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Chapter 75. Angelina
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“And who did you think it was? A talking crow? Your alter-ego? Your late great-great-great-grandfather’s ghost? Well, you humans have never been noted for quick wits ...”
Reive was still holding me carefully from behind, not giving any indication he could hear our conversation.
“He doesn’t hear us. You don’t need to think about that,” the dragon said again, waving his huge wings.
We now rose up in the sky and unhurriedly circled over Firel. Down below, I could see the shining spires of the castle, the round red coin of the lake, a small forest nearby and a scattering of little houses.
The wind was whistling in my ears, ruffling my hair and chilling my skin. With every second, I felt calmer and calmer.
“That means you’ve decided to talk only to me?” I asked.
“No, with tha
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Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 76. Angelina
After a little while, I also went downstairs after the necromancer. Two garrison guards were already waiting for me at the exit. It turned out they’d been ordered to accompany me to my rooms.“Am I a prisoner now?” I asked, not believing my eyes.“Not at all. In no way,” one of them answered. “You can walk freely around the castle territory. On the streets, two soldiers will accompany you. Security has been notified. But you’re not allowed to go outside the castle.”“So that’s how it is ...” I muttered.Well, probably, some would consider this shocking. Some might even decide this was an obnoxious deprivation of freedom. For me, it was quite different. Since there was nowhere to go, so I hadn’t been planning to leave. I quietly began to turn over in my mind thoughts on how best to avoid bloodshed and to influence the Undead King. And to do this, I needed to stay close to him.S
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 77. Angelina
“I don’t know,” he whispered, and again stopped smiling. “I’m lost. The one you see in daylight is another man. Do you understand that? He’s used to killing by the hundreds. Thousands. And me... I don’t have the slightest idea who I am and how I got here.”He was silent for some time. I didn’t know what to say. It all was so strange.“So, you really don’t know how you got here?” I asked again, raising my hand and hesitantly reaching out to him.I wanted to touch him. To check that my eyes were not deceiving me. Maybe I was under some hallucination? Or, perhaps, I was becoming mad?“I don’t have any idea,” he shook his head. “But I know the Reive who’s about to occupy the throne of Aldenor, is not me. Well, not quite me. But it’s hard to explain. I myself don’t understand it. Sometimes, it seems like I have a split personality,” he
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 78. Angelina
I was afraid to suppose anything. I was too used to thinking I had no more ability than a gifted raccoon. Now, there was hope inside me that I’d be able to do magic. It wasn’t by chance I could see much more than before. And it wasn’t by chance the Dark around me seemed so soft and obedient. And calm. As if it was a continuation of myself.Maybe the right thing to do was get back to my rooms and try the spell there. However, I was eager to do it right now. That’s why I climbed up to the broad windowsill on one of the flights of stairs, where I was quite unlikely to come across servants or guards, and nervously smoothed out the sheet of paper.The Ashgenrian letters greeted me with familiar characters. I knew each one of them, every combination and their pronunciation. But still, I was worried.That’s why I flicked through the sheet of paper again and began to read, “Ershelier vajen tarte ilf tunger raidoh verten, Rastal ufarre
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 79. Reive
A courier delivered a letter in the morning. Shivering with fear the boy entered the Undead King’s study under escort of three silent guards, and handed him an envelope.The necromancer cast an ironic look at the poor boy, understanding what a simple runner might experience when sent to the lair of a seven-hundred-year-old monster, and one over which a bone dragon was soaring proudly. The youngster must have thought Reive would be sitting on a throne of corpses surrounded by dancing ghosts. Was that the reputation he’d earned for himself in this castle?Yeah, he had. The necromancer was pleased about that.He turned round on the ordinary wooden chair and took the envelope his servant was holding out to him. Then, he unfolded the sheet of paper lying inside:“To Earl Eridanus so-called King of the Dead, from the Supreme Minister of the Crown Council of Aldenor. I, Yarosh Trenvir, hereby notify you that in three days, an army t
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 80. Zomzom
Smells. So many smells around. Smells of horse sweat, feces, trail feed, new military ammunition and bonfires. And blood. A muted smell of human blood circulating in veins under a thin layer of skin. It seemed as if he just had to sink his teeth into flesh – and here it was.He shouldn’t.It was stupid anyway: to attack right in a camp full of armed soldiers and mages ready for battle. That’s why Zomzom was moving calmly forward through the tents and rows of people. Once in a while, he presented his letter with the seal of the Undead King without saying a word, then continued to the central marquee.After his death, the zombie had developed a few really useful skills allowing him to track down, catch up with and kill a victim. He felt he was capable of finding a man several miles away even in a dense forest. His dead eyes perfectly sensed everything, his sense of smell drawing pictures in his head about which he’d formerly had no idea, an
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 81. Angelina
I climbed the stairs to the carved door where I thought Reive Eridanus could be hiding. I had only one thing in mind: to tell him what I thought of him. Had he been deceiving me? Using me? He should have told me straight out, not made a naïve besotted fool out of me. After all, a graduate of the Department of the History of Necromancy couldn’t put up much of a fight against the Undead King. What did he need? My blood? He could have taken that without asking. Without those caresses, kisses and the maddening fire that burned us both.Both of us…I flew up to the precious door and suddenly froze, closing my eyes. My anger vanished somewhere, as the other Reive appeared before my tight-shut eyes. The Reive I had met in the field in the middle of tall grass. The one who had visited me at night and said he couldn’t live without me.I forgave him.I had no reason to be angry with him. Because he’d never promised me anything. I mysel
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 82. Angelina
Shaina snickered, “You want to know how Reive died?” Her thin lips became a single line, her whitened eyes closing for a moment. “Well, I’ll tell you.”When she raised her eyes again, I saw traces of despair even through their dead translucent color. There wasn’t any malice, only some old deep-seated pain.“Reive was a fanatic,” she muttered. “He should have received the crown by inheritance. But he was deprived of this right. I don’t know how it’d have turned out if things had gone otherwise. Would he have unleashed all those wars that made him who he is now? Would he have killed hundreds of people, building up the greatest and the most terrible army of the dead the earth has ever seen? Or would he have just calmly ruled the kingdom? I don’t know. But the need to seize the throne awoke greed for more and more power in him.”For a moment, the woman was lost in thought
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 83. Angelina
“Maybe the day after tomorrow or in two days. Or maybe tonight. I could show you the way out from the castle right now. And I’d take you in such a way no guard would stop you.”He looked at me with his huge dark eyes full of anxiety.At this moment, I couldn’t stop myself at all, and I carefully put my hand onto his.Reive dropped his gaze, his lips quivered. However, this time, he wasn’t smiling.I felt a slight resistance, as if I was touching the surface of water. If I pressed slightly, I would dip into it.I didn’t. I wanted to think I was really holding his hand, not touching a ghost.“If you’re waiting for an answer, then don’t,” I said and turned away demonstratively, looking into the distance.Now we were simply standing side by side, as if holding each other’s hands. As if he was real.The silence didn’t hurt my ears. On the contrary, it calmed me
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***Five years later the kingdom of Aldenor was renamed ‘Empire of Shadow’.Reive and Angelina were awarded the titles of emperor and empress. A year later their triplets were born, two boys and a girl. All three possessed a strong dark gift for twilight magic. In time, they entered the academy their mother had founded, CYANIDE— Central YOUNG Academy for Necromantic Ideology and Demonology Education.Therefore, the royal couple introduced a new fashion for necromancy. Henceforth, all influential families in the empire dreamed of sending their children to CYANIDE, still sometimes jokingly called ‘Academy of Death’.Twenty years on, necromancers had become the main combat unit of the army of the Empire of Shadow. Not one of the neighboring states would even dream of transgressing the borders or otherwise offending the continent’s most dangerous empire.Until the day of his death, Reive saw Ulfricus from time to tim
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The order in Ashgenrian sounded more powerful and confident that ever before. Shivers ran down my spine.That very second a small pale shadow formed beside me, a few seconds later it acquired an outline.“Byelndevir!” Reive exclaimed, his eyes opening wide. Such a wide smile appeared on his face that I felt truly happy.“I’m sorry I nearly bit your head off,” the little spirit said, spreading his wings. Real ones, not bones.The dragon was of human size and so took up an impressive amount of space. However, that was nothing in comparison to his former dimensions. I knew his size could now be changed at will – bigger or smaller.“Fantastic!” the necromancer gasped and struggled, then succeeded to stand up from the bed. He went up to the ghost and carefully touched his wing, as if they were blood brothers. “And I didn’t take offense, my friend.”It seemed to me that
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“Yes, it can.” I nodded, “When the dead opened their mouths to sing, the earth was filled with the voices of Twilight itself. It was horrifying and amazing at the same time. With each second that passed more and more ghosts appeared. Their numbers grew and quickly surpassed the numbers of the Union Army. They were dressed like military, in ancient cuirass and such like armor. Their sounds were like thunder as they moved amongst the troops of our enemies. Then the living dead on our side moved into their ranks, joining in the song, but not attacking. The warriors of the Union soon began to throw down their weapons and retreat. Several spirits surrounded each of them, shaking their swords and drawing closer as if they were thirsty for the kill.I sighed deeply, shaking off dark thoughts and continued, “And Ulfricus appeared beside me. He introduced himself, I hadn’t known what he would look like. The druid smiled sadly, laid his hand on my shoulder
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hree months have passed since I became Queen of Aldenor. Reive has spent the best part of this time lolling about in bed and has only now begun to rise himself. See, I’ve taken upon myself the none-too-easy burden of governing the country.To tell the truth it hasn’t been very enjoyable. Especially having to resolve conflicts with the not inconsiderable number of disgruntled people who wanted to see someone else in power. I had much help. Advisors, mages, military leaders. Those who had come across to our side when things had quieted down a little. When it had become clear that we had a rightful claim to the throne. Reive was the enthroned ruler who had never renounced his crown. And I... I was the Gerhard Ayris’ bastard. The only illegitimate daughter of the recently deceased king.This became widely known not just to the highborn nobles, but to the common people. And, as I understand, not without the help of Asper Glane.The day after t
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 93. Angelina
There were screams of horror from somewhere to the side. I turned round and saw the gates finally open and the drawbridge come fully down. Now, crowds of the transformed undead – frightening, strong and dangerous – were slowly crawling out. Even from here I could see their empty eye sockets flash with hunger and hear their sharp teeth clatter in their skulls.However, the undead weren’t hurrying to attack. There was no longer anyone to give them the order.I began to panic. I closed my eyes and forced myself to slowly breathe out.My hands were shaking. The chain in my hand was twitching, its links rattling barely audibly.Suddenly, behind my lowered eyelids I saw the threads of the Dark. In their hundreds and thousands, they were stretching out from Reive to the subjugated undead. They were chattering and tightening, demanding the order that couldn’t come.Nevertheless, there was also something else. Almost unnoticeable. Al
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 92. Angelina
Dark and Twilight, how could this happen? Why?!“Duchess Myria Clarian Castro-Arcs broke away from the ranks of the main army and raced through the rows of our zombies under her own initiative,” Glein answered gloomily, drawing his sword uncertainly.It seemed I had asked the last question aloud. The garrison commander, Reive man who had been covering our rear all this time, didn’t know what he should do now. How he could bear arms against the woman he had formerly sworn to protect. Gerhard Ayris’s sister, the Princess of Aldenor.Also her own brother’s lover and my mother. Nevertheless, it was hardly likely that would be known to anyone.“And all this for the sake of killing Reive?” I moaned, struggling to help Glein keep the necromancer on his feet.The Undead King lost consciousness, and I could feel how heavy he was. I wanted to make a joke like: ‘you couldn’t tell by the look
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 91. Reive
Angelina smiled confusedly but didn’t let him distract her, “You must stop this battle. Right now. You started it, so you stop it.”Reive pursed his lips, thoughtfully rubbing his chin with one hand while continuing to hold Angelina’s wrist with the other, “Hmm... The battle’s already started. The Council is continuing its attack despite the throne guardian’s death,” he was deliberating. “I suppose either they don’t know that, or someone else is acting as supreme commander. But...” he made a short pause and then smiled and winked at the girl. “But I have a plan.”He clicked his fingers and the canopy of the Dark above them dispersed like mist.“Your Dark Majesty, it’s dangerous,” broke in Glein, standing at a respectful distance from Reive all this time. “The arrows, the magic, the flying beasts. We may not reach the walls of the fortress.”He looke
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 90. Reive
The Ashgenrian words left Reive’s lips, immediately breaking the higher undead’s attachment spell. Now, Biellendevir was attached neither to him nor to Angelina.The huge beast opened his mouth wide and cried aloud. A terrifying roar tore through the surroundings, freezing the wide-open eyes of the soldiers and chilling the hearts of the living.A bloody film clouded the gaze of the higher undead. No one controlled him now.It was no longer the same Biellen the necromancer’d known all his life. It was a higher undead, incredibly strong and incredibly hungry.“Forgive me,” Reive repeated, creating a ghostly noose and throwing it over the dragon’s neck.One movement – and the huge monster’s head drooped, his bones creaking.Biellendevir was roaring, making sounds like the howl of the cursed Abyss. No one dared to approach the three of them at that moment. Neither the enemy’s soldiers nor th
Do not awaken the Undead king Chapter 89. Reive
All the last day flashed by like a whirlwind before the eyes of the necromancer. He saw himself coming out of Angelina’s room. He saw the broken potion bottle, and Zomzom’s crippled body hidden behind the flight of stairs.The necromancer didn’t have any time to search for the killer just then. He ordered the zombie brought to his laboratory, promising himself he would find the brazen mage who had decided to make such a stupid joke with his personal servant.Now, the puzzle had come into place. This brazen mage was Livia Rendan. She had turned out to be a much stronger opponent than he had realized. The woman hadn’t only been able to delay the effect of the curse but with time might manage to completely neutralize it. Reive saw she was already able to speak perfectly well and even get to her feet. It was worthy of admiration. Reive had always respected strength of mind.However, Livia didn’t want to live. She had something els
