Adamagika: The Spirit Within - 18. Ch 18: Lord of the Dead

CHAPTER 18: Lord of the Dead

There was no mistaking it. He was a dead man.

His face was sunk deep into his skull. If there were any muscles or fats left on that face, they would have been no more than a washcloth thick. His lips were dark as though they’d been rotting for quite some time. I had a feeling they weren’t even lips anymore. His nose was almost completely gone. All that was left were two vertical slits and I somehow doubted that they were needed to breathe. His ears, if he had any, were hidden behind long white hairs that flowed eerily from the top of his head. On his head was what looked like a blackened crown. His neck was also bone thin as though food hasn’t passed through it in decades.

The only things that looked remotely alive on his face were his eyes. His pupils emanated a menacing green surrounded in a shroud of black. The green in his eyes seemed to flicker as though living flames were encased in them.

He was wearing a massive black armor that covered everything from beneath his neck down to his hands and feet. I somehow doubted that his entire body filled that armor if his body was anything like his face. The plating on his armor was lined with silver strips that circled the different sections of his armor probably where the black pieces were melded together. There were also blade slashes across them as though the armor was a veteran of war and had managed to survive many battles. I wondered privately though how effective it was on protecting its wearer. It certainly didn’t seem like it. On his back was a black flowing cape that looked torn and tattered.

If that wasn’t enough to scare someone to death, he had a horse that matched him perfectly. He was mounted atop a very pale white horse.

At least it had the outline of a horse but it was withered almost completely down to its bone. It had armor on it similar to most other warhorses. Like its rider, the armor had battle scars on it. The horse looked almost flimsy in the thick layers of metal around it but there was an aura of terror about it that simply said start running. I didn’t doubt that it was a sturdy war steed even if a chunk of its torso seemed to be missing.

The man on the horse seemed to be watching us as he moved closer and closer. I noticed that wherever the horse stepped, the grass beneath its feet would wither and die. I told myself that I did not want to be anywhere near that thing’s feet in case it had the same effect on humans.

“Jacob,” I said as I grabbed his arm. He was cold and clammy. There was a haunted look in his eyes. I figured that Jacob was reliving old memories from the village. I needed to snap him out of it.

“Jacob, look at me,” I said as I forced him to look away from the man. He was staring blankly at my face. “Come on, Jacob, snap out of it. We need to go.” I turned around to look at the progress of the newcomer. The rider was casually making his way towards us, more grass dying in the horse’s wake.

“Snap out of it,” I said angrily as I shook him. I slapped his face with my open palm.

“Whaa…” he said.

“Come on!” I yelled as I got to my feet and pulled him up with me. “Jacob seemed to have realized what was happening and when he saw the man on the horse approaching us, he took my arm in his hand and gripped tightly. I was worried he was zoning out again.

“We have to go,” he said with a shaky voice. “He’s one of those mages, one of those things that attacked my home.”

We backed away from the black rider and headed towards the cave entrance. We didn’t get too far though when green flames suddenly burst from the ground and blocked our path. It formed a semi-circle around us enough to prevent running in any direction except towards the rider.

On impulse, I checked the trees if they had moved in any way. They were quite still. I guess that answered my question about starting a fire on the grass.

The man on the horse had finally reached one side of the pond. I could see and hear the water slowly solidify and turn to ice.

I looked back at the flames blocking our path. I tried to control the fires and move them out of the way but they did not even waver before us. I willed the wind to blow them in a different direction but they seemed to be fighting against the wind. Wherever the wind blew from, the flames would face towards it as though struggling against its force.

I heard water splash around us. Jacob must have summoned water from somewhere and I saw the water crash into the flames. The flames grew wildly and the water turned into steam as soon as they came into contact. Jacob and I were forced back as the hot steam ascended around us.

“We have to defend ourselves,” I said finally.

We were taught how to create shields in class so I pretty much knew the theory behind it. However, it was something I never really learned because my magic was too weak before. I mentally scolded myself for not practicing it when I realized that my magic had grown.

I said a few incantations in my head and imagined a wall shimmering in front of us. I was surprised when a pale blue bubble appeared in front of us and around us protecting us on all sides. It gave off a blue glow that lit the whole area. I wasn’t quite sure if it would help us in the slightest bit though.

Jacob had generated two fireballs, one in each hand. He looked over at me and through some unspoken language, we understood each other. If the shield failed, he would throw the fireballs then we run whichever way we could.

The man on the horse stopped a considerable distance away from us but close enough that he could hear me or Jacob if we spoke. He turned his horse sideways as though for us to get a better look at it. I didn’t need to though since I had seen enough of it to recall more details than I’d care to remember.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” the man said in a voice so hollow it seemed to resonate in the air. It almost sounded like two voices speaking at once – one weak and ancient, the other strong and menacing. I felt goose bumps prickle my skin.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” I said. I tried to sound brave but my voice cracked in fear. “This place is protected.”

The man laughed a hollow laugh that echoed in the air, again it sounded like two voices at once.

“Do you think the pathetic wards your school has in place would keep me out?” He asked with a slim smile. Rotten teeth showed between his lips. “Or perhaps you think this Seer of yours is so powerful that she can keep me out of her mountain? Well if you thought either of those, you are very much mistaken.” As he said those last few words, it seemed only one voice spoke while the other laughed into the night.

I felt terror sink deep into my skin. If he’s as powerful as he makes himself out to be, then Jacob and I didn’t have a chance.

“What do you want?” Jacob asked angrily.

The man tiled his head to the side as though he was studying us. “Why, you, Jacob,” he said, “I want you.”

The answer took me by surprise. I heard Jacob whimper beside me and the two balls of fire go out. I looked at him and his eyes were filled with fear and terror again.

“You can’t have him,” I yelled out. Suddenly, I felt the fear drain out of me. I felt angry towards this man, whoever or whatever he was. He could not have Jacob. I stood in front of Jacob keeping him behind me. Jacob didn’t protest.

I looked into the man’s eyes and the green flames in them flickered. I could sense some uncertainty in the man. I thought that odd considering the circumstances.

“You are a very unusual boy, Adam Lowry,” he said. I felt a little uncomfortable knowing that he knew my name. “Your purpose in the grand scheme of things remains a mystery to all the best diviners, living or… otherwise. I am quite curious how things will play out with you.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. I was trying to stall for time. I figured it would not be too long before Magister Aenhol returned. He was, undoubtedly, our only hope.

He laughed that hollow laugh again. “You’ve just visited the Seer. Do not play ignorant with me boy. I know you.” The air suddenly felt colder around us despite the green flickering flames.

“You know nothing about me,” I said.

“Oh, I know you quite well, Adam. You were born from the village, swept away by your teacher, Edward, at the age of nine. You’ve been living among the mages of Arantiva for years but much like your experience in the village, you felt alone. You were an outcast wherever you went. And now,” he paused as he looked over at Jacob, “you seem to have found your first ever friend in Jacob. You share more than friendship though. There is a bond in between you that goes deeper than skin. Your… spirit is tied together. Shall I keep going?” As he asked that question, a menacing smile manifested itself on his face and for the briefest moment his eyes flickered much like the images I saw in the Seer’s chambers.

“Who are you?” I finally managed to ask after I recovered from the surprise I felt.

“Who am I?” he asked in a voice (or rather two voices) that suggested he was enjoying the conversation. “That depends on which of us you are asking.”

For a second, my eyes landed on the horse, wondering if that was who he meant by us. I supposed that wasn’t the case though.

“What do you mean by us? You’re all alone.”

The man laughed his cold laugh. “Oh Adam, I am never alone. But you may call me Lord Raezhul. I am what your kind would call a Lord of the Dead, one of three currently in your world. You should be flattered; it is a rare gift to see a Lord of the Dead while still being alive.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said with scorn.

Jacob finally moved from behind me and stood beside me. He seemed to have recovered some of his strength. I could see the warrior side of him showing itself as the muscles on his body contracted as though preparing to lunge at his opponent. “What do you want from me, Raezhul?”

The pale horse whinnied as though offended that Jacob had used its rider’s name in that tone.

“I am here to help you, Jacob.”

“What help could I possibly want from you?”

“I have the answer to your problems Jacob. War is coming to your world and the only way you, your friends, and your city will survive is if you accept my help.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as a sudden thought occurred to me. “Are you going to attack Arantiva?”

“Would I help you if I was going to attack you?” he asked as though the answer was obvious. “I think not.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” Jacob asked.

“What? You can’t be serious Jacob,” I said to him in disbelief. “He’s undead. He was one of those people that killed your family. You can’t trust him.”

“You can trust me, Jacob,” the man said. “You know it’s the only way. I can give you life where all that waits is death. You can trust me,” he said again but this time in a different voice, a voice that seemed familiar. I noticed that his face was changing. The features looked different and meatier as though another face was trying to break out of the skin. It stretched and grew to match the features of another man I knew.

“Father…” Jacob said in a shaky voice. He started taking a step forward. I stared in shock at the skeletal face that looked unmistakably like Jacob’s father from my vision.

“Yes, come to me, my son” he said and reached out a hand towards Jacob. Immediately the shield I generated around us shimmered and disappeared. I looked into the eyes of the man on the horse. I could see and sense deceit.

“No, Jacob, look at me.” I forced him to face me. His expression looked confused and lost. I placed my hands on his cheeks. “Listen to me. Whatever happened with the Seer, whatever you learned, we can change it. You don’t need help from him. You can’t trust him, you know you can’t. You have a choice. Remember what happened to your village. Remember what happened to your family. He’s not your father. Your father is dead. Remember, Jacob, remember.” I hated saying those words but I knew Jacob needed to hear them.

It seemed I was right because he suddenly started blinking rapidly. The lines on his face tightened and he gave me a small smile. “I have a choice,” he said in a soft whisper loud enough only for me to hear. He turned towards the man. “He’s right. You’re not my father and I don’t believe you.”

The man on the horse laughed in his original two voices and as he did his features returned to the way they were moments earlier – skinny and dead. “Well, I had to try. It would kill me if I didn’t.”

The horse whinnied as though it was laughing.

“Know this though, Jacob. You will change your mind and when you do, you will look for my aid. Call out my name three times and I will come to you wherever you are.” He looked over at me. “Make sure you are alone when that happens.”

“I’ll never need your help,” Jacob said. “Your kind took my family away and if I had any say it in, I’d make sure every last one of you is destroyed.”

The man smiled a knowing smile. “Someday you may have your chance. But that day is not today.” He slowly looked over at the cave entrance. “Aaah. It seems time is running out for us. Remember what I said Jacob. Call my name thrice when you are alone and I shall come to you. The answer you seek lies with me. If you care about your… friend, you will not wait too long.”

At this last pronouncement, there was a sudden gush of wind that seemed to be coming from behind us and the green flames that surrounded us disappeared. A second later a huge orange fireball with a long trail of flames sailed over our heads and headed straight towards the man on the horse. The man on the horse merely waved his hand and the fireball was deflected towards the pond. It exploded with such force that nearly all the water was thrown out of the pond towards the surrounding areas. Unlike the earlier instances we were in the pond though, the water did not magically refill itself.

Some of the water made its way to the trees. Unless I was mistaken, there seemed to be some kind of moaning coming from the bark.

Magister Aenhol was walking slowly towards us. Javier was walking uncertainly behind him. The young man was staring fearfully at the rider on the horse.

“Edward,” the rider said as he looked at my teacher, “how are you, old friend?”

“Much better than you it seems,” Magister Aenhol said calmly as he walked.

“That is a matter of perspective,” the rider said.

“Perhaps,” Magister Aenhol said. “What are you doing here, Victor?”

The man’s nose (or rather what was left of it) flared momentarily before a smile spread on his lips. “I haven’t been Victor in decades, old friend.”

“Old habits die hard,” my teacher said calmly. By now though he was standing between us and the man he called Victor. Jacob, Javier, and I were huddled behind him. “I’m surprised you managed to come in here. I didn’t think the Seer would welcome you.”

The man called Victor smiled a gruesome smile. “Your kind puts too much trust in this Seer of yours.” He then raised an eyebrow or at least what was left of it. “Then again, you have trusted her least among all the other teachers in that school of yours. Do you still believe it brings more harm than good to know the future?”

“If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” my teacher said solemnly.

I suddenly felt the temperature drop. My teacher must have sensed the same thing because there was the unmistakable hum of his shields shimmering around us. I just realized then that his shields unlike mine earlier were perfectly invisible.

“A parting gift for you, old friend,” Victor said, “knowledge for the betterment of your kind. Ride out to the Northern Kingdoms of the humans to the home city of the clan that calls themselves the Derviks. There you shall understand your… enemy.” Victor then raised a gloved hand in front of him and green flames materialized floating over his open palm. “Until we meet again… old friend.” He lowered his hand and the green flames split into tiny balls of fire. None of them headed towards us though. Instead they shot out towards the trees and exploded there.

Sudden wails came from all directions as the trees started moving of their own accord. I distinctly heard Magister Aenhol yell something like “come to me” before I was suddenly thrust down to the ground by some invisible force. I saw the rug we used to sleep on fly into the air and expand outwards as though it was being stretched in all directions. It flew over us and fell like a leaf falling from a tree. It covered the four of us completely.

The last thing I saw before the darkness consumed us was the faint outline of a man on a horse riding away in the distance. Tormented faces were etched in the leaves and barks of the trees he left behind. They were all moaning and screaming in pain as the trees and leaves seemed to move closer to where we were.

The rug that covered us did nothing to block out the sounds. Even with all the tortured cries coming from the forest, I could clearly hear a distinct sound – that unmistakable sound of something that was scraping against the soft fabric, just dying to get in.