He scowled, mentally: there you have it, a glaring example of how a person can come to a conclusion which corresponds to reality but is based on utterly false assumptions. And how to convince her otherwise? And, incidentally, why? Let her think what she wants. Although… Just to keep up appearances, he should protest anyway.
‘You’re mistaken, Clairene. I’m neither a student nor an apprentice of a dark magician. Admittedly, I do have a certain talent for dark magic, which allowed me to pretend to be a Master to the Dark Hounds, but I never studied at the Citadel of Darkness. And actually, I’m heading for Valensia to study in the Light Academy. Though I must admit, it’s true that I won’t age for a very, very long time.’
‘I see. I was mistaken then. It happens. Don’t pay any attention. Long hair,’ - and Clairene stroked her luxurious ginger braid – ‘Short brains, as they say! Only, when you get a place at the Light Academy, don’t forget: for ordinary people, necromancy, demonology, or the black arts, it’s all dark magic to them and they don’t know any difference between them. And of course they have no idea whatsoever about what liches are. The inner terminology of the Dark Citadel hasn’t really become common parlance.’
Oleg looked at Clairene. She gave a snide smile but it seemed to him that deep in her eyes, under the layer of mockery and snideness, pity and respect were concealed. Not for himself, but for the image she’d created of a dark magician’s apprentice who had miraculously survived that long ago war and obtained new, mysterious abilities. But incidentally, her next words quickly shattered that impression.
‘Why are you looking at me in such amazement? I had a terrible attack of insomnia last night. It happens to me, you know, when there are Dark Hounds roaming around nearby… Don’t worry, you could have heard those names anywhere, or I might have just dreamt it all… That’s probably what it was… Strange dream, though. What could it mean?’
‘A good journey,’ Oleg answered, nodding at the remains of some monster which had been ripped to shreds – apparently unwilling to bow to the Dark Hounds’ order to “get out of the way” and “convinced” by a “conversation of fangs”.
The journey was unusually calm. Without any delays, they proceeded along the Old High Road which had been cleared by the Pack, occasionally stopping for a short rest not far from the remains of yet another uncooperative monster to discuss its form and which species it might belong to. And so they reached Oner.
The city was in ruins. The gates were ripped off and the strange black-white walls had glaring holes in them. Traces of fire could be seen on the walls of the ruined buildings. Everything was thickly overgrown with the bright green marsh grass, and the castle towered over it all. Here was the Citadel of Oner, which had been neither taken nor surrendered, the residence of magicians, who - if the legends were to be believed - were still waging their war on the new god of Fenrian and his devotees even after their death.
They decided to set up camp for the night right on the collapsed city wall. There was plenty of room, the walls of Oner were thick enough. And moreover, as Clairene pointed out, it was the only place, apart from the high road, which wasn’t a swamp – the streets and squares of the city had all transformed into bog after the magicians had cast their curse. As the spell-maker well versed in history said, four fifths of the besieging army had died in those swamps.
Once they had set up camp and finished cutting wood for the fire, Oleg volunteered to go out on a scout. He justified his wish with the necessity of checking the road, to see whether it had become a swamp, and whether there were any strange monsters. In fact, though, Oleg really wanted to get away as soon as possible and see what was going on in the abandoned buildings standing in the middle of the swamp and to visit the liches residing in the citadel. After the short message he’d heard following his “conversation” with the leader of the Dark Hounds, for some reason, he was sure that no danger threatened him there.
His proposition aroused a heated argument. Olaf was definitely against the idea and thought it would be stupid to separate in such a dangerous place. Kendir supported his companion, but not quite so categorically, hinting that if Oleg discovered some way of looting the abandoned city then he, Kendir of Shem, would be at his service and always ready to be at his side. Completely confident in Oleg’s capabilities, Ataletta took the position “do as you please”. It was Clairene who pondered his suggestion longer than anyone else, but when the flow of arguments for and against scouting had been exhausted, with a sly wink at Oleg, she whispered in his ear: ‘Say “hello” to those who didn’t capitulate’ and supported his suggestion.
Having received the approval of the majority, it didn’t take Oleg long to get ready. Grabbing his sword, he stepped lightly on his way. Oleg had decided to go on foot so that he would have the possibility of returning to the camp quickly with the help of his wings in case of emergency.
The sun was beginning to set as he walked up to the citadel. Its crimson disk was all but hidden behind the collapsed black-white walls surrounding the dead city and only its very tip could still be seen behind them. The cobbled high road led to the moat near the citadel gates and turned into a large square where, apparently, fairs had once been held. The road then continued on the other side of the citadel. Rotten and broken remains of battering rams reminiscent of trebuchets were standing in the square. Opposite the spot where Oleg was standing he could see the gates into the citadel walls, now closed as the drawbridge was up. Some kind of suspiciously black slush was floating in the moat.
Oleg wondered what he should do. Putting together everything he’d heard about the Masters of Oner in the past and in the present, he was sure that they were in the castle. And it seemed as though they’d invited him to visit. However, the drawbridge was raised and the gates closed. Of course, it would have been no trouble for Oleg, in demon form, to simply fly over the wall, but he was far from certain that the dead magicians would take kindly to such an impudent guest. Frankly speaking, he wasn’t even really sure that it was worth his while popping in. After all, who knows what was festering in the heads of the Undead. What if they suddenly decided they could make a good lichlet out of him, or worse? So Oleg decided to behave as politely as possible, to knock, introduce himself and ask permission to travel to the border with Irinia. He planned to put particular emphasis on the fact that he was dragging with him the heir to the throne, who would become queen any moment, and that if he managed to deliver her safe and sound, then that would gravely harm Fenrian; this should please the dark magicians.
Once he’d come up with this plan of action, he picked up a smallish cobble stone and threw it at the gates, yelling at the top of his voice:
‘Hey! Masters! If I’m invited, then open up! And if I’m not invited, then I’m losing my marbles,’ he added under his breath.
But someone, it seemed, had heard him. Behind the wall of black-white stones a chortling laugh broke out. Whoever it was obviously tried to maintain an evil, gloomy tone but when Oleg, somewhat offended by such a welcome, turned round and went away, muttering to himself under his breath: ‘Humph! Malicious phantoms, mighty liches, terrifying masters of Dead Oner! Found yourselves a clown, have you? Guffawing like you’re at your mother-in-law’s funeral. And what would’ve happened if I’d told a joke? You’d have died, my dears, of laughter!’
The laughter did indeed turn into hysterical guffawing.
The drawbridge wasn’t so much let down as came crashing down. Two sinister figures in black capes appeared on it. The figures were clutching their stomachs and obviously trying to contain their fits of laughter.
‘You’re invited, don’t worry. You’re not losing your marbles. Come on in!’ one of them said to him, holding back the next fit of laughter.
The second, finally controlling his guffaws, added, ‘By the way, we can’t die. Not from laughter nor anything else. We’re dead already. So you can tell us your joke after all.’
As he walked across the drawbridge, Oleg tried to get a good look a
t these gatekeepers, who turned out to be those same liches who were so frightening and terrifying, and so on and so forth. But as it happened, they were nothing special. Rather pale faces half-hidden by the hoods of their black mantles; the hands holding staffs were rather too white, but within the limits of what was acceptable. No bared bones, no traces of mummification or decay so often depicted by makers of horror movies or computer games. Had Oleg met them earlier or somewhere else, he would probably not have paid any attention to them. Well, maybe he’d have given them a quick glance but would have just decided the guys had a bad hangover or had had a rough night. What’s more, their appearance, and their behaviour, too, clearly showed that at the moment when Oner came under fire from the fanatics under the governance of His Highness Villam the Second, Ataletta’s dear great-grandfather who avidly supported the new religion, they could have been no more than twenty to twenty-two.
Oleg was surprised when he walked into the grounds of the citadel. What he saw in no way corresponded to his expectations of the abode of magicians raised from the dead. There were no gloomy, half-ruined towers, no cold, mouldy tombstones. Instead, a beautiful, well-tended garden spread out in front of Oleg and took up most of the internal part of the citadel.
Little paths wound capriciously between apple trees of various varieties which, despite the fact that it was still only early summer, were dripping with ripe fruit, and a few more figures wrapped in black mantles appeared from around the corner. Coming closer to Oleg, one of them threw back his hood. Concealed beneath it was the face of a tired man of about thirty-seven to forty with sagging black eyes. Like all the other residents here, he was rather pale.
‘I’m Viss, third level master in necromancy, graduate of the Dark Citadel. Now acting head and sole mentor of these ruffians.’ And so saying, the “terrifying necromancer gathering forces to destroy the whole of Fenrian” affectionately ruffled the hair of the teenager standing next to him. He looked no more than twelve to Oleg. The lad slipped out from under the hand on his head in a practised fashion and introduced himself: ‘Ratek, student of the Dark Citadel, fifth grade.’
The others present also threw back their hoods.
‘Moshek, graduate of the fifth course of the Faculty of the Science of the Unliving of the Dark Citadel,’ a dark-skinned lad introduced himself. He had an earring in his left ear and looked something like a gypsy.
‘Tobi, graduate of the fifth course of the Faculty of General Magic of the Dark Citadel,’ said a chestnut-haired youth, bowing. His face was somehow reminiscent of Oleg’s.
Oleg nodded mechanically, memorizing their names.
‘Leya, graduate of the third course of the Faculty of Earth, Department of Druids, of the Light Academy.’ This last figure accompanying the necromancer threw back her hood revealing a rather attractive, delicate girl of eighteen or nineteen, just as pale as the other lords of this strange fortress.
‘Pleased to meet you.’ Oleg tried to pull himself together and not show his amazement too openly. ‘My name is Arioch’ – he remembered his decision not to reveal his true name to anyone just in time. ‘Minstrel and traveller.’
‘We are pleased to have you as our visitor, lir Arioch,’ Viss bowed courteously. ‘It’s been a very long time since any minstrels looked in on us. May we count on hearing you play?’
‘Why not? I’ll be happy to play. Only, I left my guitar in the camp. We’ll need to send someone for it, and at the same time alert my companions to the fact that I’ll be delayed. However, how did you manage to sense me, and even more so, to honour me with an invitation? As far as I know, you are not fond of visitors.’
‘We noticed you intercepted control of the Guards and I plucked up the courage to invite you to visit us, especially seeing as you had yourself expressed such a desire while talking with the Guards. Would you care to follow me?’ The necromancer turned around and walked off. There was nothing for Oleg to do but follow him.
As he was walking through the garden he plucked a large juicy apple growing over the path and bit into it with pleasure. The apple was unusually succulent and tasty.
‘Now I know why you have barricaded yourselves in like this,’ Oleg said once he’d finished and was looking for a second helping.
‘And why is that?’ there was a note of wonder in the necromancer’s voice.
‘Well, so no thieves break in. This garden should be guarded even more rigorously than it is. I’ve never tasted such delicious apples in my life.’
‘Thank you!’ For some reason it was Leya who answered, not Viss. Pride could clearly be heard in her voice, but for some reason it was mingled with a fair amount of embarrassment. If Oleg had not been able to see her face, which remained a pale and dull, he would have said that the girl was quite embarrassed and blushing. The next instant Oleg remembered that it was no simple girl next to him but a lich and no matter how she felt, she would never be able to blush or sweat, and he cursed himself mentally for his carelessness.
‘Don’t be surprised. This garden is all Leya’s handiwork,’ Viss said without turning round. ‘Did the apple really taste good?’
‘Oh yeah! Try one yourself!’ said Oleg, and cut himself short. An awkward silence reigned. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘I forgot that such things are rather difficult for you.’
‘Mmm. That’s putting it mildly,’ Tobi smirked mirthlessly.
‘Never mind, I’ll take it as a compliment to my craftsmanship,’ the necromancer remarked just as mirthlessly.
‘But how did you manage to plant all this here? And what for?’ Oleg reckoned it was better to change the subject and turned directly to the girl herself.
‘Well, I am a druid after all… or I was. When I was returned,’ Leya stressed that word, ‘There were only rocks and ruins here. Death was everywhere – in the ground, and on the ground. And in us, too,’ she added after a pause. ‘I couldn’t go on like that… So I decided to try to grow something alive. Just before that I’d written an essay on apple trees… So it came in handy.’ And she paused again. ‘If you like, you can gather some apples when you leave. I’ll be pleased if at least someone can eat them. They’ll only rot otherwise.’ The girl’s voice was laden with aged languor.
‘I’ll be sure to take some,’ Oleg didn’t know how he could help this beautiful young girl who had died long before he himself was born, so he simply repeated: ‘Your apples are really very tasty.’
And an uncomfortable silence reigned once more.
By that time they had reached the tower which had obviously once been the castle’s dungeon. The top had been destroyed, but the lower part was in good condition and was now covered in creeping plants.
‘Please come in,’ said Viss, opening the heavy door. ‘I expect you have a lot of questions. And I’m also curious to know how things are in the outside world. Therefore I’d like to invite you into my study first where we can talk in peace. Afterwards, I hope you won’t refuse to play something. Music is, alas, one of the very few pleasures still available to us.’
Without waiting for an answer, he headed towards the staircase. Oleg followed him.
The necromancer’s study was … interesting, and more-or-less how Oleg imagined the study of a medieval scholar. The desk was covered in various flasks, the walls lined with shelves loaded with heavy volumes. A skull perched on one of the shelves. It looked like a human skull except for the long, sharp fangs. A large, stuffed, lean dog covered in black scales could be seen in one corner.
Oleg looked at it more closely. For some reason this creation seemed familiar to him.
‘Do you find it interesting?’ Viss noticed his curiosity. ‘It’s one of the first models for the Guards. Not a particularly successful one, so that’s why it stayed here. I worked on it and finally it resulted in the Guards, who you so successfully intercepted. If you are interested, then later I can show you the blueprints of the spells for creation and transformation which I used when I was creating them. First of all a simple hound was taken as t
he base, to which various characteristics of the marsh basilisk were added and …’ Here he interrupted himself. ‘Forgive me, a teacher’s habit. I got carried away. It’s just that the Dark Hounds, as you call them, are one of my favourite masterpieces. It is probably the most successful experiment ever carried out at the confluence of necromancy, chimerology and the magic of life. I don’t expect we’ll be able to repeat anything like it since the union of light and dark magicians, so essential for creative activity, has become impossible since Oner perished and the Dark Citadel fell.’
‘I see,’ Oleg said thoughtfully. ‘Listen, would you please explain something to me? I was told about you as though you were some dreadful legend, powerful dark magicians raised from the dead and gathering your forces to take revenge on your murderer’s descendants. Your abode arouses dread, everyone shakes at the mere mention of the liches of Oner, and some of my companions – who are far from cowards – were prepared to face almost certain death in ambushes set for us along the Orvalenian High Road rather than proceed through the Black Marshes. And why? All I see is a man who comes nowhere near the mark of a really powerful and fearsome lich – yourself. And even you are more like a teacher whose class has suffered a calamity at the hands of fate and who is doing all he can to save them. The others are more like normal students, young and kind-hearted, not at all like those monsters the legends talk of! And really you look too alive, somehow. I’m not talking about external appearances, though there is that, too. You can laugh and be happy. Leya has cultivated a splendid garden and got embarrassed when I complimented her on her skill. You are obviously saddened by the current state of affairs, and you are carrying out some kind of scientific research’ – Oleg nodded towards the desk cluttered with instruments – ‘And what’s more, it doesn’t look as if you’re inventing some sort of murderous shit. In short, you don’t live up to the image they have of you in Fenrian and I would like to know the reason for that.’
The Road to Magic (Book 1 of the Way of the Demon Series) Page 16