Chapter 16

I awoke to a slow, recurring beep.

My eyelids were heavy, but I managed to pry them open to take a look around.

The room I found myself in was a storage room of some sort, with old stone walls and wooden shelving units placed around them. A single bulb hanging overhead provided the only illumination. There was a wheelchair tucked away into one corner, and a couple stools beside the cot I rested upon.

The beep was coming from an infusion pump on a rack beside the cot. There was an intravenous line in my left arm, and a capped IV needle in my right. I could feel bandages wrapped snuggly around my torso. There was pressure there, but no pain. I didn't feel pain anywhere, for that matter. Only a bone-deep weariness that permeated my being.

I peeled back the sheet covering me, and saw that I was wearing a pair of scrubs. There was no sign of my leathers, but I trusted someone had tucked them away somewhere safe. The rest of my gear was most likely back in Anavatos, where I'd had to abandon it.

I managed to get to my feet, but the exhaustion quickly took its toll. I sat back down, and then looked to the wheelchair. There was a pole for a fluid bag attached to the back.

It took me a couple minutes to gather the strength to transition to the wheelchair, but I managed to do so without falling over. With the bag hanging overhead, I started to wheel my way out of the room. I had to stop frequently, my arms burning at the effort. It took maybe fifteen minutes to travel as many feet, leaving me sagging in the chair in a hallway.

That's where the woman found me, her eyes wide as she approached.

"You are awake," she said as she drew to a stop before me. She was older, more gray hair than brown, with deep lines in her face carved by happiness and sorrow.

I just nodded. "I understand you speak Greek?" I nodded again, figuring the power Rose had given me was still working. She looked like she might be a native to the island, and the movements of her lips didn't match the words I heard.

"The others said you would recover quickly, but I do not think they expected you to be up so soon. Do you need to use the restroom?"

I nodded a third time, and the woman moved behind to push the wheelchair. "My name is Kyveli," she said. "Your friends asked that I look over you."

"Where are they?" I asked, my tongue thick and my mouth dry.

"They are busy elsewhere," she said vaguely. "I will take you to them."

Our first stop was a restroom, which I managed to thankfully use on my own. I drank some water from the old sink, the faucet leaving a metallic flavor in my mouth. Then I wheeled myself back out into the hall, and Kyveli took over, navigating us through the bare stone halls.

"How long was I out?" I asked her. I had that disoriented feeling you get after waking up from a longer nap than you intended.

"The others brought you to us hours ago," she said, surprising me with her answer. "You were already unconscious, and had lost a lot of blood."

I glanced at the thick IV needle in my right arm. "Blood transfusion?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "You lost a lot. Too much."

"How much?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder as she pushed the chair.

She just pushed me on. "Too much."

We reached a door, and she stepped ahead to open it. I saw that it lead outside, and as she pushed me out, I stared up into a dark and turbulent sky.

"What time is it?" I asked, noting that there was no sign of the sun. The cloud cover blanketed the world from horizon to horizon. Lightning flashed overhead, arcing between the clouds as thunder crashed over the land. But despite the violent power overhead, no rain fell.

Much closer, hanging low in the sky and permeating the air, was the smoke from the fires raging to the west.

"Just after noon," she informed me as we made our way across a green open space atop what looked like an old battlement or fort wall. To our right was a small section of town within the barrier, and I could make out the oceanfront beyond; to the left, the town rolled out, clearly much larger and modern than anything I'd seen so far on the island.

Noting my attention, Kyveli said, "This is the old fort in Chios."

"In Chios?" I asked, confused. "I thought that was the name of the island?"

It was apparently a common enough question, as she explained with a practiced tone. "Chios Town is the largest city on the island of Chios. Over half the population lives within the city limits, over twenty-five thousand."

That was a lot more than any of the towns I'd visited. Those had each sported a few hundred to perhaps a thousand at most.

She wheeled me to another section of the fort, a rounded stone room atop the battlements. As we entered, I saw that there were old lookout ports along the outer wall, looking over the town. I thought it odd that it would be facing that way rather than the sea, but then realized that the fort predated the expansion of the town.

As soon as we were inside, the battery operated infusion pump squawked, before going dark.

It was obvious to see why.

The room was well lit, although the lights that hung overhead were dark. Instead, lanterns emitting a warm golden light floated across the space, warding off the dark. They were clearly magical in manufacture, and the power fueling them was more than enough to interfere with any modern technology. Mortal magic came at a cost.

In the center of the room was a low table with a series of maps spread across it. One was of the island; another of what I took to be Chios Town, which sat along the eastern coastline. The maps were mundane, but the magics working over them were most assuredly not.

Motes of light sparked as they floated above the paper. Some were individual sparks of blue light, while others burned with different colors. What looked like a wall of red wavered over a meandering line to the west of the city. Further out, a sea of green specks dotted the landscape. To the southwest, a blob of purple flickered, seeming to creep forward toward the city at a slow but consistent pace.

Beside the table were several people studying the map. Some I knew; some I didn't. Another table was set aside, and sported a collection of stones that sat atop a lattice of painted lines and marks.

With our arrival, several faces turned our way. One of which was Argondian, who's tired and defeated expression gave way to a relieved smile. "Good to see you, Mister Hayes."

"Thanks," I said, looking over the odd assortment of people and things. The bald head of Wizard Nelson nodded from his seat beside the map table. I nodded back. I was glad to see him alive; at least he'd managed to escape the trap.

A man standing beside him stepped over, and I took a moment to look him up and down. He was older than me, but much younger than Argondian. His hair was still dark, and he sported a natural tan. It looked like the wrinkles of his face had only just begun to establish themselves.

He was dressed well, his dark suit and white shirt seemingly out of place beside the bright and eclectic clothing of the older wizard. It was particularly at odds with the girl at the table of stones, who looked like she was auditioning for Goth Chick Number 2 in some teen movie.

Her skin was pale, as if she spent little time outside, but made even more stark by the white make-up she wore. Dark eyeliner encircled her eyes, much darker than was the rage with girls those days. Her hair was dark where it hadn't been died snow-white, giving her a bit of a Cruella DeVille appearance.

The clothing she wore was your typical goth chick wear: black shirt beneath black hoodie, a black skirt over black lace leggings and leather boots. There were half a dozen silver piercings in each ear, with more in her nose and lip. A crystal cut into an oval teardrop and set in silver sparkled atop her modest chest, and more silver dangled from her wrists and fingers. There was even a tight choker across her throat, with a series of small silver handcuffs interlinked all around it.

I knew in a heartbeat that if Anya met this girl, we'd be in serious trouble.

"Mr. Hayes," the well dressed man said, his Italian accent surprising me as he stepped forward and offered his hand. I took it. "My name is Bassillo Vaccaro. A pleasure to meet you."

I recalled the name. The others had said they'd been reporting back to a man named Vaccaro, who was the communications officer for the Chios teams.

"This is my apprentice, Amy," he said, gesturing to the girl. She nodded, and I was amazed that the two had anything to do with one another.

"Nice to meet you," I said. I didn't offer my name, since I was still working with some caution when it came to wizards. Besides, it seemed they'd already heard of me.

"I'm surprised you're up already," Argondian said as the others returned their attentions to the tables. "You were at death's door when the Keres delivered you to us."

"The what?" I asked, not recognizing the term.

"The Keres," he repeated, before waggling a wrinkled hand. "You might consider them the Greek version of a Valkyrie; a winged being that shepherds the souls of warriors."

Red eyes. Shadows. The flap of wings.

"I've never heard of them," I said softly.

"The Keres are one of the servants of Hades," Kyveli explained. "They escort those who fall in battle to Judgment."

"I thought that's what the Hound was for," I said, my head dizzying for a second.

"The Hounds of Hades shepherd those who shall likely face punishment upon their day of judgment," the Greek woman said. She spoke not as if she were reciting ancient mythology, but the way of the world. "The Keres shepherd warriors that fall in battle, and the Lampads shepherd the good and the just."

"And one of these Keres brought me to you?" I asked Argondian.

The old wizard nodded, his gray beard bobbing. "It seems that one was tasked with watching over you. When she saw you trying to escape, she retrieved you, and brought you to us."

I recalled Peña gutting me, and couldn't help but shiver. "I thought I was dead."

A nervous look crossed Argondian's face. "Well, to be honest, boy, you were."

I struggled for words for a moment, before settling for, "I what?"

"Several times over," he said softly. "Peña's thrust killed you. But the Keres… kept your soul from moving on. Later, Rose was forced to do the same, as we worked to repair the damage."

My stomach turned over, and I had to keep the water I'd drank from coming back up. My hand drifted to my side, where I could feel the bandages beneath my scrub shirt.

"Do you recall any of it?" Argondian asked softly.

"No," I said with a slight shake of my head. "I remember… I remember the roof. And Peña stabbing me. I remember falling. And then…" I strained, as if there were something else, something just beyond the reach of my memory. "Then I was in the room here in the fort."

The man nodded. "You were in and out while we worked on you," he said. "I used my water magics to try and heal the damage inside, while Moretti tried to put you back together. Young Simon had to revive you several times, and Nelson designed the chakra circle that triggered your healing."

"Chakra…" I said, my hand drifting from my side to my stomach. But then something else he said registered. "Wait, you said Moretti?"

Argondian nodded. "Ah, yes. I suppose the last you saw of him, he was in some trouble."

"I thought he was dead," I confessed. Otherwise I wouldn't have been so ready to abandon him.

"That man is one of the strongest in his generation," the old wizard said with some admiration. "He survived the collapsed wall, and would have come to you and the others, but Rose took him into the Ways. She did the same for Nelson once he was away from Yannis."

Which explained why I hadn't seen Moretti among Salvago's ranks in Anavatos. And how Nelson managed to escape.

"Anavatos," I said suddenly. "Salvago is in Anavatos—"

"We know, boy," Argondian said gently. "The Keres told Rose where she'd found you, but you said as much yourself. You came to several times while we were giving you blood."

"Penny," I said softly, recalling her blank stare.

"I know," the old man said, his voice thickening with emotion as he looked away. "It was the first thing you said."

"He…" I trailed off, fighting back tears. "He's done something to her, and the others. Put a piece of himself into them, to control them. He said… he said it was a piece of his soul."

Argondian's head rocked back, and even Vaccaro looked over from where he was. The two shared a look. "You don't think?" Vaccaro said, his voice troubled.

"No, he would never…" Argondian began. "But if anyone would know how, it would be Yannis."

"What?" I asked. The two ignored me.

"You said the Hound was sent after him," Vaccaro continued. "But that he somehow took control of it."

"Would that work?" Argondian asked with a frown. "Could he use the Hound as a phylactery?"

"It's not my area," the suited wizard said with a shake of his head. "But it would explain things."

"What's a phyl… phyladactory?" I asked.

"A phylactery," Argondian corrected. "It is an object used by necromancers. It is a form of the darkest magics, a way that one can prolong their life. By placing a portion of their soul into an object, to keep a part of them in the world should they die."

"Oh," I said, with surprising understanding. "A horcrux."

The wizard blinked at me, not recognizing the term, so I explained. "A horcrux. You know, the things that Voldemort…" I looked between the two older wizards. "From the books? And the movies?"

The two wizards looked to each other. "Seriously?" I asked, amazed. "You guys… c'mon. It's like the biggest franchise of the last decade."

Amy, the girl at the far table, snorted. "They don't really stay on top of pop culture."

"There are books about this?" Vaccaro said with a frown. "That seems like something we wouldn't want to have in circulation. Have the wardens reviewed them?"

"They don't say how to do it," Amy of the Goth Clan said with a roll of her eyes.

Argondian seemed put out that he didn't know what we were talking about. "Well, regardless, a phylactery keeps the soul tied to earth. But I've never heard of using a living being as one."

I was about to tell him about the snake horcrux, and the Boy Who Lived, but decided not to complicate matters. "Assuming he can, then it explains how he's controlling Violet and the Hound, right?"

"Yes," the older wizard said with a nod. "As soulless beings, they may serve as vessels just as an object would."

"Soulless?" I said, my temper flaring. As it did, my head grew dizzy, and I found the room spinning around me. Maybe my blood-sugar was low. Or maybe just my blood level.

"Apologies," Argondian said, sensing my anger. "As creatures of magic, they are… different from the living. Perhaps they have souls; no-one knows for sure," he said, although it sounded like he had an opinion on the matter. "Regardless, what they lack is free will. If he imbued them with a piece of himself, they would not be able to resist."

I wasn't so sure of that. I recalled the wall of purple flame that had shielded me from Salvago's killing blow in the town. And the comment Katya had made, that Yannis needed me alive to ensure Violet's cooperation.

Soul or no, she was still in there. She might not be in control, but she wasn't some mindless automaton that only fulfilled some magical purpose.

"If free will were enough to resist him, the others wouldn't be serving him," I said. "There's got to be more to it than that."

The old man nodded, conceding the point. "Either way, it seems that he may have used such necromantic powers to control them, while sustaining his own life." A dark look crossed Argondian's features. "Which, if he was mortally wounded…"

"… would mean he is no longer truly alive," Vaccaro finished, looking grim. "It would make him a Lich."

"A lich?" I asked, even as the girl Amy said, "Whoa," her eyes wide with interest.

"A lich is an undead thing," Argondian said. "It is said that wizards and sorcerers imbue their soul, their spirit, their intellect, into an object. Their body can waste away, but they continue on in an undead state."

I thought of Salvago's cadaverous look. "It sounds like him."

"Which would make the others Revenants," Vaccaro said, sounding more worried by the minute. He turned to me. "Argondian said you saw the Hound take something from Rai?"

"Yes," I said, casting a glance at Nelson. He'd paled somewhat, but kept his attention on the map.

"It sounds as if he made the Hound into a phylactery," Vaccaro said with a nod. "And he is using the Hound to capture the souls of the dead, and returning them to their bodies, thus creating Revenants. Wizard Revenants at that, which retain their powers, but not the free will of the living."

"Katya said that they're weaker, though," I informed them. At the name, both turned to me. "Oh, yeah. Katya's not a Revenant. She joined Salvago willingly."

Argondian cursed in French, while Vaccaro simply shook his head. "Impossible. What could make her turn against us?"

"He told me," I said, looking between them. "He told me why he's doing all of this."

I told the others about the history of Anavatos, with Kyveli adding what she knew of the tragic history of the town. I went on to explain about the betrayals that Salvago had described, some of which seemed all too familiar to the others. And I finally told them about the rage and madness I'd seen in Salvago.

"But how?" Vaccaro asked when I was through. "It's only been a few days. How has he gone from a law-abiding warden to a Lich making Revenants and raising an army of the dead in just a few days?"

"This is Yannis we're talking about," Argondian reminded him. "The expert on the undead Black Court; the man that studied Kemmler and his disciples for decades. If he truly has lost his humanity, while gaining the powers of the Lampad and the Hound, then there's no telling what he might be capable of."

Vaccaro just shook his head sadly. "I'd feel better if someone from the Senior Council could have been spared."

"Not with the trial starting…" Argondian trailed off. "Now, actually. None of them could miss it; not with the implications. The Merlin will need to save face, if he can, and there will be a power struggle to replace LaFortier."

"Trial?" I asked.

At my question, Argondian nodded. "They found Warden Morgan. In Chicago, of all places."

Vaccaro shot the older wizard an disapproving look, to which the white-haired man just shrugged. "I forget young Hayes here is not of the Council."

I was too busy shaking my head. Because of course he'd have been in Chicago. Because Guess Who was a magnet for trouble and mayhem. I'd tried to warn them.

"They're approaching the ward lamps," Nelson said softly as he studied the map. The others turned about, and I saw the thousands of green specks had gathered outside the wavering wall of white. More red fire had blossomed to the northwest of the city, trapping the green embers between two raging infernos.

"Looks like Wizard Fors succeeded in starting the second blaze," Vaccaro said with an approving nod.

"What?" I asked, looking at the map. "Someone started that fire intentionally?"

"Of course," he replied with a frown, before remembering that I had no clue what was happening. "We're pinning Salvago's army between the two, to narrow his attack points."

"Army?" I said, looking around. Argondian just nodded, his face grim as he looked to the map.

"Within the next few minutes, an army of over a thousand undead monsters will be at the city lines," the old wizard said as he turned back to me. "You've awakened in time to witness the Siege of Chios."