The companions burst out of the Lich Lord’s bedroom, only to find the passageway swarming with undead pouring in through newly opened doors. Bob the bear let out a ferocious roar and barreled through the crowd, carving a path for the group.

“Move!” Prunhiline shouted, keeping close behind Britina.

Any zombies that recovered from being bowled over by Bob the Bear were knocked down by a member of the escaping party.

Once outside, Britina gathered her energy. Prunhiline stepped aside, giving her space to act as they had practiced. A fireball, reminiscent of the one that had scorched the Prince, blasted down the hallway.

“That should slow them down,” Britina said as she turned and ran.

“We need to warn my father!” Darren yelled, urgency in his voice.

“Agreed!” Britina shouted back.

The companions dashed back to the campsite, spotting zombies shambling toward it, their movements sluggish and strange. Something felt off.

“He stole my zombies from me!” Brianna cried, her voice trembling with shock.

“What?” Darral asked, stunned. “How?”

“He’s immensely strong. I can’t communicate with them anymore.” Brianna sounded sad.

“Let’s try not to hurt them if we can help it,” Britina said. Randle and Prunhline groaned in unison.

Brian, the zombie, startled the group. He had already been waiting at the campsite when Lawrence awoke. With a low groan, he waved at Brianna.

“Brian!” Brianna exclaimed. “Why aren’t you under the Lich Lord’s control?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Brian shrugged and shuffled over to Brianna, handing her a satchel and a water skin.

“My notes!” Brianna exclaimed, clutching the satchel. “Thank you, Brian.”

“We need to go now!” Prunhiline urged.

“Brian, come with us.” Brianna pleaded.

Brian shook his head, smiling faintly as he waved goodbye. Brianna understood; he’d only slow them down and wasn’t in any immediate danger. Slowly, Brian turned and shuffled off toward another part of town. Though curious about where he was headed, Brianna didn’t have time to dwell on it. The group pressed toward the clearing and the chaotic mass of out-of-control zombies.

“Are all the zombies here?” Randle asked.

“Yes, I recalled all of them yesterday when they attacked Darren.” Brianna gestured to Prunhline and Britina.

Britina gave Randle a smile and a shrug. Randle rolled his eyes knowingly. The group followed Brianna, who seemed to know where she was going. They soon found themselves in a familiar clearing, and the chattering started.

“What’s the rush?” came the hiss of the Mother Spider as she descended from above. Randle shuddered visibly.

“Mother Spider, it’s terrible,” Brianna said, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes. “All the undead have been taken over.”

“By whom?” The Mother Spider asked.

“A Lich Lord,” Britina said, “He appears to be very ancient.”

“Lawrence,” hissed the Mother Spider. The entire group froze.

“Um, yeah,” said Brianna, “How did you know that name?”

“Long ago,” hissed the Mother Spider, “I was his assistant.” The group slowly switched stances, prepared to fight. “I was not always a spider, but to escape him, I transferred my soul into one.” The Mother Spider was quiet for a moment. “Did you find the scrolls?” She looked at Brianna.

“Yes, I’ve got them all in my notes. I kept them safe and didn’t touch them like you asked.” Brianna said, relaxing.

“Good. Those notes may hold a way to stop him,” the Mother Spider said, turning away. “Now go. We will do our best to slow them down.” The Mother Spider chattered, and the other spiders began to emerge. Some were giant, like the Mother Spider.

“Thank you!” Brianna shouted as she and her companions hurried off.

“We need to hurry,” Prunhiline said, “If we make it back to the Dwarven fortress, we could muster the soldiers to fight the zombies.”

“Dear love, you, I mean, we may have created a problem with that plan,” Britina said.

“Huh?” Prunhiline gave her a confused look.

“Dragon.” Britina said.

“Oh, right, that,” Prunhilne said, looking down at her boots.

“Dragon?” Darren asked.

“More running, we’ll explain later,” Britina said.

They made good time with Randle and Darren, who were familiar with the forest. They found themselves on the main road. There, they took a break and gathered their wits.