Rise of the Dead Prince (32 page)

41
A Final Lesson

M
eier, Trent, and Dor moved swiftly and silently toward the necromancer’s domain, jumping over the trenches and uneven earth made by the myriad marching dead that had passed before. As they traveled, Raven flew beside and ahead of them, always looking for what he called “the right place.” It was when they passed a large tree growing half in and half out of the water that he finally stopped them. They had traveled some ten miles at a steady run, and dusk was upon them, not that this mattered so close to the black wall. It was nearly too dark to see, and the men would have been forced to stop in mere minutes regardless. They knew they were very close, for the warm swamp air had given way to an unworldly chill. The sounds of life had dwindled so that almost no natural sound could be heard. The three men looked to Raven, or so they thought, for the black bird had disappeared completely into the darkness that surrounded
them.

“This is where we will talk of what lies ahead,” he stated rather quietly. “The roots should provide sufficient cover from above.” The men stared up into the nothingness then moved into the low shelter cast by the roots. It was cramped, most especially for Trent, but all three men were able to fit well enough to sit in a triangle on the dank earth. Trent was forced to leave his large swords outside. Dor withdrew his flint and steel as if to begin making a fire, but Raven stopped him with a click. “Not here,” he said. “Here we sit in darkness as the necromancer does.” The men did not understand but waited for Raven to cont
inue.

“Soon the world will turn to pitch,” he said, “and so I must teach you all to see as the dead do.” He had their attentions. The first thing Raven did was to instruct Dor and Trent in the ways of the gray state. They had been able to run long stints and fight tirelessly up to then without it, but this was only because of their incredible strength. Dor was able to master it almost at once, whereas Trent was more like Meier had been. Returning to the world in color was similarly partitioned. Once completed, Raven addressed the three of them toge
ther.

“The dead ‘see’ that which moves and casts sound. Light is not needed, nor is it truly used. This is because the dead, the
true
dead, exist in darkness,” he explained. Trent had a question and so raised his hand in the darkness. Realizing the foolishness of the gesture, he spoke regard
less.

“If that’s true, how can they make their way so well across the ground?” he asked quietly. Raven turned to face him, not that it matt
ered.

“Good question, Trent. To answer, I must explain that all things either cast sound or receive sound. Even the sound of a footfall emanates from the place it strikes. This sound, however soft, bounces off other things, such as trees, water, even the ground itself. This
…
reflected
sound can be detected by the dead, much as you can hear the echo cast back from a chasm. Does it make sense to you now?” he asked earnestly. The others nodded and said they unders
tood.

“You mean to say they see like a bat does?” asked Dor. Trent and Meier chuckled lightly in the dark. “What? You think that you two are the only ones that ever read a book? I had a grandmother with a big ol’ pile of ’em. They had animals and pictures and whatnot,” he retorted with a laugh. Raven si
ghed.

“Don’t get me started on bats
…
but yes, Dor. That is an apt analogy, except that while a bat screams at things, you’ll just be walking normally and reading the ground by your footfalls.” It was Meier’s turn to ask a ques
tion.

“Does this mean that light and quiet steps will restrict us from seeing as far?” Raven nodded invis
ibly.

“Yes and no. It’s true that greater noises will allow you to see further with more clarity, and indeed this fact restricts the simpler forms of the dead from ‘seeing’ as far, but as higher forms of the dead, you have an advantage. With the proper focus, your waking mind will capture even the slightest sounds and paint a sort of colorless ‘white on black canvas’ picture for you, allowing you to detect the area around you sufficiently with even light footsteps. For example, you cannot see things a mile away with your eyes, but you can still see all you need to see. Louder noises would allow you to
…
‘see things brightly’ as would a strong flash of light, but it is entirely unnecessary for what is required. Do you all follow?” They all said they
did.

“Now on to execution. This will require the gray state. Close your eyes and let go of all your living senses. I want you to simply wait as quietly as you can manage. Dor, you may get this before the others, given that you were a hunter and accustomed to detecting minutiae. Now once you are all ready, I want you to imagine your most predatory instincts. You need the power to act on them. This power is locked in your mind, bound by your assumptions and preconceived notions regarding that which is possible. This ability is really quite simple to master. You have only to remember all I have told you. If you can imagine it, then it will become a reality. See what it is that you want, and most importantly, see it as a power that will dominate your enemies. This is important. Visualize how you will soon stalk them, unhindered by the need for sight. You will all soon be fighting in the perfect dark. Without this power, you will not get far, and the dead will eradicate all human life in two nations!” Raven said heat
edly.

A minute passed, and then something incredible happened. All three men opened their eyes and smiled. A dim violet light filled the area, bright in contrast to the darkness. It was a light that came from each of them. They looked around at took in their surroundings in fascination. Raven looked at each of them in turn, trying to reconcile what he was seeing. Their eyes flickered on and off, going entirely dark at times, only to flare up again in
turn.

“This ability should not require magic,” he said, thinking out loud. It was then that it hit him. “Are you
talking
to each other?” The three exchanged glances then nodded in the darkness. All Raven could see was the slight glow, ever fading. Even with his normally superior vision, the darkness was nearly blinding to even his avian eyes. As such, the gesture was inconclusive. “Knock once if you are speaking and being understood in turn,” he said. Three knocks went out, brightly illuminating the room for the three men. “Incredible,” said Raven, still lost in thought. “And are you all ‘seeing’ as the dead do?” Another three knocks, more emphatic than the last. There was another round of dim flashes. “All right, all right, everyone stop talking. Let’s see
…
Meier
…
say something
…
now
,” commanded Raven. There was a dim flash from Meier’s corner. “Fascinating,” muttered Raven. Another round of flashes commenced. As one, the three men returned to the world in color, taking a breath as they
did.

“Raven, I have a question,” said Meier. Raven was all ears. “How does the necromancer communicate with the anathemas? And then how do the anathemas report back?” he asked. Raven took a second to res
pond.

“Hmmm
…
well, the necromancer gives orders by will and only one way as far as I know. It’s something like a master giving orders to a dog
…
but this is different
…
,” said Raven, trailing
off.

“I reckon it’s ’cause Meier made us like we are,” said Trent plainly. Raven sat in sil
ence.

“Do anathemas have magic, Raven?” asked Dor. Raven hopped
once.

“No, I don’t think they do. At least not that I’ve ever heard of
…
I suppose that has to be it
…
This is very
good.
It means you three can talk in the gray state, if only to each other. Meier, you can still use the dark voice, of course, but that requires going into the deep. Yes! This is a good thing!” Dor spoke up
next.

“Ain’t it kind of a bad thing if we got to make a glow to talk? Ain’t we supposed to go through and stay dark? I mean we coulda walked on through with a torch if we was going to make light anyhow.” Raven had an immediate resp
onse.

“No, this is different. The glow is not a problem. It’s not the light that matters. A torch would be entirely insufficient compared with this ability. Torches take up a hand, and they go out. Besides, you’ll be fighting at some point, which will make copious amounts of noise to ‘see’ by. On top of that, it’s in the gray state that you two anathemas are going to really shine. Of course
…
,” Raven trailed off a
gain.

“Yes?” asked Meier expecta
ntly.

“Well, I imagine there will be
real
anathemas in there. When you meet them, you better watch yourselves. Even you, Meier,” Raven replied warily. The three men agreed that they w
ould.

“And now for the last thing,” said Raven. The three men waited silently. “Meier, you need to know how to face the necromancer
…
and it requires you to get as close to the source as possible. Your power will grow the closer you get, but the necromancer won’t let you just walk up to it. Even if you do, remember that you will be facing a true master of dark magic. Someone like that could crush you from a mile away. Your success depends on how you
behave
once inside the realm of the necromancer. In other words, you must play at being truly evil. This means reveling in the demise of your enemies, showing cruelty and, above all,
arrogance
. You must proceed as though you have all the time in the world and that you do not care what happens to the two nations. As for you, Trent and Dor, you must play at being utterly submissive to Meier. Once you three enter the dark realm, the necromancer will be watching you. Trust me. The necromancer won’t be able to hear your thoughts to each other, and this is good. They will, however, be able to see every gesture you make. Meier, you will have to seem to command them as though they did not matter. It will be difficult for you, but you must do it. If you rush forward as a team, desperately driving forward, the necromancer is likely to crush you disdainfully from afar. You want the enemy to
relate
to you, even to such an extent as being considered a kindred spirit. You want them to believe that you are worth talking to. Does it make sense to you so far?” Meier no
dded.

“Yes, I think so,” he said stea
dily.

“Good,” responded Raven curtly. “Now for the rest. If you do well, the necromancer is very likely to hail you from afar. You must answer in the dark voice. You must play at being a guest in another person’s home. I don’t know how to say this or even how you will manage it, but you must take what they say and lure them with it. It will require wit and tact. If you can get them to lower their guard, you might succeed in casting a destructive spell that will destroy the necromancer. However, you must be resolved to do this. You must not hesitate! Do you understand?” Meier sighed de
eply.

“Yes, I think I do,” he replied. Raven hopped t
wice.

“Not good enough! You truly wish to end this nightmare? That means being decisive and cold! Can you do it?” Raven asked emphatically. There was a long silence. Meier no
dded.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said resolu
tely.

“Good enough. You would do well to remember it,” Raven responded. “Now bear this in mind. You are a dark magus, and necromancers view dark magi with a certain
…
distaste. They see the purely destructive arts as inferior to their own, which in many ways is true. That said there are presently no known dark magi in the world, certainly not any great ones. You, Meier, are a natural. You will use minor dark magus skills until you come face to face with the necromancer. They will see you as no threat, assuming that you both make it there and have played your hand correctly. As for your necromantic skill, the necromancer will see your anathemas and hopefully be intrigued at their unchanged shape. You will play at being an anomaly worthy of notice. Use this to create mystique. This much should be natural, given that you truly
are
an anomaly as well as mysterious.” Meier nodded in the dark. Trent and Dor kept quiet, slowly taking everything in. Meier finally came to a ques
tion.

“How can the skills of a dark magus be inferior to that of a necromancer? I can create explosions as well as crush things into dust. What can a necromancer do to me in turn?” Raven si
ghed.

“There are many things you have not learned. What the dark magus can produce, the necromancer can swallow with shadow. You’ve seen the lights within all things undead, yes? Well, the necromancer can make those lights evaporate, and they can do it almost effortlessly. They have a similar spell for the living. With a gesture, necromancers can literally erase life. No flash, no theatrics. Beyond this, they can attack the higher dead, such as you three, and envelop them completely in arcane shadow. Once done, you would be taken apart piece by piece, as if by a hundred million needles digging and gouging. Such things would be difficult under normal circumstances, but with the power of the source, they could be accomplished ea
sily.”

Meier could not hide the fact that he was daunted by the information. He scoffed. “In that case, what chance have I got?” he asked incredulously. Raven was quick to res
pond.

“Well, that’s a thing I’ve been saving for you. This goes back far enough that the necromancer is unlikely to know about it. Sit there and listen for a while, Meier. I’m going to teach you about the most unlikely dark spell there is. In the old days, they used to call it
white
fire
.”