Heather the Necromancer

Book 3: Chapter 9: A strange room

Rays of sunlight came through a massive hole in the ceiling and wall that danced in the drifting dust. Heather shielded her eyes and looked out through the opening at the clouds drifting above. The stone looked shattered, as if some great force blasted the roof away, scattering the debris around the room.

The rest of the room was full of twisted metal objects and ruined books. There were shelves on one wall that long ago collapsed with age, dumping the moldy tomes to the floor. In other places, work tables, now rotted and bowed, rested along the walls. Scattered across them were shiny objects and items of metal lying among other trash.

In the center of the room was a raised stone platform. It was perfectly round and filled the bulk of the room. There were narrow metal lines laid into the surface, forming an eight-pointed star. It reminded Heather of the room below, but there was one important difference. The surface was polished flat except where etchings were carefully made on the surface. As Heather studied the etchings, she realized it was a map. Part of it was damaged by a line gouged across its surface and from falling bricks, but enough of it remained to fascinate.

What is this supposed to be? Heather said as she ran her hand across it.

I was hoping you could tell me, Breanne said.

Heather studied it for a few moments and noticed that many of the points of the star had names carved beside them. There were even inscriptions, and she brushed some gravel away to read one. Thankfully, it was written in English and still legible.

The south point, Ellewars domain? she read out loud before looking to Breanne completely lost. I don't know what any of it means either, but it must be important.

She turned to look at the twisted metal wreckage that lay about the room. Much of it was as confusing as the stone table, but some of it was obvious. One was a large bronze telescope. It was bent and broken but still identifiable. Another was a flat round disk with metal rings that rotated around it. She looked over the disc and let out a gasp to see it, too, was engraved with a map.

What have you found? Breanne asked.

This is another map, Heather said as she traced the outline of a continent on the smaller disk.

Like the map on the table?

Heather shook her head. No, the disc shows a small area, the one on the table shows a much larger space. She looked between the disc and the table as she pondered a thought. Maybe this is a map of the world.

A world that has no boundaries, Breanne said. Yet, they had a map of it.

How could it have no boundaries? Heather asked with a raised brow.

I suppose it must have boundaries, but nobody has ever claimed to have found them, Breanne said. As far as the people of this world know, it goes on forever.

Heather looked at the disk in her hands and shrugged. It was another mystery she had no understanding of, or way to solve. She moved on to the shattered tables and picked at the items buried in the rotting wood. There were several clear crystals, and a compass looking thing. One she recognized as a sextant, and another as a pair of calipers. There was a brass plate with strange lines and numbers on it, and a dark round glass ball the size of a grapefruit.

Most of these are navigational tools, Heather said. This was some kind of charting room. She turned to look through more of the twisted metal but was unable to piece together what its purpose was. She turned around several times looking for a doorway out but saw only smooth stone walls broken only by the hole blasted in one side. Some of the stones had a shaped border, indicating that it must have had a window.

She looked around and tried to piece it together. The hole in the roof and the lower wall must have once been a window. The telescope would have sat on a wooden platform for elevation to see the night sky. She could see bits of planks sticking out of the rubble to support her theory.

Considering the wreckage of narrow metal bands, she postulated it must have formed a framework that stood over the stone table. She couldn't understand why but guessed it served some purpose in measuring the stars?

None of that explained the one mystery that eluded her, no matter how she tried to solve it.

How did he get into this room? Heather asked.

He must have a magical means of entering, Breanne said. This damage was likely done by whoever attacked the tower. They must have blasted a hole in the wall to get in and destroyed whatever this was, Breanne said as she indicated the twisted metal.

Heather walked around the stone platform at the center and looked at the various bits of twisted metal. Most of it was less than an inch wide and only a few centimeters thick. It formed a series of curved bands that interlocked in places. She noted there were sockets on the side of the platform and carefully slotted a small piece of the twisted metal into one. It fit perfectly, proving her earlier theory.

Whatever this was, it formed something over the table, Heather suggested. But I have no idea why. She spent several minutes more going over the metal bands to find places where the metal was rent in two. It was evident that parts of it, the parts that would explain what it was, were missing.

We should go back to the others, Breanne suggested. They will begin to worry.

Heather nodded and went to the debris of the tables and gathered up the tools, crystals, and the metal disk with the map. She quickly searched for anything else of use, but most of the contents were books and papers that had long ago rotted. When she was ready, Breanne put her hands on Heather's shoulders, and the same odd sensation of passing through water swept over her. When the world came back into focus, she was standing before a very nervous looking Frank.

What was up there? he asked.

Some kind of map room, Heather said. But almost everything is ruined. Somebody blasted a hole in the roof and destroyed a strange metal framework that hung over a table.

Who would put a metal frame over a table? Quinny asked.

This was more than a table. Its a stone circle as large as the pattern on the floor below. It's made of polished marble and etched with what we think is a map of the world. There are narrow metal bands laid over it, forming an eight-pointed star.

Its another magic circle? Frank asked.

No, Heather replied with as she looked down at the disk in her hands. That ones not encased in lines with symbols. The only words are the names of locations written in English.

Then whats it for? Quinny asked.

Heather didnt have a clue, it must have something to do with the room, but she didnt see the connection. She was sure that large parts of what was once in that room were missing, and without them understanding the purpose of it all was next to impossible.

I dont know, but it had to be important, Heather replied.

What is that? Frank asked and pointed to the metal disk in her arms.

Oh, it's a smaller map, she replied and struggled to hold it out.

He took it from her hands and held it flat so he and Quinny could look at it.

It is a map, Quinny said as she ran a finger over it. But there are no roads or cities on it.

It's only a rough map, Frank replied. All it shows are the continent and the major mountain ranges and rivers. It polished to a mirror sheen, though.

What was this used for? Quinny asked. Who needs a map that doesn't show roads?

Frank studied it with narrow eyes and turned it over in his hands. He eventually gave up and went to hand it back, but Heather stepped back.

Give me a sec, she said and went to her bone knight who stood by holding her scythe. The backpack he wore was torn where the monster had bitten him, but it would still hold the junk in her arms. She dumped the objects inside to free her arms and removed some of the dry rations. She hid it in one of the shattered chests, placing loose wood over them to conceal them.

That will have to do, she sighed and turned to get the disk from Frank. With it back in hand, she looked around the room, and its decaying remains.

Shall we go then? I dont see any reason to stay.

A pity we didnt think to bring the key with us, Breanne said as they headed for the stairs down.

I wish I had a cell phone, I would take a picture of it, Heather grumbled.

They crossed the room with the magic circles, and she took one last moment to look at the symbols before sighing and pushing on. They paused to search the lower rooms to find little of interest and returned to the ground floor. Out the great doors they went into the yard where the old skeletons lay.

Hold this a sec, Heather said to Frank as she handed him the map. She walked into the yard and held out her hands, commanding the skeletons to rise and serve.

With a clatter of bones, they reformed once more, and eight of them gathered around her.

I am bringing these home with me.

What for? Quinny asked.

Heather turned and smiled at her. Insurance. If somebody does come for me, I want as many skeletons as I can throw at them.

A wise course of action, Breanne agreed.

Heather formed them into a line and had them follow the group as they made their way out. They spent the next ten minutes in silence as they processed what was learned.

So there was nothing of use in the upper floor, Frank asked once they were clear of the trees.

Just another mystery, Heather replied as she studied the map.

There was plenty of use, Breanne corrected. We only need some time to understand what it is.

Sounds like it was full of junk, Quinny suggested.

Heather wanted to argue, but that was a fairly accurate description. The books and papers were blackened with age and full of mold. The telescope was destroyed and whatever the metal framework was used for was lost to the ages.

She would have liked to have the telescope. The stars in this world were particularly bright and abundant with vibrant colors. The strange blue star with rings was large enough to be a nearby planet. What mysteries might be revealed by looking at stars? Were they even stars, or were they just a fake sky generated by the visitors?

She wondered if a telescope could be bought in one of the towns when Frank stopped and threw his arms out.

Whats wrong? Heather asked as he stood tall on his toes.

We have a problem, he replied as she squinted to look ahead.

Heather followed his gaze and saw the grass moving well ahead. It wasn't coming toward them, but the line of movement spread across the landscape. It was as if a giant snake were working its way through at a brisk pace.

I cant see what it is, Heather said as she put a hand over her brow to block the sun.

I can, Frank replied. Its nillacs.

Those again? Quinny groaned.

Pests, Breanne said. If only you had more skeletons, you could wipe them out.

Heather looked back at her skeletons and wondered if that was true. Even if she had fifty of them, the two nillac herds she had seen numbered in the hundreds.

I doubt my skeletons would do much damage, she replied.

Nonsense, Nillacs are easy to kill; it's their numbers that make them dangerous.

And they blindly chase after you, Quinny said. I was told that if they were after you and you jumped over a cliff, they would all leap to their deaths after you.

They would, Frank added. So long as they can see the prey, they will chase it, or follow the ones in front; they are like lemmings.

Lemmings, Heather said with a smile. And they die easily?

They are as sturdy as rabbits, Breanne said distastefully. With a bit like a wolf.

I have a plan, Heather said excitedly.

A plan for what? Frank asked.

She turned to smile at him with a broad grin. We're going to kill that nillac herd.

The group looked at her with blank faces, and she smiled back.

How? Frank asked.

If they follow blindly, then we lure them into a trap, she said.

Your skeletons won't be enough, he pointed out.

Not my skeletons, Heather said. We lure them into a grave blight spell.

Frank sat on his heels and pondered the concept a moment as he scratched his head.

That spells doesnt do damage fast enough. Whoever lures them in will be eaten alive before the first ones die.

We lure them through several grave blights, Heather said. I will cast the spell, and all you have to do is get their attention and run through it. It won't hurt you because your undead, but it will burn them. As you run, I will keep casting them on you, so they follow you through several of them.

And what will everybody else be doing? he asked.

Heather turned to Breanne as she thought her plan through. Do you have a spell that will hit a group?

I can cause an area to grow spikes of black metal, she said. Its meant to impede a foe and isnt likely to kill anyone, but then nillacs dont have much health.

Perfect, Heather said. You put your spikes down behind Frank, that will slow them and keep them in the cloud longer.

And do more damage, Quinny added.

I suppose it will, Breanne said with a smile of her own. She looked to Heather with an approving nod. Never tell me youre not meant to be a necromancer again.

Heather nodded and looked across the land. We should run them in a straight line. If we twist and turn, they might not run through them all.

What am I going to do? Quinny asked.

You will stand at the end of the line with my skeletons, Heather said. I will only have the strength for three spells at most. If any, make it through the third cloud, you will be the last line of defense.

You're sure you have the strength for three? Frank questioned.

I'm sure, Heather replied. It was the grasping bones spells that were taxing. I had to cast five of them to hold that thing still, and then I healed the bone knight over and over.

Frank nodded and looked to the others. I am willing to try it if you guys want to.

Quinny shrugged. What do we have to lose? If we die, it will save us a lot of walking.

Thanks for the faith in my plan, Heather mocked.

How do you want to do this? Frank asked.

Heather stood on her toes and looked out across the to the river of rippling grass, catching only glimpses of color as the hoard of little beasts passed.

We wait until they are passed, and then you go and get the attention of the tail. Run them back in a straight line to those rocks, Heather said, pointing to the only noticeable landmark, a group or tall rocks about a hundred paces away. Breanne and I will hide on the side and lay our spells down as you run. Quinny and the Skeletons will wait in the rocks. If they get through all the spells, let the skeletons stall them. I will drop one last spell on top of the skeletons, and we run.

The skeletons won't stall them very long, Frank said.

Hopefully, they won't even reach the rocks, Heather replied with a determined stare.

Frank nodded, and they moved into position. Heather ordered the skeletons to follow Quinny and to kill any nillacs that approached the rocks. She kept her bone knight and hid with Breanne in the grass to the side. Frank crept closer just as the end of the long column of nillacs came into sight.

I hope this works, Heather said with a swallow.

If this works, we will all go up three or four levels, Breanne said.

What? Heather replied with a snap of her head. Why so many?

That nillac herd is enormous, Breanne responded. I have never seen one so large. There must be more than a thousand of them.

Heather nodded as she felt decidedly uncomfortable, but before she could think, Frank made his move. He ran out of cover and hurled a stone he collected from the rocks. It landed in the midst of the Nillacs causing them to turn around. Large glossy eyes glared at him before a hiss filled the air. The sound spread down the length of the line that was so long it stretched over the hill and vanished.

Frank turned and ran as the trailing nillacs raced after him, he didnt bother looking over his shoulder and made a straight line for the distant stones.

Heather stood up and fell into her spell. She aimed directly for Frank dropping the cloud around him as he ran. Breanne followed it up with a spell that caused a snapping noise and black smoke to rise from the ground. A moment later, the nillacs entered the combined spells and vanished from sight. Heather didn't wait to see what happened, she fell into another spell and dropped a second cloud, and immediately started on a third. Breanne followed lacing every one with spikes as Frank neared the stones.

Heather felt her strength fading, and her legs became weak. She hated how this magic system worked, but there was no time to reconsider now. She saw nillacs plunge out of the first cloud and into the second one, then a moment later, they raced out of the second cloud. To her relief, the number coming out looked reduced, and some fell and lay still before they even reached the third cloud.

Frank reached the stones and climbed on the tallest one, acting as a free lunch sign for the pursuing monsters. Heather felt her heart racing as the long line continued to mindlessly persue through the clouds of doom.

Its working! Breanne said. They are rushing right through to their deaths!

Heather held her breath, watching the third cloud with hope. There was a moment of terror as nillacs burst out, stumbling and falling as they clambered for the stones. Quinny and the skeletons stood ready, but it was clear that their numbers were significantly reduced. Heather guessed that for every twenty nillacs, only one made it out. Those that did were badly injured and limped along. When the stragglers reached the rocks, Frank, Quinny, and the skeletons pounced.

Heather felt a rush of excitement as the plan began to work perfectly, but then the problem arose. She looked on from the side to see the line of nillacs pouring over the hill. It went on and on in a never-ending torrent, flowing ceaselessly onward.

How long does your grave blight last? Breanne asked as she too noticed the problem.

I dont know, a couple of minutes, Heather replied.

That line is going to take another five minutes to pass, Breanne said with a worried tone. My spells only last a minute, You and I will have to begin recasting them.

I dont know if I can, Heather replied. I already feel weak!

If your spells fade, they will reach the stones in greater numbers. Frank and Quinny will be overwhelmed, Breanne scolded.

Heather nodded and focused even as the lead cloud began to dissipate. Beside her, Breanne was already recasting her spells as Heather fell into hers. A new cloud went up to replace the first, but now the second was fading. She reached inward and drew on the power, replacing the second grave blight as the third began to falter. Her world became a blur, nearly falling to one knee as she finished the second spell. She looked at Breanne as she stumbled but was held up by her bone knight.

Focus! Breanne scolded. You have to cast one more!

Heather nodded and fell into the spell again, unable to think clearly and feeling as if she was sinking in quicksand. She reached out her hands and somehow placed a final grave blight before the darkness closed in around her.

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