Chapter Eleven

I wiped my sword clean on the cloak of the corpse of an enemy soldier and reviewed the skeleton army I had amassed. I checked my pouch. I had enough components for another casting.

“Inmithus mancitem!” I saw the soldiers that picked through the dead for armour and weaponry dance back as the corpses of their enemies expelled their flesh and rose as skeletons.

“Tell Ruelke she can add two hundred odd skeletons to her tally,” I said to Leongrad.

“She’ll be happy about that,” he agreed. “They probably don’t eat much.”

I laughed - my laughter sharp edged.

I saw Aurien land, and the soldiers called Diandreliera’s name in triumph, as she again raised Intuin Desparen in salute of the victory. We left the strongholds sieging, not interested in taking them, and instead occupied the next large town along the road. The residents welcomed us, greeting Diandreliera as the True Queen.

Narayan managed to arrange a bath for me in one of the private hou