Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City

by L. G. Estrella

  “When it rains,” Amanda said. “It pours. I believe that is the saying, is it not?”

  Vicky chuckled. “Yes, it is.” Her expression sobered. “We received word from the dwarves that Diamondgate has fallen.” Vicky pointed to the city on the glowing map she’d made. “It was the lynchpin of the dwarves’ defence. Without it, their capital and other major cities are now exposed. Worse, the dwarves report that the horde that overran Diamondgate numbers in the tens of thousands. I think you can all see where this is going. The goblins are massing for a decisive strike, one that the dwarves will be unable to repel without taking unacceptable losses. A follow up attack could see their complete extermination.”

  “It figures.” Avraniel raised one hand, and a roiling sphere of incredibly hot flame appeared above her palm before vanishing. “I’m guessing you want us to head over there and kill all those goblin bastards.”

  “Yes, but there’s more.”

  “Of course, there is,” Timmy grumbled. This was already giving him a headache. It made sense for Vicky to give him the mission. Out of the members of the Council, she was the one who best understood what necromancers were capable of. Goblins were outstanding in attrition-based warfare due to their rapid rate of reproduction, quick maturation, and relentless mindset, but necromancers were even better. The annals of history were full of people who’d lost wars of attrition against necromancers. “What is it?”

  “The dwarf who built the golems you fought has recently been sighted in and around Diamondgate. Nobody knows how he got there, but he is there.” She made a face. “Daerin Steelhammer might have betrayed the Council and unleashed a horde of out-of-control golems, but he is also a genius whose talents could prove most useful in the coming war.” She looked heavenward. “And… he is the brother of the dwarf king.”

  “Good grief,” Timmy muttered. “Perfect. You want us to go after him, don’t you?”

  “Our intent is to have him work off his debt and make reparations by doing what you and the others do. His skills as an engineer, artificer, and inventor are virtually unmatched. Imagine what he could do for us against the empire with sufficient resources and someone to manage his eccentricities.” Vicky’s eyes gleamed. “Imagine what wave after wave of killer golems would do to imperial morale. However, your primary objective is to repel the goblin assault by any means necessary and to retake Diamondgate while securing the dwarves from further attack. We need the dwarves to aid us in the coming war, and they can’t do it if they’re under siege. The dwarves’ expertise in engineering and siege warfare may prove crucial, and their own forces would do well against the empire in conventional battle. Their heavy infantry is excellent.”

  “Why us?” Old Man asked. “Surely, there are other assets you could deploy.”

  “It’s about Katie and me,” Timmy explained. “Necromancers have a long and glorious history of simply overwhelming their opponents, and factions that rely on numbers to press their advantage don’t normally do well against necromancers. Zombies don’t need food, water, air, or rest, and every goblin we kill can be turned into another zombie. As long as the goblins don’t overrun us at the start, we will eventually wear them down if Katie and I both use our necromancy.”

  “Exactly,” Vicky said. “Which is why we’re asking you to deal with them. I do apologise for the short notice, but we are stretched thin. If possible, I would have liked the goblins to delay their offensive for at least a decade, but they haven’t been very cooperative.”

  “They never are.” Timmy smiled thinly. “Having the dwarves in our debt is also bound to come in handy at some point. They hold grudges longer than anyone, but they never let a debt go unrepaid either.” He rubbed his chin. If he’d known they’d be visiting the dwarves, he would have tried to grow a beard. As it was, he’d have to do with looking a bit scruffy. “I will need certain guarantees. I am going to need a lot of zombies to do this, and I don’t want anyone attacking my castle or my zombies while they’re on the move.”

  “Of course.” Vicky smirked. “I’ve already drawn up the paperwork. It should be filed and approved within the hour.”

  “Good.” Timmy closed his eyes and reached out with his magic, and he could sense Katie doing the same. A necromancer of sufficient skill and power could command their zombies across massive distances. It was more taxing, but he could give orders from the other side of the world if he needed to, especially if those orders were fairly general. Telling a zombie to march toward a certain location was much easier than having it attempt to fill out a tax form. His ground-based zombies were not as fast as his zombie wyverns and his other fliers, but they could march tirelessly until they were either destroyed or disabled. “You should also warn the dwarves to expect zombies in their territory. The last thing we need is for them to panic and attack our forces.”

  “I will advise them of that immediately.”

  Timmy’s brows furrowed. He had set up a signalling system using some of his zombies. He could use some of his better-made zombies to write if he took direct control of them, and he was currently relaying instructions to some of his most trusted servants. Likewise, some of the rats with the ability to communicate across large distances had already begun to spread the news to their comrades back at the castle. Later, he could use some of the scrying spheres Gerald had to speak with his servants directly, but it was best to get started as soon as possible. Within a few hours at the most, there would be thousands of zombies on the move with some of the rats and his most trusted servants to guide them. It wasn’t like he expected his servants to do any of the fighting, but having someone around who the zombies had been ordered to obey was always a good idea in case they ran into any complications on the way to the dwarves. He could supervise their movement personally, but he was likely to be busy with his own preparations.

  “By the way,” Timmy said. “Isn’t the king of the dwarves Barin Ironbinder IV? Why would his brother have a different surname?”

  Vicky rolled her eyes. “It may not surprise you to learn that he renamed himself. He thought that Steelhammer was a better name for an artificer.”

  Timmy looked at Katie, and he could tell his apprentice was thinking the same thing. “I don’t know why I asked. This is the dwarf who made self-replicating golems, as well as a golem large enough to destroy entire towns on its own. So, just to be sure, what do you want us to do?”

  “First and foremost, deal with the goblin threat.” Vicky’s eyes hardened. This was the face of Everton’s most feared field commander, not the friendly, slightly quirky woman he considered one of his closest friends. “Provided the dwarves are kept safe, any and all means at your disposal are authorised. Do not worry about the legalities. I’ve already spoken to the rest of the Council. The goblins have committed enough atrocities of their own to warrant the suspension of the usual rules.” Timmy nodded. She knew he had weapons at his disposal that he would not use against civilised opponents who adhered to the conventions of war. The goblins did not adhere to any of those rules – the dwarf population had more than halved over the past several centuries – so he wasn’t about to extend them any courtesies. “Second, secure the safety and cooperation of Daerin Steelhammer. I leave the exact means up to you, but keep in mind that he is the king’s brother. The alliance with the dwarves must be preserved, so even if he’s being difficult, you can’t just hit him over the head with your shovel.”

  Timmy grinned. “But it worked so well with Avraniel.”

  The elf bared her teeth. “Try it again, idiot. I dare you.”

  “Fine. But if you’re going to hit him,” Vicky said. “Don’t hit him too hard. He can’t build us anything if he’s got brain damage.”

  Timmy studied the map in front of them again. He could already see the beginnings of a viable plan although he and Katie would be very, very busy. It would be close, but they should be able to get everything together in time. “We’ll do our best.”

  “Thank you.” Vicky patted his hand. It was
a strange sensation, like touching the warm glass of a cooling lamp. “We have other things to discuss, but they are relatively minor in comparison.”

  * * *

  Katie felt a surge of pride as she and the others flew over their zombie army atop zombie wyverns and zombie drakes. She couldn’t remember the last time her master had unleashed so many of their zombies. There had to be at least thirty thousand zombies here, a veritable army of darkness. Most of them were more normal zombies, but some of their more exotic zombies had come along too. It was a truly inspiring sight, the kind of thing every necromancer dreamed of, and it made the thought of going up against so many goblins less worrying. There might be a horde of goblins waiting for them, but they had rank after rank after rank of zombies at their beck and call.

  As an avid student of history, she knew what goblins could do if left unchecked. The harrowing accounts left by the dwarves spoke of the horrors of being overrun and hunted down in their own cities. It was the stuff of nightmares. However, her master had a plan, and he’d been kind enough to share the details with her. Indeed, his plan was the reason they’d spent every spare moment they’d had between receiving the mission and getting here working frantically in a series of makeshift laboratories that Gerald had cobbled together. This was a battle they could win, but the extra work they’d done would allow them to take the offensive in truly spectacular fashion.

  “Don’t get lazy,” her master warned. He was seated behind her on their zombie drake, a far sturdier and more heavily armoured specimen than the zombie wyverns they usually rode. Technically, it was a zombie drake-hydra since he’d augmented it with enough hydra parts to bolster its healing and regeneration, but it couldn’t spit acid, and it didn’t have multiple heads. Some would have questioned the wisdom of them being in the same place – it made them a target – but this was her first battle of this size. He wanted her to stay where he could keep an eye on her. “Our scouts say they’re close.”

  “Master?” Those scouts were ninja rats riding atop zombie eagles or zombie mountain goats. The rats could easily cloak their mounts, and the zombies allowed the rats to cover far more ground than they could have alone. The Broken Mountains were dominated by rough and rugged terrain. Even the hardiest soldiers would have been hard pressed to march through the narrow mountain passes and steep paths, but zombies could not tire or get discouraged.

  “Cavernholme is the capital of the dwarves,” he said. “And we’re not far from it. Doesn’t it seem odd that nobody has come forward to greet us?”

  Katie’s eyes widened. “Then they must already be under attack!”

  “Exactly. Our scouts have reported that the goblins are currently laying siege to the city. They’ve yet to breach its defences, but I’d rather not take any chances. Those defences took years to construct, and they’ll take years to repair if they are destroyed.” He ruffled her hair – or he would have if she hadn’t been wearing a helmet. As he was always so fond of saying, prevention was better than a cure. Wearing a helmet in a big battle like this was only sensible, especially since a stout knock to the head would disrupt her control over their zombies. “I hope you’re ready. We’ll be commanding the zombies from up here while the others fight on the ground. It’ll be easier for us to get an idea of what’s going on, and although the goblins have fliers of their own, Spot and our flying zombies should be able to handle them.”

  “Right.” Katie took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. On her shoulder, Rembrandt squeaked words of encouragement. She was not alone. He was right there with her, and he would make sure she got through the battle unharmed even if he had to kill a hundred goblins himself. Her mouth was suddenly dry. She’d played plenty of games of strategy, but this was different. This was a real large-scale battle against a real opponent with tens of thousands of troops involved. “We’ll be okay, won’t we?”

  He chuckled and patted her shoulder. “We’ll be fine. Just stay calm, think through what you’re doing, and remember not to fall off the zombie drake.” He grinned. “You’d be amazed by how often it happens. Necromancers get so preoccupied with their zombies on the ground that they forget they’re in the sky – which is why we’re both tied on. There’s less chance of us falling to our deaths although you can fly, so it’s really me who should be worried.”

  “Don’t worry, master,” Katie said. “I’d catch you if you fell off.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  Katie turned her attention to the terrain once more. The trek through the mountains would have exhausted any normal person, especially with how thin the air could get, but their zombies had made the trip in record time. Her gaze shifted to the horizon, and she was momentarily captivated by the view. The Broken Mountains were truly spectacular. They’d gotten their name from how jagged the peaks were, as though an enormous hammer had been used to break off the tops. The dwarves had multiple legends about how the mountains had been created, but others believed it was due to many of the mountains being active or dormant volcanoes. However, based on her survey of the area’s geology, the level of volcanic activity seemed to vary dramatically from age to age. At the moment, the mountains were relatively quiet, and there were only two or three active volcanoes. One of them was relatively close, and a tall pillar of smoke and ash rose from its summit. In years gone by, though, there had been as many as a dozen active volcanoes at the same time.

  Cavernholme was the capital of the dwarves, and it was supposedly one of the grandest cities in the world. In keeping with dwarf tradition, reaching it was not easy. From up here, Katie could already glimpse its famous defences. The city was built inside one of the largest mountains, and its entrances were protected by three titanic trenches that had been dug so deeply into the earth that she could see the gleam of lava within them. Each of those trenches could only be crossed by a handful of bridges with forts built on either side. Taking those bridges would require some truly horrific losses, and that was assuming the dwarves couldn’t destroy them if they became uncertain of their ability to hold them. Unfortunately, the goblins had no qualms whatsoever about taking those losses.

  A shiver ran through her as she got a better look at the battle unfolding below them. Even from up here, the sea of goblins outside the city was an imposing sight. There must be tens of thousands of them. If anything, Councillor Winters had underestimated how many there would be. Rembrandt squeaked his estimate of their numbers, and Katie gulped. Seventy thousand? That was a lot of goblins.

  It was no wonder the dwarves were struggling to hold on. Even with their mighty defences and skilled soldiers, the sheer number of goblins would eventually begin to take its toll. True, the dwarves might be able to drive them back if they could rally reinforcements from other cities, but she doubted the goblins would give them the time they needed. The goblins were relentless. She could see dozens of them fall to the ranged weaponry of the dwarves only for scores more to take their place. And then there was the sound. Even from up here, she could hear the banging of their strange drums, as well as their yells and screams as they pressed onward, heedless of the casualties they took.

  Already, the forts defending the outer side of the first trench had fallen. One of them was in ruins, and the others were ablaze. The forts on the inner side were still intact, and they were unleashing a steady stream of arrows, boulders, magic, and explosives at the goblins pouring across the bridge. Ranks of dwarves in thick plate armour with pikes stood ready, but the goblins barely seemed to care.

  Instead, the green-skinned rabble pressed on. Those at the front were driven onto the pikes, so those behind could clamber over their bodies and leap at the dwarves. Some of the goblins seemed to have crude explosives because every so often a goblin would lunge at the dwarves only to explode, sending the stalwart defenders flying. Even more rarely, a goblin would use magic that seemed to feed off the energy of the throng to blast away at the dwarves or their fortifications.

  Slowly, step by step, the dwarves were
being forced back. As good as their pikes were for keeping the enemy at bay, they made for poor weapons up close. Instead, the pikemen were forced to either set their longer weapons aside in favour of daggers or short swords or rely on those behind them. To make matter worse, the goblins had begun to deploy siege weaponry of their own. True, the average goblin catapult was a ramshackle device that was basically a disaster waiting to happen, but a boulder was a boulder. It didn’t matter how good your armour was if a boulder landed on you, and even the finest fortifications could be torn down with enough boulders.

  Under this withering, relentless assault, the dwarves were forced to give ground, leaving their forts further exposed to the goblin horde and their mages and siege weaponry. It was those mages that worried Katie the most. Goblins were not known for their magical prowess, so to see so many goblin mages in one place was concerning. Or should she call them shamans? If she remembered correctly, there was a difference although she couldn’t recall exactly what it was. Some of them even had the power to punch through the strained defences of the forts. Indeed, one goblin magic user managed to set part of a fort alight after a trio of boulders cracked the faltering barrier around it. Katie’s fists clenched. The dwarves wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. So far, the second set of bridges was still in dwarf hands, but she wasn’t sure how long that could last.