Chapter 27-Necromancy

Are you ready for this? Is this the end, or is it just the beggining of the end?

 

Chapter 27

Necromancy

I watched as Emily’s sword became more like a stake and she drove it into the ground. What surprised me most was not that she managed to do it but that it went in like the ground was butter, easily and without a sound except for a slight quite scraping of metal against cobblestone, not the screech I expected. It was the night of the day after we had received the spiked barrels which we had delivered earlier. It was now night and we were making our way into the tower. Emily swung the other end of her sword around her head the chain getting longer the sword now looked like a grappling hook with a spike on it Finally Emily released the chain and the hook flew upwards The chain once again extending rapidly so the force of the throw wasn’t hampered as the chain extended. Then the hook caught and the chain went taught.

“After you” Emily said to me waving me to the chain with her hand I smiled and grabbed hold with my hands then pulled my legs up and crossed my ankles above the chain then upside down I pulled myself up the chain to the observation room at the top of the guard tower. it was a typical guard tower with 4 brick pillars holding the roof up  creating 4 large ‘windows’ providing a full 360 degree view of the city and a fire in the middle that the guard man on duty would at night have their back to so as not to obstruct their night vision. I reached the top of the chain. This was the hard part. With my left hand I let go of the chain and then reaching behind me I grabbed the edge of the ‘window’ then I twisted my body around and grabbed it with my right hand and then I let my legs drop. They slammed into the brick tower wall but it was expected and didn’t hamper me in any way. I pulled myself up and over the low wall of the watch platform and looked around. The guard man on duty was asleep in a chair and as Emily pulled herself in I walked over to him, Emily followed.

“Think he will wake up if were too loud?” I whispered. Emily shrugged and gave the man a vicious poke. The guard mumbled something intelligible and swatted Emily’s hand away but gave no other signs of being alive. Emily smiled at me

“He’s dead to the world she said in a normal voice.

“Pride of the guard he is” denial said coming over to join us now that he too had pulled himself in “now let’s get this cuirass of him so we can put it on Ryan we nodded and As Amelia Ryan and Amy pulled themselves in we carefully removed the guards cuirass unfortunately we weren’t carful enough as the guard woke up at one point however Emily grabbed the hilt of my sword and drew it smashing the end of the hilt into the man’s head knocking him out immediately. She did this without my blade even fully leaving my scabbard. When she was satisfied the guard was out cold she let go of my hilt allowing my sword to slide back into the scabbard. Finally the cuirass removed Ryan gave his cloak to Amelia and put the cuirass on then Amy none too gently shoved the helmet on his head too.

“How do I look?” Ryan asked

“Scary” I replied “I’m shaking in my boots” I said jokingly Daniel took a swipe at the back of my head like he does whenever he thinks I said something stupid but once again I was too quick and ducked under his arm Daniel gave a couple of half-hearted attempts as I moved away next to Amelia. That was a Mistake.

“Amelia could you whack him one?” Daniel said I tried again to duck but this time I was too slow and Amelia’s Hand clipped the back of my head. I froze then

“Owwwww! Amelia if you just hit the guards like that we will be fine” I said the last bit jokingly the hit had hurt but not much it probably wouldn’t even bruise.

“Would you guys stop fooling around?” Emily said with her eyebrows raised. I went serious immediately and nodded

“Amy you first then Ryan you lead the way” Daniel said also serious. The plan was for Ryan to lead the way down the stairs to the first floor where this strange room was followed by me then the others in any order Except for Amy who would go ahead of even Ryan Silently invisible making sure no one in front of us was awake if anyone was in a room that was out of our way we had decided to leave them be unless they walked out on us. The reason we had climbed to the top of the tower was because it was the easiest way in and it was less likely we would have to fight anyone. “We don’t have long” Daniel continued “now let’s solve this Mystery once and for all so we can figure out a way to end this war!” we all murmured our agreement. Ending the war meant being closer to going home. However I noticed Amelia stayed quiet. I pushed the thought aside making a mental note to talk to her later right now we had a job to do. Amy turned invisible and suddenly Ryan’s arm shot out and he jerked toward the staircase. Amy was obviously dragging him. At the stair case we waited a few moments before heading down ourselves. We wound our way around the spiral staircase meeting no resistance though there were one or two bodies on the staircase with obvious knife wounds. We reached the ground floor to find more dead men and Amy stepped out of the shadows of the staircase that’s the door she said pointing to a wooden door that looked just like any other door only arched. Daniel reached out to open it but his hand paused and we all turned our heads upwards.

“I’d say someone found our dead friends” I said.

“I agree care to open the door Daniel?” Emily asked “or shall I break it down?” Daniel didn’t answer just turned the handle and pushed. It didn’t move.

“S**t it’s locked” he said “obviously if there is a necromancer in there they believe it’s not enough to keep out people who aren’t supposed to go in.”

“Like us” Amy noted.

“So you think they were expecting us?” Daniel retorted. Amelia suddenly shoved Daniel out the way and crouched down then proceeded to start picking the lock.

“I haven’t done this in a while thanks to you guys so keep the guards of my back!” I was already drawing my sword as the guards had reached the bottom of the stairs and were now fanning out around the outer edge of the room.

“Hello boys” Emily said. Ryan stepped forward spinning his staff

“This should be fun” his staff stopped spinning but it had changed while he had been spinning it and now it had a handle in the middle but a sword on either end. Daniel drew his sword and Amy took up a stance with her glove sword blades fully extended.

“So who’s first?” I asked calmly, which like so many times before unnerved those who opposed us a man to my left stepped forward and my sword went between the gap in his armour threw the front and out the back of his neck. The speed with which I moved seemed to unnerve the guards a little more but it also seemed to shock them into action as they all leaped forward. Only ten men had come down the stairs so we quickly killed the remaining nine. It was strange I thought how we try not to kill anyone until we seem close to going home and then we have no problem with killing whoever stands in our way. I also wondered if these ten men hadn’t drunk the drugged drink how many others also hadn’t?

“Got it!” Amelia cried as I slid my sword threw the last man’s chest. I withdrew my sword and spun it twice in my hand flicking the blood off it then stepped up to the door my sword pointed at the middle ready in case of an instant surprise attack from the other side. Daniel once again put his hand against the door and pushed. It swung open on the other side was a small round room with a single man standing inside we had seen him before. It was Zamar. The man that had started it all he had brought us to this world told us to go to a castle in the forest and we had never seen him again.

“Surprised?” he asked us.

“A little” I admitted to him “I mean why bring us here to stop you?”

“and how is it that you live?” Daniel asked.

“I live because I’m a Necromancer. I brought you here to be killed but unfortunately it seems everyone I charged with the job failed though I have to say they came close. Of course I was also hoping you would find A, but unfortunately you did not”

“Did not what? You were hoping we would find A… what exactly?” Amy asked.

“A letter” Zamar said “the letter A, and the city of A. the A of the ancient language, the language of magic.”

“So are you a necromancer I see no signs on you?” Daniel asked Zamar.

“A necromancer’s power comes from life and death. What is it that gives life to us but the heart? Cut it out and you will find your symbol. Unfortunately that would involve my death and I have no interest in dying just yet. Zamar started to glow and I was vaguely aware of sounds behind me.

“Uhhh guys…”

“Don’t tell me” I said to Ryan “everyone who is dead is standing up and coming to kill us?”

“How did you guess?” Ryan asked.