Heather the Necromancer

Book 4: Chapter 13: Death Trap

Heather considered the possibility that somehow she was Hathlisora and groaned. She decided to avoid thinking about it and turned back to the bridge they now had to cross again. Frank and Legeis were all for trying again, but she looked to the right down the unexplored tunnel.

Why don't we check the tunnel, She suggested hoping to avoid the bridge. If it doesn't go anywhere useful, we will cross the bridge again.

The others readily agreed and avoided the bridge to explore the wide tunnel paved in cut stones. It went a good twenty meters before turning slightly right. Here it reached a much shorter bridge that crossed over a swiftly flowing stream. None of them were eager to cross, but skeletons sent over arrived safely on the other side, so they crossed quickly and moved on.

The tunnel made a sharp left and ended at a stone wall with a single door. A glowing stone set above the door filled the space around it with soft light. Frank approached the door first, looking it over before motioning them forward. Heather and the others arrived to find there was no handle to the door. It was made of a single smooth stone, polished to a glass-like surface. It was anchored in a metal frame with seven symbols carved on the right. Breanne went through the wall to see if it could be opened from the other side only to return with a shake of her head. She offered to pull them through it, but Heather was sure they could open it. Something about the numbers looked familiar as a memory echoed in her head.

There must be a code to open it then, Legeis suggested.

Do we even want to open it? Quinny asked.

Its just a simple octagon room lit by gems, Breanne said.

Then its a dead end? Frank asked.

It appears to be, Breanne replied.

There must be more to it. Besides, it's this way or the bridge, Heather replied as she looked the symbols over. They were just combinations of bars and dots. One was a single dot, another two, three, five, and eight then came a bar with four dots and a bar with three dots. They occurred in no particular order with the bars making up the top and bottom-most symbols. She ran her fingers over the bar with three dots and tried to figure it out.

Maybe it's just a count, Legeis offered. Start at a single dot and work up.

But where is four, six, and seven? Quinny asked.

Four is right there, Legeis said, pointing to the bar with four dots.

If that's four, then there are two threes, Quinny argued.

The bar must mean something, Frank suggested.

It means ten, Heather said as she stepped back. Its a math sequence.

What sequence? Frank asked as he scratched his head. The numbers dont make sense.

They make perfect sense, Heather said with a smile. You remember all those new-age classes I took. One of them was on the power of numbers and sequences. Nature follows a pattern called the Fibonacci sequence. It's a series of numbers that are added to themselves to get the higher number.

So, you add them all together? Quinny asked.

Heather shook her head and pointed to the single dot. No, you add zero to one and get one. Then you add the result to the previous number to get the next. So one and one is two, she said while pointing to the two dots. Now, you add two and one to get three, then three and two to get five.

And five and three to get eight, Frank said. Thats why there is no six or seven.

But there are still two threes, Quinny pointed out.

No, those are the next numbers, Heather said. five and eight are thirteen.

But there is no thirteen, Breanne said.

Oh, is it the line with three dots? Quinny asked.

That can't be it, Frank said. Because that would make the line with four dots fourteen when it should be twenty-one.

That's because you need to reduce them to their binary root, Heather said. Thirteen is one, and three, added together, you get four. She highlighted her concept by pointing to the four dots over a single bar. Now eight and thirteen is twenty-one, which is two and one, added together you get three, she finished by pointing to the three dots over a single line.

The group was speechless until Breanne smirked and shook her head. Tell me again you are not meant to be in this world? You solved that puzzle like it was childs play.

I went to a lot of classes on the mathematics of the universe. You would be surprised how often the number nine shows up in our reality. Actually, if you take the Fibonacci sequence, you can turn it all into nines.

That must be it then, Frank agreed.

We won't know until we push the buttons, Heather said and turned back to the symbols. Well, here goes. She pushed them in order from lowest to highest, causing them to glow with every touch. Finally, she pushed the last one, and the door pulsed with white light and was simply gone revealing the room inside.

Quinny, Frank, and Breanne looked at one another with blank looks before Quinny laughed and threw her arms out. She grabbed Heather playfully and pretended to chew on her head while moaning, Brainssss!

Heather laughed and stepped to the side so they could peer into the room beyond. It was a perfect octagon of smooth brick walls. In every wall was a glowing gem like the one above the door illuminating the space. The only feature of note was a round red rug filling most of the room.

Is it safe to go in? Quinny asked.

Why bother, there are no exits, Frank said.

Maybe theirs a secret door, Legeis offered. No point in making a magical door that goes nowhere.

Heather agreed and ordered six skeletons into the room, but nothing happened once they were inside. Frank once again took the lead going in to examine things more closely. He looked up and pointed above him as he told them what he saw.

Theirs no ceiling, its a straight shaft up with doors along the walls in places.

Heather tried to lean in and look but grew frustrated and stepped in to get a better look. Just as Frank said, the shaft went up to a dark space above. There were two doors about twenty meters up, and another three twenty beyond that. She tried to figure out how to reach the doors as the others dared to enter the room and see for themselves.

Another puzzle, she sighed.

I can fly up and see whats on the other side of the doors, Breanne offered.

But how will the rest of us get up there? Frank asked.

Heather pulled out the bird figurine but put it away when Frank shook his head. She paced into the room and took a careful look at the walls. Aside from the glowing gems, there was nothing of interest about them. She looked carefully at a gem squinting to see it. A magical stone that produced light could be useful, so she tried to get her fingers around it and discovered it pushed in. There was a snapping sound, and she stood upright, certain some terrible trap had gone off. To her surprise, she now faced an open doorway and spun around to see the door behind them was gone.

We moved! Breanne gasped, turning about. We're at the level with two doors.

But how? Frank asked.

It's the gems, Heather said. I pushed one that had a corresponding door, and we moved to it. She looked back to where the door used to be and saw a wall with a gem. Curious, she pushed it, and the snapping sound returned as did the doorway.

Ha, its an elevator, Quinny laughed. You need one of these for your tower.

I do need one, Heather remarked as she looked up. She went back the first gem she pushed, and once again, they moved.

There were now two open doorways leading into tunnels beyond. One looked as if it entered a room just a few meters in, the other went to an intersection about ten meters down and went left and right. With no better options, Heather voted on the hall with the room, sending a group of five skeletons ahead. No sooner were they into the room than something shattered two of them as the others turned to the right and began hacking. They fell back as a large shape lumbered after them swinging giant stone fists.

Stone golem! Legeis cried and reached for his bombs. You might need to use one of your bomb skeletons.

Heather looked down the short hall and thought quickly. Her bomb skeletons were still outside the elevator in the lower tunnel. If she moved down now, she could get one ready but then thought of a better way to deal with the golem.

Everybody stand by the wall where the lower door will appear, she ordered and then backed away from the tunnel. She fired off two rotting bolts to annoy the golem who shrugged them off and turned her way. It lumbered down the tunnel at a near sprint as she ran to the wall on the opposite end. She quickly pushed the gem producing a snapping sound, and once again, they found themselves on the lower floor.

Out the door quickly! she shouted, and they ran just as the golem pitched over the ledge above, falling twenty meters to the floor. It made a loud crash followed by the sound of stones flying about. It was still alive, but its legs were shattered as it tried to crawl for the doorway. Heather used her grasping hands to anchor it while her ghoul knight and remaining skeletons ran in to chisel away. Breanne blasted it with shadow spells as Frank and Quinny pounced on its back. It took a few minutes, but eventually, the statue stopped moving and collapsed to the floor.

What made you think to do that? Quinny asked as she climbed off the back.

Heather looked up and shrugged. I didnt want to detonate a bomb skeleton in a narrow space again. Besides, I am worried we will need them for something bigger.

Let's hope not, Frank said as he stepped away from the rubble of the golem. It looked a lot like a man with a rough face and oversized lower arms. It stood roughly three meters tall if it still had legs and was made of granite. Legeis picked around in the broken pieces looking for anything that gave away how it was animated.

Nothing but stone, he said when he was done. I still have no clue how its animated.

I don't expect you to understand magic, a voice replied from above. They looked up to see a man with a dark well-groomed beard and wearing red robes. He was glaring down at them from one of the highest doorways. The look on his face was one of annoyance as he reached out a single finger to point. Leave my home or face the consequences.

Heather stepped to the center of the room and climbed on to the back of the slain golem. Sorry, but you took something that doesn't belong to you. Give us the kingdom heart, and we will go.

The mans face curled into a smile and laughed. That fool found a group of even bigger fools to invade my home for her stone? I will bury you all in the swamps.

Heather nodded and dived for the wall pushing the stone that was below the doorway, and suddenly they were on the same level as the wizard who looked startled.

Kill him! she shouted to her minions, and the ghoul knight was the first to rush at the wizard who didn't even try to run. A second later, a swing of his ax caused the wizard's image to distort and fade away with a laughing voice echoing off the walls.

So be it, I will take care of you then pay that fool queen a visit. She needs to learn her place.

What just happened? Heather asked as she looked where the wizard once stood.

An illusion, Frank said. He wasnt really there.

Which means we have a big problem now, Breanne said. The wizard knows we're here, and will take steps to expel us. Just as Breanne spoke, the halls filled with mist and the sound of doors slamming shut echoed down the halls.

Great. Hes activated his defenses, Heather sighed. He is probably watching us right now.

So, what do we do? Quinny asked, looking around as if to see where she was being watched form.

There is nothing we can do, but be careful, Heather sighed and moved to the hallway. She sent skeletons ahead, but nothing happened, so they followed into a small room with a single door. They briefly inspected the walls but found nothing of interest, so Heather moved to the door to open it. Legeis quickly jumped in her way and with his hand out.

Dont touch anything, he said. Now that the wizard knows were here, the traps might be worse. I got a tool in my bags I can test the door with, but it will only find mechanical traps, not magical ones.

Heather nodded and stepped back as he fished in his bags, the mist crawling around his waist. Breanne stepped up and walked directly to the door and leaned through it. Everything above her waist was on the other side. When she leaned back, she looked confused.

Its a long, straight hallway, she said. It has more of those glowing stones to light it. The strange thing is there is no mist obscuring it at all.

Let me check the door, then we can open it, Legeis replied as he ran a narrow blade around the edge of the door.

I could pull you all through one at a time, Breanne offered. But that will leave your minions behind.

You know, having a private army is great, and all, but they are so inflexible, Heather sighed. There was a click from the door, followed by a series of thumps. Legeis carefully opened the door to reveal the other side was studded with metal spikes.

I cut a trap wire, Legeis said. Must have fired the spikes. Had you opened the door, those would be in your chest.

Frank stepped into the hall on the other side to see it was exactly as Breanne described. The hall was made of cut stone bricks with a lip on each side about a hands width up. Nothing but a long hall, he said with a scratch at his head. Why is there no mist here?

I don't know, but there could be doors and halls all along the length, Heather said. The wizard's defense spell will mask them with illusions like mine does. If he is high enough, the hall might not even be this long. It might just look like it.

So, we can't trust anything we see? Quinny asked as she stepped ahead.

Whoah! Legeis cried and pulled her back. Nobody makes a straight narrow hall for no reason. I bet this entire length is covered in traps.

Then how do we walk down it? Heather asked.

Well, you could start sending skeletons one at a time, or I could slowly work my way ahead, looking for traps.

Heather turned and pointed to a nearby skeleton. Walk down that hall. The skeleton walked ahead, going only ten steps before a pit opened beneath its feet falling for so long they never heard it land.

Thats discouraging, Breanne said.

What do you care, you float, Quinny argued.

And what am I supposed to do when all of you are at the bottom of a pit dead?

Quinny shrugged. Go back to the graveyard?

Breanne floated forward to look down the pit as the floor suddenly swung up and resealed. She sank through the floor, vanishing for a moment before poking her head out. There are gears below it.

Legeis crawled to the edge of the pit and felt around the stones for the seam. When he found it, he took out a hammer and metal spikes carefully hammering them into the stone.

There, send a skeleton over it, he said as she stood up.

Heather sent another one over, and the pit made a groaning noise but didn't budge. The skeleton walked over it and got a few more steps down the hall when poles shot out of the wall. Most of them passed around his narrow bones, but one caught him in the head, nailing him to the far wall before retracting and leaving him standing there with a hole in his head.

This is going to take a long time, Heather sighed as Legeis moved up to disable the trap.

Maybe we can make this faster, Breanne said as she floated ahead. She leaned into the wall and looked through the stone. Then sank into the ground before coming back and rising into the ceiling. A moment later, she floated back down and pointed up. There is some kind of piston in the ceiling.

Good way to find traps, I will get it in a second, Legeis said as he felt around the floor for a loose stone. He then drew around it with chalk to indicate not to step there and moved to where Breanne was. Slowly he searched for the trigger as Breanne moved ahead to look for the next trap. She found another pit, then bladed arms that swung down.

Heather grew bored as hours went by, and the hall seemed to go on. They were now a hundred paces down the hall, and a door was finally visible roughly the same distance ahead. She leaned against the wall as Legeis hunted around on the floor for the next trigger. He sat up and rubbed at his chin as if considering something.

Theres a tripwire here, he said as stood up.

So? Quinny asked.

So, this is the first tripwire they used, and there isn't a trap here. He looked at Breanne, who shrugged to indicate she saw nothing.

So why is there a tripwire? Frank asked as he stepped closer to look at it.

Legeis ran a finger along the string and pondered it. I have no idea what this does, so just step over it.

My skeletons arent that coordinated, Heather said. Why not have one of them break it while we stand at a safe distance.

I guess we can do that, Legeis said as she moved back. When he was safely out of the way, Heather ordered a skeleton to walk up to the string and step on it. The skeleton complied, breaking the string, but nothing happened.

Nothing? Quinny asked as they waited a few more seconds.

I told you there wasnt a trap here, Legeis said. It must be something else.

Could it be an alarm? Frank asked.

I suppose it could, Legeis replied. Something deeper in could be ringing.

Heather felt impatient and went to order the skeleton to walk on when she felt something. It was a low vibration that seemed to be coming from the floor. She squatted down to touch it and saw the dust was dancing on its surface.

I hear something, Frank said. A sort of low rumble.

I hear it too, Quinny added and then looked behind them. Umm, guys? The hallway is getting shorter.

They turned around to see a stone wall advancing down the hall directly at them. As it got closer, they could see it was an enormous stone wheel, riding on the lip near the floor, and rolling ever closer to crush them.

You run down that hall! Heather shouted to the skeleton. He complied and started to run as she turned to another. You run down the hall! That skeleton, ran off as the first one was cut in two by a swinging blade.

What are you doing? Frank asked.

We don't have time to look for traps, Heather said as she ordered another skeleton to run down the hall. Spikes impaled the second one, and the third one fell into another pit.

Great! Heather shouted as the stone roller came ever closer. We need to disable the pit before I can send any more.

We dont have time, Legeis replied. That crusher is picking up speed.

Heather went to put up a wall of bone to block the roller when she had another idea. Why didn't I think of this sooner, she growled and turned to the hall of traps ahead. She cast her spell, placing a bridge of bone resting on the lip to either side of the wall. Run across this! she shouted as she led the way.

The others hurried onto the bone bridge and ran as fast as they could. The bridge kept them safely above the floor and the pressure plates, pits, and other traps as they raced for the door at the end. Heather ordered her ghoul knight to run ahead and open the door as the sound of bones crunching filled the tunnel.

Its forty seconds behind us, Frank said as they started to pile up at the door.

The ghoul knight tugged, but the door wouldn't budge, held in place by some kind of lock.

Use one of your bomb skeletons, Quinny suggested as Heather looked at her with narrow eyes.

And where do we hide from the explosion?

Whatever you're going to do, do it fast, Frank said as the roller continued to crunch bones to dust.

I can start pulling you through, Breanne suggested.

If that roller crushes one of those bomb skeletons, it's going to go off, and take the rest of them with it, Legeis pointed out. We won't get far enough away.

Go through the door and see if you can open it from the other side, Heather suggested.

Breanne dashed through the door as Heather turned back and cast wall of bone again this time, filling the tunnel behind them. The sound of bones cracking filled their ears as the roller kept right on coming.

Its too heavy and has too much momentum, Legeis said as the door suddenly opened behind him.

Hurry! Breanne shouted from the room beyond.

Heather ordered her skeletons through waiting to follow the last one as the cracking noise became deafening. They poured through as quickly as they could Heather jumping through a few moments before the roller came to a stop at the end of the hall. She lay on her stomach, panting in a concealing mist that clouded the room. Webster crawled out of her pack to poke at her head as she tried to settle her panic.

There was a bar across the door on this side, Breanne said as the others stopped to recover.

That was a clever trap, Legeis said as he went back to the door to see the roller had stopped an inch from the wall. He waited until we were halfway down the hall to start the roller.

I am pleased you approve of my traps, A very smooth voice said from someplace in the room.

Heather leaned up and looked around as the others turned in circles, trying to find the speaker.

Oh, don't bother, you won't find me, the voice teased.

Who are you? Heather asked as she got to her feet, rising out of the mist with her gaunt, pale undead face.

A goblin and a bunch of undead? the stranger laughed.

I asked who you were, Heather repeated.

Oh, surely you have heard of me if you are here to help that poor queen. Didn't she tell you how the stone was stolen from her?

Youre Nightrage, Heather said as she looked about.

Correct you are, zombie woman.

My name is Heather, she said defiantly. And you are drastically underestimating me.

Big words for a little girl. You cant even see me.

Neither can you, she said and raised a hand to snap a finger. The room filled with glowing golden pollen obscuring everything beyond a few inches from their faces.

What? the voice yelled out as Heather smiled. She could see easily through the pollen cloud, including the image near the doorway that the pollen was flowing around.

Her first rotting bolt burned a line across the man's shoulder as he yelled in rage. A moment later, a series of cracks went off as Legeis fired one of his weapons, pelting the man and wall with metal fragments. The invisible image darted through the door, and Heather snapped again, causing the pollen to cease.

How did you see him? Heather asked.

Goggles of clear sight, Legeis said while tapping the goggles on his face. I can see through smoke, mist, fog, shadows, and apparently pollen.

Thank goodness I dont have allergies, Quinny joked.

You dont even breathe, Frank reminded her.

Jokes are fun and all, but that rogue is getting away, Legeis reminded them.

Heather nodded and picked up Webster, putting him back in her pack. All minions follow me, she cried and ran out the door after the elusive rogue.

They entered a wide hallway that curved to the left with nooks every twenty paces. In the nooks were skeletons in plate armor holding two-handed swords.

Ha, they say you can fight fire with fire, let's see if we can fight undead with undead, the voice called from someplace beyond.

You have to be kidding me, Heather said as skeletons came to life and stepped out of the nooks, raising their weapons. She sighed and waited for the helmeted heads to turn and glare at her before she spoke. Mortuis obedire meum vocant! The skeleton warriors froze, twitching for just a moment before lowering their weapons. Heather smiled and walked right into their midst and beckoned them to follow.

How did you do that? the sly voice called from someplace ahead.

I told you that you were underestimating me, Heather replied and raised her scythe. I am the master of the dead.

You cant be! the voice bellowed. They were outlawed!

Heather smiled. I make my own rules. Nobody tells me what I can or cant be. She looked around the mist choked tunnel and as the undead lined up behind her. Sweep the tunnel in a line. He must be here someplace. The undead walked passed her marching ahead in a single line from wall to wall.

Umm, Heather? Quinny asked as she and the others walked up behind her. Youre being kind of intense.

Heather stood tall in her yellow dress, holding her scythe in her right hand, and the backpack slung over her left shoulder. The mist curled around her waist, making her look out of place.

I'm just playing their game, Heather answered. They want to mistreat other players, then let's see how they like it in return.

There was a sudden movement near the end of the hall, and a man in gray and black leather appeared as he thrust a sword through the skull of a skeleton warrior.

Ahh, there you are, Heather said with a smile and filled the end of the tunnel with grave blight. Nightrage cried out and vanished in a flash, leaving the skeletons turning about to locate him.

How did he do that? Heather asked.

He's a rogue, Frank replied. They all have ways of going invisible and vanishing from combat. Some of them can even teleport short distances.

So he could have gone through the wall? she asked.

He could have if he knows the location well, he said.

With a sigh, Heather marched on assuming that if there were traps, the skeletons would have set them off. They arrived at the end of the hall with a door on either side. She asked Breanne to look through each door and discovered the right one was a false door with an oozing cube on the other side.

A jelly cube, Frank said. Those are super dangerous.

So, were not opening that one, Heather said and turned to the other door.

Legeis checked it just to be sure but found nothing, and a skeleton opened it to reveal yet another room. This one was a sort of bedroom with a canopied bed, a dresser, chest, a few chairs, a wardrobe, and a standing mirror. They entered the room carefully, looking all about, but nothing jumped out at them. They used skeletons to open the chest and wardrobe, finding some clothing but nothing more. There was a door on the opposite wall, and Breanne went through it to spy on the other side.

Be careful going through that door, she said when she came back. There are statues with glowing red gems in their chest.

Are they stone or iron? Legeis asked.

Polished black stone, she replied. With dog-like heads.

That sounds ominous, Heather replied and considered the door. We can assume they will attack the moment they see us.

How many are there? Frank asked as he moved to the door and took hold of the handle.

Two, both at the end of the hall to the right.

Heather tapped her chin as she puzzled it out. She finally settled on a straight forward solution and turned to an explosive skeleton. Go out that door, turn right, and attack the statues with the red gems in their chest.

The skeleton's silently moved it's mouth and walked forward as Frank pulled open the door. It ran outside and turned right as the others moved to the opposite side of the room. A moment later, a loud explosion shook the dust from the walls and caused the door to rattle. When they dared to look into the hall, they were shocked to find the stone at the back was melted and glowing orange with heat.

Why would it melt? Heather asked as she stepped away from the oppressive heat.

It must have something to do with the type of golem, Legeis said as he dared to get a little closer. He tried to pick through the shards of the rubble and found a fragment of a red crystal. He went to pocket it when there was a sudden movement behind them.

A skeleton crumbled as a sword cut its ribcage apart. Several others turned about as Nightrage moved like a blur cutting them down in rapid succession. The ghoul knight charged in with shield high only to have Knightrage suddenly lunge with amazing speed, impaling the knight on his sword. The two then lashed at one another, but Knightrage kept dodging until Heather filled the hall with grave blight again. He cursed as shadowy darts flew in from Breanne and dashed down the hall the other way, turning a corner out of sight.

After him, Heather yelled, sending her wounded ghoul in pursuit as the others moved to follow. When they turned the corner, they faced a short hall to a round room. Nightrage stood at the far end with something in his hand they couldn't see. The ghoul knight ran ahead and charged across the room only to be clobbered aside by a three-meter tall woman carved out of wood.

Another golem, Frank said as he ran to help the knight. As he entered the room, Nightrage twirled and released a hail of small knives causing Frank to dive out of the way. He was answered by a hail of metal barbs coming the other direction from one of Legeis's weapons. Night rage seemed to melt into the mist, fading like a ghost and running for a door on the right. Legeis ran after him, hurling a bomb that detonated just inside the doorway.

Heather didn't know if she should pursue the thief or help Frank fight. She chose her friends and turned on the wood golem, sending in the new skeletons but keeping the special ones back. Quinny and Breanne joined the fight as the wood golem splintered, but not before battering Frank and the ghoul knight. Heather resorted to mend the dead, treating Frank and Quinny, as the golem finally fell to one side, and crashed to the floor.

Go after Legeis, Frank urged, pointing to the door. He ran after the rogue.

Let me heal you two first, Heather pleaded.

If that rogue gets away, it will only get harder, Frank replied as she got to his feet. Quinny and I are only slightly wounded. Your ghoul knight is the worst off.

Heather looked at the poor ghoul whose left arm hung limp in badly broken armor. His chest oozed a dark greenish-black liquid as it limped across the floor. She went to heal the knight, but Breanne took her arm.

You will overspend your magic again, Breanne insisted. We have to pursue the rogue.

He can't go on like that, Heather countered, but Breanne insisted they go after Legeis. Heather was just to the door when a laugh-filled the room, and suddenly she was falling. The floor below her feet was gone, and everything in the room went tumbling down a dark shaft. She was lurched to a stop by Breanne, who was still holding her hand only to see Frank, Quinny, and all her minions falling into the darkness below.

Noooo! she screamed as they vanished from sight.