He wiped the snow from his eyes. He only had a few soldiers to dedicate to diverting the blizzard. Too much of the weather got through. If it got any thicker, the dead would have the advantage.

  In the falling snow, it almost looked as though the bodies were trembling. He stepped closer, using the fire to burn away the falling snow. Yes, the flesh of the zombies bulged as though they filled up like giant balloons.

  “Damn.”

  That was his last thought as the fallen dead exploded, filled with the sorcerous energy of elemental fire. He did not live long enough to see the pile erupt, taking out the frontline of his men.

  CHAPTER 30

  The cells were small, no more than five foot square cages with a cot too short to properly rest, and a bucket to piss in. Each one was separate from the next by a gap of ten feet, so that prisoners could not reach the guards as they passed by. They were on the ground floor of another tower with but a single guard.

  The cages dropped from the ceiling, controlled somehow by crystals embedded in the wall. The guard would channel energy through the crystals by touch to control the rising and dropping of the cages.

  Serina had the cell next to him, and a short while later they’d brought in Lara. None of them spoke. They were told they’d be released shortly, when someone had time to question them.

  He’d asked about what, but the soldiers had left without any further explanation. Aside from the three of them, the other cells were empty.

  He sat down on the cot with his back against the bars. They bit into his back uncomfortably, no matter how he shifted.

  Serina had her back to him and showed no interest in conversation. Lara briefly asked if either of them had seen Lysa, and when they said they hadn’t, she too had nothing more to say.

  Was this because of Mykel? Perhaps the man had lost control and hurt someone. Still, that wasn’t enough reason to imprison them. They’d done nothing but cooperate.

  The tower shook, and dust rained down from the ceiling.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  Serina got to her feet. “I don’t know.”

  Their guard, maybe no more than eighteen and given the boring job of watching them, glanced at the door.

  “So that’s not normal?” Taegar asked.

  The kid shook his head.

  A loud thrumming of many nearby explosions shook the tower. It went on for over a minute, like a long peal of thunder, shaking crystalline dust free from the walls and ceiling of the chamber, until Taegar wondered if the tower wasn’t going to come down on their heads.

  The roar died down, with only a few spaced explosions following intermittently. The guard opened the tower door and peered out. All that Taegar could see was a blur of gray, the blizzard obscuring anything beyond the doorway. Whatever was happening out there, he couldn’t see from his cage.

  The guard glanced back once in their direction before fleeing, disappearing into the storm and leaving the tower’s door open. The three of them watched, waiting and wondering. Dark shadows moved through the snow, though he could not tell if they were soldiers or civilians.

  “Is this starting to feel familiar to anyone else?” Taegar asked.

  Serina nodded. “We’ve got to get out of these cages. Now.”

  But how? The cages had been lowered from the ceiling by magic, and all of their gear was in another room. It would take someone with the strength of a giant to lift the heavy bars.

  He glanced at Lara. She sat huddled on the floor of her cell, studying something in the palm of her hand, ignoring them. What did she have? Though mildly curious, it was secondary to escaping. Probably some memento from Dorian. He would give her time to grieve.

  A figure stopped in the door. Snow crusted the beard of a ragged and gnarly face missing much of the flesh from his cheek. He stood in the door, sniffing the air like a dog sniffing out a raccoon.

  Taegar held perfectly still, as did his companions. The zombie took a step in, looking about the room. His eyes fell on the cage nearest the door. The corpse’s eyes lit up with a predatory recognition and lurched toward Lara.

  Lara threw herself against the far side of the cage as the zombie slammed into it, reaching for her. She screamed as the zombie withdrew its arm. It circled her, forcing her to the far side. Every two steps it would stop and reach through the bars again, as though its arms would magically extend. Fortunately they couldn’t, but it kept circling, forcing her to keep moving.

  He’d never felt so helpless. Yes, Serina had been right, he cared for Lara, maybe even loved her. “Keep moving,” he urged, but he didn’t have to tell her.

  Another figure appeared in the doorway. A second zombie had seen the first, and saw its prey. Lara saw it too and screamed.

  The second zombie charged the cage like a bull, smashing its body into the bars hard enough to shake the entire cell. Lara shrieked and fell back against the bars. The first zombie, seeing its opportunity, rushed to the far side.

  She darted under its arm, its fingers just brushing her arm, failing to get a hold.

  Standing perfectly still in the center, neither zombie could quite reach her, their reach falling short by a couple of feet.

  The zombies, as though unaware they couldn’t reach her snapped at the bars, breaking their teeth on the metal. Their frenzied growls grew in intensity as though she mocked them, driving them more and more into a rage.

  Outside the door more dark shadows appeared, drawn in by the sound of their companions. First three more came in, joining the other on the same side of the cage. With their combined weight, the side of the cage lifted an inch from the ground.

  Whatever the state of their mind, the zombies still possessed an inkling of predatory intelligence. The zombie on the far side jerked back on the bars while the others shoved. The cage rocked, lifting up several inches each time before slamming back into the ground.

  Lara knelt down, trying to make herself as small as possible.

  “Hey!” Taegar yelled, “I’m right here, come and get me!”

  The zombies ignored him, worked up into a frenzy as they were, desperate for their cornered prey.

  He couldn’t look away, the woman he’d found himself falling in love with was close to being torn apart had maybe moments to live, and he could do nothing about it. He’d never felt so hopeless in his life.

  More zombies spilled into the room. He could no longer tell how many, they were too numerous. They surrounded her cell, zombies reaching in on all sides. Their overwhelming numbers, for the moment, actually saved Lara’s life. It prevented them from knocking over the cage.

  Still more came, and soon they came after Serina and him. Lara was lost from sight.

  CHAPTER 31

  Lara huddled beneath the reaching arms coming at her from all sides. She had no idea how many there were. They were thicker than flies in a dirty barn. Their fingers came too close.

  A zombie too torn up to even identify its gender shoved its torso hard against the bars, as though it could squeeze its dead frame further by letting the metal tear into its body. Dark fluids leaked down the bars from its chest as it forced itself as hard against the cage as it could. Its fingers touched her hair. She almost fell back into the arms of the dead behind her.

  There was no way out. Eventually, somehow they would reach her. It felt as though the cage was shrinking. If they didn’t manage to grab her, her own fear would eventually betray her, maybe falling back into their grasp. Once one of them got her, it would be over.

  They were as good as dead. It was apparent that the city was overrun, and if anyone still knew where they were, they probably didn’t care.

  She had one way out. She cradled it within her right hand. It still squirmed, though not as much as it had initially. She had the worm. All she had to do was eat it and they would leave her alone. But then what? She’d be trapped in the cage until someone came along, if anyone was left alive to find them.

  It was better than being ripped apart, and it would buy her time. The price she would pay would be watching her friends get torn apart and eaten.

  She stared into the horrific faces of the dead and made up her mind. It had to be better than being torn apart.

  She lifted the worm to her lips.

  A zombie lunged, striking her elbow.

  The worm fell to the stone.

  She dove for it, but it bounced near to the edge of the cage.

  Gore-caked hands grabbed her hair and dragged her to the bars and their snapping jaws.

  CHAPTER 32

  Taegar heard the screams but didn’t dare move. He stood as still as possible as the hands continuously swung at him. He heard the screams and could do nothing.

  He couldn’t fight, he couldn’t scream for help, he couldn’t run…

  He prayed it would end quickly for her. He could no longer see Serina either.

  He covered his ears, blocking out the sounds. He didn’t want to hear her anymore, he didn’t want to hear the sounds that he knew would follow, the sounds of ripping and chewing. He’d met her in a situation just like this, except she’d had something to fight back with, and even though she’d been outnumbered, she’d fought. He’d been there too, to fight by her side, though he hadn’t known her from friend or foe. They had been strangers to one another, with their backs against the wall, with nearly no chance of survival. Yet together they had held off the dead long enough to be saved.

  If he could have only been in there with her perhaps he might’ve been able to do something. They never should’ve separated. Maybe things would have turned out different.

  He had failed her. He’d failed all of them.

  He’d let Lysa go out on her own. She was only a little girl, and he’d lost her twice. He’d driven Serina away.

  He pushed away the self-pity. If he were going to die, he would die as a man. He opened his eyes and stared into the face of the hungry dead.

  “Come on then, you bloody bastard, come get me.”

  He spit in the zombie’s face.

  CHAPTER 33

  The zombies, as one, stopped attacking as though they’re rage had slipped away. Their faces were devoid of emotion as though the three of them had become invisible.

  “What?” Taegar screamed, “Come and get me!” If they could not see him, neither did they show any signs of hearing him. They turned away, their faces vacant as though he had suddenly ceased to exist. The zombies began to shuffle about the room, as though seeking prey they could no longer detect.

  The zombies parted, falling back from the cages. It took a moment for Taegar to register that the three people moving through them were not mindless undead. His mind could hardly comprehend that anyone could even be near the zombies safely. He wanted to scream for them to run, while relief flooded over him.

  Lysa led the way, with Mykel and Vichak on her heels.

  “I told you this is where’d they’d be,” Vichak said.

  Lysa stopped at the first cage. “Lara?”

  Taegar stared through the bodies, trying to see through the dead. “Lara? Lara!”

  She didn’t answer. Oh please gods, let her be okay. Just let her live. Please, don’t let her be dead.

  Lysa knelt down at the edge of the cage. Mykel stood behind her, his face showing nothing. Vichak attempted to stare in every direction at once, as though the zombies might at any moment take a renewed interest in them.

  The dead parted enough so that he could see Lara’s motionless form. The world seemed to spin. “Lara?”

  She lifted her head.

  Taegar collapsed to his knees, forehead pressed against the bars. “Oh gods, thank you.”

  He felt the tears of relief running down his cheeks before he even realized he was crying.

  Serina looked back and forth between the two cages. She walked to the side facing him and clung to the bars. She too had tears on her cheeks. He smiled at her in relief. She just shook her head.

  “Oh Taegar,” Serina said, “I’m so sorry.”

  “We survived.”

  Serina looked away.

  “Lara, we made it. I’ll never leave you again, I promise.”

  Lara got to her feet, using the bars for support. Oh gods, she’s hurt. Please don’t be bitten – please oh please oh please…

  Lysa had turned away, and was hugging Mykel. Mykel held her, his face a blank slate. What was wrong with everyone?

  “Vichak,” Taegar said, “Get me out of this cage.”

  Lara wouldn’t look at him. She stared out through the bars. She was too far away for him to see her very well. His stomach hurt. He felt sick.

  Vichak walked to the end of the chamber and touched the prison crystals. Their cages rose into the air, freeing them.

  Except for Lara’s.

  Taegar shoved through the mindless dead, fearless of any threat they might’ve posed. They stumbled, and still ignored him. He grabbed the bars.

  “Lara?”

  Serina came up behind him and tried to pull him away. He shook her off.

  “Vichak? Lift up her cage. Let her out!”

  “He can’t,” Serina said. Her voice was soft. She didn’t grab him again, but rested a hand lightly upon his shoulder.

  “Lara,” he said, “It’s me, Taegar.”

  Her head turned. When she faced him, he saw the hideous wound on her shoulder where a chunk had been torn away. Somehow one of the dead had managed to bite her between the bars. It shouldn’t have been possible.

  Her blood had pumped out, soaking her cloak and dress, forming a puddle of her life blood on the floor. Her feet smeared it across the stone as she shuffled about.

  She was already dead, her eyes empty.

  His feet no longer held him and he slid down the bars. “Oh…” He didn’t know what else to say or who to pray to. He closed his eyes and took a breath, then a second. The sobs burst out before he could stop them.

  CHAPTER 34

  The city shook as the five fled the prison tower. Vichak led them, though only fast enough to stay in front. He refused to walk more than a few feet ahead of Lysa. Serina had taken a moment to retrieve her sword. They could not return to their rooms to get her bow or find her second blade, and she didn’t care. She only wanted to get out of the city as fast possible.

  The explosions were few and far between, though the earth continued to shake. They saw others of the living fleeing for their lives, though they did not have the protection that Lysa could offer, and the blizzard made it impossible to tell if they approached one of the living or one of the dead. They had ran into a few surviving wizards and had nearly been struck by a fireball.

  After that they avoided everyone.

  The snow made it difficult to run, but they did their best. Taegar hadn’t said another word since they’d dragged him away from Lara’s cage. Serina had waited for Taegar to leave before she’d decapitated the corpse. She wouldn’t leave any more of their number behind to live on as a zombie. Never again.

  She appreciated Taegar blaming himself for her death. She knew the weight he carried. She felt the same for the companions she’d lost. She bit her lip. She’d added Lara’s death to those she felt responsible for.

  They reached the edge of the city and found the main gate open, blown apart as though by a celestial strike by a fiery divine hand. Outside the walls, nearly two feet of snow had accumulated.

  “We’re never going to survive out there,” Vichak shouted over the wind.

  Serina gasped as a blast of cold air stole her breath. She tried to block the snow from stinging her eyes. The thickly falling snow obscured everything. “The forest to the west,” she said.

  “Is it such a good idea?” Vichak asked.

  “We need shelter.” She looked to Taegar, seeing if he would weigh in, but the man stood with head lowered, his features hidden deep within the cowl of his cloak.

  They took off across the fields that surrounded the city. The dead continued to ignore them. It was a small blessing. She did not think they could fight long in this. Whatever Lysa was doing, she prayed for the girl to keep it up.

  CHAPTER 35

  From high atop his tower, despite the raging storm, Theondrin saw the world with a clarity he’d never known in life.

  His city was at war with itself. Levia would never be the same. Its past was glorious, with a history rich in magic and the pursuit of knowledge. It would ever house the lore, despite the damage done to it this day. Knowledge had a way of surviving. He did not worry about it, nor did he feel any sense of loss. He had all of the knowledge he needed, and through him it would live on. Forever.

  Through the city’s streets, men trained in magic fought a battle that should’ve been easy. They’d killed zombies before. They even knew that the zombies were evolving. Becoming magic bombs was a bit unexpected, but not a great surprise. They could safely contain a certain amount of sorcery, becoming mystic catalysts. They would certainly have a purpose in the new world, he just wasn’t sure what it was yet. He did intend to find out.

  His wizards might have fared better if not for the blizzard. Their inability to divert the weather meant they could not rely on an aerial defense. Fear ran so rampant in this battle few of them realized or cared they were indirectly destroying the city in their attacks on the dead.

  He considered helping them, after all, they were his subjects. He found that he didn’t care. He’d transcended the needs of Levia and its people. His was a new journey.

  Perhaps the gods were involved in this battle. He scanned the skies for a sign. Would they ride chariots composed of wind or flame? If a god dwelt in the storm, he should’ve been able to sense him.

  There were no gods, only him.

  Wait… there. A god.

  He could sense one of them, a divine being outside the walls. He cast a spell of Psyche, allowing him to remotely view the source. Within his mind’s eye, he saw a vision of five people fleeing Levia. He could not tell which one had drawn his attention.

 

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