image [https://i.imgur.com/yFu9mOD.png]

XXIV

Call of the Dead I

Jaeger, Levi and Leah exited their coach near what Levi could only describe as a crevasse around a circular vale. Four pillars and flowing stone formed a sort of triumphant arch, the centre of which led nowhere but down into the depths.

Levi had no idea why their reception was taking place here.

That, and the welcome could’ve been warmer. It wasn’t an issue of lack of people, for a servant introduced four of the Ebonfrost clan: daughter, son, Mother and Father. They were dressed in wholly blue and black robes and fur caps, which, despite the amount of fur they contained, appeared too cold for outside wear. Perhaps that was why they didn’t smile? The Duchy’s cold could sap the life out of anyone.

But then why not dress warmer?

The servant said the last of their message and bid their party welcome.

Jaeger filled the void the Ebonfrost servant left. ‘Both the frostguards and House Vrost appreciate the reception.’ He proceeded to introduce their party. The reaction to the undead being part of their group was comical to say the least. ‘And finally, Sir. Levi Vrost.’

And though the Ebonfrosts looked him over, he got nowhere near the reaction Durak received. Well, Levi thought, he did lack the imposing figure of his siblings.

‘If I may?’ Chief Arnok said.

Levi inclined his head.

‘From what your guard told me, the Warden would be amongst you.’

‘We prepared a feast in the style of the Ebonfrosts,’ Eirwen, Chief Arnok’s wife, said. ‘It would be a shame if Her Excellency were to miss it.’

Their concern was a subject Levi didn’t understand himself. He was about to voice his lack of knowledge when Durak stepped forwards. All eyes were on the creature within moments.

‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to enjoy your feast, Eirwen Ebonfrost.’

The gathering paused.

Durak motioned towards Levi. ‘But my brother will partake in my stead so worry not.’

‘Ah, yes…Warden?…’ Eirwen stumbled before she caught herself. ‘We’ll make sure he is pleased for the both of you.’

Durak nodded once, then stepped back, and his stance relaxed.

Another moment went by before Chief Arnok spoke up. ‘Then please, follow our servants to your residence. Afterwards, you can find us in the main hall, where dinner will be served.’

Levi, whose mind still hadn’t caught up to the moment, was about to question how they would “follow their servants” but then the daughter (Nerya, if he remembered correctly) crouched and touched the ice.

The earth underneath their feet screamed and tore.

‘What in the world…’ Levi caught his balance.

Shock rippled through their party as ice shaped from thin air and crawled along the edge of the crevasse. The staircase spiralled down towards the centre of the vale. Glancing over the edge, one could see a village in the distance.

‘Truly master craftsmen,’ Jaeger mouthed.

‘Impressive but simple work,’ Leah said.

‘That’s simple?’ Levi said.

‘There’s a formation rune hidden underground,’ she said. ‘Perhaps the rune itself and the original craftsman are worthy of respect.’

Meaning the mere activation of it wasn’t. Still, Levi thought, watching the giant work of ice shape in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel awed.

The Ebonfrost family stood aside.

‘Welcome to Winterforge,’ they said.

image [https://i.imgur.com/z6G5s0x.png]

It was still dark out, so Malakai had borrowed a lantern from a nearby home. Not that anyone would miss it. He stood in the living room of the manor with the cloaked undead in front of him.

‘The village is deserted,’ Malakai told the undead. ‘Warden,’ he added. He was still getting used to the new circumstance.

The Warden stared at the wall and hummed. Coming out of the undead’s mouth it was more like a guttural roar, though. ‘What creatures do you know that could’ve left those marks?’

‘A Frostfang wolf or Mountain Guard to name a few,’ Malakai said. The Mountain Guard was a bird of prey. ‘But none that come to mind live in the neighbourhood—nor would they come this far down the mountain.’

‘We heard the wolves on our arrival,’ the Warden said.

‘Those were likely the regular variant. Frostfang packs use the mountain cold to power their abilities, so they avoid the lower altitudes unless forced to. And I don’t think there’s anything that can push a Frostfang to leave its territory.’ Malakai’s forehead scrunched. ‘Anything except an orc army,’ he added.

But the orc army would need to deal with multiple alphas. Could they even do so without suffering significant losses? He told his liege of his concerns.

The guttural roar came again. ‘It’s too early to draw any conclusions.’ She turned from the wall towards Malakai. ‘Did you find a lead on the bandits?’

‘They were definitely in the village,’ he said. The bodies Martin couldn’t identify were all male, so it made sense. ‘We also discovered old tracks which we believe to be from multiple carts. They were headed East.’

‘East…the Giantswood?’

‘That’s what we suspect,’ Malakai said.

She nodded. ‘Then you know what to do.’

Malakai saluted.

‘If that’s all, I will take my leave,’ the Warden said.

‘Uhm, there’s one more thing…’

The undead’s head tilted in a decidedly human gesture.

‘Does he have a name?’ Malakai said, pointing at the corpse the Warden was controlling.

Referring to the creature in third-person or adjectives was getting old.

‘A name?’ the Warden said and paused. ‘Wraith,’ she said finally. ‘You can call him Wraith.’

image [https://i.imgur.com/z6G5s0x.png]

A day had passed since Levi left.

My steps echoed through the hallways of the castle as I followed Elene to the office. I looked around. The walls and ceiling loomed higher than before.

‘Already?’ I huffed to myself. What was I, a child?

‘Sorry, Ma’am?’ the maid said.

I shook my head and motioned for her to continue walking. We entered my office, where Decim was dusting off the table.

He reached for a black notebook he’d set aside. ‘Our account register, Milady.’

I took the offered booklet. ‘How familiar are you with the contents, Decim?’

‘More than passingly. I’m the one who keeps our copy up-to-date with that of the main branch.’

‘Then remain here for a moment,’ I said. ‘I’ll direct any questions I have at you.’

‘I’m at your command,’ he bowed.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The maid placed the books I had her carry over from the library on my desk.

‘That’s all,’ I told her. ‘You can go.’

And she exited the room.

I seated myself and browsed through the account register. My first discovery was one of loans. The Vrost family, it turned out, had many debtors. Merchants, temples, nobles (amongst which castle Lords and big landowners).

That’s good, I thought. Having powerful families in debt to us would do wonders for our reputation.

My fingers rifled through the pages in search of our most significant debtor and landed on an organisation called The House of Light.

‘Does the House of Light refer to the temple in Frostholm?’ I asked.

‘Certainly, Milady.’

I huffed. Having the most luxurious temple in the North came at a cost, it seemed.

My attention turned to further pages. The Ebonfrosts were on our debtor list too and their loan could be traced back to almost a century ago. A smile crept up my face. That they were behind on their payments would make it into our negotiations.

I stifled my mirth and got into the details. Their debt was a bit over three thousand Icegilds (the name for the Duchy’s gold-backed currency).

What did an isolationist community need that much for? I frowned.

‘Their production lines failed,’ Decim said after I posed the question.

‘Failed? You mean the quarry?’

He nodded. ‘It was around the time of the Winter Fest. A malign spirit found its way to the surface, decimated their infrastructure and made the quarry all but unsafe. They battled the spirit for a month.’

Destroyed infrastructure. That would get them to three thousand. But to think a single spirit could destroy a village…I tapped a nail on the table. There was the possible attack in Frosthollow too. Was I underestimating the capabilities of the Duchy’s ecosystem?

I’ll set my scouts on it. Adding wildlife to their list of things to look out for would be a start.

I gazed up from my thoughts.

‘Tea, Milady?’ The butler stood at my side, pot in hand.

‘The one you made last morning?’

‘The very one.’

He poured me a cup.

Sipping from the hot yet cold drink, I continued going through our accounts. I jotted down important names together with the status and cause of their loans (or ours to them) and ended up with pages upon pages of intel. When I reached page fifteen, my hand went towards my mouth to cover a yawn. Behind me, the afternoon sun was piercing through the blinds.

‘A rare sunny day, isn’t it, Milady?’

‘Indeed,’ I said. ‘The servants can take extra time off. Let them enjoy the weather.’

‘They’ll appreciate it,’ Decim said. ‘Please be sure not to forget about yourself, Milady.’

‘I won’t,’ I said, leaning back in my chair. I had about a tenth of the register left to go through.

Decim sent me a knowing smile and motioned to his kettle.

I hadn’t noticed, but in the time I spent on our register, I had finished an entire pot. The one in Decim’s hand was a fresh cauldron. I nodded, and his arm flourished, making the water flow down the mouth of the teapot. What fluid motions, I thought. I stared, appreciated the rhythm of his trained manoeuvre, and my muscles relaxed as the scent infiltrated my nose.

My eyes closed. Still a tenth of the notebook, I thought, professing to myself to finish it quickly. The faster I was done, the faster I could take a nap. That’s what I said, but before I knew it, I had left the room and was in another place. One I had inhabited in for most of my life—that desolate palace in a world that knew no natural light.

Confusion overtook me as I glanced around and saw everywhere at once, but muscle-memory kicked in within a blink. Am I—my chest deflated. No. I was dreaming. My sight wasn’t as clear in places as it should’ve been and the connection with my undead was vague.

Still, I was back in Necron, if only partially. I stepped out onto the balcony like I’d done a million times and surveyed my domain. Towers whose peaks chased the sky, reactors that burned emerald in their feeding on the volcanic activity within the planet, and most of all—the restless and mindless dead.

My eyelids shut. Necron was in an entire different stratosphere compared to the Duchy, yet I was glad I’d left this world behind.

‘No one would understand,’ I whispered.

And it was as if my voice echoed in both worlds at the same time.

‘Understand what, Seph?’ came a voice from my rear.

I didn’t startle, for I could always feel his presence without looking. I glanced back over my shoulder. Lucian stood in the doorway in his red and black ceremonial robe.

My gaze returned to the sprawling world of undead.

‘What losing everything is like,’ I said.

Solitary was too insignificant a word. Everyone became but a figment of your imagination, one you clung onto over centuries, millennia. But the worst part was that you could see them and speak to them—only so they could respond as the mindless waste that they were.

‘Tell me,’ Lucian said.

I chuckled. What use would it be? This was a dream. Even if it wasn’t, Lucian was long dead…but perhaps that’s why I found it in me to speak.

‘It’s like a pit in the centre of your stomach that doesn’t stop growing,’ I said after a while.

Lucian came to stand beside me and put his hand on my shoulder. There was no sensation where he touched me, but I imagined it.

‘It follows you everywhere,’ I said, looking out over the city.

‘I can imagine it hurts.’

‘I’d slaughter a planet to fill it for a day,’ I said. Or act the angel should that be what it takes, I did not say. I leaned my head on his hand. ‘Do you think that makes me weak?’ I said instead.

‘Weak? No.’

‘But?’ I said.

A moment passed. ‘You’re vulnerable. That’s not like you—the Sepharin I know wouldn’t leave her defences full of holes.’

‘That Undead Empress is the one who got me here in the first place, Lucian.’

‘And the sweet empress you’re playing as now can get you there, too.’

I exhaled. Wasn’t that the truth.

His finger raked through my hair. Though I wanted to imagine it, there was no need to, for the touch felt real. He leaned in close and whispered: ‘Is it real family if you have to pretend around them?’

When my head whipped up, startled, I was back in my office in Castle Frostmouth. My gaze rushed through the room but found nothing except Decim standing a respectful distance away from my desk.

My cup of tea was no longer steaming.

‘Did I fall asleep?’ I said, sagging back in my chair and catching my breath.

‘Yes, Milady. I thought it wise not to disturb you. Should I wake you next time?’

‘No, it’s fine.’

I huffed and stared at the ceiling. For a moment, I’d thought him there. You’re desperate, I thought spitefully. I hadn’t had a moment like that in….I couldn’t even remember.

My gaze travelled towards the register on my desk. Already I felt my eyelids drooping.

Time for a change of pace.

‘Decim,’ I said. ‘I need you to summon someone for me.’

‘Who shall be the fortunate recipient of your summons, Milady?’

Fortunate, huh, I chuckled.

‘A foreigner that arrived last week,’ I said.

Our guest wouldn’t think it anything so fortunate.

image [https://i.imgur.com/z6G5s0x.png]

The main hall of the Ebonfrost clan was decorated in murals of a sort Levi had never seen, depicting battles between various giant creatures. Two of them, a bird wit a tail that split into three and a golem of sharp angles, had a dedicated pillar of their own.

Levi turned from the decor to his hosts. The Ebonfrosts, except for the patriarch, sat on the floor around the table and listened as Jaeger explained their requisites. The patriarch wasn’t amused.

‘The gates of Winterforge close at night,’ Chief Arnok said and sneaked a glance at Durak, whose face was a silent mask. He and the orc were the sole ones in a chair.

‘I’m afraid we’ll have to insist,’ Jaeger said. ‘We plan to traverse the mountain by daytime and return by evening.’

‘Traverse the mountain?’ Eirwen said, lightly touching her cheek. ‘There’s nothing up there but stone and beasts.’

‘We have reason to believe there may be more than that.’

‘The orcs,’ Varrick said.

Levi got the sense the son was some kind of warrior or ranger of the clan. His expression was generally harsh, but his face warmed with respect whenever Jaeger spoke.

‘That only strengthens my conviction,’ Chief Arnok said. ‘I will not have a repeat of what happened a century ago.’

Levi thought it spoke to the village’s craftsmanship that not a single sign remained of the catastrophe that had befallen it. But this placed them in a bit of a pickle. It didn’t matter to him, however, Leah and Jaeger’s whole purpose was to search the mountain. They could camp at night, of course, but the mountain wasn’t a forgiving place, and their group lacked any familiarity with the range.

So what to do? He looked at Durak, but Sepharin either wasn’t home or didn’t care to speak up.

Eirwen offered an option. ‘Perhaps they can use Varrick’s base camps as shelter during the night.’

‘I’m using those…’ Varrick said.

‘Your tribute hunt can wait,’ Chief Arnok said. He stroked his chin and came to a decision in the same instant he considered it. ‘Since that means you’re free, you can be their guide.’

Chief Arnok won no favour in his son’s regard with those statements, but the son didn’t speak up.

Levi got a foul taste in his mouth. He’s that type of leader. He could recognise their like everywhere after spending half of his life under one. They always made decisions for you with the excuse: ‘It’s whats best for the clan.’

Made Levi want to throw up.

‘How secure are these base camps?’ Jaeger asked.

Eirwen glanced at her son.

‘…the runes around their perimeter ward off beasts and spirits,’ Varrick said. ‘They’ve never been breached.’

Durak spoke up for the first time this meeting: ‘That is agreeable for now.’

Which settled the matter.

After it was decided Varrick would leave with Leah and Jaeger’s party come morning, they spoke of other details. The patriarch requested that they keep to themselves as much as possible and not disturb the other clan members. A strange request, Levi thought, but not one they cared to combat. More minor details followed, and when the talks finished, it was time for the promised feast.

image [https://i.imgur.com/z6G5s0x.png]

Levi left the main hall a few pounds heavier than he had entered it. He wasn’t the sole one in his party to suffer that fate. Diego finally looked like more than a skeleton, and Jaeger’s stomach could pass for a beer belly. Leah was the picture of pristine. The beauty’s hair waved in the night breeze as she gazed out in front of her.

She side-eyed him, which was when Levi realised he was staring.

He coughed in his palm. ‘What were you so focused on?’

She blinked but didn’t utter the obvious retort. ‘There appears to be a magic-user of some skill in their family,’ she said.

Levi turned to where Leah had last looked and could barely make out Nerya’s back profile. That meant the man next to her must be Varrick. The pair was speaking animatedly.

‘She’s a sorcerer?’ Jaeger asked, joining their conversation.

‘No,’ Leah said. ‘Sorcery refers to modern schools of magic that advance their fields through rigorous scientific study. She’s more like a witch, though a formidable one.’

Leah turned to Durak, who was hovering behind them them. ‘Did you notice?’

The undead’s eyes refocused. ‘The figurines on her waist?’ Sepharin said.

‘Yes,’ Leah said, ‘but also the environment.’

Sepharin’s gaze scoured Winterforge. The homes were built close on top of each other, representing the tight-knit community. Yet there was a structure to it.

‘This place is more like a compound then a village,’ she said.

‘Which means what for those not in the loop?’ Levi said.

‘There are runes everywhere,’ Sepharin said. ‘Their purposes differ, but most are defensive in nature.’

‘So they also specialise in runecraft?’ Jaeger said. ‘That’s my first time hearing of it.’ His gaze went to the pouch at Leah’s waist.

Sepharin turned towards Leah as well. ‘See if you can uncover one of the runes and investigate it.’

Levi frowned. ‘Are you suspecting them?’

‘No,’ Sepharin said. ‘But it’s worth looking into.’

And then Durak was back to being a statue.

That left the three of them in the night cold. Well, two, as Leah strode in the direction of her room not a moment later.

Jaeger chuckled. ‘Let’s head back and rest. We can talk more at breakfast.’

‘I suppose,’ Levi said.

As the pair walked in silence, Levi’s head found the sky. The warmth he had felt coursing through him yesterday was still there, and it subdued the dread trying to enter him.

Ruelle, he thought and took a deep breath. What’s going to happen in this village?