Page 139 of Deadly Maiden

He’s staring over the railing. “Those. You keep them away! I told you!” Then he backs away one step, two, shaking.

Concerned but puzzled, though I do have an inkling as to why, I look into the sea. A sweep of the lighthouse beam runs across the ocean and the sea turns to glass, showing me my hundreds of undead looking back at me from many fathoms below—heads atilt, all slack-jawed, with their flesh-eaten grins of empty sockets and teeth, with their streamers of ripped and tattered clothing, and their rusted swords.

The light sweeps away, sweeps back around in a few tens of seconds.

They raise their weapons as one, as if saluting me, or those who haven’t dropped them do.

“Oh, them.” I purse my lips at the captain. “They do as I command. Grow a backbone, sir. I could invite one up to show you?”

His eyeballs turned whiter and wider, if that is possible. “No. No. No, thank you.”

“Good. That’s settled then. I’ll go below and get some rest. Call if you need me. Or if…” I gesture at the ocean. “If one of them climbs aboard to play checkers.”

Then I go back to bed, and I dream a nightmareless sleep. After all, what is there left to be afraid of? Tomorrow will decide this.

Chapter 44

Wyntre

Dawn’s light is barely tiptoeing over the city and the sea when we glide in on our rowboat, bump the timber walkway, and sneak up the ladder. The young sailor casts off immediately, rowing back to his sailboat. Water tinkles, sloshes, and stirs as my undead climb and crawl onto the walkway, first on hands and knees, then splatting to their feet. They drip seawater and cluster on the jetty and the walkway. Their ghoulish silhouettes would scare most citizens into an early grave. Which would be ironic.

Almost none of them still carry a weapon. I shake my head andtsk, but…I expected as much. None of these can think like Asher does. I miss him by my side, but most of all, I miss Rorsyd. This next part of the plan, this is not where I want to be, but I need to get it done.

I look around, adjusting my sword belt, my gheist pistol, my boots. Anathema is to my left. My other globular darkthing, taken from the vat in Slaedorth, that I’ve given four legs but nothing else, toddles about near my right bootheel, seekingshadows when it can. I don’t want to grow attached to it. The thing has no face, no head.

To my left, the palace dominates the hill behind the harbor. A pink-white edifice of spectacular towers and levels, it was constructed to be decorative and formidable. In a pinch, it’s a locked-in castle, with fifteen-feet-thick, high stone walls, except for where the king had a section removed to allow him to view the torture. He will regret that today.

This should be the right spot for the rendezvous. Grundle pointed out a blinkered light signal replying to his own cautious unveiling of a ship’s lantern. Across the paved street and blocking the rising sun is a long, gray warehouse. This part of the harbor seems deserted, though there is movement to the north, where the rail that holds Rorsyd’s cage attaches to a tower. Considering sailors are early risers…where is everyone?

“What a spectacular morning.” The sing-song voice comes from the warehouse.

“Stay,” I command my undead, letting them remain at the seafront, apart from five who slouch at my back. I decide on boldness and stride across the road, pretending I belong here. From a distance, my undead group might be taken for sailors?

The shadows are thick beneath the warehouse eaves. Three large, armed men emerge from a narrow alleyway. Their nervousness is expected, so I ignore the signs.

“A spectacular morning.” I deliver the code, though I’m sure they’ve figured out I’m a genuine necromancer. “These are mine. I command them. I can have them attack the area where your king is being held.”

“They won’t attack us?” asks the first man.

Oh.This is why I’m not a general. I make a snap decision. “Let them swarm the area first. I’ll go with their wave and control them from the rear. Keep your men away until we have secured the king.”

“Will the king be safe if you let them do that?”

“Yes.”

He scratches at his small red beard. His chunky jaw, broad face, and squashed nose mark him a brawler. Like the others, he’s dressed in gray, has a red armband bearing the interlinked C and U.

“There’s at least two mages out there, Miss Wyntre. And ours too. Some of us will be shifting. Watch for the bands.” He taps his. “On arms and on the forelegs of shifters. Let’s be off then. We cleared this part of the harbor earlier. A bit around that bend in the road…” He jerks his chin northward. “Is the start of where they have a barrier stopping people from interfering with the torture of him. A big fence.”

“My undead should be able to push that fence down. I have five hundred of them.”

“Good.” He has gone a shade paler. “Inside the fence is the rock platform at the edge of the sea. They’ll be doing the torture in about two hours, but if we’re fast, we can overrun the small detachment of Aos Sin soldiers. Twenty-three of them. We get in, kill them, free the king, get out. Ten minutes tops. Go past that time, and we will have the king’s reserve on top of us. Taking the palace is a whole other job.”

“Okay.” Though how will I hold back my undead if they get dispersed?

“I have fifty plus men with me. We’ll sweep in after yours go through. I was told you want some to help you free that dragonshifter in the cage? You got fifteen of them, providing I can spare them after the fight. I suggest you keep yours heading north, crash through the fence on the other side, zoom along to your man up there, to that tower.” Again he points. “Then in and out of there as fast as you can. You do not want to get stopped.” He chews on something in his mouth, his beard already lookingredder as the sun brightens the morning. “The C of U main assault isn’t happening here yet.”

I scrutinize that tower. How I can get up that and do it fast? I will have to simply try and see. Heal him and then fly out? Maybe. Having studied what little there is about necro healing, I know what I want to do to see if I can permanently heal Rorsyd. But I have no floor plan for this tower. No idea who is inside it.

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