“Damn,” I said. “It’s a good thing we didn’t set up a shelter…”

  Oswald looked around the campsite. “I’m just glad we already ate. I’d have been pissed if my dinner had blown away.” We looked toward the city. The glow was just beginning to die down. “Do you suppose anyone survived whatever that was?”

  “No,” I said. “You remember the stories about that Battle of Unsung Heroes?”

  “Yeah? What about it?”

  I pointed toward the city. “Mother always said that’s what happened there.”

  “How would she know?”

  “I shrugged. “She said Patches told her. I guess him and the Caretaker were chums back before he became a god.”

  “Huh…” said Oswald. “Well, that means our only lead was just obliterated... So, what do we do now?”

  I looked at the receding light in the distance. “We need information.”

  Oswald looked in the same direction and nodded. “The quicker we get over there, the higher chance we find something we can raise and interrogate.”

  I nodded. “Hopefully. I doubt that blast left anything to work with. To be honest, I’m not holding my breath.”

  “Let’s get moving,” he said.

  8

  Ulrich

  I woke up several hours later. I was chained to a cold metal chair. I looked around my cell. The walls and floor were made of stone. So a cave of some kind? I needed to get out of here.

  The steel door to my cell opened. The hooded figure from earlier entered. He casually carried a bucket and a wicked-looking knife. What was his name again? Damon Tod?

  “Ahh, the prince is finally awake. How fortunate. For your friend. Had you slept much longer, we would have started to experiment on him.” He grinned. “You may feel a little pinch…” He ran the blade along my arm. The pain was like fire spreading across my skin. Blood instantly welled up. He held a bucket under my hand. When he lowered my arm, blood ran down my fingers and into the bucket.

  Damon Tod grinned. “Thank you for your contribution, Your Highness. Your blood will be of great use to us in the coming times. The power boost to our spells will be incredible with the royal blood dripping out of your arm.”

  “When I get free, I’m going to rip you apart with my bare hands,” I seethed.

  Damon Tod chuckled. “I thought that you might be feeling something to that effect. That is why your friend is still alive. If you get out of hand, we’ll torture him. If you overdo it, we’ll start killing hostages.”

  “Hostages?” I asked. “What hostages?”

  He grinned. “Why, all the pretty young women who have come to spend time with us these last few weeks. There are probably fifteen of them. Do not put their blood on your hands.”

  When the blood started slowing, he raised my arm. He made a gesture, and the blood that was left dripping on my arm turned to vapor and absorbed back into the wound. The wound began to knit itself closed, and the pain ebbed slightly.

  “Why would you heal me after hurting me?”

  “Worry not. I cannot have you dying on me. Your blood is much too valuable.” He grabbed the bucket headed for the door. When he got to the door, he stopped and turned back to me. “Someone shall be along to feed you shortly. It would be best if you regain your strength. I plan on taking much more of your blood. It would not do for you to die from it.” He left and shut the door behind him.

  Knowing that the kidnapped women were here, I would need to make my escape sooner than later. But I would need to wait for the right opportunity.

  ’I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It could have been days. Hells, it could have been years. The only measurement of time was when Damon Tod would come in with his knife and bucket. Every day, he would drain me of my life blood and gloat about how powerful it would make him. Either he or his minions would feed me—just enough so I could regain my strength to live but not enough to have a chance of escaping.

  It was torturous and unsettling. Other prisoners screamed off in the distance. I always wondered if Phillip was one of them. Through the walls, I couldn’t tell if the wails of agony were man, woman, or child. It made my blood boil.

  At some point in the monotony, the door creaked open, and Phillip snuck in.

  “Hey there,” he said. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’ve been better.” I looked around the room.

  “Yeah, I bet.” He brought me an orange and peeled it. “Here, eat this. It’ll help.”

  “How are you even here? Won’t they find you?”

  “Nah, they’re all taking a nap. The heat outside is pretty bad. They at least have us sleep through the day and work us in the mornings, evenings, and at night when it’s cooler. That’s when the guards sleep. So, every once in a while, I sneak off and do my own thing.”

  “Like stealing fruit?” I asked, grinning.

  “Exactly.” He grinned back. “And stashing other supplies.”

  “Have you seen anyone else?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Some of the missing girls are here. They’re just using them for labor at the moment. But at some point, they’ll be shipped south somewhere along the river. Oh—I also overheard someone say that the Sword Bearer and one of his friends killed Farheen. Somebody else named Slag apparently is going to replace him. But I’m not sure yet.”

  “Farheen’s dead?” I asked. “That’s actually great news.”

  “Perhaps, perhaps not. I don’t know this Slag or anything about him. He could be ten times worse than Farheen ever was.”

  “I suppose you are right, but we won’t know until something new happens. Is there any chance that we can get the ladies out of here?”

  “Maybe.” He looked behind him when a noise echoed down the corridor. “I have to go. Someone is coming. We will talk more soon. We’ll be getting out of here.” He turned around and snuck out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

  I thought about that for a moment. With Farheen out of the way, crime might just slow down. But this Slag? He could be a wildcard. We’d have to escape on our own somehow. I didn’t think anyone would be coming for us. With everything happening in the countryside, looking for a lost prince and his friend were probably the last thing on anyone’s priority list. But who knew… Stranger things had happened. Getting ourselves out was probably the best option.

  Phillip quickly stepped through the door and closed it behind him. “Today’s the day we make our escape.”

  “How?” I asked. “I’m still stuck in these chains. And even if I wasn’t, I barely have the energy to sit up, let alone fight.”

  “Tomorrow, Damon Tod will be off scouting some fort he wants to take over.” He handed me a small burlap sack. “Eat and get your strength back. Tomorrow, we’re breaking out of here.”

  “It’s about time,” I said.

  Phillip nodded and made his way back into the corridor. I had just finished eating about half the food and hiding the sack under my cot when the door opened again.

  Damon Tod entered, cheery and egotistical as usual. “Good morning, Your Highness,” he drawled. “Have you any blood for me today?”

  I sighed. “Shut up and get it over with.”

  “With pleasure,” he cooed.

  After he left, I spent the rest of the day doing sit-ups and push-ups. The exercise helped focus and hone my mind for whatever Phillip had planned tomorrow. I ate the rest of the meats and vegetables after I finished my workout. Sleep took me quickly.

  “What do you want?” I asked the man who entered my cell. “Where’s Damon Tod?”

  The man grinned. “I want your blood.” He set the bucket down next to my feet. “Damon Tod’s not here today. Now shut up before I rough you up a bit and tell Damon Tod you resisted while he was gone.”

  I grinned and kicked the bucket across the room. It clattered against the door. I flexed my abdominal muscles just before the punch hit me in the gut.

  “Cute,” he said. He walked to the door and leaned down to pick up the bucket. “Don’t think that this’ll get you out of—”

  The door slammed open with such force that it came out of the frame and smashed him to the ground. Phillip stood in the shattered doorway, a huge grin plastered on his face.

  “Miss me?”

  I laughed. “You couldn’t have timed that better had you tried.”

  “Oh, but I did try.” He laughed. “I heard the bucket hit the door and heard him speaking.”

  The man groaned from beneath the door.

  “Sorry, chap. Can’t have you calling for help.” Phillip kicked him across the temple. The groaning stopped. He reached down and took the knife from his hand and the keys from his belt. “Won’t be needing these anymore.” He looked at me. “Want the knife?”

  “Nah, keep it,” I said. “I’ll make do until I find a weapon.”

  Phillip walked over and unlocked my cuffs. “How are you feeling? Hopefully, the food helped?”

  I stretched and rubbed my wrists. “A lot better now.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. The food helped immensely.”

  “No worries,” he said. “I’m glad it worked. Now, let’s get going, shall we?”

  “What’s your plan?”

  He shrugged. “Kind of just making it up as I go. The only solid part I have figured out is that we’ve got wagons and supplies for the prisoners to make their escape. As for us?” He shrugged. “I’m open to suggestions.”

  “That’s good enough for me.” I nodded once. Let’s go.”

  “The prince is escaping!” yelled a woman in the distance. “Sound the alarm!”

  “Not even ten paces.” I shook my head. “So much for stealth.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Phillip. “We were bound to get caught anyhow.” He pointed toward a cave about fifty paces away. “That’s where they’re keeping the prisoners.”

  “Make a run for it. We’ll need to free them before the fighting starts.”

  We ran across the opening as chaos broke out all around the camp. The cultists were gathering to overwhelm us. I grabbed a fist-sized rock from the ground and chased after Phillip.

  The cave was guarded by a cultist and two undead. I tapped the cultist on the head with the rock, and he crumbled. Phillip used the knife to behead the undead in one fluid motion. We charged through the doorway. The cultist there drew a dagger, but Phillip was quicker. He punched her in the temple, and she collapsed. “Sorry, lass, I don’t normally hit women, but it’s better than stabbing you.” He took the keys from her belt and tossed them to me.

  Avelyn looked up as I approached her. “Ulrich?” Her eyes grew ten sizes. “Ulrich! How?”

  I opened the cage door and released Avelyn’s shackles. She threw herself on me and wrapped her arms around me.

  “I knew you would come,” she said. “Somehow, I knew.”

  “Are you well enough to walk?” I tossed Phillip the keys.

  “Yes,” she said as she let go. “Although I don’t know how far we will get. The cultists do not give us much water in case anyone tries to escape.”

  I grinned. “We have a plan for that. Help Phillip get everyone free. I need to leave for a few minutes.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “To buy you all some time,” I said. “Unfortunately, the cultists know Phillip and I have escaped.”

  “Be careful,” she said.

  I nodded once. “You as well.”

  PHILLIP

  * * *

  Ulrich ran out the cave entrance. As badly as I wanted to join him, I knew my duty. I needed to free everyone and get them to the wagons. Then I could join the fight. I just hoped Ulrich could hold his own until then despite his constant blood loss.

  “Avelyn, help me with these chains.”

  “Right,” she said. I ran around the room unlocking padlocks while she helped pull the chains through the prisoners’ shackles. A few minutes later, the sounds of battle came from the entrance.

  “All right, everyone. We’re going to get you out of here. There are wagons outside with barrels of water and food.”

  “Wagons?” asked one of the women.

  “Yes,” I said. “The cultists were preparing to leave. Their convoy is packed, and the horses are hitched.”

  “What do we do?” asked Avelyn.

  “Easy.” I grinned. “We sneak out and get to the wagons while Ulrich distracts them.

  “We’ll be right behind you then.

  I nodded. The two of us led our ragtag group of prisoners out of the caves. Not far from the entrance were the wagons.

  I handed her the ritual knife I’d liberated from the cultist. “This isn’t going to do me much good. I need to find a bigger weapon.”

  “Will this work?” asked Avelyn. She pointed at some sort of support beam about as big around as my arm.

  “Perfectly,” I said. The group of undead protecting the wagons rushed toward us. “You’re in charge of getting these people to safety. We’ll hold them off long enough for you to get away.”

  Her eyebrows shot upk and her jaw dropped. “You’re staying behind?”

  I laughed. “Someone’s gotta keep Ulrich out of trouble.” I raised the makeshift club. “Time’s up. Get going.” I nodded once to her and charged forward toward the group. I swung with every bit of strength I could to get the heavy oak beam moving. The impact splattered the heads of three undead in one swing, but the momentum nearly took me from my feet. I thrusted the beam backward, smashing the chin of the next one charging after me.

  I risked a look behind me. The wagons were already moving toward the open desert. Good. One less set of variables to worry about. The next group of undead had just reached me. I swung again, more mindful of the momentum. Mid-swing, I noticed Ulrich and Damon Tod looking toward me. As I recovered from the swing, Ulrich nodded once. He knew I had it handled. He was free to take on Damon Tod. I grinned, nodded back, and then continued to smash undead faces.

  ULRICH

  * * *

  “You there.” Damon Tod pointed at a pair of cultists. “Get the wagons back ,or you will become the next group thralls!”

  The man and woman gasped then ran after the wagons.

  “Your fight is with us.” I raised my hand toward them and blasted each in the back with a bolt of red lightning. They dropped like a sack of rocks. I slowly turned to stare at Damon Tod. “The hostages are free. All that’s left to do is to make sure you can never hurt anyone again.”

  He laughed. “My dear prince. Looks like I returned just in time.” He shook his head. “How naive. What exactly do you think you are going to accomplish by these antics?”

  “Well, I figured that one of us is getting buried tonight.” I grinned. “No reason why it shouldn’t be you.”

  Damon Tod laughed. “Did you forget about my contingency plan?”

  “Phillip?” I asked. We both looked over to the large group of undead Phillip was fighting. I shrugged and nodded once. Phillip grinned and nodded back. “He seems to be handling himself well enough.”

  “Indeed.” Damon Tod made a gesture. “I shall remedy that. In the meantime, you can play with my little friend.”

  “Wha—”

  A bellowing roar shook the air as an undead beast rushed at me from a pile of bodies. I fired a wave of force at my feet and flung myself away. The ground cratered where I’d been standing.

  Without hesitating, I sent a blast of red lightning at the monster’s face. The bolt hit it square in the chin and rocked its head back. It bellowed with rage and dove for me.

  9

  Cristof

  The edge of the city was as burned as the rest of it. The ground crunched under our feet as we walked farther inward.

  Oswald shook his head. “There isn’t as much heat as I thought there would be.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “Maybe it was a magic blast?”

  “Could have been. Or it coul—” He turned quickly in a circle, startling me. “He’s not here.”

  “Huh?”

  “Damon Tod,” he said. “He isn’t here in the city. He’s gone that way.” He pointed toward the coast north of us.

  “A boat?”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But he’s inland—I think.

  I nodded. “Okay then, let’s go that way. Not like there’s anything here.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Just angry spirits and the ashes of thousands.”

  I shook my head. “There was no reason for this kind of devastation.”

  “It happened to stop the undead from spreading.”

  I frowned. “Yeah, but if Damon Tod hadn’t turned that many, this never would have happened. I’m mad at him, not whoever ended his spell.”

  “I get it,” said Oswald. “It’s still horrible.”

  “Agreed.” I turned toward the coast. “Come on. I’m guessing we have a good walk ahead of us.”

  We walked for a couple of hours along the beach. The sun was cresting the horizon, and the waves crashed against the shore. Ahead of us, a group of corpses littered the ground in a tightly packed pile.

  My jaw dropped. “What do you suppose happened here?”

  “I honestly have no idea,” he said. We approached the shoreline. A boat was tied to a palm tree. He pointed to it. “Looks like it was dragged from the shore.”

  I nodded. “Right through the corpses.” We followed the ruts in the sand to the broken bodies. The damage was a lot worse up close. “It looks like whoever did this came aground here, was attacked by undead, and blasted them to pieces.”