Chapter 19 - Deep Underground
"The size of the Empire means that Her Eternal Majesty cannot give any minor matter personal attention, there are simply not enough hours in the day. As a result, the Empire is divided into smaller administrative regions where the local nobility govern in the name of our Undying Queen. Other than Trevayn, which is administered directly by the Throne, there are numerous provinces and cities which act as the second administrative level. These will normally be governed by the most worthy of the noble Houses or Great Houses in them, who in turn delegate some of their authority to less nobles in the same way.”
Two Thousand Years of Empire by Jahangir Amini
=====
As Ester checked on the Watchmen again, she had to admit to a certain amount of frustration. It felt like they’d spent hours making their way back down the Wasteways, following the trail she’d laid on the way out. That was fine. Everyone was a bit slow, but she could be patient. The frustrating thing was, she couldn’t have a proper conversation or get any useful information. However much she asked, the Inquisitor kept on dancing around her questions. He just wasn’t a very good friend, she didn’t feel like she’d had a single straight answer! Well, except when he’d assured her that sufficient quantities of fire would definitely kill a necromancer, or most things in fact. That had at least been a little nugget of useful information bobbing in a sea of unhelpfulness. Absentmindedly Ester formed her magic into a small ball of fire over her hand. If she tweaked it, could she make it blue?
Great Spirits, she didn’t even know his name! Ester let the fire vanish. How rude of her. She should ask. She hurried back up to the inquisitor.
“My Lord Inquisitor, I just remembered…”
“Shh!” He cut her off, suddenly coming to a halt. Surely he wasn’t going to refuse to even tell her that?! Ester resisted the urge to huff at him and then realised he wasn’t even looking at her. No, he was scanning around them, peering down the tunnel.
The light of their torches provided poor light by which to see, but clearly he sensed something. Did that mean they were about to be attacked? This time Ester was ready. Oh yes she was. She bounced a little on her toes in anticipation.
The Inquisitor, she still didn’t know his name. Was she allowed to know an Inquisitor’s name or was it a secret? He hesitated a moment longer and then spoke in a whisper. “We are close. I can tell. I suspect we shall be under attack shortly.”
“What do we do My Lord Inquisitor?” Ester matched the Inquisitor’s whisper. Nevertheless he winced slightly, maybe he thought she should be more independent. “Do we go and burn them out?”
“I will take the lead and deal with whatever we find in front of us.” Ester sagged slightly in disappointment. She wanted to be doing that! Or at least helping do that. “Lady Mazar you move to the back with the Watchmen, you will be guarding our rear.”
Before she could protest he continued. “We are in an enclosed space and one of the most dangerous facets of fighting a necromancer is their array of minions. If the man is competent or powerful then we will most likely be assaulted from more than one angle. Having you guarding our rear will mean I can focus fully on acting as the point of the spear, it is a vital role Lady Mazar.”
Ester found herself nodding rapidly as he spoke. When the Inquisitor put it that way it made perfect sense. So long as she was contributing to the situation she was happy. “Of course My Lord Inquisitor. Nothing will get past me.”
She followed up on her words by hurrying to the back of the group, taking a moment to check on the Watchmen as she did, already focused and ready to annihilate any undead at the slightest sign of them.
She glanced back towards the front as the Inquisitor cast a spell, or maybe used a Schema, and the way ahead of him lit up with bright, white light. Ester hurriedly copied him, the magic bending to her will easily enough and her own light threw the area behind them into stark relief too. There wasn’t much to see other than rough stone, some natural, some clearly carved away by human hands.
They walked that way for a few more minutes. The Inquisitor in the lead, moving a bit more carefully rather than striding. She’d have liked to go faster, but she wasn’t going to say anything.
The first attack came from the front. There were no low moans or other signs to warn of its coming. They simply rounded a corner and Ester felt a flare of magic from the Inquisitor. He didn’t even bother to speak the spell, but she heard the thump of fire igniting and a moment later felt the blast of hot air wash back down the tunnel.
“Faster now!” The Inquisitor called out. The Watchmen broke into a reluctant jog after him and Ester followed, trying to watch where she was putting her feet and behind her at the same time.
They passed a side passage and she had a fraction of a second to see something move.
Ester pivoted smoothly, releasing her light spell. “Saig.” Magic flowed out of her and runes momentarily flashed into being before the passage erupted into fire. She heard one of the Watchmen curse and stumble before she moved back to the rear of the group. They’d deal with the necromancer soon enough!
The Watchmen seemed a bit more hesitant. “Come along men, we must not leave the Inquisitor without support!” She urged them on, making sure to sound cheerful rather than irritated. “It will not be long now.”
“Lady Mazar!” One of the Watchmen shouted and she spun. Another filthy undead was almost on top of him as he thrust his spear at it ineffectually. Where had it come from? It didn’t matter.
Ester focused on it and snapped out her spell. “Saig ai’exbal.” A narrow pillar of white hot fire flared around the undead man with a wet thump. Hot air washed back over Ester and the Watchmen before the fire vanished, leaving only a blackened and, more importantly, unmoving corpse. With a satisfied nod to herself Ester recast her light spell.
Ester had a slight bounce in her step now. It was far less frightening this time round. It helped that the Inquisitor was there, but she felt far more confident in herself too. Somehow she just knew that she could handle whatever might get in her way. She was ready to serve the Undying Queen!
Ahead of them an unholy shriek tore through the air and was suddenly cut off with a loud crunch that accompanied a flare of magic. Ester risked a glance ahead, but there was nothing to see. Just the dimly lit form of the Inquisitor striding forward. Ester could only wish she could be so powerful and, even more, so composed in the face of mortal peril.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Ester took a second to look over the Watchmen. They were practically huddled together as they moved. Spears at the ready. They looked very martial, but also terrified. They didn’t have magic to defend them, so maybe it wasn’t surprising, but it would be alright, she’d protect them. She scanned urgently up and down the tunnel, ready for any threat.
“Stop!” The Inquisitor’s shout brought Ester to a skidding halt. He’d just stepped into what looked like a larger chamber. She could see the tunnel expanding, but not what was within it, the light wasn’t good enough. Not being able to see didn’t mean she couldn’t feel the magic in it though. It crawled through the place, a dark, oozing kind of magic that exuded wrongness even at a distance.
Ester took a step forward, she wanted to see what was causing that and wipe it from the face of the world.
“Stay back, all of you. There is nothing in here that you should see and plenty you should not.” Ester certainly wasn’t going to disobey an Inquisitor over that. If he thought he didn’t need her then she’d trust in his experience. She made an effort to look away from the entrance to the chamber.
That didn’t mean she couldn’t hear though.
“Ah, so you are here after all.” The Inquisitor’s voice was as blank as ever, there was certainly no surprise in it.
The response came in the smooth, confident voice of the witch she’d fought before. The necromancer she had to assume.
“Where else would I be? Do you think I’d just let you hunt me down? I’ll deal with you and then I can disappear.” She had to suppress a shiver as his voice dragged her mind back to the horrifying fight with him, to the Watchmen’s deaths. There was a tension in his voice though, one that hadn’t been there when she’d faced him.
“About half the time necromancers run. It does make things easier when they don’t though. Will you come peacefully to stand trial?” The Inquisitor sounded almost bored. Ester really wanted to see what was happening, even if it might be horrifying, but she made herself stay still, keeping watch for any ambush.
“Ha. I see you left your pet Mage outside. Probably wise, you wouldn’t want knowledge of the True Path to spread. Curious Mages always are a problem for your kind after all.” Outrage flared in Ester at the idea that she’d even try to learn necromancy, it was disgusting and offensive. “As for your question, you will find I am more powerful than you think and I’ve no desire to face whatever horrific fate Duke Marcni will cook up as a punishment if you bring me back alive.”
“Very well…” Ester heard the movement before the Inquisitor finished his sentence, felt magic flare. Sudden motion, followed by a crash. What had happened? Neither of them had spoken a word! Had the witch tried to kill the Inquisitor and been blasted away? She took a step towards the chamber and then stopped herself again. He’d told her to stay back.
“Not bad, but not good enough.” Despite the brave words, the necromancer sounded like he was in pain. “Ai’d…”
“Do’aelt.” The Inquisitor’s counterspell stopped the necromancer’s dead in its tracks. “Weak. Perhaps I can take you alive anyway. I am sure you would have many interesting things to tell me.”
The necromancer chuckled, a slightly choked sound. “You’ll never take me alive.”
“We shall… Huh.” The Inquisitor grunted, sudden concern in his tone. “Something is… Lady Mazar!”
The world transformed into light and heat. With a roar, the thunderous explosion sent Ester tumbling painfully to the ground, the light of her spell extinguished as she lost her focus.
She wasn’t sure how long it took her to push up onto her hands and knees. To look around and try to work out what had happened. There was still a little light from two of the torches which hadn’t gone out, lying there on the ground.
She couldn’t hear anything through the ringing in her ears. The Watchmen were shadowy shapes on the ground, just starting to move again. Looking towards the chamber where the necromancer had been there was flickering light. From flames? She couldn’t see anything. What had happened? Where was… the Inquisitor!
Ester practically leapt to her feet, ignoring her body’s protests, and ran to the chamber, the Inquisitor’s commands forgotten. She stumbled to a stop just inside it. There might have been obscene, forbidden magics all over it before, she didn’t know. Whatever the case, they were gone now.
Her heart was pounding, trying to escape from her chest as she stood in the entrance, eyes wide with shock. The chamber’s walls were blackened from the explosion. Some things, cloth maybe, were still burning, spewing noxious smoke into the close air of the chamber. That wasn’t what brought her to a halt though. There were bodies. Two of them. Blackened and burnt, but... The Inquisitor was only recognisable from what was left of his clothing, a belt buckle, his boots. His skin was in ruins, seared into a black crust that had obliterated his features.
Ester tore her eyes off the grizzly sight and onto the necromancer. He was more intact, but still clearly dead. He lay against the side of the chamber, burns marred his skin and his head was twisted to an unnatural angle by the impact of the explosion. Both bodies were still smoking, she could smell them she could… Ester staggered to the side and doubled over, emptying what little was in her stomach onto the stone.
Eventually she forced herself to straighten up again. She wanted nothing more than to be somewhere else, but she still needed to check the necromancer was truly dead. Who knew what he could do? She made herself go over to his body. She didn’t feel any of the energy she had before, now every movement was reluctant.
Standing over his corpse, she hesitated, disgust warring with duty and then placed her hand on a patch of unburnt flesh. There was nothing. He was dead. She immediately yanked her hand back, almost overwhelmed by revulsion.
There was no need to check the Inquisitor, not with the condition his body was in. She still hurried over to his charred corpse, just to get away from the necromancer. She didn’t know what to do now though. This wasn’t how things were meant to happen. She had to do something though, but she didn’t know what.
As Ester stood there, looking wide-eyed at what little was left of a man who’d spoken with the voice of the Undying Queen, the reality of the situation started to sink in.
The Inquisitor was dead. The necromancer had killed him, somehow. They were both dead.
That was a tiny sliver of relief amidst the rising panic. The necromancer must have set some kind of trap, although she struggled to think about what it might have been. An array of Schemas perhaps? Or maybe he’d just overpowered a spell? It didn’t matter. Whatever it was it had succeeded in killing the Inquisitor, but had killed the necromancer too. Maybe he’d misjudged. The Inquisitor had taken more of the blast. Perhaps the necromancer had thought he’d be able to escape the explosion.
Ester tried to ignore the growing horror and fear inside her. The Inquisitor was dead. A direct representative of the Throne. She’d been making friends with him only a few minutes before. She couldn’t let herself breakdown though. She was a Chartered Mage, she needed to be in control. With an effort of will she forced her panic down. She could worry later, for now she needed to think.
The necromancer was also dead. That meant that the threat was probably dealt with. Although he might have friends, but she couldn’t investigate that, not now. They needed to get back to the surface and report on what had happened. That made sense.
Once they knew what had happened, the Commander or Duke could send people to investigate and recover the bodies. She didn’t want to just leave them there, but there was no way she or the Watchmen would be able to get them out from the Wasteways. In fact she was feeling more and more tired. Like a cold, heavy blanket pressing down on her head. It made it hard to think, but she couldn’t afford to stop, not now.
After a moment more, Ester came to a decision. She glanced back towards where she could hear groans from the Watchmen. They’d return to the surface as fast as they could. First though… She looked back at the necromancer’s body. He was dead, she was sure of it, but he was still a necromancer. Whoever was sent after her would want to identify him, but the idea of what he could do terrified her. She knew her imagination was likely worse than the reality, but that didn’t stop her fears.
“Dechlaid cobieden’fa.” She focused her magic against the necromancer’s body. There was none of the resistance that would come from trying to break through a living person’s defences. Instead, his limbs and head neatly tore away from his torso. Well as neatly as they could under the circumstances. Ester quickly looked away as her stomach clenched again.
Hopefully that would make completely sure that the necromancer wouldn’t be back. Ester stifled a yawn and then turned to go and speak to the Watchmen. Soon they’d be out of the Wasteways and back on the surface. She’d be delighted if she never set foot in them again.