Evil Sorcerer System 9 (Patreon)

My peaceful days ended sooner than I was ready for.

I went to the usual spot in the graveyard to meet with Master Theragrim and his apprentices the next time the teaching quest came up. But when I arrived, they were already gone.

Where they had once been were now thousands of empty graves. Master Theragrim must have understood the spell well enough after our last lessons to take over teaching his students. From there, they'd likely put the skeletons they raised to work as laborers, digging up more corpses to build an undead army.

I sighed and realized my easy points were gone. I'd have a lot more hunting trips with Aia ahead of me before I could afford anything special. But maybe some time to reach the second chapter of my grimoire was just what I needed.

I turned back and headed home early. Perhaps tutoring Jandon some more would count for the quest. I would give it a try, but I doubted it would work unless I started teaching Jandon magic. Maybe there was some skill tangential to magic that I could teach him without running the risk of getting him in trouble?

I was still thinking things over when I saw the villagers of the hamlet where Aia, Jandon, and I lived, all bustling with activity. That was rare. Normally everyone would be out in the fields at this time of day. What was everyone doing in the center of the little village clearing?

I was a common enough face in the hamlet these days that I could walk up as something close to a local. I wasn't really one of them yet, but throwing around a bunch of money and hiring half the hamlet to help build our house had gone a long way toward introducing me to everyone.

"What's going on over here?" I asked curiously.

"It's the news. Lamford has been attacked by an undead horde!" shouted a near-hysterical woman.

"Truly? Did anyone see it?" I asked.

The woman nodded vigorously. "My husband and I were going to town to sell some vegetables. We barely made it out with our lives! I saw the horde with my own eyes. They were walking skeletons, marching straight for the city! The town guard shut the gates right in our faces. I fear anyone who got caught outside the walls has already joined their ranks..."

I was doubtful of that, as one of the requirements for the basic Skeletal Soldier spell was that the corpse had to belong to someone who could, by some stretch, be called a soldier in life. It wouldn't work on random villagers unless you ran them through drills for at least a few days before killing them. And I certainly hoped that wasn't something Master Theragrim had resorted to.

"I see. Has anyone seen Aia and Jandon? I need to find the two of them."

The woman bit her lip. "Jandon is at your home. But Aia... Aia said you would be at Lamford and she was going to talk sense into you, whatever that was supposed to mean."

I cursed. Apparently I'd somehow been too subtle about my activities, or not subtle enough. Aia thought I was far more involved in Master Theragrim's scheme than I actually was. I would need to go save her.

"How long ago did Aia leave?"

"As soon as she heard the news. She's probably most of the way to the city by now. Wait, where are you going? You can't go that way. Didn't you hear what I said about the undead horde?!"

I waved goodbye to the woman and the other villagers.

Before leaving, I checked in with Jandon.

"Jandon, there's been an incident in the city. I'm sure you've heard?" I said when I saw him in the house, curled up with a book.

He slammed the book shut the moment I entered, a guilty expression on his face. I wasn't sure why the kid looked so sheepish. Being caught studying was the last thing he should be embarrassed about.

"Yes, Mister Alden. Mom said she was going to look for you at Lamford and to stay in the house."

I was about to leave, but hesitated. There was something in the house far too dangerous to leave lying around if the place was going to be crawling with Knights of the Order of the Golden Sword.

I went to the bedroom I shared with Aia and flipped over the pillow to grab my Grimoire of Soul Refinement. It wasn't there.

That was when I understood why Jandon had looked so guilty when I walked in unexpectedly.

"Jandon, where's that book I'm always reading?" I asked.

"Sorry... I was just curious why you're always reading this book. Normally when you go out, you're gone until midnight..." Jandon wouldn't meet my eyes.

I pulled the forbidden black book from where he'd tucked it behind his back and flipped through what he'd been reading.

"This is dangerous knowledge. You can read any of the books I've given you, but this one can get you killed. Pretend you never read any of it." I looked down at the book. Originally I'd planned to leave it in the woods, but I was less certain of that now. Maybe another kid from the hamlet would stumble across it and get curious like Jandon? There was nowhere I could hide it that a curious village kid wouldn't eventually find.

So I did the only thing I could and tossed the book into the fire. Flames licked the cover and the pages within. Losing a thousand points wasn't so painful now, and I'd promised myself not to make mistakes like I had the first time I'd nearly been caught by the Order of the Golden Sword. There would be no loose ends this time.

"Stay in the house. I'm going to get your mother." I shut the door behind me and quickly made my way down the road toward Lamford.

***

I was hoping I would find Aia somewhere on the road, but years as a skilled huntress had made her fleet of foot. She was fast enough to chase down wild game in the forest. On the open road, she made even better time.

I passed numerous groups of fleeing civilians, a few of whom mentioned a running woman matching Aia's description. By the time I was nearly at Lamford, I knew she had made it all the way to the walls.

I circled the entire town, hoping to spot her. I had no luck, but the circuit gave me a good sense of what was going on.

Lamford was under siege by an undead army. At least five hundred Skeletal Soldiers stood in front of the main gates, with smaller contingents off to each side. While the undead horde wasn't as endless as the terrified villagers claimed, it would be more than enough to overwhelm the Archcleric and the local guard, who couldn't have had more than fifty men in total.

Lamford might stand a chance if they drafted every able-bodied man in town, but I doubted they had the weapons for that. And drilling the townsfolk into a militia would just be handing Master Theragrim more Skeletal Soldiers down the line, though I doubted they understood that.

As I watched, the town guard and the Skeletal Soldiers exchanged occasional fire. A few arrows and sling stones came from the walls. The Skeletal Soldiers struggled to return fire, as they lacked the coordination to aim most ranged weapons. But Master Theragrim and his apprentices had no such limitation, and occasionally a guard was struck by a magical projectile that resembled my Dark Bolt spell.

The reason for the holdup was clear. The bulk of the Skeletal Soldiers were fashioning ladders and a battering ram. They would be finished in a few hours, and when that time came, the true battle for Lamford would begin.

I wasn't exactly happy with this turn of events, but I'd known this was coming ever since I agreed to help Master Theragrim. I just hadn't wanted it this soon. And not with Aia in the mix.

After circling the city and taking in the coming battle, I realized there was only one place Aia could be. With a grimace, I walked toward Master Theragrim's camp.

The Skeletal Soldiers were unobservant at the best of times. Under the cover of invisibility, I didn't even need to quiet my footsteps as I walked right through their perimeter.

I scanned the area and soon came across a group of tied-up villagers being guarded by skeletons and one of Master Theragrim's familiar students.

"Please, I know Alden is here somewhere. Just let me talk to him." Aia's voice came from the far side of the tent.

Next to her was Master Theragrim himself.

"Explain again what Master Alden Reed has been up to these past few weeks." Master Theragrim stroked his beard as he questioned Aia.

"I told you. He and I have been... close, lately. Now where is he?" Aia demanded.

"Apprentice Isolda?" Master Theragrim asked, ignoring Aia's pleas.

"Her body appears to be in perfect health. She doesn't seem to be an experimental subject, as far as I can tell." Isolda shrugged.

"How strange. And here I feared Master Alden was going to sweep in with a more powerful undead army and steal our glory. Perhaps we hadn't needed to hurry so much after all. Keep her in a tent away from the other prisoners. We will return Master Alden's lost property to him after we have conquered Lamford." Master Theragrim waved his hand, and two skeletons grabbed Aia under the arms and dragged her away.

I followed under cover of invisibility. One awkward conversation would be annoying enough. I saw no reason to have two.

While invisible, I slipped into the tent holding Aia. She was sitting on a small cot, looking nervously up at a pair of skeletons guarding the entrance to keep her from leaving. Other than that, she appeared unrestrained.

I slipped past the skeleton guards and dropped my invisibility. The simple-minded undead didn't even turn around when I started speaking, as that hadn't been part of their orders.

"Aia, why did you come here?" I asked with my arms crossed.

Aia yelped in fright, but I pressed a hand over her lips before she could make a sound.

"Not so loud. The Skeletal Soldiers might lack ears, but Master Theragrim and his apprentices don't. Nod if you understand."

Aia slowly nodded, and I released her. She spoke a moment later. "Aren't these members of your sorcerer cabal? They're the ones you keep going out to meet at night."

I grimaced. "You weren't supposed to know about that. I thought I'd hidden my tracks well enough."

Aia smirked, despite the situation. "I've been a huntress long enough to follow a trail. Even when the one leaving it is invisible."

I sighed. "Damn it. I suppose I should have come clean to you by now. I was just waiting for the right time. But thanks to my delays, we wound up in this mess."

I gave Aia a pointed look. "You're right about some things, wrong about others. I had my reasons for helping Master Theragrim, but I'm not partnered with him or anything. He has his reasons for trying to take over Lamford, and I was well compensated for teaching him a spell. That's as far as our relationship goes."

"That's where the money for the house came from..." Aia's face blanched. "He's going to invade a town with an undead army! It'll be a slaughter. We know people in that town, Alden."

"Knowing some magic doesn't make you evil, Aia. Only how you use it. Master Theragrim wants to take over this territory and name himself lord of it. It's no different from what noble lords do all the time. The Order of the Golden Sword has done similar things in the name of fighting sorcerers."

Aia hesitated. "It's... it's dangerous. There's an army coming this way."

"I've heard. And I have no plans on participating in what's to come. We're a day behind my plan to get out of here because I had to come and fetch you. Let's head back, get Jandon, and camp out in the woods for a few months until this all blows over." I held out my hand.

Aia looked at it hesitantly.

"You're really not a sorcerer?" Aia asked.

I chuckled, then knelt in front of Aia. "Well, the Order of the Golden Sword seems to think so. But I have no plans on raising an undead army. I'd rather live a quiet life with you. What do you say, Aia? You and me growing old together in a quiet cabin. Together forever."

Her nervous expression melted away.

"Oh, Alden. I accept." She pulled me into an embrace, then a kiss.

Our moment didn't last anywhere near as long as I would have liked. To avoid being interrupted, I turned both of us invisible, then cast Minor Teleport. Both spells were far harder to cast than usual, but together they carried us clear of the camp, and soon we were walking down the road arm in arm.

"We'll have to camp on the road. It's getting late to travel." Aia bit her lip. "Do you think Jandon found something to eat?"

I pulled Aia close. Something felt different, holding her now. By some customs, the promise we'd just made would be enough for me to call her my wife.

"He's a smart kid. I'm sure he's fine, Aia." I looked far ahead and even switched on Nightvision to scan the evening shadows for a camping spot. Instead I saw torchlight in the distance. Quite a bit of torchlight.

"Do you see that light ahead of us?" Aia asked, confirming it wasn't a trick of my Nightvision spell.

"I see it. And the men on horseback carrying it. We should get off the road or we'll be run over." I pulled Aia to the side as the horses thundered toward us. As they got closer, I could see the gleaming chainmail many of them wore. And even those without armor bore the sigil of the Order of the Golden Sword.

I didn't dare use invisibility with so many of them around, so I held my breath and made sure I had no spells still running. When six of them peeled off from the front to talk to us, I worried I'd missed something.

"Are you two from Lamford?" asked one knight. His armor was plate mail, finer than any of the others were wearing.

"We're from one of the surrounding hamlets. We're hunters who sell dried meat and skins in Lamford, but this time we had to abandon our goods thanks to the undead invasion," I quickly supplied.

Aia blinked, then nodded. "Yes, that's it exactly. Thank the goddess you're here! There's a horde of undead outside the town. They're going to invade any moment!"

"Any moment, you say? Wait here. We'll need testimony from both of you. But it'll have to wait until after we smash these undead. Men, evil does not wait for dawn, and neither do we! Onward, and crush the enemy!" The knight on horseback before us raised his torch and sword high overhead.

A loud battle cry rang through the hundred knights and squires. They shifted from the loose line they'd been traveling in into several tight formations. Then, as one, they charged toward the walls of Lamford and the undead horde besieging it.

Once they were out of earshot, Aia looked at me worriedly.

"There's going to be a battle back there."

I nodded. "I know. And I have no plans on sticking around for whatever testimony that knight wants. Let's get out of here."

The two of us ran off into the night.

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