Death Mage Chapter Three

Kou had considered finding the nearest inn and crashing there for the night. If anyone found out that Rim was housing a necromancer, they’d both be in trouble, but Rim didn’t seem particularly afraid. Kou had to respect him for that. Most people would be too frightened of the Holy Order to hire a necromancer, let alone help one. Rim’s house only had one room, but luckily he had a spare cot for Kou.

Kou lie staring at the ceiling overhead, unable to sleep. The Order’s influence was growing even more, if that was possible. How could one organization gain control of the country in just a couple decades? The past few years had been tough, and if this kept up, Kou might have to go into hiding. That would make it difficult to work. Luckily people like Rim, who opposed the Order, could still be found now and then, but who knew how long that would last.

Kou could practically hear the soldiers marching through to crush them.

Actually, Kou could hear something. Something that sounded very much like soldiers. Just outside the door he could hear muttering and muffled footsteps, the metallic hiss of swords being drawn.

Kou shot up and dashed across the room to Rim, who was just blinking the sleep from his eyes. Kou barely had time to shout to him before the door burst open and six men stormed through the front door, swords bristling. Kou froze, facing the soldiers as they formed a loose semicircle around him and Rim.

Kou studied them warily, shuffling to get between a bewildered Rim and this new threat. The men wore dark red, the color of the King’s Guard. Kou hadn’t seen uniforms like that since a brief and rather disastrous trip he’d once taken to the capital. Kou took note of the one in the middle, with the deep glare. He looked to be some sort of leader, judging by the badges on his collar and the way the other troops seemed to follow his lead.

Rim started to stand, but the man stopped him. “Halt, in the name of the King.” He didn’t raise his voice, but his tone carried a command underneath it. Rim sank back onto the bed.

“May we help you?” Kou wasn’t very good at playing the innocent act, but he could still try for the not-obviously-guilty act.

The man turned his attention away from Rim and back to Kou. “I am Captain Rumen Niel, of the King’s Guard. You are under arrest under suspicion of magic craft. State your names.”

Rim simply sat and gaped, which left Kou to do the lying for him. Unfortunately, Kou was not the world’s greatest liar. “Oh, right.” Kou tried to avoid eye contact. He also tried to avoid avoiding eye contact. “Well, this is Ronald, and I’m uh, S-Sable.”

Mr. Captain Rumen Neil stared at him for a moment. One would think, that for all the time Kou spent hiding, he’d be a better liar by now. After a moment, Mr. Captain seemed to come to a decision. “Alright, just come with me. We can sort out your identities later.”

The troops closed in around them, and Kou tried to think fast. He could try to run, but he wasn’t a very fast runner. He could try to threaten them, but that was just another form of lying, so that was unlikely to help. He might try to fight, but he wasn’t very good at that either. In hindsight, he really should have learned some of these skills.

As it turned out, Rim was willing to make the decision for the both of them. As the soldiers grabbed his arms, he threw a punch. Kou heard a wet crunch as it connected with the soldier’s nose.

The men moved all at once, cued by Mr. Captain. Kou felt someone grip him from behind. He flailed, trying to get a kick in, but the soldier lifted him off the ground and he couldn’t get his footing back.

Which left Kou to watch as everything went downhill.

The soldier Rim had punched stumbled back into the wall. The nearest soldier moved up to take his place and swung his sword. Rim tried to dodge, but was caught unprepared. Kou watched the soldiers blade sink into Rim’s chest.

Red spattered the floor. Time seemed to freeze up.

It wasn’t the first time Kou had seen death, but he still felt a red-hot weight settle in his chest. Rim hadn’t needed to die. Kou had barely known him, but Rim had been kind and generous. There was no reason for his death.

Kou tried to stuff his anger back down, but it was too late.

Kou felt the magic power he had worked so hard to gain well up. Heat rippled under his skin. The soldier holding him felt it too and quickly let go. Before he could lose control, Kou shoved the magical force in the direction of Rim’s corpse and felt it shift into the dead body. Distract them, he directed it.

Possessing a corpse was never a comfortable feeling. Watching a dead friend attack another person was even worse. Kou had to turn away while the blood splattered the walls.

Nevertheless, it got the job done. The soldiers broke into distracted panic. Kou slipped out the door, all the while telling himself he wasn’t hurting Rim. Rim was in the next world, and the body was just an empty husk now. It still didn’t feel right to Kou.

This was the power most feared by the Order, and for good reason. It scared Kou too.

He stumbled out across Rim’s fields, crops crumpling under his feet. It took him an eternity to reach the edge of the woods. He leaned heavily on the nearest tree, breathing hard and gazing back at the house. He heard one last distant scream, abruptly cut short. He felt his magic leave the corpse, its task completed.

Possession was a draining task, and Kou had almost no magic left in him. Despite his best efforts to keep running, he couldn't move his feet anymore. He slumped to the ground, exhausted, and slept.