Talia bent her back to the task of dragging the wagon along the uneven path. Once, it might have been well-preserved, but it had fallen into disrepair. Likely that had coincided with the fall of its host kingdom. Adontis might’ve been populated with monsters-in-human-skin, but they were well-versed in management. It was amazing how well a government functioned when they had little oversight and weren’t beholden to morality. Slavery made maintenance so much easier, and all it cost was a people’s collective and metaphorical soul.
She’d been in the labyrinth for most of a week, and she’d passed three strongholds along the way. They had all been abandoned, and quickly enough that they’d left most of their supplies behind. That had proven a boon for Talia, as she’d broken more wheels than she could count. On top of that, even though she was undead, she still had the need to eat and drink. She wouldn’t starve like a living person, but she would progressively grow weaker – both in mind and body – if she forewent sustenance. So, having a ready source of food – even if some of it had begun to turn – had lifted a burden from her shoulders.
Still, the way was not easy, and to make matters worse, Talia had, on more than one occasion, found herself lost. The map she’d taken was not as detailed as she would have liked, and the portion devoted to the labyrinth was even more confusing than the rest. Still, Talia’s persistence never wavered, and she trudged along.
However, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but worry for Zeke. He’d remained unconscious throughout the journey, never moving a single muscle. If she didn’t know better, she would have considered him to be an actual statue. Yet, she knew he was alive, if only barely, and she was the only person who was in a position to help.
It was fitting. Zeke was her only true friend, and Talia had to believe that she occupied a similar space in his life. He had Pudge, but the former dire bear was more of a little brother than a friend. And Talia had Adriel and Baruk, but she hadn’t known either of them long enough to put t hem on the same level with Zeke.
Of course, she could recognize that she’d put the man on a pedestal, idolizing him in a way that wasn’t particularly healthy. But in her defense, it was unavoidable. He’d saved her. He had taken the time to understand her. To help her maintain whatever was left of her humanity.
No one else had done anything like that, and so, her relationship with Zeke was different from what she shared with all the rest. Her feelings were aromantic, but no less powerful for that.
One step after another, she covered ground. When she grew tired, she rested. When she was hungry, she dipped into the stores she had gathered from the strongholds. And when danger presented itself, she fought with every ounce of ferocity she could muster. And like that, they traversed the labyrinth.
Eventually, she started talking to Zeke. Originally, she’d done so in the hopes that the sound of her voice might pull him closer to consciousness, but as the days wore on, she was forced to acknowledge that it was as much for her own benefit as it was to help him.
None of what she said was particularly poignant. In fact, she often found herself simply narrating her surroundings. It made the time pass a little more easily, and what’s more, she found it cathartic to simply talk, even if her chosen conversation partner could neither hear her nor respond.
Even when she was human, Talia hadn’t engaged in mindless chatter. Some of that was because of the loneliness of her childhood, but it was also due to her characteristic social anxiety. She didn’t really get along with people very well, and her transformation into one of the undead had only made that trait more pronounced. But that was how she liked it, if she was honest. Vapid conversation was the last thing she wanted to occupy her time.
So, the catharsis she felt was a little surprising, but she chose not to question it too much. Instead, she just focused on taking one step at a time. Gradually, she covered one mile after another until more than a week after she had entered the labyrinth, the wagon’s axle broke. Talia shuddered to a stop as it dug into the rocky ground.
It actually took her a moment to recognize what had happened, but when she did, the emotions of the moment overwhelmed her. She dropped to her knees and buried her head in her hands. Like that, she wept.
The heart she had eaten had stuck with her for far longer than normal. Maybe it was because of the Knight’s level. Or perhaps there was some other factor at play. Whatever the case, her emotions had been running wild ever since, and they were far stronger than normal. After her time in Darukar, she’d thought she had grown accustomed to once again having emotions. But what she felt now far exceeded anything she’d experienced in the undead city.
As tears of frustration fell down her cheeks, she couldn’t help but ponder her situation. Was Zeke doomed? Would he every awaken? Or was she destined to go back to being alone? It would be like returning to the abyss, and she knew – in her heart and soul – that she couldn’t take that. Not again.
Talia wasn’t sure how long she remained there, kneeling in the center of that path. But when she finally rose, her tears had long since dried. The sun had set as well, and she decided that she would wait until the morning before she figured out how to repair the wagon. And if that failed, she would turn it into a litter.
Because one way or another, she was going to get Zeke back to his tower.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The night passed uneventfully, though because of her undead nature, Talia had long left any fear of the shadows behind. She was a monster herself, wasn’t she? What did she have to fear from the terrors of the dark?
At sunrise, she dragged Zeke out of his wagon, then got to work trying to fix the axle. It had completely snapped, meaning that there was no hope of repairing it. So, she attempted to find alternate means of getting the job done. However, it quickly became apparent that without tools or a replacement for the axle, she was doomed to failure.
But with the coming of a new day, she’d felt a resurgence of purpose. A renewal of hope. She would make it work, one way or another. So, with new resolve flowing through her mind, Talia started to deconstruct the wagon. Once it was in pieces, she put them back together, tying them in place with some rope she’d salvaged from one of the abandoned forts until she had a passable litter. Finally, she dragged Zeke into place, then continued on her way through the labyrinth.
For two more days she traveled until she reached another abandoned outpost. There, she found another large wagon, which she commandeered to make her progress easier. It worked, speeding her along the way through the labyrinth until, at last, she caught sight of other people.
At first, she was elated to have discovered habitation. However, that quickly dissipated when she realized that they were Knights, and not the sort she had fought in Adontis proper. These were somehow shinier and more dignified, though Talia couldn’t quite place why she felt the latter.
Yet, she did know who they were.
Back in Darukar, she’d been briefed on the Kingdom of El’kireth’s enemies, which were innumerable. She had tried to learn them all, but she’d focused most of her attention on the closest among them. First on that list were the Knights of Adontis, with whom the forces of El’kireth frequently clashed. There were a couple of others – like Spora and Sythe – but the most prominent among their enemies was the one to whom Adontis owed their allegiance. The nation itself had been known by many names in the past, but the true power lay with what was known as the Radiant Host.
Talia, of course, was very familiar with their origin. They were dedicated to the same Sun Goddess who had claimed her mother’s loyalty. Even if they hadn’t been labeled as enemies of undead, Talia would have distrusted them for no other reason than because of that association. Her mother had been a monster, so any goddess that Constance Nightingale worshipped had to be one too.
Upon seeing the Radiant Host, Talia retreated a couple of miles, where she left Zeke behind. She didn’t like leaving him unguarded, but she couldn’t very well scout the enemy – and that was what they were, she was certain – with a wagon in tow. So, unburdened, she returned to the camp.
The Knights of the Radiant Host were arrayed across the the labyrinth’s exit. Row after row of tents marked the temporary settlement, and the soldiers were just as orderly as the neatly laid-out camp implied. There were no fights. No gambling. No rowdiness of any kind.
But that wasn’t what drew her eye.
No – she couldn’t have cared less about their demeanor. What she did care about was the woman seemingly in charge of it all. Talia’s emotions were still a little volatile, but her fury reached entirely new heights when she laid her eyes on Abby, all decked out in golden armor.
That woman didn’t deserve to be in command of anything. She was a terrible person who’d betrayed her friends. Did her subordinates know that? Did they care?
From the concealment of an outcropping of boulders, Talia observed her former ally, and as she did, she felt her seething rage mount until she could feel nothing else. She should have killed Abby when she’d had the chance. The fact that the woman had joined the Radiant Host was testament to that. Talia itched to rectify that mistake.
Yet, what could she do? Abby was surrounded by a hundred Knights, and judging by the way they moved, each one of them was high enough level to make killing them problematic. Talia was just contemplating her course of action when she felt something pressed against her back.
“No move.”
Talia didn’t. Instead, she said, “You are one of Zeke’s…I mean, Ak-toh’s rangers, right?”
“I am Chosen.”
“Is that your name? Or…”
“No name. Just Chosen.”
“Okay. I need your help, then. If you are here, then that means the others are around, right? Zeke is nearby. I dragged him here, but I do not think I can get him past that camp. He needs healing.”
“We will do this.”
Then, the pressure of the blade being held against Talia’s back disappeared. She turned to see a small kobold – maybe four feet tall – standing before her. It had pitch-black scales and vivid red eyes that felt like they could bore into her soul.
“Come with me,” she said.
Then, without another word, she set off, intent on returning to where she’d left Zeke. As she went, she became aware of eight more kobold rangers following her. She knew that they’d let her see them. Otherwise, there was no way she could have detected them.
Once the rangers saw Zeke’s unconscious body, they let out a collective wail that didn’t cease until Talia insisted that he wasn’t dead. Still, the little kobolds took a few more minutes before they settled down. When they had composed themselves, Talia explained that he was still alive, just unconscious, and that he needed the Crimson Spring back in the tower.
They took that news with equanimity, and before Talia knew what was happening, they surrounded Zeke’s prone form, then lifted him up. Without a word, they set off, but not toward the Radiant Host camp. Rather, they went in the other direction. Talia followed, wondering what was going on. She found out about ten minutes later when the kobolds turned down a side path that had been carefully concealed by some sort of enchantment. Until Talia saw the kobolds pass through, she had thought it was just another cliff.
Over the next half day, they followed a winding path until, at last, they exited the labyrinth into the Muk’ti Plains. The little kobolds never slowed. They didn’t complain. Instead, they simply marched forward, carrying Zeke’s massive body on their shoulders.
Once they’d reached the plains, it was only a matter of time before they found their way to an enormous army of kobolds, beastkin, and a few converted Knights of Adontis. Talia was also relieved to find quite a few familiar faces, Pudge among them.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“I do not know. He used his skill. This is how I found him,” Talia replied. “I think he needs the springs.”
Pudge agreed, and after that, he led the procession through the plains and, at last, to the Crimson Tower. The fact that it was a relief. Despite knowing that Zeke was alive, Talia had feared that she had imagined his heartbeat. Now, though, she felt certain that he would recover.
And with that certainty, she finally felt her burden slide away. At last, she could rest. So, she headed to Zeke’s manor, where she’d stayed before the various battles of Darukar, and settled in for a long slumber.