Chapter 29
A/N: in case anyone forgot, the harpy rogue as used here and in WCIII is not the same as the rogue character class in WoW. Harpy rogues tend to be larger than their spellcaster sisters, brownish in color, and do not practice any magic.
"Hey, there's Lrfk," Serrw said. "I guess she didn't die. - That was my scrrring fish, Knnr."
"Hhek," protested the little rogue. "I just caught it. You ate yours already."
"I did not. Give me that."
"Rrgh ah scrrrrr..."
Her mother was gliding over to see Lrfk. Knnr, still indignant over the theft of her fish, paid little attention to this. She ducked her head into the stream, letting the water run over her feather mane and her teeth. Fish were tasty, but they were messy.
When she hopped back up on the bank, shaking her head vigorously, she saw the new dead man still standing there looking at them. Dev was watching the others, fingers interlaced with her wolf's mane. Knnr edged toward the Undead. He watched her. His eyes were very black, like Dev's, but Dev's didn't smoke. Not that Knnr remembered, anyway.
She walked up to the dead man, so that she had to lean far back to see his face. She was still only three feet tall or so, small for a harpy rogue.
"I'm Knnr," she said in Common. "What's your name?"
"Caden," the dead man said.
"You're really big," Knnr said.
"Yes," Caden said.
"I bet not a lot of people would bother somebody as big as you."
"You're wrong," Caden said glumly. "Or I wouldn't be here."
"Can I sit on your shoulder?" Knrr said, with very typical persistence. "I'm light."
The dead man frowned very slowly, as if he'd forgotten what the muscles were for and was only just remembering.
"Why would you want to do that?"
"So Serrw won't take my fish," Knnr said.
"You don't have a fish," Caden said.
"I'm going to catch another one," Knnr said. "I promise not to scratch you." She held up a foot talon demonstratively, spreading her wings for balance.
"I don't care," Caden said.
"About what?" Knnr said.
"Either one."
"Okay," Knnr said. "Be right back!"
She and Caden were going to be such good friends, Knnr thought happily. Admittedly, Knnr's definition of "good friends" was something like "people who never kill you or steal your shinies." For a four-year-old harpy, it was significant progress that she understood the idea at all.
---
The news that Felwyn and Lrfk were awake was quickly followed by the girls themselves. Felwyn glided serenely out of the mine just as Variel Slowburn finished her sleepy explanation.
"Thank you, Variel, you may go," Phage said. "Are you all right, Felwyn?"
Felwyn Smallfinger came toward them, Lrfk firmly perched atop the crossbar of her staff. To Phage's anxiously searching gaze, they both looked fully recovered. "Yes, Lord," she said. "We're fine. We might have some bad news."
"I'm afraid you're too late for that," Phage said. "A shade has just returned from the Crossroads."
"Then you've heard about Lord Darkhallow," Felwyn said. "I'm sorry we weren't here sooner, Lord. Mir'noj had some trouble waking us."
"There is nothing to regret," Phage said. "I am glad you are recovered. You gave us some cause for concern."
Beside him, he heard Skrch land hastily. A puff of air from her wings tugged at the hem of his kilt.
"We overshot our goal," Lrfk said. "I think we've got a better handle on it now. There's more power than we're either one used to dealing with."
"So I saw," Phage said. He remembered with perfect clarity how thick the air inside the Temple had been, and how suddenly and how completely the dead Human had revived. "Do you think you could use it again?"
Skrch seemed to be hastily translating for the warlock. Shel'yin was eyeing them all with apparent misgiving, but Phage began to suspect this was normal for him.
Felwyn and Lrfk cocked their heads in unison, listening to something Phage could not hear. "I think so," Felwyn said. "Mir'noj says he can bleed some of it off, if he has to. It's backing up like water behind a dam now. I thought it was just because it was new for the three of us to be using mana together, but that's not enough to explain it. We're not sure where it's all coming from."
"Are you entirely sure of Mir'noj?" Phage said.
Felwyn smiled her sweet smile. In her scarred face, with her one blue eye, another Human might find it eerie. Phage did not care, any more than he cared about Viri's disfigurements or his own constant pain. It was who they were. It was who he was.
"Oh, yes," Felwyn said. "He can't do without us now. Besides, he's sorry for what he did."
"I'm sure he is," Phage Marrowice said. One way or another.
"Sorry to interrupt," Skrch said. Phage watched as she reluctantly tore her eyes from her daughter. "The warlock has something to say."
"Yes, Shel'yin?" Phage said. The tall Orc laid his hands atop the animal skull on his staff as he spoke.
"He says your problem is worse than you think," Skrch said.
Of course, Phage thought. It always is.
"He says everyone at Crossroads saw a bunch of Undeads attack," Skrch said. "So now they'll be looking for an Undead base. And since you're – what was that word? - Staying in one place? Stationary, that's it. Since you're stationary, you'll be easier to find than the ones who really attacked them. I think he thinks you attacked them before, too, because of the dead Humans."
"Ha," Phage said humorlessly.
"What?" Skrch said.
"We picked up the bodies after a battle between Humans and green Orcs," Phage said. "But your point is taken, warlock. It's probable that Kirv and Gray were seen, and entirely possible that someone saw what direction they took to come back here."
"If you'll excuse us, Lord, we'll go and help Ner'zirhud," Felwyn said.
"Please do," Phage said. Felwyn bowed slightly and glided past him, toward the Temple of the Damned.
---
Ner'zirhud, oblivious to any of this, was watching his two new ghouls clamber out of the sand bath at last. They shook themselves vigorously as they stood on the floor, sending sand flying. Magic and preservation had done their work. The ghouls' skin was taut and leathery, and their teeth and claws were far too long for anything human.
"Yes, very good," Ner'zirhud said. "Let's have a look at you, shall we?"
Both ghouls immediately turned to look at him. One ran a papery tongue over its left front claws.
"Come here," Ner'zirhud said.
The two ghouls rose and padded over to him immediately.
"Good, good. We're doing as we're told already, that will save some time. Speak?"
The two ghouls looked at each other, then at Ner'zirhud.
"Speeakkk whaaaat?" one said.
"Anything. It doesn't matter."
"Okaaaay," said the other one.
"Fine. Perfect. Go outside. The others will get you an insignia and some meat."
"Gnargh," the first ghoul said with apparent goodwill. The two new Undead trotted out of the Temple just as Felwyn and Lrfk came in.
"Guess what?" Lrfk said. "There are some Scourge around who might be after us, they hit Crossroads this morning, and we're probably going to be attacked by a whole bunch of angry Humans and Orcs. Want us to help you with those two dead men there?"
"Oh, dear," Ner'zirhud said weakly. "I suppose you had better."
He sighed. It was a good thing he'd got the new chains on. If these two were going to turn out anything like Caden the Crooked, he was going to need them.
