Dim Prisons and Drakes, chapter 42. (Patreon)

Here we are. Shock! Horror! Personal growth, and a certain type of enemy in my type of story that you might always see! What can I say, I am a bit predictable. 

Please enjoy:

It was finally time to stop, with the falling of night. Finally, it was also time for these two to stop their constant bickering over the dumbest of crap. Dear gods, they never shut up - it was like two feuding siblings on a trip, only without the car. And worse, Karl just let it happen!

It wasn't like I tried to be the voice of reason either, but I knew what any attempt would get me. The others at least respected Karl. Still, they could give it a rest now that we were looking for a place to stop and set up camp.

Les beat me to it: "How about the both of you just take a break, shut the fuck up, and just look for a good camp?"

Well at least he wasn't yelling. Yet. Still, even having quiet Les pissed at you was scary enough; the man was practically a saint, as far as outlook went.

Matt made a zipping motion over his mouth with a grin, Randolf just grunted. Then there was blessed silence.

Just when the birds started singing again, Phil spoke up, startling them. "Found a spot."

I tried to keep my face composed, but I don't think I managed. If the look Phil was giving me was any indication. The ass hadn't even been here for most of the arguing!

The roads to this point had all shared a singular feature, and that was camping spots or inns at regular points along them. It was a  good system, at least for the middle ages, but sometimes if you passed a spot then you couldn't make it to the next one, especially on foot.

But we were lucky, it seemed; there on the edge of one farmer's field was another spot, complete with a fire pit and wood. There were even logs to sit on, which was weird, since there were only about three trees in sight. None of those showed any signs of logging predation, so who brought the wood here?

I wouldn't be using it unless I had to, since that meant I'd have to replace it. Then again, it should be getting cold tonight, and that was a lot of dried wood....

No, I had the power of magic on my side. A little more expensive energy wise, but it would work. At least, it would work inside my tent, which meant everyone else would be cold.

Or we could just be those people, and use the wood.

Matt knew. "If it gets cold, I'm using it. Not even a question; I won't make a bonfire or anything, but I'll use the stuff."

"Check it for traps or drugs or poison first," Karl replied, keeping his tone matter of fact.

I guess the last town had touched him in places he shouldn't have been touched.

Phil rolled his eyes, but complied and got to work. I did my part, and checked for any foul magic. There wasn't any. No magic of any kind, anywhere near this sight or even in the fields beyond, so far as my range extended.

The small stream that fed into this little area and then went into the fields beyond was clean and clear, and moving along quite merrily. That meant little risk of getting something from it or of parasites.

It tasted wonderful, even filtered through my no doubt slightly dirty hands.

Matt crouched beside me and mimicked my actions; his hands had to be even worse due to the leather and iron he usually wrapped his hands in, even if those gloves were off now. He didn't utter a single word of complaint though, just turned to me and smiled.

"The good stuff. Far better than the stuff in our canteens."

Well, I had a better canteen. But, the chill of it was nice. "Yeah, the fresh stuff is better."

Suddenly I felt homesick. The water from home was better. Probably. Then I realized what I was thinking... I was homesick for a home I'd only experienced a day. Not my actual home, with running water and electricity, but my home with magic lighting and a well.

My real memories were still there, still sharp and vivid, but they were right next to memories of the details from a place I'd not had time to fully explore. Was there more there than what I had seen during my short stay? I couldn't be sure... not until I went back and looked again, assuming we failed.

We weren't going to fail. I would not allow it.

There was enough room for all of us around the fire pit, and enough room for my tent, well away from the dust of the road. That would put me with my metaphorical back to the field, but there were no crops in it, so there wasn't much of a risk of people sneaking up into the potential blind spot.

We had some ways to set up traps and wards, even without handy trees, so I got to work. The tent came first of course, because all prime real estate must be taken by me. As before, no one complained, because they knew better than to try that by now.

Next were the wards and magic alarms, anchored to small stakes and hidden as best I could among the long grass and weeds. I met Les making his own rounds of course, doing the same thing and doubling up our protections. His were more against spooks and undead though, in an effort not to ensure we didn't get caught off guard again.

I personally think Les's stuff could go further out, since there were spirits that could take advantage of given range, but Les probably thought the same about my stuff.

On second thought, it really could. I could make the radius bigger if I put a little more effort in. I'd have to go back, and so I did.

Les noticed me following him around. "What are you up to?"

"Adding range. Had a thought that should make the line a bit larger. Still not arrow range, but every little bit, you know?"

"I do know. And that is good to know." He turned back to his own work with a small frown.

I almost asked, but decided better on it. It wasn't like most ghosts used ranged weapons. The only one I could really think of we needed to worry about was the banshee, and those were vanishingly rare and not normally found in the middle of farmland roads.

Surely there were more, but none were coming to mind as I finished enchanting the latest alarm trinket. At our pace, we could maybe reach the capital in a week. Or the former capital - I wasn't sure how it worked, and my companions weren't either. D.C. might be the capital, or it might be a capital, or it might be its own thing.

We'd find out when we got there, or got close enough to ask the populace. I was still confident that anyone who knew anything would journey there if they could, so going there had the best chance of getting answers and help.

Still, that was a week away at best.

At last, everything was up and running. The fire was even going, courtesy of Randolf. Everyone was taking a load off around the fire and the pot of water placed over it - mainly for hot drinks for now, since it wasn't like any of us wanted to volunteer to cook.

A pleasant sunset was the backdrop for us, a truly blissful moment. One of few we've had since waking up in bizarro world.

We could only hope the next village was more helpful than the last. Or maybe a full-blown city.  We needed a map. A series of maps, really. Any kind of information aside from Poe. Though Poe was a good idea; with a thought I sent my familiar ahead along the road to look for the next sign of civilization.

Wait, what was that? It wasn't along the road, and it was miles away from us, but Poe was catching something... movement, a lot of it.

Stop it heart! Even if it's another orc invasion, it was far from us, and we could leave. Whatever it was though, it was coming this way. I commanded Poe closer.

There was a graveyard. A large graveyard, that looked very old. And from this graveyard, like a cheap horror flick, was an absolute swarm of undead, all headed out in one singular mob... all headed our way. In a straight line, as if a line had been drawn.

Right, checking for a city was secondary now. "Guys, heads up. We've got undead coming, a large mass of them. maybe a few hundred."

Les looked at the now set sun, with prominent rays of light still coloring the West. I pointed the direction to him and he nodded. It was Southeast of course, and coming right into our projected path.

"What do you mean?" Karl asked. I didn't blame him for the confusion, it didn't make sense to me either. There was nothing between us and them, no juicy target, nothing to conquer... just us.

"I mean they are heading directly at us. There is nothing else in range, the nearest village is the one we left and they would have to bear West more to hit that. They are coming our direction, which means there is something going on we don't know about, or they are coming for us. Hundreds of them. Zombies and who knows what else? I didn't want to risk getting Poe closer, in case something intelligent was down there."

Most undead had abilities of one kind or another, and a hatred of all life - even birds. A risk I wasn't prepared to take, even with all the protections I'd bestowed on my favorite raven.

"So, the choice is stay and fight, or run and hope we can stay ahead long enough. Unless I'm missing something?"

I didn't think we had a chance to hide, given the terrain. "Sounds right to me."

Len nodded. "Sounds right to me too. I'm in favor of fighting. I think we can take a few hundred undead with the wards I've got, and its a better option than us getting run down without them."

"I want to fight too, those undead could be going somewhere less prepared for them than we are, and we can handle some zombies. Even a few hundred, so long as your spells hold," Ethan added.

Well it was nice that he had such an opinion of my abilities, but I had to object: "We don't know what else is with the zombies. There has to be something more with them, directing them, or they would spread out. I don't really want to meet it."

I had to learn to stop jinxing myself, or us. I'd just been thinking of undead and preparations for them, and now here we were.

"A valid point," Phil agreed, standing up and gazing into the dark as if he could see the undead coming from here. "I say we run. If we pace ourselves, we can stay well ahead of the mob. Provided we start now."

Thom was already packing: "I say we leave. Let's go, so sense in the risk, we can just take the extra day."

Matt looked among us an instant, then started packing himself.

Karl gave up. "Alright, let's go. Thom, go scout them out once you'ree done, see what you can see, but don't get too close."

"Teach your grandma how to suck eggs," Thom replied, without any real heat.

I would be a little mad too, if Karl told me how to do my job. He knew better than to try that with me.

"I'll go too." Phil stated. Of course he would, as he should. The man could vanish in a shadow. I was sure he had some way of fooling the life sensing powers of most undead. Come to think of it, Thom might have a trick or two like that himself.

Ugh. I started with my tent, pulling my gear out and breaking it down as quickly as I'd set it up. We wouldn't be getting anything more hot than tea tonight, but at least we had water for that.

Then it was back to pulling up the wards; I'd deploy them in a line, but it wouldn't make enough of one to stop the mob I'd seen. Les pulled his up right behind me, killing his own magic as I ruined mine.

In the five minutes that took us, the undead had covered an entire field of distance. They hadn't changed course at all.

"We're going to stay on course, and try and get out of their way. If they change course to us again... well, we'll have to go North."

I didn't blame Karl for wanting to avoid losing time. I wanted to avoid it too - but I knew this. I knew the undead were up and shambling for us. Still, it was a chance, since there had to be some way for these undead to be spotting and tracking us from this distance.

I didn't see one, but I was certain they had one. Which meant a guiding intelligence, which meant malice.  I'd argue for a straight shot North, but I knew without asking how everyone else felt about that.

"If we're going to do it, let's do it fast." The lesser of two evils. Anything was better than being caught and encircled by a mob of undead guided by something meaning us direct harm.

Matt put out the fire and we settled into our usual order, going as fast in the dark as the humans dared. It was hard for them; there used to be lights out here, lights to drive back the dark and settle the mind, and nothing like that existed now. Sure, we could light torches, but those would act as beacons that would lead anything else hostile in the night right to us.

Off again in earnest, another night flight in the dark, running away from a fight we likely couldn't win. I was getting more than a little tired of it, this situation was repeating far too often for my liking.

We weren't moving fast enough. Somehow, even the zombies were stumbling around in the dark faster than us. "Karl, you guys either need torches or you need to let Ethan or I lead." It was amusing watching Karl stumble and trip on the smallest dips in the road. We needed to not do that and just take the risk.

"Right." Karl stopped a moment, and the torches came out. Well, I guess he didn't want either of us in front; maybe trusting his own eyes was easier than trusting ours.

Or, he could just be thinking that I'd make a crappy guide. That was fair enough, I probably would.

With the torches out, we were trusting to speed. Karl kicked the pace up a notch and we all followed.

Ethan kept pace, though it looked to be costing him more than the rest of us. He was silent about it, at least for now. I trust he'd yell at us and our long legs when he started to flag behind.

Who was I kidding? He'd likely run us all into the ground while carrying twice the weight we did and laugh about it.

I should focus on my own immediate problems. This pace was still bad for our companions, since torches sucked as a light source, and this was probably as good as they could do. At least until the moon made an appearance, it should be full enough tonight.

Poe was pacing our pursuers, riding the air currents, resting his wings. The undead themselves were making lousy time, stumbling and falling more than we were as a group, but we weren't leaving them in the dust.

Even as a stumbling, bumbling mob, they were moving forward. At us.

It was pretty much as I thought, and when Thom materialized out of the dark, huffing away as if he'd already been there all along. The breathing had to be an act, since he had enough to belt out: "They changed course as soon as we moved. They are after us."

Karl just nodded. "Right, we keep the pace. Keep an eye out for a more defensible place to hole up in."

He didn't mean a village or city there; it wasn't a given those bastions of civilization would have the defenses to help us fight off the undead. Even if we were using the road, if the undead were after us, it would be all our fault if innocents died to the undead after us.

Well, ours or the intelligence directing them. Who had we pissed off, and how? We'd had a few different spook encounters on our journey....

Oh. Oh, shit. It couldn't be, could it?

"Karl. What if this is...? That guy? You know, the one we saved the villagers from?"

"Yeah," Was all Karl said.

So he'd already come to that conclusion. What had led him there? No, it wasn't a given, just a possibility. One among at least a few others. Even so, there were other things, tactics I could and should use for necromancy. It also removed some sorts of undead from the table, since necromancy couldn't bring certain types of undead to what passed as life to them. At least not just simple necromancy.

Phil sprinted into view. "We need to go faster and risk it. We haven't seen anything defensible."

Phil sounded just a little out of breath. That wasn't a good sign this early.

"Alright, scout ahead if you can. Find us a spot. The rest of us, let's keep the pace."

We kept the pace. The horde was getting close enough; Poe almost was able to see us, if he looked our way.

Something was wrong here. Wrong with this. Did Karl feel it too? Did everyone?

It didn't matter, there was nothing for it but to keep going.

"Muse. How close?"

Karl was tense. He knew. "A few miles now, at best."

"Have Poe check ahead of us, we need more eyes looking for a good spot."

He wasn't worried about a bolt-hole just yet. I hoped he was wrong.

Poe surged ahead with a singular flap of his wings, and for a moment I was jealous again.  It didn't take long to see the bad news, even in the dark. A glint here, a glint there, a hint of movement. I risked a quick dive, and Poe's senses told the tale.

"There's another group or mob ahead of us along the road, running parallel to it on the northern side. If they are friendly, well, they can't be. They smell of death. The number is between a hundred and two hundred. Headed our way."

Enough to slow us down if we encounter them, and the ones behind us would either catch up or be that much closer to it. It also cut us off from easy access to civilization and help.

We were being herded.

"Right. Straight North it is, then. Send your familiar ahead of us. Thom, try and keep eyes on the ones coming at us from the road."

Karl was rattled, and he wasn't the only one. I had Poe take a longer lead; there was no need now to keep an eye on what was behind us, we knew where those were going. The force along the road might be able to cut us off by angling wide on us, if we didn't hurry.

It was even more imperative we find a height or something; some place to do the all the things from. If we didn't, we'd be fighting two small hordes from different directions without any advantages. The only good news was that the decision to run was the correct one, and we weren't already dead.

That might well be about to change. "Another group, Northwest of us, about two hundred strong."

That was it, we no longer had any chance of escaping the trap. Our best bet now was to close with the smallest one first and burn through, then run like hell with the rest of them following.

"Halt." Karl called, slowing smoothly to a stop. "How close?"

"A few miles. They will hit us before we can sneak past. Same with any other direction; we'll get hit by a group before we can sneak between any of them." I was a little impressed. Somehow, whoever had done this had gotten the timing perfect.

I wasn't bitter that horses would have nullified this trap. Not at all.

"You sure? Even if we pick up the pace?"

"We might get through if we run full out, but whatever is out there will be right on our heels and I doubt we can hold that forever."

"Options?" Karl asked, not quite looking at me. Trying not to put me on the spot.

I wasn't sure we had any. I couldn't think of anything that could grant us the speed we needed, right offhand. Sure, I could cast a spell for flight... but not on all of us. Invisibility was an option, but I didn't like the odds against any smart undead... or a necromancer. I could move some earth or something, maybe make a small fort or a bolthole, but that would weaken me....

No, no I shouldn't. But I would. "We should try and run, I guess. I've got an option, but it isn't a good one.

Matt's eyes sparkled, and it was more than simply the moon finally making its appearance.

Karl caught on immediately, as usual. "How badly should we want to avoid this option?"

Honesty was the best policy. "Not so badly as to be ripped apart by zombies, but badly enough so that any other option should be explored, including running for it."

Karl looked to the others. "Any other options?"

No one spoke, not even Les. Finally Phil shrugged: "I got nothing. If we're going to try and run, let's run."

"Right." Karl started again, at a much quicker pace, and once again we matched him.

Within ten strides it was clear we were making good time, and angled back the way we came - Northwest. Ethan was still puffing along as our back, hanging in. My own breath was puffing now, and I was lighter than all my companions. At least I wasn't Phil, who was beginning to wheeze.

The undead were closing in, and all Poe could see beyond them were more fields.

"Karl."

"Yeah." He kicked into a full run.

It wasn't enough. "I mean it."

He shuddered and slowed down. Almost everyone overshot him, myself included. "Alright, what's your option? Hunkering into a homemade fort?"

"Nah, something is behind this. My option is to teleport us."

Matt Squee'd. An actual, factual squee.

Karl was a bit more mature. "Can you get us all?"

"I'm not sure, I've never done it before. The chances aren't good, and if I can, most equipment will have to be left behind."

Karl did not like that, and he was not alone. Only Matt was still looking interested. Disturbingly so. "What about that door thing you do?"

"I can't go far enough with it. The only other option I see is we use an earth elemental to tunnel under the hordes, and that way they can only come at us from behind. So long as we make the tunnel deep."

Ethan perked up: "Nice thinking, lass."

The others looked about as enthused about that plan as I was. It was something I knew I could do, but it was also much more risky. Even worse, we wouldn't know which way to go, and even if we ran full speed down a tunnel that wasn't shored up, we could still end up surrounded by some danger or another when my elemental vanished.

Going too far risked finding catacombs, or lairs of underground creatures, or even worse.

"Okay. How about we do both?" Karl asked. "Make sure that those of us running the risk of being left behind have an option out too, even if its trash."

We had a few minutes left. "Sure, I can do that, but I'll be cutting it close. Form up, and keep your gear on after all, if you want."

I had an idea. Non-living things might also be subject to more than just mana conversion, if I could run the math right. I could sort of scrunch things up for travel, in a way I couldn't do with people. Not if I wanted healthy people at the end of the trip.

No, focus. I ran through the elemental summoning, and the orders. "Which direction?"

"North is the most likely route out that won't hit anything."

There was no way to really check if that was true, but we didn't have much time. "Sold. You, dig a tunnel to the north, thirty feet deep. Dig it six feet by five feet across, and for exactly thirty minutes. Then dig to the surface again and you may go, service ended."

It was best to just tell the thing to leave, since either way this ended, I wouldn't be here to give further orders.

The earth elemental gave a parody of a nod, and set off to do the task. It set off very, very quickly, and threw dirt on all of us. Whoops.

"Alright, anyone that doesnt make it with the rest of us, that is your exit. The elemental is much faster than you are, so don't worry about catching up to it."

Let's see, Ethan was over three hundred, his gear was one-forty, carry the one....

"I don't like that look," Les commented.

"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate here." Les was one-eighty, a bit over, and his gear was another eighty....

It was going to be close, even if this worked. If it didn't, I'd be leaving half of us behind.

"Alright, everyone get close. Hug me or something."

Too tight! "Too tight!"

I could hear the zombies now, at least the scouts. Poe landed on my shoulder and squawked. The grips eased, and I could start to gather the energies. I closed my eyes to help the process.

"Lady Muse?" Ethan asked, almost mildly. He needed to shut up, it hadn't even been a minute.

"Uh, Muse?" Matt also asked, and he was almost as loud as the zombies, now.

"Everyone, steady..." Karl suggested, which they should be.

"Anytime, Muse!"

I could feel it, when the energies were at their max and flowing properly, all ready to go... and then it occurred to me that I hadn't thought of a location. Where to go? What place here did I know enough to ensure our safety?

The zombies were close enough to smell; I made peace with how much this was going to suck, and released the spell.

Then I twisted like taffy; there was no pain, but I shrank and expanded at the same time, seeing all as a blur as it passed.

I regained my shape, and once my stomach and head went back into place everything else registered. I heard sounds of retching around me. I was doing it too - all over myself.

Wonderful. At least I'd be able to stop and have some tea to settle things.

Speaking of, everything was in its proper place, all body parts reporting in. Matt was beside me, still wiping his mouth, but grinning to beat a band. Any old band, who could say?

Then he realized where we were, and the smile slipped.

I risked it. My friends were all here, in the flesh, also with everything they started with. The elemental was digging its tunnel to nowhere alone. My quick calculations had worked, even though I knew they were mostly wrong.

I was drained like nothing else; those two spells had ruined me. That and the port itself; I wasn't sure I could stand up.

I certainly couldn't protect myself from Karl, who was now up and in my face, and oh so very calm. "Lady Muse, why are we back home?"