Tybalt embraced Mariella until he felt her arms around him slacken and she began to breathe differently, face resting against his chest.

  He felt a tiny bit of pride that she trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms, then quieted that as soon as he identified the feeling. She was just exhausted. She had spent the whole day fighting, both beastfolk and Tybalt himself. She probably could have fallen asleep in a cave full of snakes. It wasn’t that he was the only man she trusted… even if a part of him wanted to believe that.

  It does feel like our relationship took a step forward. I can’t exactly be happy about the way it happened. But maybe the short term pain will lead to something good.

  He carefully withdrew his arms from around Mariella, then gently eased her body down until her head was resting in his lap. The position he had woken up in himself. He spotted his gambeson lying on the ground nearby, pulled it closer, and then folded it up. He placed it behind his head, to put something soft between himself and the cave wall. The position was comfortable enough with the makeshift pillow, although he recognized he would feel chilly soon if he didn’t actually wear the gambeson. He pondered whether he could slip Mariella’s head off his lap somehow so he could lie down beside her.

  But the ground seemed hard, and nothing around them was soft enough to take the place of his legs. Except the gambeson that he was already using as a pillow.

  I probably don’t need to sleep more, but it’s not like getting some rest would be a bad thing, he thought. We’re pretty unlikely to be found here. I don't really need to be on guard duty. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that he could tell from the view outside that he and Mariella were in a cave above ground level. He thought that substantially decreased the likelihood that the beastfolk would find them, if they had still been looking.

  Then he pictured how she had gotten them to this position and shook his head with admiration. Mariella had carried him and their possessions while climbing. He had probably been thrown across her shoulders. He could see his spear and her shield and sword lying on the ground nearby, too.

  She’s incredible. He felt a renewed surge of affection for the Lieutenant and ran his fingers lightly over her hair. It’s hard to believe I ever thought of this pursuit as a means to an end…

  Then he reminded himself that it still was. It had to be. Until she knew and accepted the truth, she was an enemy. And if he told her the truth, he had to be prepared to kill her if she turned on him. He had to keep a layer of emotional distance. In that sense, tonight had only made things harder.

  At once, he felt more protective of her, and he also owed her his life.

  He wrinkled his nose. It was time to think of other things.

  He pushed a little mana into his ring and retrieved two health elixirs. He took one himself and pocketed the other for later. The wound to his chest immediately accelerated its recovery, burnt skin peeling and falling away as new flesh took its place. He brushed flecks of the charred bits of himself off of Mariella’s neck and hair as they landed on her.

  Then he contacted his minions.

  Hieron, report! he ordered telepathically.

  But there was only an ominous silence from the fext.

  After a few seconds of this, Tybalt decided that Hieron must have been temporarily disabled. It was highly unlikely that anyone had found the way to permanently kill him. The squad didn’t have a lot of glass around besides the vials the health elixirs were transported in. No one would consciously think to break those and use them as weapons.

  And they shouldn’t really be intact enough to weaponize, anyway, if Baldwin had done his job.

  Baldwin, report! Tybalt sent the command a little more nervously than the first.

  But the revenant responded instantly.

  I did as you asked, master, Baldwin sent. Set Valmont free, smashed all the health elixirs in the supply cart, and dragged a few bodies away with me. There’s one dead that I’m especially excited about. Sergeant Remus.

  Good, Baldwin, Tybalt replied. He knew that Remus was one of the more senior members of the squad and therefore probably a skilled fighter. Tybalt was also glad that he hadn’t needed to kill the Sergeant himself. He didn’t think Remus was an especially bad man compared with the rest. As for Valmont… Tybalt hoped the falcon would find its way to him somehow. But if not, better free in the wild than trapped in that cage with the squad. Good. How did everything else go? How is Hieron?

  He was captured, as you expected. I think he might have driven Volusia a bit crazy. There have been mutterings from some of the miners who got freaked out after they apparently saw our boy’s mutilated head in a box.

  That explains a lot, Tybalt sent. And I’m glad Hieron was effective. I gave him some things to say to the Commander that I thought might strike a nerve. I know he’s not particularly superstitious, but he’s got a dead child talking to him.

  Before we discuss anything else, I should tell you that the Commander’s sent some people after you and Sperry, Baldwin added. I think that they’re a combined group of miners and soldiers. The miners arrived right after Hieron’s attack, and Volusia is trying to conscript more now that he knows there’s a necromancer on the loose. I don’t know if the group he already dispatched will make their way to you successfully, but if they reach you, they’re sure to pass on everything that happened tonight to the Lieutenant.

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  Got it. I’ll kill them before they can.

  Master, I know you have been playing some long game with Sperry, but don’t you think the jig is up at this point? Baldwin asked.

  It’s not really a game, Tybalt replied. I’m winning her to my cause. It’s working.

  He was aware that he sounded slightly defensive.

  Have you told her the truth about us? Baldwin asked.

  Tybalt did not reply for a moment.

  I thought not, Baldwin sent. Master, you can always command me not to tell you harsh truths at any time you wish to.

  Say what you want to say, Baldwin, Tybalt sent irritably.

  Fine, the revenant replied. I think you’re thinking with your dick. You’re fucking the Lieutenant, or you really want to fuck the Lieutenant, and maybe she’s into you too. I wouldn’t know, since you’re keeping those details to yourself. And I don’t care. I care about survival, yours and mine. Whatever is going on, your feelings are completely overriding your rational judgment. Ask yourself: if she was a man who had the fire mage class, would she still be breathing? I think you know the answer. Fuck, no. You’re ruthless. Heartless. Monstrous. Just as bad as what you made me, no matter how you might try to deny it. If you cannot trust her with your secret, which I think is frankly a wise choice on your part, then you should eliminate the threat. Kill her. As soon as you have the chance. Whenever she lets her guard down. If you don’t, she’ll burn everything you’re making down around your ears. In your gut, you know I’m right.

  The necromancer swallowed and found himself looking down at Mariella involuntarily. She slept peacefully in his lap, her chest slowly rising and falling with each breath, her neck bare, unprotected. Her lips curled in a peaceful smile, like she knew she was safe. He found himself automatically smiling back down at her.

  Then he looked back up, irritated at Baldwin and at his own weakness.

  Thank you for that frank advice, Tybalt replied begrudgingly. I’ll consider it later. After I deal with these people Volusia sent after us.

  As you say, master, Baldwin sent.

  Tybalt wanted to say something biting or cruel. He was very annoyed at the suggestion that he kill Mariella. But he forced himself to refrain. Baldwin was genuinely trying to give his best advice, and he had more distance than the necromancer did.

  Perhaps he was even right, and this would all end in tragedy. Maybe Tybalt was thinking from emotion rather than using reason. No, he was definitely using emotion. Perhaps what really upset him was that he knew Baldwin was right. He would make himself think about this again after he dealt with the ones on their trail.

  As he thought this, he noticed that his hand was stroking Mariella’s hair again. He forced himself to stop.

  And how are you doing? Tybalt asked after a long moment.

  How am I doing? Baldwin repeated, surprised. Well, I have a big gash in my neck from my fight with Remus, but that matters a lot less than it should. I’m not even bleeding from it anymore. I could probably sew the opening up once I have some time and be good as new. All my other cuts are even more minor. No blood flow from those regions means I don’t continue losing health after the initial damage. Being undead is starting to feel pretty great.

  Oh yeah? It was about time that the revenant appreciated Tybalt’s gift properly.

  Yeah… I have opportunities I never had before. Half the surviving squad is out looking for me, and I’m certain they’ll never find me. I think they’re waiting to leave until they get me, too.

  Don’t get cocky, then, Tybalt replied. The longer you stay a fugitive, the longer you keep the whole squad from coming after us. I can handle a handful of people. The squad, plus some miners, might be too much. Especially in the daytime, when I have to… think about what Mariella will do.

  He silently sent an order to all his undead besides Hieron and Baldwin. He commanded them to stop heading in his direction, as they had been since they left Hieron, and instead position themselves at staggered intervals from three miles to one mile away from his position. They were then to keep their eyes—or the little mystical orbs of green light floating in their eye sockets, in the case of the skeletons—trained on the valley below and watch for any humanoids. Hopefully they would provide an early warning system if Volusia’s little group of auxiliary scouts got close. There was only so much room to maneuver in the valley, so it was unlikely this miniature squad could be so discreet as to escape this simple detection method.

  The undead responded with wordless affirmation. They would obey Tybalt’s command unquestioningly, as always.

  I only need to stop them far enough away from here that neither the squad nor Mariella will be able to hear them scream, Tybalt thought. He was already envisioning experiments he could try to conduct. Now that he knew more about how his powers worked—information he was fairly certain went beyond what was in his textbooks—there were several things he could attempt. Magic was more flexible than his reliance on the system had led him to believe.

  It should be a good distraction from his dilemma with Mariella.

  Oh, I won’t get caught, Baldwin sent. I’m finally taking real advantage of my condition. Doing something I could never manage before. And I doubt they’ll start digging for me in the sand.

  You buried yourself? Tybalt asked. That’s perfect. Humans would never expect an enemy to do that. We model our opponent’s behavior based on what we would do in the same situation, and we usually fail to consider the things that we ourselves can’t do, that our enemy can.

  He made a mental note to use this burying-the-undead trick in future.

  Yes, it’s why I’ve been able to spy on what’s happening with the squad, Baldwin sent. I’m buried at the edge of the village. I’ll just wait until they move out and then leave an hour or two later. I can afford to be more patient than them. They have limited food, limited time, limited men… Everything is on our side, isn’t it, master?

  Tybalt smiled.

  That’s right, Baldwin, he sent. All works toward the greater glory of—

  Wait, something strange is happening, Baldwin sent in a rush. While I was talking to you, Volusia was leading the men still at camp in a prayer. I was only half paying attention at first, but…