The four heroes rode at a gallop to Brennidon. They didn't meet any travelers along the way, not a bad sign but there were usually many travelers along the side roads in the spring. Peddlers, dealers, mercenaries, were usually out in the open offering their services to nobles or to the common public. Richard thought it was weird that he wouldn't see anyone out. He didn't particularly like the silent trip, silent usually meant trouble.
When they arrived, there seemed to have been trouble because the city gates were closed with five armed guards standing alert on the front gate. Six archers readied themselves on the city walls and towers.
"Woah!" Richard patted the horse to a stop.
"Lower your weapons!" Cried one of the men, when no one did he bellowed, "It's the Seeker!"
The armed men lowered their weapons and the Seeker and his gang dismounted from their horses.
"What seems to be the trouble here?" Richard asked.
"Seeker." The man wearing a red cape stepped forward, he greeted the Seeker and his companions before turning back to Richard, "I'm Captain Mohamed." He removed his helmet to reveal a man with an olive complexion. "We've had an unusual report of the dead coming back to life."
"The dead coming back to life?" Richard repeated, not sure he had heard right.
"Impossible! Richard sealed the Keeper in the underworld; the war against the Keeper is over." Zedd commented.
"I never said Banelings." Captain Mohamed clarified. Kahlan and Zedd gave each other a funny look.
"Then how do you know the dead have returned?" Richard asked.
"One of the local farmers has caused some hysteria recently. Yet what he claims he saw matches the evidence at the graveyard. You'll have to talk with him if you want to know more. I don't know much other than he saw skeletons walk like the living."
Kahlan turned to Zedd, "Is that possible? Skeletons walking around?"
Zedd nodded his bony head, "yes, it is possible. There is a form of dark magic called necromancy. This type of dark magic can conjure the dead, bring back evil spirits, curse, and even capture the souls of people alive or dead. If someone has that kind of power it could rival that of a Wizard of the First Order like me."
"I thought you were the only powerful wizard left." Cara voiced her concern.
"Yes, I thought so too. It seems I have a rival of my own."
"Who saw this happen?" Richard asked the captain.
"I think his name is Nate. His farm is about a thousand paces from the north wall of the city. You can see his windmill if you go through the city to the north gates. He was shaken up about it." He paused for a beat, "Seeker, tell me the truth. Are we up against another war? I don't think my family can take it. We lost all our sons. Our grandchildren are being raised without a father. Our family has been through so much. We won't know what to do if there is another war."
"Don't worry. We'll handle anything that comes our way," He gave the man a reassuring smile. "For now keep people from entering and leaving the city until we get to the bottom of this. Is the graveyard inside the city walls?"
"No, Sir. They are a distance to the south."
Richard nodded, "keep your walls secured. We'll check this out."
Nate's farm was well kept. The crops were in fields of perfect squares and there were an abundance of wheat and oats. On the far side of the farm was another field planted with what looked like tomato plants wrapped around pikes raised to the sky. The pikes were raised ten feet from the ground and on the top the wooden beams connected each of the pikes.
Some of the tomato plants reached the top and snaked over towards the next pike. Others were still wrapped around the wooden pike with some distance to the top. This construction kept the tomato plants from being destroyed on the ground and the plants could grow farther and bear more fruit.
Kahlan knocked on the door. A man slowly opened the door and peaked at the opening.
"Mother Confessor!" He gasped, opening the door wide, "What brings you to my humble home?" He bowed.
Kahlan kindly helped the man up, "We were wondering if you could tell us what happened at the graveyard. The guards said you saw the dead walking around like the living?"
The man nodded, "Yes, Mother Confessor. I was just laying flowers on my Wife's grave when I heard this sound. It almost sounded like teeth biting bone, a chittering sound. When I went to investigate I saw a skeleton help another skeleton out of a grave. It was the most frightening thing I've ever seen. They had no eyes, but their sockets glowed a sickening yellow color. They saw me and I could have sworn my heart stopped."
The man was shaking now, "That thing opened its mouth and I could hear its whisper telling me to die. I ran as fast as I could."
Kahlan turned to Zedd, "Any idea what kind of spell this could be?"
Zedd shook his head no, "It could be anything. Necromancy is not an easy form of magic. It took me many years to master many spells, but necromancy is something I have never touched. Necromancy is subtractive magic, the one type of magic I could not conjure."
"Darken Rahl can conjure Subtractive magic. Do you think it could be him summoning the dead?" Cara asked.
"Perhaps, but Darken Rahl's subtractive magic was focused on the underworld, trying to bring the Keeper into this World. In my whole life I have never seen a skeleton walk like the living. This couldn't be Darken Rahl."
"How hard can it be to summon a skeleton back to life?" Cara genuinely asked Zedd.
Zedd thought about it, "It may be very hard or very easy. Since I do not possess the skill to conjure subtractive magic I cannot be sure."
"Then we need to find who is responsible." Richard ordered, he turned to the old man. "The cemetery, were you alone when it happened?"
"Yes – well, no. There was a young man there. He looked like a peasant and there was a young beautiful woman. They both looked like there were looking for one of the graves. But I didn't see them when I saw the skeletons."
"Then that leaves us without any clues. Was there anyone who looked like a sorcerer or a wizard?" Richard prodded.
"Not at all." The old man shook his head.
Richard nodded to Zedd. Kahlan spoke up, "Let's go to the cemetery then. We might be able to find some clue there."
Richard thanked the old man. With the information they acquired they headed towards their next objective; the graveyard.
"Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous?" Cara spoke up after too long of a silence between them.
"Ridiculous how?" Kahlan asked.
"Skeletons don't just walk around even with magic. Have we ever seen a skeleton walk like the living?" Cara demanded to know.
"Banelings are people that died, took the Keeper's bargain, and returned to the land of the living to kill. Zedd didn't think he would see a baneling in his lifetime but we all saw it. We all fought against them." Richard argued.
"That was something entirely different." Cara huffed, "The Keeper was behind that plot. But this, a skeleton," She stressed," cannot walk like the living.
"Maybe Darken Rahl knows someone who can summon the dead like this. He did have legions under his command, he would know which direction we should go."
"Then we need to have a talk with Darken Rahl." Cara almost licked her lips seductively.
"Darken Rahl will not bend to your agiels." Zedd reminded Cara.
"Who said anything about using the Agiels?" Cara lifted an eyebrow. "I have another weapon in my arsenal. I know exactly how to please," she purred, "Darken Rahl."
Richard and Zedd never wanted to hear Cara say that again.
The four arrived at the cemetery without so much as a disturbance. Richard stayed alert. If the farmer's story was true, there could be more than just a skeleton lurking around.
Zedd found the empty graves first and called the rest over. The ground had been disturbed, a couple of shovels lay discarded near the site. The wooden casket was halfway out of the grave, wide open with the body missing. A total of ten graves were disturbed with the bodies missing.
"They were here. Now they're gone." Cara said, disappointed.
"Zedd can you pick up anything from here? A spell, or other forms of magic?" Richard asked.
Zedd lifted his thin arm, his hand wide open and slowly waved it. He sensed the energies used around the area. His mind showed a dark color lingering above the graves. Nothing too specific other than the type of magic used.
"Subtractive magic was used on these graves." He exhaled.
The chatter of teeth could be heard nearby and the group turned around to see the skeletons emerging from a nearby mausoleum. They all wielded longswords, no armor on their skeletal frames. Their eye sockets glowed a dark yellow, the color of soup broth.
Their mouths opened, they communicated in nothing but teeth chatter and hisses. The ten missing skeletons stood in a row in front of the mausoleum, their swords raised, ready to fight.
The steel from the Sword of Truth rang in the silent air. Cara's agiels were unsheathed slowly, she studied the beings, surprised at the accurate description the farmer gave. Zedd's mouth dropped, never had he thought he would see a skeleton walk around. This was indeed subtractive magic at work. He realized Darken Rahl could not have done this, this type of magic was beyond even his understanding. Or at least, he never bothered to learn how to raise the dead. Kahlan's knives were in her hands faster than one could blink.
The skeletons began walking forward and the group split up.
Richard raised his sword and blocked the first skeleton's attack. He brought his sword down on the first skeleton, then danced around the next two. He struck faster than the skeletons could attack. He turned to the third and blocked its two attacks, then he struck them without mercy.
Kahlan fought two at the same time. She too, danced with the enemy. She slashed each arm following the other, then back. With elegance she sidestepped a skeleton, then slashed. She waltzed, avoiding the strike of a sword, slash.
Cara raised her agiels, crossing them in front of her, blocking an attack, then she parried off and attacked the next skeleton. She blocked and parried the attacks of the skeletons. She studied their movements, their attacks and understanding how they fought. Cara sank to one knee and jabbed the Agiel upwards on the chest of one.
The skeleton began convulsing, Cara frowned. It could feel pain? Cara pulled back her first agiel and bashed the skeleton in the back, dropping the sword. Cara spun around struck the skeleton in the skull as hard as she could, breaking the skull in multiple pieces.
Zedd watched as the last skeleton tried to attack Cara from behind. As if pulling an invisible rope, the last skeleton was sent flying into a tree where it disintegrated into fragments of bone and dust.
"This was not Darken Rahl." Richard concluded.
Zedd nodded, "This was a magic altogether different. It is subtractive magic, but this form of magic Darken Rahl knows nothing about. If he did, then Richard would have been fighting skeletons this entire time."
"Then someone else is doing this." Kahlan looked around, but no one was around.
Richard realized something, "There were two more people here. The farmer said there was a young man and a woman. Do you think they saw anything?"
"It's possible. You'll need to talk with the farmer again." Zedd suggested, "Otherwise, I have no idea where to start."
"Mistress!" Samuel bowed in front of Shota, "What do we do now?"
Shota stood still, her hand caressed her cheek a moment. She turned back to Samuel.
"I do not know, Samuel. But after what I saw we cannot sit still and do nothing. We must help the Seeker. This new enemy is as terrifying as the Keeper. We need to do everything in our power to keep it from happening."
She paused, "We must make sure the Boxes of Orden are in our possession."
"Th-the boxes of—of Orden!?" Samuel stuttered, he trembled. "The boxes of immense power?"
Unbeknownst to Shota, Richard had separated the boxes leaving one in Westland, one in the People's palace and one in hidden in the hunting grounds of the Mud People, native people whom were friends and family of Kahlan's.
"We need to go to the People's Palace and find out where they are keeping the Boxes. From there we can hide them in case things go from bad to worse. By possessing them we ensure that we have one more weapon that the enemy does not. The Boxes of Orden should be powerful enough in the Seeker's hands to defeat this new opponent, or perhaps they will be better off in our possession." She trailed off thinking about that situation.
"But who is this new opponent, Mistress?" Samuel asked, his voice weak and shaky.
"An old forgotten foe from ages past, they have no name because it has been lost to time. Not everything has been recorded in time, dear Samuel. Some things are better left forgotten. It is unlucky that the time has come when this old enemy will be released."
"Mistress, I do not like the sound of this." Samuel began, his eyes tearing up, his voice broken from fear. "I saw the way you looked when you gazed into the pool of time, you were scared Mistress. Anything that scares you scares me too, Mistress. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." He whimpered.
Shota knelt down to his level and wiped the tears away. "My dear caring Samuel. Yes, I am frightened, but I will be damned if I let this old foe imprison us due to a fear. We must be brave Samuel. Can you do that for me? Can you be brave for what we must do?"
Samuel took a deep breath, "Yes, Mistress! I can be brave for you." He stood up tall, and beat his chest to show Shota that he could be brave.
Shota smiled, amused, "And will you be brave in the face of danger? In the face of someone who may be familiar?" She asked.
"Yes, Mistress!" He chanted.
"Will you be able to kill me in battle?" The question hit Samuel hard like a ton of bricks.
"M-mistress? Why would you ask that?"
"Because, dear Samuel. Not everything is as it will appear. Someday you may need to decide who's more important. The fate of everyone's lives or mine."
"But you're life is so much more important!" Samuel defended.
Shota caressed his cheek, like a cat he seemed to cuddle into her hand, she smiled. "Yes, my life may be important. But soon, Samuel, we will need to decide who is more important. The poor people out in the street who steal just to survive, the wealthy who look down on people because they have the luxuries no one can afford, the people with magic, or the people who fight to protect everyone. We will need to make a choice, and it will not be easy."
Samuel thought about it, "What does that mean, Mistress?"
"You will learn in time," She smiled pleasantly, "But right now, we need to make it to the People's palace. It is time to play our part in these events. Be brave Samuel. I have a lot of faith in you."