by James Green
Ramses snuffled at me, and without thinking I stroked his nose. It was soft and warm, and Ramses nudged me.
“He likes you. Feed him these one at a time and he’ll be your friend for life.” Walter pressed a handful of small carrots, the greens still attached, into my palm. “Get to know him and I’ll go find you some tack.”
Ramses nudged at me, so I fed him a carrot. It quickly disappeared as he crunched it down, the greens trailing out of his mouth for a moment before those too were gone. He demanded another so I gave it to him. By the time Walter returned all the carrots were gone.
With the ease of long practice, Walter saddled Ramses, and I watched closely. I was confident I could do the same when I needed to.
“When you stop tonight, you need to take this saddle off and brush him down,” Walter said. “I’ve put a spare set of brushes in one of your saddlebags. Take care of him and he’ll take care of you.”
At that, Walter went to help someone else and left me with Ramses. The saddle he’d given me was perfect. There was a hook for my shield on the left side, and a sheath for my spear on the right. I took Ramses’ reins and led him out into the keep courtyard. Ulmar and Anastasia were already there, packing away their shares of the provisions and gear. Mine was waiting on the ground nearby.
It only took a few minutes and a few pointers from Ulmar to get everything packed away and tied down. Now was the big moment—first time on a horse. Ulmar and Anastasia watched curiously as I put my left foot in the stirrup, grabbed the saddle horn, and pulled myself up. Ramses sat placidly underneath me as I settled in the saddle.
I held the reins loosely and looked at Ulmar and Anastasia. “Are we going?”
Ulmar chuckled, and Anastasia merely clicked her horse into motion. Ulmar followed and for a moment I was a bit panicked, but Ramses knew what to do. Without prompting, he followed Ulmar’s horse. I stroked his neck gratefully while Mithra followed silently, weaving around people when needed or simply leaping over obstructions.
We slowly picked our way through the crowded, narrow streets of Kostick. Unlike our trip into the city, we didn’t have a Fist of heavy infantry making a path for us. Sure, people naturally tended to get out of the way of a knight on the back of a warhorse, but not everyone did.
We were nearly to the west gate when I heard a thunder of hooves behind us. I looked over my shoulder and saw pedestrians diving for safety as a familiar figure in black plate armor rode his enormous horse down the crowded street toward us at a gallop. Some of them cursed at his back, but none were foolish enough to remain in his path.
Keyris reined up beside us. “Lady Anastasia. I was informed you were headed to Mianya with our Queen’s newest Beast Mage. I have business in Mianya and would accompany you.”
“Of course, you are welcome, Sir Keyris,” she replied, and we were off.
That was when I learned why Walter had laughed at me. Riding a horse when it was walking was easy. Riding it fast was another story. I learned quickly that I needed to brace my legs against the stirrups when Ramses cantered and that I needed to be hanging on—and steering Ramses—with my thighs.
We rode through the farmlands outside Kostick down the Queen’s road, passing slower farmer’s carts and groups of people walking. I didn’t get much chance to appreciate all of it. Soon the scent of tilled earth and manure was replaced by the subtler smells of forest as we left the farmland behind.
When the sun was high in the sky, Anastasia stopped us at a small cleared spot beside the Queen’s road. She off her mount gracefully and started removing her provisions.
I staggered off Ramses and winced as my legs cramped. I was used to hard work, but the muscles used for riding a horse weren’t the same ones an infantryman worked. I stretched my legs, attempting to work the kinks out. Ramses ignored my pain and plodded over to graze with the rest of the horses.
“First time on a horse is always the worst,” Ulmar said in a voice not meant to carry to our companions. “You’ll get used to it.”
I could only nod gratefully, trying not to walk strangely as I joined Anastasia and Keyris on a nearby group of rocks.
Mithra sniffed around the clearing for a few minutes, but finally settled down. I threw him a generous hunk of jerky, and he chewed on it while we ate.
“Sir Keyris, what are your plans in Mianya?” Anastasia asked. “Are you visiting the Duchess?”
“Amber? Of course, I will pay my respects, but my true business is with the garrison commander. I am afraid I cannot reveal more than that.” The knight gestured at me. “I’m surprised to see the new Beast Mage here. And his wolf. I thought they would be more useful on the battlefield.”
I ground my teeth and held my tongue. I hated the way he spoke about me as though I wasn’t here, but knights were afforded particular privileges. I’d never known any Beast Mages, so I couldn’t say for certain whether I outranked him. Rather than find out, I stayed silent while I chewed a hunk of meat.
“The Queen has a task for him,” Anastasia replied.
“Her Majesty has sent you to investigate the disappearance of Lord Mercer, hasn’t she? But that’s not all, is it? I suppose the Beast Mage here will try to tame Grimjaw.” Keyris turned to me. “That explains why you are here, our Queen’s newly minted Beast Mage. You truly believe you can control the great Frost Tortoise?”
“The Queen has given the order, and I will obey.”
Keyris gave me a warm smile, and my apprehension toward him faded. “A worthy answer. The Queen deserves your complete devotion. She is a wise woman, and the mission she gave you is an important one. Grimjaw is a valuable resource, and we cannot let it go feral. It would be a tragedy if we were forced to kill a C rank hellion.”
I nodded. It didn’t seem right to kill a creature just because it had lost its master. Especially Grimjaw, who was near-legendary in the Queen’s Army. A Frost Tortoise that could tie up large portions of the enemy lines with his blizzards and ice walls was one that could enable a commander to win against terrible odds.
Soon, our simple meal was done, and it was time to continue on. Ramses waited patiently as I forced myself back into the saddle, my legs gone stiff. Anastasia took the lead once more and we were off.
The forest around us blurred by, and we saw fewer and fewer people on the road. Farms and settlements were rare this far from a city, and the wilderness here was still a dangerous place. The Queen’s Army kept the roads clear with regular patrols, but I knew from experience we didn’t always get there in time. There had been at least a few times on patrol with my Fist where we’d come across the grizzly remains of a farmer attacked by a predator, or a merchant robbed and killed by bandits who’d faded away into the endless forest afterward. It felt strange when I thought about what my life had been like mere days ago. Would I never march down these roads again as part of my Fist?
The sun was low in the sky and I felt like I might die in the saddle when Keyris raised his voice over the noise of our passage.
“The sun will set soon. We will not make it to Mianya tonight. I know of a good spot to make camp just ahead.”
“Then by all means lead us there, Sir Keyris,” Anastasia replied. He nodded to her and took the lead.
About twenty minutes up the road was a small gap in the trees to our right, a rough path leading into the deepening shadows underneath the trees. His monstrous horse stepped off the road and onto the path. Keyris had to duck the lowest branches but didn’t pause.
The rest of us followed in single file. Mithra perked his ears up, ranging into the trees on my right and ahead of us. The path led uphill, and the earth beneath our feet turned into rock as the trees around us thinned out. Ahead of us the path lead up to the top of the hill, a flat plateau.
“Just up there. The ground is flat, and the site is defensible,” Keyris said.
The horses went up the gentle path without any difficulty, and Mithra darted ahead. A moment later, I felt something like alarm from him. It wasn’t clear what he’d found, but he d
idn’t like it.
“Something’s wrong ahead; Mithra’s found something,” I called out.
Sir Keyris pulled his vicious-looking mace free and spurred his horse. The mounted knight charged up the rest of the slope. Anastasia and I followed, cresting the hill moments later. It was immediately clear what had alarmed Mithra. Bodies were scattered over the flat top of the hill, the corpses stiff. The first whiffs of decomposition filled the air. Farther back were the remains of a fire pit with several trampled tents around it. Carrion birds scattered as we approached and interrupted their feasting.
I hopped off Ramses before I pulled my spear and shield free. Keyris was slowly riding across the hilltop, inspecting the corpses while Anastasia and Ulmar had dismounted with me.
The nearest corpse looked like he’d been attempting to flee but had fallen onto his face just before the start of the path. The back of his tunic was stained with his own blood, now black and crunchy. I squatted and pulled the cloth free. The wound I exposed was one I’d seen before—the distinctive pattern made by a broad-headed arrow. The arrow wasn’t nearby, so whoever had shot him had recovered it. The projectile had punctured the man’s lung, and he’d probably died slowly here, drowning in his own blood.
The rest of the corpses told similar tales. Most were felled by arrows, with a few having been stabbed or hacked. Every corpse was a man, either young or old. Anastasia was the first to ask the question that must have been on all our minds.
“Where are the women? These are husbands, sons and brothers. What happened to their women?”
“This is a couple of days old, I think,” I said. “If there were women here, whoever killed these men is long gone with them.”
“We can’t camp here, clearly.” Anastasia stood. “Let’s move on before it becomes truly dark.”
“Milady, we can’t leave these poor souls unburied,” Ulmar protested.
“Don’t be a fool, dwarf,” Keyris said. “We’ll notify the Army when we reach Mianya. They’ll dispatch a patrol to investigate this incident and deal with the aftermath.”
He was right. I’d been on a few missions like that, where someone had reported corpses in the wilds, and we’d been dispatched to clean things up.
“Leave the corpses?” Anastasia asked. “I agree with Ulmar. We cannot allow them to go unburied. There are rumors spoken of restless spirits.”
“Yes,” Keyris said as he leaned his mace over his shoulders. “Rumors. Don’t be superstitious. Leaving these corpses unburied for a few days will merely feed the carrion birds and make the job of burying them easier.” The knight placed an armored boot on a skull and crushed it beneath his heel. Bones shattered and fetid brain matter oozed onto the ground.
“As you wish,” Anastasia said. “We should--” Her face suddenly turned white, and I spun to where she was looking.
A corpse had animated behind Ulmar, and it bit deeply into his thigh. The dwarf’s plate leggings screeched in protest as preternaturally-sharp teeth scraped metal.
Arcs of electricity sparked down Anastasia’s blades and leapt between them. “Undead!” she screamed.
Ulmar lashed out with his gauntleted fist, and bones crunched as his mighty blow tumbled the walking corpse backward. The animated corpse rolled to its feet, opened its mouth, and hissed. The terrifying sound echoed around the clearing as more and more of the corpses lurched to their feet.
The corpse in front of me lashed out, its fingers having sprouted long claws. I stepped back just enough that they scraped off my greaves. Mithra darted forward and clamped his jaws on the back of the undead’s neck. He wasn’t the powerhouse he had been in the fight with bandits. In his unenhanced form, he was just a pup, but using my Beast Mage ability would take time, and the hellion would end up dead before the upgrade could complete.
The animated corpse flailed its arms as it tried to wrench the wolf pup from its neck. I rushed to my hellion’s aid and slammed the sharp point of the counterweight through the ghoul’s spine, just below where Mithra had gripped it. I pinned it to the ground like a bug, and its legs stopped moving. When I stomped on its right arm, I heard the bone break, but the creature kept flailing and hissing at me.
I looked up to see Ulmar cleave a charging ghoul in two with his glowing two-handed sword. It was clear now that was what they were—ghouls. I’d never seen one before but had heard of them.
Anastasia flashed across the clearing like a bolt of lightning, leaving a blinding after-image in her wake. Her swords took an arm from one ghoul, and the head from another. She pivoted and kicked, catching a third in the chest. The undead creature flew through the air and vanished over the side of the plateau.
Keyris sat on his horse, mace in hand, watching attentively. I was about to shout at him to join the fight when three ghouls charged me. With a twist, I freed my spear from the ghoul at my feet, set my shield, and invoked Gale. The cone-shaped blast of wind caught two undead, and they stumbled backward, momentarily halted in their charge.
I met the third ghoul with the point of my spear, but it showed no fear and impaled itself on the end of my weapon. As I tried to haul the ravenous corpse from my spear, it began to drag itself up the spear’s shaft toward me, hissing. Mithra clamped an ankle in his jaws and tore the limb from the ghoul’s sockets, but the creature was undeterred as it pulled itself along my spear.
I slammed the rim of my shield into the side of its head and continued cracking it until the undead’s skull became a mess of bone and brains. Finally, the ghoul slumped, and I had a second to breathe, so immediately pushed the power of the Gale orb into Mithra. The air around the wolf shimmered as arcane energy entered him.
Mithra, Tempest Wolf, Rank: E
The pair of animated corpses who’d got caught in the magical winds had recovered, and they now surged toward me. I planted my boot on the defeated ghoul’s chest and freed my spear. Before the two ghouls could close the distance, a hulking wolf-shape made from swirling dust and air seized a ghoul in transparent jaws and ripped it in half. Smoky, black eyes met mine for a moment before Mithra tossed the top half of the ghoul off the hill while the bottom half fell away. I thrust my spear forward, plunged the point into the ghoul’s brains, and yanked it out with a hard pull.
After the ghoul toppled and didn’t move again, I looked at my hellion wolf in his new form.
Mithra charged, and I joined him against what seemed a horde of the dead. A few paces from me, Ulmar’s sword was shining with a pure white light, and the ghouls surrounding him seemed to shrink away from it. Just looking at it made me feel better, more hopeful. He slashed and another ghoul fell, but more closed in all around. I pelted across the plateau to help, leaving my wolf to take care of the last of the three in our proximity.
The Holy light of Ulmar’s sword seemed to become the focal point of the ghouls’ attack. They streamed toward him, and the dwarf met them with a welcoming battle cry, spinning and hacking.
The point of my spear found the back of a ghoul’s head and entered the skull with a crackle. The ghoul fell limply to the ground, dead once again. Killing them like that was difficult, the target small and moving erratically and I’d gotten lucky. I needed to take some pressure off Ulmar, and I knew just how to do it.
Using the cutting edge of my spear blade and the rim of my shield, I bashed and slashed, cutting hamstrings and breaking bones as the ghouls were focused on Ulmar and his infuriating Holy light. That didn’t last long, and some of them turned to me. The insane hunger in their eyes as they lunged at me with gaping jaws was jarring.
I knew better now not to try to impale them if it wasn’t a spine or brain shot. If I’d just been a Queen’s spear and had no other training, I’d already have been dead. Luckily for me I’d spent countless hours training and sparring with my shield and spear. Shifting my grip on the spear and my stance, I met the ghouls with the slashing edge and blunt haft of my spear, cracking bones and opening wounds.
I tripped one of them and it fell backward toward
Ulmar, who removed its left arm, shoulder, and head in a spray of black gore.
One leapt onto my shield, claws scrabbling. It was trying to climb over and onto me. With a grunt of effort, I turned slightly and invoked Gale. The concentrated cone of wind flung the ghoul off me and into another small group of ghouls, bowling them over with the impact.
With a thunderous crack and flash, Anastasia was there, and her swords struck like lightning bolts, killing two of the ghouls in the unfortunate pile. Mithra darted in and grabbed the third in his jaws. With a stupendous vertical leap, he flung the ghoul straight up into the air out of sight.
I drove the point of my spear up into the roof of a gaping mouth, mulching the ghoul’s brain and ending its tortured existence. In the next heartbeat, I danced aside as one of them crawling across the ground groped for my legs. I yanked my spear free and drove the counterweight down through the top of its skull.
Mithra ripped another one away from me, and I smashed in a skull with the heavy haft of my spear. I spun, looking for ghouls and found nothing but my friends catching their breath among the remains of newly destroyed ghouls.
That, and Keyris, still sitting on his horse, watching.
Anger boiled inside me, but Anastasia beat me to it. “Keyris, what in the hells were you doing?” she shouted at him.
“I was observing,” he said calmly. I could see that his mace had some gore on it, a single ghoul lying at his horse’s feet.
“Observing! We could have died, or worse—become one of these foul things!” Ulmar joined in, his face red with rage. If he went berserk over this, Keyris might be in for a rough time.
“Mind yourself, dwarf,” Keyris said, a tone of harsh warning in his voice. “Yes, I was observing our Queen’s Beast Mage. It’s not every day that I get to see such a rare class in action. That Tempest Wolf is quite something to behold, don’t you agree? This will be valuable information for our Queen to have. Of course, I would have joined in if I thought these ghouls were any threat, but obviously they were not.”