“History is written by the survivors, but stories are whispered by the dead.”
— Lycaonese saying.
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Abigail and I stood just within one of the sally ports leading towards Callow. I’d incapacitated the guard. The Watch stood just beyond the shadow of the walls. I was waiting for them to leave and build up a lead before I followed behind. Abigail could seal the way behind me once I’d taken up pursuit.
“Our enemies to the east call that light shining down upon us a tyrant,” Edric marched back and forth in front of the Watch. “Let us give them cause to remember.”
There was a roar of approval from the small force behind him.
“Raise your steel for duty,” there was a pause then, a silence as sixty men listened that was magnified by the hissing of the breeze, “for now is the hour of the sun.”
Sixty swords whispered from their sheaths in perfect unison — an echo that lingered — filling the air like an unspoken vow. It was as if some unseen force swept over the Watch. Their movements grew fluid, light, each soldier synchronizing perfectly with the next. They moved as if bound by an invisible chain, like fish caught in a net.
“Life isn’t a race to an unmarked grave,” Abigail breathed in and grabbed at my arm. “Mabli told you-”
“Orders?” I interrupted. “Those are for other people.”
The sword in my hand felt awkward. I had some experience with the weapon, but I was more familiar with a knife. A knife wouldn’t avail me much against the might of an ogre. I wasn’t expecting to get into close combat with one, but I’d rather be prepared.
“Are you even listening?” she let go and paced back and forth behind me.
“If Mabli says not to do something,” I evaded, “then it’s an invitation.”
“Today she meant it,” Abigail tugged at her hair. “Must you always be this reckless?”
You should listen to her.
My nails bit into my palms as I clenched my fists, as if crushing the voice in my head in my grip.
“No need for you to worry.” I walked out of the fortress walls. “It’s only my neck that’s on the line.”
Abigail squawked in protest, but I ignored her and ran. I shielded my eyes against the late afternoon sun and gazed ahead at the fading forms of sixty Watch soldiers. They were spread out rather than clustered. Soon, they passed the killing fields, and the ogres started hurling rocks.
Crash!
The first boulder blasted into the ground. Then the next, and the next. Dust scattered into the air, then cleared away.
My hand slackened around the blade.
The Watch moved as if they shared a single mind. Rocks sailed past them, each dodge precise, each arrow finding its mark. There were no cheers among the ranks when the first ogre fell, only a deadly silence. Then, the gargantuan line of death began to retreat towards the tents. The last thunder of the rocks crashed.
One of them hurtled towards me.
I dashed.
I ducked,
I yelped as debris caught my side.
Another stone slammed into the ground beside me, and I went down. Dust clawed its way down my throat, grit stinging my eyes like ash from a fire as I spat it out.
Couldn’t you at least keep your mad ambitions chained to after nightfall?
I brushed aside the voice in my head and focused on the furnace smouldering away inside me. It was time. I remembered the crucifixions in Laure, the starving on the streets. These soldiers were the reason my home was broken, my people made into nothing more than an echo of what came before.
Tenebrous limbs writhed at the edge of my vision, curling and beckoning like tendrils of smoke. When I reached, a sudden clarity burned through me, every heartbeat repeating rhythmically like the grinding of grain in a mill. Warmth flooded through my cheeks, a tempting, almost sickly sweetness sinking into my skin. A sickly-sweet floral scent clawed at my senses. It reminded me of the ghost of roses left to wilt on graves.
I smiled.
Alive.
The heady, dangerous thrill that surged through me was what it felt like to be alive.
Much like poison masked with honey.
Fight it.
I clenched my teeth and pushed back against the sensation. Control. I wasn’t prepared to give up control. I breathed in, then out, then in again. My fingers tightened around the handle of the blade. The gloom fought back. They didn’t like it when I was the one with the reins. They tried to slip between my ghostly fingers. I clung to them like a starving beggar to their last meal. At last, they gave in to my demands.
Another boulder flew towards me. I nudged the murk at the base of it. Its course changed. A ditch lay just ahead and to my left that extended towards the Legion encampment. I crouched low and ducked into it. Shadows washed over me. I slowed. It was better to be more cautious now. The battle was close. I was only here to provide limited support.
Hammers were raised over mountainous shoulders as the rocky hail ceased, and the ground shook with the ogres’ charge towards the tents.
The Watch were now near to their opponents. Bows were slung over their shoulders, and swords hissed like snakes sliding over stone. They ran far faster than normal soldiers. They ran faster than the ogres retreated. The Watch nearly ran as fast as me when I gave it my all. I clenched my fists.
The leading member of the Watch raised his palm and shouted something — I couldn’t make it out — and they all started to sprint. I tried to match my pace to their own while remaining silent.
My effort was futile.
The ogres stopped just short of the camp, facing the approaching force. It wasn’t long before the distance on the hard, packed dirt between the Watch and the ogres had disappeared. The first of the Watch reached an ogre, and a mace came down with a mighty crash against the ground. The man darted to one side. A fist was raised, and a steel stake slammed into the ogre’s leg. Using it as support, he threw himself further up the ogre and a bit into a position further up with his other stake.
The ogre didn’t even let out a grunt.
The gap between me and the fight had halved.
I jostled against the shadows. They slithered along the ground towards the conflict. Their sibilant whispers sent a faint tremor down the back of my neck. I brushed them aside. I couldn’t afford to give in.
The ogre I was watching took a step back, released the mace with one hand, and reached towards its veiled opponent. A flick of the wrist got the first peg out of the leg below, and the cloaked figure hoisted himself up once again. The hand smashed against a now empty leg.
Twenty feet. Don’t get any closer. This is mad enough already!
My feet twitched. The sounds of conflict had shifted. No longer did it blend together into a single discordant noise. I could hear the striking of metal on metal and the sinking of metal into flesh and bone. Another ogre swung its hammer, and the woman jumped onto it, using the momentum to launch herself at the next assailant.
Half a dozen other members of the Watch had each engaged in battle with an ogre of their own. They would push pin the beasts from either side and then force them step by step into the space of another ogre. Soon, their movements became so restricted that many of them were unable to wield their weapons at all.
The first of my shadows coiled around an ogre’s armoured legs and began to root it in place. I felt something then. Almost as if someone had trailed a feather over an invisible layer of skin. A layer of skin that I didn’t even know that I had. What was it?
There was too much to follow. Another one of the gargantuan mountains of steel launched itself towards the Learned Tactician. He ducked behind his shield, took a single step right, then charged. The ogre swung its hammer. Edric took a step back, swung his arm back and threw. His shield hurtled through the air and smashed the beast on the face. A hammer swung towards him from his left. He darted to the side.
Five, six, seven ogres all rooted to the ground. I crawled closer. Light scalded my skin as my head peered out from the ditch. I felt eyes settle upon me.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
I looked up as a new patch of darkness fell over me. A hammer head larger than the Radiant Archer’s ego swung towards me. It moved at a speed that would leave me as nothing more than a smear on the ground.
Smash!
My sword clattered to the ground as I threw myself out of the way.
Dirt sprayed from the impact.
Scrape.
The ogre dragged the hammer towards me. I tried to clasp at the shadows around the weapon. I tried to push against it. My fingers tightened as they slipped from my grasp.
I threw myself backwards.
This is going about as well as that time you tried to sneak into a Legion camp by climbing on the rooftops.
Could the voice shut up? An armoured leg came down like a hammer and pounded the breath out of me. I was sent me flying into the air. I blinked as I arced. Then I started to fall. I rolled as I struck the ground. I staggered to my feet and coughed.
Where was I?
I took another bleary look around. A shape darkened the edge of my vision. I cursed and ducked. The hammer passed over my head. I reached for my traitorous weapon of choice. For once, they obeyed. I slammed at the murky outline around the weapon’s head. The ogre tried to correct for the added force, failed, then toppled to the ground.
The glint of metal a few feet away hinted at my sword. I limped towards it and grabbed the handle, then turned to face my foe. The ogre had risen to its knees. I seized the reins of my slippery subordinates. They wormed and squirmed, but answered nonetheless. I threw them at the mountain of metal and flesh that had set itself against me.
My nails dug deeper. Blood trickled from my palms.
It took three tries before tendrils coiled around the ogre once again. They fought me every step of the way, slipping through my grip like a snake. The ogre grunted and tried to move. Its efforts availed it nothing. I risked a glance around.
Everyone was too engaged with their own conflicts.
Nobody’s attention was on me.
“Could you die any faster?” Tough crowd. My enemy didn’t even deign to reply. “You’re more stubborn than a tavern bouncer.”
I dashed forward and swung. There was an almighty clang as a heavy plated arm intercepted by blow. I pulled back as the other arm reached towards me, then darted forward again and struck. This time I scored a hit through a gap between the helm and the rest of the plate. The ogre squealed like a stuck pig as I carved a line through its throat. It tried to raise its knee again. It didn’t amount to much. A feeble arm was lifted and swung towards me. I pulled away, then returned for a second cut. Steel dug deeper into its neck.
The ogre let out a gurgle as the last of the strength left its limbs.
I glanced around the battlefield once more.
Over two dozen ogres were dead and only eight of the Watch. The Learned Tactician had finished dispatching an Ogre and was turning towards another. It didn’t seem like my help was needed. I swallowed, then spat.
I rolled my shoulders and considered where to help next. That was when I felt it again. A reverberation in the gloom. It was like someone or something was beckoning to me from deeper within the broken camp.
Ignore it and keep your head down.
I knew that I should leave it alone. Nothing good could come from sticking my head into this orphanage. Besides, the Reluctant Strategist thought the camp was trapped. Entering it was a bad idea.
Good.
I felt another pulse, stronger this time. There was a familiar resonance to it. It reminded me of what it was like to feel the waves splashing against my legs at the shores of the Silver Lake when somebody threw in a stone, only through shadows instead of water. It was the first time I’d ever felt something like it before. Before I even knew it, I’d departed the safety of the ditch and moved between the stakes on my left.
You just considered why this is a bad idea.
What if it was the Black Knight or some other villain? Perhaps the Watch didn’t need my help with the ogres, but that didn’t mean I could help somewhere else. The villain could ambush the Watch at the wrong moment if I didn’t stop them.
I scrambled between the last of the stakes, flexed on my ephemeral limbs, then pushed at the palisade. There was a moment of resistance before it shattered beneath my palm. The dull throbbing in my side flared for a moment and fed into the murmuring in my head. I blinked, nudging them away. I examined the skeleton of a siege encampment as I scraped through the hole in the wall. Forlorn tents, dusty footprints, and not a soul in sight. The place had been abandoned in a hurry.
There, nothing to see. Now get out of there before you set off that Goblin Fire.
Maybe there wasn’t any Goblin Fire? It had only been a guess. Mabli wasn’t always right about everything. I swallowed down on the gnawing in my stomach and ghosted out of the shade into the camp itself. The sounds of the battle behind me faded away the further in that I explored. I passed the broken remains of what once was the prison and turned towards the west. There was another, larger series of holes in the defences.
I turned back to the broken prison. The distant scraping of metal against metal gained intensity once again. Carrion eaters ate from the swollen bodies of corpses within the cells. The Legions hadn’t even bothered to remove them before leaving. One stocky, headless corpse was set apart from the rest. I knelt down the decapitated remains of the Gallant Youth and stared at the blonde head beside it.
I felt a presence behind me.
There wasn’t even a whisper of warning. I rolled to my right. The head of an axe buried itself in the ground beside me. I stumbled to my feet. The ground protested as the axe was dragged loose. I brought my blade up as I turned towards whatever it was. There was a heavy impact as it struck against steel. I staggered back. My arm tingled from the impact. I glanced towards my assailant.
I smothered the unnatural prickle of dread that bloomed within my heart.
Dented armour clung to a broken frame. Flecks of something floated from cracks in the metal. My eyes rose further and met the eyes of a scarred face that I already knew well. Maggots writhed beneath my skin and my grip tightened around my sword. It shouldn’t have surprised me. Somehow it still did. There was nothing the Praesi weren’t willing to do. This wasn’t even that Evil for them.
A part of me wondered which necromancer had desecrated this corpse.
It was the Vengeful Warrior.
There was an unsettling stillness to the zombie. There were rocks that were more animated.
“My mother died first,” the pallid figure drew back the two-handed axe in one fluid motion and swung again, “because her life was cheaper than the price of a dress.”
I advanced and deflected the blade. My arm trembled. My foe took a step backward and swung a fist at my face.
“Vengeful Warrior,” I ducked and swung upwards. “You talk an awful lot for somebody who’s already dead.”
My enemy’s fingers opened and seized the steel between its gauntleted fingers. It tugged. I staggered forward. The shadows whispered promises in my ears. I pulled at them. They slipped free from my grasp. I released the sword and leaped backwards as another hand reached towards me.
“My father died next,” the corpse reversed its grip on the sword and dropped the axe on the ground, “in a back alley at the hands of common thugs.”
The blade thrust towards me. I dodged. I was too slow. A hole gouged itself through the leather on my arm. I bit back a scream. The blade tore out of the wound. I leaped past the figure's guard and hammered against the shadows. They whispered to me. They argued with me. I drowned the whispers with my anger, then slammed a fist against the elbow. There was a crunch as the metal warped under my onslaught.
Don’t listen to their lies.
“And next comes the friend. Tell me a story that I don’t know, once and future corpse,” I smiled as I grabbed the falling sword. “My name is-”
I reversed the blade once more and scoured it across the breastplate. The metal shrieked. I danced backwards as an undamaged arm swung towards me and sucked at the syrupy sweetness once again. I shook my head. No, not sweetness. I needed to fight against their call.
“Catherine Foundling,” I growled as my enemy stole the satisfaction of introducing myself from me, “of the-”
Hissing spectral snakes pinned the woman’s body in place. Step forward, arm up, arm down. Step away, duck the incoming fist, swing again. Pivot. Dash around. The corners of my eyes darkened. Life flowed through me as one leg then another were severed from the corpse. The body fell. I cut across and parted the head from the throat.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
I exhaled and smiled.
That was when I was thrown against the broken remains of the prison’s palisade wall.
What happened?
The thought was distant. I blinked and stared at the broken remains of the corpse. Splinters had gouged themselves into my sides. My ears rang. I clawed my way to my feet and pushed past the spots in my vision. Crimson flowed down my chest. Flowed, then dripped onto the ground.
Look out!
My feet moved on their own as I did my best to heed the advice.
There was a streak of movement in the gloom behind me.
I threw myself forward as a clay ball sailed over my head and thudded against the soil. Dirt scythed into my side as the sharper detonated. I rolled once more. Who was he? I didn’t think he was just another necromancer. I didn’t have anything to support the feeling in my gut. The Black Knight was skilled at fighting. So skilled at it that even though I doubted this corpse had the same capacity to fight, there was still much for me to Absorb.
I’d been learning during the fight.
Nothing good can come from staying.
“You’re a monster,” I snarled, “you’re the Black Knight.”
The Silver Lancer stood motionless, maybe a hundred paces away. He inclined his head from outside the prison as I looked up and met his soft grey eyes. Eyes that were lifeless. The raven haired corpse towered in the distance. It was still clad in a once polished metal plate that was now shredded by axe cuts, and held a sword at the ready. Half a dozen clay balls were slung over its shoulder.
“Creation is about stories,” the empty voice intoned, “patterns that repeat themselves.”
This isn’t a fight we can win.
I ignored the voice. This was my chance. A chance to kill the man who brought Callow to its knees. This wasn’t him, but he had to be somewhere nearby. I was sure of it. Could I sense him? I drank deeper from the well. The last echoes of the fight in the distance died. Without turning around, the zombie took a measured step towards another walled off part of the Legion camp behind him. I followed behind.
“This is where your story ends,” my bloody boots ate the ground, leaving a trail of prints in their wake. “Your pattern will never re-”
The ghoul clasped a clay ball with a mailed fist and lobbed it underhand it my way. Ink slithered down my arm. I grabbed it out of the air and tossed it back in turn. I circled to the side. Three more calculated steps backwards, and he passed through an open gate and sheltered behind the fortification. There was a thunderous crack.
“You will try.” He declared from behind the wall. “You’re making an admirable effort at digging an early grave,” his voice grew more distant.
I didn’t know what the Black Knight was talking about. I also didn’t care. He was the man who had ruined my home. Everything would be better off once he was dead. Lines of wooden stakes fell behind me as I strode through the gate into the enclosure. I glanced around. Another explosive appeared in the corner of my eye. An umbral tiger leaped out of the shadow of a tent and swatted it aside with its claws. There was a muffled bang in the distance.
“So what?” The distance between us closed. “Your end will be the beg-”
I grimaced as another explosive almost smashed against my face. A screen of darkness intercepted the sphere. The impact sent me sprawling to the ground. I brushed the hair out of my eyes and staggered to my feet. There was a glint of steel. My blade rose to meet his own. My vision blurred. Three gleaming points struck against one, and both sides held firm. A rush of heat flowed through me. It was so easy when I just let myself go. I grinned. A black fog billowed out from me and flowed along the ground.
You need to keep your secret from the-
I slammed the cage shut around the irritating gnat in my head.
“You’re making a lot of stupid decisions,” murky wisps tightened themselves around the corpse’s limbs, “for somebody who spent so long avoiding orphanages.”
I brought my blade up and carved through one restrained limb. A feverish heat rushed through me. The flesh puppet gave me a bloodless smile and tore itself backwards. The squelch that followed was music to my ears. I ignored the tingling in my fingers or the ringing in my ears. I felt alive. The fragile spheres rushed to the dirt.
“Callow doesn’t want,” the tenebrous pool at my feet cushioned the balls, “the dirt you feed us.”
My sword swung again and traced a bloodless sickle across the zombie’s throat. Three remaining arms swung towards me. I darted backwards, leaving a trail of scarlet prints as I went. A wall of shadows interposed itself between me and my assailants.
“Do you think this is what I want?” the corpses cocked their heads and rasped at me. “The waste disgusts me.”
I’d had enough. I squeezed on one of the explosives. There was a soft crack. The darkness roiled as the contents of the balls detonated. It roiled, then dispersed in the aftermath. I panted as I surveyed the aftermath.
Was that it?
Scarlet poured from the wound down my arm. The edges of my vision frayed. I knew what it meant. A nightmare. Another waking nightmare was soon to come. I needed enough blood to fuel my Aspect. I required blood to resist the call of the darkness. My head swooned as I leaned down to inspect the corpse.
The corpses were bloodless.
No, no, this wasn’t enough. I reached for my Aspect. It didn’t answer. My heart leaped into my throat. I bit down on my tongue and struck out against the phantoms in the mist. They trailed their silky claws down my spine and purred into my ears. My fingers dug grooves into my palms. I lashed out with my sword. It availed me nothing. It never did.
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Edric twisted his blade loose from the pallid remains of the ghoul. He focused on Coordinate. He was unsurprised when it didn’t respond. The phantom formation within his mind had long since abandoned its post. He turned around and surveyed the battlefield. Just over two dozen members of the Watch remained among the living. The fight was over.
His lips pressed together.
He ran his fingers along the length of his blade, then sheathed it in a single motion. He’d caught more than one glimpse of the Novice during the fight. What he’d seen placed a heavier burden upon him than the weight of his armour. Shadows obeyed her orders. It was enough to convince him that she was the one responsible for the culling of half a dozen merchant caravans on the outskirts of Legion camps.
Edric marched over to where he’d last seen her and examined the ground for further insight. Loose dirt, a dead ogre, signs of a scuffle. His eyes followed the faintest of trails leading towards a break in the walls of the leftmost camp. It was best for them to pursue the villain. There was no telling what schemes she was up to.
“Injuries?” he inquired.
“Minor,” Brennan spat, “a hit was a death sentence.”
Then they could proceed with his adjustments to the plan.
“Form up,” he gave Brennan a single measured nod, “we’re investigating the encampment.”
He had been ordered to remain outside the encampment, barring extreme circumstances. The Learned Tactician deemed the presence of a villain significant enough to proceed.
“The girl?” the man leaned in close and rested a hand on his shoulder.
Edric relaxed. The voice of his comrade and occasional lover from time spent in Daoine almost brought a smile to his face. He buried the emotion. There would be time for gentler moments after the conflict ended. Their dedication to their mission came first.
“Indeed,” Edric stepped past the stakes, “touch nothing and remain alert. There is no telling what traps are here.”
Twenty-five men stepped through her breach into the enclosure. Her trail disappeared then. Edric had the men spread out. It wasn’t long before one of them discovered the first corpse. Bloody prints on the sand were found soon after.
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The shadows rippled, contorting around me.
The palisade climbed to the sky. Up, up and up again, then shifted into menacing brick walls. Empty tents became fortified turrets. Trenches became caverns. Stakes became the ravenous teeth of hungry beasts. A tyrant glared down upon me from above, waving its golden sceptre. I snarled back in return. The distant tread of boots on soil morphed into the clanging of chains. My head floated in the clouds.
A little girl beat her arms against the bars of her cage.
I smiled.
All was as it should be.
No, I needed to fight against this madness.
I raised my hand to my brow.
A ripple reverberated throughout my kingdom of nightmares.
I leaned to the side as a bolt whistled past my ear. The outline of a person disappeared behind the safety of a castle wall. The rattle of chains grew louder. I staggered towards the fading figure. At last, somebody else to fight. I rounded the corner and came face to face with the crisp blue eyes of the Radiant Archer.
I frowned.
Hadn’t I decided not to kill him? My thoughts were so… distant. Why did he try to shoot me? I hadn’t given myself away, had I? Hiding myself from everyone was so tiresome. It was easier to kill the witnesses. I couldn’t let the heroes see me. Why wouldn’t they just let me help them? Did he see what I did?
“A bolt?” I raised my sword and took another step closer. “Interesting way to greet a friend.”
… Did he really need to stay alive? I examined the lean muscled, black haired, swaggering braggart. The Radiant Archer reached for a bolt and reloaded his crossbow while I deliberated. He looked up again and met my eyes, then cocked his head to the side.
“We’d get along like two sharpers in a fire,” his lips twitched. “Do you know what a Novice is?”
A Novice was my Name. A Novice was what I was. The girl in the cage wailed something at me. The Radiant Archer was dead. She screamed that the Radiant Archer was dead. This was the Black Knight. My thoughts returned to the battle before. A wave of darkness intercepted the bolt.
Push back against it!
The whiny voice squeezed past her cage.
The fortified walls burned green beneath the moonlight. Moonlight? There was no moonlight. That hadn’t happened yet, had it?
Live now, worry about the future later.
I shook my head.
“An apprentice of some kind?” I gritted my teeth. “If this is a roundabout way to ask me to be your squire, then I’m not interested. Not unless I get to stab you as part of the deal.”
No, this wasn’t me. This wasn’t what I wanted. Castle walls became abandoned tents, became castle walls once more. My head throbbed and my shoulders shook. The little girl slammed against her bars. The bars did not give. Spectral abominations trailed their forked tongues along my ears. Kill him, kill the Radiant Archer’s corpse. The beast purred. The rattle of chains was close. I hoisted my sword and narrowed my eyes.
“A Novice has many teachers but no master,” the puppet declared as it advanced through the arching castle doorway. “She isn’t even the master of herself.”
He has Goblin Fire!
What was that? My head throbbed.
I darted forward. My shoulders loosened as I passed through the threshold. I slashed at my adversary. The corpse threw its crossbow at my head. An inky tentacle slammed it against the ground. No, stop it. I shouldn’t do that. I needed to keep hidden. A flash, then a harsh clang. One blade met another. Sparks spurted off the edges. My eyes widened as the form before me transformed. A pale man with green eyes and a murderous grin. No, he wasn’t here. This was nothing more than the corpse he used.
“A Black Knight is a White Knight but with a different colour armour,” I grabbed at his arm and twisted. It snapped. “Any more trite commentary before I stab you?”
The shadows wrapped themselves around me like the jaws of a slobbering beast. I pushed back against their whispers. He took a step back and withdrew his blade, then parried another of my blows. I cut low again. He evaded the blow.
My eyes darted from side to side. A chair on my left. A table stacked high with dusty globes occupied the middle of the fortress room. Goblin Fire. What about it? There was a… pattern to his fighting. He kept changing tactics. He kept… peeling parts of me away. Layer by layer. Like an onion.
Until there was nothing left.
My eyes widened like the rising of the sun.
“The heroes will turn against you,” the pallid lips smiled. “Isn’t that right, Nightmare Child?”
A scythe of shadows carved its way through his head. Goblin Fire… I need to… The corpse was seized by ephemeral claws, then thrown through the castle door. Green flames erupted as it struck the ground. I staggered into the chair. My sword slipped between bloody fingers and clattered to the ground. I ran my hands through my hair. My mind was swallowed by fog. My eyes drooped.
Rest… I could… rest now.
Oblivion whispered to me. No. I lashed out against the call of the grave. My hands dug crimson furrows into my legs. Shadows pooled around my feet. I hummed to the rhythm of a forlorn tune that I didn’t even know the words of. I didn’t want to go to sleep.
The ringing of chains grew louder.
I looked up. Bald head. Greying eyebrows. Not too tall. Edric. His name was Edric. He appeared at the door to the fortress. He was adjusting his gloves. Hero… he was a… hero. I couldn’t let him… see me like… like what? Words. Words slipped from me. Two cloaked figures stood behind him. All three had their weapons drawn. The beast whispered. Feast. I could feast. No, I’d promised not to. We were on the same side, weren’t we?
“Catherine,” his hard voice broke through my thoughts, “or should I call you the Nightmare Child?”
Kill!
Don’t!
Kill!
Don’t!
Kill!
Phantoms danced in the corners of my vision. Ghostly aberrations curled their spindly limbs and opened their jaws. Their fangs extended. They gave me the monstrous mockery of a grin.
“Don’t… come… closer,” my jaws clenched, “I’m… not… in… control.”
“You don’t control it?” his voice quietened.
I tried to speak. Decided against it. Words were difficult. Too much effort.
I nodded instead.
The madness wanted him. Wanted him dead. Drink deep, it whispered. Gorge on his blood. A lingering lethargy stole over me. It took monumental effort to keep myself restrained. How much time did I even have left? There was a faint rustle as he shifted from one foot to another.
His eyes fell on the corpse.
“Did you kill the Radiant Archer?” he pressed.
“Black Knight,” I shook my head, “uses zombies. Not them,” I let out a hacking cough. “Need healing. Won’t live otherwise.”
Edric turned his attention back to me. He hunched his shoulders and sheathed his blade. He made himself smaller. Like he was trying to avoid the attention from gangs on the street. The predator in me stalked from side to side.
“Maintain discipline,” there was a softness to his scrutiny. “I’m approaching.”
He reached out towards me with a hand wreathed in Light. The other hand remained pressed against the hilt of a dagger at his side. The beast snarled and the shadows chortled. Sweet sickness sang through my limbs. He was going to betray me. He was trying to kill me.
You can trust him.
The whining voice in the cage whispered.
A small part of me tried to listen to the voice.
The rest of me slammed the cage shut. He was going to end my life. He would draw his blade and use it to slit my throat. A manic laugh bubbled behind my lips. Not if I killed him first. I pushed back against the sickening voices. They quietened. No, I wouldn’t hurt him. He would heal me. He was trying to heal me. There was a soft thrum behind my ears. The darkness screamed at me. No, I wouldn’t do this. I wouldn’t betray an ally.
Billowing clouds clashed against my will. Fought, and lost.
His hand touched against my arm.
He stepped in closer. I heard the tell-tale sound of a knife leaving its sheath.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It will be a merc-”
My eyes widened. No, I’d thought that I could trust him!
Acid stained my tongue.
The shadows slipped through my fingertips. They pressed against my hair thin restraint.
My restraint broke.
Absorb.
Edric’s pulled back his palm. It was already too late. Colour leached out of his skin. His face — already wrinkled — gained the texture of parchment. His cheeks became sallow. He staggered backwards. Muscles atrophied. There was a loud snapping. His limbs broke. The corpse of the Learned Tactician collapsed to the floor of the tent.
A cage opened.
I told you that you shouldn’t have come here. How do you plan to escape from this?
The inky blackness celebrated.
The oppressive fog clouding my thoughts fell away. Fatigue sunk its languid claws deep into my limbs. My fingers felt cold, clammy. Salt rimmed the corner of my eyes and a dampness clung to my brow. I stood up and faced the entrance.
“You know,” I rasped, “drawing a knife on someone that way doesn’t seem all that heroic.”
Two arrows flew towards me only to be smashed out of the air by a dusky claw. My eyes narrowed. I didn’t deserve any of this! I was trying to help them. My cheeks burned and my fingers clenched. I’d known that they would hate me if they learned my secret, and it still stung.
“He should have allowed us to skewer you with arrows from a distance,” the rightmost form — Brennan, I realized — spat. “How many heroes lie dead at your hands, traitor?” He drew another arrow from his quiver. “You fight with the Black Knight.”
It was so nice how I could always trust the shadows to make me look bad.
“I found them like that,” I tried. “This is all a misunderstanding.”
Both of the figures stepped out of the tent and let out a cry.
I grasped the handle of my sword and followed behind them with leaden steps. Two dozen arrows fell towards me. The shadows reached out and tore them from the air. The arrows flew fast. So fast that I almost missed them. Tendrils lashed out and speared their way through two of the Watch. They fell to the ground with anguished screams as their insides were mulched. The rest darted out of their reach.
“A blatant lie,” Brennan dismissed. “When all four corpses bear the hallmarks of your brand of Evil.”
Another volley of arrows raced towards me. Three umbral lances and a tenebrous rake hurtled towards my opponents. Another of them were too slow and screamed as the claws shredded them piece by piece. It wasn’t long before she perished under the onslaught. The rest leaped aside with almost the same alacrity I’d seen them display out on the open fields. It took me a moment to spot the difference. They lacked the unity of purpose.
A river of sweat poured down my brow. I tugged on the gloom again, only my head was clear. The shade slipped from my ephemeral fingertips.
“Well you see,” I lifted my blade and deflected another arrow, “there might’ve been just a touch of necromancy involved.”
The Watch withdrew further. They retreated through the open gate of the walled in enclosure and back into the camp itself. A rain of more arrows pelted towards me. Some of them slipped through my grasp this time. One of the projectiles screamed past me as I dodged to the side. My eyelids drooped.
“You murdered the man I loved,” the grey cloaked asshole dragged another arrow free from his quiver. “If there is any good left in you, then surrender to the judgement of the Watch.”
Why did the rebellion need to recruit the help of the one Watch member who would take the death of a hero personally? Would nothing go my way today? I retreated within the safety of the smaller camp and crouched behind the wall. Heavy gasps. I needed another plan or else they would grind me down through fatigue. A memory surfaced from the fight with the Black Knight. The train of my midnight dress snaked towards the abandoned tent.
“It’s not murder,” I complained. “It was pre-emptive self-defence.”
The ringing of blades warned me of the arrival of my foes. Four cloaked men dashed through the open gate. Another shadow lance left my hands. All four dodged. I breathed in deep as I retreated further. My tenebrous fingers found their quarry. I gave a gentle tug. The sound of metal sinking into wood warned me of my enemy’s intent. I glanced upwards. Dark skinned hands pulled their way up onto the top of the palisade fence.
“You are not an ally,” the voice of Brennan continued, “but a traitor. A murderer.”
My dusky monstrosities scattered the first of the arrows to descend from above. Wisps wrapped around the legs of the four men chasing me. I tried to tear into them. The shadows tore loose from my clutch. I parried the first sword with my own. The second tore my weapon from my grip and sent it to the ground. My opponents formed a crescent around me at a distance, cornering me like a fox in a snarel. I tried to turn the formless clouds of darkness at their heals into something more substantive. It felt like scraping at an empty bowl. Eyes like sharpened iron pinned me to the earth. They took a step closer.
“Judgment’s easy in a white cloak, isn’t it?” I challenged. “There’s no other difference between us.”
I glanced upwards. The remainder of the Watch stood perched on the wall. Which was lovely. With my luck, I was about to be pinned to the ground by half a dozen arrows and maybe a bolt from another puppet for good measure. A dozen clay balls raced towards us. I tried to shape the shadows into a sharpened edge. I failed. My breath quickened. I tried again.
“Such a disappointment,” Brennan sniffed as he reached to his quiver, “Mabli invested so much time into teaching you.”
At least if you’re burned by Goblin Fire, it will save people from wasting time disposing of your corpse.
I scowled. Couldn’t the voice in my head be nicer to me?
An obsidian razor the length of my foot formed behind me and slammed into the palisade. There was a crack. I threw myself through the hole as pottery pounded against both flesh and wood. Four men howled. Hungry green flames rushed up the defence, then started to spread along the soil.
I considered leaving a few parting words.
The shimmering in the air convinced me otherwise.
My chest heaved as I turned and staggered away. I dashed backwards and forwards. I didn’t know if any would escape my trap. It was best not to take the chance.
Where are we going now?
The Reluctant Strategist needed to know that the Black Knight was still somewhere nearby. Was there a way for me to sneak back into Summerholm? They might let me into the city again. So long as there weren’t any survivors, I should be able to get back in.
Look out!
My body turned on someone else’s whims, but it was too slow. An arrow slammed into my back and sent me sprawling to the ground. Another slammed into my arm. I blinked, dazed. Who was that leaning over me? My vision darkened. Was this how it ended? No, I refused to die like this. I tried to struggle to my feet but couldn’t find the strength.
“A mercy,” Brennan whispered and notched an arrow. “A kinder fate than you deserve.”
Something struck him from the side. A metal boot settled beside my head. The armour looked familiar. Was that the Loyal Aegis? I still didn’t know who he was loyal to. With my luck, he was loyal to feeding me dirt. I struggled against sleep, but won no ground. My eyes closed. I listened to two voices argue over my body as I drifted into the land of slumber.
I clawed against the gullet of darkness.
The nightmares gulped.
It wasn’t long before I was swallowed whole.