It was a pleasant surprise when, after making their report, Lady Thalia and the others agreed to let them go to Prohr. King Henry was, of course, very excited to hear of the trap they’d lain for the bandits, as well as the duel and their escape from Nuidia. His sister seemed more worried that the trio had been framed as lawbreakers than anything else. But when Anna explained that she recognized the blond Wisp Stealer, the royal mother agreed that investigating the lead should be their top priority.

Andrew was glad that, for once, they were flying to something familiar. Even if it was Prohr. The moment Anna had pointed it out, he recognized the blond man as well. It worried him that the woman who’d so eagerly supported their efforts against the pirates was in league with the enemy mage. He thought she’d been sincere. Then again, a group as shadowy as the one they were tracking would be able to fake that as well as anything else, he thought.

Lady Nonell was not at her city residence when they arrived. A servant there directed them to her estate out in the countryside. Her home was a three story mansion, with a sloping roof and balconies overlooking the flower gardens and hedges that surrounded it. Not wanting to offend their friend by crushing any of her landscaping, Andrew convinced Peter and Jarnvaror to land just outside her gate.

“Think she saw us coming?” Peter asked. “Or should I have Jarnvaror call for her?”

“She’ll probably send a servant out to greet us,” Andrew said.

Of course, all the dragon heard was that he should call for their host. Andrew knew the roar he let out was a friendly greeting. He doubted anyone who hadn’t grown up with dragons would think so.

A man in black livery came out to meet them. Andrw recognized him as the butler from before. He was nervous, looking at the dragon. “Ah, my lords and lady,” he said, his voice shaking. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” his eyes flicked to the dragon. “Is there some…. Ah… emergency?”

“No,” Andrew said. “The dragon was just saying hello.” The servant didn’t seem at all comforted.

“There’s no reason to worry,” Anna said, sliding off the dragon’s back. “We need to speak with Lady Nonell. Is she available?”

The butler nodded. “Yes, the mistress is here. I can take you too her. As for… ah, your beast…” he added, looking at the dragon.”

“He’s happy to wait here,” Peter said. “Right Jarn?”

The dragon huffed his reply, a puff of smoke curling out of his nose. Andrew sympathized with the poor man, who flinched, but couldn’t seem to find anything to hide behind. He regained his composure as they put some distance between themselves and Jarnvaror. His back straightened, and he opened the door for them.

Lady Nonell was inside, waiting for them.

“It’s good to see you, my friends,” she said. “That beast of yours gave us quite the scare. I hope nothing is amiss.”

“Not with him, no.” Peter said.

“Good, good,” the noblewoman said. “It is Peter, yes? You and I were never properly introduced, but Sir Mac’Neil told me what you and your dragon did while fighting the Pirates.” She smiled at the group and gestured to a table in the adjoining room, where two other servants had set out tea and small cakes. “Please make yourselves comfortable.”

“Thank you, Lady Nonell,” Andrew said.

The noblewoman shook her head. “Please, call me Maria.” When they sat down, Lady Maria asked them about how their travels had been going. Andrew let Peter answer the questions. He wasn’t sure how much they should tell her, but he knew Peter would be happy to talk about the exciting bits. He told of saving Jeremy Thornwood from a swarm of Wisps, of fighting Mottled in the north, and of fighting the mage in Nuidia.

“You’ve had a busy time,” Lady Maria said. “Hardly a moment of rest. I assume this isn’t a casual visit.”

Andrew nodded. “We needed to ask you about something. Well… someone,” he told her. “While we were in Nuidia, we saw one of the Wisp Stealers. The man selling the Wisps to bandits, and presumable to the Pirates as well. And we recognized him. Anna and I had seen him before. When we met you.”

For a moment, Lady Nonell just looked at him blankly. Then she blinked and gasped. “You don’t mean Zech, do you?”

“A blond guy with hair drooping into his face?” Peter said. “We didn’t have his name.”

The look of horror did not leave Maria’s face. “No… He’s different. It must have been his father you saw.”

“His father?” Andrew asked.

Lady Nonell nodded. “I never met the man myself,” she explained. “It was about ten years ago, now. A rising mage in the royal court turned rogue. He began practicing very dark magic. He would rob graves to turn bodies into servants. He was chased out of the country ages ago. Not many knew he left behind a son.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“How do you know this?” Andrew asked.

“Zech told me,” Lady Maria said. “I met him a few years ago, and he does look so terribly like his father was described. They share a name, as well, and I can tell how much that pains him. But he’s nothing like a dark wizard at all. I doubt if he can even use magic.”

“And… and you’re certain he was honest about all of that?” Andrew asked. “He couldn’t be the necromancer from before?”

Lady Maria’s face shifted first to a look of confusion, then shock, then anger. “No, of course not!” she said. “He’s a good young man.” She seemed to calm down. “I shouldn’t shout at you. If you really did encounter his father… well, I would be rather unsettled myself.” She took her breath, then shook her head again. “Besides, my Zech is much to young to be the senior.”

Andrew exchanged a glance with Anna, knowing she was thinking the same thing he was. The man they encountered in Nuidia couldn’t be to much older than either of them. Neither of them thought it wise to tell Lady Maria that.

Instead, Anna asked. “Perhaps we should talk to your Zech, then. Straighten things out.”

“He hasn’t done anything wrong, I assure you,” Maria said.

“Of course not,” Andrew said. It felt like a lie to agree. “But maybe his father has contacted him. Or maybe he left something we can use to trace him. It’s worth a conversation.”

The noblewoman nodded. “I see. Well, I can let him know the next time I see him.”

“He’s not in town?” Anna asked.

Lady Nonell shook her head. “No. He travels for his work.”

“What’s his work?” Andrew asked.

“He collects funds to help support those who have suffered due to diseases like the plague or who have been afflicted by bandits. The organization is new, but I know how much it would have helped had it been up and running while the pirates were targeting my ships.”

Andrew resisted the urge to exchange another glance with Anna. “I see. Well, in that case, send a letter to Woadrok the next time he’s in town.”

“Or better yet, send him,” Peter suggested. “I’m sure there’d be plenty of people there interested in helping him out too.”

“Or who need his help,” Anna added.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Lady Nonell said. “I’ll be sure to do that. Oh, are you leaving?” she asked as the three stood up.

“I’m afraid we must,” Andrew said. “If this mage we fought is really the same necromancer as ten years ago, the Archmage should know about it.”

“Yes… Yes, of course,” Lady Maria said. “I do hope you’re able to catch him soon.”

“So do we,” Andrew agreed.

The butler walked them back out to the property gates. Jarnvaror was dozing by the side of the road, there, and the serving man was able to smile with far less nerves than he’d shown before. He left them there as Peter filled Jarnvaror in on the conversation in the manor. Andrew was glad he hadn’t stuck around to hear the ending of Peter’s explanation. “Yeah. It seems like the mage has duped our friend here.”

Still, Andrew nodded. “Either this mage is able to hide his age, or the son is just as bad as the father,” he said.

“Something still seems off,” Anna muttered.

“You think?” Peter asked. He adopted a mocking tone. “’I know I look just like that necromancer from a few years back, and I have the same name. But you can totally trust me. We’re not the same person at all…’ No Jarn, that’s essentially his story.”

“That’s what I don’t get,” Anna said. “If he really is the necromancer, why act like there’s any connection? Why not change his name?”

Andrew paused, considering the point. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe he thinks a partial lie will be more convincing. Regardless, we should get this information back to Woadrok.”

The others agreed. They continued to debate the question over the next few days whenever they stopped to rest. By the end, though, Andrew felt like he’d cycled through the same two or three explanations a dozen times without any sounding more plausible. They arrived back in Woadrok and reported what Lady Nonell had said to the king and queen, along with their mother, Chancelor Daniel, and Sol.

“Zech?” Lady Thalia hissed.

“Or the son of Zech,” Chancelor Daniel muttered. “Either way… What a nightmare.”

“You think he was being honest about his name?” Andrew asked.

“There’s no way to know without meeting him,” Sol said. “I remember him when he was young. He was very intelligent, but he thought on his feet, only when he had to. Never ahead of the moment. I can see him coming up with that kind of story if somebody like Lady Nonell caught him.”

“And it sounds like he’s been able to wring some money out of the arrangement,” Chancelor Daniel noted.

“He should be dead,” King Henry said. Andrew was surprised to see his sister nod in enthusiastic agreement.

“Would we be able to restart the search for him?” the queen asked.

“If only it were so simple,” Lady Thalia said. “It’s been over a week since he fled Nuidia. He could be anywhere in the eastern half of the kingdom, assuming he didn’t flee to Selasem or Ryukyuu. His old bounty still exists, though. Perhaps advertising the fact will turn up some results.”

Andrew looked between Anna and his brother with some confusion. “Is this really so extreme as that?” He asked. “I know he desecrated graves around ten years ago, and he’s working with various bandits and such now, but…” He fell silent as he saw the incredulous looks on King Henry and Queen Emilys’ faces.

Sol and Daniel, though, both looked more understanding. “They wouldn’t know, your Majesty, your Grace,” Daniel said. “Both valleys were fairly isolated from the plague, as were the dwarves.”

“The plague?” Anna said. Andrew saw realization come to her face, then. “Ten years ago…”

Lady Thalia nodded. “Zech began raising servants for himself ten years ago. When we tried arresting him, he got away by having the bodies defend himself. Those who fought the dead fell ill first, but that was days afterward. They’d already spread it to others without any signs. More and more people started falling ill. Eventually even my husband and his sister…” her voice broke.

But Andrew found himself turning from lady Thalia to her children. King Henry’s face seemed like it contained a storm. Fire burned behind queen Emily’s eyes. “I see,” he muttered. “And this is the man who’s trying to gather Wisps.”

“Right,” Chancelor Daniel said. “We are rather concerned that he’s back.”