Rose


    I was standing near my master''s side when news of an attack reached us. I shivered in fear as a cold look washed over his face.


    "Sir, what should we do to stop them?" the guard commander asked us. His face was pale and covered in sweat. Anyone would be afraid if a pair of giants suddenly attacked the city unprovoked. We had always been wary of the lord of North Hold sending an army if we provoked him too much. This tentative peace was only because our duke had been cautioned against a declaration of war by Shephard Stone.


    "Evacuate the area where the giants are, send the people into the catacombs." Stone unfurled a map of the city and pointed to several spots. "Place archers in these spots, then I want cannons here and here loaded with harpoons. Have all available men called to arms. We need to drive these monsters from the city."


    The guard saluted. "Yes, Sir," he rasped before turning on his heel and dashing out of Stone''s study.


    I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. "You knew about these giants. That''s why you have those harpoons. we all thought that they were for siege weapons."


    Stone smirked and shook his head. "Yes, centuries ago Seymere sent her warriors against me. They struggled and failed to kill me despite her power. We need to keep the citizens away from her assassins. She will be able penetrate my defenses if too much death occurs within the city."


    "The Bone God is ruthless," I said bitterly.


    "She''s jealous."


    He opened his mouth and yellow smoke billowed out. It turned and twisted on itself as it flew out the open study window to join the sound of alarms bells that clamored loudly on the north side of the city.


    I sighed and turned toward the stack of papers in my hands; reports from the pirates that we had hired to weaken North Hold. So far there had been little retaliation as response had been slowed by severed communication lines. I scribbled a quick order to hold further raids until our situation in the city was resolved. I passed the note to an acolyte waiting just beyond the study door.


    As I closed the door, I heard Stone stand up and move toward the window slit. The wind flowing through carried the scent of ash, blood, and oil.


    "I wonder how many times she''ll come for me," he murmured as he stared placidly into the night.


    "Can she be killed?" I whispered.


    "Not by me. An unfortunate curse... Any news of her champions?"


    "None so far. How do we know that they''re not already here?"


    Stone continued looking out the window as he responded. "Our dead would be rising, forced to slay their kinsmen so that they too become an undead warrior." Stone tapped the window sill with his fingertips before turning back to me. "Seymere will use whatever psychological tactics she can to win."


    The room suddenly felt colder and the shadows looked deeper. How would the Bone God greet me when I died? Would she use my corpse to attack my new master? Or would she force me to constantly relive the worst days of my life?


    My lips twisted as I thought of my dead son and the brother who betrayed me. I needed to live to see my revenge through.


    I flinched as I felt Stone''s hand on my head. "You''re thinking about him again," he said softly. "Don''t worry, I will destroy these foolish nations and its peoples. And when that''s done, I will create a new people." He rubbed his thumb across a tear that fell from my eye. "Just a little while longer."


    I nodded in agreement with him.


    Just as I was turning to go back to my office I felt the floor tremble beneath me. My body swayed as a second wave shook the paintings and ornaments from the walls and knocked over Stone''s ink well. The ebony ink spread across his papers like a rapid infection of darkness. I looked at Stone and he had a frown on his face as he muttered something under his breath that sounded like a name.


    Suddenly there was banging on the door to his study. Trembling I made my way to the door and opened it. A guard was hunched over, wheezing, his skin flushed as sweat traveled down his temples from underneath his helmet. "Shephard... there''s an army... across the ravine!" he gasped in a strained voice.


    "Army? How?" I asked.


    "It''s my wife. She''s come for me," Stone said. Bile filled my mouth as my trembling intensified. Stone stood up, a far look in his eyes. "I guess it''s time to say hello to my family."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    SOL


    When the city came into view a wave of sadness overcame me. It felt like an eternity had passed since I had last seen its walls. I could smell ash and blood on the wind as a billow of dark smoke rose into the night sky. Ryaa and my mother stood next to me as we all gathered together to look at Naomi. Lasaro gripped his sword tightly in his right hand while Melinde was twisting her palms around her spear.


    "Do you feel that? The death?" Melinde whispered. She bit her bottom lip as she continued to watch the city.


    "I feel it, The Mistress must have made a move before we got here," Lasaro said calmly.


    The skin on my arms prickled and stood up as a great pressure built up behind us. We all whipped around to see a woman dressed in white stepping out of a throne room onto the dusty road. Her face was rapidly changing from old to young, child to adult, man to woman; the faces of dead she governed. We all knelt before her swiftly as she stared at us with eyes that looked like molten gold. She smiled and the parade of faces stopped on a cold and youthful face.


    She spread her arms wide. "You''ve finally made it," she said with a smile that did not reach her eyes. "I have sent two of my servants ahead of you into the city. As we speak they are destroying its defenses. Melinde, there should be enough to raise an army for us."


    "Is, is that necessary, Mistress?" Melinde asked in a soft voice. I could hear the slight quiver as she spokes to the goddess.


    The Bone God reached forward and touched Melinde''s shoulder. "I know that there are people in that city that you cared for, but their lives are forfeit as long as they continue to harbor that traitor."


    I felt uneasy as I thought of everyone that had been kind to me during my imprisonment in the temple. "All of them?" I asked.


    The weight of her gaze fell upon me and I quickly looked down to the ground. My breath caught in my throat as I remembered her taking over my body. The sound of my husbands ribs snapping between my fingers. My face grew hot and something wet fell down my face.


    "You did not know this, but when my sister, The Beloved, turned your people into Waterfolk, she gave most of her power into saving you. She has not once opened her eyes since that day," the goddess said solemnly. "Your Grace are remnants of her divine power. I cannot bring her back, but I can destroy her murderer with my own hands." She reached into the pockets of her dress and pulled out a small decorative drum and a single drumstick. The body was made of gold and inlaid with precious gems. The hide glowed with a soft white light that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. The drumstick was smooth and made from a wood with a golden hue. As it moved in the air a trail of blue sparks followed it.


    "Melinde, raise my army," the Bone God said.


    I watched Melinde, as she still trembled, stand up and raise her spear. The air around her shimmered as a crowd of ghostly people formed around us. Conversations broke out among the spirits, but they were muffled as if a wall was between them and us. A light flashed from the tip of the spear and suddenly all of them were solid. They became silent, their faces vacant. As one they turned to face the city. I ground my teeth as I watched them slowly walk toward the city in uniform columns.


    The Bone God smiled as she watched them walk before us. When the army reached the bridge she raised her arms above her head and struck the drum twice. Melinde, Lasaro, and I doubled over in pain, blood flowing from our ears. It felt as if a cannon had gone off by our heads. My ears rang and it looked like Melinde was screaming and clawing at her ears.


    At first I did not notice the barrier around Naomi. I was too consumed with the pain from the goddess''s drum. It wasn''t until the ground trembled beneath us that I realized I could see a shimmer surrounding its walls and forming a dome over the top of it.


    Suddenly I gagged and vomited a yellow bile. I struggled to catch my breath between heaves as it seemed that it would never end. I didn''t know how much time had passed while I struggled to breathe and expel the foul substance. Over time the ache in my bones lessened and I began to feel stronger.


    Was this the foul miasma we had been breathing in on our journey here?


    I wiped my mouth and noticed that Lasaro was also doubled over heaving. Melinde was on her hands and knees, her skin tinged with gray as she coughed and spat into the dust.


    "Mistress," Lasaro croaked.


    "It was necessary to cleanse you all," she said. "Lasaro, I need you to wound Shephard Stone, you will find him most likely find him in the temple toward the center of the city. Sol will be able to point him out to you." She touched each of us and matching bracelets of bone encircled our wrists. I felt a surge of energy swell in my belly and then expand to my limbs. How long would this power last?


    Slowly we all stood up and faced the Bone God. "Thank you, Mistress," Lasaro said in a gruff voice. I could see sweat dripping from his temples as he said so. Melinde reached out and touched his shoulder.


    "Thank you, Mistress," she said before I echoed the same words. The goddess''s lips curled into a cool smile as she placed the drum back into her flowing robes.


    "I will be with you every step of the way," she said. The wind picked up suddenly and whirled around us in cyclone of dirt and stone. I shielded my eyes with my arms as the grit cut into my skin. The wind settled just as suddenly as it came and we looked around carefully, but the goddess was no longer in sight.


    "Let''s go," Lasaro said and unsheathed his sword.


    Arrows greeted us at the walls of Naomi. Few archers were left on the walls but they were intent on holding on to what little ground they had left. Melinde''s ghostly army ignored the arrows and climbed over the debris of the fallen city gates. A vat of oil dropped onto the spirits and splattered their legs and clothing. A flaming torch soon followed and ignited the oil with a loud swishing noise. The spirits flinched reflexively, but as soon as they realized the flames did them no harm they continued into the city spreading the flames into the buildings around them.


    I grew into my giant form and picked up a piece of splintered timber and used it to knock aside the archers that I could reach. I noticed that with the bone bracelet on my wrist my skin was hardened and reflected away the arrow heads. Despite this Naomi''s defenders continued firing upon us and shouting crude words of insult.


    Slowly I felt the anger of not being the goddess''s chosen champion drift away to be replaced with pity for the men I was fighting. Why did I need to kill these Landwalkers that had no clue who they were defending a demon? If they knew would they fight with us or would they remain our enemies?


    I shrank to my normal height and pointed toward the city center. "It''s this way!" I yelled to Lasaro and Melinde. They nodded and then together we began to run down the ruined streets..