Nothing in the past few days made sense. For the second time in a day’s span, Niles was soaking wet in the waterways beneath Zaksburg. Only this time, he had Lord Aldrimar himself for company. That might have been a comfort if Aldrimar wasn’t a fourteen year old boy whose voice still cracked.


    What I wouldn’t give to have his uncle here.


    But then he remembered Zak at that age. Niles might have been a year or two older as the two of them fought their way through King Gareth’s men. He remembered Zak fighting with a fierceness unlike anything he’d ever seen, until that thing.


    Were it not for Aldrimar’s lightstone, they’d have been worse off than he and Kerra had been, heading in instead of trying to get out.


    “Where’d you get that,” Niles asked.


    “My uncle made it,” said Henric.


    “Your uncle huh?” Niles chuckled to himself. Funny things you learn in sewers, he''d never have suspect Zak capable of Miracles.


    “I watched you fight,” said Henric. “You’re good. Damn good.”


    Their boots splashed in the water as they ran after the sounds of that thing. At the very least, the kid seemed to know where he was going.


    “I suppose you did,” Niles said. “Since I’m not sure I’ll ever see the sun again, I’ll admit I didn’t think twice on running out on the fight with your uncle.”


    “He is fearsome,” Henric said.


    They came around a long bend to a junction where one tunnel sloped steeply upwards, and the sound of the creature’s shuffling echoed down. The two of them met glances, and wordlessly began their climb.


    When they finally reached the top, Niles asked, “What is this thing anyway? How can it be walking around when I’ve killed it?”


    Henric stopped. “I’m not sure, exactly. I believe it’s called a degreth. But it’s wearing the body of an assassin I think was hired with Azrin gold. I never had the chance to find out before I knocked him from the top of our east tower.”


    Niles grinned. “Not many men can say they’ve both killed the same foe and not be arguing about it.”


    “Not many men can say their fallen foes come back to finish the job,” said Henric flatly.


    A sound cut through the echoes where before had only been the sound of running water over stone, and the sound of their exchange, a lonely plea of ‘help’.


    Aldrimar took off into a sprint, and Niles was forced to chase after the light again. “Slow down,” he called after the young duke, but it went unheeded.


    The thing, the degreth’s sounds were getting louder, closer, though it still echoed around corners ahead of them. It sounded closer and closer until it began to slip away, but each time the interval was shorter, they were gaining on it. But so too did the crying grow louder.


    "What is that?" Niles asked.


    "I''m not sure," Henric said. "It could be the thing''s necromancer."


    Niles remembered an old monk talking about some lordling that made away from the Unarium with an old book on the black art.


    "I thought you were the necromancer," Niles said.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Henric winced. "You think I did that? That I made that thing?"


    "I think maybe it''s your fault it''s here."


    "Oh, you might be right about that."


    But Henric left him no time to follow up, only to follow. They were close now, but the tunnels here twisted and wrapped around themselves like a whipping serpent.


    Then the crying stopped. For a second there was only the sound of their labored breathing and the running water, and then came the scream.


    ***


    Henric ran. He pushed himself harder than he ever had before. Towards the screaming and the gurgling and the overwhelming stench of Death.


    He turned the corner on a silhouette looming in the tunnel, and behind were three shapes, two that just laid still in the water, and a third, the screamer, incapable of stillness. The degreth paid Henric no attention as it closed fast towards the girl, for in the light from the stone it was clear that she had long, dark, hair and was wearing what might have been a fine dress.


    Megan!?


    It took everything he had to close the gap before the degreth did, pulling his blade free as he ran.


    The degreth raised its arm to strike. Henric thrust his sword out, and it slid into flesh.


    Megan''s screaming and the degreth''s gurgling howl mixed to a terrible counterpoint. Henric began drawing the binding circle up around the creature.


    "Megan, get out of here," Henric said through gritted teeth.


    "Henric?" she asked. "I... I can''t, not without Zia and Adelin."


    Henric swore. Before he could utter the seal, the degreth whipped its arm around like a flail, knocking Henric back. He fell into the water, and felt his head smack against the stone. Pain and Deathscent descended on him, but he pushed it away.


    A strong hand gripped him below his shoulder and pulled him to his feet.


    "Stand up," said Niles.


    "Those are my sisters," Henric motioned to where Megan sat with them unconscious.


    The two of them nodded to each other, and sprung into action.


    "Hey, ugly!" Niles shouted, charging at the beast. "Remember me?"


    Henric slipped past as Niles met the thing with a hail of blows and crouched down by Megan''s side. With the light from his stone, he could it was obvious the other two were his sisters.


    "Megan are you alright?" Henric asked.


    She swallowed, and nodded nervously.


    "What are you doing here?" But then he saw the book she held against her chest. Though he couldn''t see the cover, he''d recognize Zakaran''s journal anywhere. "You didn''t..."


    Megan sobbed, "We didn''t think anything would really happen... but, Henric, they''re dead."


    He shook his head. "Not dead, not yet. Keep them safe, and don''t move them!"


    Niles had led the creature backwards the way they''d come, almost out of Henric''s light. But he could still see the degreth''s back, and began to draw the binding up around it once again.


    He could see the band of light looping around the thing, restricting it. Its motions became more restrained, and it struggled to even move to block any of Niles'' blows. Henric poured everything he had into it, all of his pain and rage and fear and wrapped it around the creature until it couldn''t move its stolen limbs. Yes, it was time for the seal.


    "Who''s down here?" A voice called out.


    Henric turned and behind him an orange torch light flickered against the wall and water. Two men in chainmail clinked into view at the long end of the tunnel behind them, one pointed down the hall, directly at him.


    The binding broke with his concentration. The degreth let out a high, horrible squeal and launched itself towards Henric.


    Unthinking, he dodged out of the way, and watched as the creature went straight for the watchmen. “Get out of here!” Henric shouted. “Henric Aldrimar commands you.”


    “My l-”


    The watchman never would know what killed him, as the degreth whipped it’s limp arm into his skull. Henric wasn’t sure if the crack he heard was from the thing’s arm or the man’s neck.


    “What the-” the other watchman suffered a similar fate. The degreth lifted them up, and bled them, drinking it in.


    The sight of it, and the Stench of it concentrated in these damned waterways felt like it was going to rip Henric’s head right open by the nose. Like he had a thousand times before, he fell back to the old breathing excercise his father had taught him to help keep a clear head. But the deep breaths only made it worse. Suddenly the light coming from the stone in his left hand was too bright, and the light from it hurt to see, and so he handed it to Megan and looked away.


    But he could still smell it on his hands, he could almost see the Stench it had left, floating off his hands. Not like Death, but not like Life either. Then he looked towards the degreth.


    It was bathed in light, bright hot Death that hurt worse than the lightstone to look on. As he winced away he saw that his sisters too were glowing brightly, but Niles and Megan. But neither of them was dying or in Death.


    All the while Henric kept breathing deep. And then he knew what to do.


    Henric turned back to Megan, “Don’t move them. Niles, keep them safe, and don’t let anyone move them.”


    It wasn’t hard to feel the current’s icy flow tugging at his feet as he charged the feeding degreth. Nor was it hard to grab onto the thing around it’s torso, completing the binding as his arms touched across its broad midsection.


    All the while, Henric kept breathing deep.


    “Muzum ala thebeth.”