by Logan Jacobs
“Please, remain calm,” the royal mage instructed in an ominous tone. “For what you are about to see may be startling to some.”
Wizards certainly had a flair for the dramatic, but I wasn’t complaining. They put on a good show, after all.
“Are you certain you feel up for this, Viceroy?” The king suddenly rose from his chair, planted his palms on the surface of the table, and gave his wizard a scrutinizing glance. “You’ve only recently recovered.”
“I trust no one else to duel against Kane without hurting an innocent bystander,” the royal mage responded with a shake of his head.
“What about me?” I asked in a loud voice, and all eyes turned to lock onto my face. I smirked beneath the gaze of every noble in Sorreyal since I doubted very many, if any at all, knew of my magical abilities.
“Oh, yes, the Archduke,” Bullard agreed with a nod. “He bested Kane before my very eyes, and no one was hurt during that display.”
It was good to have someone as an ally in a room full of possible snakes, and I flashed the duke a grateful smile.
“Is this true, Your Grace?” The king frowned.
“Yep.” I grinned broadly. “I can take Viceroy’s place.”
“If that is Your Majesty’s wish,” the royal mage intoned with an incline of his head.
“Let it be so.” The king nodded fervently.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Viceroy said as I crossed the distance to where the two wizards stood in the center of the room.
“Get some rest,” I instructed. “We can’t have you dying on us before the new court wizard is selected, now can we?”
“Yes, Your Grace.” Viceroy bowed his head, and then he flourished his hands to the crowd. “The Archduke himself has decided to take my place. This will be a treat for all to witness.”
A round of obligatory applause echoed around the room, and I bowed low before the nobles of Sorreyal. I could feel the eyes of everyone on me, and it made my blood course with excitement. I took a moment to pause dramatically like the other wizards had done so far, and then I bowed to Kane to show my respect for the older mage.
“Are you ready for round two?” I asked with a friendly smile.
“I am not so certain,” Kane admitted with a wry smirk. “My pride was wounded from our last encounter. How am I to impress the nobility if I have a god to contend with?”
“I’ll make you look good, don’t worry,” I laughed. “Let’s just have fun with it.”
Kane gave me a look that said fun was not in his vocabulary, but I shrugged it off and began to shake out the tension in my arms and shoulders.
I’d learned all the basic spells I knew from Kane, but the court wizard of Castle Bullard didn’t remember teaching me anything. His only memory of me was when I beat him in a duel, so this had to be nerve-wracking for him, to say the least. I would do my best to keep from humiliating him, but I also wanted to put on a good show.
The nobles all watched closely, and the room was completely silent as I squared off with Kane. You could hear a pin drop from the throne, it was so quiet, but I supposed it wasn’t every day they got to witness a god’s power.
I watched Kane’s hands since I knew he would need to move them in order to cast a spell, and I didn’t want him to catch me unaware as payback for his previous loss against me. When his fingers twitched, I was ready, and I had a magical shield conjured before the ball of flames ever appeared in the palm of his hands.
I could have cast negate in the same instant as he threw out his flame spell, but I wanted to give him a chance to show off for the audience.
“Nice shield,” Kane complimented as he scrutinized the spell from a few paces away.
“Thanks.” I grinned. “Go ahead and toss your flame ball.”
“I don’t want to injure you.” Kane hesitated. “Are you certain?”
“I’m immortal, remember?” I laughed. “Plus, we need to put on a good show.”
I braced myself, and I gestured for him to bring it on, so the court wizard went into a half-squatting stance before he lobbed the ball of flame at my magical shield like a baseball. The circular fire shape exploded against the barrier attached to my arm, and flames bathed the semi-translucent surface.
I could feel the heat through the shield, and I gritted my teeth against the urge to pull my arm away from the source of the blaze, but a moment later the sensation had passed, and the ball of flames was gone. The crowd gasped, and Kane smirked, but I saw his fingers twitch again.
He was about to cast another spell, but what?
I’d probably have to go through a few different attempts until I memorized what spells Kane would use next, but I had unlimited retries to get it right, so I kept my focus on the current timeline.
As my concentration faltered, my magical barrier disappeared, and I was left with only one option when I saw Kane’s hands flick toward me and his lips move with the shape of a power word.
I had to cast negate.
“Nin!” Fortunately, I had just enough time to get the spell out before Kane’s ice shards headed for my face.
Instead, nothing happened, and murmurs of discontent popped up throughout the room.
Okay, I could see their perspective.
Watching nothing happen was kind of boring, so I decided to switch it up with some of the other spells I knew. I’d learned everything from Kane, except for the summoning magic I’d picked up in Arginold.
Then we exchanged a couple more spells back and forth, but nothing unexpected until I noticed the expressions of our audience grew bored. I needed to spice things up just enough to keep their attention, but not enough to hurt Kane, or anyone else, so I tossed out my own fire spell.
I fully expected Kane to negate the blaze with nin, but instead the court wizard doused the flames with his ice spell.
I lobbed another ball of flames at him, and this time he hit it with his ice while it was still in midair. I grinned as I threw another, then another, and soon we were practically juggling with magical balls of ice and fire.
The audience cheered and clapped, so I stole a glance over my shoulder between spells. The nobles were on the edge of their seats as they watched the interaction between Kane and me, and even Edinburg looked interested. The old man’s eyes were narrowed as he considered me, but I took that as a good sign.
I wanted to give him plenty of opportunities to make good choices, and if he was concerned with the level of power I displayed during a spontaneous performance, then he’d be a fool to underestimate me in the future.
Like Kane. The wizard had learned not to underestimate me, and it appeared as though he’d already benefited from the lesson in humility.
The court wizard watched me closely, and he countered my spells perfectly on time with his own. It turned into something like a dance, with each of us taking turns leading or following the other. His clouded eyes were lit up with joy, though, so if nothing else came of the interaction, I was still happy.
I’d only used a single run through, too.
My head throbbed a little painfully, so I signaled for Kane to halt the flow of magic. I’d brought out his strengths, masked his weaknesses, and entertained the masses for a brief moment. I considered the presentation a success, and since I was the Archduke and the God of Time, I knew everyone else would happily agree with me.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I said in a loud booming voice. “I present to you the master of battle magic himself, Master Kane of Castle Bullard.”
Kane bowed profusely to every table before he swiftly marched away from the center of the room. It didn’t seem like he enjoyed the limelight, and he looked much more comfortable once he was back in his spot against the wall.
“What’s next, Great One?” a voice asked from the audience.
“Viceroy?” I searched for the royal mage among the faces at the king’s table, and I found the limping man as he pushed himself up from his seat.
I waited patiently for him to join me in the cente
r of the throne room, but I didn’t move from my spot. I was officially invested in the ceremony of the event, and I wasn’t a quitter. I would find out who was coming next and flaunt my ability to predict the future.
“Next up,” Viceroy announced in a hoarse voice, “is another Sorreyal mage. We are fortunate to have Dumas from Edinburg manor here to showcase his own special talents.”
Now, this I was interested in.
I wanted to meet Edinburg’s court wizard, but I supposed he was already in the room. He could have been sizing me up this whole time, and I had no idea. I’d remedy the situation shortly, but first I had to meet him.
A tall, thin man with gray-tipped black hair approached the two of us from the line of wizards to my right. He’d stood a few people away from Kane, but I hadn’t noticed him until just then. Dumas, like most of the magic users in the room, was older, most likely having spent countless years learning his craft. He carried himself with pride and prestige, and he met the eyes of the people as he passed by.
I nodded politely when his pale-green gaze landed on me, but I took a moment to size him up at the same time.
Dumas was slightly taller than me, but of thinner build, and he wore a thin black robe that hung from his shoulders like he was nothing more than a skeleton. He didn’t seem like much, but Kane had certainly backed away from Edinburg’s court wizard in a hurry. The room responded to his presence with quiet awe that held a hint of fear, which made me think the court wizard had stepped on some toes in Vallenwood prior to this event.
“The floor is yours,” I said with a flourish of my hands.
“Thank you, Your Grace.” Dumas inclined his head. “You may return to your seat now.”
“Alright.” I nodded to Kane and the enchanter from Bullard, Burnyolf, before I headed back to my table. I was eager to see what Dumas was going to do, and I made a mental note to thank the king for making the evening possible.
While I was getting comfortable, some servants were carting in a long narrow box covered in a black piece of fabric. They placed this in the center of the room in front of Dumas, and he considered the mysterious square shape with a scrutinizing eye before he nodded his readiness to Viceroy.
The royal mage nodded back, and then he waved the long loose sleeves of his robe as he swept around the center of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Viceroy said in a low, ominous voice. “You have already witnessed some of the amazing feats possible through the world of magic, but I doubt even your wildest imaginations could have predicted the next display. Master Dumas, the floor is yours.”
Then Viceroy returned to his place at the king’s table, and the recuperating mage rubbed his hands together with excitement as Dumas waited patiently for the room to grow quiet once more. When all was still and calm, the court wizard yanked the black fabric off the box with a dramatic swish.
The box beneath the fabric was made entirely from glass, but inside the clear square laid a dead man. The body looked older since the hair was fully gray, and it was dressed in a simple white tunic that covered it to the knees. There weren’t very many signs of decay, so it had to be a fresh cadaver, and I wondered what its use was.
I didn’t have to wait very long, though, since Dumas took up a position near the corpse’s head before clearing his throat loudly.
“This man gave many years of his life to serving me faithfully,” the court wizard explained in a solemn tone. “Now, he will continue to serve me in his death.”
Dumas began to mutter under his breath, and he started to do some intricate patterns in the air above the casket with his fingers. He waved his arms over the box like he was trying to shoo a fly, but he suddenly stopped his motions and stood completely still.
It was hard to see the details from my table, but I narrowed my eyes and watched closely.
Then the court wizard opened a small hatch on top of the glass casket, withdrew a dagger from his hip, and slashed the blade across the palm of his hand. Blood instantly welled up in his fist, and Dumas squeezed his fingers together as the liquid dripped from his hand to the cadaver underneath.
I inhaled sharply and leaned forward to get a better view.
Was Dumas about to wake the dead?
Edinburg’s court wizard stole a glance around the audience chamber while the blood continued to drip from his hand to the corpse, and we made eye contact from across the room. A slow, sly smile spread across Dumas’ face, and then the body below him began to shudder and shake.
This was really happening.
The court wizard stepped back a couple of paces, and he gestured to the glass casket with a pointed expression on his face while the dead man attempted to sit up.
It was just as I thought.
Dumas was a fucking necromancer.
Chapter Fourteen
Several things happened at once, and the room erupted into chaos. First, the glass casket shattered, and then Dumas jumped back, but he tripped over his robe and went flying to the floor. The undead corpse lunged from the platform, and all the nobles screamed as they rushed away from the center of the room.
Mahini, Elissa, and Eva all clutched daggers in their hands they’d pulled from who knows where, and I made a mental note to investigate their outfits for secret sheaths later. In any case, it was sexy as hell, and I was proud of them for not running away.
Jaxtom, Riondale, Jeron, Niconor, and Kylor moved to make a protective circle around me, but I was already on the move.
“Give me a dagger,” I said as I thrust out my open palm, and Mahini immediately placed the hilt of a blade within my grasp. Then I launched myself over the table toward the undead man, and I flipped the weapon around until the tip was pointed toward my wrist.
“Look out!”
“He’s going to get killed!”
“Somebody do something!”
I ignored the clamoring voices and the screams of the nobles as I made my way across the distance to the shattered remains of the casket. The dead man had tossed his legs over the side, and he was sitting in an upright position on top of the cart the glass box had been placed upon.
I gritted my teeth with determination, and then I swung my arm out in a downward slash to stab the dead man in the back. My blade pierced his flesh, but no blood pooled from the wound, so I withdrew the weapon and tried again. I stabbed him two, then three, then multiple times, but the dead man merely grunted in response.
Then I reached around from behind him, and I slashed the edge of my blade across the dead man’s throat so deeply his head began to tilt backward. The corpse sputtered out a dry sound, and horrified screams filled my ears, but I kept hacking through the decaying flesh until the neck was completely severed. Only the spine remained, but it was enough to keep the undead man in this world.
“Son of a bitch.” I frowned. “Anyone have a sword?”
I had a feeling if I took off its head, then it would collapse dead once more, but I wasn’t one-hundred percent certain, so I whipped my gaze around in search of Dumas. I found the necromancer still on the floor, but he was crawling away from the undead creature toward the king’s table.
I quickly crossed the distance to him, reached down, and picked him up by the scruff of his neck. The thin man didn’t weigh much, so I hauled him to his feet and gave him a pointed look.
“How about you clean up your mess?” I frowned. “Before it hurts somebody.”
“The glass wasn’t supposed to break…” Dumas shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know what happened…”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have brought a dead man to the party?” I pointed out.
“No worries,” a friendly voice said from behind me. “I can handle this ‘ol man easily enough.”
I swiveled my head to see who had spoken, and I came face to face with the oddest-looking man I’d ever seen. I didn’t know if he was a human or a monster, but he had furry ears sticking out of his shaggy brown hair, and a tail swished back and forth behind him. His eyes were a war
m honey color, and his lips twitched into a smile as he crossed the distance to the center of the room.
“Raz,” the man murmured, and he flicked his hand in an intricate pattern until a plume of gray-blue smoke erupted from his palm. The cloud swirled and shifted until it formed itself into the shape of a long, curved saber, and the man twisted his wrist to reposition the translucent magical blade in his grasp.
He looked fucking cool as hell, and I wondered how hard it was to summon the ghostly blade. I’d heard the word of power he used to conjure the weapon, but it would take me some time to get the hand movements down. It would go a lot faster if I could somehow convince him to teach me, though, and I felt a familiar wave of determination settle into my gut.
I watched while the ghost-sword-wielding dude spun in a circle and lobbed the undead man’s head from his spine. The two pieces of corpse fell in opposite directions, and they ceased their movements. I let out a sigh of relief, and then I decided I’d had enough fun for one lifetime, so I reset back to my save point.
Chime.
I watched Zorya’s presentation, battled against Kane, and then waited for Dumas’ turn. The necromancer wheeled out his glass coffin with a proud look on his face, and I shook my head. If only he knew what was going to happen to his precious experiment. I didn’t want the undead man to cause havoc for a second time, but I wasn’t sure how to stop the casket from shattering when the corpse woke up.
Maybe the king and the royal mage would listen to reason and prevent Dumas from presenting his magical abilities. I knew they wanted to showcase every wizard they could, but I didn’t think they wanted to ruin a perfectly good banquet with a zombie on the loose.
Before Dumas could begin his presentation, I crossed the room to the king’s table, and I bowed my head slightly in greeting.
“Your Majesty.” I frowned. “Dumas is about to unleash an undead upon the summit, and I would advise against allowing him to continue.”