Nemo stared at King Galukar’s letter for a good long while, as if doing so might change its content. Unsurprisingly, it did not. The warning remained, as did the initials and the seal. The handwriting was just what he recalled King Galukar’s being, those few times he’d seen him scribbling orders before they were separated under Shaiagrazni’s service, and even the manner of speech, if such a pressing note could be called such, was familiar.

  There was no denying the note was really from Galukar, and, as far as Nemo could tell, completely sincere. It made his heart race, his vision actually blur with the stress suddenly ensnaring him.

  Meet my man at the border of your city.

  The command there was unmistakable, which meant that if Nemo didn’t obey, it would be an act of disobedience. That could have consequences. The ire of the world’s deadliest warrior for one thing, but also disastrous issues for whatever Galukar was planning on him to do.

  As much as he clearly loathed certain members of Shaiagrazni’s inner circle, he’d not been actively antagonistic. Or at least not pro-actively. Sabotaging others, let alone outright turning on them, didn’t seem like it was likely for the old King. So what was this about then?

  Nemo sat down, felt his head spinning. He just wasn’t used to this. He missed his home, his library. The loneliness had been hard- agonizing at times- but at least it hadn’t been a nest of vipers around him. He felt like he’d puke.

  Eventually though Nemo was forced to decide, and of course made the only choice he truly could. He headed out for Galukar’s subordinate, just as instructed. The note was clutched tight in his hand, Xekanis never more than a whisper from his thoughts, body still trembling with uncertainty. He missed his library so, so much…

  At the edge of the city, after a good half-hour of walking, Nemo found himself rather surprised by who was waiting for him, but perhaps should not have been. Swick the Swift grinned as he saw Nemo approach, standing tall as ever and seeming to maintain his perpetual, sprinting-ready slouch.

  “Alright boy!” He grinned, managing to somehow yell the words out without yelling at all. Nemo frowned, blinked. He felt his mind sliding against the sky pirate, thoughts threatening to rebound from his face as if by magic. Just focusing on him was a struggle.

  “You’ll get used to it.” The captain grinned, as if he knew already what Nemo were finding so hard. “Now, here’s the situation. Galukar reckons you’d best come with us,” As he used the collective, a woman emerged from behind him who was taller even than Swick was, and looked half again as heavy with muscle. Nemo found his eyes holding onto her much easier, and quickly recognised King Galukar’s daughter.

  “Why?” Nemo managed to ask, despite the overwhelming everything going on.

  “Can’t tell you.” Swick replied. “But you need to come.

  Nemo hesitated, saw the woman- Felicia- roll her eyes, and she was speaking over Swick a moment later.

  “Magi are coming for you here.” She explained. “They’ve already hit Queen Ade’s city, and we’ve lost track of her location. She may be dead, you’re the one they’ll try to come for next. So we need to go fast. Faster than they think you’d be capable of.”

  Hence the skyship, Nemo felt the pieces clicking into pace. It would’ve been soothing, if not for one minor thing…

  “Why are they trying to kill me?!” He groaned, though already knew the answer.

  “Demonology, lad!” Swick laughed. “Too good at it for your own good, you are. Now come the fuck on before some bearded buggers drop in and make our balls explode.”

  Nemo almost followed, then paused.

  “And why are you here for me?” He asked, forcing steel into his spine as he eyed them both. People didn’t just help each other, that was one crucial lesson he’d learned since being freed. Life wasn’t like his books, it was worse.

  Swick didn’t look fazed at all, but Felicia’s face softened.

  “Because you’re just a kid, and King Galukar doesn’t think you deserve to be hurt because of powers you didn’t even ask for and can’t fully control.”

  She was, Nemo thought, wrong on both accounts, but considering his safe passage apparently rested on her assuming otherwise he decided not to correct her.

  Now I’m a liar, too.

  They started onto the skyship, Nemo following after. He saw a surprising bulk of men aboard, most busy with one task or another. One of them, a towering man who seemed taller even than Shaiagrazni- almost as tall as King Galukar- was hauling an anchor as big as a man with his own strength alone.

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  “What about Sphera?” Nemo asked. “She’s still in the area, is she…She’s on board right?”

  Felicia turned to him again, and this time there wasn’t a shred of warmth behind her eyes as she replied.

  “Sphera the necromancer sided with the original Dark Lord, the man who killed my brothers.” Her voice was tight as a garotte. “She can hang for all I care.”

  ***

  Sphera hadn’t made a habit of open combat against magi, one might be able to deduce that fact about her by observing her still being alive past the age of twenty. Prodigy though she was, Necromancy was not a brawler’s art. Her own master had almost fallen to her through the disadvantage of limited preparation and surprise, and she lacked even his Fleshcrafting to compensate.

  So she moved quietly, and quickly. And subtly. Heeding the warning her sentries had given her- of robed men shimmering with power making their way to her location- and running with it. Literally running with it, with only the barest coterie of a few particularly potent undead to watch over her.

  Ironbane wasn’t a familiar city to Sphera, and it was incredibly contrived in its construction. She’d memorised only half its structure. As if knowing the fact, her magi pursuers had forced her into the parts she knew nothing of, and the chase was growing confusing. Perhaps inevitably, she found a dead end blocking her. To melt through with shadestuff would expose her position, but as she turned she found the way back walled off by two bearded men, eyes beady and glinting as they fell upon her.

  One raised his hand to the sky, launching a blast of lightning to crackle and dissipate into it. That alone had given her position away, Sphera winced.

  The other magus was already gesturing, and at the motion of his arm Sphera saw stones erupt from the ground and great creeping vines dart towards her. Not Fleshcrafting of course, just the manipulation of biological plant-matter for their own ends, hypocritical pricks. She roared, splaying her own arms wide and sending a blast of shadestuff out.

  Vines withered, eroded, died. Both magi scrambled back, one avoiding the shadestuff entirely as it drizzled down the alley. The other- the one who’d attacked her with vines- was splashed in his torso, just one side. That side disappeared, a stew of organ-juice and blood slopping out of it as he dropped like a stone.

  More lightning, this time coming for Sphera. She hadn’t expected her shadestuff to actually stop it- a stupid thought. Of course it did, decaying electricity and head as it did all other things. Nothing was beyond death.

  Certainly not Sphera. Her mental signal came just in time for the first of her undead custodians to drop down behind the lightning magus, one of her master’s newly-made Fleshcrafted stealth units responsible for taking this very city. Direct combat was far from its design purpose.

  But it still boasted greater physical prowess than most knights, because Silenos Shaiagrazni did not believe in half-measures. A single stroke of its scythe-like talons neatly cut the magus from crown to groin, leaving his two halves to split open and paint the alley red. Sphera was then twisting back to the wall.

  She had moments before the rest of the magi were on her, if she was lucky. So Sphera burned away two walls- the one that had initially blocked her, and the one leading inside a building. With luck the minor ambiguity would throw off some of her pursuit.

  After that, she was running again.

  None of Sphera’s undead were far, but now she drew them closer in. The fear of attracting exerted focus was gone now that she’d already been located, and there was nothing to gain by avoiding denser numbers. Her force crashed right into the magus’ ambush.

  Her shadestuff splashed against overlapping energy shields, and was blocked. Criss-crosses of arcane death burned apart her bodyguards as the undead desperately flung themselves before her to block the attacks. Sphera cursed.

  Magi, unlike her, were mere humans physically. Bereft of Fleshcrafting by her master, their lack of Vigour made them fragile things. But the destructive power they wielded was exponentially beyond an equivalent warrior. The entire street around her came apart, boulder-sized fragments of stone sent spinning away, pavings erupting to shredded gravel. Her guard lasted moments, Sphera moments more.

  Then the flames descended, and the half-dozen magi who’d out-maneuvered her were engulfed.

  “No, Xekanis I- uh, well, uh…Okay fine, but please just… Just do it quickly.” Sphera turned to the remarkably weak voice calling out, and found herself surprised to see Prince Nemo staring at the burning magi.

  She looked back, and realised why at a glance. They weren’t just engulfed in fire, but a thing of fire. A grinning, anthropomorphic face glinted in the blaze and seemed to lick up the melting flesh and running blood. She shivered, despite the heat. Demons…She would never get used to Demons.

  “Are you okay?” Prince Nemo asked, frowning at her with boyish concern as he jogged over. “I’m sorry if you’re hurt, I came as fast as I could.”

  “I’m fine.” She snapped, more harshly than was necessary. In truth, Sphera was shaken. She wasn’t accustomed to being at another’s mercy, hadn’t been since her capture by Silenos. She hated it. “Thank you.”

  The Prince stood there awkwardly for a moment, something slowly worming its way out of his vocal chords. Sphera saved him the trouble.

  “Why are you here?” She demanded.

  “Swick and Galukar’s daughter Felicia are here to rescue me, but they were going to leave you to the magi. I know everything you’ve done.” He practically whispered. “But I don’t think you need to die. Not if you can become better.”

  Sphera felt herself actually touched by his words, a repulsive feeling that nearly left her puking on his shoes.

  “I see.” She croaked, shoving whatever acidic emotions he was conjuring up down. She could deal with those later, when she had the luxury of focusing enough to kill them. “Thank you.”

  But King Galukar knew. Swick and Felicia were working with him, Sphera had learned that much before splitting from the coalition. King Galukar had known she would be killed, and he hadn’t lifted a finger to stop it. Had there been explicit orders to save her alongside Nemo, she would have been saved. But she wasn’t. Her blood boiled.

  And she was not thinking of the magi as it did.