Fall of the Arch Lich (D'Vaire, Book 6)

by Jessamyn Kingley

  “Arch Lich, you are an elected official standing in the room with the man Fate chose for your position. It was political posturing which compelled him to resign and your bad luck you allowed your race to continue without him. I will not ask him to address you by the title he was born with,” Chrysander replied.

  “Your Majesty, there is no proof he is a Fate-born leader,” Sigimund all but whined back.

  “Your Majesty, I would like to point out—the argument that Mr. Daray is not the Arch Lich because the skull on his chest may be related to his demonic blood is not only uninformed but idiotic,” Grand Warlock D’Vaire said. “Demons have no relation to the symbol that has always been associated with necromancers. It is foolish to think there is an entire race of demonic beings running around with such a mark.”

  “I happen to agree with you, Grand Warlock, but I would remind everyone we are here to discuss the actions of Mr. Daray on Friday. If there are no further questions, we need to move on to our next agenda item,” Chrysander responded.

  “Your Majesty, I am certainly not finished with Mr. Daray. His actions were harmful and thanks to him, we now have a permanent rift with the Sentinel Brotherhood. He must answer for his crimes,” Sigimund insisted.

  “I’m quite curious as to what laws you believe Mr. Daray broke, Arch Lich,” Reverent Knight Drystan stated.

  “I would think it would be obvious. Sorcerers cannot run around casting spells which affect entire races of people. A petition should have been sent to this Council to allow us to vote upon whether this would be a wise move. Mr. Daray did not consider the safety of our people. The idea of a mass compulsion spell is science fiction,” Sigimund retorted. “The Sentinel Brotherhood has always been dependent on the Order of Necromancia. They need us to guide their actions. It is common knowledge the measure of danger they possess.”

  “The Sentinel Brotherhood is an honorable, incorruptible population of eight thousand, four hundred and three men who have been maligned by rumors created and perpetuated by the Order of Necromancia. Mr. Daray’s actions on Friday freed us not only from a life of servitude but from a life at a dreary prison,” Alaric corrected. “He is to be commended for his actions.”

  “The Arch Lich is correct. There’s no such thing as a mass compulsion spell. Not even vampires are able to compel more than one person at a time. I will not argue the merit of his spell itself. I do not agree with the idea of keeping another race imprisoned and the Sentinel Brotherhood is a separate and equal race who are incapable of many of things that the Order of Necromancia continues to tell their people about them,” Vampyress Irina Volkov stated.

  “Vampyress, I once believed mass compulsion spells were fiction, but while I was looking for a solution to protecting an entire population from harm so I could free the Sentinel Brotherhood, I remembered an ancient text I read some time ago. It was about demons and their abilities. I found the passage and began experimenting,” Chander said. “I found I was capable of suggesting a certain action. It doesn’t last long, and the spell appears to be limited to what they will do, but my demonic side is capable of compelling groups of people.”

  Vampyress Volkov smiled. “That is fascinating. My apologies, Mr. Daray. I was unaware demons were thought to be capable of such a thing.”

  “Certainly, the very idea that Mr. Daray altered the minds of over eight thousand people is criminal. This Council does not seem to be taking this matter with the proper amount of alarm. Mr. Daray acted recklessly and he must be held accountable for his actions. The Order of Necromancia demands it,” Sigimund retorted.

  “While I may have preferred for Mr. Daray to approach this Council before conducting a spell which irrevocably altered the lives of so many people, I must agree with the Lich Sentinel. The necromancers had no justification for creating a race beholden to them. The act of liberating them and giving them the same free will we all share is something to be commended. Mr. Daray has shown himself to be an ally of not only the Sentinel Brotherhood but to all people held down by their circumstances,” Chrysander said.

  “Your Majesty, I would like to reiterate to the Council—there are no laws which prohibit Mr. Daray from conducting a spell such as he did on Friday. That is likely due to the Order of Necromancia whose unique and highly suspect relationship to the Sentinel Brotherhood would be considered criminal if it were constructed today,” Reverent Knight Conley stated.

  “You are suggesting necromancers should not be allowed to use the gifts bestowed upon us by Fate. We resurrect the dead. You cannot expect us to refrain from doing that,” Sigimund insisted.

  “The implication you’re giving is that necromancers must be allowed to resurrect men and women who are chained to them,” Chander countered. “That’s ridiculous and irresponsible.”

  “Mr. Daray is correct. We have the entire Order of the Fallen Knights as an example of the appropriate behavior of using your gift from Fate,” Alpha Artair Ursus Arctos said. “It is repulsive to summon a person from the dead who is unable to defy an order or must spend their lives in solitary confinement. For the Arch Lich to suggest Fate would want you to conduct yourselves in that manner is vile.”

  “If no Council laws were broken, then it is up to the Order of Necromancia alone to decide if they wish to place lawful sanctions against one of their own people for conducting a spell of such magnitude without first alerting their leader,” Vampyress Volkov responded.

  “Vampyress, I am afraid I must correct you again,” Chander interjected. “I am no longer a member of the Order of Necromancia. I asked for and was given sanctuary status.”

  The room was once again full of murmuring and sounds of surprise. “Mr. Daray, are you informing this Council the necromancers consigned their own former ruler to being without a legal race to speak of?” Vampyress Volkov asked.

  “It was the current Arch Lich who willingly signed the papers granting Mr. Daray his legal independence from the Order of Necromancia,” Drystan announced.

  “Arch Lich, it is one thing to suggest Fate may not have given Mr. Daray a symbol that made him your ruler, but it is quite another to cast aside the former ruler of this Council,” Vampyress Volkov stated crossly.

  “Mr. Daray wished to be parted from the necromancers,” Sigimund defended.

  “You asked this Council to strip him of his title and produced a petition from the necromancers who agreed with your stance,” Alpha Artair Ursus Arctos countered. “Why would he wish to stay with such people?”

  “I did what was best for the Order of Necromancia,” Sigimund retorted.

  “Once again, we seem to have fallen off-track from our current topic. I will not ask Mr. Daray to give this Council any further time to question him. If the current Arch Lich wishes to offer any additional inquiries, he will have to do so on his own time. I will remind the Arch Lich, Mr. Daray is not a member of your race and all questions should be sent to him via a representative. He cannot be detained or sanctioned by the Order of Necromancia as he is independent of them,” Chrysander said. “Mr. Daray, do you wish to make a final statement before we ask you to step away from the podium?”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty, I would,” Chander responded. “I will not apologize for my spell. The Sentinel Brotherhood has languished for too long under the rule of the necromancers. I only regret I was unable to cast it sooner. As far as the Order of Necromancia goes, I cannot prove it, but I am the Fate-born leader of that race. However, my presence is no longer welcome, and so I have parted ways with them. It may be difficult for many to believe, but I did try to do my best while I held the mantle of Arch Lich. I may not have the opportunity to stand before this Council again, so I want to ask all of you to allow my fall to be a warning to each of you. When we begin to question Fate, we tear away at the fabric which unites us all as members of the Council of Sorcery and Shifters. It only takes one skeptic or one person who puts their own political desires above that of their entire race to snatch away what Fate has granted so many of you if you all
ow it. Be vigilant and wary of anyone who would suggest your title is not legitimate. You are here to serve your race and this Council second. Without caution, any of you can be standing here as I am with your title held by another and lacking a legal racial status.”

  “Wise words of warning, Mr. Daray. Thank you for your time today,” Chrysander replied. “And on behalf of the dragons, thank you for what you did for the Sentinel Brotherhood.”

  “My pleasure, Your Majesty.” Chander left the podium and walked out of the room altogether. He hadn’t known what to expect but in his opinion, it had gone well. Even if they had decided to punish him, he would be unrepentant. Chander was proud of his actions, and he would have paid any price to liberate the sentinels.

  Chapter 21

  From the first time Alaric had seen the offices that comprised their headquarters, he’d been astonished. He had been impressed from the moment he had walked in the steel doors. Behind them was a huge desk which was now manned by both Evergreen and Dudley. Beyond their station was a large wall of glass panels that gave an observer an unobstructed view of the wooden conference table which had an inlay of eight points in the center. It was massive, all the space constructed on an epic scale meant to intimidate, and easily sat twenty or more people.

  If your eye strayed from that, you would see two sets of metal stairs that led to the upstairs offices. From the downstairs vantage point you could see ten doors. They were mostly frosted to give some privacy to the occupants. Six of those entrances had a single dagger embedded in the middle of the panes, and one bore the likeness of both Gavrael and Gedeon’s weapons. It was their way of marking the offices of Alaric and the Skeleton Seven. Besides the dual-toned wood of the conference table, everything was decorated in the charcoal gray that was an integral part of being a sentinel. There were accents in chartreuse green and Alaric was thrilled to see Chander was speechless at the sight of it all.

  “It gets cooler every day to be a sentinel,” Baxter remarked from behind the small necromancer.

  “This place is incredible,” Chander finally said, and he sounded awestruck. Alaric couldn’t help his smug grin.

  “Thanks, we’re very proud of it.”

  “As well you should be,” Chander responded. “I’d like a minute with Evergreen before we head into that room already filled with your Skeleton Seven.”

  Evergreen ran around the desk and pulled Chander tightly into his arms. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much. It was so awesome what you did for the Sentinel Brotherhood.”

  “Thank you,” Dudley added.

  Chander hugged Evergreen for several moments and then pulled back. He offered a polite nod to Dudley before addressing them. “It was my pleasure and I’ve missed you too, Evergreen.”

  “I don’t even care you were mean to my friend Victor anymore. I need us to be buddies again.”

  “I’d like that too, and I’m more than happy to beg for Victor’s forgiveness,” Chander said. “Is he still living with you?”

  Evergreen looked up at Alaric. “Uh, no. He moved out this weekend.”

  “Your former assistant doesn’t know how to tell you I’ve hired him as my housekeeper,” Alaric told Chander.

  “Well, that seems fair since I was the jerk who fired him. Can you ask him if he’s willing to speak with me?”

  “You can ask him yourself. We’ll go over to the condo after work. I’ve yet to see the finished product,” Alaric suggested.

  “Fair enough,” Chander responded.

  “I helped Victor move in. You’re going to love it. It’s gorgeous,” Evergreen gushed. “We should have lunch or something, Chand. We can catch up.”

  “I’d like that. Pick a day and I’m all yours,” Chander replied. The pair made plans to get together the following day, and Alaric was pleased Chander was mending his fences. Once the two were done talking, Chander turned to Alaric. “Ready to introduce me to your crew?”

  “Absolutely.” Alaric led Chander and his two sentinels into the conference room. The Skeleton Seven rose to their feet, and Alaric introduced Chander to the five men he didn’t know. Four of them were white skeletons: Brynnius, Cassius, Ducarius, and Eduard. The last man Chander met was Albrecht, the only sentinel with blackened bones.

  “It’s an honor to meet all of you,” Chander told them as they all took seats.

  “The honor is ours. Thank you for what you’ve done for our people. We’ve spent all weekend speaking with men excited at the prospect of finally getting to live outside the compound,” Cassius said.

  “I’m happy to have been able to help. We passed a lengthy line of sentinels outside the Order of the Fallen Knights. I assume your quest to get them all identification cards is going well?” Chander asked.

  “It is going remarkably quick,” Gavrael stated.

  “Venerable Knight Calixtus was an incredible help this morning. He began with us. We had to register a last name. I hope you do not mind, Mr. Daray, but we decided to use yours. We could think of nothing more honorable than to acknowledge all you have done for our people than carrying on your name,” Ducarius explained.

  “First, call me Chander, and the honor is mine. Thank you, I’m humbled to share the same name with almost all of you.” Chander gave a wink in Gavrael and Gedeon’s direction since they were D’Vaires.

  “Oh man, we have the same name as the Skeleton Seven. Awesome,” Baxter enthused.

  Chander grinned. “Are you going to fanboy over them all afternoon?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I have to say, this place you’ve put together is incredible,” Chander said.

  “Our race has the coolest headquarters,” Benton crowed.

  “I believe you all have questions for Chand?” Alaric asked.

  “Alaric tells us you know about the ledgers Gavrael and Gedeon were tasked with going over,” Ducarius stated.

  “Yes, I was there when they first discovered you were all missing. I don’t remember Albrecht’s name on it though. In fact, we thought Alaric was the only sentinel whose name began with the letter A,” Chander replied.

  “Cassius found my room behind a stone. It had a small A scratched into it,” Albrecht informed him. “My area was different from the rest of the compound. It was black like my bones instead of gray.”

  “His room was also half the size of the rest of the cells. He had no clothes and no weapons,” Eduard added.

  “And of course, no memory of how you got there, right?” Chander asked.

  “I’m the only one who has begun having what might be memories of my past,” Eduard revealed. “But they come to me in dreams, so we aren’t sure if it’s nothing more than my imagination.”

  “I would put faith in that they are at least partial memories and that’s why you’re dreaming of them. It can be easier for the mind to let those things out when you are vulnerable. You didn’t get to be skeletons because your necromancers treated you with kindness,” Chander said. “I encourage you to discuss it. Write it down. You don’t want to allow those things to overwhelm you.”

  Eduard nodded. “We discuss at length whatever new details I dream of.”

  “Do any of you remember your necromancers at all?” Chander inquired. They all shook their heads. “Let me know if you do.”

  “What are you going to do?” Baxter asked, his voice ripe with suspicion.

  “I’ve gone rogue. Maybe I’ll use my demon to go on a killing spree,” Chander deadpanned.

  “You aren’t allowed near weapons anymore,” Benton replied.

  “Guess I better stop hanging around all of you then.”

  Alaric smirked. “Well we certainly aren’t going to stop wearing our daggers, so see you around, Chand.”

  “You’re hilarious. I don’t know every necromancer, but I do have a good memory. I can recall many of them. Perhaps I can give you details about the people who once held sway over you. In a perfect world, we could make the necros who turned you into skeletons pay for their cr
imes. But the reality is, they died a long time ago.”

  “We’re glad to hear you have a good memory. The first thing we wished to ask you about is Drexley,” Cassius stated.

  Chander’s expression was full of surprise. “You didn’t find him at the compound?”

  “No, he was summoned by his necromancer about five hundred years ago. I remember him leaving but he never returned,” Alaric responded.

  “How far back do you remember?”

  “I think close to a thousand years now. I remember Eduard and he was lost around then,” Alaric said.

  “I can’t wait for you to remember back to whoever put that fucking spell on you,” Chander replied. “Who is Drexley’s necromancer? The Order of Necromancia’s records are all public—or at least they were when I ruled them. We can easily do a search.”

  “His name is Adney Blackwell. We searched for him and it came up with no results. Trystan even helped but we have gotten nowhere. Is there any chance not all the necromancers came over with the Council?” Gedeon asked.

  “There were zero who stayed that I know about. The wizards didn’t want the necros anywhere near them. But I remember Adney Blackwell. I’m afraid the reason why you haven’t found anything about him is because he died. If memory serves right, around five hundred years ago,” Chander said.

  “That makes no sense. If he died, Drexley would have arrived back at the compound and been reassigned to a new necromancer,” Alaric argued.

  “I can’t explain that, but I remember Adney Blackwell very well. He had a son who died and soon after, so did Adney. There were rumors it was suicide, but his staff swore they found Adney dead one morning. His funeral pyre was over before anyone could confirm the cause of death. He willed his home, Blackwell House, to his housekeeper since he had no living relatives. It made the elder council crazy because the housekeeper was an elf. They wanted me to seize the property for the Order of Necromancia and I refused. I’m not going to go against a dead man’s wishes. They, of course, went to the Council. The housekeeper fought back. It was about a century before she was finally granted full legal custody of a place that should have been hers from the start. Her tribe—I wish I could remember which one it was—didn’t belong to the Council, and they refused to join after my idiot brethren went after her house. It was a nightmare. I’m guessing she’s still there. You could write to her.…There’s always a possibility she would be willing to answer your questions. But after the way she was treated, I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Chander explained.