by Pirateaba
“Don’t be ridiculous, Venitra. Without enchantments you would sink to the bottom of the ocean. No, I believe I might send Bea. Her plague abilities would allow me to harvest entire pods without damaging their bodies.”
He regarded his monstrosity almost fondly.
“Yes, we will need at least six to complete our army. Fourteen would be ideal, but that would require far more harvesting than we have time for. Regardless I will test my new creation’s capabilities shortly. But for now, tell me my faithful servant, what has passed while I have been working.”
That was his only weakness, if Venitra would have admitted Az’kerash had any flaws at all. When he was focused on creating new undead, her master used his mind almost exclusively for that task, only devoting a small bit of it for other matters. Like that he could respond to basic questions and even defend himself if necessary, but he would be forced to awaken fully to use his full intellect on a problem. As a result, he was rather…single-minded during those times.
She bowed her head to him, prepared for the worst.
“My master. While you have slept, we your servants committed an unforgivable sin.”
“Really?”
Az’kerash’s eyebrows raised. He looked skeptically at the woman made of bones.
“I dislike theatrics Venitra. What did you fail to do?”
“We allowed an intruder into your personal quarters. A young woman.”
“Really? She made it past all of you?”
“She was not alone. A group of skilled Drake and Gnolls warriors followed her. They all died, but she eluded me and forced her way in here.”
“And did I kill her?”
Perril Chandler looked bored as he regarded his kneeling servant. Venitra hesitated, dreading this most of all.
“No. You let her go.”
The [Necromancer] froze.
“I did?”
Venitra looked miserably at the ground.
“In your wisdom, you must have seen something in her that I did not. She claimed to be a messenger…”
“Now I recall. Yes…I did talk with her.”
Az’kerash put his fingers on his temple and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his gaze was sharp.
“I recall now. Yes, she was a messenger. She delivered a gift from Teriarch.”
“The Dragon?”
Now worried, Venitra looked up. But Peril just smiled crookedly.
“It is of no significance. He gifted me a ring to celebrate my 200th year of existence. It might even be useful, but that was all.”
That news distressed Venitra almost as much as her failure. She spread her arms.
“We should have prepared gifts for you as well my master. The Chosen will immediately—”
“No.”
Perril Chandler raised a hand, and his brows now snapped together with realization. He looked back at Venitra, suddenly worried.
“Did you slay her? The messenger? I let her go because I was focused, but she should never have been allowed to live. Is she dead?”
“No, lord. We—”
“She escaped? With knowledge of this location?”
Suddenly, Az’kerash’s face twisted with sudden fury. Venitra knelt in fear as he paced back in forth in front of her, magical robe bursting into fragments of shadow where it touched the ground.
“She could undo a decade of preparation! If she forces our hand—”
The mage’s hands glowed with dark purple light. Venitra feared the worst, but then Az’kerash paused. As soon as the anger had come, it was gone.
“…No. If she were going to use that information, it would be too late in any case. I will scry the leaders of various cities. If they are not moving towards our location then we are safe.”
He laughed shortly and tugged a lock of hair.
“What a blunder. But I was so confident. That any mortal could penetrate the illusory forest, let alone bypass all of my guards so easily…”
Peril shook his head.
“Arrogance is my flaw; even now, it seems. Of course Teriarch would not send anything less than a Courier to do his bidding. And that old fool would insist upon delivering me a gift, even if we were mortal enemies.”
Slowly, he turned back to his kneeling servant, and walked over to Venitra. The undead woman shuddered as he touched her.
“I have erred, Venitra. I fear I must call upon you to rectify my mistakes.”
“It is my purpose, lord.”
Az’kerash nodded slowly. He studied Venitra and nodded.
“Take one other of the Chosen and locate this Runner, this Human girl. You remember her face? Of course you do. Track her down; follow her trail. To that purpose, Ijvani or Oom would be best suited to accompany you.”
Venitra nodded and sprang to her feet. She was already considering the journey and all the variables, from where to start her search to the best way of killing the Human when they found her. Slowly and painfully of course, but in a way that would allow them to hide the body.
“Venitra.”
Her master stopped her with a word. He studied her and shook his head.
“I need not impress on you the importance of this mission, but I will do so anyways. The Runner must not speak of what she knows, but if she has truly kept my secret…Couriers are famous for taking no sides, or at least they were when I was young. It might be she can be bargained with.”
He closed his eyes, thinking. Venitra waited for his commands even as she longed to tear the Human girl’s head off with her bare hands.
“In that case, I will count on you to exercise your own judgment. I will look through your eyes if the need arises, but if I am preoccupied or my spells are blocked, you must decide whether you will be able to slay her or whether the cost will be too high. I place my trust in you, Venitra. Know that.”
Venitra nodded. She almost trembled with her master’s faith in her. She strode out the door as Az’kerash watched, her feet thundering down the stone hallway as she broke into a run.
“So eager. But at least she has the artifacts to aid in her stealth.”
Perril Chandler sighed and gritted his teeth, admonishing himself for his failure now that he was alone. But he quickly put his self-recriminations aside and considered the ramifications of this new information instead.
If it came to war, he was ready. It would be soon, but he could begin. If not…then he would have more time. The armies that could be brought to bear against him didn’t worry Az’kerash so much as one thought.
“Teriarch.”
The Dragon. His gift fit perfectly in line with his character and what Az’kerash knew of Dragons. And yet, the messenger had slipped past even his elite undead. Just for a delivery? And Peril dimly remembered that two armies had been engaged in combat in the forest near his home. And then they had gone and fought the Goblin Lord…
Was it all coincidence? It might be; stranger things had happened by pure chance. But what if it were not?
“If it were not mere happenstance that he sent her…Teriarch. Are you taking sides at last, old one? If so, whose?”
Az’kerash stood in the dark room, ignoring the lumbering beast by his side. His deathly eyes stared out into the darkness as he considered sending a message to his apprentice. But it would be more interesting to let that one run free a little while.
And yet, Teriarch was a true concern. Even more than the Hives. If he should act…
The Necromancer stood in his castle, sensing his minions as two left in search of a Human girl. He stood and stared into the darkness.
Pondering.
—-
The darkness of the cave was lit by the harsh glow that was practically unique in this world. The bright LED-illuminated screen of the copied iPhone made Teriarch’s ancient eyes hurt, but he had already learned to adjust the brightness. And he was too fascinated to worry about a little bit of pain.
“Hmm. Hm. And what does this button do?”
The old man that Teriarch used to dis
guise himself gingerly touched the screen of the iPhone. He hit the crossed arrows at the top of the screen marked ‘Shuffle’. Music immediately began playing.
Teriarch’s Human form raised his white eyebrows as fast drum beats began to echo throughout the cave. The Dragon blinked as a voice burst out of the iPhone.
“You change your mind like a girl changes clothes…”
For about five minutes Teriarch listened to the song in complete silence. Near the end he began tapping his claw against the marble floor. When the song was over he made his Human form stop the next song from playing.
“Fascinating. And what’s this song? Delightful that someone actually knows the word ‘bohemian’, but did a [Queen] truly sing this song? Perhaps I should have asked the Human to clarify…”
He was just about to play the next song when Teriarch looked up and scowled.
“Tamaroth’s beard! What now?”
He didn’t wait. The instant the pink butterfly materialized around his head, the Dragon snapped it at irritably. He glared at the magical image that filled the air.
“Reinhart. I’m busy.”
The bright and inappropriately cheerful voice in Teriarch’s ears and mind had not a shred of guilt in it.
“I do apologize, Teriarch. But you see, I’ve had a bit of an incident here and I need a bit of help.”
“What? What do you—oh.”
Teriarch paused as, in the image of Magnolia’s private room in front of him, she moved aside and showed him something. He frowned.
“That is a problem. You are well, I trust? Not injured in any place? They coat their blades in poisons as I recall.”
Magnolia’s tone was overly-patient as she replied.
“Yes Teriarch, I am fine.”
“Did you breathe in around them? That is to say, a lot of them use airborne toxins which can be odorless and colorless—”
“I did breathe, but I am assured that this will not affect my health unduly. Unless I stop. I am well, old man. But I need you to make sure my mansion is secure.”
The flat look Teriarch gave Magnolia didn’t impress her. He glared, but since that wasn’t working he cleared his throat and replied in an acerbic tone.
“First of all, I am not a simple magical detector for you to call upon as you please, girl. I am a Dragon, and should be treated as such. Moreover, have you forgotten the basic courtesies of your station, let alone your Class? We have much that could be discussed in civilized discourse. In fact, I had a rather unusual encounter this day—”
“Teriarch.”
This time the stress in Magnolia’s tone made an impact. Teriarch hesitated, about to continue, but gave in.
“Oh very well. Let me see.”
He muttered a few words and slapped his tail. Magical symbols and flashes appeared around his vision in quick succession. Teriarch eyed the dizzying spectacle as if it were normal, and nodded.
“Nothing but the usual enchantments. Also, there’s one more right outside your door—”
“I am aware. Thank you, Teriarch. We may need to speak later.”
“Why not now? I’ve found this most delightful—”
The image disappeared as the Dragon was in midsentence. He stared at the empty air, indignant. For a few seconds Teriarch considered teleporting Magnolia Reinhart to his cave, but after remembering the distance and the protective spells around her he gave up and just lay back down in a huff.
His bad mood didn’t last long, though. In no time at all, Teriarch was staring back at the iPhone, fascinated. He mumbled to himself, contentedly swishing his tail back and forth.
“Hmm. Where was I? Oh yes. ‘Play’.”
—-
Magnolia closed the spell with a wave of the magical wand and tossed it back into the small ivory box she used to hold it. Then she sat back down on her resplendent couch and sighed noisily.
“Hmf. Talking with him is always an exercise in patience. Ressa, next time do you think I could get away with using one of those delightful ‘tablets’ while I talk?”
Standing beside Lady Magnolia, Ressa the [Maid] inclined her head gracefully and spoke with a dignified tone.
“I would not dare to question your bad judgment, milady. But if you wish for me to take one away from one of the young men or women, I will do so at once.”
“Mm, perhaps later. For now, show in our young [Assassin].”
Magnolia sat up on the couch and put on her most cheerful expression as Ressa went to the doors. They opened, and two silvery metal Golem let go of Theofore the [Assassin] as Ressa escorted him into the room.
The man’s dark clothing was mussed, and he had a bruise on one cheek. He also had the expression of someone who was convinced they were about to die, and only wanted less screaming before it was over. He looked at Lady Magnolia as if she were the executioner with a rusty axe, barely moving even when Ressa prodded him several times in the back.
“Oh let the boy stand there if he wants to, Ressa. I can shout and he’s got good ears.”
Lady Magnolia watched as Ressa walked back to her and smiled cheerfully at Theofore. His eyes flicked to her maid, to the window, and to her in quick succession. She reached for a teacup and drank from it as she spoke.
“Try not to be so obvious, won’t you? Theofore, let me speak clearly before you do something rash and fatal. I did not bring you here to kill you. That would be pointless; nor am I here to interrogate you, given your Guild’s magical wards that prevent you from speaking and all that. I am simply going to ask you a few questions, and then let you go. With that in mind, know that if you try to kill me Ressa will make you very dead, and if you try to run we will have this conversation again, sans my good natured attitude. Is that clear?”
Theofore looked at Lady Magnolia and licked his lips.
“What…what is the meaning of this, Lady Reinhart?”
Magnolia frowned at him, then looked at her maid.
“Ressa, the next time he asks a stupid question, have one of the Golems tear off his arm and beat him with it? Or do it yourself if you’re so inclined.”
Ressa nodded, and Theofore shuddered again. He clamped his lips shut.
Magnolia nodded. She tapped her tea cup with one finger.
“My intention is to send your Guild a message, but the messenger need not have all of his limbs. In fact, I find a severed head often speaks quite clearly as well.”
“And what message would that be?”
Magnolia tilted her head ever so slightly sideways, and Theofore flinched. But she didn’t order Ressa to tear off his limbs. Instead, she simply pointed with her pinkie finger to a corner of the room.
“First, explain that, if you would?”
Theofore turned. His pale face went even whiter. Lying in the corner of the room was a pile of black rags. That was what it seemed to be at first glance, until you realized the rags were in fact two [Assassins], or what remained of them. They were very, very dead and still smoking slightly.
“I am not aware that my contract with the Assassin’s Guild had expired. Oh, and it’s quite odd that you didn’t notice that when you came in. Aren’t [Assassins] supposed to be aware of everything in the room? I suppose you were just…preoccupied.”
Theofore didn’t reply immediately. He was still staring at his dead fellows. Magnolia lightly cleared her throat and he jumped and looked at her.
“Lady Reinhart—I have no idea why either of these two would make an attempt on your life. Please let me assure you I had no knowledge—”
He cut off as Lady Magnolia raised one of the fingers on her teacup. She shook her head slightly.
“The [Assassins] were not after me. They came for the young men and women under my protection. What, pray, do you know of that?”
Theofore’s face was the face of someone trying to be as open and honest as possible. He spread his hands.
“I know nothing of that, my lady. I am not highly ranked in the Guild.”
Lady Magnolia sighed. She fr
owned slightly.
“No, you are not, are you? Well then, as it stands I have two dead [Assassins] in my mansion, a bunch of frightened young men and women, and a mystery. I hate mysteries. So you will clear this up for me by delivering a message to your Guild: I require an immediate response. Until the Guild chooses to reveal to me why this occurred, all the [Assassins] your Guild has provided me will be sent back, and I will regard any of your number approaching me or any of my estates, servants, or allies as an enemy and deal with them as such.”
Licking his lips, Theofore looked from the [Assassins] back to Magnolia before replying carefully.
“I can assure you Lady Reinhart, the Guild would never seek to go to war with a member of the Five Families—”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t. But unless I receive a satisfactory answer, it is I who shall go to war with them.”
What Theofore could have used at this moment was a handkerchief to mop up all the sweat running down his forehead and back. Lacking that, he used a dark sleeve.
“I hope you will not make any sudden decisions, Lady Reinhart. I am sure my Guild would not wish to engage in hostilities with you a second time. Once again, I can assure you—”
A brief wave cut him off. Lady Magnolia stood up suddenly, and Theofore flinched again. She stared down at him coldly.
“Enough. You have your message. Go back to your guild. Ressa, throw young Theofore out, please.”
Ressa did as instructed. Theofore had only a second to scream. Magnolia paused in the newfound silence of the room.
“I do believe you threw him out the window, Ressa, my dear. The door would have sufficed.”
“You didn’t specify, milady. And he is alive.”
“True. Oh, and he’s already running. Young people are so commendably quick, don’t you think?”
Lady Magnolia sighed as Ressa closed the window. She rubbed at her brows and drank more deeply of her sugary beverage.
“[Assassins]? In my mansion? And they knew about the children from the other world? How, Ressa?”
The [Maid] only shrugged as she stared at the window, following Theofore’s progress. Magnolia mumbled to herself as she poured herself another cup of tea.