Chapter Two:

Chapter Two:

“And how long will this servitude last?” Maa asked the shadow sitting across the table. Surrounded by a thick mist, she didn’t know what room or even city her body sat in. From the sound of her voice, she was, in fact, secured in some sort of room, even if she couldn’t see the walls. Truthfully, she might be dreaming the entire experience. Her weak hold on reality had suffered too many jolts over the past several weeks. Travel with the shadows might be the final straw.

But would the insane question their sanity? Maybe we have hope.

One bitter drink from a skin bag and their mind and body drifted into the impossible. These two shadows carried an elixir that allowed the killers to transverse the unknown reaches of time and space.

They wanted to fight the savages that escorted them from the safety of the palace, but deep in their heart, they knew there was no defeating these creatures in the land of shadow.

The only chance was to return to the real world, where the rules favored their… humanity. There they might break free of death’s grip. Rise again to the position more fitting their standing—ruler of the world.

The shadow didn’t speak. Rather, a voice floated between their ears. “You are in luck. We will take your child in exchange for payment due for services rendered.”

Both of Maa’s shattered personalities rejoiced at the news. In one sentence, the creature across from them tipped its hand and proved the shadows were not all-knowing. They must not know the infant emperor was not their flesh. The child offered hope still. Now they only needed to find the whelp. A trade might be in order, after all.

“We would give you the child if only you let us fetch it.” The words sounded strange coming from their mouth, but they struggled to keep the shadow out of their mind. The alter ego recited archaic poetry while Maa discussed the future.

“That is a pity.” Red eyes from under the shadow hood flashed a hidden meaning. “In the meantime, there is a simple task you are uniquely suited for. Complete this little chore, and I will release you to search for the child and your freedom.”

As an empress, Maa had made similar offers. In their experience, they were never simple and rarely the last. “Just tell us what you need so we can get on with it.” Maa’s other side grew increasingly tired of the games this shadow played.

If they were dead, then fine. If they were alive, they wanted to get on with life now that father’s harassment was out of the way. There was a long list of people to seek out for revenge. “Get on with it already. Stop playing coy with us.” They looked to their right, but no one sat by their side. “Yes, tell us what we need to do.” The voices all seemed in their head.

The Dreg’s leader never questioned Maa speaking with herself. Maa wanted free of this gray, soulless land of shadow.

However, any escape might take some time. Better to not burn bridges in anger. They might need to meet this creature more in the future.

If the child had been taken from the citadel, the most likely place to hide the boy was somewhere in the city of Ra. After all, that was where the majority of the empire’s military was stationed. It would be where a living Maa would seek shelter.

Are we alive?

she thought.

The alter ego answered,

We must be.

The shadow master’s voice whispered in their head. “Very well, in your city, there stands a building for casting magic. Inside there is a book—a powerful book that holds sway over an even more powerful mage. We require this book.”

“Do you mean that bastard’s, Mel’ock?” Maa was not as surprised as they might have been.

“The same. I’m glad you are familiar with the creature. You need to bring us the book.”

“Yes. We are familiar with him… We will do this favor… for you… for our freedom.” Maa didn’t tell the shadow they were more than willing to hunt down the monster Mel’ock without bribery. Maa and her other half blamed the beast for Zac’s death and the ruin of the city. The old mage, monster, necromancer, whatever sat at the top of the long revenge list. They never planned on seeking retribution, but killing him first held a certain symmetry to it. They were going to enjoy working with these shadows. For the moment, their goals seemed intertwined.

A cup with a portion of the gray liquid materialized before them.

What choice do we have?

They tipped up the cup without a second thought.

That was how Maa found themselves standing before the shattered gates of Haven. Once more returned to the land of the living, Maa felt strangely out of place.

These shadow men controlled powerful magics that allowed them to operate freely between the two realms. It was a skill Maa never knew they wanted until witnessing it in use. The advantages outweighed any shadow strings that might be attached. All they needed to do was wrest the goatskin bag from the right-hand creature’s shoulder. It contained the bitter elixir that brought them here.

The familiar bow was held in a tense grip. They paused, pondering a past life and how little it truly meant to them now.

To the rear stood a pair of men. Their protectors or jailers, they weren’t sure which. Even under the smoke-filled sky, wearing all black, they stood out against Maa’s light brown leather armor. The cloak of white linen that announced their royal personage was discarded long ago.

How long ago was it?

The Dregs might be the premier assassins, but the armor they wore and the manner in which they carried themselves gave away their true nature. Shadows of former men walking amongst the living. They had as much business being in Maa’s world as she had being in theirs. Anyone with half a brain could see they radiated death. The pair were trapped somewhere between the two worlds. Did Maa really want to join such a cursed group? What other secrets did they hold waiting to be discovered? The trip to Haven seemed near instantaneous.

If this

was

Haven. At least the few parts that remained undamaged reminded them of the capital city. That life crept into fleeting memories like a forgotten dream, not quite real any longer.

The earthquakes and fires had crumbled most of the stone buildings to piles of scorched bricks. Each way Maa turned, the view was filled with blackened bloated corpses.

Rats and other scavengers made a feast of the rotting flesh. The smell should have been overwhelming, yet Maa sensed no foul odor.

Maa knew there should be a tang of pain for the devastation, but searching deep, they found no feelings at all. Perhaps her other self received the messy emotions when they split.

There wasn’t even a hint of anger over the loss. A strange peace rested in their heart. The city they once ruled and caused so much pain suffered destruction, and they didn’t care.

“This way.” Maa took off. The two men followed on her heels. Life would have remained much simpler if those sought out for revenge waited here… but there was only disappointment. These bodies only waited for cremation. Maa spotted none who cried out for vengeance.

Each way they turned, more dead greeted them. Those dressed as nobles lay next to servants—puddles of dried blood stained the flagstones. Untold violence happened in the streets. Maa didn’t understand the cause yet. No casualties of invaders had fallen intermixed with the citizens.

The secured mages’ structure remained one of the few buildings still standing. Considering the thickness of the reinforced walls, Maa wasn’t surprised. Reaching the casting building, no guards stood waiting to open the now missing doors. They had been blasted from their hinges.

The dark interior called to a darker soul. Inside, some energetic power remained active. They caught a whiff of the power that lingered.

A small taste couldn’t hurt.

Inside, they found they could see, despite the darkness. Their eyes worked better now than they ever expected. Even in the darkness, they made out shapes and colors. Individual faces took study and concentration, but before the side trip to the other side, they would have been blind in this darkness.

The dead littered the halls, dressed in blue robes of mages and armor of palace guards. It was easy to tell the bodies apart. Something killed these men and women violently enough to spread their blood over the floor and walls. Open wounds covered in cracked blood. These assaults must have happened several days ago.

Inside the summoning chamber, the court mage Wurn didn’t wait for them. The black candles had burned into puddles of wax. The accouterment for the summoning lay scattered about. None had bothered to clean up this mess. Since the servants lay dead with the courtiers and mages, Maa wasn’t surprised. The city had no one left to clean up.

A strange red glow radiated from the magic portal painted on the wall. Maa sensed the opening held the residue of powerful magic. Something still seeped into this world from another.

The book sat right where they expected it to be.

Maa approached their target.

The book’s guard stood, still gripping the podium, skin like a dried leather raisin. Maa was confident the man died centuries ago. But they were certain only a few days had passed since Mel’ock woke. A look of shock and horror was etched into the dead leathery face. Eyelids wide open, the man’s eyes were replaced with blackened and empty sockets.

Maa motioned one of the shadows forward. “You will need to collect that book.” They remembered the warning Wurn had given and refused to suffer the same fate. Let the hired help take the risk that befell the man still guarding the cursed tome.

The nearest man in black stepped forward and grabbed the manuscript. The dead body refused to release its death grip.

The other stepped up to help.

Maa took a cautious step back. Something was not right here. In her experience, the dead rarely held on so tight to a book… or anything.

It took both shadow men to wrestle the book from the dead man’s grip.

Maa expected the corpse to fall to the ground. All were surprised when the corpse took a stumbling step toward the two men.

The monster opened its mouth and screamed. Dust rolled from its mouth and covered the two assassins. The action shocked Maa nearly as much as the two killers.

The two men gagged and choked out the dust filling their lungs.

Before they raised a defense, the creature latched onto the first killer’s throat with boney fingers and tore a handful of meat and cartilage from his body.

A particularly morbid curiosity grabbed Maa. They assumed the shadows invincible. The bleeding man dying before their eyes proved that assumption incorrect.

Rather than join his companion, the other nameless killer released the book, dropping the tome to the floor.

He drew his weapon and hacked at the desiccated arm reaching for his throat.

Maa wasn’t surprised when the limb fell to the stone floor.

The dead monster screamed louder. From pain or anger, Maa wasn’t sure which. Bow in hand, they could have fired at the attacker, but she was too intrigued to discover what might happen next.

As much as the struggle between the two over the book pulled at her attention, a few scraping sounds at the only exit caused Maa to spin around.

There, wearing a blue robe, was the body of a mage. Despite the creature’s mobility, Maa knew the woman was dead. A bloody stump replaced the woman’s left arm. No one could survive that wound.

Maa drew an arrow and fired. The shaft pierced the woman’s chest where her heart should have been.

The shambling mass didn’t slow.

The dead woman screamed with the dead guardian. Dust erupted from mouths open wider than humanly possible.

“Aim for the head,” the sole assassin shouted while he hacked at the monster’s head.

Who was Maa to question? Unused to killing the dead, they fired another shot into the woman’s right eye.

The impact snapped the mage’s head back with a sickening crack.

Maa waited a second for the attacker to drop dead.

Instead, the female mage’s head lolled around on a broken neck, but she kept coming, one staggering step after the other.

Backing up, searching for cover, Maa fired two more arrows into the woman’s body without effect.

“It’s not working!” Maa cried. “Help me!” She screamed for her missing alter ego.

The shadow man’s only reply came back in a gurgle. The teeth of the book’s guardian had latched onto the last assassin’s throat. Even in the dark room, the blood was easy to spot against the black leather armor.

Maa was alone. Even the split voice in her head had seen fit to abandon her in her moment of greatest need.

Too much happened at once. She tripped over an overturned stool and fell backward. The corpse landed on top of her, claws scratching at Maa’s face. Teeth snapped at an unprotected neck.

Left without a choice. Maa took the arrow in hand and stabbed repeatably at her attacker.

Somewhere during the assault, the beast gave a final scream before dying. The deadweight of the corpse rested on Maa.

The former empress kept stabbing the corpse to be sure it stopped attacking. Finally exhausted, her arm buried the arrow for the last stroke.

With a struggle, Maa freed herself from the burden.

The nearby bow was returned to her grip. Her arms shook.

From fatigue is all

, Maa told herself.

The guardian creature she once knew as one of her palace guards, returned Mel’ock’s book to the lectern, hand gripping either side. It held the book frozen in place.

Torn between her safety and freedom, she remained, arrow at the ready. swiftly alternating her aim between the entrance and the guardian.

Her racing heart eventually slowed once she realized no more attacks came at her.

“Where are you?” she called to the voice in her head but received no reply.

Unsure whether the attack was finished, she slowly lowered the bow and risked a closer inspection of her goal and the guardian standing watch over the book.

Any damage done in the attack had disappeared. If Maa didn’t have the two dead shadow assassins at her feet, she might have questioned the reality of the experience.

She needed that book, but there was no way she would be the one to die at the hands and teeth of this new monster. Besides, there was no guarantee the original curse had been somehow deactivated.

Better to find someone who could take her place to fight the thing and carry the burden the book represented.

A quick search of the female mage revealed a different story. Thankfully, the once-animated corpse remained dead. With none of the wounds healing, Maa tried to figure out which damage finally stopped the creature’s unnatural movement. The blue robes showed at least twenty-seven puncture wounds, Maa assumed by her hand. Including the arrow snapped off in the chest and eye along with the broken neck, these creatures proved incredibly hard to stop. If each body she spotted on the way in converted into one of these monsters, there weren’t enough arrows in the empire to stop the horde.

The thought was too horrible to contemplate. For now, she needed to focus on what she could fix. The book’s recovery needed to come first.

Free of her shadow guards, Maa knew the place to start her search. There should be plenty of dupes cooling their heels in Ra. That was where the child Leo probably was kept safe. Two birds, one stone. Conservation of energy was called for.

“I think we should go there right away,” Maa said.

This time the answer came from outside the only open door. “I couldn’t agree more.” The familiar voice echoed inside the room.

Maa’s head jerked to the sound, bow drawn and arrow ready to fly.

A body carrying a familiar face stepped from the shadows. Dressed like a harlot, with too much flesh showing, Maa wanted to fill the woman’s bare midriff with arrows.

Maa growled, “It’s that bitch.”

Her alter ego picked an Infernum of a time to go silent.

“I believe you call yourself Zoe Death-Maker?” Maa asked. She stalled for time. Of course, she knew who it was. This was the Necro that started the siege of her world. Maa blamed Zoe for everything. She so wanted to kill the woman where she stood, but something held her back.

“I see you didn’t listen to my warning. You remain as arrogant as ever.” The voice sounded too familiar. It belonged to a woman who sat near the top of Maa’s mental revenge list.

“I told you, this is all my father’s fault. I tried to contact you to sue for peace, but our efforts went unanswered.” Maa waited for any sign the woman was about to attack, though she doubted her arrow would have any effect on such a powerful mage.

“Yet you listened to the old man in the first place…” She chuckled. “And then went seeking help from every man who passed by you. Can you be any weaker? You have the nerve to call yourself a leader.”

Rage rose in Maa’s heart, but she struggled to maintain control. “My father, Ed, is now dead… You can call off the war. We have lost… you have won.”

“Still blaming daddy, I see,”

“He only wanted power. I know that now.”

“Parents routinely want what’s best for them, not their children.”

“No riddles, please call off the dead. This isn’t normal.”

“Who told you I sent the dead?”

“You did… when you threatened the attack.”

“I guess I did… but this attack is something new, not of my making.”

“You can’t be normal… sane.”

“Tell me, who teaches us to be normal?” Zoe cocked her head, “Better yet, who decides what is normal?”

“If you are here to kill me, just get it over with.” Maa could hold the bow at the ready no longer.

“Kill you? I’ve been trying to help you from the start. Don’t you recognize my voice? I’ve been giving you advice for ages. However, too often, you ignored me.”

Maa recognized the voice. The whole time she thought she’d been talking to herself. Instead, it was Zoe in her head. “Why do I feel like I’m losing my mind?”

Zoe laughed. “Perhaps because you are?”

The swelling anger overrode her better judgment. If this Necro was here to kill her, Maa wasn’t going down without a fight.

Out of reflex, Maa pulled the fletching back to her ear, aimed, and let the arrow fly right at Zoe’s center mass.

The young woman didn’t flinch as the barbed point passed through her body.

From this range, the shot couldn’t miss, yet it did. Anguish filled Maa’s heart. The weight of the world pushed her to the floor. “Are you all in my mind?”

The woman stepped closer. “What is real and what is false we will discuss later.”

Maa pressed her head to the cold stone. “Just kill me quickly… I’m tired of the struggle.”

Maa flinched when an unexpected hand stroked the back of her head. A soft voice whispered in her ear, “Why on earth would you want to die?”

The touch caused an icy shiver to run through her body, like Maa had been touched by death herself.