Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City

by L. G. Estrella

  “No, I suppose you can’t.” Vicky stood up. “I will try to come by more often. Spot does need an instructor, and I do have astral magic.” She tilted her head to one side. “I think we should head back in. It sounds like Katie needs some help. Unless I’m mistaken, Spot is trying to sing.”

  “Oh, good grief.” Timmy shuddered. “Don’t get me wrong. I like Spot. He’s a great dragon, and the castle is a happier place with him around, but he cannot sing – and neither can the dwarves when they’re this drunk.” He closed his eyes for a moment as another voice joined Spot and the dwarves. “Although Avraniel is apparently an excellent singer even when she’s in the middle of a drinking contest. Hopefully, she doesn’t burn this place down. We did just finish saving it, after all.”

  “I still have to ask her about her transformation.”

  “That should be an interesting conversation. How often do you see someone transform into a crystal version of themselves with a miniature star for a heart?”

  * * *

  Amanda watched the fireworks fill the sky with bursts of light and colour. It was something the dwarves and the rats had put together to celebrate their last day in the Shimmering Isles before they resumed their journey back to the mainland. The rodents and the mountain dwellers had found they had a lot in common. The rats had clearly lost their homeland once, so to help others reclaim something important to them must have given them hope that they too could one day take back what had been theirs. It was a welcome sight, and she was sure it would be repeated when King Barin returned to the mountains.

  There had been precious little reason for the dwarves to celebrate lately, but recent events had changed that. Reports had also begun to come back. Timmy had given the dwarves control over his zombies – at least in a general sense – and they had continued to press their advantage, driving the goblins back and inflicting heavy losses upon them. The cosmic fungi the goblins served had also been mysteriously absent even when the dwarves pushed into settlements that had long been held by the goblins. Amanda wasn’t foolish enough to think they were gone, but they must still be licking their wounds. The Hearthgate had also gone completely inert. It was possible the cosmic fungi had expended a lot of their strength to alter it only for Old Man and Daerin to sabotage their efforts at the last moment. Now that the dwarves knew what they were truly up against, they could begin to develop proper countermeasures, and Timmy had promised to help them. Few had his knack for understanding eldritch entities, and fewer still could call a being as ancient, knowledgeable, and powerful as Sam a friend.

  The dwarves had also spoken of fielding their own necromancers. True, they were unlikely to be anywhere near as powerful as Timmy or Katie, but the ability to turn dead goblins into additional shock troops was too valuable to pass up. She doubted Timmy would take another apprentice, but he should be able to pass on quite a few handy lessons without too much trouble.

  “It is a welcome sight.” King Barin walked over to her. “And one I was not sure I would ever see. The world has not always been kind to the dwarves.”

  “The sweetest victories often take the longest to secure.”

  “Aye.” He glanced over to where his brother was arguing good-naturedly with Marden and some of the demolition rats about ways to improve the display. He seemed to believe that a giant golem would make it much better whereas the rats favoured the use of increasingly large explosives. Marden, a sensible dwarf, had spent most of his time pointing out the many, many problems with both approaches. “I have my brother back, idiot that he is, and the Sky City has returned. Better still, we have dealt serious blows to the goblins and the empire. Few kings have ever managed so much, yet I am still uneasy.”

  “Uneasy is the head that wears the crown,” Amanda murmured. She looked at Old Man. The swordsman was sitting with Gerald and Katie as the fireworks continued to light up the sky. Timmy and Vicky were talking behind them, and Avraniel and Spot were next to Chomp and some of the demolition rats. Most dogs would have panicked at the loud bursts of sound and light, but Chomp was made of sterner stuff. He had to be when he spent so much time with Avraniel, Spot, and the demolition rats. “The rewards, should we triumph, will be incredible. You may find yourself mentioned in the same breath as the greatest of your ancestors.”

  Barin smiled thinly. “I would rather win peace and prosperity for my people than glory for myself. One day, I’ll be ash under the mountain, but my people will remain. I would leave my son a better kingdom than the one I inherited.” He nodded firmly. “I will clear the goblins from the great cities. Once they have been re-fortified, we will be able to deal with the rest of them in time. We should be able to manage at least that much before the hammer of the empire falls.”

  “You will have what aid we can spare.”

  “And when the hammer falls…?”

  “It will most likely fall at sea.” Amanda’s eyes narrowed. “The Shimmering Isles and its surroundings may play host to the greatest naval battle the world has ever seen.”

  “And then there will be the land battles.” His voice hardened, and there was steel in his eyes, the same steel his bloodline was so renowned for – Ironbinder indeed. Many would have thought Ironblood more appropriate. “I have heard unsettling news of the straits.”

  He didn’t have to specify which straits. They both knew what he was talking about. “They will try to force a crossing somehow, and we must be ready to meet them. It will be a bloody affair, and they will seek to grind us down with their numbers and to catch us by surprise if they can.”

  “I will send troops and engineers.” The king’s expression turned grim. “We dwarves might not be much good on the open sea, but give us some walls, tunnels, or trenches, and we’ll kill ten times our number or more.”

  It was true. There were few races that could match the sheer stubbornness and hardiness of the dwarves. Their talent for building fortifications and for fighting defensive battles had allowed them to survive for centuries despite being hideously outnumbered by the goblins. Against the empire, they would be outnumbered again. However, they would not be fighting alone, and the empire’s soldiers were not goblins. If imperial soldiers fell in the thousands for little perceived gain, then morale amongst them would plummet. The dwarves were not invincible, but they would extract a ghastly toll on anyone who tried to dislodge them from an area they had committed to defending.

  “It would be greatly appreciated.”

  “And what will you do? You are no longer a councillor, but you clearly wield great influence. You, as much as anyone, have a role to play in the coming conflict.”

  “For now, I will return to Timmy’s castle. We have all been rather busy, and we could use the rest. But I have no doubt that Everton will have need of us again – and soon. When that moment comes, we will be ready.”

  “A fine sentiment.”

  “I will also reach out to some old… friends.” She lowered her voice. “I am an ancient vampire, Your Majesty, and although I have no coven of my own, we ancients do keep track of one another. Few of the others hold any loyalty to any nation or power beyond themselves, but some of them have skills that may be of use to us. Several owe me favours, and the others can be bought for the right price.” Her lips curled. “And for an even higher price, some of them might even stay bought. I have also begun to consider smuggling more spies into the Eternal Empire.”

  “Who did you have in mind?”

  “The ninja rats. The empire is too vigilant for normal infiltrators to last long. Already, our sources within their government have been cut to a quarter of their previous numbers, and our attempts to infiltrate the upper echelons of their military have largely failed. However, the rats should be able to evade notice, and they are extremely skilled in spying, sabotage, and other covert operations. At the moment, they reside in Timmy’s castle or in outposts Timmy has set up in various cities, towns, and villages, but they can survive in the wilderness if they need to. Some rats could easily set up in the count
ryside near a major city or military facility, which could give us a steady source of information.”

  “A risky endeavour for the rats – but potentially very profitable.”

  “The rats have completed such missions before, and they have much better backing now. Any rats we send will have only the finest equipment and supplies, and it would be all but impossible for the empire to stop a zombie shark carrying a few of them to a remote section of the coast. If necessary, we could use a similar method to smuggle them more supplies.”

  The king nodded. He owed his life to one of the ninja rats. He would never make the mistake of underestimating them. “Out of curiosity, do they serve Timmy or Katie?”

  “Theoretically, they serve Katie, and I’m under the impression there is a prophecy of some kind about her.” Amanda’s lips twitched. “But they’re not stupid. They know Katie is talented, but they also realise that she is both young and relatively inexperienced. Timmy is – in every way except blood – her father, so they will heed his orders unless they see a good reason not to.”

  King Barin’s jaw clenched at the mention of prophecy. The gift of foresight was both revered and feared by the dwarves. “Katie is a good person, but her magic… you, of all people, must recognise it. The records were suppressed, but you were alive when that suppression happened.”

  “I’m not surprised you would bring that up. Your family has good reason to be concerned.” She lowered her voice again. “I had my suspicions, but the way the cosmic fungi reacted to her shadows has removed all doubt.” Her voice grew both gentle and hard at the same time. “So, yes, I understand your concerns, but she is not her ancestor, Barin.”

  The king chuckled as Spot tackled Katie. The pair went sprawling, and the dragon gleefully bounded out of reach of her shadows. Katie struck a pose that had Timmy covering his face with his hands while Princess Calista cheered her on. What followed was an impromptu battle that only ended when Katie agreed to give Spot the cuddle – and the peanuts – he felt he deserved. He ended up slouched across the young necromancer’s lap, staring up at the last of the fireworks as Katie scratched his head. The dragon gave a contented trill and then began to rummage through her pockets for more peanuts. When he didn’t find any, he gave Gerald a hopeful look. The bureaucrat dutifully handed over a bag of peanuts. Where he’d gotten them, Amanda had no idea, but Gerald did seem to have a little bit of everything stored away with his magic.

  “No, she is not, and that is for the best. Power always has a price, and the price her ancestors paid was grave indeed.” King Barin smiled faintly. “I am certain she will turn out better than any of them ever did.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Timmy breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped back into the familiar halls of Black Tower Castle. Nothing had seemed out of place outside, but appearances could be deceiving. He’d used that to his advantage more than once when he’d first taken over the castle, using its dilapidated appearance to convince potential enemies there was nothing in it worth taking until he’d grown strong enough to defend it. It was always best to make sure, and he reached out with his magic. He connected to the countless runes and seals he’d worked into the very stones of the castle. One by one, the various surveillance and security measures he’d put in place responded. All was well – or as well as it could be given the presence of primordial eldritch beings of incomprehensible might and extremely dubious intentions under the castle. Fortunately, all of them were still sleeping, or so it seemed. He’d have to ask Sam to be sure.

  Everything was as it should be, right down to some of the hatchlings of Sam’s kind wandering through the lower floors with cupcakes. His collection of shark jaws had also been left exactly as it had been. Oh, he might put up with Vicky rearranging them every now and then, but he wasn’t about to let anyone else get away with it. As he and the others continued into the castle, several servants came forward to meet them. Sam was there too, and it was a testament to the servants’ composure and experience that none of them flinched when they looked at Sam although they were keeping a slightly more than polite distance from him. The protoplasmic horror was holding several plates with cake on them.

  “I trust all has been well in my absence,” Timmy said. He wasn’t fond of formalities, but some of the servants insisted on it, and he didn’t see the harm in humouring them. Technically, he was a noble due to being the rightful ruler of the castle.

  One of the senior maids, Tamara, came forward. The old woman had served in the castle for decades, and he had tasked her with ensuring that all of the new staff was up to standard. He had initially planned to let her retire and return to her family, but after finding out that Black Scales had wiped out her family years ago, he had invited her to live out the rest of her days at the castle. It was her home, and he was not about to take it from her.

  “Yes, Lord Bolton. We paid close attention to your instructions, and your orders have been followed precisely. The new members of staff have done well, and I have no complaints about their performance. There have been no problems with either the zombies or… the other things, but the villagers did report several bandit incursions.”

  “Really?” Timmy almost rolled his eyes. Bandits might not be very clever, but they could be cunning on occasion. “I’m not surprised they tried something during my absence, but I was hoping they’d be smart enough to stay away. Have they been dealt with?”

  The maid nodded firmly. “We consulted with the ninja rats, and they dispatched several scouts to assess the situation. After further discussion, we deployed your zombie scorpion-drake to deal with the bandits. You were quite clear on the safety of the villagers being a priority during your absence.”

  “Ah, yes. You mean the giant scorpion with drake wings, right?” He chuckled and shook his head in fond exasperation. “Katie was convinced we could add a few hydra heads, but giant scorpion corpses are awful to work with.”

  “Yes, my lord, that is the zombie we deployed. We thought it appropriate since the ninja rats said that the bandits were common riff-raff. The zombie dealt with them easily enough, and we used lesser zombies and some ninja rats to apprehend any who surrendered while securing their camp.” She handed him a list. “Here is a copy of what the rats were able to recover from their camp. There isn’t much in the way of gold, silver, or other valuables, but…”

  Timmy skimmed the list. It was the usual bandit stuff, but one item immediately leapt out at him. “They had a tidal crystal? Incredible. I wouldn’t expect garden-variety bandits to have something like that.”

  “Indeed.” Tamara nodded again. “The rats were unsure as to the nature of the crystal, but they could tell it was valuable. They consulted with the librarian, and he confirmed what it was.”

  “Good. I’m not surprised he recognised it.” He handed the list to Katie, and his apprentice was equally quick to examine it before Avraniel grabbed it. Explaining for the maid’s benefit, he continued. “A tidal crystal can be used to control water to some degree, depending on its size, purity, and other properties. It’s rare to see one that isn’t in the possession of merfolk, and it’s even rarer to see one this far inland. I don’t know how the bandits got it, but I doubt they knew what it was. Otherwise, they’d have sold it for a handsome profit.”

  “I see.” The maid nodded. “There are a few other issues…”

  Once they had finished covering the more important matters, Timmy headed deeper into the castle. He could deal with all of those later. Right now, though, he had other concerns. Sam fell into step beside him. Well, not exactly. After all, Sam didn’t even have legs or feet unless he chose to extrude them. Instead, he simply floated along beside Timmy, held aloft by whatever organs or eldritch powers he’d chosen to use. He offered a greeting, his tentacles moving in familiar fashion as he shifted from one colour to the next in a communication display that conveyed happiness, curiosity, and contentment. His mind brushed against Timmy’s as gently as he could manage to ensure all was well.

&nbs
p; “It’s good to be back, my friend.” Timmy grinned. Sam had changed colours into something that hinted at unease. He must have been able to tell that Timmy had come into contact with the cosmic fungi. “I’ve got quite a story to tell you, but how are things on your end? Nothing seems out of place, but you would know better than me if something was amiss with the ones underneath the castle.”

  It was an important question. Ultimately, Timmy was the one responsible for managing much of the magic that kept the more powerful things that lived underneath the castle in a state of slumber. He was also responsible for the magic that governed the lesser eldritch entities although some, like Sam, were given a great deal of leeway. In his absence, he counted on Sam and other likeminded horrors to keep the others in line. If the castle’s defences were somehow breached, it would also be up to Sam to defend the castle with his fellows. Sam, of course, quite liked the world the way it was, and he enjoyed life in the castle with Timmy and the others. Anyone who tried to mess with the current state of affairs was going to end up very dead.

  If Sam called upon the full power available to him while he was within the castle, it was likely that he could overpower multiple members of the Council. He wouldn’t be alone either. There were likeminded horrors amongst his kind who also enjoyed the way things were, and the hatchlings liked being able to wander and explore without being enslaved or banished back to their eldritch realm by overzealous mages. Of course, there were still rules to follow, and he still had to keep an eye on them since they could get overenthusiastic, but it was miles better for them than it had been during his master’s reign. Honestly, taking the castle should be practically impossible for anyone who didn’t have a way to deal with Sam and the others.

  Although Katie could, in theory, handle many of the duties Timmy took care of when it came to managing the castle’s magical defences and restraints, she was still far too young to do it on a long-term basis. Well, she could, but given who and what he increasingly suspected she was, doing so might have unpleasant consequences. Katie was an excellent and capable apprentice, but he wasn’t going to expose her to danger of this particular kind without an extremely good reason. The worst-case scenario would be one of the really big ones waking up while he was gone. If that happened, even Sam would have no choice but to obey or die fighting a battle he had precisely zero chance of winning.