4.10 In Which the Dark Lord Catches Up

4.10 In Which the Dark Lord Catches Up

Well, it was a good thing Id stopped by Auldmaers place first. Our conversation had been so brief and pleasant it verged on forgettable; as Gizmit predicted, he was pleased by all my suggestions, and I was on my way to the Kingsguards HQ to drop in on Norovena in just a handful of minutes. Had I tried to do it the other way around and gotten Norovenas surprise news first, I would have had to skip Auldmaer entirely in my rush over to the Kings Guild. It wouldve been nice if Gizmit could have warned me of these events so I had time to make something resembling a plan, but shed been right that attempting to put surveillance around the adventurers was asking for disaster. The middle ring in general was a blind spot in my intelligence capability, at least until Gizmit had time to carefully build and extend her networks there.

As it was, I had to head over there in a rush, having done none of the preparation I feared would be necessary for this discussion, to find I was already too late.

Gone?

Indeed, my lord, replied the wizened old receptionist at the Guild, looking at me in that way underpaid retail veterans had which said my existence was a personal nuisance to him but fell just short of open rudeness. Given recent events, Rhydion has moved out to secure the front. The rest of his party is preparing to join him.

Rest of his party? Where are they?

You are just in time, my lord, he said, and I got the distinct impression he was disappointed that I wasnt going to be disappointed. Sister Dhinell and Master Harker are at this moment directing the last preparations before embarking. If their wagon has not yet left, it is being loaded in the wide alley just to the north of the Guilds offices.

Perfect. Thank you kindly.

He turned away without another word to talk to the next person waiting at the desk, and I strode for the door, Aster still on my heels.

Somebody really needs to take that old coot down a peg, she muttered.

Now now, lets not bully the victim, Aster. If I had to deal with half the idiots in a day he does, Id be ten times as grumpy.

You are, anyway.

Exactly.

Back outside, it was kind of impossible to miss the sight of a wagon being loaded with crates and barrels at the corner of the Kings Guild offices; Id blown past it on the way in because we were coming from the opposite direction and I was in a rush to intercept Rhydion. Now we turned that way, stepping past the porters lifting the final loads into the wagon bed to where two people in much more expensive clothing wereI guess supervising would be one way to describe it.

Well, look who it is, Sister Dhinell greeted me coldly, folding her arms. Come to serenade us, Lord Senji?

Its Seiji.

I assure you I do not care. Kindly dont block the wagon, we are about to embark.

Right, I heard your little zombie problem suddenly escalated. I need to speak with Rhydion about it.

Oh, now you want to speak with him? she snapped, turning fully toward me and making fists at her sides, because nobody had explained to her that this posture makes a person look petty and impotent, not powerful. After stringing him along, dragging us into your schemes and stubbornly refusing to contribute anything useful, you finally deign to show up after its already too late? There is the street that brought you, Lord Senji, and it works the same in both directions. Use it.

Aster, every time she deliberately gets my name wrong, punch her in the mouth.

Im your bodyguard, Lord Seiji, she said in a long-suffering tone. My contract doesnt extend to assaulting priestesses because your feelings are hurt. We can revisit the topic when you inevitably provoke her to go for your jugular.

Im amazed someone who possesses even a basic degree of social piety can tolerate working for this man, Miss Delavada, Sister Dhinell stated. You should seek out better employment, for your own sake.

Aster shrugged. He pays well. And I like him better than most highborn.

The priestess halted with her mouth open, apparently in the middle of screeching her next observation, and narrowed her eyes.

All right, lets not get too excited, Sister, said her fellow supervisor. Rather than taking a conciliatory tone, he was openly amused by all this. Rhydion still wants this guy; its not like weve found another Blessed with healing spells on Dount. Him being an asshole doesnt change the situation, nor is it new. Were kinda busy, though, LordSeiji? Im sayin that right? Well, anyway, this is no time to chitchat. If youre not interested in coming along to fight zombies, Im afraid its gonna have to wait.

I remembered this guy, now that I saw him again: lowborn, bushy mustache, carrying an artifact bow.

I might be, I said. Ill talk with Rhydion about it. At the very least, I have information about the undead which Im sure he wants.

Oh, please, Dhinell scoffed.

Is it that theres suddenly a lot of them on the move? Harker asked dryly. Because yeah, weve heard.

I spoke with the wolf tribe about

The hell you did, he brazenly interrupted me. Im the deep forest expert in this party, Lord Seiji. The wolf tribe talks to no one. Theyre as unfriendly as the squirrels, and less polite about it.

Yeah, I got the impression they werent exactly sociable. Apparently matters are different when theyre fleeing their village and in need of my healing magic. Didnt have much to trade except for information, but I listened to everything they had to say. It seemed pretty relevant.

That finally brought the both of them up short. Dhinell and Harker exchanged a loaded look before returning their focus to me.

So the zombies have gotten bad enough to drive the wolves out entirely? he demanded.

The way they described it, the zombies were just the last straw; they lost a lot to the Inferno and couldnt properly defend their village anymore. Also, I got the impression the issue with the zombies wasnt the threat of physical attack, but the fact that theyre moving heaps of rot and that spread disease.

Well, thats certainly true, the priestess grunted, folding her arms. Even those not imbued with curses or magical plague are a health hazard just to have in the area. Hence Rhydions insistence on you, despite how gratuitously difficult you choose to make yourself.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

You said the entire tribe was on the move? Harker asked, now staring intently at me. That could be a big problem. If theyre desperate enough to try moving into Clan territory itll be more of a mess than the zombies.

See, this was why Id wanted to have more prep time before initiating this conversation. Obviously, I did not want the Kings Guild investigating the beast tribes, and now I had to think of an answer on the fly which would both satisfy him as to the veracity of my account and not provoke too much interest in my own neck of the woods.

Based on what they said, they know better than to provoke either the Fflyr or the Shylver-aligned tribes to the west. The wolves were going north to try their luck against the cats.

Lord Seiji. Your presence here is a surprise, but not unwelcome.

I see Im a bit behind the times, I said, peering critically at the zombie pile. They clearly hadnt used funerary asauthec; the bones were charred, but still intact. Well, that wouldve been plenty hot enough to burn any contagion, which was doubtless the point. I thought I had news about the undead for you, and here I find events outpacing me. Wait, is this it? Theres, whatfive of them?

Seven, he said. Undead anywhere are usually the work of some grand evil, a once-in-a-lifetime disaster. Except on this one island in all the world. Zombies have periodically wandered out of the southern part of Dounts forest for the entirety of Fflyr history. In all that time, however, it has been at a rate of one every three or so years, on average. Clearly there is something vile in the depths of that forest which spawns them, hence my investigation, but the threat has always seemed minorand so, I was content to devote my efforts to research around the island until a healer could be arranged. But now, this. You are correct, seven zombies in a few days are not much of a threat in and of themselves, but they represent an abrupt and severe escalation. I very much fear this is the first portent of far worse to come.

Hum. The leader of the wolf tribe said much the same. He speculated theyd been contained somewhere and the Inferno damaged whatever was holding them back.

I have entertained that thought, as well. You spoke to the wolves? Impressive, Lord Seiji. Even my expert tracker, the man most familiar with the tribes I could find on this island, has rarely managed a civil conversation with them.

It helps to have something they need.

I summarized the edited version of my interaction with the wolves Id decided was safe enough for him and the Kings Guild to know. Dhinell came floundering toward us through the snow in an obvious hurry to prevent me monopolizing Rhydions attention, with Harker moving more sedately behind. They succeeded in not getting left out, arriving just as Id explained the very small amount I had already hinted to the pair of them back in Gwyllthean.

A Void witch? Rhydion demanded, his voice containing the first hint of open alarm I had ever heard in it.

I shook my head. Thats the first thing I asked, of course. The chief said the witch had always been there, but he was adamant that they never smelled the Void in the forest.

Hah! Harker snorted derisively. You got taken in, Lord Seiji. They cant smell magic, thats nonsense. Beastfolk lie almost as bad as goblins.

They have better senses than humans, dont they? Aster asked.

Dhinell turned a scandalized look on her, clearly aghast that a mere bodyguardand a lowborn one at thatwould insert herself into this important conversation.

Better smell, anyway, thats true enough, Harker acknowledged. But magic doesnt have a smell, Void or otherwise. He was just showing off for the sorcerer.

Given the circumstances, Rhydion said, if this chieftain claimed not to have smelled the Void in his forest, I am more inclined to take that as poetic phrasing than an intent to deceive. Were there a Void witch active for any length of time, the inhabitants of the forest would definitely know, and would certainly have no motivation to protect it.

Their sense of smell is relevant, I said. When I pushed for details, the wolves said the zombies did have a distinct odor that reminded them of alchemy, beneath all the rot. It was Aster, how did they describe it?

Herbs, soap, and alcohol.

Thanks, yeah, that was it.

Well Thats good, isnt it? Sister Dhinell said uncertainly, looking to Rhydion. Anything is better than a Void witch. Doubtless this is some scheme of the dark elves.

Aggression is not the way of the Shylver, Rhydion said pensively. This news is vital indeed, Lord Seijiexactly the clue for which I have been searching. But even with the threat of the Void ruled out, my next greatest concern remains. In all my study of every record I could obtain, I found no credible record of any loose undead on Dount prior to Fflyr rule, but consistent encounters throughout the entirety of the Kingdoms history.

Wait, soyou think the Fflyr are making zombies? I asked. Which Fflyr? Why?

Ah, yes, you are foreign. Prior to the founding of Dlemathlys, Lord Seiji, Dount was swiftly conquered and made a forward base by the Dark Crusade. It was Yomiko who purchased the miracle city of Shylverrael. If this is not the work of some devil or Void witch, it is almost certainly some leftover mischief of the Dark Lord.

I managed, just barely and by exerting every iota of my self-control, not to perk up visibly. Yomiko had zombies? Could I get zombies? Undead shock troops would be amazing.

Well, were still left with the prospect of searching the entire forest on foot, Harker grunted. Most of its uncharted, and the section in question is squirrel territory. Thats a nightmare of an idea even without zombies everywheremuch less in the snow. I guess we can get started, at least, if this guys finally willing to get off his arse and heal for us, but Im still gonna recommend that we table this until spring unless something far worse than this handful of shamblers comes boiling outta there.

Now hang on, I wasnt done, I said. When I pressed the wolves about this witch of theirs, they said only the squirrel tribe had any dealings with her directly. That was the extent of what they knew, but it means that there are more answers available, and that we know exactly where to get them.

Rath Kadora had also mentioned that the witch had occasionally done business with bandit gangs, but that was the absolute last place I wanted to direct Rhydions attention. Besides, all the bandits answered to me now and none of them had admitted to knowing anything about this. I strongly suspected the only recent prospects had been that gang of cannibals we had wiped out.

The squirrel tribe, Rhydion repeated thoughtfully. That is, indeed, a game-changing piece of information. Well done, Lord Seiji, and my profound thanks. In your conversation with the wolves, did you learn anything of the squirrels current situation?

I shook my head. They hadnt seen any sign of squirrels since the zombies started popping up, and I got the distinct impression they werent too concerned. The tribes dont appear to think fondly of each other.

Well, thats the truth, Harker commented. Only reason the Guild leaves them alone. If those animals had the basic sense to band together they might become a real problem, but as is? A wolf wouldnt spit on a squirrel if he was on fire, or vice versa.

But you know the location of the squirrel village, Rhydion prompted.

Of course. You cant miss it, its up in a stand of red-spire khora. Only a few of those on the island, and no others in this area.

You mean nhithra khora, Dhinell said, lifting her chin.

Thank you, Sister Dhinell, for the correction, Harker replied, utterly deadpan. The problem is the squirrels are absolutely intolerant of anyone approaching them. If we head for their village Best case, theyll hide up in the khora, and theres absolutely no climbing those things if they pull up the ladders. Worst case, theyll shoot poisoned arrows at us. Even having a healer along wont help much with that. The squirrels are the least aggressive beast tribe, but theyre the last ones Id want to screw with.

As Lord Seiji discovered with the wolves, said Rhydion, recent events may have changed their attitude. After the Inferno, I doubt they can afford to turn down any offered help.

Unless theyre in league with this witch, and allied with the zombies, Dhinell sniffed.

I deem that unlikely, but not implausible, the paladin allowed. And if it is so, confirming it will still be valuable progress. If it is not, however, we can likely extract significant concessions from them simply by offering the services of a Blessed healer. If, that is, Lord Seiji consents to join our quest?

He turned expectantly toward me, as did everyone else.

And it suddenly occurred to me that, idiotic and inexplicable as it was for all the highborn to have come to gawk at the zombies, having them here in the same place as Rhydion was incredibly convenient for my own purposes. So much so that I could almost suspect the sticky fingers of a goddess on the scales yet again.

Ah, yes. About that.