Dreamer's Throne

The city streets were slick with rain and the dark water spilled from the gutters as it flowed toward the river. Navigating one fast moving flow, Captain Fernek peered through the swiftly falling rain toward the iron-wrought gate up ahead. Despite the pounding crash of thunder that rolled over the city and the dense tattoo of the rain that pounded on his oiled leather cloak, he felt as if the whole world was muted. Faint fog seemed to be rising from the cobblestones, giving the city a dark, nightmarish feeling. And he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Behind him was a group of nearly two hundred guards who he had gathered from the outposts around the district, and from the way they huddled together it was evident that they were feeling just as creeped out as he was.

“Captain, are you sure that this is the right place?”

First Lieutenant Lorenz was a stalwart veteran who had seen more than his fair share of action both inside and outside the city, but the white-knuckled grip on his sword betrayed his discomfort.

“Yes. This is the main gate to the royal graveyard, and if the zombies are going to break into the city, this is where they’ll do it,” Captain Fernek said, his expression set. “We need to keep the gate sealed until reinforcements arrive from across the river.”

“We sent someone half an hour ago, and the bell began ringing a couple hours ago but we haven’t heard anything about reinforcements,” First Lieutenant Lorenz said, his expression faintly anxious. “Do you think they are coming?”

Turning, Captain Fernek fixed the first lieutenant with a hard glare.

“Watch your mouth, Lorenz. They will be here as soon as they can. And until then, we’re what stands in the way of the citizens of this district and death at the hands of the undead. Got it?”

Realizing how close he had come to messing up, Lorenz quickly snapped a salute, getting his emotions under control.

“Yes, sir!”

“Let's go. We need to take up position before the zombies attack.”

Leading the way through the drenched streets, Captain Fernek couldn’t help but wonder about First Lieutenant Lorenz’s question himself. There had still been no word that the main city guard was moving, which left the captain more than a little worried that reinforcements just weren’t coming. If that was the case, then it was likely that he and his men would die over the next few hours. There was part of him that desperately wanted to run away but even though he had rationalized it more than once, his feet still led him to the graveyard’s main gate to prepare its defense. When he arrived at the gate, there were a dozen nervous guards who were already there, along with three times as many citizens, all armed with makeshift weapons. When they saw him appearing from the darkness, their faces showed measurable relief and the soldier in charge hurried over to talk to him.

“Captain Fernek! We’ve secured the gate as you commanded.”

“Good job, First Lieutenant Morris. Any sign of the enemy yet?”

“No sir, though when there are breaks in the thunder we can occasionally hear sounds of fighting to the south. It seems to be moving this way, but we haven’t seen any of the zombies yet.”

“Don’t worry, you will,” the captain said. “All units move into position in the gate. We’re securing it against an attack from the inside! I want scouts to take their positions in the graveyard to give us eyes on what is going on. Let’s move!”

Driven by his loud shouts, the city guard rushed to get into position. One of the unique features of the graveyard’s gate was that it was designed so that it could be defended from either side, and now the city guard took up their positions overlooking the gravestone filled garden, their crossbows held in tight grips as their eyes scanned for any sign of the enemy. Nodding in satisfaction as everyone got into position, Fernek turned to look at Morris and the crowd of citizens who were standing nearby.

“Who are they? And what are they doing here?” he asked.

Scratching his head, First Lieutenant Morris was clearly at a loss.

“I’m not completely sure, sir. They were here guarding the gate when we arrived. They keep saying something about a family, but I’m not sure what they’re on about.”

Stepping forward, Fernek looked over the crowd, trying to identify their leader. All of them looked scared but determined, and he quickly noticed that they wore a five-petaled flower pin on their chests. The sight of the pin caused a shudder to run through his body as he recognized it as the same flower that appeared on the mask of the man who spoke to him through the Dream. No sooner had he made the connection than a thin man with a handlebar mustache stepped forward and bowed.

“You are Captain Fernek?” the man asked, peering at Fernek through the drizzle.

“I am,” the captain replied. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Cartwright. I own Wheels and Spokes, over on the corner of Grayson street.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Cartwright, though it would have been nicer to meet under better circumstances. Tell me, what are you doing here, and who are all these people?”

Glancing over his shoulder at the nearly thirty-five men and women who were with him, Cartwright grinned, revealing a few missing teeth.

“These are some of the boys and girls from my shops. As for what we’re doing, we’re here to stop those zombies from breaking through the gate. We’re not about to let those necromancer scum ruin our district, so we brought our weapons to make sure they stay in the graveyard where they belong.”

“That is admirable, Mr. Cartwright, but we should be fine with just the city guard,” Fernek said. “In fact—”

Before he could continue there was a shout from one of the scouts that the enemy had been spotted. From the tone of the cry, it was clear that something was wrong, and without finishing his statement, Captain Fernek raced toward the gate. Climbing up to the top of the wall, Captain Fernek felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw hundreds of zombies racing toward them. The enemy wove their way through the gravestones, rapidly approaching the gate along the wall from the east, glowing red eyes making them stand out in the darkness.

“You sure you don’t want our help?” Cartwright asked, standing atop the wall next to the captain.

“Just stay behind the guards and support the best you can,” Captain Fernek said, swallowing his pride. “Everyone get ready to engage the enemy!”

For a tense moment the city guard waited for the zombies to close the last bit of distance before First Lieutenant Morris gave the command to loose their bolts. As his hand dropped, there was a loud twang and hiss as a wave of crossbow bolts tore apart the zombies’ front line. Though not tipped with the blessed silver like the Grave Walkers' bolts, the city guard had enough crossbows to make a dent in the onrushing horde. The metal-tipped bolts tore through flesh and shattered bone, significantly slowing the zombies' charge. First Lieutenant Morris gave the order to reload and as the soldiers with crossbows stepped back, the guards behind them stepped forward, holding spears and long axes at the ready.

Their normal equipment didn't include weapons suited for fighting zombies, but Captain Fernek had done his best to outfit the guards he had gathered with pole weapons, hoping to provide some distance between the zombies' teeth and claws and the guards' bodies. The first of the zombies made it to the city gate, trying to break through the wrought iron, but were driven back by stabbing spears. More and more zombies arrived and began to try to climb the gate itself, scaling up to the parapet above. As this was the main entrance to the royal graveyard, it had been designed as a miniature version of the city gates, with a generous area above to stand where Captain Fernek was overseeing the battlefield.

As the first wave of zombies was driven back, the guards carrying crossbows stepped forward once more, unleashing another volley. At such close range, the damage was significant, but the zombies didn't care about the wounds they suffered and pressed forward anyways. Standing next to Captain Fernek, Cartwright shook his head, his face pale.

"They're nasty creatures," he said, spitting a wad of phlegm over the parapet. "It's a good thing we came."

Turning around, he left the top of the wall, heading down toward the gate where the fighting was fiercest. There he joined the others he had brought, stabbing their weapons through the gaps in the gate to drive the zombies back. Captain Fernek stayed on top of the wall, his eyes scanning the enemy ranks.

"Something the matter, sir?" First Lieutenant Lorenz asked, noticing the grim expression on his face.

"This can't be all there is to the enemy attack," Fernek said.

He didn't quite understand it, but a small voice in his mind was telling him that greater danger was coming. The fighting raged on as more and more zombies arrived, and soon the city guard began to suffer their first casualties. The first to fall was a young guardsman who got too close to the wall. Stabbing down with his spear, he was leaning over when one of the zombies grabbed the shaft, trying to use it to climb up. The weight caused the young man to tumble forward, falling into the teeming mass of zombies below, who tore him to shreds in an instant. With an angry yell, First Lieutenant Morris directed the crossbows to target that spot, slaying dozens of zombies in a fierce barrage of bolts. But it was too late, and soon the young guardsman rose to his feet, his eyes burning red as he joined the attack on the gate. Licking his lips nervously, Captain Fernek glanced over his shoulder. It was impossible to see the other side of the river due to the fierce storm that raged overhead, but the fact that no word had been sent about reinforcements was starting to bother him.

The citizens who had volunteered to fight alongside the city guard were doing well. The forked poles they carried were effective at keeping the zombies at a distance, allowing them to use their long-handled hammers and axes to target the zombies' heads. After the fight had gotten underway, Captain Fernek had moved them behind the heavy metal gate, trusting that that would be the safest spot, while his forces were stationed along the wall up above to defend against the zombies that climbed up and over. Up and down the gate the fighting was fierce and without pause, and as the minutes dragged on, Captain Fernek's worry began to grow. There seemed to be no end to the enemy as they continued to stream from the east toward the gate. He was about to glance over his shoulder once more, hoping to see some sign of reinforcements coming. A figure that looked different from the others caught his attention, and his eyes narrowed.

Down among the horde of zombies, he saw a figure standing completely still. Dressed in a black robe, he recognized it as one of the Dark Hand, the necromancers who were controlling the attacking forces. Beside the necromancer were three figures dressed in the gray uniforms of the Grave Walkers. However, none of them looked like they were still alive, and he could see the pale white eyes and the dried blood that had dripped down their cheeks.

Even as he watched, the necromancer lifted a hand, and the three Grave Walkers began to amble forward, their movements stiff and unnatural. The bad feeling that had been growing in Captain Fernek's heart bloomed as the three Grave Walkers began to twist and change, their bodies transforming into undead monstrosities. Two of them began to swell, their bodies taking on a grayish hue as their muscles bulged grotesquely, transforming into flesh golems, while the third sprouted bony protrusions all over its back, shoulders, and arms.

"Captain," First Lieutenant Lorenz began, but was cut off by a sharp wave of Captain Fernek's hand.

As the only awakened present, it would be his responsibility to deal with the flesh golems, with the greater undead. Even though he knew he was in for a fierce fight, there simply wasn't another option. The flesh golems, and whatever that spiky undead creature was, would tear apart any of the city guards they got their hands on in an instant, completely destroying their defenses. The only option was for Fernek to take them down first.

"Are you going to be okay, sir?" First Lieutenant Morris asked, causing Fernek to let out a sharp bark of laughter.

"It's unlikely," he said, "but I don't see another option."

Worried that if he let the flesh golems get too close, they would be able to attack the guards on top of the gate, Captain Fernek stepped on the parapet and launched himself forward, flying above the massed zombies toward the flesh golems who were just completing their transformation. It had not been long since Fernek had awoken his soul spark, and now it flared brightly, causing a glow to manifest around his body. Silver armor began to form, made from the energy contained in his soul spark, until he was completely encased from head to toe. He had no idea why he had awoken such an ability, but facing off against three greater undead, he was more than happy for it.

He met the first flesh golem with a sharp stab, his sword sinking deep into the creature's thigh. As it responded by trying to flatten him with a slap, he dodged to the side, ripping his sword free, spraying black blood across the ground. The other flesh golem was already on him, as was the greater undead with the bony protrusions. Both of them attacked fiercely, and it was all Captain Fernek could do to block their attacks. Accepting a bone blade with his sword, he felt the heavy fist of the flesh golem slam into his side. His armor blocked most of the force, but the silver glow it carried dimmed as he was thrown to the side. Realizing that he couldn't sustain many more direct hits like that, he dodged out of the way of a follow-up attack, slashing at its arm with his sword.

It took every ounce of his skill and training as he battled against the three greater undead, doing his best to keep them as far from the gate as possible. Curiously, the other zombies avoided the fight, continuing to rush towards the city gate as if breaking free from the graveyard was the most important thing. That suited Captain Fernek just fine, since he feared he would have been overwhelmed in an instant had they joined the battle; it was already hard enough fighting against the three greater undead. Forced to focus on his defense, the captain took every opportunity he had to attack, but his blows seemed to do nothing to the greater undead, who continued to fight vigorously, despite being soaked in their own black blood.