destroy the forest,» said the Herald.
«I’m scared,» Esmeralda complained. «It feels like we are being watched tirelessly.»
– But we broke away from the inquisitors!
– Now I’m not sure that this is really that good!
Eleon gently took her hand.
– Calm down, honey.
– What is this strange noise? – Esmeralda looked around in fear.
– Maybe these are wolves? – Eleon suggested. – You don’t have to be afraid of them. Or the wind is noisy.
– No. It’s them,» whispered the Herald.
– Who are they? – Dorian asked in fear.
– Spirits of those long dead. They say they still live in the local swamps, and at night they sing songs and take away lost travelers.
– Let’s try not to catch their eye.
A huge stone flew over the heads of the travelers and knocked down a tree.
– Are these your ghosts, Herald? – Dorian glanced sideways at the crushed plant.
– No. These are giants! Get down!
As soon as Dorian lowered his head, another cobblestone flew over him.
– Out of the frying pan into the fire! Run!
There was no need to repeat it twice – all four immediately started running as fast as they could. A huge hairy monster ran after them, its toothy mouth open. Then the giant bent down to throw another stone.
The travelers ran deep into the forest, and somewhere in the distance they could still hear the dissatisfied roar of the cannibal giants.
– Looks like they’ve come off! – said Eleon, and immediately realized that he was mistaken: someone was pulling his leg.
Hands without flesh grew out of the ground. At first there were few of them, but then completely skeletons began to appear. In rusty armor and with rusty swords, they blocked the path of our heroes.
– Fate, be merciful! We found ourselves on the ancient Swamp Mound!
– Run! – once again the cherished phrase sounded. But this time there was nowhere to run: the wights stood on all sides, and there were more and more of them. Eleon used his skills, and a couple of monsters flew up, and then fell, and all that was left of them was dust. The Herald and Esmeralda did not stand idle either. After all, they also had magic. The father fired the cherished lightning, from which the living dead turned into ashes, and Esmeralda pushed them with the power of thought. Dorian grabbed a nearby branch, so he also defended himself. The strength was already running out, but it was impossible to stop – only a third of the revived ancestors were defeated, and now the hands that protruded from the ground were becoming more and more numerous.
– You know, Esmeralda! I’m glad that we met. This was worth living for.
– I love you too, Eleon!
– I can’t die! After all, I didn’t tell Aingi so much,» Dorian continued the old song.
«It looks like these guys were out of luck,» said the Herald, looking at the pile of bones behind the wights. – They didn’t survive the meeting with them. The main thing that…
Before the clerk had time to express his thought, the pile of bones began to take on human shape and stand up!
– Now it’s definitely over! – said the Herald.
– Sorry! I betrayed you, teacher! I never fulfilled your last wish! – Eleon lowered his head.
– Don’t get soggy! Let’s give them the last battle and die with a sword in our hand! – shouted the Herald.
– With which we will then begin to kill new passers-by, returning from the grave. But how many will we take with us? Go ahead, friends!
Dorian took the rusty sword of one of the fallen wights.
In preparation for death, our heroes received new powers. Now tenacious hands were no longer able to hold them to the ground, and the skeletons scattered left and right, as if from a whirlwind.
– Stop! – a woman’s voice sounded, and the corpses froze.
Behind the dead stood ten people in red cloaks with hoods.
– You must return to the world of the dead! Rest in peace!
– Thank you! – the zombies roared, and they suddenly crumbled, turning into ashes.
– Tie them up! – commanded the woman who had just saved our travelers. – Let’s take them to Sylvia. Let her decide their fate – no one can cross the line of our forest with impunity!
Esmeralda tried to fight the woman, but all the rescuers had magic suppression runes, so resistance was useless. Soon all four were tied up.
They were heading east. The prisoners were exhausted from the latest events, but the guides pushed them from behind, not giving them the opportunity to stop.
– Who are you and why did you come to our forest? – asked the woman who saved their lives.
– We were looking for shelter in your forest from the inquisitors.
– Our forest is not the best refuge for honest people. Do not stop! Can’t you talk while walking? Did you wake the wights? It’s good that this time the rune of repose worked correctly! Otherwise, last time we were missing two… So why did you do it?
– We didn’t revive the dead! – said the Herald. – We fought them off!
– The Creator grant that this be true. The hostess will judge. But if you are a necromancer, then you will be in trouble, I promise you this with the bodies of my dead comrades!
– Sienna, stop! – one of the captors held the sword in the woman’s sheath. «You yourself said that their fate should be determined by Sylvia.»
Then they walked in silence, each in their own thoughts. Sienna repeatedly pushed the captives so that they would not stop.
***
So they came to a beautiful castle made of white marble.
– But we should have seen its roof many miles away! – Esmeralda was surprised.
«Magic hides a lot from prying eyes,» said Sienna. – Don’t you know about this, necromancer?
At the threshold they were already met by a red-haired woman in a green dress that matched the color of her eyes.
– Greetings, Guardian of the Ancient Portal! – said the people in red cloaks.
– Portal?! What kind of portal do they mean? – Dorian seemed to express his thoughts too loudly, remembering his home with bitterness.
– Why are you asking? – asked the Guardian. – What have you forgotten on my lands?
«I believe that it is they who are to blame for the revival of corpses, Sylvia,» Sienna grinned maliciously, looking at the prisoners.
– Search them! – the mistress of the castle commanded.
– Oh, the coin is the key to the prison. You are in cahoots with the prisoners. Let’s get to know those you are trying to save.
«Everything is lost!» – thought Eleon.
Sylvia took the round object and held it up to the mirror. As one would expect, the old man looked at those around him through the looking glass.
– Greetings, Master Sylvia!
– Avinius! What are you doing in prison?
– Troubled times have come.