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

“You are one of the masters,” the first ghoul that spoke said. “Forgive us, great one, we did not recognize you.”

The nine remaining members of the pack fell to their knees and touched their heads to the sand. Otto smiled. It seemed he would get what he needed after all.

“I take it you’re interested in my offer?”

One of the ghouls looked up at him. “We’ll be killed if we go into the city.”

“You’re already dead,” Otto pointed out. “How long has it been since you’ve fed? Since you’ve killed and rent flesh? Half the city’s wizards are dead and the other half exhausted. You’ll never have a better chance to slaughter all the humans you want. Eventually their superior numbers will overcome you, but isn’t that better than rotting out here, starving, in the vain hope someone’s stupid enough to leave the safety of the walls?”

The one ghoul seemed to have taken up the role of spokesman for the group. “Why do you ask us and not command? You are a master. We couldn’t resist your orders if we wanted to.”

Otto had no doubt that Amet Sur and the other Arcane Lords had some way to control the undead, but he hadn’t learned it yet. Not that he had any intention of telling these creatures that.

“I ask, because in my experience, willing fighters are more motivated than slaves. I’ll compel you if I must, but I prefer to secure your willing aid.”

“Want to kill!” one of the other ghouls growled, and bared its fangs.

The others snarled their eagerness as well.

“It seems we have an understanding. Follow me.”

Otto turned his back on them, a move of supreme confidence calculated to show just how little of a threat he considered them. When, after twenty paces, none of them had attacked, he let out the breath he’d been holding.

The sun had fully set when they reached the base of the wall. Using his magic, Otto enhanced his vision, rendering the world in shades of gray. On the battlements, a guard passed by, never looking down, completely ignorant of what would soon happen to the city he was supposed to protect.

“How will we climb up?” the ghoul spokesman asked.

“I’ll lift you. Gather together in a tight group.”

The undead did as he asked and Otto conjured a disk beneath them. He needed twenty-five threads to do it, but soon the monsters rose into the darkness. When they reached the top of the wall, he felt them leap off.

His construct had barely dissolved when the screaming started.

Satisfied with his work, Otto followed the base of the wall to the ocean. Once there, he conjured an ethereal walkway and strode across the water toward their ship, extending it as he went.

By the time he reached the side of the ship, he had nearly exhausted himself. Happily, a rope ladder fell from above followed by Hans’s worried face peering down at him. “Are you well, my lord?”

“Perfectly, though I’m in serious need of sleep.”

Otto climbed the ladder and at the top Hans pulled him aboard.

“Do you think there will be trouble tonight?” Hans asked.

Otto smiled and looked back at the city. “No, I do believe they’ll be too busy to trouble us tonight.”

Chapter 25

Eddred of Markane stood on the balcony of his rented room in the City of Coins. The air had cooled since the sun went down, but it never really got cool. He couldn’t wait to get home. Even in the middle of winter, Markane had its charm. The white plumes when you exhaled, icicles hanging from the eaves, snow covering everything and making the land look clean and pure…

He sighed. Happy memories to distract him from his current predicament only took him away from reality for so long. Then he’d catch a whiff of smoke or see the orange glow of flames and reality would come crashing back.

When ships bearing Garenland wizards sailed within sight of the harbor, Eddred hardly believed what he was seeing. He’d thought by now that both Wolfric and Otto would be dead at the hands of the assassins he’d hired. Apparently he’d been overly optimistic. Now the enemy was here and he could only think of one reason why.

They’d learned where the assassins came from.

The fireballs that eventually started flying made the truth of the situation quickly clear. Eddred blamed himself. If he’d just let it all go instead of looking for revenge, none of this would have happened.

He shook his head. If he hadn’t contacted the assassins, Lord Valtan would have found someone else to do it. The Arcane Lord was even more determined than Eddred to kill Wolfric and Otto.

Well, Otto anyway. Whatever the young wizard found in Colt’s Land had really put a scare into Valtan. And a frightened Valtan was something Eddred never wanted to see again.

A scream shattered the darkness.

Below him, figures moved in the night. A woman came running out of an alley into the light, a gray-skinned, misshapen figure galloping after her.

Eddred had never seen one of the undead that infested the deserts beyond the city’s walls, but he’d heard tales enough to recognize one of them. How did the creature get inside?

The obvious answer came to him a moment later. Otto Shenk had let them in. More repayment for the assassins that had tried to claim his life. After the battering they’d taken during the bombardment, he doubted the city’s wizards would be in any shape to fend off an attack by undead. And damned if Eddred was going to have any more lives on his conscience.

He darted back into his room, buckled on his sword, and shot out into the hall. Eddred paused long enough to slam his fist on the door across from him. It opened a moment later.

“Your Majesty?” said Adam, one of his two wizard bodyguards.

“Wake Lilly, there are undead in the city and I mean to hunt them down. I’ll fetch Uther while you