XXVII

  Hidden Underneath

  Two dozen soldiers filtered into the mess hall. Their movements were monotonous, controlled instead of dynamic. A night ago, they had been full of life. This morning, they walked amongst the dead, their lives snuffed out like a candle in a blizzard.

  My heart didn’t skip a beat as they passed me. Two dozen paled in comparison to how many I had killed.

  I turned and glanced out the window. The castle walls blocked the sight of the Wall, yet I could envision the abominations lurking on the other side that would swarm our lands if given the chance.

  My gaze narrowed—

  The sweet empress you’re playing as can get you there too, I heard Lucian say.

  —and that was fine so long as it didn’t interfere with my duty. But demons were invasive. Better to wipe them out as soon as possible.

  I turned back to the undead. Transforming four of them into squires should be enough for the merchants’s needs. The regular soldiers would fill the rest of the ranks. That would leave me with about half of the newly arisen soldiers, however. What to do with them?

  Lazily glancing over the undead, I called the obsidian gem, built upon a bedrock of death, into my palm and raised it to eye-level. A ripple coursed through two dozen dead, their eyes glued to the stone.

  My lips curved. That they hungered for it was no surprise. It was basically a phylactery already.

  The more I poured into the core, the more I would get out of it, so I would’ve gladly fed it the remainder of the dead.

  But I couldn’t.

  I need more mages, I thought. Undead mystics and apprentices, which were the core of any great undead army. They could not only command lower-levelled undead, but also “heal” and raise them. The mystic wouldn’t repair more than minor wounds, and the apprentice wouldn’t raise more than ghouls, but that was fine. We had to start somewhere.

  The issue was that all of the bandits, except for two, had near zero potential for magic. And when I said “exception”, I did so carefully. Maybe their great great grandparent had had the gift.

  That left deconstructing and merging the undead. If I added the near zero values to the ones with minor talent, I could create a mystic and apprentice…maybe.

  It’s worth a shot, I thought.

  I was calculating the odds of a successful merge when shuffling in the corner of my sight drew my eye. Ah, right, she was still here.

  ‘Your service is appreciated, Miranda,’ I said.

  The Black Heart Company representative was a far cry from the image she’d adopted during our first meeting. Gone was the quiet confidence. In came the fear.

  ‘What are you going to do with me?’ She got out through clattering teeth, not meeting my eyes.

  ‘That depends on you,’ I said.

  She looked up.

  ‘I’m a necromancer, not a devil,’ I said. ‘As promised, you have an opportunity to save your life.’

  Miranda listened intently as I put away the black core. ‘You’re a negotiator, aren’t you, Miranda?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. The shadow over her eyes lightened as she caught on to what she thought was her way out of certain death. ‘It would be my greatest honour to work for your clan, Warden.’

  ‘And you’ll be able to, should you pass your test.’

  ‘Test?’

  With a flex of the mind, I ordered the dead. Their heavy steps carried them to my rear, and the two dozen undead furled out behind me like wings.

  ‘I kept what happened to your party low-profile. Do you understand what that means?’

  The hall was quiet for some time.

  ‘I’m a loose end,’ Miranda said.

  ‘That’s right,’ I said. My back straightened. ‘Miranda, formerly of the Black Hearts,’ I intoned, my deep voice echoing through the chamber. ‘Convince me of your worth.’

  And the girl negotiated as if her life depended on it.

  Levi was sitting on a bench near the main square of Winterforge. Men, women, and children of all ages strode through the square, carrying varying goods who knew where. Amongst them were constructs of ice, some that looked like spiders, others which were humanoid in shape and walked upright.

  One thing was on his mind as Levi watched them: he was bored.

  When he agreed to negotiate with the Ebonfrost clan in Sepharin’s stead, he’d expected a raging battle of clashing interest. Life in Winterforge had been anything but. Not only was the clan accommodating (though they kept to themselves), but they were perfectly reasonable when discussing any aid they could offer. Even Diego admitted that he had no complaints on the preliminary terms the Ebonfrosts had put forth, and even called them “abnormally profitable.”

  In short, it meant Levi was spending most of his time sitting around. Though he could walk through the village and appreciate the scenery, the sights lost their touch after the dozenth time. It didn’t help that Leah and Jaeger were gone either. Diego was friendly, but Levi didn’t know him well enough to be his conversational partner.

  Levi exhaled, the mist of his breath merging with the world. I should’ve brought more books with me, he thought. He was almost through the compendium of Father Callahan's sermons, which was one of two works he had on hand.

  He glanced at the undead orc standing beside his bench.

  Maybe I can ask Seph?

  She was busy. But it should be fine, right? A single undead should be enough to bring him more of his collection…he paused. Did he just consider utilising her dead?

  A sudden, sharp cry interrupted his thoughts before he could berate himself, and Levi looked up to find a commotion in the centre of the square. Adults surrounded a crying boy clutching his foot.

  Levi stood and approached.

  ‘This is why I told you to bring it in for regular maintenance!’ he heard a familiar voice, which was also hurriedly approaching the scene.

  Levi pushed his way through the crowd to find Nerya chewing out one of her clanmates. He glanced behind her. One of the golems was lying on the floor and struggling to get up. Levi peered. Its leg had snapped off, and around it lay pieces of whatever ornament it had carried. A picture of what transpired formed in Levi’s head.

  ‘I didn’t think it was needed, Ma’am!’ The man Nerya was reprimanding threw up his hands. ‘He’s been performing just fine!’

  ‘You think I’m stupid, Leroy?!’ Nerya said. Her cheeks were blood red. ‘My costs aren’t that high for you to continue evading me!’

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  From the facial expression of the other adults, Levi could tell this wasn’t the first time this had happened.

  ‘I’m sorry—’ whatever else the man was about to say died in his throat after he noticed Levi.

  Nerya whirled around, and Levi’s breath got stuck in his throat. He didn’t know her gaze could be that steely.

  And now all eyes were on him.

  He coughed. ‘I couldn’t help but overhear the child’s screams, so I came to check.’

  ‘You worry is appreciated, Sir. Levi,’ Nerya said. She fixed the offending man with another look before kneeling next to the injured child and carefully turning his leg around. ‘Everything’s alright, just a minor injury. Nothing a salve won’t fix.’

  ‘Let me see,’ Levi said, joining her.

  A tall, broad man, stepped in his way, though. ‘She said everything’s alright, Sir.’

  Levi blinked. ‘That may be, but I’m a priest. It will only take a second.’

  The man paused, perhaps not aware of Levi’s abilities. He glanced behind him. Only when Nerya nodded did he move out of the way.

  Crazy, Levi thought as he stepped past. He knew they were isolationist, but this was going quite far, no? Whatever, he shook his head and turned his attention on the wound. The piece of decorated rock had hit the side of the knee, scraping off flesh, and the sudden force and change in direction had caused the boy to sprain his ankle.

  Still, even though it wasn’t anything “a salve won’t fix,” as Nerya said, the boy would suffer and be impaired for at least a week.

  ‘This will only hurt a moment,’ Levi said, gently cupping the offending region.

  The boy glanced between him and Nerya. Nerya put her hand on the boy’s.

  Levi worked his magic. The child yelped (behind him Levi heard the shuffle of heavy feet), but the cry of pain turned into a soothing one in a blink.

  My magic’s gotten stronger, Levi noticed offhandedly. His healing always returned the skin to its original state, yet it would have a pinkish colour, signifying his patient’s need to not damage it again in a short span of time. The boy’s skin was perfectly white. Better yet, the wound Levi healed appeared sturdier than that of the skin around it.

  Could this be a consequence of the vision?

  ‘Try walking,’ Levi said, leaving his considerations for later.

  The boy got up and put a step. His mouth fell wide open, and he jumped in place. ‘It’s healed! Thank you, mister!’

  ‘You’re welcome,’ Levi said, rising.

  Levi glanced to the side. The look on Nerya’s face was particular enough he couldn’t decipher what she might be thinking.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I had nothing to do anyways.’ Then he made to return to his seat, patting the tall man on the shoulder as he passed him. ‘Should you ever require aid again, I’m near.’

  The man’s cheeks reddened. ‘…Thank you, Sir.’

  Levi nodded and returned to the bench, where he found the undead guard stationed beside it eyeing him.

  ‘Should I speak to that villager for you?’ it said, discretely motioning at the man who’d blocked Levi’s path.

  That must be Seph.

  ‘No need,’ Levi said, opening his tome. ‘Love and peace in return for aggression. That’s how I do things.’

  The wind rustled past them both. Well, Levi thought solemnly, that wasn’t true all the time, was it?

  ‘Seph,’ he said.

  ‘Yes?’

  Levi fondled his tome. Wouldn’t asking such a thing make him a hypocrite? He had admonished her powers many times…

  But Sepharin’s powers weren’t going anywhere. Was he going to refuse asking her anything his entire life? Hadn’t she severely limited herself and only used her power for good? He didn’t have the answers, so he chose what he thought right in the moment.

  ‘Can I ask you a favour?’ he said.

  He spoke and the undead listened, its eyes widening minutely as he did.

  ‘The perfect solution for the task happened to arrive just now,’ she said at the end.

  His brow raised, but Sepharin was staring ahead. ‘You’ve got company,’ she whispered.

  ‘Lady Nerya,’ Levi said, turning around. ‘Was everything solved?’

  ‘Cleanly,’ she said, ‘thanks to you.’ She eyed the lifeless corpse beside the bench. It moved not an inch, though Levi would bet his little toe Sepharin was still in there and listening.

  ‘I came to apologise,’ Nerya said.

  ‘For?’ Levi’s head tilted.

  ‘My clanmate’s behaviour. It’s no excuse, but they’re not used to outsiders. None of us are.’

  ‘I understand,’ Levi said. ‘I’ve spent most of my life in a temple, so the faults and hardships of isolation are well known to me.’

  ‘You are wise beyond your age, Sir,’ she said. Then she briefly glanced at the floor before speaking up. ‘Would you appreciate a cup of tea? I need to return to my workshop for repairs on the golem, and you happened to mention the lack of on-going activity.’

  Levi glanced behind her. Another golem, a spider, one twice as big as all the others of the same shape, was carrying the broken golem on its back.

  His tome snapped shut. ‘Gladly,’ he smiled.

  Afternoon had struck once more. The solar star was out, having cleared out the haze over the mountains, which served Leah’s party well: the tracks in the snow were clearer to the eye.

  ‘We’re closing in on it,’ Varrick said.

  There was an eagerness in his tone, Leah thought. One she didn’t think the mere eagerness of a hunter. Well, it didn’t matter to her. Her staff was close at hand, and the spell on her feet, levitate, lightened her steps, making it more difficult for any would-be present predator to hear her.

  The tracks led them higher up the mountain, towards a natural cave entrance. The entrance was narrow, shadowy and partially covered in snow. Leah peaked inside. The descent was steep. The cave walls were rugged and dark, made of the stone that gave the Ebonfrost clan their name, and they diverged the further you went down. Leah doubted any sane person would ever set foot here, for the place was big enough she could pass for a smudge on the wall if viewed from the right distance.

  ‘There are more of such entrances,’ Varrick said. ‘This one only goes down about a kilometre.’

  ‘A perfect hideout for an alpha,’ Jaeger said. He glanced at Leah. ‘What do you want to do?’

  She hummed. Using another scrying spell would do her no good—the darkness would keep her from seeing anything. But Leah wasn’t crazy enough to scout herself.

  ‘The alpha survived what happened to its pack,’ she said. ‘Finding it could allow us to determine whatever the event was.’

  Their party gazed into the dark entrance.

  ‘I ain’t volunteerin’’ Drake said.

  ‘I didn’t expect you to,’ Jaeger said, smiling. ‘That’s why it will be an order.’

  Drake fought against the desire to cuss Jaeger out, and the frostguards chuckled at his expense.

  ‘My soldiers are brave,’ came a deep voice. Everyone turned to the walking, dead behemoth standing cross-armed behind them. Sepharin Vrost spoke through her minion. ‘But let us not be so hasty.’

  ‘Ma’am?’ Jaeger said.

  The woman’s finger curled in a come-hither motion, and one of the wolf corpses from before revealed itself. Following it were…Leah’s brow raised. Were those snow owls and foxes? The undead didn’t wait for her confusion to answer itself and charged into the entrance without delay, using their nimbleness to either jump from wall to wall or their wings to glide down.

  Sepharin seated herself. ‘We wait.’

  And wait they did. They had started a small fire and decided to eat lunch when Sepharin finally spoke up again.

  ‘There’s no sign of the alpha,’ she said.

  Varrick glanced where they’d come from. Even from here you could see the footprints in the snow. Everyone understood what he was saying without need for words.

  ‘We’re going down,’ Sepharin said.

  Leah grimaced. She’d still hoped that wouldn’t be necessary.

  They appointed half of the group, Jaeger, Drake and Michael amongst the ones going down. Sepharin would go in as well using Durak. The others would remain and send word back to Winterforge in case of an emergency.

  ‘What about me, Warden?’ Varrick said.

  She regarded him. ‘Though your aid is appreciated, from here on out, this is a frostguard expedition, Varrick. There’s no need for you to come.’

  ‘With all due respect, Warden, this mountain is my home. If the orcs are here, I want to know.’

  The looming undead held his gaze. Leah imagined that not a single significant calculation was taking place inside all that muscle.

  ‘Very well,’ Sepharin said after a moment, and Leah snickered.

  They had no hiking gear, so Sepharin and Leah were forced to create stairs of ice between gaps too big to leap. But they made their way down and reached a decline that levelled out enough to allow the party to walk the final distance, after which the ground levelled out completely.

  Leah glanced up. The light coming from above was barely a speck.

  They stalked across the path ahead, making their way through a meandering road. Leah’s breathing hitched somewhere along the way, and the group stopped dead in their tracks, everyone looking at her.

  She reached into her pouch. The rune was growing hotter. Ah, it clicked in her head. She’d thought it questionable that it wasn’t responding despite ascending the peaks. But the location was down and not up.

  Leah exchanged a meaningful look with Sepharin.

  The Warden reached into a pouch of her own and three more undead orcs joined their party.

  ‘Vigilance,’ the Warden cautioned. ‘They may have escaped my notice.’

  And because they heeded it, soft footsteps grew infinitely louder within the cold, desolate rocks, and shadows flickered strangely underneath the torch light.

  Leah controlled her breathing. Thunder or fire? she questioned and discarded both options immediately. Besides the echo of the thunderblast deafening everyone around her, it would announce them to anything in this accursed place. Fire was too chaotic to guarantee leaving her party unscathed with how close they were. Ice it is, she thought, her lips drawing into a line. She hated ice.

  The pathway ended in a drop of a few feet that led into what could be described as a chamber, albeit one formed by nature. The chamber was a closed room, with no other entrance in or out besides the one they had used.

  They jumped down, and Leah briefly considered if they would have enough miasma to make it back up with the amount of stairs they would need to craft. I’ll conserve as much energy as possible.

  Michael raised his torch to a nearby stalagmite and surveyed the room. ‘This isn’t the alpha’s lair,’ he said.

  ‘I’m suspecting the same,’ Varrick chimed in.

  ‘The size a problem?’ Jaeger said.

  ‘Size is alrite.’ Drake swiped a finger over the earth. ‘But ain’t no marks.’

  Leah inspected their surroundings more closely. There indeed wasn’t anything such as discarded fur or carcasses that would point to a Frostfang alpha making the cave its residence.

  ‘A secret passage?’ Michael tried.

  ‘I don’t sense anything unusual about this place.’

  She begrudgingly turned to Sepharin, but the woman remained silent. If there was anything here, it was covered up well.

  ‘So what,’ Jaeger said, ‘the alpha vanished into thin air?’

  ‘That’s what it looks like,’ Leah shrugged.

  And though it wasn’t the answer they wanted to accept, no amount of searching or battering walls revealed anything out of the ordinary.

  ‘Let’s make our way back up,’ Sepharin said. ‘We’ll return tomorrow.’

  So they left the gaping room behind them, knowing they were missing something.

  But what could it be?