Time of the Necromancer: Chapter 39

Morrigan shoved Greed backward getting her bearings again. Letting out a subtle breath she looked around at everything going on in their little ballroom. It was bigger than she’d first thought, given the number of bodies surrounding them. Gluttony and Greed both started raising the dead the moment they could.

Legions of the undead that seemed to be caked into the very fabric of the castle itself. They pulled themselves from the floor, from the walls, and even fell from the ceiling. Maybe they were a part of the castle through Pride’s magic. Or maybe the Necropolis itself was lending its aid to them.

Morrigan didn’t know.

All she knew was that her blade loved the taste of the undead just as much as it did the living. She cut through them moving in a red fury that her Queen blessed her with. For every hand that slipped past her guard, she turned to mist, reforming to punish the usurper. Diving past them she jumped and lunged at the Necromancer himself.

Greed caught her sword after the first swing but the blood on the blade cut through their palm like it were nothing. A second blade that hungered for flesh. They put distance between them but Morrigan was relentless.

Benidict along with the Troupe Master kept her back safe, cutting the zombies down and providing her with space. He had been trained to defeat the enemies of the queen of Cerise. He had cut down many in duals, many in wars from the Sanctum to Noria, and all that came in between. And yet this fighting was the one that tried him the most. But now he had just a touch of the queen’s blood running through his veins. Just enough to keep him honest and true. To focus his footwork, his bladework, and his mind.

But it was on the other side of the battle that things were far less straightforward. In a war between necromancers, it was always hard to figure out which side was winning because the dead rarely stayed dead. Between the half risen corpses of Vayne to the full and bloated corpses of Gluttony ready to gorge themselves on anything, they could touch.

In a battle of attrition skeletons were easier to piece back together than a full corpse. But between the Harlequin, Orion, Ryze, Ryza, and Vayne they knew that this wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Gluttony could be dealt with eventually, it was Pride that was the real problem.

Orion and the Harlequin put it on themselves to deal with Gluttony, sifting through the dead like a crowded street. They both had the experience for this. And between them both was Vayne. His own necromancy and the demon that he had enslaved allowed him to maintain the horde. He didn’t say anything but he looked at both of them for a single moment and then looked at Pride.

The pair of siblings broke away from the horde of undead and faced their mother. She stood in front of the shovels, her hands gripping the shaft of both weapons. She lowered her head and turned her eyes onto her children, extending her hand to them.

“Come to see the new ritual first hand?” she asked guiding the magic into the sky.

“No Pride. We’re stopping it,” Ryze turned his shovel and felt the tattoos on his arm glow.

“Careful Ryze,” Ryza said. “We don’t know what she’s got up her sleeve.”

“Listen to your sister Ryze,” Pride cautioned. “You’ve done this song and dance before. You’ve tried many times to rebel against me. And it’s never worked out for you. Not once. I always had to come find you and drag you back home until I simply got tired of doing it. I let you run away. I hoped that it would be enough to make you grow. Clearly, I was wrong.”

Ryze grit his teeth together and glanced at his sister, “Can you distract her?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Just do it.”

He darted at her then and Ryza almost shouted at him but she raised her shovel. Magic erupted at her feet turning into a spirit that towered over her. It lunged forward letting out a laugh as it stomped past Ryze. Pride looked at it and frowned clasping her hands together. The spirit swung a giant fist at her but it slammed into her hand. She looked at it and then turned to face Ryze.

He swung his shovel like a spear and she jerked her head to the side but it sliced her cheek open. Closing the distance between them he got close to her and his fist glowed with magic. She raised her hand catching his fist but the magic stripped the flesh off her arm. Turning his shovel around he hit it into the ground and directed a burst of magic toward the shovels.

Before the magic could hit their target, a hand smacked into his head and disrupted it making the ground explode. He looked back at her, his eye glowing, and saw the warped shape of a spirit. It hovered behind her like Vayne’s demon except its shape was contorted violently. It screamed shattering apart Ryza’s construct, forcing both necromancers to their knees.

“You’ll be the first to suffer my son,” she said flicking her hand at him.

Ryza shouted reaching out to him as a memory entered her mind.

‘Who are you?’

‘What?’

She peaked from behind her tree, staring at the strange man in her forest. She’d been alone for years. Hunting, surviving, and hiding as much as she could. Hiding from the people that killed her father. Hiding from people that wanted to use or kill her for what she was. What she could do. But no one had ever entered her forest before. Not like this boy.

He looked at her, face hidden behind a hood. She could barely make out the eyes he hid from her. He stared at her knowing exactly show she was. Knowing exactly why she was hiding here and hating her for it. He wasn’t supposed to be there. He wasn’t supposed to be here. he was supposed to be studying. But he had to know. Had to know if what he sensed was real.

He tore his hood off and glared at her. So many words, half completed thoughts and pure emotions raced through his mind. He tried to get himself under control, tried to focus and remain calm. He started to step forward but stopped himself.

‘This was a mistake. You were a mistake.’

‘What?’

‘You shouldn’t have been born. Everything I have to deal with. Is because of you!’

And it was like finishing a spell. Finishing the circle. Writing the final rune. Lighting the candle. Putting it all together. They screamed together, clutching their eyes. They felt the magic writing over their eyes, felt the scrawling runes making themselves known. And when the pain finally subsided, they were grateful for being alone in a forest.

She recovered first, crawling to her hands and knees. She blinked trying to clear her vision as much as she could. But she found herself stumbling forward. Walking toward the boy. She didn’t know why but helping him, helping him was important.

She pulled him to his feet and they looked at each other. Their newly enchanted eyes met and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel alone. But as he got to his feet, she saw double vision. In one eye she saw him but in the other she herself.

‘Get away from me!’ he shouted covering his newly minted silver eye. He stumbled away from her shaking like a leaf. She remembered watching that boy hobble away. Remembered his silver eye that sat opposite her own and wondered who that boy was.

The roar of the fighting was echoing around her but it was dulled. The clanging of swords, the groan of zombies, and the shouting of life or death. All of it was dulled in her ears because of what her silver eye saw. Because of the connection that it drew to her brother.

To anyone else her brother looked like he was floating in the air. But through her eyes she saw the spirit that her mother had conjured. Saw its arm piercing his chest and keeping him in the air like some poor marionette. She could see her brother struggling to free himself, struggling to even breathe but he clutched his shovel with what strength he had left.

“I am so disappointed in you. Both of you in fact,” Pride said. “I had high expectations for you. Saw your potential and saw you reach far above it. But you’ve deigned to throw it all away. Pathetic.”

The spirit swung its arm and Ryze flew backward. Ryza raised her shovel and a hand of spectral flesh caught him. She pulled him back to the ground and wrapped her arm around him. She touched his chest feeling his heart stuttering. “Come on Ryze. Stay with me. Don’t you fucking die on me too.”

He hacked and rolled to his side slowly trying to do his best and lift the shovel. Ryza reached out and took it, helping him and he focused on her, “She hasn’t taken on the power. She’s just a corpse You can stop he-“ His words were cut off and turned into a gurgling scream. He dropped his shovel as his body arched up.

Pride walked for slowly her hand raised and both her eyes glowing silver, “Now now son. Your death already pains me. How about I take a part of you? To stay at my side. Forever.”

And then his screams ended. Ryza could see it through her silver eye. She could see the soul of her brother ripped out of him by her magic. He floated above his body almost as if he were sleeping, bathed in silver light. She stared at her brother’s peaceful face and then at her mother.

“You’re not taking him too,” she said slowly.

Pride looked at Ryza and shook her head, “Wait your turn daughter. You’ll be next.”

Ryza turned to face her brother and thrust her shovel into his spirit. His eyes opened wide, shocked and Ryza turned the weapon all of the runes flaring. But instead of their purple color they were coated in white and silver. The feedback hurt and her weapon burned her hands but she didn’t back down.

She was blown off her feet rolling backward. She stopped herself and looked at her mother. Her eyes were wide with a fury that she hadn’t seen before. “You’re going to join your brother and father.”

“Sorry to be a disappointment Pride,” Grasping and turning the shovel, she pointed it at her and that’s when she saw it properly. She saw the translucent hand on her shovel and felt the presence. Looking over her shoulder her eyes widened. “Ryze?”

“Sort of,” he said softly his spirit floating beside her his silver eye bright.

“You’re. You’re dead,” she said with some level of finality.

“Yeah. But I’m with you,” he shook his head. “Some in between of possession and lichdom. We’re in uncharted territory right now.”

“Sorry Ryze. I messed up,” she looked down angrily.

“You saved me from being taken by Pride. And now we’re going to work together to stop her now.”

“How the hell do we do that? When you were alive, we couldn’t even make it work.”

She somehow felt his hand on her head and could hear his chanting. She felt his magic growing and coalescing around her when both her eyes were engulfed in silver. Silver so bright she stumbled backward covering her eyes. “What are you doing Ryze?”

“You have access to my magic and power. So I’m going to give you real a leg up against Pride,” he said and when she lowered her hands she felt magic coursing through her veins. She saw the world like it was through glasses. Everything was sharper. Clearer.

When she looked at Pride approaching her, she saw strings attached from the spirit to her specifically. She saw how it was attached, saw the magic on her that was restraining it. She gripped her shovel and it was suddenly bright like a beacon of light.

“So what’s the plan brother?”

“See that spirit? You’re going to turn it against her. You already know how to do it. I’m just going to give you the power to do it.”

She turned it around and dragged the blade across the ground. The spirit lunged at Ryza and she jumped away from it. Spinning under it she swung her shovel and Pride ducked under it. Jumping backward Pride put space between them and thrust her hand forward sending the spirit forward.

It screeched darted forward and then slowed to a halt. It floated in the air, frozen and turned slowly. It looked at Pride and shrieked but this time Pride felt the shriek. She took a step back holding a hand to her head and glared. “What?”

It dashed at her swiping with one of its claws. She repelled the blow but she was still shocked. The spirit shrieked and writhed and dissipated into the nothing at Pride’s discretion. She finally looked at Ryza and ground her teeth together. “What have you done little Ryza?”

“Can’t you tell Pride? I’m living up to my potential.”

Pride snarled and thrust her hands forward. The windows shattered as spirits arrived at her call. She pointed a slender finger at her daughter and they surged at her like a tidal wave of spectral energy.

Ryza flinched backward fighting desperately against the fear. She felt her brother behind her and he steadied her, “You’ve got this Ryza.” Steadying herself she nodded and thrust the shovel forward. The spirits crashed into her but split like a rock against a river. She watched the faces of the spirits come at her before getting scattered to pieces against her magic. When the onslaught ended she was still standing and glared.

She spun her shovel and stabbed it into the ground. Her magic dove into the ground and surged and started raising zombies and skeletons in droves. She could feel each body that was buried within this castle and called them to service. Her magic even raced to the zombies that Greed and Gluttony had raised, wrestling control away from the other necromancers.

 She jerked the shovel free of the ground and pointed it at Pride. The undead started running right at her, a swarm of flailing arms, grasping hands, and broken teeth. Pride called her spirits to her defense, warding off the zombies with a wall of specters. The zombies ripped through them but they just reformed and blew through the undead flesh.

Ryza snarled and she looked every bit the same as her brother as her hand ripped through the air. Her magic lashed out and ripped the tethers of the spirits from her mother. They hissed and faded away, allowing Ryza’s undead to break through and get to her. One grabbed at her leg, the other bit her shoulder. They clambered over themselves to attack, pull, and bite at her.

Ryza watched her horde attack and steeled herself at the noise of Pride’s fighting, Pride’s frustration, Pride’s screaming and then the silence. The undead slowed and then lurched around to face her. This was something she knew how to do. But this time she could see how they were tied to her. She was the puppet mistress and they were all her marionettes.

She clasped her hands together and then swiped her hand. The skeletons fell to pieces at the ground and the zombies slumped down and sank into the castle like it was a hungry beast. Once the last zombie had fallen, she felt herself fall down as well. Slumping to her knees exhausted at her very core.

Taking deep breaths, she coughed and looked over her shoulder. She saw Ryze standing there, translucent and staring up into the sky. The lightning still flashed and the air was still heavy with magic. But he was calm, calmer than she could even remember seeing him. He looked at her and he was even amused.

Getting back to her feet she stood and didn’t have the words. Didn’t know what she wanted to say to him. He looked at her and shrugged, “You look lost little sister. Not the face of someone who just stopped the end of the world.”

“It’s the right face for someone who lost her entire family.” She said the emotions pooling. Anger, hurt, confusion, and more.

He frowned, “You’re not wrong.”

“You’re dead.”

“Yeah.”

She stared at him, stared at him through her two silver eyes now, and scowled, “I can’t bring you back can I?”

“No. Whatever Pride did. She really was going to keep me at her side forever. No way to bring me back. Just keep me with her forever.”

“That’s not fair!” she shouted. “You’re dead. I’m a necromancer! I should be able to do it!”

He put his hand on her shoulder and tried to smile, “It’s fine little sister. Part of me will be gone. The hard part.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on Ryza. You’ve done this a lot. You know a spirit can’t stay forever. At least not stay and be themselves.”

She stared at him and then her eyes widened. She looked at her shovel and then him, “You’re bound to my shovel now, aren’t you?”

Ryze nodded, “Part of me. Yes.” and Ryza wanted to scream. She wanted to turn back time and kill her mother again. But she couldn’t do that. Closing her hands into fists she walked toward the altar that Pride had created. She grasped the shovels of her parents and felt the jolt of the magic within them.

Taking a slow breath, she dragged them out of the ground and if it weren’t for the strength of her brother she would have been blown away by the magical feedback. The chains shattered like they had never been there and the gods and their vassals disappeared. Even the corpse of the queen.

Her hands burned as she dropped both weapons to the ground. Turning around for the first time, she looked at her companions who’d made this journey with her. Gluttony had been restrained by a pair of skeletal hands at the courtesy of Vayne. Morrigan and Benidict stood over Greed their blades crossed against their neck. But they all looked at Ryza silently.

“You did it,” Morrigan said finally.

“We did it,” she corrected. “We did it.”

Vayne walked up to her and she tensed at her uncle but forced herself to relax. “For what it’s worth,” Vayne said. “I’m sorry.”

She blinked slowly and felt her tears again, “You can see him, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

Before she could say more, the last of their group came hobbling up the stairs. They looked at the dead, looked at what was left and then looked at the calming sky above their heads. Alison walked forward slowly and she stared at Ryza. Alison closed her eyes and walked toward the necromancer slowly and hugged her.

Ryza’s eyes widened and she couldn’t fight the tears anymore. She shouted and cried into the younger mage’s shoulder. Alison held onto her stroking her hair and back slowly. She felt her pain and saw the cause. Ryza pulled away from her slowly, wiped at eyes slowly, and motioned toward the air.

“Let’s leave this place,” she said.

Alison nodded and looked at her master. Vayne walked leaving Gluttony behind. The pair of demon possessed mages began the ritual to open the portal. They worked together casting the door as they had practiced and rehearsed before. The half circle of a portal expanded wide covering the far end of the door.

Ryza stared at the portal and slid her brother’s shovel against her back and held her own tight in her slender hands. Vayne walked to the former altar and picked up his brother’s shovel. He brushed his fingers against the runes that once protected him.

Vincent prepared to walk through the portal and paused looking at the last remaining members of the Ouroboros. “What do we do with them?”

“I’d kill them,” Vayne said simply. “Cut the head off the snake.”

Morrigan nodded, “I agree.”

“Seconded,” Orion added.

“Then do it. Get it over with,” Ryza said and walked through the portal not looking back. And so did the others one by one until Vayne and Morrigan remained. With the blood of the necromancers on their hands they shared a look of people who were far older than their appearance would belay.

“You wear Octavia’s power and mantle well,” Vayne said. “She chose well to keep and raise you.”

Morrigan stared at him but kept her expression calm, “My Queen doesn’t like nor trust you. But She respects your skill. She will remember this when She rises again.”

Vayne smirked, “We’ll look forward to that.”

And with that the pair walked through the portal, letting it close behind them.