Zombie Mage (28 page)

"It's a nice colour," Marvin said, breaking
the silence. "It goes well with the tapestry and wood effect."

Olligh chose to not reply.  He shivered and returned
to the passageway with the draped curtain.  He needed to find Lara and check to
see if Denlik had lied to him.  On this occasion, he dearly hoped that the Dark
Cloak had been treacherous. Without Lara, the world meant nothing to him.

Lara remained in her coffin in a small room to the right along the
passageway.  Her arms were folded over her chest and copper coins were placed
over her eyes.  Olligh removed the coins and clasped her hand gently.  He
shuffled forward and shook his head slowly. "Lara, I'm... I'm sorry, so
terribly sorry.  If any of the torment you've suffered is because of me then I
hope you'll feel it in your heart to forgive me."

Olligh knelt by her coffin for a while, his head held
low, deliberating over everything that had happened. He wondered if he really
was the cause of all the woe and suffering that had occurred.  He hoped his past
studies hadn’t taken precedence over rational thought.  He gazed at Lara's
blistered and bloated face, wondering how he'd let the situation get so much
out of control. He needed forgiveness more than anything else.  Without it, he
knew he wouldn't be able to rest in peace.  Before he could stop himself, he
released his embrace and held his hand over her head.  Summoning the energies,
he spoke the words of power -

Ashvontic Sementoc!

His hand glowed faintly and he could feel the flow of
energy releasing into Lara's corpse.  Briefly, her arms trembled as the energy
coursed through her body but he quickly realised that his attempts were
futile.  It was too late; the cosmos had already claimed her.

"Olligh?" someone said.  Olligh withdrew his
focus and turned to see who wanted him. Gull was on the floor by the door.  He
looked out of breath.  "You've been missing a while.  I just wanted to
make sure you're alright."

Olligh nodded and managed a faint smile. "I'm as
well as I can be, Gull.  I'm immensely sad, but well.  You know, I loved her
immensely. I feel so much sorrow in my heart right now."

"Things haven't worked out as planned, have
they?"

"That's one way of looking at it.  Gull, what
have I done?  Am I really responsible for of all this?"

Gull shrugged. "I wish I knew.  We've found a
stash of potions next to the altar while tidying up though.  You better come
and take a look.  Nobody wants to drink one until you've given them the all
clear."

"Very well, tell everyone that I won't be long. 
I just need a moment longer with my wife."

"Of course."

Olligh returned his gaze to Lara and wished he could
see her smile one last time.

* * * *

A short while later, Olligh joined the Walkers in the Great Hall. Hetty
was busy scrubbing the wall with a hand brush and Michael was sweeping the
blood and bits of body pulp into the corner of the room.  A bucket of water
stood at Hetty's feet.

"Welcome back!" Marvin said from his new
position on top of the pig statue.   The actual pig head was shattered on the
floor beneath it. "We're just doing a spot of spring cleaning before the
rest of the Dark Cloaks come back."

"Come back?  What do you mean?"

"Michael's found Denlik's diary in his private
chamber. The latest entry suggests that six of his cultists are due to return
here over the next day or two.  They've been out preaching in distant towns and
Denlik was hoping that they’d return with more followers.”

"Interesting.  Well thank you for your help. I'll
have to take a look at that diary."

"Sure. Gull's over by the altar there reading
it."

Olligh walked over to the altar and noticed Gull
sprawled out on top, next to a lit candle, diary in hand.  On a stack of
shelves behind him, Olligh noticed a good dozen blue bottles of liquid and a
heavy green tome.

"Hey, that's my tome of knowledge over
there," Olligh said. "I forgot I left it here."

Gull chuckled. "Well, it's got to be better than
this diary. Denlik had a severely uninteresting life."

Olligh smiled. "Yes, my tome is a lot more
interesting.  It holds all the secrets of cosmic travel.  Years of study all in
one place.  Have you gleaned anything interesting from his diary?"

"Well, you might not like what I'm about to tell
you but, from his notes, he genuinely appeared to want to help us."

Olligh lowered his head. "Oh.  I wasn't expecting
that."

Marvin sniggered. "Yeah, but he still deserved to
be splattered. He had a terrible attitude."

"I know you don't mean that, Marvin.  Nobody
deserves such a horrible fate."  Olligh sighed. "I was just so riled
at the time.  I've gone through so much and his taunting was the final
straw."

"Yeah, well remind me never to anger you,"
Marvin continued.

"Don't worry, Marvin.  You sometimes irritate me
immensely but, so far, never to the point of anger."

"Hmm, charmed I'm sure."

"Hey," Gull continued, "this bit's
interesting.  It's an old entry. Denlik mentions that a few living heads have
appeared in the crypt. The only way to ensure they don't return is to smash
them into tiny pieces with a hammer, grind them into a powder, mix in some
shredded pork and feed them to the mindless zombies in the prison cells."

"I don't feel so bad now," Olligh said.
"He was obviously secretly insane."

"Well, there's no way you're doing that to
me," Marvin uttered. "I'd rather return to the circus and work for
the hag again."

 "Don't worry, Marvin.  I believe there may be an
alternative solution for you. Your brain's still out there and working and
that's obviously the key to your survival."

Gull grinned mischievously. "Yeah, they probably
have it on display at their freak show and charging extortionate prices to view
it."

"Shove it, Lumpy," Marvin replied.

Olligh stroked his chin. "Perhaps if we pickle it
with one of these potions, we'll still achieve the desired result?"

"Worth a try," Marvin said.

"I think Denlik was right though.  We need to
help Cuthbert as well. It's my fault he's here, regardless as to whether or not
he's happy with his state of un-death."

Gull flicked a page on the diary and gasped.

"What is it?" Olligh asked.

Gull appeared transfixed to the page.  "Well,
that's curious, especially as we were just speaking about him."

Marvin sighed. "Come on, Lumpy, spit it
out."

"Cuthbert is mentioned here in one of the
earliest entries. Denlik was forced to increase security around the cemetery
because fresh corpses were being exhumed.  On this particular evening, Olligh
Selthnik was caught red-handed with a shovel in his hand along with Cuthbert
Drenton, his apprentice and accomplice."

Olligh's face darkened. "Apprentice? My
apprentice?"

"That's what's written here."

Suddenly it all made sense. Memories of his time with
Cuthbert returned to him.  The work they completed together, the research, the
problems they discovered, the achievements they made, the dissecting of rats,
the jokes they shared and then... then it all abruptly ended.

"Olligh?" Gull asked.  "Are you
okay?"

Olligh shook his head. "No, I feel terrible.  I
made Cuthbert into what he is today.  I remember our time together...  My,
without a doubt, I worked him to the bone."

"No jokes, please," Marvin uttered.

"Everyone!" Olligh yelled while reaching for
a blue bottle from the shelf. "Please, come here."

Michael and Hetty stopped what they were doing and
walked over to join him as he uncorked the bottle top.  He dipped his finger
into the liquid.  It was thick and black, just like he remembered.

"You're all here because of me.  Everything
that's happened to you is because of me.  I'm deeply sorry for returning you all
from your graves and I hope we can put this right, and straight away."

"How's that for honesty?" Marvin said.

Olligh pointed over to the shelf. "You'll notice
some bottles containing a sticky black liquid over there.  These potions will
help you forget about everything I've put you through and allow you to rest in
peace."

"Does it do anything else?" Michael asked,
his eyes transfixed to the bottle in Olligh's hand.

"It might put hairs on your chest," Marvin
said.

Olligh ignored the remark. "Michael, don't worry.
It'll simply help you die the way nature intended and I promise you that your
next life will be better than this.  I'm going to return to Cuthbert now and
apologise to him for my actions.  I'll also take this potion with me and ask
him to drink it."

Everyone studied Olligh intently as if urging him to
continue speaking, their faces a mixture of confusion and doubt.

"It's for the best, trust me," Olligh said,
pushing the cork back into the bottle. "I'm a mage."

"What about me?" Marvin asked. "I need
my brain."

"Don't worry, I'll pay a return visit to the old
crone and bring your brain back with me.  The rest of you should say your
goodbyes and quaff a potion. It was wonderful meeting you all but time is
pressing and I must leave. "

Olligh reached out and summoned the energies once
again, focusing on the cosmos and pulling Cuthbert's trail towards him.
Everyone watched as he vanished from sight, the room now in complete, stunned silence.

* * * *

As Olligh travelled through the green swirling mist, a translucent face
appeared by his side.  It was Lara, young and beautiful again.  Upon seeing
him, her eyes brightened and she smiled softly.

"My darling, I've found you at last.  I'm ever so
glad."

Olligh reached out to touch her cheek but felt
nothing. "Lara, how are you here?  Haven't you yet attained your true
death?"

"Oh, Olligh. I can feel the pull, I really can,
but I couldn't let it take me until I had the opportunity to say goodbye to
you."

A feeling of sadness and longing suddenly overcame
him. "Lara, I'm so sorry for everything.  Please, can you forgive me?"

Lara giggled. "There's nothing to forgive you
for, Silly.  We made the most of what we had together."

"There is. It's because of me that all this has
happened. I brought you back from the dead but it was wrong of me. I should've
respected you more and let you rest in peace."

"You did what you thought right, my darling.  I
would've likely done the same in similar circumstances if had I the knowledge
to do so.  I miss you so much, Olligh."

Her image began to flicker.

"Lara, don't go!"

Lara shook her head, her eyes suddenly wide and
fearful. "The pull is very strong and I'm ever so tired.  I must go, my
love."

"Lara! How will I cope without you?"

"You always cope, Silly.  It's what you do best. 
Fear not, my love, I'm sure we'll meet again in some other time and
place."

"Oh, I do hope so. Don't ever forget that I love
you and always will. You mean everything to me."

Lara smiled one last time and blew him a kiss.
"You too, my dear."

Without further warning, her image faded from sight
and a powerful sadness consumed him, ripping into his lifeless heart.  The mist
began to swirl faster and faster around him until he realised he was
approaching the entry point to the new world.  Beyond the shimmering mist he
noticed the field of bones.  It was another reminder of the cruel nature of
death and the inevitable loss and sadness which it brings.

Olligh didn't waste any time in the field of bones. With nightfall
steadily approaching, he quickened his pace up the hill to the fortress. At the
top, the skeletal guards were still on duty but the fort looked different in
the gloom. Huge lanterns were lit at each side of the courtyard providing a
healthy glow to the surrounding area.  Cuthbert was still sitting in his
throne, his shadow falling across the courtyard; this time though, he was
reading a large tome.  Noticing Olligh walking towards him he almost jumped
from his seat.  

"Olligh?" he asked, quickly shutting the
tome. "What brings you back here?  You should all be resting now, waiting
for the cosmos to claim you."

Olligh reached the bottom of the junk pile and peered
up at him. "Sincere apologies for disturbing you once again Cuthbert but I
have a few things on my mind."

Cuthbert smiled faintly. "Oh, well, do continue. 
This sounds intriguing."

"First I would like to ask you why you never
admitted to being my apprentice?"