The Ascension

The carriage reached the gate of Stormwall, with three platoons of dead soldiers guarding it, which sent shivers down the spines of the guards at the gate.

"What do we do?" A single guard said. "There are hundreds of dead soldiers, and all are in formation!" His comrade swallowed a lump that suddenly formed in his dry throat, and went to the bell. He quickly rang it, and called for reinforcements.

It took a few minutes before the guard captain appeared, and though he looked cranky, the guard pointed a finger to the top of the wall. One thing the captain noted was how pale he looked.

He took the stairs as fast as he could go, but when he got to the top, he paled as well.

"Beast shit. An army of zombies." He shivered, and watched as one zombie soldier walked forward, and knocked on the gate with a hard fist. "Is it asking for attention?" He frowned heavily.

"Of course he is." A soft melodic voice said. The guard looked into the army ranks and noted a tall pale woman move through the soldiers unharmed.

"Send a representative down to talk." She said, and grinned. Those sharp teeth and black eyes made the captain tremble.

"Will they live if they came out to talk?" He asked carefully. She laughed lightly.

"If I wanted your city dead, it would be dead." She began to leak death elements in a vast quantity. "My Master has sent me here, and she is angry. I suggest you send someone down quickly, or I will open the door my way." The captain thought for a full minute before he groaned.

"As you wish...what are they doing here?" The captain said as a large group of men and women approached the gate, with their hands bound, and a plain iron collar on their neck. "How did I not see the prisoner collars?" He whispered quietly.

"Captain, open the gate." A man said that lead the group to the gate. "If she wanted in, she could turn the gates to dust, and walk in." He said firmly. As a result, there was another laugh.

"Ah, you must be from Honored Blood Hall. My daughters said your hall had members that were intelligent, and reasonable." She said with a smile. The gate was unlocked, while the Hall Master, Marko, pushed the gate open and walked out.

"Your daughters were polite, and reasonable with us when they last visited." The Hall Master looked at the soldiers carefully. "Something brings you to us with a small portion of your forces. We've gathered some of the ones who were a part of the attempt to grab the girls." He waved his hand and a group of both men and women were escorted out at sword point. They were all well dressed, and doused in perfumes. The collars and restraints were new.

"Mother, they stink of perfumes like the nobles on the other side of the mountain." Giel said with a crinkled up nose. "How can Thay use these things to help her with her babies?" Sol nodded, and lightly patted her daughter's shoulder.

"She's right, Hall Master. They stink of fear, sweat, and colognes. Wash them thoroughly, and have them delivered to my carriage later." The Hall Master watched the woman shiver. "My Master wishes to know if Liam Inaris is still within Stormwall."

"When last we checked, he seemed to be in a hurry to get out of the city. He was on the last carriage to the capital yesterday. We did not track him as he was not yet added to the list of those who tried to attack the ladies." The Hall Master looked around as he felt a lot of elemental essence begin to gather.

"We will send a rider to the capital and have him returned." He said quickly. "Do you wish him alive, or dead?" He watched the woman's eyes narrow.

"Have his tendons cut so he can not run again. Deliver him alive." She smiled, and revealed her large fangs. "I am Sol, the Queen of Death, assigned to my role by the one in the forest. She is angry, and wants him delivered as soon as possible." As soon as she spoke, the two platoons of enhanced zombies appeared.

"These are sent to me, and I will send one platoon onward to the capital to capture that evil thing." Sol's eyes hardened. "Anyone who grants him safe passage will wish for death before it is granted!" She waved her hand, and one full platoon dashed forward. They jumped over the gate in one short hop, and passed through the city without needing to stop.

"They never tire, nor do they rest." Sol said firmly. "Is there anyone missing from the list, other than him?" She asked.

"No, my Queen." He bowed. He held out the scroll with the names upon it. A zombie with blackened skin, teeth, and eyes took it and gave it to her. "We shall wash these offerings, and hope they appease her anger." Sol waved her hand again, and an equal number of black zombies walked out of the platoon.

Sol ignored their cries and screams. They should have thought about the consequences of their actions before they attempted to enslave her Master's wives, and her precious sisters.

"These shall take custody when they are washed properly. Do not approach the carriage, nor the zombies once they leave the city." Sol shivered a bit. "My Master is quite upset, and if someone angers her, I fear that this city will become like the ones on the other side of the mountain." He swallowed audibly when she finished her curse.

"Empty, and desolate."

* * *

A guard at the gate held out his arm as he saw a hawk in the sky. It landed on his leather gauntlet, and pecked at his own leg.

"A message has been sent!" He called out. He took the message tube off, and the hawk returned to the sky, only to land at a nearby roost. "It waits for a message to return with!" He took the message tube inside the gatehouse, and handed it to the one seated at the desk.

"Hm, it's from the capital garrison." He unrolled it, and immediately paled. "They encountered the zombies sent after Liam Inaris. It looks like the scout rider was able to get there ahead of time, and only barely managed to calm the situation." The guard shivered.

"If he didn't, there are not enough core realm practitioners in the capital to expel them, nor stop a single one of them." The guard said.

"True. They did take some casualties, but the zombies had strict instructions. They only returned attacks upon their bodies, or attacked ones that got in their way." He let out a fairly audible breath. "They are sending an entire regiment to Stormwall." The gate guard paled.

"Are they fools? One platoon of the regular dead soldiers are enough to slaughter the entire capital! Even though it is a thousand soldiers, sending an army is foolish! The Queen may see it as a sign of aggression, and slaughter us all!" He said, now wondering if he should take his family and run.

"It might be a show of strength, in order to intimidate the Queen." The one at the desk stood up and went over to a cabinet. He pulled out a bottle, took out two glasses, and poured out a drink in each. He handed it to the subordinate.

"Thank you, sir." He drank it down in one gulp.

"Your welcome." He swallowed his in two, as he wasn't a heavy weight drinker like the regular guards. "Send word to Honored Blood Hall. Have them become our intermediaries." He sighed again.

"Such things are beyond our power to control. Better to let the real heavy weights use their power to put some fear into their hearts." He said softly.

"Sir." The guard looked unsure, but continued. "If they anger the Queen, then Stormwall will become a graveyard. I've heard the stories told by my grandparents. They've read the warnings in the ancestral tombs. This Queen destroyed a civilization ten times more powerful than ours, and when she was weaker than she is now."

"I know." The officer said softly. "My parents have their own records from before their ancestors left the homeland. The Queen is a force of nature, and she serves a powerful being that is much stronger than herself." He looked at the guard carefully.

"I suggest you get your family together, and warn your fellows. I will go to the Queen and beg for mercy."  He closed his eyes.  "I hope that she has some for us, like she did so long ago."