The Heart of Alchemy by James Wisher (i like reading books txt) 📗

“Is there anything the harbor patrol can do?”

“No. If you sail out there without wizards to protect your boats, you’ll be sunk in seconds. And I can’t spare a single wizard if we want to have any chance of protecting the city.”

“Perhaps the lords will give in to the invaders’ demand,” Hotic said. “I mean, we owe the assassins nothing. Is protecting them really worth having the city burn down around our ears?”

“It’s not about the assassins,” Baileon said. “It’s about not letting some foreigners sail into our port and tell us what we have to do and who we’re allowed to do business with. If we give in this time, we’ll have to give in every time anyone shows up and threatens us.”

Hotic scratched his chin. That didn’t really follow in his mind. When a more powerful force showed up, giving in made sense. And it certainly didn’t oblige anyone to give in to anyone else. It seemed more like the lords’ ego wouldn’t let them surrender. That struck Hotic as a stupid reason for the city to burn down.

What the hell good was principle to the dead?

Chapter 24

“They’re not idiots, unfortunately.” Otto sat on the iron footlocker in Wolfric’s cabin and wiped the sweat from his brow. The small room felt stuffy and the air close. Heat combined with a lack of ventilation made it hard to breathe. Not that Wolfric seemed overly discomforted.

The second bombardment had just ended with considerably poorer results than the first. He’d only killed one wizard this time, but the war wizards had slipped more fireballs through the defensive wall. It wasn’t a horrible effort, but it was less overwhelming a win than he wanted.

“I didn’t suppose they survived here for so long by being weaklings.” Wolfric had grown a beard during their time at sea and he gave it an absentminded scratch. “Will you try again tomorrow?”

“I think moving on to the second phase of the assault would be prudent. It would also reserve the wizards’ strength.”

Wolfric frowned. “Are you certain about this? Can you control the creatures?”

“I don’t need to control them, just force them into the city. Once inside they’ll do what they do with no prompting from me. Trust me, if anything will rattle the city’s leaders, this will.”

“Very well. Go ahead with phase two. Hopefully it will convince the fools to do the right thing and spare us another day of pounding them with fireballs.”

“Yes, hopefully.” Otto stood. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Otto quickly left the stifling cabin and went up on deck. The slightly less stifling evening air came as a bit of a relief. He glanced at the sky. It would be twilight soon, the perfect time to find what he sought.

He sent his sight flying toward the desert beyond the city. About a mile from the walls, he marked a spot and blinked his vision back to his body. His heart lurched when he found Corina standing right next to him.

“Make some noise when I’m scouting. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Sorry, Master. Can I come with you tonight?”

“No. I’m traveling through the ether and even if I wasn’t, my task is far too dangerous to have you along. Stay here and pay attention. Wolfric’s safety is in your hands while I’m gone.”

She smiled. “I’m not sure Hans and Commander Borden would agree.”

“Both of them have their uses, but they can’t see everything a wizard can.” He looked dead into her eyes. “I’m trusting you with the emperor’s safety. Take nothing for granted.”

“I won’t let you down, Master.”

He nodded and became one with the ether.

An instant later he appeared in the sands outside the city where he’d left his marker. There were supposed to be undead all over the place, yet he sensed nothing beyond the endless dunes. If he had to go hunting for the creatures, this might be a long night.

With a shrug, Otto set out across the sand away from the city. At least the walking was easy. There wasn’t so much as a stone bigger than his head visible in any direction.

About half a mile from his point of origin, the ether swirled to his right. He’d never sensed anything like it. Hopefully this was what he sought. Adjusting his course slightly to his right, he marched on, every muscle tense, and a powerful ethereal barrier surrounding him.

The power he sensed grew ever closer, but he still saw nothing. Had he made a mistake? Perhaps the creatures lurked elsewhere.

Directly ahead of him the sand exploded upward as ten humanoid figures rose from under the sand. That made sense. There was nowhere else for them to hide and it wasn’t like the undead had to breathe.

The creatures moved closer, giving him a better view of their misshapen forms. They had certainly been human once, but now, twisted by magic, they were monsters. Hunched over with elongated limbs and oversized jaws filled with three rows of teeth like steak knives. Their bodies were emaciated, the ribcages poking out of skin like leather. The creatures stared at him with glowing red eyes.

“Why doesn’t the meat run?” one of them asked.

“Yes, we like the taste of fear,” another said.

Just as Otto hoped, they retained at least some awareness. A deep philosophical conversation was probably too much to ask, but he could talk to them.

“I have a proposal for you,” Otto said. “How would you like to sneak into the city and slaughter a bunch of humans?”

“Meat doesn’t talk,” said the biggest of the group, a near-seven-foot creature that stood more upright than the rest. “It bleeds.”

Perhaps it led this pack? Otto wasn’t certain. Did the concept of leadership even enter into their thinking?

When the giant ghoul took a step toward him, Otto pointed. An ethereal lance made up of twenty compressed threads smashed into its head, blowing the twisted appendage apart in a burst of brains and blood.

“As I was saying,” Otto continued. “I’m not meat. But I am offering you