A Lady By Day

    Lady Angeline fixed her eyes on the jeweled goblet in her hand with an empty stare. It was still full to the brim with the wine that was given to her by her servant. She sat alone at the head of her father's massive dining room table, which had been masterfully carved out of a rare mahogany and was quite the centerpiece for this room.

    She was dressed comfortably, but always in the latest fashion, her dark blue and black gown sparkled softly in the light of the setting sun, but with no guests and her parents gone, its design and low cut top seemed pointless with no one else there to notice it. Still, the last rays of the sun felt wonderful on her fair skin.

    She could tell right away that she was losing control. She knew that she no longer had the taste for wine, or the well prepared meal in front of her that had gone cold half an hour ago. Her real insatiable cravings, that were slowly consuming her every thought, simply would not go away, and could not be ignored.

    "Sevastien." She called out into the empty room.

    Within moments her servant entered the room and stood politely off to the side and fully at attention. He spoke softly, "Yes my lady?"

    She set the goblet down on the table in front of her. "A change of plans for tonight my dear. I think I will be going out." She smiled to herself eagerly at the thought. Sevastien had been her servant for many years. He knew what this meant.

    "Understood. Shall I arrange a coach for transportation?" Sevastien asked as she stood from her chair to face him.

    His calm demeanor was why he was her favorite. They had been living together for a long time. She knew she could trust him with anything. Though dressed meticulously in his servant attire, he had an unruly head of hair, graying slightly now after all these years, but never losing its brown sheen. He stood patiently waiting for her response as she looked him over. She could tell by his inability to look upon her that there was that gleam in her soft blue eyes again. That insatiable hunger. He shifted uncomfortably. She noticed, blinked several times as if to regain focus, then looked away.

    "No, thank you my dear." She finally replied, twisting a long and beautiful black lock of her hair around a slender finger. She could feel her growing excitement. She looked back at him over her shoulder playfully. "I think I'll walk."

    Lady Angeline lived in her father's enormous estate. Lord Raynold Solvari was his name. The Solvari family owned the second largest property in all the city, almost entirely because they were responsible for the largest exportation of uncut diamonds in the entire region. Though the Solvari's were known for their secrets and seclusion, with many members of their family leaving the estate as rarely as once a month, it was no secret that they loved all manners of art. The hallways throughout the entire estate were filled with elaborate paintings and priceless works of art. Statues of relatives and great historic heroes, paintings of great landscapes, and marvelous figurines cluttered the walls each competing for its own place within the estate.

    As she wove her way through the seemingly endless hallways and corridors, glancing here and there at some of her favorite pieces of art, Sevastien kept pace with her, quietly giving orders to other servants on how to tidy up the estate for the evening. She reached the great entrance hall. Her mother spent a great deal of money on this room's design. A twin set of marble staircases led down to the main floor in the shape of a large oval. In the center hung an enormous chandelier made of glass but with diamonds embedded into the outside of the frame. If one were to look upon it from afar, it would resemble a massive pear diamond in all of its sparkling splendor. It was a shame that her parents were away on business for the rest of the month. She loved going out with them when they were around.

    "I am afraid that I might not be back until morning." She reminded Sevastien as she began her decent down the marble stairs. "Should that be the case, have my bedchamber prepared, I might just sleep in 'til noon." she said chuckling to herself.

    "Of course my lady. Everything will be in order upon your return." Sevastien said reassuringly with a polite bow. Though Lady Angeline was far too wrapped up in her own mind to look his way.

    She stopped to admire her family's favorite painting while she grabbed her warm coat and headed for the front entrance. Doing this had grown to become one of her family's fondest customs. It was an immense painting beautifully framed and displayed for all to see as they exited through the estate's front door. The painting was of a man in his late fifties, her great-great grandfather, Antonious Solvari, standing in a dense redwood forest full of great hills and caverns in the dead of night. A forest that still surrounded their city to this day, with ancient trees some of which have been standing for thousands of years. In the picture, Antonious was surrounded by a pack of ferocious grey and black wolves. Wolves had all but fled these lands now. They had been disappearing steadily for as long as anyone could remember. People just assumed it was because of the constant expansions of a city being established so close to their old dens. However, back in her great-great grandfather's time, they roamed these lands in great packs. There seemed to be dozens of them illustrated in the painting in great detail before her. All of them snarling in the faint moonlight and closing in for the sure kill. However, the man depicted in the painting was far from afraid, in fact it would appear that it was quite the opposite. Antonious was not even looking at the wolves at all. Instead his eyes followed any person who chose to look upon him, no matter where they chose to view the painting, and he stared at those who gazed upon him with a knowing grin.

    She knew just where she was headed. Her hunger only increased as she made the long walk along the well paved cobblestone path. The guards at the front entrance to her estate greeted her with a simple "Madam," and a knowing nod as they opened the gates, flintlock rifles close at their sides.

    It seemed that the city was growing bigger every day. There was never a dull moment and people came pouring in from all around the countryside. Though she lived well on its outskirts, she often ventured in during nights likes these when she needed to get away. As she traversed the city streets, full of busy citizens and with city watchmen posted on every other block, she took in the changes in the atmosphere. She could taste the sweat of men headed home from a long day's work. Smell the prepared suppers of those waiting anxiously for their loved ones to arrive home safely. She was barely able to control herself. Her pupils dilated as the hunger began to take over and dominate her better judgement. Only through sheer willpower was she able to continue on, mentally calming her less civil sensibilities. Making her way to the more high-end establishments, she finally arrived at the place she desired. An older but very well-known and frequented tavern, The Black Dog. She walked inside with excitement clearly written across her face.

     She absolutely loved this tavern! It seemed the most intriguing people from every corner of the city gathered here to enjoy their evenings with good company. The tavern was dimly lit with ample seating for dining as well as a seated bar for ordering drinks. There were people playing cards and gambling away their hard earned fortunes and others keeping mostly to themselves. There was a large hearth in the back right corner and above it, mounted on a sturdy wooden pedestal, was an exquisite carving of a wild black dog. It was said that the tavern's original owner Mira was attacked by a monstrous bear while traveling on the roads to this very city, alone and nearly helpless, she considered fleeing her carriage and abandoning her goods until a black dog came barreling out of the forest to her rescue and barked viciously at the bear, staring it down with its wild brown eyes until the bear retreated. Afterwards the dog followed the carriage until she reached the city, guarding her from all that would do her harm and then disappeared back into the forest, never to be seen again. It was stories like that, so full of mystery and danger, that drew Angeline here instead of to other establishments.

   "Well look who decided to stumble on in! I thought I'd be long retired before you ever showed up here again Lady Angeline! Welcome, do grace us with your stunning presence." Dale the current tavern keeper said with a booming voice and a warm smile.

    All eyes turned on her and many stayed to admire her alluring beauty. She left her coat by the door and walked over to the bar as if she knew everyone was still watching.

    "Oh hush now Dale, I was only gone a few weeks! You still have many years left in you before you will have to retire!" She replied playfully, grinning with every syllable.

    "Retire from work or from this good green Earth?" He asked, and they both shared a laugh. "How is your dear mother doing?" He asked. He was an older man now, a big rotund fellow with a head full of gray hair and grayer whiskers coating his face.

    "Esmeralda is doing very well, I will be sure to tell her that you asked after her when she gets back." She glanced around and could tell that most of the other patrons went back to their business, a few eavesdroppers still listened in, but they talked openly anyway.

     "So what can I do ya for tonight my lady?" Dale asked casually, attempting to be formal with her again.

     "Oh...I am not quite sure what I am looking for just yet. How about you get me started with some of that mead I can't get enough of while I try and decide." She replied with a wink.

    "Of course my lady you just take as much time as you need, I'll set you up with some of my famous 'honey water'." He said, raising his eyebrows enthusiastically.

    As he left to fetch her drink she turned to watch some of the other patrons. She loved to watch people. She found it highly amusing to see how much she could learn about someone without ever speaking to them. As she sat there patiently, taking her mead in hand from Dale, she overheard several of the other patrons but none seemed to catch her interest. As her eyes explored the dimly lit tavern, she happened upon a reclusive man whom she just could not take her gaze off of. She watched him with great interest for a long time undisturbed. No one would here in this middle class tavern would dare approach a lady uninvited.

    He was well dressed. He sat by himself at a small table for two in a corner by one of the tavern's windows. He had a drink with him but he had not touched it in a while. When he was not peering out of the window, he was scribbling words down in a small journal he kept on his person. Most intriguing of all was that everyone else in here was dressed like a well off merchant or businessman, he was not. In fact everything about him was somehow...unusual. It was thrilling to Angeline, she had to know more. Was this the one she would pick tonight? She ground her teeth slowly at the thought, gripping her mug of mead until her knuckles turned white. The anticipation was almost too much to bare.

    He had short cropped brown hair with some facial scruff. The man had probably been working all day she thought from the length of his prickly beard. He seemed like he could have been a soldier or an off duty city guard. He was well built, but not stocky. He wore a brown leather jacket with a warm furry collar, probably to help shield against the chilled night air. He was well dressed and well kept, but unlike damn near everyone else in here, he was not trying to flaunt it. There was nothing lavish about him. He simply kept to himself. She could not wait any longer. She had to meet him. She turned to the tavern keeper.

    "Dale, I think I know what I will have tonight." She informed him standing from the bar. He gave a nod and a smile as he scratched at his beard and turned to take orders from other customers.

    Angeline walked coolly over to the man. He did not seem to notice her until she was nearly right beside him. He looked up with a curious expression, eyebrows furrowed as he was caught off guard. Yet he was careful that his eyes met her own and did not linger elsewhere. Oh, she knew she would like him already.

***

    "Are you waiting for someone?" Lady Angeline asked, motioning to the window.

    He followed her hand motion and took a little too long before he responded. No, I'm...I'm sorry I came here alone. Have I taken your usual table or something?" He asked hesitantly, taking a sip of his drink to avert his gaze.

"Not at all, I simply grew tired of the droll chatter at the bar and was looking for...better company." she flashed a disarming smile.

He coughed having almost choked on his drink. She took advantage of the moment and sat down without bothering to ask permission. Her dark dress gleaming in the soft light of the candle resting in the center of their quaint little table.

"I know this is forward of me. My name is Lady Angeline Sovari, my father owns the large estate not far from this place. I venture in here every so often, this is quite possibly my favorite establishment in the entire city!" He could tell that she was excited.

    "I have heard of you before my lady, I am most honored to have you share a table with me this evening, I am Vincent Cardwell, I was born and raised on the east side of the city, where the old watermills used to be, down by the docks." He explained.

"Ah, yes I have heard of it but have never been! The waterfront I believe they call it!"

"That's right my lady." He replied as he tucked away his book sitting closed on the table. It was clear that he would not be using it again for a while.

"And what is it you were doing just now if I may ask? What is it you were writing in there?" She pointed, reaching across the table seemingly unabashedly at the chest pocket where he had put away the book. He reflexively followed her hand motions again. He got a strong whiff of her faint perfume as she reached across the table. It took him a few heartbeats to regain focus. He blinked it off and recovered very well however.

"It's a...uh...journal I keep for my work."

"May I?" She turned her outstretched hand over so it was palm up and smiled innocently.

"Listen, I'm terribly sorry my lady, but my work requires that I don't ever lose this, or share its contents with anyone." He said almost reluctantly. He got another hint of her perfume in the air when she turned her wrist. Her perfume was intoxicating. It pulled at something almost primal inside of him.

"My apologies then, may I instead ask what it is that you do? She asked seeming rather unimpressed.

"I'm a...mercenary of sorts."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"Well...people hire me to do jobs for them. If I do them to their satisfaction I get paid a handsome fee for my efforts."

"What kind of jobs do mercenaries typically get hired for?" She asked cocking her head slightly to the side with intrigue.

"Oh, all sorts of things. The more dangerous the job, the more they pay you for it." He replied. He rested his elbow comfortably on his side of the table.

"Dangerous you say?" Her soft blue eyes seemed to glimmer in the light and he was already having a hard enough time not staring at her. She was beyond gorgeous. "So you must be quite brave to willingly take on jobs like those."

Was it just his imagination or was she toying with him? "Or foolish." He replied with a chuckle. He sipped more of his drink.

"And why were you staring out the window so intently earlier?"

He stared out the window again and seemed deep in thought. "The moon is particularly clear tonight, there doesn't seem to be a cloud in sight. I was just thinking that it's not every night that you get to enjoy such a brilliant full moon." He finally replied while pointing.

"I know exactly what you mean." She said softly. Her elbow now resting on her side of the table as she leaned in to gaze up at the pale moon high in the sky. Vincent tried to look at her but was lost in a great mountain of her cleavage, her body bathed in the moons pale light, he almost had to slap himself to regain focus and pull his eyes up to her face.

"Would you...go for a walk with me Vincent?" He noticed she was staring at him. "The moonlight is so perfect tonight, we could walk among the redwoods and not even need a lamp." She was still staring at him. No, she was focusing her gaze very intently upon his lips as she started biting the corner of her own full bottom lip. Was it that easy? Did he just say 'yes' and they got up and left together?

"Sure," He heard himself answer. "I could go for a walk."

They got up and left together soon after. The chill of the night air was quite welcoming to him from the heat of the previous moments.

"Have you ever seen the south side on nights like these? The view from the forest is absolutely breath taking!" She was getting excited again.

"After you then my lady. I have no doubt I'll get us lost if I take the lead."

She chuckled at him and led the way through the winding streets as they made their way southward. They made idle small talk nearly the entire way. He was a very good conversationalist when he was not distracted by her incredible beauty and could focus on the paths ahead. They talked about the city life and about her occasional pursuits for interesting people. She asked all about him and where he grew up as well. He replied that he did not think he was all that interesting. But clearly she thought that was not the case, for she had picked him out of everyone in the tavern tonight.

Her pace quickened as they approached the southernmost entrance to the great redwood forest.

"It's been too long since I have been able to walk among these trees. Oh, I have surely missed them." She remarked as she wandered her way through the forest and he followed along behind her. She would slow down and admire a particularly tall or misshapen tree here and there as they walked, glancing back around to smile at him as they traveled deeper and deeper into the dense forest.

"My great-great grandfather was one of the first to explore these forests." She continued. "There are hundreds of hills and caverns everywhere. It was not far from here that I am told he found his first diamond. Deep inside one of these caves."

She looked ethereal in the pale moonlight. Its soft glow dancing off her smooth skin and sparkling with every twist and turn of her dress. Every curve of her body. "You know," She began as she slowed to a stop near a small clearing in the forest. "You are the first stranger I have meet in almost thirteen years who knows what I am." She said coyly. She was smiling at him, a short distance away. The light filtered through the trees behind her casting her face in an eerie shadow, but her eyes seemed to glow faintly through the dark.

He dropped his relaxed composure instantly. "How long have you known?" He asked evenly. He took a step to the side, setting his feet wider apart. A fighter's stance.

"From the beginning of course." She chuckled playfully and tilted her head to the side to keep strands of her long hair from covering her gorgeous blue eyes. "I could read what you were scribbling down in your little book." She smiled. A gorgeous smile, seductive and yet sweetly innocent at the same time.

His heart seemed to miss a beat. She could see what he had written down? She must have been thirty paces away when he was writing in that tavern, and he had been writing by candle light!

"Not all of it of course, though...let's see. 'Over seventeen missing persons that I have been led to believe had last frequented The Black Dog tavern.', 'fifteenth day of no real suspects or meaningful leads, will have to investigate from inside the establishment.', 'Tavern keeper is still the prime suspect.'" She recited the notes he had written for himself perfectly. She saw the expression of disbelief he gave her and clapped in applause for him. "I admire you Vincent. You were very close to being right. And all of that in just a few short weeks? You must be quite the...mercenary."

This time when she smiled, it was all teeth. Gleaming white elongating teeth, her smile stretched grotesquely wide and her whole body seemed to shudder as she let out a soft groan. Her teeth were getting longer, growing into sharp fangs as her jaws cracked and extended to allow room for their new fangs. Vincent took a step back, the horrible truth that he sought after was finally being realized. Trying to keep his composure, he looked down and reached into his jacket to produce the slender matchlock pistol he kept with him at all times. When he looked back up, she was gone.

He had only taken his eyes off of her for a second. He looked around trying to take in his surroundings and pin point where she could have gone. In the dead of night the pale moon was the only source of light as it flooded through the tall redwood trees. He needed proof. Proof of their existence to bring to his employers. If he could kill her while she was in this state, it would be enough to start a city-wide investigation. This was the hunt he was waiting for. Though he was certain, for the moment at least, he was not the one doing the hunting.

A voice sounded then, as he cautiously stepped between the trees in his search. It sounded like Angeline's, though it was almost hypnotic and far less human.

"Can you feel it? Can you taste it Vincent? The hunger." The voice seemed to start in one direction and end elsewhere. Could she really be moving that fast? "My great-great grandfather found the mining caves all those years ago. And with them...within their depths...he found so much more. Have you ever wondered why there are so few wolves left here now? They would gather in great numbers and attacking us on sight. They can sense it. The gifts that we possess. It drives them mad with fear."

He stood still, waiting for the faintest sound of her movements. He lifted his jacket collar to block against the chill night air. His pistol was lit. He was ready.

     "So whatever this is, it runs in your bloodline. The entire Sovari family is cursed! That's the reason for so much seclusion. You're all monsters of the dark." He spat. Tired of her games. He heard a twig snap off in the distance and turned to face the sound. He was ready!

 "Monsters of the dark..." She echoed. Chuckling once more. "Allow me to step into the light." What he saw then, would haunt him until the end of his days. A creature stepped out before him, one hundred paces from where he stood. A tattered and ruined blue and black dress around her. Lanky pale arms with long black, dog like hairs extended into long fingers with sharp menacing claws. A slightly hunched back revealed an impressively strong chest and neck. Angeline's face was inhuman. An extended jaw revealed wicked canines and extremely sharp fangs. Her eyes glowed a soft blue, and she sniffed the air as if she could smell him quite easily from that distance. Her pupils were almost fully dilated and she shuddered visibly with an insatiable hunger. A low rumble came from her lips. Turning into a steady, menacing growl.

     "I...need to taste your flesh." She mumbled almost unable to speak anymore.

 Vincent could hardly think, could hardly breathe. Monsters were not supposed to be real! He raised his gun to her. At this range he might miss. He would only get one shot before it was too late. She saw him raise the gun, and charged at him. With unnerving speed. She was laughing, joyous laughter, it sounded freeing.

 She closed the distance between them with great loping strides. Sixty yards. Thirty yards. Vincent fired his weapon, hitting her square in the chest. The creature shrieked in pain and crashed to the ground before him and, after a moment of writhing in pain, lay quite still. Vincent let out a visible sigh of relief. He almost laughed to himself. He tucked away his pistol after disposing of the spent igniter and approached the beast, drawing a long dagger he kept tucked against his leg.

 "I am sorry, Lady Angeline, but unfortunately my employers need proof or else this whole nightmare will have just been a waste." He knelt down before her, examining the still creature. He poked her with his long dagger, just to be safe. "It's finally over." He said with another sigh of relief. He stepped over her and moved to roll her onto her back when he felt something grab onto his leg, and experienced intense pain as something squeezed and his bone snapped. He screamed in shock as he collapsed to the ground beside her body, he looked down to see one of her clawed hands locked around his once sturdy leg. She lifted her face up then, cold glowing blue eyes staring into his warm brown ones. Her gaping maw dripping with an insatiable hunger as she pulled him in close by his broken leg. He screamed in agony as he tried helplessly to flail and kick his shattered limb loose. 

 "Please no! Don't!" He cried out in vain, his struggling only made her grip tighten. "Angeline, stop this! Please!" He trembled with sheer terror as she dragged him in. "People will know that I'm missing!" He doubted she could speak even if she wanted to, so clearly lost in her desires as she was. He tried frantically to stab her with the long dagger in his hand and after several attempts it sunk into her shoulder and she howled in pain. Faster than he could possibly react she reached across with her other clawed hand and grabbed him firmly by the wrist. Yanking hard, she pulled him so that they were almost face to face. For a single moment in time, all was still under the pale moonlight. He looked at her, and she look at him. The chill night air rushed by, and just the sounds of his heavy breathing disturbed the silence of the night. Then she ripped him to pieces.

***

    It was late the next afternoon when she awakened in her bed. Tired, naked and filthy. Vincent's tattered journal rested unopened on her nightstand. She had definitely been out all night. As she started to sit up she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, she looked to discover it had been bandaged along with a smaller bandage just above her breast. They would heal in a few days' time. She headed to the latrine, where she was pleasantly surprised by a hot bath awaiting her. Sevastien always had good timing. It was one of the many reasons why she liked him so much. She washed up, carefully cleaning the dirt and filth off her smooth pale skin, dressed herself in a comfortable white dress of the latest fashion, and made her way to the dining hall. There, Sevastien was patiently waiting for her with a welcome smile and a polite bow.

"Good afternoon, Lady Angeline! It is a pleasant surprise to see you up so early!"

She laughed at his playfulness. "Would you believe it?" She asked him with a gorgeous and beaming smile only matched by her natural beauty. "I'm absolutely famished!"

The Necromancer

He walked with a purpose once more.
    There was a certain pleasure here. Walking among the dead. Standing upon the earth that sheltered the remnants of the people of the past. Marius walked with a determined stride, he had a goal, part of a much larger plan that would once again tip the balance into his favor. He ran his pale slender fingers over a tall tombstone as he passed it by, not even bothering to take a glance at the name of it's owner, which had undoubtedly been chiseled in many years ago. His dark gray and black robes dragged lightly behind him as he headed towards his prize. This cemetery was much more than it seemed. Few people knew of the unforgivable arts of the desecration of the human body as well as he did. But it would seem that here, in this most unusual of cemeteries, the people that constructed it had been forced to do something most unrighteous.
    Hidden deep in the back corner of the large cemetery of the city called Ruek was a well guarded secret, a mass burial ground. Marius had learned of it in his studies over a year ago and had immediately started an expedition upon obtaining further research to back this claim. Hiring henchmen for the job had been easy enough. The promise of simply attained wealth drew many. Even if Marius had no intention of keeping his word. But they need not know that just yet. Now that he was so very close.
    He could feel the masses of empty life vessels all around him, waiting to be filled again with insatiable desires. His pace slowed as he took a glance at the tome he kept with him at all times. A tome bound with blackened leather and inscribed with the unholy symbol of the necromancer. It had been printed in an archaic text thought long forgotten. A language Marius had spent two decades mastering. The language of the Dead. He had memorized most of this book of course, he had read and studied it hundreds of times.
    Though he was not yet old and frail, this book could stall that from happening altogether. His naturally black hair had it's first signs of gray. His lightly trimmed beard as well. His pace began to quicken as he wound his way through the large city cemetery. He found the page he was looking for. With this spell he would have no trouble dealing with the henchmen after they had served his purpose. He quickly reread the spell, making sure that every syllable would be perfectly enunciated and shut the book, hiding it among his robes once more.
    He could see it. The entrance to the burial grounds was mere paces away. His corrupt heart beat in his chest. He had never felt more alive, being here among the dead. The entrance was cleverly disguised as a small royal crypt for the lesser nobility. It read: 'Here lies Edwyn Carver, the last of the House Carver. May their souls and royal line rest in eternal peace.'
    Marius chuckled to himself as he approached the entrance. His henchmen busily attempting to break down the door for him as he had ordered.
    "Not far now," Marius said. His voice tingling with anticipation. "What you all seek is hidden within this crypt. Work faster. The sun is setting."
It always worked best to be short and plain with simple men. Confusion due to complex dialogue could only create turmoil and mistrust. And that would make him have to kill them before their task was completed.
    "Just through this door yeah?" One of the men asked him as he pointed towards it. Marius nodded, not even caring to waste his breath forming words for this man. The henchman pushed the other two he was working with aside as they finished loosening the rusted hinges on the side. The man sucked in a mighty breath and kicked hard at the door where the locking mechanism should be. He kicked at it again and the door groaned in protest. It was working. Two more kicks and the door broke free and was even blasted off of one rusty hinge. A cloud of dust poured out from the mouth of the crypt as the four of them stepped inside. They had broken through.
Now for the tricky part.
    The crypt appeared to be a normal crypt used for deceased people of nobility. There were dusty ceremonial candles laid all around the small room. The casket lay in the center of the room up on a large pedestal.
    "Bring me more light." Marius commanded.
The two henchmen that had been working on the door left the room to fetch oil lamps from the wagon they had used to travel here. Marius could have brightened the room with wytchfire, but the men thinking he was just a wealthy merchant with a head for exploration, and not a manipulator of the dead, was more than likely the only reason they had agreed to accompany him thus far. They were all armed with basic weaponry. The man that had chosen to stay with him was called Sten. At least he thought that was his name. He carried a hand axe, which he had used earlier and failed with miserably when he had attempted to chop his way into this room. All three of these men were balding and brawny. Members of some sort of club he assumed. They were the ruffian type, all brawn and little to no brain. Perfect, as far as Marius was concerned.
    "It's in here then?" Sten asked him again. Full of questions this one. He began to shamble around the room and fumble with some of the candles and vases lining the walls.
    "Yes, we're looking for a hidden passage somewhere in this room. My guess would be that it would likely be somewhere along the floor..." Marius informed him impatiently as Sten continued to peek under vases and sniff candles along the walls.
Thankfully, the other two henchmen came back shortly after each armed with two glowing lamps. Were they twins? Or did they both just look the same on purpose? One had an earring in his left ear while the other had an earring in his right. That was about it for trying to tell them apart.
    "Hand me that." Marius said as he reached out for one of the lamps. The left eared one handed him a lamp. "Now look along the floors here, look for a false slab of stone or something of that nature you understand?" They both nodded simultaneously and began searching in opposite directions. Sten finally caught on to what he was supposed to be doing, and the only reason he was being kept alive, and began to examine the floor as well.
    Marius, however, moved to the casket. It was made out of metal of all things. Royalty deserved to rot in metal instead of wood apparently. Marius studied it and noticed two hinges on one side. So he walked around to the other and gently lifted up the casket.
    If it did not reek of the dead before, it certainly did now. There was definitely something long dead in it. But because this person or creature was left in a metal casket, in a place that reached very high temperatures during the summer. Most of it had been melted over the past sixty years that it had been kept in here.
    Sten and the others were noticeably gagging from the smell. So Marius quickly closed the casket and covered his nose and mouth with cloth. His henchmen followed his example after many complaints and kept on the search.
    "There ain't nothin' in here!" Sten whined. "All these stones is the same! Every one. I been around and around this cramped little room five times now and I tells yah, they're all the same!"
He was unfortunately right. Marius had to think. Every stone slab on the floor was damn near identical. They were all placed together perfectly, pressed and sealed down. None were loose, none wobbled. There was nothing.
    "Calm down mighty Sten. I swear to you that it is in here. We are missing something. Give me some time to think." Marius pleaded as he began pacing around the cramped little room.
They were running out of options. The room was far too plain to hold any secret levers or mechanisms. Just dust and cobwebs and candles. Oh and lets not forget the vases that Sten thoroughly examined for damn near half an hour. What was he missing? He was so very close! Marius balled a tight fist in frustration.
    "Oy! I think I've found somethin' here!" The right eared one proclaimed a few minutes later.
Marius jumped with elation and quickly moved over to see what he had found.
    The brawny idiot was staring straight up at the ceiling. He was just staring off into space. Useless, incompetent, worthless henchmen. "Well...What did you find?" Marius asked anyway.
    "Well I was just givin' myself a moment to rest and think things through a little," He began with lots of needless enthusiasm and hand motions as if he was recounting a favored childhood memory. "An' I just happened to lean back to stretch out my back like this," He stood tall and leaned back exaggerating the motion.
    "And...?" Marius asked, his impatience reaching its limit. "Get on with it!" he yelled. But he stopped almost mid sentence and began to flash a smile of pure delight.
   "You've done it! You're a genius! Good work my friend!" Marius praised as he followed the mans gaze upward. Once again, every slab of stone used here was about as identical as you could get them to be. Every slab but one. Just to the right of the casket, up on the low ceiling was a slab of stone that stood out from the rest. This slab had a small marking in it's center. It was the symbol of forgiveness. A shield with a glorious stag carved into it. It was small, but painstakingly carved into this stone. An attempt for them to be forgiven for what they had done here, he assumed. It was directly above the entrance to the burial grounds.
    "Get this stone out of the ground." Marius commanded, as he pointed to the stone directly beneath the symbol, his resolve restored.
The men smiled broadly and eagerly got to work.
They brought out their hammers and Sten's axe and began their work chipping away at the slab, loosening it from it's sealed position in the ground. Marius peered between them on occasion, eager to get inside and begin his dark work. The men worked hard, he could give them that much credit. Easily worth the small incentive fee to get them to come along. Marius knew they had reached his target when he began to smell another foul smell coming up from the loosened floor. This one was much more persistent.
    The henchmen groaned with displeasure. "What is it? That's a horrid smell that is!" Sten remarked. The others clearly agreed.
    "You are in a cemetery, do not be so alarmed when you smell the dead." Marius was quick to reply.
They kept groaning as nearly any man would, but they kept to their job and were finally able to lift out the broken pieces of stone to uncover a moldy wooden trap door.
    "Step aside if you would." Marius commanded as he bent low to inspect the trap door. The others backed away giving him some space and glad to be getting out of the more intense stench coming up from the trap door. He pulled on the latch but it would not budge. Someone had gone to great length to keep this place sealed.
    "Sten," Marius barked. Gaining the big man's attention. "Break it down." He commanded and pointed to one of the hammers they had left on the floor. The man walked up and picked up the hammer as Marius stepped behind his henchmen. He rolled up his sleeves and began casting as the other two men stepped forward to watch Sten in his labor.
     Marius chanted softly so that the others would not be alarmed, as he began, his naturally green eyes began to swirl and darken with black and gray mist until his cornea were filled and his pupils could no longer be seen. "Ak-tra-nyu May-setta-va-na, Et-rhu-toh Sha-kavalia-nhu, Li-esto-provacadya-wa-oom-falasha." He timed the end of his chant perfectly with the final crash of Sten's hammer. The men looked back to him then, having heard him muttering something under his breath.
    "What did yah say now?" One of them asked as their eyes fell upon him.
 They were unnerved. After peering down and seeing the horrors of Death itself lurking below. Horrors that had been carefully hidden and forgotten for over half a century. If that was not enough to frighten them, then seeing the man that led them here with two black orbs for eyes was surely enough to do so.
    The air chilled, the temperature dropping rapidly around the three of them. Marius could see Sten's breath coming from his lips. The lights from the oil lamps began to flicker and wane as the cold intensified. At least this man had the mind to try and attack Marius. The man charged forward, hammer held high. Or tried to. He moved with great difficulty, every muscle in his body slowing. No, not slowing. Decaying. He was aging rapidly. His life running the course of decades in well under a minute. He managed to take two steps forward before he hit the ground, drained and lifeless. He died with the setting of the sun just outside.
    His two companions were experiencing the second spell he had cast. For Marius had realized halfway through casting his spell on Sten that he would not have enough time to complete it two more times for the rest of them. He had cast a deep freeze spell right on top of where they had been working. They could not even move right now if they had wanted to. Their skin and lips turned blue as they literally froze to death before him. Marius smiled and thanked them for their services. "That, my worthwhile companions, was the language of the Dead. May you have the privilege of serving me in Death as well." He said as he descended down the stairs hidden beneath the trap door.    
The burial ground was dank and reeked of rotten flesh. This is where they had left them. The people of the fair port city of Ruek. Though few were still alive who could remember such events. A great battle took place not far from here a little over sixty years ago. Though he knew Ruek to be the clear winner, the losers were unknown, and they had paid a unimaginable price for their defeat. Whether the lords of Ruek decided that they did not deserve proper burials or that it would be too costly, they were placed, unceremoniously, here. In this massive cavern dug beneath the ground. Afterwards they had a cemetery built on top to ward off investigation and as a reasonable cover for the smell and had bribed off all of those involved. Hiding the dead with the dead. Smart of them. Leaving the bodies where they had been killed in battle would have been sacrilegious after all. Marius smiled at the irony.
    He walked among almost three thousand corpses. All piled on top of each other, like carpets in a shop or loaves of bread cooling in their shelves. This was where he would make his army. It was perfect. A necromancer's dream. The amount of bodies alone was enough. That most were not striped of their armor and weapons before dying made this place priceless. Marius could not help but shiver with anticipation. He could feel Death's presence all around him, in a way that he had never felt in all his life. He would change the world.
    He began immediately. The magical ring on his left hand begging to be put to use. He began chanting again as he took the ring off his hand and traced it along one of the musty walls. The ring left a faintly glowing purple trail where ever it went. He drew a large circle with runes and symbols carved all around it. Ancient texts of the dead.
    All the while he chanted, practiced words of the dead that he knew all too well. Soon the lines began to glow brighter as he finished speaking in the unnatural tongue. "Come forth, spirits and souls of the fallen. Serve me and be made anew in undeath." He took a step back and waited. He knew they would come. It was eerily quiet for several moments as the glowing portal flickered with unnatural energy. Suddenly, the air picked up all around him, churning and whirling inside the large dark burial ground. The souls began pouring through the open portal in great numbers.
    The Undead had come, and they filled their new hosts eagerly. And began to rise. They knew only one purpose, to serve their summoner until Death claimed them once more. In this undeath, they felt jealously and pain and suffering. They yearned to kill those of the living, for if they could not truly live again, then they would take the lives of those that did.
    Marius chanted, straining with the massive amount of magical energy required to maintain the portal, and to summon so many souls into this world. His muscles tightened and his hair waved wildly in the wind as the souls swirled around him fighting among themselves for the best hosts to carry them. His hair began to gray and thin and lengthen. The spells taking his very life-force as recompense for his need of so many souls. His beard grayed and lengthened until it reached his chest and his head hair drooped down past his shoulders. Finally the magic stopped, the last vessel was filled. The drawings on the wall dimmed and faded with the rest of the light. His army stood all around him.
    He had aged. But it was unnatural aging. His body felt the same even though it was at least twenty years older. He hardly cared. There were dozens of ways for a necromancer to preserve his youth. He left the burial chamber, and then the crypt, and stepped into the moonlight.
    He could hear shuffling and shambling all around him, and beneath him came the sounds of banging and loud thumps. Even the dead up here were summoned. They attempted to break free of their coffins and up through the shallow earth above them. They would join him as well. And he controlled them all. Through his thoughts and through his spells. They began to flow steadily out of the crypt they had been left to rot in all those years ago.
    Marius beamed with unnatural energies. He cackled with glee as he saw his three henchmen approaching him as well as another of them that he had killed in secret after he had sent the man to kill the owners of the cemetery. He would prepare here throughout the night. He knew he would have enough time. He had already thought out much of the battles to come. Zombies and skeletal corpses roamed all around him, doing his mental bidding. Forming into ranks, into command groups, into battle lines. Soon, after Ruek lied in ruin, he would have bows and arrows, machines of war, even cavalry. Horses were far easier to summon than humans after all. Marius looked out over the small hill that hid his unnatural business from the watchmen of Ruek, no one would disturb him tonight. They were all tucked safely behind their walls. He looked back to his army, at Sten and his henchmen that would slay his horses that he left with the wagon by his orders so that he could make them anew. He still could hardly tell the four men apart. He walked over to them as they began slaughtering his horses. He pulled up his hood and slid down the long sleeves of his dark gray and black robe and climbed up into the front of his wagon. His disheveled gray hair poured from the hood's mouth.
    "The people of Ruek, will die with the coming dawn." He said to himself.
But his legions of undead drew their weapons anyway and raised them high into the sky. Completely agreeing with his claim.

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