Heather the Necromancer

Book 4: Chapter 1: For your own good

Book 4: Chapter 1: For your own good

Gray skies threatened to rain as the wind blew through the graveyard, whistling through the trees' bare branches. They ran most of the way back, Frank insisting they get as far away as they could. He carried Heather the whole tome with her bone knight, shadowing him as if angry about it. He didn't care what a summoned pet thought or felt; all he cared about was Heather, and what was happening around her.

Thye arrived at to find two low-level players in the forest and paid them no mind, quickly taking Heather to the tower. She was still unconscious when Breanne tucked her into bed with Webster curled into a ball at her feet.

They then gathered outside to discuss what happened and what they might do next. Frank no longer believed they could weather this storm by telling people she had been mistaken for a necromancer. Too many people knew, and those people were growing in power day by day. There was only one option that would see them safe, especially Heather.

We should leave, Frank said as he paced in the graveyard.d Take Heather and go south into the wilds.

And do what? Breanne questioned. Hide under a rock?

Everybody knows shes here, Frank argued. Every day somebody knew turns up to hunt for her.

That dragon knight was after her for a completely different reason, Quinny said. It wanted another dragon.

It doesn't matter, he still wanted Heather, we need to leave.

Our first priority should be to remove the crown, Breanne insisted. Something about it isnt right.

You mean like how it's fused to her head? Frank asked.

We know how to get it off, Breanne reminded.

Frank threw up his arms and paced angrily. She is right, you know. Something seems to be guiding her. She always has what she needs just before she needs it. It can't be a coincidence.

Things go wrong for her, Breanne countered. She got a spider when she wanted a cat.

And the spider has proven to be far more useful, Frank pointed out. She got what she needed, not what she wanted. Like there is some planned path for her steps.

What about the statue in the temple? Quinny asked from where she sat on a gravestone. You cant tell me that wasnt Heather.

Which only proves Heather's point, Frank said.

How does that prove anything? Breanne asked.

There are hundreds of places Heather could have spawned in, Frank said. She just happened to spawn in at the only point near a temple with a statue to her in it?

Maybe there are more temples, Breanne suggested as she tried to make sense of it all.

What about spawning near an abandoned necromancers tower with a book only she can read?

I get your point, Breanne admitted.

Everything she needs is no more than a day's journey from right here, he pointed out. She was immediately chased into my graveyard and encouraged to stay here. We keep finding the things she needs are all around us like they were placed there for her. This is too much like a game, Frank said. Like the path was chosen by the developers, and all Heather can do is keep following the trail.

Then maybe she needs to keep following, Breanne said. If there is a path laid out for her, it might be important.

What about what that dragon said before it flew off? Quinny reminded. Dont carry the taint?

Don't carry the taint of that one long, she betrayed you once before, Breanne repeated. We can only assume that it has something to do with the crown.

Which we need to get off as soon as we can, Frank insisted. She behaved like a completely different person when she stepped out there.

She was acting funny, and the dragon even more so, Breanne admitted.

Why did it call Heather its sister? Quinny pressed.

I don't know, and I don't care why we should just leave, Frank repeated as he nervously scratched at his head.

We can't leave until Heather wakes, Breanne replied. She needs to have some say in this before we abandon all we have built.

We can rebuild in the wilds, Frank repeated.

But nobody will come to play in the wilds, Quinny said.

And what do we do about the goblins? Breanne asked, reminding him that they had followed them back and were now sitting on the other side of the graveyard.

I dont know, he replied. This is all starting to get out of control. Heather is going to be hunted by every player who wants to cash in her head. Moons people will be back, the cleric that attacked her tower will be back, and now the dragon knight will too.

The dragon didn't seem interested in killing her, Breanne said. Maybe it won't bring him back.

When the dragon knight saw Heather, he said they killed her once before, Quinny pointed out.

I am not sure he was talking to Heather, Frank said. He was talking to the person she is now.

She is still Heather; she just has horns now. Oh, and a creepy green third eye, Quinny said.

Which is gone, Breanne commented. As soon as it faded, she fell.

Frank could see they were getting nowhere and looked to the tower where Heather lay. She was perhaps his best friend and the first person who encouraged him to keep trying. To see the world hunting her for something so stupid made him angry. She didn't deserve to be caught up in this mess when all she wanted was to go home.

Heather stood on a grassy hill with a strange crown in her hands. It was a simple metal band with a green stone in the center and a pair of sharp blades horns coming up the back. She looked over the strange crown, turning it in her hands as if remembering what it was. This was important to her somehow, a piece of something she once had. There were more pieces, part of a set, but where were they? Why were they separated, and why did she feel the need to find them all? Try as she might, she couldn't remember, as if something was preventing her from knowing. She finally gave up and did the only logical thing she could think to do and put the crown on her head.

Heather! a womans voice yelled out. You must wake up!

She bolted upright in fright, her breath a hurried pant as she looked around to see she was in her room. The space was darker for some reason, but nothing seemed out of place. She struggled to remember how she had gotten here, but the last thing she recalled was stepping into a fire?

Her hands came to her face as she settled her breathing. It must have been a dream; she thought as she looked around the room. Webster was at her feet, watching her intently with his numerous eyes. Her scythe was against the wall, the bone knight standing a the door, nothing was out of place. She threw her feet over the side and went to her mirror as her jaw fell open.

Trembling hands traced over the pale, almost purple skin of her face. Her eyes were a vibrant, glowing green and lips a soft blue. She had two horns that jutted from the back of her head. They curved out to each side just above the ear, then grew in a gentle arc until the tips were a hands width apart over her head. They looked sharp as her scythe and were a reddish-black in color. She pulled at her hair to inspect where they attached, but they were too far back to see.

Ok, so that wasnt a dream, she said to calm herself. Umtha told me how to take it off, we just do what she said and then bury it in a hole.

Don't be so weak, a voice echoed in her head, sounding distant and with a faint echo.

Heather jumped and looked about the room in a panic. Nothing had changed except for Webster had turned on the bed to watch her.

Did you say that? she asked the spider who replied by waving its front legs in the air.

I heard a womans voice just now, she said. Didnt you hear it?

She come from portal and brought crown. She look like Hathlisora; goblin call her sister to Hathlisora. She say crown necromancer gift, payment for portal.

Did she have a name? Heather asked.

Issicara, Umtha said. Queen of Abbadon.

Is any of this making any sense? Heather asked.

Sorta, Quinny said with a strange tone.

What part made sense?

Quinny looked at Frank as he shook his head.

This world has what are called outer planes. Its based on our games so they used a lot of our lore. Abbadon is an outer plane outside this world, he said.

And this woman is Queen of it? Heather asked.

It appears so, Frank said.

And that crown is a gift from her, Breanne said.

Heather tried in vain to look up and see the horns but gave up when it was apparent it was a wasted effort.

So what's so special about this, Abbadon? she asked.

Its one of the hells, Frank replied. I dont know anything about it. I just know its one of them.

I heard it was supposed to be a prison, Quinny said. Something to do with desolation or something.

Great, I have a crown made by a devil welded to my head, Heather remarked.

If she is a queen of a plane, she must be an archdevil, Frank said. This Hathlisora must have opened a portal from here to Abbadon for the necromancers.

And they never came back, Quinny added.

Heather listened to it all with a sudden curiosity. If this was all just a game meant to study players, why did they need other worlds? Couldn't they just make this world bigger? Nothing made sense to her but the desire to take the crown off.

For the rest of the day, she studied the book, poking through pages hoping to find out more about these planes. She was irritated that for a book that had what seemed like a thousand pages, there was no index. The pages went by, and the hours with them, eventually the sun moved to its dusk position, and they started to get ready.

Umtha pleaded for them to leave the crown on, but Heather demanded it come off. Frank was oddly insistent they do it inside his graveyard just outside the gate to her tower. He said he didn't want her trees to cast a shadow on her accidentally, so she relented and waited in his walkway. Her bone knight stood just to her right, and Quinny stood by the gate as she and Frank spoke.

Are you ready? he asked.

Just get it off already, Heather said as they watched the sky.

Frank looked up, and suddenly the sky started to move, the moon racing across the horizon. He looked to Breanne with a nod and yelled.

Now!

Breanne faded going ghostly and let out a terrible wail as she tackled Heathers bone knight. The Knight drew its sword as it stumbled back the two wrestling to overpower the other.

What are you doing? Heather cried in alarm. Behind her, the gates slammed shut, and Quinny wedged a branch between the bars. Heather spun around in time to see Quinny making motions with her arms as if clawing something up from the ground.

Sorry, Heather, this is for your own good, Quinny said as green mist boiled out of the ground on Heather's side of the gate. She saw her skeletons racing across the yard as if responding to her being in danger. Zombies began to claw out of the earth, and Quinny quickly ordered them to kill the skeletons.

What are you guys doing? she cried as two strong hands wrapped around her arms from behind. She felt a sudden sensation like falling into cold water, and her muscles went weak as Frank drained her strength.

The moon came to its high position and bathed them all in its glowing brilliance.

Noooo! A voice yelled as a green eye opened on Heathers forehead. She needs me!

Frank saw the crown forming in the moonlight as Heather began to thrash. He was as careful as he could be not to drain too much of her strength. When the crown looked whole, he tried to grab it, but the green eye suddenly flared with light. Heather vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared five meters to his left, crawling along the ground.

She is so close! the voice yelled. She agreed to help me!

Get that thing off of her! Breanne yelled. I cant hold this knight much longer.

Frank tackled Heather, going straight for the crown, he got his hands around the base of the horns and pulled. The crown seemed to fight his efforts, and a green light formed around Heather's head.

She must keep the crown on! the voice wailed. I cant help her if she doesnt!

Frank pulled with all his might, toppling over when the crown, at last, came free.

Heather lay on her hands and knees, panting as Frank tossed the crown aside.

Heather? he asked, putting a hand to her shoulder.

I cant, get up, she said.

I had to drain your strength. It will come back in an hour, he said. You need to order your minions to stop attacking us.

Heather nodded and shouted as loud as she could for her pets to stand down. The bone knight glared at Breanne as it ceased fighting, and her skeletons paused just outside the gate Quinny was barely holding closed.

Why didn't you tell me you were going to do that? she panted.

We think the crown is listening, Frank said. It would have heard our plan and prevented it.

Heather nodded and tried to sit up. Frank helped her come to her legs, and she looked back to see Breanne and Quinny arriving.

What do we do with it now? Breanne asked

We keep it, Heather replied. We keep it until we know why I am supposed to wear it.

Then what? Frank asked.

Heather looked back to the crown as she took deep breaths.

If I dont like the answer, we find the deepest hole we can get and throw it in.