Bones of the Empire

by Jim Galford

Letting the black tendrils of magic fade, Oramain floated closer to Dorralt and looked over the bloodied and wounded people that filled the courtyard, lingering on Raeln. He slowly turned to study Feanne, and Raeln swore the ghost’s shoulders dropped. For her part, Feanne did not seem to notice. She struggled to catch her breath, her attention locked on Dorralt.

  Raeln held his position, waiting to see what would come next. He doubted he could do much to a ghost. He frantically glanced toward Mairlee, who was hugging her burned arm to her side and arguing quietly with Turess at the edge of the courtyard. Alafa tugged at Yoska, trying to help him up.

  “Anyone in particular?” Oramain asked breathily. He shifted to watch Raeln, cocking his head slightly.

  “No. Surprise me,” Dorralt insisted. “Make it people they miss the most. I want to see their misery.”

  Oramain nodded and rotated in place, his feet unmoving, until he faced Feanne fully. A faint whisper-like sigh came as Oramain raised his arms. Dust all throughout the courtyard rose and flowed into solid shapes. One by one, humanoids took form, creating a wall around Dorralt and Oramain. The forms began as little more than silhouettes, as though they would be ghosts themselves, but soon they thickened and took on details. The clearer they became, the more Raeln’s stomach knotted.

  Two shapes formed in front of Raeln, blocking any route to Dorralt. They solidified, features forming from the dust as colors and shapes became more refined. In only a matter of seconds, they stared at him, appearing nearly as horrified as he felt, before they readied themselves to fight.

  Raeln found himself looking into the eyes of his sister, Ilarra. Her long brown hair, with her pointed ears poking out, was the last thing to form. Despite her elven birth, she was as much his kin as anyone else, other than his mother.

  Beside Ilarra, his mother, Asha, stood in all her wolven calm. Her dark eyes watched Raeln with a mix of anger and patience that took his breath away.

  Both Ilarra and Asha’s faces told Raeln they were sorry, even as their bodies took up defensive stances. Ilarra poised herself to use magic against him, and his mother’s muscles twitched, ready to fight him with her bare hands. When he thought it was more than he could possibly bear, another body formed at Asha’s side.

  Greth. A wolf with white, black, and brown patterning, he held a sword at the ready, though his face appeared ready to break into sobs as he watched Raeln. They were Oramain’s slaves, even in death. That made them Raeln’s enemies, no matter what it would do to him to be forced to fight against them.

  Dozens more long-dead people appeared throughout the courtyard. Raeln only recognized a handful among them. He held his position in front of the three Oramain had summoned for him. It seemed Oramain knew exactly who would most demoralize those standing in the courtyard.

  In front of Feanne, there stood an old fox man and a fox-lioness woman, who Feanne faced down bravely, giving no hint of the dismay Raeln felt. She maintained her poise until two more people formed. The first was a wildling fox youth, who Raeln was fairly certain was one of the two children he had met long ago. At the boy’s appearance, Feanne backed away, her poise gone, her legs and hands trembling. The second was a grey-furred fox, likely Feanne’s age, who Raeln was certain he had seen somewhere, but he could not remember where. When he finished forming, Feanne’s face went slack and she stumbled, trying to put distance between herself and him.

  A dwarf stood in front of Dalania, though her head still hung lifelessly, not seeming to see him there. The dwarf watched her with a sadness that looked very out of place on him, especially as he held two gleaming knives ready to strike. Only the Miharon, still standing over Dalania, seemed able to meet the dwarf’s stare. He looked ready to fight for Dalania’s safety.

  Three women—two humans and one halfling—stood before Yoska, who very nearly collapsed on the spot when he saw them. Yoska immediately closed his eyes, his lips moving in a silent prayer or plea.

  Near Mairlee, Nenophar stood calmly, his illusionary elven form flickering as he moved toward her. Mairlee screamed as she backed away, unable to even look at him. Her own illusion shimmered as she struggled with emotions she clearly was unable to confront.

  Alafa buried her face in her hands, falling and curling into a ball. The deer man Raeln had seen die only half an hour earlier stood before her. Beside him, three very young wildling deer children flanked the man, staring at Alafa as though they would fight too.

  Only Turess seemed to be alone, looking around with confusion. He had been expecting someone who had not appeared. While the others faltered and struggled with seeing their deceased family and friends, Turess appeared to be bolstered by the very fact that he was alone.

  “There are no limits to our abilities,” Dorralt proclaimed happily. He walked over to a gap in the stone floor near where Raeln had last seen Estin. “Oramain, do me a favor and kill them all. Bring Mairlee’s remains to me after her son finishes her off.”

  Oramain, standing behind the freshly summoned people, floated away from Dorralt and over to Feanne. Offering her a hand up, which she did not take, Oramain smiled sadly. After a moment, Oramain gave up on Feanne and floated over to stand in front of Raeln. He let his attention pass over Greth first, followed by Asha and then Ilarra. He drifted from one group to the next, as Dorralt glared at him from the top of the steps, tapping his foot impatiently. Then Oramain floated over in front of Feanne again.

  “I had to kill my own wife to satisfy that monster,” Oramain said softly, though Raeln could hear him clearly in the quiet of the temple. As if choosing to land, Oramain’s feet came down on the stones, and he took a knee in front of Feanne. “There was no hope of redemption for me after that. No reason to disobey once she was gone. The pain of others was meaningless.

  “Through your husband, Feanne, I saw that I am not truly prevented from doing some good in this world. I am sorry for all that has happened, which I have seen through the eyes of my kind the world over. Your husband has shown me what I needed to be reminded of. He has shown me who I tried to be for my own wife, even though I failed.”

  Sighing, Dorralt rolled his eyes. “Oramain…do it. That is an order.”

  “Make them attack?” Oramain asked without taking his eyes off Feanne. She held equally still, staring at him as though daring him to strike. Then Raeln realized she was actually forcing herself to look at Oramain so she could not see her lost family behind him.

  Turning his attention back to Greth, Raeln winced as Greth mouthed, “I am sorry.”

  Dorralt answered, “Of course, Oramain. I want every one of your pets to freely attack our enemies. Set them loose. I am tired of waiting.”

  “Funny that you should phrase it that way,” Oramain said, spinning in place, still on his knee. The turn blurred his image briefly, but when he became clear again, he rose. “When I still had a body, you could force my hand. You controlled my fingers as I strangled the life out of my wife, and it was for that act that you earned your name of ‘Puppet Master.’ I was certainly not free in any sense of the word.”

  Dorralt’s smirk faded. “Oramain, have your pets attack. Now.”

  “It seems your power over us was somehow tied to our bodies. I believe On’esquin figured that out,” Oramain said, lifting a spectral hand in front of his face. “No body, no puppet. I chose my ‘pets’ carefully. These are either the strongest of those who opposed you, or the few who could motivate the living here to greater heights. I hope you approve. I hereby release them to attack as they see fit.”

  Oramain let out a chilling hiss, and all of the summoned dead relaxed and turned to look at Dorralt too. Greth, Asha, and Ilarra stepped back to be at Raeln’s side. As they fell in beside him, Ilarra patted Raeln’s arm reassuringly and Greth smiled broadly as he glared at Dorralt.

  “Enough of forcing good people to do awful things so you can kill them all off later, once you have your lands back!” Oramain shouted at Dorralt, passing through one of the women near Yoska as though she had no substance.
“These are but a few of the people you have wronged in this lifetime! I give them to you as my last gift, Dorralt. I free them to do as they will. Let them attack as you wished.”

  Greth reached down and grabbed Raeln’s arm, helping him get his footing. He gave Raeln a sly wink, and Raeln clasped his hand, startled to feel the warmth there. It was as though he had never left, never died. Almost instinctively, Raeln’s gaze went to Greth’s shirt, half-expecting to find a knife hole in the cloth over his heart.

  “It won’t last,” Greth said sadly. “Let’s make this fight worth remembering. And do I really need to tell you my eyes are up here?”

  The ghostly group turned. For a moment, Dorralt stood still. Then as one, they attacked with roars and battle cries. Dorralt turned to run for the steps but did not manage to make it down more than one before he was dragged back into the courtyard.

  Raeln wanted to rush into the battle, especially when he saw Ilarra and Asha charge headlong into the fray. Instead, he found himself unable to move from where he stood, watching Greth and reveling in the simple act of holding his hand after so long.

  “Stop with the sad face and let’s get in there before someone else gets a piece of him,” Greth said after a few seconds, letting go of Raeln’s hand. “We can talk after we tear him apart like properly civilized folk.”

  Taking a breath to steady his nerves, Raeln ran past Greth and dove into the battle. Blades flashed and claws tore. Dorralt summoned spell after spell, trying to protect himself. For a short time, he managed to stay ahead of his attackers, but there were too many for even him, especially with two dragons. Even the deer were in the crowd, growling as loudly as Feanne and her fellow foxes as they tried to attack Dorralt.

  Drawing the sword he had taken from Alafa, Raeln tossed it to her midfight, and she used it to hack at Dorralt as they kept pushing in on him.

  Dorralt managed to hold his ground for several more minutes, frantically swinging without aiming. Most of his wild swings were easy to avoid, but some did find targets. Nearly every time he swung his arm, one of the raised dead leaped to take the blow for the living, tumbling away and immediately sitting back up, their wounds closing.

  Raeln saw his chance. He lunged around a haphazard swing, driving his claws to his knuckles into Dorralt’s side. When Dorralt tried to twist back around to strike Raeln, Greth caught one of his arms and Feanne caught the other. Together they pinned him, though Raeln knew they could not hold him long. Surprise at the wound was all that kept Dorralt from hurling them aside.

  The battle went quiet when Dorralt ceased his fight. He stood nearly impaled on Raeln’s fingers, looking around with a dazed expression. He tried to take a step away, but Raeln drove his claws deeper, nearing the man’s heart. Dorralt slowly looked up, his eyes flaring red and then fading to a more normal brown as blood poured out over Raeln’s hand.

  “Thank you,” the man whispered, his accent and tone entirely different. He turned his attention across the large group around him, all staring angrily at him. Lowering his head and closing his eyes, he went limp. Feanne and Greth released his arms, allowing him to collapse.

  The tone of the courtyard abruptly changed as Dorralt’s body fell onto its side, staring lifelessly. Yoska and the three women quickly exchanged hugs, and Yoska hurriedly told them about his recent travels. Ilarra and Nenophar stood silently studying one another, their conversation apparently in their minds, while Mairlee waited nearby, her face telling Raeln nothing. Alafa and her family wept in one another’s arms.

  Turning to locate Greth in the crowd, Raeln found his mother had moved to intercept him before he could reach Raeln. As Raeln watched, the two faced one another until Greth lowered his eyes and head, submitting to Asha as the stronger wolf.

  Raeln’s stomach lurched as he realized the last time he had seen his mother alive, she had been trying to find him a young woman to marry. This was not how he wanted her figuring anything out about his life, and Greth was not someone he expected to hide things. He hurried toward them, hoping to be able to speak on his own behalf before Greth blurted out something that would make Raeln’s mother think less of him.

  “Mother,” Raeln said sharply as he came up on them, even as Asha cocked her head to examine Greth from another angle. “We need to talk.”

  Asha’s eyes narrowed, though she kept her attention on Greth. “I am disappointed in you, Raeln.”

  Greth’s ears shot straight up, and any submission in his stance faded instantly. Raeln’s skin prickled, and he wondered if he was about to have a fight with people he had so little time left with.

  “I am disappointed that you did not tell me sooner,” she went on, her tone neutral, as it had been the few times she had spoken during his youth. “I am disappointed that you felt the need to hide your feelings. That was unfair to Ishande.”

  “I…I’m sorry, mother,” Raeln confessed. “I know how the hunters would have viewed this. They would have thought me weak. I could not let that reflect on you.”

  Asha rounded on Raeln, her stern expression making her feel larger than him, even though she was a foot shorter. “Raeln, you are one of the strongest men I have ever met, and I am proud to call you my son. I would have backed you, no matter what. What mother would condemn her child for knowing his own heart? If the hunters belittled you, they would have been fools. If they had belittled me for raising you, I would have beaten them into a shallow grave. There is no shame here. He seems a fine match, though a bit scruffy.”

  Turning back to Greth, Asha lifted his chin with her finger, smiling at him. “You worry about my approval. There is no further need to worry.”

  Raeln gave the two a moment of quiet to study each other. He had learned in his youth that his breed tended to learn more about one another by contemplation than through discussion. His mother was likely learning a lot about Greth, and he about her.

  “Where’s Estin?” Raeln asked the group, abruptly realizing Estin had not come back from the hole in the courtyard stones. He had expected Estin to emerge from hiding as soon as Dorralt fell. The sudden end to the fight had felt a reprieve, but Raeln had to remind himself that they were not done yet. The rumbling of the storm outside the temple was still growing louder.

  “Go help him,” Ilarra said, coming over to Raeln with Nenophar right behind her. Feanne and several others ran down into the staircase where Dorralt had been trying to go. “The dragons are on the verge of dying outside the temple, trying to hold back the mists while the armies get inside. I need to be with them, Raeln. We need to work together or there’s no chance for anyone in here. I don’t think I’ll be back before…”

  Raeln nodded and pulled his sister into a hug, looking over her at Nenophar. He smiled sadly at Raeln before bowing his head.

  “Do what you can,” Raeln said, letting her go. “My place is here.”

  Wiping away a stray tear, Ilarra turned quickly from Raeln and went to Nenophar. They vanished in a swirl of wind and dust, leaving an empty spot in the crowded courtyard.

  “We can stay up here or at least near the top of the stairs,” Greth said, putting a hand on Raeln’s chest to keep him from going to the steps. “His mate can handle this. You don’t have to be the hero every time, you idiot. Let someone else risk themselves, just this once. You have maybe an hour to say your good-byes this time. What do you plan to do with that time? Most people don’t get a chance like this.”

  Raeln winced and backed away, unsure what to do. He saw plenty of others running down the stairs, while soldiers, Marakeer, and Turessians filed into the area just outside the courtyard. Turning away from the stairs, Raeln tried to find anything to keep him from feeling like he was abandoning Estin and his own duties.

  That was when he saw Dalania. Still rooted to the dirt, she stood as though unable to fall. Before her, the sketchy-looking dwarf he had seen earlier was kneeling, his knives placed on the ground near her roots. Neither said anything, but Raeln could recognize a sorrowful apology when he saw it. He ha
d felt as the dwarf appeared to feel during the last minutes of Greth’s life. The dwarf had some kind of feelings for Dalania, and he had let her down by dying too soon.

  “I can’t abandon my friends, even if it gets me killed,” Raeln finally said, getting a sidelong look from the dwarf. Dalania tenderly touched the man’s head and he picked up his weapons and came up to Raeln, eyeing him as though judging his ability to fight.

  “Get yer tall fuzzy butt down those stairs and save as many as you can,” the dwarf practically spat. “I didn’t come back from the bloody hells to watch someone be a coward.” Turning to Greth, the dwarf added, “Greth, stop bein’ a pansy and tell your friend to start marching. You owe me that for dying before I did. A bet’s a bet, kid.”

  Raeln looked over at Greth and saw a familiar smirk. He had fully expected this. Taking Greth’s hand, he replied, “I’m sorry, Greth. I have to do it.”

  “Of course you do,” Greth said, bowing grandly and letting Raeln and the dwarf pass. “We’ll talk after. Plenty of time.”

  Raeln grabbed Greth by the back of the neck, pulled him close, and pressed his muzzle to Greth’s. “Stay alive that long. I don’t want to forget to say good-bye again.”

  Greth laughed as he pulled away. “Go get me the head of the bastard that had me killed. You spend your afterlife alone if the dwarf gets it first.”

  “Bloody good bet,” the dwarf said, chuckling as he ran for the stairs. He fell in beside Yoska as they squeezed down the staircase.

  A crack of stone caught Raeln’s attention as one of the mist-tornados tore into the outer pillars of the temple. His first thought was to run for the stairs, but then he saw Dalania, standing with her head hanging. She was right in the path of the whirlwind and was watching the others abandon her, unable to move with her legs rooted.

  Raeln glanced back to the stairs, but the dwarven man was gone. The remaining soldiers were scattering quickly. Those who could not manage to get into the narrow staircase ran back out of the courtyard in an effort to take cover inside the building. Only Greth and Raeln remained up top with Dalania. Even Turess had gone.