Theskulls looked down, shifting their stalks along the ocean of bones until theywere held in a tight circle above.He received the distinct impression of asingular intelligence staring back at him, its gaze distributed across manyfaces.
She didnot answer.
Afeeling of unease spread across his skin.
“Fine!”Isaac shouted.He ended the light from his hand, using the now freed arm tocontinue supporting Zaria.“You’ll have a truce!But it only lasts until theother sorcerer is dead!Once that happens, you will be next!Do we understandeach other?”
For amoment, the stalks did not move.Then, slowly, almost barely enough to notice,they nodded.
“Good!Now get out of my way!”
The seaof bones began to part, cleaving a path down intoitself.By the end, there was a hallway extending through the corpses.Isaac reaffirmedhis grip on Zaria and walked through the parted wall.He felt the skulls watchhim intently as he passed.Soon, they slithered back into the central mass.
The twoof them held onto each other as they walked, roaming through the field ofdebris left in the wake of the sandwyrm’s wrath.Beyond the shatteredcourtyard, a huge swath of the necropolis lay in ruin.Isaac stared for a briefmoment, dwelling on all the history that might’ve been lost, before orientinghimself by the rig cage of the colossus.Somewhere down past the edges of thecity, the glowing cartilage ended, and the abdomen began.
Thiswas where they had to go.
Somewhereby the feet of the giant creature, the necromancer would be waiting upon herthrone, sheltered with darkness and treasure.
Somewherecloser, the other sorcerer marched his army ahead.
In thatmoment, Isaac could almost feel the presence of his father, as if he werecloser than ever before.Behind him, he heard the sea of bones scattering intoswarms and slugs, tumbling their way through the field of debris.Soon, theywere gone.
Onlythe silence of the city remained.
“Areyou okay?”Isaac asked, stumbling along.
Zariaspat on the ground.“Nothing worse than what I had before.”
“You’relucky to be alive.”
Shespat again.
“Whathappened to the pirates?”he asked.
“Ranclear off.”
“Goodfor them.”
“Oh,maybe not.Can smell their piss from here.”
Isaachad to catch his breath for a moment, both out of exhaustion and his ownsurprise.“So ...the plan worked?”
Zariagave a weak chuckle.
Helooked behind them.The pirates were gone, their supplies and fortificationssmashed beyond repair.Nothing remained in the palace grounds but shatteredskulls and the beached segmentation of a dead wyrm.
Itseemed like nothing could’ve walked away from such a calamity.
He tookanother breath.
“Wewere lucky,” Isaac said.“Very lucky.”
Sheblew a raspberry.
“What?”he asked.“We were.”
“Nah,”she said, leaning her snout toward his ear.“Weren’t my luck at all.Had mysquire right here, all along.He’s the lucky charm.”
