Chapter 60
Chapter
Sixty
Wraith watched King Alaric soar through the cloudy sky.
They’d done it. They’d resurrected the dead dragon king. They’d made a bone dragon.
And it was because of this binding, the blood magic and the contracts they’d all signed. Konrad’s features twisted as he watched his dead father fly.
“Who could possibly stop us now?” The shadow king’s question hung in the air.
Wraith could see no way to stop them. How could they stand against Necros, assisted by the Monks of the Way of the Dove? Their plan seemed foolproof. The monks’ binding blood magic, plus the necromancers’ abilities, seemed unbeatable.
The necromancers would kill and raise dragons, nature mages, lightning and wind sorcerers, and earth elementals. The monks would be able to control all those who’d signed their name, vowing to submit to and obey the monks’ will. The undead army would be unstoppable.
The shadow king and queen stood together, watching King Alaric in flight.
“Our army will be so strong,” said the shadow king. “And it will grow so quickly.” Then he glanced at the grand monk. “And soon the half-brethren will join our undead army too.”
Wraith blinked. The half-brethren who lived on the Island of the Way of the Dove were farmers, fishermen, tailors, tanners, and just everyday people. Why would they be part of Necros’s undead army?
And why would the grand monk allow such a thing to happen? The half-brethren weren’t monks, but they were meant to be under the monks’ protection. Although, right now, none of the grand monk’s actions made any sense to Wraith.
The shadow king grinned. “The grand monk and we have signed a special binding agreement in blood. They have pledged all assistance to us, including providing half-brethren being turned into an army of the undead.”
Then he turned once more to look out the window. A manic gleam glinted in his eyes as if he could picture the undead army, rolling across the kingdoms and spreading far and wide, killing and destroying all those who stood in their way.
The grand monk cleared his throat. “I did say that, didn’t I.”
But there was something off in his voice. Wraith looked at him, and so did the shadow king and queen.
“Unfortunately, I must come clean,” the grand monk smiled. “Whilst it is true that I said the contract pledged our assistance, that is not actually the case.”
“What?” His mother’s voice turned hard.
The grand monk sighed. “It astounds me how many would sign a magically binding contract, using their own blood, without any idea what they signed. It baffles the mind. Really, only a fool would do so.”
On his wedding day, Wraith had hesitated to sign his name because he knew the power that existed in blood. He should have put more thought into it.
Why didn’t I? Why didn’t anyone?
Because the Monks of the Way of the Dove had always seemed so subservient. They’d wanted to help obtain peace. Why would anyone distrust them?
The shadow queen and king gaped. Meanwhile, the grand shield smirked, hand resting on the hilt of her sword. The monks no longer had their heads bowed respectfully. Instead they stared at the necromancers, eyes fierce and defiant. Some smiled.
“But so many of you did sign.” There was a sharpness in the grand monk’s watery grey eyes.
“And it amazed me that you would still sign, Shadow King Lament and Shadow Queen Rue, when you knew that I had already lied to the others about what was in their contracts. Yet you still assumed I would not lie to you.”
The shadow king drew his sword. “You snivelling little worm. You traitorous maggot. You don’t deserve to lick the blood from my boots. And you dare betray me?” He stalked forward. “I’ll show you!”
To Wraith’s shock, not the grand shield nor the warrior doves ran forward to protect their leader. They merely watched.
A step away from the grand monk, the shadow king lifted his blade. He cried out. His sword clattered to the stone. He shook and trembled. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground, limbs flailing.
But Wraith could see no reason why he did this. There was no obvious source of his suffering.
“Lament!” the shadow queen screamed and knelt by his side.
Spit foamed around the shadow king’s mouth. Tears of blood dripped down his cheeks. He choked.
“It’s exactly what happened with my stepmother,” Konrad said.
“What?” Wraith turned to him.
Konrad’s gaze remained fixed on the shadow king’s convulsing form. “She tried to tell us who she had been working with. This is what happened to her. This is how she died.”
“So the monks were behind her death too?” Wraith asked.
“They must have been,” Konrad said, voice hollow. “They’ve been behind all this. All the plots. Right from the start. It was them all along.”
Wraith’s mother gripped her husband’s arms. “No!”
Vex and Harrow stood over their father and mother.
“Stop this!” Vex screamed.
“That is what happens when you break the contract you signed,” the grand monk said, voice calm as the shadow king writhed. “You vowed not to harm us. He signed his name in blood. Your husband just broke his vow and will now suffer the consequence. In this case, death.”
“Stop this!” Vex shouted. “Or I will kill you, you dirty little sneak.” She reached for her dagger at her waist.
“You can try,” the grand monk said coolly. “But I should remind you that you have signed contracts as well.”
The grand shield laughed. “In fact, that was why we signed contracts with so many of you necromancers and dread knights. We said it was us binding ourselves to serving you, but it was actually so none of you could harm us.” She sneered as she looked them over.
All deference she’d previously shown gone.
But Vex and Harrow weren’t even listening. They’d pulled their daggers. Each of them cut their hands. Blood dripped. They re-sheathed their daggers and clapped their hands together. Eyes closed, they began to chant.
About a hundred, a third, of the skeletons and rotting corpses began to shuffle as Vex and Harrow took control of them. Strong necromancers could effectively compel about twenty-five reanimated on their own. But when necromancers worked together, it allowed them to double that.
Wraith glanced at the necromancers who’d stood in a line at the front of the crypt. They would have had control of the reanimated but must have released that to Vex and Harrow.
Vex and Harrow continued chanting, pouring their wills into the reanimated. Suddenly, the skeletons and corpses turned towards the monks. They took a step forward.
Some of the monks took a step back. The warrior monks drew their swords.
Suddenly Vex choked. Her chanting cut off. She gripped at her throat.
Then Harrow coughed, a hacking sound that went on and on until he was coughing up blood. It splattered across the stone floor. Vex and Harrow collapsed to the ground. Blood dripped from their eyes. Spit foamed around their lips. The reanimated stopped moving, then collapsed onto the ground.
“Stop this!” the shadow queen demanded, clutching her husband as she watched her children in pain. “Stop this now!”
“I am so sorry, Your Majesty,” the grand monk said.
“It is too late. This is out of our hands even if we wished to stop it. They broke their contract. They tried to harm us. Meant to kill us even. The magic is doing its work and will not stop until it has reached its conclusion. All three will die. I’m sorry to say it will be extremely painful. ”
With a jerk, the shadow king went limp in his wife’s arms. A few moments later, Vex and Harrow stopped moving.
“No!” his mother screamed.
Wraith wondered if he should feel bad for her.
But as he watched his mother howling over the loss of her husband and children, all Wraith felt was empty.
A second ago his family had believed the age of the necromancers was here.
They thought they’d rule the world with their unstoppable, undead army.
How quickly everything fell apart.
“Now let us progress. And just to be clear, if anyone else tries to harm us, you too will face the same fate.” The grand monk looked over the necromancers and then Wraith and Konrad.
“You will suffer death, a painful and horrible death. Now I want all of you over there on your knees.” He pointed to the wall to the left of the crypt.
No one moved. Everyone held completely still, gaze fixed on the grand monk’s face.
Suddenly pain tore through Wraith, ripping apart his nerves. He rocked forward, eyes shut, as his mouth fell open on a silent scream.
“You signed a contract stating that you would obey our will.” The grand monk’s voice only just reached Wraith through the pain.
“Luckily for you, breaking this vow only results in pain. At first anyway,” the grand monk said. “But death will follow, if you do not hurry up and do as you’re told.”
Konrad stumbled to his feet. He tugged at Wraith. “Come on.” They staggered to the wall and fell to their knees. The pain immediately subsided. Wraith leaned against Konrad, breathing heavily.
Gods of the beyond. They’d have to obey the monks. There was no way out. And all the others who’d signed these blood contracts would be bound too.
Wraith closed his eyes as he tried to think over all who’d signed. All the leaders had when they arrived at the monastery. All those who had been married for the peace treaty. The Draconian guards had signed too.
Wraith exhaled. So many at this monastery had signed.
He opened his eyes and stared at the dread knights who knelt beside the wall. Apparently, they’d signed also. Although, disobedience could not kill the dread knights, since they were already dead. But perhaps disobedience would destroy them.
The shadow queen, dread knights, and all the other necromancers came over to the wall with Wraith and Konrad, but they kept their distance.
“See. Doing as we tell you is far easier.” Then the grand monk walked to the window. “Return, King Alaric.”
The bone dragon immediately flew towards them. He landed on the ledge and stepped forward. A warrior monk closed the window. King Alaric did not speak. No doubt because he was completely under the grand monk’s control.
Unlike them, it seemed King Alaric had no choice but to completely obey the grand monk. That made sense, since the necromancers had created the bone dragon, binding his will. And that had only been possible because of the contract King Alaric had signed.
“The undead army, including the bone dragon, belongs to us now.” The grand monk looked at the shadow queen and then to Konrad.
“All you rulers thought yourselves so clever. So superior. You never even considered that we, the Monks of the Way of the Dove, might have our own plan for the future of the kingdoms.”
“What plan?” Konrad asked, voice hoarse.