Von
Looking out the window at the howling blizzard, Von sipped his tea, contemplating his rather open schedule for the day. Since Mage Aleksandar had taken over all Council business, he had found himself largely at loose ends. Scratching his stump, he realized he should have expected that to happen. While he hadn't been declared a traitor, he couldn't expect much more than that after disobeying so many orders.
There was a knock on the door. Curiosity cut through the growing melancholy and boredom. Turning to the door, he sat up straighter. “Come in.”
Mage Aleksandar came in, the usual curious and polite expression that seemed to be permanently etched onto the man's face was gone. In it's place was anger, it made him look something like a furious gerbil.
“Mage Aleksandar, how do you do?” he asked.
“I wish I could say I was doing well, but I prefer not to lie,” the man said. “Why did you allow the Necromancer to start that school?”
Von forced himself to keep a straight face. He had only learned of the school after the fact, at which point it was too late to stop it. But he couldn't say that. To keep the peace, and protect the necromancer it was best to make it seem that Keir and he were working together. So it was time to tell a half truth.
“I let him do it, because it's a good idea. The ghosts and undead had proven to be effective. Teaching more people how to raise them effectively was the logical next step,” he said.
“With children? He could teach Council mages the proper spells more quickly and easily. And they would be under our control.”
“All of our mages were busy with other duties. Caring for the sick and wounded, helping set up fortifications, guarding work parties, and several other tasks. We didn't even have time to check the children to see who had the capabilities of becoming a mage, and you expect us to become competent necromancers?” He snorted in disgust.
“Half of the children are Lleial. They'll never work with the Council, much less show it the proper loyalty.”
“Half of the army is made of Lleial,” Von pointed out. “And when Keir called for volunteers, most of the children were Lleial. You should be thankful they aren't all his followers. He chose them for their abilities, not for loyalty.”
“Since you have all the answers, what do you propose to do if the Necromancer goes rogue and calls on his students to help?”
He wanted to say that they could avoid that, so long as they kept Keir on the front line fighting the demons. Instead he said, “That's why we have the geas on him. If he steps out of line, we'll make him do what we need.”
“You truly think that will work? You only use the weakest of the geas, he can sidestep them easily enough.”
Sighing, Von put his tea down. There was no dancing around the topic anymore. “That's true, but this way he can think. His plan in the first battle allowed us to win, and it was a damn close fight. During the march to Kodor, following Keir's plan, with a few hours to prepare our defenses, we slaughtered the demon army. If it hadn't been for their assassins, we would have had a dozen men dead at most. And now thanks to giving Mage Keir a free hand, this entire region is free of demons and our army has more than doubled in size. I couldn't have done what he accomplished, because I don't know how to fight with the undead, neither does anyone else. He is the only one who does.”
“You've saved a few thousand people and your own hide, but at what cost? We've survived as long as we have thanks to our unity. The Necromancer could divide us. If he decides to rebuild his empire, or comes to believe he truly is the saint that the Lleial claim, we could find ourselves fighting not just the demons but the undead as well. The people of the Yellow Coast still tell stories of the Necromancer slaughtering their ancestors and destroying their cities. They spit on his name. What will they do when they hear about this?”
“Aleksandar, I've been at the front lines with almost no chance to see what's happening at the rear for a decade. So tell me, are there any new weapons that can stop the demons? Not just slow them down, but actually stop them dead in their tracks.”
The mage was silent for several moments. “There are weapons being made on other continents. Armoured carriages that move by steam and mount machine guns. New magic that can be placed on artillery shells making them deadlier. Improved guns that can kill even armoured demons in only a few shots. And we're making new magi-tech. I've personally studied golems that are more powerful than any we had before.”
“And are they here? Can we get them in enough numbers to help?”
“We're negotiating for them.”
Von nodded. “I understand the Council's fears, but those wonder weapons aren't here. Keir is.”
“What about those monsters Keir made? The laughing birds, the freezing shadows, the faceless ghosts that can make themselves appear as loved ones? He's released hundreds of thousands of them into the world without any control. If they get near a city or town, can you imagine what havoc they could cause?”
“They were ordered to hunt down demons. And if any do attack people, we have our anti-dead weapons available. They may be a problem for the future, but Keir seems to be the only way we have a future to worry about.”
“You're putting a lot of faith in the Necromancer.”
“It's not faith, it's a calculated risk.”
“It's lighting a fuse when you aren't sure if it will set off a bomb under you or your enemy. You had a chance at ensuring we had a real hold on the Necromancer, and you threw it away. If he steps out of line, it will be on your head.”
He nodded in understanding. “I don't think it will come to that, but if it does I'll accept my fate. At least I'll be able to face the Mother and Father knowing I did everything I possibly could.”
Mage Aleksandar got to his feet. “Very well. If you have any ideas that might help the Council, or learn that the Necromancer could become a danger, I expect you to inform me. While we're unhappy with your decisions, the situation is salvageable. Any help you provide will go far in getting back in our good graces.”
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“I'll do what I can. I'm still loyal to the Council.”
“I'm glad to hear that. Good day, Mage Von.”
Alone in his office again, Von grimaced and rubbed his stump. Despite losing his hand, he could still feel it. At the moment it seemed like he was making a fist, it was so tight it hurt. Looking back out the window, he tried to relax.
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Keir
The bureaucrat left Von's office, looking suitably important and confident. Then seeing the hallway was deserted, he leaned against the wall, wiping his suddenly sweaty brow, gulping in air. Shuddering once from what was likely pent up anxiety, he straightened up, fixed his collar and strode down the hall. The new Council mage never noticed the tiny shade that followed him, hiding in his very shadow, watching and listening to everything he did.
Keir sat in his room, contemplating what he'd just listened too.
So Von had gone against the Council, not just in resurrecting him, but only putting on one of the geas. That was interesting, and his opinion of the mage shifted slightly for the better. The man was still not an ally. He probably never would be. As one of only two people who could control him, Von was a danger to Keir. Potentially more dangerous than the demons. Still the mage was even more isolated than he was. That was something he could work with.
Leaning back in his chair, Keir thought about how best to win the mage to his side.
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The Thorn
Captain Cilus Dobeliet
“Captain, fliers coming from the west. Looks to be a flock of ten,” Private Blanc said, peering through the telescope mounted on the window.
“Tell the gunners to prepare the guns, fire as soon as they're sure of the shot,” Captain Cilus Dobeliet ordered. He'd like to start shooting the demons as quickly as possible, but they had to conserve ammunition. Even loaded to the gills, they'd run through half of their bullets just getting clear of Cristal Fleche. He hid his shudder at the memory of the screaming demons scraping their claws against the armoured airship, as his men had desperately fought to keep them from reaching anything important.
“How much further until we reach Kodor?” he asked the navigator.
“We should reach it in about fourteen hours, provided the weather stays like this, sir.”
They should have seen more demons by now. If the city was still fighting, the entire area should be swarming with the monsters. And if the city had fallen, they would still be around, mating and scouring the area for survivors. But this was the first flock they'd seen in over a day. Where were they?
“Captain, the fliers... they're not demons,” Private Blanc said.
“What are they?”
“They look like ghosts.”
He shook his head in disgust. He'd seen too many ghosts in his time, they plagued the lands the demons took. The poor bastards were mostly harmless, just a reminder that they would be dead soon enough as well.
“Tell the gunners to stand down,” he said. “Mage Mette, if they prove to be a threat, please deal with them.”
“Of course, sir,” the Mage said, going to the window to track them.
They continued to fly in silence for a few minutes. The magical winds pushed them through the air, conserving the fuel for the propeller. Even after all the training and flying continuously for three days, he was amazed at how smooth the ride was. The engineers had worked wonders creating the machine.
“Sir,” Mage Mette said, “the ghosts are waving at us.”
“What?”
“They stopped a hundred yards away and are waving at us.”
Going to the window, he saw the ghosts, who were dressed like old fashion cavalry and riding horses, were actually waving at his airship. Not sure what was going on, he waved back at them.
They started trotting through the air towards the ship and soon enough they were flying alongside, close enough to touch. One of them turned slightly and passed through the hull as if it wasn't there. The large ghost didn't exactly fit in the airship bridge. In fact the horse was halfway in the floor so the rider wasn't cut in half by the ceiling.
“I'm Captain Dobeliet, of The Thorn. Why did you wave at us?”
The ghost looked at him with dead black eyes, then it spoke in a whispery voice . “You can find safety at Desolation Fort. The Undying Army has freed the area of demons, and can provide you with food, medicine, shelter, and protection.”
It took him a moment to translate what the ghost had said. It spoke in an archaic version of the Continental language, which he was rusty in. Then his eyes went wide in shock. “The Undying Army? It's been dead for three hundred years,” he said in the same language.
“It has been reborn. Mage Keira has commanded us to find all the living and offer sanctuary. We will lead you to Desolation Fort, protecting you along the way.”
“My orders are to go to Kodor.”
There was a long pause. “Kodor is gone,” the ghost finally said. “Desolation Fort is all that remains. The Undying Army can provide you with food, medicine, shelter, and protection.”
“Is Desolation Fort in contact with the Eldritch Council?”
“Desolation Fort can provide you with food, medicine, shelter, and protection. We can lead you to Desolation Fort, protecting you along the way. Do you wish to come?”
Talking to the ghost wasn't going to get him very far. But at least they now had a clearer idea of where they needed to go. Whatever had affected the demons likely came from this Desolation Fort, whatever that was. “Yes, we will follow you.”
The ghost nodded. “If you need us to stop, tell us.” With that, it trotted back through the hull and waved at the ship to follow as it flew back to the rest of the ghosts.
“Follow the ghosts,” he said to the navigator.
Mage Mette turned to him, his normally red face looking pale. “Captain, can I talk to you in your office?”
“Of course,” he said. Turning over control of the bridge to the navigator, he and the mage went to the small closet that was his office and quarters.
Squeezing themselves into the pair of too small chairs, that were the only piece of furniture in the office, he motioned for the mage to speak.
“Do you know what Desolation Fort is guarding?” the mage asked.
“No, is it important?”
“It's guarding Emperor Keir's tomb.”
“And how is that important?”
“The ghost said it's from the Undying Army, and it was commanded to help the living by a Mage Keira. It ignored you when asked about the Eldritch Council. We could be dealing with a descendent of the Necromancer.”
“I thought all of the old bastards children were killed.”
“That was never confirmed. If the bloodline survived, they could have lived hidden away among the Lleial, passing on the knowledge of necromancy. Now would be the best time to come out, no one would oppose them, and what better place to do it than the tomb of the necromancer. Or it could be a talented mage that is using the historical necromancer to give themselves legitimacy.”
“If the ghost is telling the truth, and this Undying Army has sent the demons packing, does it really matter?” he asked. “We're desperate for help, they might not be the Council, but they could save the city.”
“They may. But we should be very careful about what we agree too, until we know who exactly we're dealing with.”
“Agreed. It won't do much good if they lift the siege only to turn us all into undead conscripts for their army. But remember, our mission is to save the city. If this Mage Keira and this Undying Army can do that, I'll promise almost anything they require, even if it goes against the Eldritch Council.”
“Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Still, if it does, I'll support you.”
Patting the mage on the back, Captain Dobeliet smiled. “Thank you. And if you have any concerns, I'll take them into consideration.”
Feeling the weight of command and the survival of his city on his shoulders more than ever, he went back to the bridge. Whispering a prayer, he took his seat, wondering what the future would hold.