Heather the Necromancer

Book 5: Chapter 18: Are we safe?

Heather and the others looked around in surprise as a great howl echoed as if from someplace distant. The whole space shook as if in a minor tremor, and they looked about briefly before Heather returned to the matter at hand.

You can explain? Heather shouted as she shook with rage. Can you explain your deplorable behavior? Can you explain trying to blackmail me into your bedroom? Can you explain treating everyone around you like they owe you something? Leet and our Death knight are still out there, probably dead or dying, and it's your fault!

Look, I was only trying to get close enough to learn more. It was obvious you are keeping some kind of secret, and I happen to trade in secrets.

I thought you traded in goods, Heather said. And my business is my own.

Endril took a moment to clear his throat and wipe off some of the blown sand before letting out a sigh. What did you expect me to do? A group of absolute strangers shows up out of nowhere, looking for a way to cross the desert. All of them are unusual in some way, and one is an elvan woman traveling with a goblin maid. Then a second woman who claims to be a princess shows up and joins them at the last moment. She is the strangest of them all, claiming to have earned her title by helping Gwen? he said her name as if the idea was insane.

Whats wrong with helping Gwen? Heather asked. She is very nice.

Endril laughed and leaned against the table with his arms crossed. Let me give you some free information. Gwen is an outsider. She wouldnt join Kevins new empire and even demanded his paladins stay out of her lands. She then tried to gather some smaller kingdoms into an alliance for mutual security against Kevin. The two almost came to blows, but then she lost control of her kingdom, and the rest of the rulers decided it was a fitting punishment. Some of us even think Kevin paid that rogue to steal it, but you didn't hear that from me.

What is the point? Heather demanded, not understanding what he was trying to say.

The point is Gwens a troublemaker, he said with a firm gaze. And anyone calling themselves a princess of her kingdom is likely to draw some questions. I am fascinated with why you chose to help her and what you plan to do with your new title. You must have something big planned and needed Gwen to pull it off.

Heather looked shocked at his accusations. Was he trying to insinuate she was using Gwen in some elaborate plot? He couldn't believe somebody helped her because it was the right thing to do. She began to wonder if this world changed people and turned them all into self-serving monsters. It seemed like only the monster players understood the purpose of the world, but without the hero players, it was pointless.

I helped Gwen because she needed help, Heather stated firmly. I was already going near to where her stone was and decided I could do both tasks at once.

But you bartered your role as a princess in exchange for the stone, Endril insisted.

I didn't know anything about being a princess, Heather retorted. She promised us some money and a small space in the city to open a store. When we came back with the stone, she made me a princess and gave my friends here the title of Lords.

Endril looked shocked for a moment, as if it was all too much to believe. Wait? Are you serious? he laughed. You mean you actually want to be the good guys?

Why does that surprise everybody? Heather asked as she threw her head back in frustration. What did all you idiots come in here for? She returned to glaring at him as he stood straighter, regaining some of his composure.

We came in here to enjoy the perks. Eternal youth, good health, immortality, and above all else, to indulge one's desires.

Heather rolled her eyes at his comment. This again. I am sick of people suggesting I should join them in their hedonism.

Hannahs a prude, Quinny interjected before Breanne swatted the back of her head.

Heather gave Quinny a scowl before turning back to Endril to give it to him.

I had no idea you are so reserved, Endril said. I wouldnt have bothered inviting you to dinners.

Heather snapped a hand up to point a finger in his face. And what is wrong with being nice? Why didnt you invite my friends to dinner as well?

Endril looked past Heather to Breanne and shrugged. I would have asked her next.

Is that all you care about? Heather stammered.

It is a fantasy world, he replied. And all you women went out of your way to make yourselves look ravishing.

Heather went to scold him again until she remembered that she, too, had made some changes. Her breasts were larger and her waist a tad slimmer. She realized that in some small way, she was guilty of trying to look appealing. She supposed it was only natural to want to be seen as attractive, and when given a choice, people took it. With a sigh of frustration, she waved him off and focused on the task at hand.

Are we safe in here?

Endril shrugged. I doubt that thing can find its way in, and I shut the door moments after you all stumbled in.

Where is this place? Frank asked as he looked around. Its too big to be inside the wagon.

It must be like the door in the garden, Heather said. We have gone someplace else. She turned on Endril as he leaned against the table smiling faintly. Where are we?

Just a place I use for a hideaway, he replied.

And where is this hideaway? she demanded.

It's a magical pocket you can only access through the one door, Endril replied.

The door in the wagon? Breanne asked in a confused voice.

It doesn't have to be in the wagon. I can move it from place to place when I want to, Endril admitted.

But the only way out of here is to go back and face that demon? Breanne pressed.

Endril nodded as Heather groaned and thought about cutting him to ribbons again. So we're trapped inside here because you couldn't resist trying to pressure me.

look, If you knew how valuable some information was, you wouldnt be so quick to judge me. Why did you make such a fuss over the bird in the first place?

Why were you planning to use it as leverage to get to me?

He blinked his eyes in shock as a smile gently spread. So, it is a familiar.

It is not! Heather shouted and looked around for Webster before pointing to him. Thats my familiar! The bird is a magical gift, and you should have given it right back!

I already told you, I wanted to learn more about you. Can you blame me for being suspicious? Your group is as strange as they come, and that reminds me, where are you goblins?

My goblins? Heather remarked as if she had no idea what he was talking about. You mean Umtha? she said at last since he already knew about her.

No, the other ones. The ones you don't see until it's too late, Endril replied.

Heather realized he knew about the goblin stalkers, but how? She looked to the others in the group as they gave her blank expressions.

You want to know how I know about them, Endril said with a pleased tone.

Don't you get smug with me, Heather threatened? I don't like bad players, and I have a long history of leaving them dead in my passing.

You certainly do, Endril said. I saw your little performance on the road after all.

Now it made sense. He must have been there on the road when those players attacked. Naturally, he saw the goblins and knew they were likely still around. Come to think of it; she wasn't sure they were still around at all. Had any of them come through the doorway, or were they all outside in the sandstorm being killed?

You were one of the people who attacked us? Quinny asked as she put a hand on her sword.

I never attacked you. I was following from behind. You looked right at me before they ambushed you.

That was you! Heather said. You were part of that then. You were a distraction for the ambush. I should let my friends kill you now and then steal everything in this room.

If you kill me, the room and all its contents will disappear, and you will be dropped right back in the desert to face the demon, Endril replied.

Heather doubted that but didnt want to escalate the situation. She instead took a firm stand and demanded to know why he offered to lead them across the desert then. He explained once again that he was interested in who they were and what they were doing. This reminded Heather of the letters on the desk and the unknown third party that hired him to gather information. Somebody was looking for relics of Hathlisora's passing and paying Endril to search the desert. Naturally, he saw them and decided to see what they were up to in case it furthered his cause.

Quinny chimed in again that Endril was no better than a bandit, and Heather could only agree. Endril defended himself, saying that players always fought other players, and guild warfare was widespread in the east.

Breanne sadly agreed with him, noting that such infighting was fairly common. Heather wanted to know why and Endril answered the question with ease. Money was an easier way to grow power than leveling. Most players had a home or plot of land, and gold could turn it into a palace. Magical items, NPC guards, and exotic foods were all purchased with gold. Players still leveled, of course, but that was a whole lot easier if you had fully magical armor, weapons, potions of healing, and a few NPC guards.

She finally saw the reasoning and understood why people were so eager to betray one another for money. Like the real world, money bought security, and security bought easy levels. She thought of all the money they had and how it had been put to much better use. Still, even she had come to desire levels as they made it easier to defend herself.

Well, that's just great, Heather remarked and looked about the room, her eyes eventually settling on the table. She wanted to grill him over the content of his letters and what he was looking for, but that would be far too suspicious. He would want to know how she knew these things and couldn't think of a good lie to cover it up.

So what do we do now? Legeis asked as he began to climb out of his armor.

I have no idea, Heather replied and looked about. Were trapped in here.

We can always wait a few hours, and it might be gone, Frank suggested with a scratch at his helm.

It was the best plan they had, so she agreed to wait it out and hope the beast was gone. In the meantime, she turned on Endril and grilled him on what his real purpose for them was. She hoped to trick him into revealing something she could use to talk about Hathlisora, but he avoided her questions with vague answers. What became more complicated was his sudden interest in Umtha and why they carried an egg-shaped wooden container. Now it was Heather's turn to be evasive and avoid his questions. She told a half-truth by claiming to have saved Umtha's life, so now they were friends. The container held a magical heirloom they were helping Umtha return. s

Why not just kill her and take it? Endril asked.

No, take egg! Umtha shouted and waved a finger his way.

Heather cleared her throat and decided to change the topic before he questioned it. She turned it into a debate about why the demon had attacked in the first place. Endril said he had no idea and that even though they were in the sands, the demons never came that far east. He even had magical enchantments on the wagons that hid their presence from the monsters in the sand. All good caravans did, or they would constantly be under attack by scorpions or worms.

Frank asked him why he didn't have more guards, and Endril replied with he didn't need them. Leet was a decent fighter, and the wagons were so heavily enchanted only things they practically stepped on would attack.

This left Quinny to ask why the demon attacked, and to Heather's annoyance, Umtha answered. She insisted the demon was drawn to them, hunting for something it knew they had. Endril immediately pointed to the egg box and suggested that was it. Umtha threatened him and insisted it wasn't. This only made him more suspicious of what was in the container, and he tried to suggest Umtha was keeping a dangerous secret. They should open the box and see what she was hiding.

She isn't keeping a secret. We all know what it is, Heather said to put an end to that line of pressuring. She needed a way to distract him and to the desk, asking what the letters were. It worked as he moved to the side to block her sight, calling them simple manifest and receipts for merchandise. Heather knew he was lying, but he most certainly knew so was she.

So, how did you get this room? Heather asked, once again changing the topic. Endril explained that it was purchased from a wizard who specialized in making magical spaces. Something about his explanation felt off, but she had no grounds to challenge him. Instead, she turned her gaze on the door itself, walking across the room to peer into the absolute blackness that was the exit.

This was the fourth magical doorway she had encountered, and their use was beginning to fascinate her. The first one was in the goblin caves under the temple, where she found the crown. That one led to another place that looked like an island floating over oblivion. The second was the strange and terrifying mirror portals that linked the two necromancer towers. The third was the gate given her by Gwen to connect her garden with her house in the swamp. Now this one, that went to an isolated room in what Endril called a magical pocket. She pondered how they worked and if they could be used to reach other places. The necromancers were experimenting with the buffer. Could a doorway to the buffer be created? Could a dead player use one to return instead of waiting for a respawn? As her thoughts began to run wild, Legeis spoke up and drew her attention away.

My armor took a beating, Legeis said as he inspected the suit. I am gonna need my workshop to fix some of this.

Where did you get that armor? Endril asked in a prying tone. I have never seen an engineer build anything like it.

Its my own design, Legeis said defensively. I had to build it part by part over weeks.

Endril nodded but continued to stare, looking at the smokestack sticking out of the back as if questioning its purpose. His eyes then swept over the others as Heather approached and tried to go around him to look a the letters.

Those are private, he said and moved to block her view.

Youre trying to hide something, she pressed.

You accuse me of trying to hide something? Endril laughed. What are you hiding? I am not sure I believe half of what you have said.

Im not the one working with bandits on the road! Heather

Why dont we stop fighting and just wait, Frank insisted, bringing order to the storm that was the near-constant bickering. Heather relented and moved away from the table. Endril hurridly stacked the letters as she motioned for Breanne and Frank to step to the side so she could whisper to them.

Are you trying to read his letters? Frank asked.

I already read them, Heather whispered and glanced to see Endril putting the letters in a box. He was hired by somebody to look for things related to Hathlisora. He is using the caravan thing as a cover to spy on people adventuring in the desert. He wants to know what they are looking for or what they have already found.

Who hired him? Breanne asked in as low a voice as she could manage.

The letter didn't say, Heather replied. But he is here for something to do with her. Remember what he told me at dinner, that Hathlisora and Kevin came here and battled those demons. Maybe they left something behind, and he is trying to find it.

We dont know anything other than he is looking for something, Frank said. We need to know more before we jump to conclusions.

Well, he isn't going to tell us willingly, Heather replied. And I only managed to read a couple of letters. I wish I could get my hands on them.

He might not know anything or no more than we already know. We need to focus on the egg, Frank reminded as Heather signed and nodded.

Right. One task at a time. I cant keep getting distracted by every thread that unravels, Heather agreed. Let's wait it out and see what we find outside. With that, they all settled in to wait, with Heather being careful to keep Umtha and the egg away from Endril. She engaged him again in small talk, asking him more questions about the magical pocket. He tried to be vague, but Heather asked direct questions, wanting to know which classes could create such things and whether it was a simple spell or something that had to be manufactured. The more specific she got, the less helpful his answers became until it was clear he honestly didn't know. She didn't press the point any further, and he was trying to steer the conversation back to her and why she helped Gwen. For some reason, he couldn't imagine she did it out of pure kindness.

Frank interrupted them to ask if there was some way to tell time while inside, and Endril pointed to a strange diagram on the wall. It had eight golden discs arranged in a circle, with one of them currently lit. There was an odd blue line in the center that seemed to be slowly getting smaller.

Endril described how once the line was gone, the sun would move, and the next disc would illuminate. Heather went to study the strange clock and wondered why such a thing would exist in a world where hours and minutes worked perfectly fine. Who would want or even need to track time specifically by the sun's positions? Even more interesting was the disc for midnight had a grouping of three symbols in it. She recognized these from the necromancer's book and felt annoyed not to have it with them. She went back to the desk as Endril tried to stop her and demanded to be provided paper and something to write with. Under much duress, he produced the items, and she wrote the symbols down to translate them later.

As she returned to the others, they agreed to wait for one movement of the sun, then check outside. Quinny asked what was so special about the clock since they noticed Heather's need to record the symbols. Heather explained the symbols and the strangeness of building a clock to track the sun instead of actual hours. The others agreed it was odd but didn't seem to share her belief that it had to mean something. They settled in to wait, watching the blue line as it slowly faded away and the next golden disc illuminated to indicate the sun had moved.

I will go outside first, Frank said as they gathered near the doorway.

And what if that thing is waiting right outside? Heather asked.

Then I won't come back, Frank replied and went up the steps. With great tension, they watched as Frank seemed to fade into the blackness and vanish. Long, tense moments went on before he suddenly reappeared and let them know it was safe.

One by one, they passed over to arrive at nothing. As far as they could see, it was nothing but dunes of sand. The sky was in the evening setting, and the night was approaching, but nothing remained of the caravan. All that was left was a strange wooden archway that indicated the doorway resting on its side in the sand.

Where are the wagons? Heather asked as she looked around. Where is my palanquin?

Maybe its buried in the sand? Quinny suggested as she kicked some of it over.

Frank began to dig around as the others spread out, looking for anything of the caravan, but an hour later, they gave up and sat on the sand in shock.

Our food locker is gone, Heather said in shock.

This is going to be a problem, isn't it? Legeis asked as he finally gave up digging in the sand. Do we have any food in the room?

Or water? Heather added and turned on Endril. Do you have supplies in your room?

A little, he replied. Enough for one person for two, maybe three days.

This is bad, Heather remarked and began to look around. Which way is the nearest watering station? When Endril didn't answer, she turned back to see he was looking around the dunes in confusion. What are you looking for?

A landmark of some kind, he replied. I dont think this is where the caravan was. I think that demon carried the door away and threw it into the deep desert. I have no idea where we are.

You mean you dont know where the station is? Heather asked as her panic grew.

I know it's that way, he replied and pointed east. But how far? It could be days away for all we know, and we're going to be climbing dunes the whole way. Caravans never come out into the dunes because of how hard they are to navigate.

Will we last that long? Heather said as she began to realize the situation. They lost the magical food source, were lost in the desert, and would soon be out of what little reserves they had. If they died out here, the egg would lay where they fell. They would have to rush back and hope to somehow find it in a vast ocean of sand that looked the same for miles. It was a hopeless situation, but it was where they were now, and panic wasn't going to help.

What do we do? Quinny asked as Heather weighed the options.

You said you could move the door?

Endril nodded as she thought through her idea.

Can people stay inside the room while its moving?

Endril looked alarmed and even took a step away as Heather folded her arms and shook her head. Of course they can. You use it while the wagons are moving, but you dont want any of us inside to read your precious letters.

I have a right to my privacy, he pointed out.

Well, we have a right to survive, Heather replied. Listen, here s the plan. Legeis will carry the door while you, our remaining cargo, and a few of us ride inside. The rest will rotate who is outside to help protect the doorway as we travel. At night Frank will carry the door so that Legeis can be inside sleeping. That way, we can walk night and day to cover more ground while avoiding the sunlight.

Endril looked unhappy but nodded in agreement as the others looked on.

Good, Heather said as she looked to the sky. Then we had better start walking.