The Nekromancer - 28. Chapter 28

His entire body hurt.

"Damn you Anya…" Jakun gasped, his eyes opening to a darkened world.

The phantom didn't respond. Not that he expected her to. She rarely talked when he was angry. He still had to deal with what she'd done to him though.

"Still in pain?" Jeremy asked, startling him.

Jakun nodded, wincing at the motion.

"lasau nurocuirgarh calti…" he groaned, hearing the tiniest meow near his feet.

Rolling over, Jakun let out a grateful sigh as tiny, invisible paws walked over his back, slowly massaging his pain away.

"I made you some scrolls you can enchant," Jeremy added, watching the cat's skin crawl. "What… what are you doing?"

"Trying to stop the pain. It's working. Sort of."

Jakun remained where he lay for nearly thirty minutes, soft grunts escaping him as his summon massaged his back. When he finally sat up, he was still a little sore, but not as stiff as he had been.

"You made scrolls?" he asked with a small frown. "With my book?"

"Um… yeah. We need the vigil spell in the forest, and I don't want to hurt your casting. I know you only have so much energy, and you won't be of much use today anyway, so if you store your spells for later-"

Jakun nodded, understanding.

"I'm not sure how well I'll be able to put my magic in your scrolls, but I can try."

He searched for his book, finding it near Amnor Sen. Frowning slightly, the amurrun picked up the tome, brushing off a bit of dirt from the cover possessively. He returned to his own bag, sitting down to start researching the vigil spell again.

"Jeremy? I can't understand what's written here…"

"It's written in plain Taldane," Jeremy frowned, looking over the cat's shoulder.

"I can't even read Kellish," Jakun sighed. "This is why my workbook is written in Draconic."

"Wait, we're speaking Kellish and you can't write it? And you can't read or speak Taldane..."

"I know how to make scrolls. I can cast spells from them as needed," Jakun said, pulling out his scroll case.

"You're very…very confident today," Jeremy noted.

"Anya told me to keep my chin up. I'm free, right?"

Jakun's finger touched his throat almost nervously.

"Yeah. You're free," Jeremy said. "I like seeing you more confident. Just no more dragons, okay?"

"Oh no, Ivris was an accident. I was just trying to find something that would give me a chance against Loran."

Jakun unrolled a scroll, starting to copy the writing into his book.

"Well… I've heard stories of a place that might help," Jeremy mentioned. "There's supposed to be a test in Absalom, a way to match the power of a god. But it's almost impossible to complete, or even get to. There's a giant ravine that blocks entrance, with no way to get across. But if you can get in… well, the Drunken God passed the test. I don't think it would be too hard."

"I'm not sure I'm the kind of person that could handle a test from a god," Jakun frowned, quill still scratching over a page. "Anya, if you could help me with this transcription…"

The werewolf appeared, staring at the cat with a scowl.

"Are you sure you want the help of someone who pushed you?"

Jakun sighed quietly.

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't want to mess this up."

Anya grunted, before quietly translating the Elven words on the scroll. It took nearly an hour to transcribe, and another five minutes to dry the ink. Pulling out another sheet, the cat immediately began working on the vigil spell, writing as though Loran was at his back.

Around him, Amnor Sen and Jeremy worked on their own projects, the paladin running through stances with his glaive while Jeremy fiddled with a long blade of grass, weaving a ring from it.

"You know, the trees here are probably rare. We might find some sandalwood," Amnor Sen said a few hours later.

Jakun glanced up, looking at the nearby woods.

"That would be great for a memorial box for your mother," Anya nudged the cat.

Amnor Sen looked back at the two, a small smile on his face.

"That is a good idea. If you are interested, I will keep my eye out for the best woods for you to use," the elf said.

"Thank you," Jakun said gratefully. "I do have a crafting spell, if that will help. It helped me when I was learning to write."

"It might," Amnor Sen shrugged. "I prefer to do my crafting mundanely though. It helps me feel closer to Shelyn."

Jakun returned to his writing, finishing his third spell on the scroll with a quiet casting. He saw Amnor Sen stepping up to a dead tree, studying it closely. Soon, the sound of a hatchet hitting wood sounded, Jakun trying to tune it out to finish the final scroll.

By the time the cat had finished, Amnor Sen had an almost pink wooden block in his hands, trying to stuff it into his bag.

"Stop, you're going to break it."

Taking the bag from the paladin, Jakun studied it closely.

"Does anyone have a needle and thread?"

Jeremy shook his head, followed by Amnor Sen.

"Okay…"

Sitting cross legged, Jakun began removing everything from the bag, sorting it carefully. He picked out a strand from the bag, tearing a small hole as he pulled the string out. A murmured spell repaired the hole, and he began using a claw to stitch the string back into the bag, creating a draconic rune that blended in with the bag.

It took a few hours of work, but the cat finally held out the bag, satisfied with his work.

"I had to make one of these once. This should help with the wood," he said, starting to tuck everything back into the bag.

The bag held everything he put in it, including the wood. He handed it back to Amnor Sen, the elf surprised at the lack of weight.

"Thank you. But we can't go anywhere today," he said, looking up at the setting sun.

Jakun's ears flattened, his head drooping instinctively.

"Oh, no, you did an amazing thing here," Amnor Sen added quickly. "Seriously, thank you."

He put an arm around the cat, pulling Jakun into a hug. Jakun stiffened at the touch, putting his hands around the elf's back uncertainly.

"Yeah, this isn't the best stitching I've seen, but you just made a magic item with a single thread. This is amazing," Jeremy beamed.

Jakun's ears twitched, the cat scratching his head awkwardly at the praise. Amnor Sen released him, smiling at Jakun.

"I… I'm… thank you," Jakun said quietly.

"Rest up, we have a long road to… Graydirge? I think it's Graydirge," Amnor Sen said.

"Three hundred miles to Graydirge," Jeremy added. "There was a sign a couple days ago."

"So… maybe two hundred miles now… that's between four to six days of travel."

"Great. Jakun, do you need a horse? We might be able to purchase one in Graydirge."

Jakun shook his head, reaching for his bag. He stuck his book and his scroll case inside, pulling out some rations.

"Okay, well, get some good sleep tonight. We probably won't be sleeping much in the woods."