Duke Grandfather- The Whole Story

by James Maxstadt

  “For now, stay away from her. Watch her, talk from a distance if you must, but don’t approach her again,” Magnus said.

  “I won’t give up on her, Father,” I said.

  “And I’m not asking you to. But it’s not her right now, and she will kill you. If you don’t care, imagine how she’ll feel when we free her.”

  My eyes went to my wife, gleefully burning the city that she loved almost as much as I did. No, it wasn’t really Lilly.

  “Okay,” I said. “But hurry.”

  “Of course. Raven, stay with him.”

  I almost laughed as he hurried away. He knew me too well, and even though I said I would behave, he still tasked Raven with watching me.

  I walked along with Lilly again, but from a distance wherever I could. She never paid me the slightest bit of attention.

  Everyone else fled. Humans, dwarves, orcs, ogres, you name it. No one even approached her. I didn’t know where the Watch was, or what they were doing, but I hoped whatever it was, they would take Lilly’s predicament into account and…

  But they didn’t know about that. No one other than the three of us had even seen Lilly since the Bone Lord took her, so they wouldn’t have any idea that if they closed the Pit and took the power away all at once, without Magnus, it would probably take her life as well. Why would they?

  “I have to go,” I said, spinning to Raven.

  “Where?”

  “Back to Jacobville.”

  “Why?”

  “They don’t know.” I started moving away. “They’re probably trying to close the Pit, but they don’t know about Lilly.”

  Raven stared back at me. “By the gods. You’re right. But what about her?”

  “Watch her. Try to let me know if there’s any change.”

  “Why don’t I go? You watch Lilly,” he said.

  I hesitated. Raven had been alright ever since this started. I wasn’t sure how to say what I needed to.

  “Because, you’re…well, they might not believe you.”

  His eyes grew cold. “I see. Of course. It should be you. They’re bound to believe the mighty Duke Grandfather. Who knows what they’ll think if I try to tell them.”

  “Raven, that’s not what I…” But of course, it was. No one liked Raven very much, and he brought it on himself. This was the first time I saw it bother him, though.

  “Yes, it is. And it’s fine. Go. I’ll watch Lilly.” If ice could destroy the wall of fire, the amount in his voice right then would have done it.

  He turned and walked off, following Lilly again.

  I ran down the street, heading back toward Jacobville Cemetery. I felt bad, I really did, but there wasn’t time to soothe his feelings right now. When this was over, I’d see what I could do about that, and try to mend the fragile fences that we’d built lately.

  Gah. Couldn’t believe I was even thinking that. This was Raven!

  #

  They were all still at the Pit. All the wizards and necromancers from before. The ones who the Bone Lord killed were lying off to the side, covered by clean, white clothes, along with those of the Watch. The dwarves were laid in their own section.

  But Brindar was up and about, bone mask completely gone, talking with Sarge of all people, who had actually left the watchhouse, a sight not very often seen.

  I took a moment to catch my breath, and then, “You need to stop them.”

  “Stop who?” Sarge asked.

  “Them!” I pointed at the magic users who were gathered in a group, talking and gesturing toward the Pit.

  “You mean the people trying to close the Pit? The one that the big demon came out of? Those people?” I could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

  “Yes, those people. Stop them, and then I’ll fill everyone in on why.”

  He frowned but made no move to do what I asked.

  “Sarge,” I said. “Please. Trust me. It’s for Lilly.”

  “Alright, but this better be good.”

  He walked over to the group of magic users and I watched as he talked, then argued, then finally yelled. Sarge may have only been a sergeant in the Watch, but there were few who didn’t do what he told them, especially when he got into full-blown drill sergeant mode.

  A moment later, he motioned me to come over.

  “Come with,” I said to Brindar. “You should hear this, too.”

  I tried to ignore the stares of a whole bunch of individuals who could light my head on fire with a thought. Magic be damned. They needed to hear what I had to say.

  I told them all what Magnus and I discussed. At first, there was some scoffing and disbelief, but even in this crowd the name of Father Magnus carried weight. Finally, it was down to only a couple of nay-sayers.

  “What do we do, then?” one of them asked. “Stand around and do nothing?”

  “I don’t know right now,” I replied. “But Magnus is working on something. Let me go back to Lilly,” I indicated the towering wall of flame that could even be seen from here, “and I’ll see what he has to say. Then, at least one of us will be back and…”

  “I don’t think you have to do that,” Brindar said. He pointed.

  Father Magnus was approaching, accompanied by a tall, stately woman dressed all in black, from her sturdy boots to the pointed hat on her head.

  Minerva, one of the premier witches in Capital City, and a friend to both Lilly and I. I had been worried about how Magnus would feel about me going to the witches, and here he went and brought them in by himself. I should have known better.

  “Everyone,” Magnus said, “I think most of you know Minerva.”

  There were subdued greetings from the group of Watch magic-users. Minerva smiled briefly and turned to me.

  “We might be able to help, if what Father Magnus suspects is true. And I already feel that it is.”

  She inclined her head to us, then walked to the Pit. Her face was thoughtful as she circled it, examining it from every angle. Magnus walked with her, talking quietly. Finally, after they went completely around it, they returned.

  “Yes,” Minerva said, “it is as Magnus believed. The world is wounded. Right there.” She pointed at the flaming hole in the ground.

  If she was expecting a big reaction from this profound statement, she was disappointed. No one said a word. She smiled at me again.

  “Think,” she told me. “What did I once tell you that witches did better than anything else? Our main purpose.”

  She was asking me? Me, who thought using magic was cheating and didn’t understand it? How would I know…

  But then I did remember. I remembered a horrible figure in black armor cutting Lilly off from her magic, and Minerva and others showing up. She told me then.

  “Healing,” I said. “Witches heal.”

  “Exactly.” Her grin was triumphant. “And we’re going to heal the world.”

  #

  It took a little time, but other witches showed up went into conference with Minerva. They didn’t exclude the rest, although the witches’ powers seemed to me to be in direct contrast to the necromancers. But they were all professionals, so they gathered together and talked about things that I didn’t understand in the least.

  In the meantime, I watched the curtain of flame grow longer. It was starting to near the docks, and once there, ships would go up like so much kindling. I stewed and worried about Lilly, and hoped that Raven wasn’t letting his hurt feelings get the better of him, and was keeping an eye on her. Not that he could do anything, but I didn’t want her to be alone.

  Finally, the conference of magic users broke up. The witches walked toward the pit, followed by several of the wizards. The necromancers spread out across the cemetery, some going a good distance away.

  Father Magnus came to me.

  “I’m going to Lilly,” he said. “Minerva and the others will begin working to close the Pit once I’ve had enough time to get to her.”

  “Why do you think this will work?” I asked. “When the necr
omancers couldn’t do it. I mean, this is what they do, right?”

  “The necromancers tried to force it closed, using powers very similar to the Pit’s own. But they weren’t nearly strong enough. No mortal is. But the witches will try to heal it. The earth itself is in torment here, and is crying out, if you know how to hear it.” He stopped and smiled. “I don’t. That isn’t a gift the Good God has blessed me with. But them?” He indicated the witches. “They hear it as clear as you hear me now. They’ll help the earth help itself, if that makes sense.”

  I nodded. It did, when it was put in lay terms. I was sure there was more to it than that, but chances are I wouldn’t have understood. Lilly used to try to explain a lot to me. Now she mostly just said, “It’s magic”, and we left it at that.

  “Alright. Well, let’s go then.”

  “You’re staying here.”

  I stared at him. I never knew Magus to be much of a kidder, or crazy, but maybe the strain of this all had gotten to him.

  “I don’t think so,” I said.

  “What will you do there?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Nothing. Be ready in case something attacks her.”

  “You’ve seen what she can do. What’s going to attack her?”

  “The Bone Lord?”

  “No,” Magnus said. “The Bone Lord is using her. It’s here that the threat to him will be. He’ll come here, and you need to be here to face him. The witches must be kept safe while they’re trying to close the Pit, not only so that they can do it, but so that they can control it, giving me time to work with Lilly. Which means they can’t help when the Bone Lord shows up.”

  I stared back at Magnus. He was right, of course. The Bone Lord would come here. But, how could I let Lilly be in danger and not be there to…what? Watch as she fell when the Pit suddenly snapped closed because the witches lost control? Let the whole thing fail and hope the Bone Lord let her go out of the goodness of his black heart?

  I sighed.

  “Keep her safe, Father. Please.”

  He nodded, patted my shoulder and took his leave.

  I turned to find Brindar and talk strategy for how to defeat a Lord of the Pit.

  #

  The witches worked differently than the other magic users. There were no grand gestures or flying hair. Their eyes stayed normal. All in all, they were much calmer as they worked. Although, having been on the receiving end of it a couple of times, I could say that appearances could be deceiving.

  They circled the Pit and held hands. Eyes closed, they seemed to be doing nothing. Then, very slowly, the flames around the edge started to die down.

  There was a shout from above.

  “Witches? Oh, boy! I love witches!”

  He was there. Still dressed in his Sunday best and smiling down on all of us. His eyes flicked over the crowd below, passing over me without a second glance. Good. Let him think I was just one of the crowd.

  He slowly settled down to the ground, adjusting the neck of his shirt as he did. He gazed around him with a huge smile. “Is all this for me?”

  The witches never even opened their eyes. They continued whatever it was they were doing.

  “Ah, ah,” the Bone Lord said, “we can’t have that!”

  He flung out his hand and a palpable wave of force came out from it. But the wizards were ready. As one, they cast their own spell, and the Bone Lords hit it with a sound like breaking glass. A couple of wizards staggered but kept on their feet.

  The Bone Lord laughed with what sounded like honest delight.

  “Cooperation? I love it! You humans. How fast you learn!”

  He turned fully toward the witches and started rolling his hands in the air, like he was making a ball out of dough. His eyes glowed yellow.

  “Well, now, let’s try this!”

  He pulled his right arm back, fingers cupped, in exactly the position a kid playing ball in the street would do. His grin grew even wider, and the wizards braced themselves.

  Which was when Biter flew in and took his hand off at the wrist.

  The Bone Lord didn’t scream or cry out in any way. Instead, he looked at the stump where his hand had been a moment before, his grin fading to be replaced by confusion.

  “What? Who did that?”

  He dropped his arm, blood pouring from it and looked around. Biter flew back to Brindar and the Bone Lord smiled again. “I remember you! You were the one who got me last time. How’d you get my mask off? No matter. You can have anoth…”

  The little, metal ball, glowing white and pure took him right in the middle of his back. He flew forward, crashed to the ground and lay still. At least for a moment.

  “Bless it!” That was a curse coming from him. “Alright, I’ve had enough of…” As he spoke he started to push himself to his feet, his fancy clothes in tatters and a smoking hole in his back.

  But as he started to rise, some force slammed him back to the ground. Several necromancers were chanting, those weird things happening to them, and a massive shadowy figure appeared, its foot firmly planted on the Bone Lord’s back.

  The Bone Lord growled, shoved hard, and the figure was thrown away. He spun around, gestured and the shadow thing broke into a million fragments, blowing away in a non-existent wind. Several of the necromancers fell.

  “I’ve had enough of this,” the Bone Lord growled, his voice growing rough.

  "We've had enough of you," I said, and pulled the trigger again.

  This time, the ball got him in the shoulder, which was enough to spin him around and send him crashing to the ground again.

  He lay still, not a sound coming from him. Everyone froze again, like the last time, expecting him to rise. But he didn't.

  The witches kept working on the Pit. There was a gentle rumbling from underfoot, almost as if the ground itself was purring like a gigantic cat. I glanced over, the Pit seemed to be a little bit smaller. Maybe. Several of the witches were perspiring heavily, the only outward sign of the strain they were under.

  In the distance, the wall of flame flickered for a moment, and then resumed burning as strongly as before. I didn't think it had grown much more, but it was hard to tell from here.

  There was a cracking noise from the Bone Lord, and his body split right down the middle. It opened up and yet another figure stood. This one was smaller than the well-dressed man who appeared last time.

  An apparent teenager turned to us, his skin dark red, horns and pointed ears still there. The hand Brindar had cut off was back, fully formed and functional. He was wearing a strange tunic, with words somehow printed on it. I couldn't read them and didn't even try. I was sure it was in the language of the Pit.

  "Wow, man. That hurt!"

  I raised my gun, but he gestured, and my arm flew up in the air like a rope from the sky was attached to it. I left the ground, my arm screaming in pain as I was dragged upward by it.

  He gestured with his other hand and I saw the same thing happen to Biter, Brindar hanging from it by one arm also.

  The Bone Lord was trying to take out the two Ultimate Weapons, the only things that really hurt him so far. But in the process, he was neutralizing both Brindar and I, too. Whatever he was doing, I couldn't let go of my gun. I hung there, helplessly.

  Spells hit the Bone Lord from all directions. Globes of power, forks of lightning, sheets of flame, glowing bars of light, none of it mattered. It was like when he first rose from the Pit. The spells had no effect on him.

  "You guys are a drag," he said, and had the audacity to sound bored.

  He moved his hands up and down, and both Brindar and I did the same in mid-air. We rose up, dropped down, and then were jerked up again. My arm felt like it was going to be torn from its socket.

  The Bone Lord laughed as spells that did nothing exploded around him.

  "Up! Down! Up!" He was having a great time.

  It was hard to see what happened next. A shadowy figure slipped up behind the Bone Lord and struck at his shoulders on each side
.

  "Ow! Bless it!" This version cursed the same way as the adult one before him.

  Whatever was holding Brindar and I vanished, and we dropped to the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me, something I felt like I was starting to get used to. Gasping, I struggled to my feet and tried to raise the gun, but my arm felt dead.

  There was no hope of using it, so I took the gun in my left and fired off a shot. Missed the Bone Lord by a mile, but the little, metal ball illuminated the figure that had stabbed him slipping away. A figure dressed all in black, moving quickly and smoothly. Out of the Bone Lords shoulders, right where they met his neck, two daggers protruded.

  What was he doing here? He was supposed to be with Lilly!

  I took better aim, and managed to wing the Bone Lord, who spun, growled and took off into the air.

  A net of glowing lines appeared above him, wrapping him up neatly. He screamed in frustration and fell back to the earth. For all his power, the wizards and necromancers managed to surprise him every now and then.

  "Jerks!" he yelled, then stood and tore the glowing net apart like it was paper. More magic users fell, while others were knocked back on their heels.

  Brindar threw Biter, but the Bone Lord sensed it coming, turned and caught it. I saw the shock on Brindar's face. The Bone Lord threw it back, but Biter belonged to Brindar like my gun belonged to me. It was child's play for him to catch it.

  "I don't have time for this," the Bone Lord said, his voice sounding petulant.

  He turned back to the Pit, which was now definitely smaller.

  I tried to shoot him again, but he was getting wise to us. He moved to the side in a blur and the little, metal ball flew past him, disappearing into the cemetery. I hoped no one else was in its path.

  The Bone Lord ran to the Pit, moving faster than I could follow. I shot twice more, missing both times, but then he was too close to the witches for me to risk trying it again.

  I ran toward him, Brindar at my side. I yelled and fired up in the air to get the Bone Lord’s attention, then pointed the gun at him. The Bone Lord glared at me, which was what we wanted. Brindar kept going, sliding in the mud when he was near the demon, and taking him off at the knees.