Ruari made his move suddenly, without warning. He tried to take control. Rian stumbled and stopped walking, focusing as hard as he could on holding back Ruari. Ransey looked back at him, but said nothing.

“This is pointless,” Ruari said in Rian’s mind. “Give in to the magic. Fully become the Speaker of the Dead. You can’t stop it forever, you might as well give in.”

“No,” Rian thought, barely forcing Ruari back.

The magic of the Speaker of the Dead burned red along Rian’s bones, cracking them further. The red faded, but the cracks continued to throb.

“Did you stop him?” Ransey asked.

Rian managed a nod. “For now.”

The two of them continued through the forest. They wandered the forest together for two days, but found no animals for Ransey. By the end of the second day, Rian could tell Ransey was hungry. He was twitchy, and he kept standing up and pacing when they stopped for the night. Rian didn’t have the energy to pace. He stayed sitting at the base of a tree near their small fire. They hadn’t come across any burial ground in the forest.

Ransey sat across from Rian. In the light of the fire, he looked sweaty. “We’re going to have to go into Noantha.”

Rian had glimpsed the main city of Haren several times in the last few days, through the forest. It was nearby. “Why?” he asked warily.

Ransey frowned. “To buy some meat. I’m not going to attack anyone.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of the last part. “We’ll go there in the morning. Maybe the graveyard won’t be guarded.”

Rian really hoped the graveyard wouldn’t be guarded. He had never needed burial ground this much before. He wasn’t sure how much further he could go without it. Ransey didn’t seem to sleep much that night. Rian rested only briefly, and when he did, he heard the voices of the dead. He didn’t see the musty cave, but he heard the voices.

“You are needed in Noantha,” the raspy woman said. “You must free a soul. He is tied to Ivrua by his regrets in life, but now he is dead. You must help him leave Ivrua.”

The voice said nothing more. When at last morning came, Rian and Ransey headed for Noantha.

“I need to find someone’s soul and free him,” Rian said. “In Noantha.”

Ransey frowned. “How do you know?”

“The dead told me,” Rian said.

Ransey sighed. “I suppose the Speaker of the Dead would have some purpose, though Mortua is meant to free trapped souls.”

“Maybe she hasn’t gotten to this one,” Rian said. “I can help him go to the true land of the dead.”

“How do you know there is such a place?” Ransey asked.

Rian thought about this. “Trivius and Ruari told me, but I also have a feeling it’s true. I know it’s true.”

Ransey nodded. “Then we will find this soul you need to free. Do you know where he is? Noantha isn’t exactly small.”

“You’ll feel him when he’s close,” Ruari said in Rian’s mind.

“I’ll be able to find him,” Rian said.

The two continued in silence.

“Have you ever freed a soul before?” Rian thought.

“Many times,” Ruari said. “That is the purpose of necromancers. The Sancta wanted to be rid of us because Mortua wanted to be rid of us. Hers is not the true land of the dead, and she cannot reach the true land of the dead.”

Ruari said nothing more for the rest of the day. Rian and Ransey reached Noantha just after the sun finished rising. There were already lots of people out. The two of them kept the hoods of their cloaks up. Ransey still got a few odd looks with how dirty he was, but no Knights of Noantha stopped them. Rian didn’t see any Sancta Knights so far. He felt something, like a faint tugging inside of him. He stopped, looking down the alleyway to his right. It was narrow, with a thin layer of snow on the ground just like the rest of the city.

“Lead the way,” Ransey said quietly.

Rian went down the alleyway. The tugging feeling was getting more incessant, then it stopped suddenly. This wasn’t like the time he and Halbert had found the body out in the forest and brought it to a village to be properly buried. There was no body this time, but the soul was still there. A faint blue light in the shape of a man sat crouched at the far end of the alleyway. He looked up when Rian and Ransey approached, then looked back down, frowning. Rian knelt in front of the man.

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The man’s spectral eyes widened. “Can you see me?” His voice sounded faint and distant.

“I can,” Rian said. “I’m here to help you move on.”

Ruari showed him memories of the many times he had done this. Rian reached out with his magic, feeling the soul of the man much more strongly when he did. Red light didn’t burn in his bones this time. Rian’s magic touched the man’s soul, releasing him from what kept him bound to this world. The ghostly man smiled briefly before fading away into nothing. Rian felt the man’s soul move on to the true land of the dead. A deep weariness fell over him. Now he needed burial ground even more. Rian got to his feet unsteadily.

“Had you not been fully undead, using your magic would have cost you flesh,” Ruari said in his mind. “This is not a curse that Trivius gave you. Our magic has a cost, and necromancers have a purpose.”

Rian thought about this, but he felt only more uncertain. And even more worried about what Quidvis had planned for him and Halbert. Right then, Rian was too tired to truly think about all of this.

“Is it done?” Ransey asked. “Was there someone here?”

Rian turned to face Ransey. “He’s gone now, to the land of the dead.”

“Good,” Ransey said. “Let’s find the butcher before I eat someone.” His voice shook a little.

The two of them went back out into the crowded main alleyway. The snow was coming down harder now. On the way to the butcher, Rian heard talk of the Sancta having taken over Acra. He also heard talk of what the Sancta had done to the Ectu. All the Ectu and part Ectu in Noantha had fled, leaving behind people who had known them for years and weren’t happy with the Sancta.

Rian waited outside the butcher’s shop for Ransey. Rian wanted to see what else he could hear outside, but he heard nothing more about Acra, or what the Sancta might be up to. Ransey returned before long with a small parcel. The two of them headed for the graveyard without a word. As they neared the iron archway, they changed direction in the crowd quickly. Four Sancta Knights stood guard out front the graveyard.

“Halt!”

Rian and Ransey looked back. Two of the four knights, both men, were coming toward them. Their hands were already on the hilts of their swords, but the knights didn’t draw their swords yet.

“Lower your hoods,” the knight on the left said, frowning more at Ransey than Rian, likely because of the dried blood on Ransey’s cloak.

Neither Rian or Ransey moved. The knight on the right started to draw his sword. Ransey lunged, pulling the knight close and biting his neck. The knight cried out. Ransey shoved the knight into the other knight, the two stumbling back. The other two knights, still by the graveyard, drew their swords. The knight Ransey had bitten was bleeding a lot, but he didn’t appear to be missing any flesh.

“Run!” Ransey said.

Rian and Ransey ran, the people in the crowd hurrying out of their way. Rian tried to ignore the terror on the faces around them. He glanced back and could barely see the knights moving through the panicked crowd. At least Ransey hadn’t taken flesh from that knight. He hadn’t given Mortua more power.

Rian caught sight of Halbert’s familiar ragged cloak. Eiva was with Halbert and Quidvis. The three of them were moving through the crowd toward Rian and Ransey. Rian was glad to see Eiva, even if Quidvis was with her. Ransey moved faster, and Rian did the same. Maybe they could lose the three in the crowd.

“We’ll have a better chance of losing them in the forest,” Ransey said.

Soon they were out on the snowy plains. They had lost the knights. The sun was setting when they passed a small village, not stopping. The sun hadn’t finished setting when they reached the forest. Ransey stopped in a small clearing. Rian could feel many bones under the ground.

“Is this burial ground enough for you?” Ransey asked.

“It is.” Rian sat on the ground and buried his hands in the dirt, energy flowing into him. The cracks in his bones closed slowly.

Ransey sat nearby and ate the meat he bought in Noantha. He had lowered the hood of his cloak. Oddly, he appeared to be enjoying the meat and hating it at the same time, his expression going between the two several times.

“We’ll go back toward Urvus,” Ransey said. “It would be best not to go near the Sancta. I’ll keep watch while you rest.”

Rian took his cloak off and lay on the ground, more energy flowing into him. He would stay above ground in case the others caught up. He let himself stop seeing. Rian was standing in darkness, but he wasn’t alone. A skeletal knight stood in front of him. Red light glowed in his bones, but the bones weren’t cracked. The light glowed in his eye sockets, as well as along the long, curving horns on either side of his head.

“Ruari,” Rian said.

“Give in,” Ruari said. “Embrace your magic as the Speaker of the Dead. Then we won’t need a sacrifice to free Trivius. You can already open the way to the Bone Garden without the ritual, if you’re willing.”

“No,” Rian said.

What would Trivius do if he was free? Last time, he had attacked Derwen. But how much longer could he hold out against Ruari? Ruari’s will pressed in on Rian, trying to take over. His will was stronger now, but Rian held him off. Red light flared along his bones, cracking them again. His magic was hurting him, even while on burial ground. Rian woke up back in the forest between Haren and Caerulis. The red light faded from his bones, the cracks healing as he lay there. It was night, the moon shining brightly into the clearing.

“Eventually you will give in,” Ruari said in Rian’s mind. “You are the Speaker of the Dead, no matter how much you try to deny it.”

Rian sat up and put his cloak back on. Ransey was sitting not far off, watching. Rian tried to think of something to say to break the silence. He heard something from back the way they came. Rian and Ransey were on their feet swiftly.

“Rian!” Eiva called.

Eiva, Halbert, and Quidvis reached the clearing before Rian and Ransey could run.

“I can help you,” Quidvis said, staring at Rian.

Ruari pushed to the surface, forcefully taking control. “I don’t need your help, All-Keeper.”

Quidvis’s eyes narrowed. “Let go of him, Ruari of Derwen.” He ran at Rian suddenly, reaching for him.

Ruari turned and ran further into the forest, with Ransey beside him. Rian fought against Ruari, managing to take back control. Had Ruari let him? They were headed toward Caerulis. Rian thought he heard Halbert call his name, but his voice was in the distance behind them.