The Hungering Flame (4 page)

Max barked a bitter laugh.
“
I would be a lean creditor to rely on the repayment of an Astorran debt!
”
he said.

Cabre flinched at the necromancer’s rebuke.
“
My apologies, sir,
”
Cabre said,
“
Have I given offence?
”

“
You don’t remember me at all, do you?
”
Max said. Pulling the helm from his head, he brushed back his dark hair with his gauntleted hand. He looked sleepless and unshaven, and the fierce gleam in his eye frightened Garrett.

“
I’m sorry, sir,
”
the prince began,
“
I... Young Lord Zara!
”

“
You do remember,
”
Max
said with a sneer,
“
I suppose you
were
paying attention at school after all.
”

Prince Cabre slipped off of his horse and stood with his hands raised imploringly.
“
Forgive me. I thought you...
”

“
Dead
?
”
Max
scoffed,
“
yes, your father very nearly saw to that.
”

“
My father never...
”

“
My family
begged
for his aid!
”
Max
shouted.

Cabre said nothing, his arms at his sides.

Max
looked away, running a hand over his face. He looked tired and older than he had when Garrett last saw him. He donned his helmet once more and snapped his visor shut.
“
More will be coming,
”
he said,
“
Let us waste no more time here.
”

Max
rode away, commanding his zombies to gather the bodies of the dead soldiers. The undead complied with silent efficiency.

Cabre watched him go in silence. A
fter a moment, he looked around and
then rode his horse through the shallow water, dismounting on the other side. He found one of the Chadiri horses, wild-eyed with fear of the undead, its reins tangled in the branches of a small tree. He calmed it long enough to strip the horse of its saddle and blanket before freeing it to flee toward the main road.

“
I’ll have to work on it a bit,
”
he said, slinging it over Inglefras’s broad back and finding it woefully undersized. He knelt and cinched the harness as best he could, Inglefras nickering in discomfort.
“
Sorry, boy,
”
Cabre said,
“
I promise it’s only for a little while.
”

Garrett’s wolf made the jump across the shallow pond, once the zombies had cleared it of Chadiri dead, and rode forward to catch up to
Max
’s horse. Warren followed him.

“
Max,
”
Garrett said,
“
are you all right?
”

Max
turned from commanding a zombie to face Garrett, his skull visor still down.
“
It’s good to see you again, Garrett,
”
he said, then lifted his visor, his face pensive.
“
I suppose I should ask why you’re here... though I admit I am grateful to see a friendly face.
”

“
The priestesses grabbed all of our houses and stuff, after someone said the army was killed by the Chadiri!
”
Garrett said.

“
Are you all right?
”
Max
said,
“
Did they hurt you?
”

“
No,
”
Garrett said,
“
I mean a little... not much. Warren helped me get out, and Marla too.
”

Max smiled.
“
You have good friends, Garrett,
”
he said,
“
That’s a treasure any king would envy.
”

“
Is everyone else all right?
”
Garrett asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

“
What about my dad?
”
Warren added.

Max
chuckled,
“
We’re fine... well, most of us. Your dad and the other ghouls kept their heads down and survived, relatively unscathed. Smarter than the rest of us... We lost all of our Templars and the skeleton horde in the first battle. Damned fools wasted the finest army I’ve ever seen... no matter. I’m working on an even better army now, though I guess I can give up on waiting for those resupplies from the Sisterhood.
”

“
Is Cenick here?
”
Garrett asked.

“
Back at camp with Sera,
”
Max said.

“
Miss Serepheni is all right?
”

“
Oh, yes,
”
Max
laughed,
“
Sera’s a bit scratched, but feisty as ever. I think her pride suffered the greatest defeat in that debacle they called a battle. Jitlowe and a few of the others are with us as well. We lost a couple of the younger crowd to the redjacks and a few more necromancers decided to pursue other career paths after we g
ot
clear of the Chadiri. I kept their zombies, of course. No place for cowards in my army.
”

“
Are we winning?
”
Garrett asked.

Max
’s black armor creaked as he shrugged his pauldrons.
“
Our odds definitely improved with your arrival,
”
he said with a grin,
“
I can use a couple of fine officers at my side.
”

Garrett and Warren grinned.

Max
cast a glance around at his zombies, laden with the bodies of their fallen foes. From somewhere, not far away, a Chadiri horn sounded in the woods.

“
Time to go,
”
Max
said.

The Gloaran army made camp in the ruins of a white stone temple in the heart of the swamp.
Max
led them there on a twisting path, half-submerged in the muddy water, yet the necromancer rode with an almost bored confidence as though it were only the road to market. By the time they reached the temple at the end of the day,
Max
’s harvest had grown somewhat over-ripe.

“
Better get them inside,
”
Max said, wrinkling his nose at the smell,
“
This climate is jealous of our dead and demands its due. Only haste will cheat it.
”
His horse made for a dark opening in the side of the central, dome-like structure.

“
Elvish ruins,
”
Marla said, her voice tired and her cloak pulled tightly around her body. Like the others, she had not slept, and the dim light of day that sifted down through the thick leaves sapped her resolve even further.

“
Indeed!
”
Max
answered,
“
Lovely, in their way, though sadly overgrown with jungle. Happily overgrown, I should say, for those of us that prefer not to be seen from the air.
”

Prince Cabre opened his mouth to speak, but
Max
rode away, unheeding. Cabre fell to silence, exhaustion plain upon his face.

Garrett paused, searching for something to say, but the dull throb of a headache permitted no eloquent words to form.
“
Let’s go get some rest,
”
he said.

“
Ugh, yeah,
”
Warren groaned, his wolf padding toward the ruins on sore paws, its head hung low.

A chill passed through Garrett’s body as his wolf stepped into the shadow of the temple. The air inside hung thick with the scent of death and still as a tomb. Ghausse’s paws splashed in the thin mud that covered the floor, and the echoes played across the curved ceiling of the entranceway.

Garrett followed
Max
’s horse into the vast chamber beyond. The eerie green glow of a score of witchfire torches lit the domed roof. A smaller
roundhouse
stood at its center,
like the yolk of an egg within the outer shell. This smaller dome was
surrounded
on all sides
by
wagons and
baggage
stacked high against its curving walls
. All around, zombies sluggishly attended the menial tasks of an army camp, stacking gear and moving supplies. Others stood by in orderly ranks, awaiting a necromancer’s command to give them purpose. One of the undead shambled past, carrying a metal canister in its hands.
The green glow of magical essence shone through the little glass window in the canister's side.

“
You there,
”
Max
called out, sliding down from his horse to confront the zombie,
“
where are you going with that?
”

The zombie’s milky eyes, sunken into the sockets of his withered face, stared incomprehensively. It let out a low moan and lifted the canister toward the far end of the dome.

“
No!
”
Max
said,
“
All essence expenditures go through me for approval. Take that back to the depot at once.
”

The zombie turned and headed back the way it had come.

“
I don’t suppose you brought any supplies with you?
”
Max
chuckled as he led them all toward the central dome.

“
Just a little food,
”
Garrett said,
“
I used the last of my essence on the Chadiri.
”

“
Oh? H
ow’s that?
”

“
I used wild magic to get us through the last fight,
”
Garrett said, grinning.

Max
laughed.
“
Well done, Garrett, well done! I want to hear all about it as soon...
”

Max
released his horse’s bridle and ran f
orward suddenly at the sight of
Serepheni
, the priestess of Mauravant,
who had just emerged from the small building at the center. Apart from the white linen sling that held her left arm to her chest, she looked
just as beautiful
as the last time Garrett had seen her. The tiredness in her eyes disappeared the moment she sighted
Max
, and her long hair streamed like a fiery banner behind her as she ran to him.

Max
caught her in his arms, and she kissed him.
“
I was worried,
”
she gasped, catching her breath at last.

“
No need, dear,
”
Max
laughed,
“
I just went out for my morning hunt. As it turns out, the woods were rather crowded today.
”

Serepheni’s green eyes went wide, and she clapped her free hand to her lips at the sight of Garrett and the others.
“
The supplies!
”
she said,
“
They’ve made it through!
”

Max
winced.
“
Not... exactly, dear.
”

The priestess looked back at him.
“
What’s wrong, Max?
”

Max
opened his mouth, but seemed not quite ready to explain the sisterhood’s treachery to her. He looked almost relieved to be interrupted by a gruff shout from behind.

“
Max! What did you do with my flask?
”

Garrett turned to see the tattooed face of Cenick, the Neshite necromancer. Cenick’s angry expression turned to joy at the sight of the new arrivals.

“
Garrett! Warren!
”
he cried, sprinting toward them, his tattered purple robes fluttering.
“
What are you two doing here? Lady Veranu,
”
he added with a nod to Marla.