almost anyone.

  “We’ll make it through.” He grinned. “We always do, somehow.” He pointed at the night sky. “Remember when we were in the academy, and I almost convinced James there was an ancient tribe who called those stars the Snickering Cow.”

  “You were so close too. You even fabricated a book and slipped it into the library to convince him.” She giggled. “It’s a pity some of our classmates had to spoil the joke.”

  “It was worth it just getting that close.” Timmy gave her a sideways look. He knew that the possibility of war usually brought about certain actions from noble families, and Vicky’s family was one of the noblest in Everton. “You’re not being pressured to marry by your family, are you?”

  She gave him a secretive smile. It made him wonder if he’d have to kick down a few doors and maybe kidnap a few people. “Oh, not really.”

  “Because that’s common practice before a war. Noble families do like having a few potential heirs around in case something happens to whoever is currently in charge.” He grimaced. “Although if you’re dead, that probably means we lost the war and are therefore totally screwed.” Barring some bizarre twist of events, the only way the empire was conquering Everton was over Vicky’s dead body.

  “There is that, but I do have siblings and cousins, you know. And well…” She gave him another secretive smile. “I’m keeping my options open. After the war, there will be plenty of opportunities available.”

  “After the war, huh?”

  She wasn’t wrong. If they won, there would be plenty of opportunities – for everyone. Assuming their victory wasn’t completely pyrrhic, a lot of money would be thrown around. There would be reconstruction efforts to consider, not to mention the possibility of seizing new territory and forcing concessions out of the empire and its allies. He’d also be a free man since helping to win the war should be more than enough to earn him a pardon. Heck, it should earn pardons for all of his descendants down to his great grandchildren at the very least. It made him wonder what he’d do. Sure, he could still raid tombs – provided they hadn’t been registered yet and weren’t in Everton – and going after criminals and other enemies of the state should be fine too. Maybe he’d found a chain of inns. With travel increasing every year, offering travellers a reliable, safe, consistent, and cost-effective experience could be very profitable.

  There would be other opportunities to consider as well. Interest in necromancy was sure to boom, especially since it had already played a big role in their victories thus far, and he would quite likely be the only officially approved necromancer in the country other than Katie. In fact, the dwarves had already asked him how to identify potential necromancers since he and Katie had already proven to be highly effective against the goblins. He wasn’t planning on taking another apprentice yet, but it couldn’t hurt to have a few more students down the road, provided they weren’t crazy. Necromancers almost always got into trouble if left to their own devices, and the last thing they needed was someone turning out like his master.

  In a few years, Katie would be more than ready to help teach other students too. She might not have realised it, but under normal circumstances, she would already be considered good enough to be a necromancer in her own right instead of an apprentice. The only reason she was still an apprentice was because he was a Grand Necromancer. He had far more to teach her than a regular necromancer, and he had no intention of letting her ‘graduate’ until he’d taught her everything she needed to know because relying solely on necromancy was a recipe for disaster. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to her after he’d put so much effort into training her.

  “Maybe we should go on a holiday.”

  “We?” Vicky raised one eyebrow.

  “Well, you’re always cooped up in your office or flying around killing things
, so I thought maybe you could join us when you have the chance.” Timmy chuckled. “If I tried going on a holiday on my own, I know for a fact that the others would find a way to invite themselves along. I think everyone likes the beach, even Amanda, and she’s a vampire.”

  “I hope you’re not simply saying this so you can beat them all at sandcastle building again.” She smirked. “Yes, tales of your tyranny have reached even my ears.”

  “Ah, Gerald is very thorough when it comes to his reports, but it’s not my fault I’m awesome.”

  “How cruel of you. Need I remind you that Spot and Katie are children and that Avraniel tends to act like one when it comes to competitions? But it does sound fun. I might have to take you up on it.” She looked up. It was well past dusk, and the stars were clearly visible. “The stars do look rather nice from up here.”

  “We are higher up,” Timmy pointed out. “And the Shimmering Isles doesn’t have cities as large as Everton’s, so there’s less light to block the view.”

  “True – but it is nice.”

  “You already said that, or were you referring to something else?”

  “Having dinner with you.”

  He smiled. “Neither of us is eating anything.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Then why not drop by more often?” Timmy suggested.

  She stared. “You don’t mind?”

  “Of course not. You’re always welcome to drop by. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to manage, right? And we do need someone to teach Spot how to use his new powers. I’ve already caught him turning intangible to sneak around or grab food. I can barely imagine how much more trouble he’ll get into if the only one to teach him is Sam. I mean the only reason Sam doesn’t steal cake from the kitchens all the time is because the cooks threatened to stop making any until he started doing things in a more orderly fashion. And it’s not like I can keep you out of my castle if you really want to get in.”