by Wade Adrian
He tossed the crown at Cecil, who stepped forward to grab it as it fell…
Until the boot in his stomach doubled him over.
“Bit of a tip, from a military man to a dumb kid playing at it: don’t ditch your armor when there are hostiles about. That’s basic stuff, man. 101.”
Cecil dropped the sword as his hands moved to cover his stomach. He hadn’t told them to. They were just being insubordinate. He knew he had bigger problems but the burning lungs trying to get air back said otherwise. His mind was supposed to be in charge, but none of the rest of him seemed to care.
Redding kicked the sword away before he knelt down beside Cecil and pointed at the field. “Just look at that out there. You had the numbers, you had the positions. You even got a good first swing off by removing the cavalry. That, I admit, was a bit inspired. Bravo.”
Redding’s arm wrapped around Cecil before he could move. He pulled the smaller man close, his metal encased arm around Cecil’s neck.
Cecil struggled, kicked, yanked at the steel arm, but it didn’t do any good. If Redding even felt the barrage, he didn’t see fit to acknowledge it.
“And you played Gomer, too. Got him to come to my rescue.” He laughed. “Oh, man. The irony.”
The edges of Cecil’s vision were getting dark. He couldn’t get any air into lungs that were already burning. He tried to scratch at Redding’s face, but he couldn’t seem to find it with blind groping.
“See, my plan was to hold back as much as I could from the fight. Let Gomer take the brunt for king and country, because he’s that kind of moron. And after he won, because I knew you’d let him win, he’d still have some losses. At the very least tired, smelly men with sore feet. Then I’d roll over him, take more ground from Greater Azul than anyone in Rojo ever has. I didn’t even really care if they gave it back in a few months. I would go down in the histories as the greatest warlord of my time. Even drug up a pocket scholar to make sure of it. Not the best one, no. Integrity isn’t cheap, so I took what I could find.”
Cecil’s blows were slower now. Weaker. His vision darker.
Where was everyone? He needed them, and they were nowhere to be found…
“But really, you didn’t fool anybody. I had you pegged for a kid in way over your head the first time I saw you. Seen plenty in my day. But I don’t think you even wanted to be there. Too bad. Hey, you’re not going to sleep on me, are you? I’m not done gloating here.”
Yes. He was. Sleep sounded like a wonderful idea. And if it made Redding mad, so much the better. There was some noise, but it was so far away in the gloom that he couldn’t make it out, and couldn’t fathom why he should bother. Darkness took him.
“Rapscallion!” General Gomer stormed up the last few feet of hill, his sword held high. Unfortunately the footing was piss poor and he was still holding onto a root trying to get his feet to stop sliding when Redding dropped the still form of Cecil and held up the crown.
“Oh, you’re here? I’m kind of surprised. Abandoning your men, tsk tsk.”
“They are soldiers, capable men, with a chain of command to keep them on the noble path to victory!” Gomer stumbled the last few steps, ending up on top of the hill, but he gasped for breath. “Not like you, you pathetic scoundrel.”
Redding held the crown up, turning it this way and that in the light. Gomer could hardly understand why, but as long as it gave him a moment to catch his breath… was he looking at the gems? Why? It seemed one wasn’t cut properly, as it didn’t shine like the rest. At least, it hadn’t when he started looking, but now a tiny bit of light seemed to play inside.
And Redding was overjoyed to see it. “Ah, good. Good.” His face split into a hideous grin as he lifted the crown high.
“Aaaaah!” A high pitched cry caught Gomer by surprise. Fortunately it had the same effect on Redding as he almost jumped and backpedaled a few steps from the knife being swung at him.
Lady Aldora might have been negligent in her combat training, given her footing and decision to warn Redding with a battle cry, but she made up for it with tenacity as she swung the blade right and left, inching closer and closer to the man.
Gomer wasn’t prepared to stand yet, let alone fight. Stupid hill. Perhaps he was getting too old for this, after all… his eyes fell on Cecil. The poor young man. He’d heard what Redding said as he clambered up the hill, his men fighting the mess that was back there, Rojo men and skeletons alike. Cecil was no monster, no grand strategist, no threat to the world… Gomer had seen what he was afraid to see. If he hadn’t been such a paranoid old fool…
He shuffled over and laid a hand on the lad. Still warm. He turned him over.
His chest lay still.
Gomer scowled. Enough darkness had descended this day. He raised his hands high and struck Cecil’s chest. The young man shook, but no life seemed present. The old soldier took his gauntlets off and held his hands over the breastbone, just as he had been trained during his navy stint. Bad air out, good air in.
Redding laughed as he grabbed the girl’s wrist. “If you idiots had bothered to have half this much energy before, you wouldn’t have already lost this thing.”
She managed to hold onto the knife, but dropped it so she could grab it with her other hand. The small crimson dagger skidded against his armor, bending severely.
Redding raised an eyebrow as he looked down at it, her other hand still held tight. “Did you just try to stab me with a copper knife?”
“Umm…” She held up the twisted blade. “Maybe?”
With a sudden lurch and a twist of his leg he knocked her feet out from under her and tossed her down the side of the hill toward the fighting. It would take her time to climb back up, if she wasn’t hurt in the fall.
Gomer tried again, pressing on Cecil’s chest. “Come on kid, don’t check out yet. I could use a hand here.”
A few ragged coughs emerged from the young man before he sucked in a breath and coughed some more.
Gomer smiled as he sat back. It had been years, he hadn’t been sure it would work…
Redding scoffed. “Wow, good job. Unfortunately it doesn’t matter.” He pointed at one of the gems on the crown. It flickered a bit, still far weaker than the rest. “He was dead enough to satisfy the crown.” He lifted the black ring of metal high before lowering it onto his head. “But hey, I’m glad he’s alive. He’ll get to see a real Dark Lord. I do so love showing people how stupid they’ve been.”
The gems shone brightly as Redding held up his hands and turned to face the field of battle. The field where Gomer’s men still fought.
“Rise.”
The ground beneath them shook violently. Cracks appeared in the dirt about their feet. A tree on the side of the hill worked loose and fell down. Parts of the tower crumpled and fell off.
And the ground beyond writhed and twisted. Bones erupted from the dirt. Hands and arms first, pulling the rest of themselves free. They stretched out as far as Gomer could see. His forces were surrounded. Those skeletons already standing had stopped their fight, turning to look up at Redding.
He stood staring down with a sadistic grin.
34
Cecil’s lungs burned. He gulped for air but it never seemed like enough. He got quite a bit of dust, too. For every breath there was at least one cough. It took him a few moments to roll onto his side, wheezing.
He was a little surprised to find an old bald man with a huge mustache when he opened his eyes. “Hi?”
General Gomer gave him a curt nod. “Welcome back to the land of the living…” His eyes cut up to something behind Cecil. “However briefly.”
He turned his head a little, trying to see what could scare the old soldier so.
Redding stood at the edge of the hill, staring down, his arms high, the Crown of Command on his head.
“Oh.” Cecil wheezed. “That’s bad.”
“Yes. It is.”
Redding glanced back, that same old stupid smile on his face. “Welcome back, Ce
cil. Like what I’ve done with the place?”
His arms and legs burned but they moved. He managed to sit up.
The world beyond was lousy with skeletons. So many… more than Cecil had ever imagine were out there waiting. Only a few pockets of color remained in the fields below. The blue bits were Gomer’s men, completely surrounded, and the red bits where Redding’s. They didn’t seem overjoyed about the situation either. They were just as fenced in.
Cecil fought back another cough. “Think you’ve tanked the property value.”
Redding nodded. “No doubt. But once I build a palace from the bones of my enemies, it will probably even out.” He lowered his arms as he turned, facing the pair. “Don’t worry, Gomer. You won’t see it. You’ll be dead, and though your bones may dance for my amusement, you’ll be gone. Cecil here, that’s another story.” He pointed at the crown. “Lords don’t die. Not for long, anyway. He’ll be a servant until the sun gives up some day.”
“About that…” Cecil managed to climb to his feet. It was a near thing. “I’d like to submit my resignation.”
“Well, well. Gotten a bit more brazen, haven’t you? I guess dying really agrees with you.”
“Better than working for you. Can’t think of a worse hell.” He reminded himself a bit of Murray, actually. Maybe the mania was normal and Egerton was the exception, rather than the rule.
Redding’s face split into his wide grin once more. “Speaking of which…” He turned, casually lifting a hand. “I think I could use a few more good men. All that silly free will and desire for pay always got on my nerves.” He casually waved his hand out over the field. “Kill.”
The skeletons below charged at the pockets of color. So many moved that they climbed over one another in their haste. They weren’t pulling any punches now. Shields and armor were dented by the blows they threw. They had no regard for their own well being. They didn’t feel pain. They had their orders.
Cecil scowled. Redding was everything he never wanted to be. “I suppose this is the only way anyone would ever follow you.”
He didn’t have much left. There was no way he could match the seasoned warrior in a fight. He’d lost his crown and with it his army.
But the the man’s ego was still a target.
“No wonder you had less men, and lousier ones.” Cecil gave Gomer a nod. “It would be an honor to fight with you, sir.”
The old soldier blinked. “Uh, sure. Let’s get him?” Gomer stood. “After all, there are two of us.”
Redding barely acknowledged them as he watched the battle below. “Oh, wow. Clever. Really did the math there.”
Cecil charged, roaring with his hoarse voice, Gomer only a step behind. They just needed to get the crown away and… no. Redding was the Dark Lord now. That wouldn’t change unless he died. Was Cecil really capable of…
He hadn’t made it halfway there when he was knocked to the ground once more. A bony face with glowing red eyes stared at him from only inches away.
Redding laughed. “Outnumbered, am I? Hardly. Here are my lieutenants now.”
Murray was still wearing his armor as his weight pressed Cecil to the ground.
Gomer was no better off, pinned under not only Egerton but the skeletal horse. Most of him was trapped in its ribcage.
Over time, Cecil had grown accustomed to them both. They had personalities and quirks that made them seem almost human, despite their… condition. None of that was showing through now.
“Murray? Egerton?”
Redding laughed. “Don’t bother. I didn’t see much reason for them to have… personalities, so I’ve repressed them. They’re tools, nothing more. They only play at being people. Really, it’s better for everyone this way. Certainly more quiet, which is better for me.” He cast his eyes to the field. “Soon the Azuls and my own people will understand. Or, wait, no they won’t, being mindless and all. Oh well. Still better for me.”
Gomer bashed his armored arms against the rib cage holding him fast. “You’re more of a monster than they ever were, Redding!”
“Agreed.” The man shrugged one shoulder. “What does that understanding change, really?”
Gomer gritted his teeth. “When I get out of here…”
“Ha. When.”
It was a dire situation, everything had gone wrong, everything was lost, but… that wasn’t what troubled Cecil most. He looked up at Murray and kept his voice low.“Hey buddy. Are you in there?”
The red piercing eyes stared down, the jaw moving slightly. Nothing more.
“Murray, come on. This isn’t funny.”
The skeleton hissed at him.
“Well at least you’re still cynical.” Cecil tried to move, but the weight was too great, and the bony limbs were pinching him where he was held fast. “You need to snap out of this, Murray. This isn’t you. I know you. Honestly, since all of this started you’re the only one I knew I could count on.”
The red eyes stared.
“No, not since this started. Since before, even. Look, I’ve never been, I dunno… popular. When I was a kid I hung out with my siblings. How lame is that? I thought when I was old enough to leave home I could find some people more like myself, and… well then all this happened. Maybe there just isn’t anyone like me, I don’t know. But through all of this craziness, you’ve been there by my side. Supporting. Helpful. Mouthy, yes, but never in a cruel way. I’m just trying to say… look, if I’m going to die anyway I don’t see a reason to gloss over it.”
The skeleton leaned in close, its teeth moving apart like it was preparing to take a bite.
“I’m glad you were my friend. Because you are my friend. Hell, my only friend. Ever. And yeah, that probably sounds dumb, but it matters. It matters to me.”
The skeleton paused.
“I know you don’t want to do this, Murray. I know you’ve got personality to spare and he couldn’t have shoved it all aside. So you’re still there, and if you do this, if you help him and you kill me, you’ll regret it. I know you will. You’ll have to carry it forever and you’re actually going to be around forever. I don’t want that hanging over my friend. No matter what you’ve done, you don’t deserve that.”
The skull moved away, its jaw snapped shut, and its red eyes flickered. The weight on Cecil lessened slightly.
“That’s right. You can do it. I know you can. We need to stop him. Those people can’t hold out forever.”
A bony hand slammed into the dirt, burying its fingers after it let go of Cecil’s arm. Murray continued to struggle, shaking. “C… can’t…”
“Yes you can.” Cecil had an arm free, and that was enough. He pushed against the armor and managed to struggle free when Murray’s weight shifted to one side.
Murray collapsed onto the dirt with a grunt.
Cecil laid a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
A bony hand snapped closed around his wrist. Murray’s eyes turned up to him. “Sooner… is better, boss.” His hand opened, but shook in place as Cecil pulled his arm free.
“Right, I’m on it.” He swept his eyes across the ground. His black sword was lying in the dust where it had fallen. He snatched it up. “Redding!”
The man turned slightly. “Well, well. Looks like Muireach really is a weak link. I’m disappointed.”
Murray writhed on the ground. “Hate… your… stupid… face… teach you to demote me from general to… freaking lieutenant. The… nerve. Jackanape…”
“Hmph.” Redding waved a hand at him.
The skeleton groaned and curled up into a ball.
Cecil swung his sword.
Redding backed up a step, his hand falling. Murray fell into a pile of bones.
Cecil ground his teeth. “You’d better hope he’s okay.”
“He is a pile of bones. He is not even a he. It’s a thing. A rather useless thing at that, clearly.”
Cecil leveled his sword. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with him for long.”
Redding sto
od taller. “Oh. This is fun.” He held his arms wide. “You missed the last attempt on my life, what with being dead and all, but your girlfriend already tried and failed. But I tell you what, why don’t you give it a try, kiddo.” He slapped on his stupid grin.
“It’s… a trap…” Egerton’s voice was weak, quiet.
Redding glared over his shoulder at him. “Oh not you, too. Pathetic, the lot of you. Fortunately, I don’t need lieutenants, and I’ve got some lovely boxes all lined up for you.”
Cecil used the distraction to charge and swing.
Redding must have heard him because he glanced back with plenty of time. He shifted his feet only an inch or so, but it was more than enough to make Cecil miss. “That’s two. Care to try for three?”
Cecil scoffed. “Awfully generous. Why not just sweep me away in a sea of skeletons?”
“Oh, I would, I would. Except you’re really not a threat, and I’m in a good mood.” He smiled as he looked out over the field. “Look at all this. Power. Power enough to make kings quake in their boots. To make emperors pay rent. And not fair rent, either. No, I’m going to ride them for every last copper.” His smile turned to face Cecil. “And you didn’t want it.”
“I didn’t want to be a jerk. Guess you don’t have a problem with that.”
“There’s no such thing as a noble king, emperor, or lord, kid.”
Cecil shrugged. “Maybe.” He noticed movement behind Redding, but he had his full attention now. “Except me. Try as you might, I was lord number six. I happened, like all the rest. I may just be a footnote in the end, but I wasn’t a jerk. So I proved you don’t have to be.”
Redding rolled his eyes. “Duly noted. You going to take your swing, or should I kill you now? Honestly it’s a bit rude that you’re not taking advantage of my generous offer.”
“Generous? Ha. It’s for the sake of your pride, not for me.”