None of us knew what he was talking about, but we let it go and joined the bishop by sitting down on the street for a much-deserved rest.

  Just over a minute later, backup from the harbor arrived. We thanked them for their effort, trying to keep genuine warmth in our voices, but we were all frustrated by their delay.

  By then, the bishop was standing upright. After an unrequested invigorate spell from one of the inquisitors and several low-level heal spells that followed, he was in good condition, if still exhausted.

  He gave orders to begin patrolling dark places for stray undead and for groups to go door-to-door under his authority and inspect every space in businesses, warehouses, and homes. “Especially the cellars,” he warned.

  Sergeant Philip walked over to me with his arm on the shoulder of a young watchman he introduced as Patrolman Adam, who had defended the bishop as the elderly cleric fell. Philip withdrew his hand from Adam’s shoulder and reached out to me. Locking eyes with mine and without blinking, he clasped my arm and said, “I still owe you, Lord Istari.” And then he merely walked away, ruffling Adam’s hair, and then smacked him upside the head like a big brother, both proud and admonishing a younger sibling for doing something incredibly courageous and foolhardy at the same time.

  Corporal Landal from the inquisitors also stopped by before departing. “I’ve never been overfond of mages. But you have the soul of a priest. I trust you. If you need my help. Just ask.” Then she departed, heading east to those city gates to inspect the damage and begin careful inspections of the city for hidden undead.

  Biff and Bido said rapid farewells to their recent battle comrades among the warriors and moved over to join me. I could see Biff’s eyes still searching the skies around the city's center, with near panic on his grim-lined face.

  The Bishop called us over just as Biff drew close, his hand pointing west of our position. “Young journeymen, you three have done your guilds, city, and families proud on this day. And I owe you my thanks and more.”

  He turned to leave and glanced back at me. “I’ll be stopping by to see you about your rings, young patron, " the bishop said, then walked away with cleric apprentices and inquisitors in tow.

  “What did he mean by that?” Bido asked me.

  I shook my head. “I’m not sure. Maybe that was an offer to make a few Single Use Spell rings for me.”

  “Or he will take some,” Bido offered.

  Biff slapped Bido upside the head gently. But it still caused him to stagger to one side. “Respect the bishop.”

  Bido said, “Alright, alright. I was just joking.” And he rubbed the side of his head.

  The AL whispered into my ear. Enchanter Gwydion earns a spell or skill point to be placed as desired for significant progress during the Deathlight quest. You have earned an attribute point for saving the Bishop of Keelwell and significant progress during the Shadowy Corpses quest. Spell and skill points must be reclaimed at a guild hall or sanctuary. Ability points may be claimed immediately. Additions and notes have been added to your Book of Quests that remain unread.

  I thought about my narrow escape and sent a thought to the AL. I will take one point in Agility. I felt warm for a moment, and then it passed.

  I turned to Biff. “Let’s go. We need to discover what the signal meant.”

  Biff was eager to leave, but he feared what he might find, given the time since Wilma’s signal. Once we began, he set a pace that had Bido and me breathing hard by the time we reached the cathedral.

  “Biff, let’s walk a few hundred feet. I’m exhausted by the battle, and my stamina is shot.” I said after holding back saying anything as long as I could.

  Bido let out an explosive sigh and agreed, “Please. We can keep moving, but not so fast.”

  Biff set his jaw tight and began grinding his teeth, but he slowed, allowing us to walk for a while. As we walked forward, Adriana and Simon came running toward us from where they had been standing just outside of Sundance’s. They had been arguing about which direction to go. Simon favored finding us at the cathedral, and Adriana wanted to go directly to the park. When they saw us, they ran to meet us.

  “What happened?” Biff burst out, not interested in their argument.

  Adriana saw his expression and cut to the point. “The undead took Wilma underground.”

  “Where?” Biff demanded.

  Simon answered, “Through the channel overflow grating under Park Bridge.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Biff started to run toward the park. Simon caught up easily and grasped his arm. “We will all go, but let’s do it together. We are all her friends.”

  Biff once more looked livid and like he would strike Simon, but controlled himself. He turned to the others, “We need to hurry.”

  I said, “Biff, let’s walk quickly but gather as much information as possible.” I began walking toward the park, and the others joined immediately.

  “Adriana, what happened?” I asked.

  As we strode quickly down the street, we were nearing Sundance’s, and I saw that the picture window had been broken. She saw where I was looking. “Oh, Gwydion, I am so sorry!”

  I turned to her, my eyes growing large as I slowly understood what she was telling me. I began to run to my former master when Simon had me by the arm just as firmly and gently as he had grasped Biff’s.

  “We do not have time for the dead while the living still suffer.” He said.

  I looked Simon in the eyes, mine tearing up. I looked over to Biff, who stared back at me with barely controlled panic. I glanced at the broken store window and the darkness beyond before looking back at Biff, whose gaze lingered toward the park.

  Simon let go of me as I moved to Biff’s side and squeezed his arm. “We save Wilma and then find out what happened here.”

  Biff and I both moved forward, setting an even quicker pace. Our exhaustion was forgotten, replaced by anger and an urgent need to find our friend.

  Today’s events would not end here and not like this.

  Adriana caught up and explained what had happened to them.

  “I met Simon in the Round a little before your party was supposed to begin on the lawn behind the guild hall. We figured that we would not be permitted to attend your trials, but we didn’t want to be the first lame partygoers to show up, so we hung out at the fountain.

  “While we were sitting there, some older children came running across the Diagonal, yelling about monsters in the park. We immediately thought about another giant eel and sprinted off toward Park Pond.”

  Adriana shuddered. “Oh, Gwydion, it was the First Day of Spring picnic. The park was full of students and their families!” She cried.

  While she was talking, we were moving rapidly down St. Michael’s Way and had reached the Round on our left, and saw the destroyed fountain. Steven was tending to some injured warriors propped up against some of the large, toppled stone blocks. He looked up and saw us.

  He said something to one of the other clerics nearby and moved diagonally to catch up as he realized that we were heading somewhere in a hurry.

  “Where are you going?” He asked. “The party’s over.” He smiled, but nobody else did.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked suddenly.

  Biff kept walking, his jaw working from side to side, but he did not reply. So I answered. “Wilma was taken by the undead in the park. We are going to find her.”

  He fell in line and drew his mace from its ring sheath on his belt.

  His jaw set, too. “Yes, we are.” He said with a firm resolve that caused Biff to stare at him and then nod once before he went back to looking ahead of us and increasing the pace a bit more.

  Nobody complained.

  Adriana picked up her story. “So after Simon and I ran to the park to see what was happening, thinking that another giant eel was attacking the kids at the picnic, we burst through the trees at the pond’s edge and saw, we saw-”

  “Chaos.” Simon filled in.

  She nodded. “Families were running all around, and there were zombies and skeletons in little packs all over. It was awful, just awful.”

  Simon continued. “We got as far as the pond’s beach, where we had encountered our eely friend when we met up with a Watch patrol that was trying to protect a group of kids that the pond had boxed in. They were having a rough time of it.”

  Adriana added, “Until Simon leapt into the center of the skeletons and did some kind of whirlwind kicks that sent them all tumbling. The kids ran back the way we had come, and we joined the Watch and started to advance into the park.”

  Simon frowned. “We didn’t get very far. But by then, most of the families had either escaped,” he paused, “or hadn’t. And the little pods of undead began to form up into marching lines. Most moved off east toward Chagrin, but a nice-sized group headed our way and began to slowly drive us back toward the pond.”

  Adriana added, “Two more Watch patrols had joined us, and we fought the skeletons to a standstill.”

  Simon smiled. “Some Zombies joined the skeletons, and Adriana gave them a blast of fire that, while it did not have as dramatic an effect on the skeletons, sent the zombies burning like oil-soaked wax candles. They went down fast.”

  “But the number of skeletons seemed to grow, and we got pushed back into the pond itself. We fought in the shallow water.” Adriana reached out and held my arm. “I fell into the water and struggled with my robes right where the eel had struck Biff. If we had not gone to the pond, if you had not followed the sorceress's advice, I would have been the friend you would have lost, I am sure of it.”

  Actually, the prophecy warned that I would lose one that I loved, not just a friend. But I did not correct her.

  She continued. “Simon did another one of his sound wave attack thingies-”

  “Followed by an actual wave attack thingie by our elementalist,” Simon added, “and they were knocked back, and we took a sizable chunk out. But then they stood back up and came at us again.”

  Adriana said, “And that was when we saw Wilma’s signal not more than fifty yards from us. She was with a group of kids by a copse of trees near the river bridge and was surrounded by zombies with swords.”

  “Ghouls,” Steven said darkly.

  Adriana looked at him and then at Biff, “There was nothing we could do. We couldn’t get to her or the kids.”

  Simon said, “She would not leave them. She fired Mage Bolts and spells, but undead are pretty much immune to illusions.”

  “But they did not strike or bite them, the ghouls grabbed Wilma and the kids and dragged them to the bridge and down to the overflow grating, which was already thrown open.

  Steven said, “The ghouls had a plan.”

  “What’s the difference?” Biff said explosively.

  Steven looked at me and then answered Biff, “Zombies would have tried to bite and eat Wilma and the kids, but ghouls are more sentient. They look like zombies, but are far more dangerous, and they also wield weapons. They had to have been under orders to capture some humans and bring them below. It is the only explanation for why they were taken and not killed.”

  Steven called Biff, who seemed to walk even faster, “It means she might still be unharmed.”

  Biff stopped. He was pumping his hands into fists, fighting back an urge to lash out at something, but he still had enough presence to hear Steven’s words. “She might still be okay?” He asked.

  Steven replied, “I just don’t know Biff. But they took her and the kids rather than just cutting them down. That means something, and I for one am using it to give me hope that she and the kids are still okay.”

  Biff stared hard at him and then forced himself to relax. “So we should go in expecting trouble, but together. None of us goes running off all by himself.”

  It sounded more like he was talking to himself than any of us, but I agreed. “We are going down there together, Biff. And we are coming back. With Wilma and the kids.”

  He looked into my eyes, saw my resolve, and nodded again. His posture changed. It went from tense and nervous to tense and angry. He was ready, and anything that came between him and Wilma was going to feel some hurt.