The scream echoed again in our heads. It had been doing so for more than two hours—threatening, insulting. It did little for the young acolytes' morale. They had embarked as assassins, but they were not spies, not stealthy, nothing. They only carried many silent scrolls—sound dampeners, echo suppressors, noise blockers. Beyond that, they had as much common sense as a potato.
"I need to kill something with my hands! These imbeciles don't know their left leg from their right."
"Transporting the coffin is not the problem. We're already out of the keep and the sinister forest. The map of where we must go appears in our heads. Whenever I'm distracted, whenever a noise makes us turn to where she wants us to go, the map explodes in our heads. Always words of haste."
"The elf king knew we had to be fast. Why send such slow ones? I assure you, despite the services they provide, if we don't arrive soon, they will die."
"She knows perfectly well why she couldn't bring experienced companions. I am the only elf truly prepared for what is coming. Of the six accompanying me, two are children of the lower class. Two more belong to semi-elf merchants, but their money and culture placed them in a position of power very early. The last are twin brothers. Both can produce some magic on their own. For that alone, they were among the best candidates. We don't need strength—we need endurance. It prevented us from returning for the horses. Running, we undertook an endless journey. Approximately two hundred kilometers—humans still use an absurd system of miles, which is stupid. There are more evolved systems that only true sages knew. Endurance scrolls, energy scrolls, and finally automation scrolls keep us running. The prison where the princess travels floats, but at times it has flashes of light. At least I placed the scrolls that disable some very powerful destructive magics in time. Whoever engraved these spells feared losing control of the container. A single magical spark from it would trigger an explosion. I must keep these blockers energized... Are we safe enough to eat?"
"No food! No time! We need to reach the mountain before nightfall. We must all be there before the Dark Lord catches up to us, or nothing that happened will be worth it. Idiots!"
"But, my lady, you must understand we are tired. We have almost no scrolls. My men are exhausted. We have covered more than half the journey. It's not even twenty-one hours yet. We have plenty of time to eat and drink a little."
"You call yourself experienced, do you? You don't know that a mage with enough power to sweep you away is coming. He has already defeated so many magical warriors on the elven isle, not to mention the abyssal creatures of the seas. He will sweep you away without hesitation. If it's magic you lack—pathetic imitations of the Blood Elves—I will give you magic!"
I could not swear it, but my scroll glowed. At the same time, all the expedition's scrolls glowed green. These spells had been charged in a human city—we saw them with the typical yellow color of the Whitecaps. Here, it was a green like dead worms. I could almost feel her gaze. In that decrepit body, her eyes shone behind her eyelids. There was something inside there. It was best to carry out my task. I indicated we continue. None had tasted food. Since morning, we had not eaten, so that the smells of food or digestion would not betray us inside that damned forest. At least our hands had not seen blood. When we reached the passage, it was open, and most of its guards were dead. Just before reaching her, I saw the remaining ones fall from a bolt damn well directed. I did not want the same to happen to me. I think I led the way out of pure desperation. In those eyes, there was death. I did not want it to be mine!
Advancing to the foot of the mountains was easy. There, we all put some of our blood on the wall. The princess recited an unpleasant enchantment—nauseating words and their meanings. I could almost feel carrion stored in my mind. Immediately, we found ourselves introduced into that place. It was the gates of a dwarven city—one of the great ones that perhaps was called Red Forge or something. Dwarven names were stupid. But the aroma was detestable. All coughed, and for a moment, I feared we were being poisoned. Was that what the princess planned?
A'ris caput—they were clearly stupid, weak to boot. This was just the product of the multiple garbage that had fermented for years: bones, marrow, and flesh in the fullness of their decay, never allowed to disappear or ventilate. It was necessary for what was to come.
I went the rest of the way with weapons drawn. Whether she was right or not, there was little time before my mission was accomplished. Finally, we reached the library. Everything was destroyed. Countless tomes of elven, dwarven, and even some elusive races' sorcery, like dryads, were here—black, useless. In the center was the sorcerer. I feared we had arrived too late. But the elven leaders had given me an envelope for when I got here. I could not read it in front of them, so I slipped the card inside my cloak while the others admired the dead city. The instructions were clear, but nothing that pleased me. I only had to wait for the princess's words.
"Elves! You have guided me well. One more invocation is necessary. From here, we must go to our ancestors' sanctuary—a very old site about three days' journey at our new mounts' speed. But to bring them, I need the book the venerable mage holds. You two!" she said, pointing to the lower-class ones. "Bring the book. Yes, carefully. Between the two of you, bring it to me."
Even if they told me I was lying, I swear that as they brought it closer, it glowed with black light. It opened. I saw the two poor souls try to separate but could not let go. Their lives drained before my eyes. They were reduced to a kind of mummy with skin adhered to their bodies. At that moment, on the blank pages, a prayer written in emerald green letters appeared. I did not recognize the script.
Ossa portans!
The poor youths collapsed. Their bones detached with the sound of tearing flesh and joined together as if following a manual. Their limbs reunited, and their ribs and spine gave new dimension. Suddenly, a carriage using legs and arms instead of wheels was complete. Upon it, the coffin lay horizontally. At this point, I wanted to vomit. But I was ready. Her next word was my signal. Silently, I activated True Sight and Critical Hit.
"They served their purpose, those miserable lower-class ones. I am sure the others know their fate. Master assassin, it is time you proved yourself useful for more than directing. Now!"
I saw her concentrating her forces, but it did not matter. It was my turn. I drew my knives, and the first flew so fast the poor elf twin did not know her neck had been pierced. The merchant's children began activating their invisibility scrolls, but I had no time for them. The twin came for me. I blocked his saber strike with my remaining knife. They thought this was like battles where they had a chance to attack and defend. I was not like that. I was an assassin as such. I spat the darts I kept in my mouth. In a moment, his eyes burst from the blades' impact. When I turned, they thought I did not see them—they were motionless, protected by the magical mist their invisibility scroll gave them. So I walked and pulled the knife from the dead girl—she was not even fifty, poor thing. I ran between the two as if to pursue them, but barely lined up with them, I used my knives to eliminate the only idiots who did not know that True Sight worked against such weak magics as those we allowed them to have. As life left their eyes, I heard her pronounce the most horrible words of my life. I did not know what they meant, but they attacked the soul—like tearing it out. I fell to the ground. From there, I saw blood leave their bodies. Before losing consciousness, I heard her.
Ad motum sanguinis ex mortuis vivus mortuus est!
Even though I did not know the language, the words exploded in my brain: "From the dead, their blood to give movement to the living dead." The sphere of blood produced from my victims left the place and entered the corpse of the ancient mage. I thought I would lose consciousness...
I opened my eyes. The air was fresh. I felt movement. I was held in two dead arms while the carriage ran toward its destination, where I was of no further use. Why had I not died in that cave?
Of course you didn't die... You fulfilled your purpose. You still must live. I still have a use for you.