There were screams of horror from somewhere to the side. I turned round and saw the gates finally open and the drawbridge come fully down. Now, crowds of the transformed undead – frightening, strong and dangerous – were slowly crawling out. Even from here I could see their empty eye sockets flash with hunger and hear their sharp teeth clatter in their skulls.
However, the undead weren’t hurrying to attack. There was no longer anyone to give them the order.
I began to panic. I closed my eyes and forced myself to slowly breathe out.
My hands were shaking. The chain in my hand was twitching, its links rattling barely audibly.
Suddenly, behind my lowered eyelids I saw the threads of the Dark. In their hundreds and thousands, they were stretching out from Reive to the subjugated undead. They were chattering and tightening, demanding the order that couldn’t come.
Nevertheless, there was also something else. Almost unnoticeable. Al
hree months have passed since I became Queen of Aldenor. Reive has spent the best part of this time lolling about in bed and has only now begun to rise himself. See, I’ve taken upon myself the none-too-easy burden of governing the country.To tell the truth it hasn’t been very enjoyable. Especially having to resolve conflicts with the not inconsiderable number of disgruntled people who wanted to see someone else in power. I had much help. Advisors, mages, military leaders. Those who had come across to our side when things had quieted down a little. When it had become clear that we had a rightful claim to the throne. Reive was the enthroned ruler who had never renounced his crown. And I... I was the Gerhard Ayris’ bastard. The only illegitimate daughter of the recently deceased king.This became widely known not just to the highborn nobles, but to the common people. And, as I understand, not without the help of Asper Glane.The day after t
“Yes, it can.” I nodded, “When the dead opened their mouths to sing, the earth was filled with the voices of Twilight itself. It was horrifying and amazing at the same time. With each second that passed more and more ghosts appeared. Their numbers grew and quickly surpassed the numbers of the Union Army. They were dressed like military, in ancient cuirass and such like armor. Their sounds were like thunder as they moved amongst the troops of our enemies. Then the living dead on our side moved into their ranks, joining in the song, but not attacking. The warriors of the Union soon began to throw down their weapons and retreat. Several spirits surrounded each of them, shaking their swords and drawing closer as if they were thirsty for the kill.I sighed deeply, shaking off dark thoughts and continued, “And Ulfricus appeared beside me. He introduced himself, I hadn’t known what he would look like. The druid smiled sadly, laid his hand on my shoulder
The order in Ashgenrian sounded more powerful and confident that ever before. Shivers ran down my spine.That very second a small pale shadow formed beside me, a few seconds later it acquired an outline.“Byelndevir!” Reive exclaimed, his eyes opening wide. Such a wide smile appeared on his face that I felt truly happy.“I’m sorry I nearly bit your head off,” the little spirit said, spreading his wings. Real ones, not bones.The dragon was of human size and so took up an impressive amount of space. However, that was nothing in comparison to his former dimensions. I knew his size could now be changed at will – bigger or smaller.“Fantastic!” the necromancer gasped and struggled, then succeeded to stand up from the bed. He went up to the ghost and carefully touched his wing, as if they were blood brothers. “And I didn’t take offense, my friend.”It seemed to me that
***Five years later the kingdom of Aldenor was renamed ‘Empire of Shadow’.Reive and Angelina were awarded the titles of emperor and empress. A year later their triplets were born, two boys and a girl. All three possessed a strong dark gift for twilight magic. In time, they entered the academy their mother had founded, CYANIDE— Central YOUNG Academy for Necromantic Ideology and Demonology Education.Therefore, the royal couple introduced a new fashion for necromancy. Henceforth, all influential families in the empire dreamed of sending their children to CYANIDE, still sometimes jokingly called ‘Academy of Death’.Twenty years on, necromancers had become the main combat unit of the army of the Empire of Shadow. Not one of the neighboring states would even dream of transgressing the borders or otherwise offending the continent’s most dangerous empire.Until the day of his death, Reive saw Ulfricus from time to tim
Pain! Oh, Father of the Dark, it hurts. I’m so much in pain! My whole body is aching.Damn locusts! They’re skinning me alive. Do I have any skin left? It seems it will never end.How many years have passed since I’ve been buried here? One, two, ten? Or a hundred?Time itself has blurred into total dusky looming. A bloody and merciless one.All my thoughts have been mixed up since I’ve been immured in this stone coffin. Without any possibility of escape. Without any chance for freedom.I feel endless agony under the teeny-weeny teeth of ghostly beasts that were ripping, shredding, and tearing my immortal flesh like small daggers. Over and over again… They’re driving me crazy.But I’ll find a way out, or I’m not Reive Eridanus Castro-Firel. And then, I swear, I’ll kill ev
I was walking along the deserted field, with my feet sticking in the thick grass. My thoughts were all jumbled together because of the anger and disappointment I could scarcely restrain. Why did it turn out like this? Why? I’ve been preparing this project for a year and a half! Almost two years, even without taking the research time into account. No one has ever studied the language of bone dragons so thoroughly! Now, I can not only write and read in Ashgenrian, but also speak the language a little. What’s more, I’m sure my pronunciation is even better than Professor Gardaren’s! My grandma used to say I acquired the gift of being a linguist at my mother’s knee. Well, I told this to the Professor when I asked him to help me with entering Graduate School. He dared to laugh, when he gave me my diploma (with a C grade) back, and said, “I’m proud of you! Now, you can translate every children’s fa
The smell. A subtle and heady one. Oh, it’s such a long time since I had a woman... A terribly long time... he thought. The man bent over the trembling girl and breathed in the scent of the hot air around her ear. The girl seemed to tremble even more. A sweet smell mingled with fear... Her hand is burning... I can feel her pulse throbbing beneath my fingers... Reive paused. He decided not to do what he had first intended. As he felt the fresh air, the flow of his thoughts changed direction. As if something different, along with the dust and ashes, was disappearing within him. Something old and clawed, cruel and very embittered. As soon as he inhaled the scent, felt the throbbing of her pulse, and the shivering and closeness of a woman’s body, something vehement flared up inside him. His cruelty accrued over years of torture under the heavy gravestones of the curse, began to abate. Yet it did not completely vanish. The man moved aside
He had to think a little. At the very least to bring his thoughts into order. Oh, Dark, he hasn’t been alive for seven hundred years! Reive looked down at the breathless girl and narrowed his eyes. She’d already managed to enrage him. The necromancer bent down, heaved her up by her feet and presumptuously slung her senseless body over his shoulder. But first he cast a glance over his talkative acquaintance and decided her figure was quite what it ought to be. As they say, everything was in place. Not like him. Reive looked at his own left palm. He wrinkled his nose. If he hadn’t knocked the girl out a minute ago, she’d have been screaming like a frightened peacock by now. But he had to admit there were some problems with his hand. It hadn’t fully reconstructed itself. It was a bare bone scarcely covered with flimsy flesh. The necromancer thought a little.