Bones of Doom

by Mark Cheverton

  The skeleton commander nodded, his eyes, even the ruddy and sightless one, filled with fear.

  “Now go, and return when you have good news for me.”

  “As you command.” Rusak bowed, then walked to the Hall’s exit, gathering soldiers and supplies as he went.

  Sixty pale monsters followed their general, their armor clanking and jingling as the monsters marched.

  “Success!” the skeleton warlord shouted to the general’s back. “Success or death!”

  Rusak held a fist up into the air as a salute, the other monsters doing the same, then disappeared into the shadows, heading toward their new adversary and prey, the boy-wizard.

  CHAPTER 7

  It took little effort to convince their friends and neighbors to abandon their village. None were excited about facing an invasion by the skeleton warlord and no one wanted to stay behind. They all knew if any were captured, they’d be tortured into telling where Watcher and the others went … no one looked forward to that. It was best if they all stayed together, which made Watcher happy. “There’s safety in numbers,” his father, Cleric, had told him when he was younger.

  Gathering the supplies and items they needed, they left their community with Cutter in command and Watcher in charge of the newly formed archer corps. The responsibility for commanding the archers weighed heavily on Watcher; he wasn’t sure he was up for the job, but Cutter seemed to have faith in him … that faith was something he didn’t understand, nor have for himself. Standing tall, Watcher pretended to be totally confident and know what to do, but that was far from the truth … he was afraid of this responsibility, afraid he’d fail.

  Mapper and Cleric promised everyone they would return to their village soon, but few believed the old men. They’d learned when an army of monsters is descending upon your home, things change and life is never the way it was again.

  The community moved through the forest as quietly as possible, the more experienced travelers helping out the old and infirm. In all, there were maybe seventy of them, every villager armed except for the very young and the very old. Those villagers were given the task of holding the healing potions and food, allowing the rest of the NPCs to carry more of the heavier weapons and armor. Watcher had learned long ago: the Far Lands was a dangerous place and they had to be ready for anything. His father was fond of saying, “It’s always better to be prepared than wish you were prepared.” He made sure they had everything they might need.

  As their village was slowly obscured by the forest, Watcher gazed back at his home with a heavy heart. The last time he’d abandoned his village it had been in flames, having just been attacked by the zombie warlord. Now, they were leaving home again, this time because of the skeleton warlord.

  These warlords are becoming a problem, he thought. Why can’t they just get along and leave us alone?

  “Hey … you okay?”

  Watcher turned and found Planter at his side, the setting sun nestling itself behind the horizon, just over her shoulder. Deep orange and red light filled the sky and cast a warm radiance on his friend, making her long, blond hair glow with a soft luster as if it were made of the finest gold. She smiled at him … the sight was breathtaking. Her green eyes seemed to glow like magical emeralds. I could get lost in those green eyes for an eternity, he thought. Wait, what am I thinking?!

  The fear lurking deep in his mind seemed to fade when he thought about Planter. Watcher knew he didn’t need to pretend to be confident or strong or brave when he was around her, he could just be himself. Planter filled in what he lacked, their personalities seeming to merge as if in a delicate dance, one reinforcing the other; they were each more complete when together than when apart. She accepted him as he was, and always had … he was just beginning to notice that in her, and it made his heart soar just a bit.

  “Ahh … what?” He’d been daydreaming again; that frequently happened when he was around Planter.

  “I said, ‘Are you okay?’ You look a little sad.”

  “Well, I was just thinking about the last time we fled from our village. You know, when we were chasing the zombie army.”

  Planter nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking about that too. It seems like a hundred years ago, but was just a couple of months.”

  “I hoped the fighting was over, and then we—”

  A stick cracked off to the left. Watcher turned and peered into the darkening forest, looking for threats. Slowly, with his hands up, Er-Lan emerged from the darkness and headed for Watcher and Planter.

  “Er-Lan … over here.” Planter waved to their zombie friend.

  The green creature lowered his arms and slowly pushed his way through a group of villagers to get to his two companions, the zombie’s chain mail armor swinging back and forth. He’d been given a full set of iron armor after helping free villagers captured by the zombie warlord, but the thick metallic coating had been too heavy for the young zombie. Instead, he chose the lighter chain mail.

  “The armor looks good on you, Er-Lan,” Planter said.

  The zombie smiled.

  “Yeah, you look like a real warrior now,” Blaster said as he ran past, putting on his black-dyed leather armor.

  The boy gave Watcher and Planter a smile, then darted ahead of the column, scouting their surroundings. He quickly disappeared into the shadows, his black-leather armor making the boy nearly invisible in the darkness.

  “Er-Lan does not want to look like a warrior.” The zombie tugged uncomfortably at the sheets of chain that hung over his shoulders. “Looking like a peaceful zombie would be better.”

  “I know.” Watcher adjusted the monster’s armor, twisting the shoulders so it hung better on his diminutive frame. “We all just want you to be safe, and this chain mail will help protect you.”

  The young zombie growled his annoyance, then nodded.

  “Everyone hurry up,” a voice said from behind. “We need to move quick and quiet.”

  Cutter shoved through the crowd of villagers, urging them along with a gentle but firm hand on a back or shoulder. He directed a handful of warriors to position themselves on either side of the group, just to be safe. When the big NPC reached Planter’s side, he slowed and glanced up at the darkening sky. The stars were beginning to shine through the blue veil of daylight, sparkling like a million gems.

  “We need to get everyone moving faster.” The big NPC glanced at Watcher, then back to Planter and smiled. “Who knows when the skeleton warlord will get here with his troops? I want as much space between us and his army as possible.”

  “I agree.” Watcher nodded. “But we need a plan. Where are we going? The next village is down the stone path—you know, the one we followed when the zombie warlord captured all our friends.”

  “I know that’s the closest one.” Cutter sounded annoyed. “But with all the young kids and elderly with us, it’ll take us a couple of days to get there. Our best bet is to go where the skeleton warlord doesn’t expect. That’s why we aren’t heading for any communities on the main road. I sent runners to those villages, warning them of the skeleton army. Hopefully, they’ll evacuate just to be safe, and hide in the forest.”

  “You know, instead of hiding in the forest, I have a better idea.” Watcher glanced at Planter and stood a little taller as he walked. “They could head for the ancient church instead. If they patch the holes in the walls with some cobblestone, they’d be safe.”

  “That’s a great idea, Watcher,” Planter said.

  The young boy beamed with pride, then glanced up at Cutter, one side of his unibrow raised in question. The big warrior looked at the two of them, then gave a sigh.

  Cutter pointed to one of the scouts. “You heard Watcher’s idea?”

  The villager nodded.

  “Then go tell the plan to the other villages,” Cutter ordered.

  The NPC nodded and took off running, weaving his way around trees until he disappeared into the forest.

  “So, Cutter, where are we heading?” Planter ask
ed.

  “There’s a large village in the savannah, a day’s march from here.” Cutter pointed with his diamond sword to the south, their current direction. “I’ve heard rumors that the NPCs are a bit strange there, but that community is off the main road that stretches between the villages. I doubt the monsters even know about it. We’ll rest up there for a couple of days, then send some scouts out and see what the skeletons are doing. When the skeleton warlord has moved on, we’ll go back home.”

  “That sounds like a great plan.” Planter turned and looked at Watcher, expecting him to say the same thing.

  That doesn’t sound like much of a plan at all, Watcher thought. That skeleton said they had to destroy me, because they think I’m a descendant of the great wizards from the ancient days. Waiting in a village for a couple of days doesn’t do anything … they’ll be back, I know it.

  “One should always control the battle rather than be controlled by it,” a voice said from behind.

  Watcher glanced over his shoulder and found his father and Mapper behind them.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Cutter asked.

  Cleric just shrugged, then smiled at his son.

  “It means we need to control the situation instead of just watching it. We need to be more aggressive.” Watcher said. “Sitting around in a village seems like it would help the skeletons.”

  “Okay, professor, what’s your plan?” Cutter stared down at the boy with his steel-gray eyes.

  “Well … ahh … maybe we go find as many relics as possible.” Watcher’s voice was weak, barely a whisper. “The more we find, the fewer the skeletons can use against other villagers.”

  Cutter laughed. “What do you mean, just go searching all of the Far Lands?”

  “Ummm … we could … ummm …” Watcher stammered.

  “That’s exactly right,” an old voice croaked from behind. Mapper moved between Watcher and Planter. “One of those books in the Library of Alexandria had the location of many artifacts listed in it.”

  “That’s great, but the Wizard’s Tower is probably filled with skeletons right now.” Cutter shook his head in exasperation.

  Mapper placed a hand on Cutter’s muscular arm. “I put that book in the linked ender chest. I can find the location of the closest relic right now.”

  The old man stopped beside a birch tree. Pulling out a torch, he placed it onto the side of the tree, then pulled the glowing ender chest from his inventory. He placed it on the ground, the flipped open the lid. Cleric moved to the old man’s side and gazed into the chest, Watcher looking between them. The chest was filled with many books, each dusty and worn. Mapper reached for one with gold writing along its spine. He opened the aged tome, careful to keep it inside the chest. While the book remained in the ender chest, it was still in the Library of Alexandria, and wouldn’t turn to dust.

  Mapper flipped through the pages, mumbling as he read.

  “Let’s see if we can find us a relic,” the old man said.

  Suddenly, a shadowy figured emerged from behind the birch tree. Watcher jumped back, then saw the large smile stretching from ear to ear … it was Blaster in his dark armor.

  “Blaster, you need to warn us when you do that,” the young boy chided.

  “What’s the point of being sneaky if you warn people you’re there?” Blaster smiled, then turned and faced Cutter. “I scouted the forest and heard clicking in the treetops … there must be spiders nearby.”

  “Everyone spread out and look for the spiders,” Cutter said, his voice booming through the woods.

  “No … we must stay together!” Watcher snapped.

  “Don’t listen to him.” Cutter glared at the young boy. “You can’t find an enemy when you don’t go looking for ’em.”

  A quiet tension spread across the villagers as the big NPC glared down at the young boy. Watcher took a step back and lowered his gaze to the ground, but then a gentle hand pushed him forward. Glancing over his shoulder, he found his sister, Winger, standing behind him.

  “Tell us your plan,” she whispered.

  “Well … ahhh …”

  “Say it loud,” his sister snapped.

  “Right.” Watcher looked up at Cutter. “We stay together. Get scouts up on top of the trees. Spiders like to sun themselves; somehow, they gain energy from the sun … that’s where they’ll be.” He turned and pointed at a couple of scouts. “Everyone else, set up a perimeter around Mapper. We need to give him time to read his book and find the closest relic.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Cutter said with a scowl. “They’re just a bunch of spiders. We can just spread out and attack them, one at a time, until they’re all destroyed.”

  “Not everyone is as good with a sword as you, Cutter.” Watcher pointed at some of the younger kids from the village. They looked scared. “We need to work together and not abandon each other so we can keep everyone safe.”

  The big warrior gave him a frustrated stare, then nodded.

  Watcher smiled. “Scouts, follow me.”

  Using blocks of dirt, the young boy built steps that led to the leafy blocks overhead. With an axe in hand, he climbed the steps, cutting through the leaves as he moved to the top of the tree. Crouching, Watcher scanned to the north while the other scouts moved next to him and checked the other directions.

  “I see something to the west,” one of the scouts said. “But I can’t tell what it is.”

  Watcher looked to the west. With the sun completely settled behind the horizon and the moon not yet risen, the forest canopy appeared almost black. The sparkling stars overhead gave barely any light by which to see, but Watcher’s eyesight was legendary amongst his fellow villagers. Peering into the darkness, the young boy could see something moving in the distance, but wasn’t sure if it was a spider or not. He glanced up at the stars, the shining pinpoints of light like sparkling gems sewn into the evening tapestry. Looking back to the west, it seemed as if there was a collection of ruby-red stars on top of the oaks. And then a group of the crimson stars blinked and bobbed up and down; they were moving across the treetops.

  “That’s them,” Watcher said.

  “You sure?” a deep voice asked from below. “It looks pretty dark out there.”

  He glanced down and saw Cutter staring up at him.

  Watcher nodded. “Yep, I can see their glowing red eyes. That’s the spiders.”

  “So we go out there and attack.” Cutter’s statement sounded like a command, but also a question.

  “No, I have a better idea.” Watcher moved down the stairs and pointed at Blaster. “I need you to do something, and it’s gonna make you really happy. You think you can prepare a little surprise on the treetops for our spidey-friends without being seen?”

  Blaster replaced his black, leather tunic and pulled on his black cap; he nearly disappeared in the darkness, only his smile revealing his presence, like the Cheshire Cat. “What do you have in mind?”

  Watcher quickly explained.

  Blaster nodded, then tossed a set of dark, leather armor to Er-Lan. “Come on, I need your help. With your claws, you’ll be a natural climber.”

  Er-Lan glanced at Blaster nervously, then to his friend. Watcher gave the zombie a smile and nodded. “You’re gonna help save a lot of these villagers around you if you help.”

  The zombie nodded, then removed his chain mail and donned the shadowy armor. The two disappeared into the darkness, a block of TNT in Blaster’s hand.

  In the distance, an axe could be heard cutting through blocks of leaves, then everything was silent. Watcher moved back to the treetops and crouched behind a block of oak leaves, staring off to the west. The red pinpoints of light were still there moving about. It seemed they were a little closer, which worried him … what if they saw Blaster and Er-Lan, and attacked?

  Just then, a dark object moved across the treetops, blocking out the glowing eyes of the spiders. Then another shape, not as quick as the first, moved from one tree to another. Watcher
couldn’t see what they were doing, but he was confident Blaster knew what he was doing.

  Moving down the steps to the forest floor, Watcher glanced at Mapper. “Do you know the location of any relics yet?”

  “I’m still reading,” Mapper replied. “Many of these pages are faded and damaged. I’ve found a few, something called the Trident of Pain and the Lightning Helix and the Static Snare, but those things are far away from here.”

  “Make sure you mark where they are on a map … maybe we’ll want to go get them some time in the future.”

  Mapper nodded, then glanced up at Watcher. “I need more time.”

  “We’ll give you as much time as we can.” Watcher pointed at a group of villagers. “We need defenses built around Mapper. Build a wall out of dirt that goes up to the treetops. We’ll want holes in the walls for archers. Build quietly, we don’t want to tip off the spiders to our location … at least not yet.”

  The NPCs sprang into action. Winger and Cleric went with them, one of them directing the construction defensive wall on the north side of their party while the other took the opposite. They made the barricade two blocks thick, expecting this to be a fierce battle. Once the spiders knew they were there, they’d likely throw everything they had at them.

  Watcher moved back to the tree tops and scanned for the spiders. They were still milling about, some of them a little closer. Suddenly, a pair of dark shadows appeared before him, both smiling.

  “We’re ready,” Blaster said as he took off his black leather cap, Er-Lan doing the same.

  “Okay, this is your show.” Watcher moved back and got out of the way.

  Across the treetops, a line of dirt could now be seen, extending off into the darkness. Atop the brown cubes, redstone dust was spread, with a redstone repeater occasionally breaking up the crimson line. At their feet, a lever was mounted into a block of stone right at the end of the trail of red dust.

  Blaster removed the rest of his leather armor and replaced it with a full set of iron. He then pulled out a torch and held it high over his head.