Dirge for a Necromancer - By Ash Stinson Page 0,29
it’d be no easy task. He’s not just some powerful creature, Raettonus. He’s a god, with all the powers that entails. Besides, supposing one could bind him—what then? You might be strong enough to get a god like Kimohr Raulinn into your power—I don’t know—but, even though I have no doubts that you are a very wise and clever man, I don’t think you’d be smart enough to keep him that way. No, please don’t take offense. I don’t think any mortal could be clever enough to keep him in their power. There’s a reason we hold onto the old tales even if you believe they’re nothing more than that. They help to warn us that gods should not be messed with. Least of all that god.”
Raettonus regarded Daeblau coolly. “I’ll bear all that in mind,” he said. “So, Captain—who’re you here giving your prayers to tonight?”
“Oh, a few gods,” said Daeblau, turning away. “I prayed to Kurok for the warrior’s strength, and to Virkki for a warrior’s courage, and to Cykkus for a warrior’s death. The same prayers I always do before it’s my turn to take the walls.”
“You pray every day, then? How quaint.”
“Every day. Not every day in here though,” Daeblau said. “Today I came here to pray at Shimae’s shrine—the love goddess. Do you know her?”
“I know her fine,” replied Raettonus, a bit shortly.
Daeblau smiled a little. “What I said before about prayers applies to all the gods except her. To Shimae, a man must come to pray before her shrine, and he must do it as an individual, Magician, because praying for love can only turn out well.”
“So, you’re here this morning praying to find love?”
“No, I’m not. Rather, I’ve become smitten, and I’m here to pray that the young man I’ve fallen in love with will return my affections,” Daeblau said. “Though, praying to find love is not a bad idea. Perhaps you ought to try it, Magician? You could stand to smile a little more and scowl a little less, I think.”
“I smile perfectly often as it is, thank you,” Raettonus answered curtly. “Besides, I’ve found that, in one way or another, love always turns to bile in your throat. The best you can hope for is that you die before the person you love. It’s a race to the grave, because reaching the grave before they do—or before they stop loving you, or before they start hating you—is the only good outcome to ever be had.”
The centaurian soldier smiled, but it was a forced expression without any warmth to it. “Is that a fact, Magician?” he said. “You speak in the way that only a man who’s never loved can.”
“I speak as only a man who has outlived love can,” Raettonus answered. Through the window he could see the sky was turning pink. Somewhere out of sight, sparrows were waking and beginning to chirp their birdsong into the valleys around the citadel. “I would suggest suicide, by the way. If you find out the boy loves you, I mean. I would suggest that you kiss him and then immediately go drive a sword through your belly, or wherever it is a centaur might drive a sword to end himself. That way you die with happiness in your mouth instead of bile.”
“I’ll take it under consideration,” said Daeblau, forcing all the emotion out of his voice. He glanced up at the window. “It looks like dawn is upon us. By your leave, Magician, I must go take my watch.”
“Yes, I imagine you must,” Raettonus replied. Daeblau nodded to him curtly and started past him. Raettonus turned and watched the centaur disappear out the doors. It wasn’t long after that the shrine began to fill with other worshippers, and Raettonus took his leave as well.
* * *
Raettonus’ lessons with the boys were very lax that day. By afternoon, he found himself dozing off every now and then. Maeleht would wake him, and he’d start lecturing again, only to nod off once more. “Raettonus,” said Maeleht, shaking him awake the fourth time this had happened. “You promised to tell us about necromancy today.”
“Right, right,” Raettonus said with a yawn. “Fine. Fine, give me a second.”
He hunched over, yawning again, and rubbed at his eyes. Straightening back up, he began, “Bear in mind that I will not be teaching you how to do any of this for a very long time. It’s a very difficult craft, and I don’t think either of you is ready to