They stopped in front of a large building, no decoration on the outside and no other buildings around it. It was a unique location, giving the impression of being completely insular, but in reality only minutes away from the bustle of the outer metropolis.
Upon entering, Larissa exclaimed, “I was not expecting this from the outside.”
He believed humans called this a “bar”, a gathering place for celebrations. But even without personal experience, he could see this was a place the very powerful and important would inhabit. Everything gleamed in rich tones and sumptuous fabrics, and one could almost feel the wealth that had gone into creating it.
“Right on time.”
Terak zeroed in on the voice that came from a door on the side. It was a human adult male, but he stood no taller than a youngling who had not yet reached majority. His brown hair hung in a careless fashion around his face, but his green eyes did not project carelessness – they were lit with intelligence and an edge that Terak ground his teeth against, and he fought his instinct to step closer to Larissa. He would give away nothing to this man.
Olivia motioned between everyone. “Rhaum, this is my friend Larissa and her friend, Terak.”
Rhaum’s eyes flickered between them. “Pleasure to meet you both.”
“Where is Simon?”
Rhaum answered Olivia’s question with a movement of his head, motioning to stairs across from them.
“Thanks,” said Olivia. Turning to them, she said, “Let’s go.”
Terak’s impression of wealth only intensified as they walked up the stairs and toward a hidden room in the corner. This was an important place, and that man – Rhaum – was not one to be disregarded.
Olivia reached the door first, opening it and going inside. When Larissa made to follow, Terak held her back, placing her behind him. Her mouth tightened but she did not gainsay him.
He edged in by only scant inches, enough to take in the room and the lone male inhabitant.
“What trickery is this?” Olivia had betrayed them. He would tear her limb from limb to inflict the same hurt upon her she had visited upon Larissa.
“No! No, I promise, it’s not what you think!” Olivia’s wails were entwined with Larissa’s scared, confused words behind him. “Terak? Terak! What’s happening, please.”
“So you know what I am, do you?”
The male’s steady, even voice cut through the confusion. He didn’t look up. Instead, his concentration was on the vials and beakers before him, all filled with a multitude of bubbling and colorful concoctions.
Terak felt Larissa’s chin graze his arm as she looked around him into the room. She gasped, and he knew then she saw the man as well. His skin was sallow with a flaky appearance. His hair was thinning, dandruff thick on his scalp. He was thin but bloated.
He looked up from a purple concoction, zeroing in on Larissa. “Hello, young lady. Do you understand your protector’s worry now?”
Terak knew she nodded by the scrape of her chin against his arm. “You’re a zombie, aren’t you?”
“Manner of speaking,” Simon said. “Most zombies don’t have their original thoughts left and were created to mindlessly follow the orders of their master. That was not the case for me, which is why I’m not aligned with bad guys and am hanging here.”
Larissa was pushing against Terak, without words telling him to let her in the room. Olivia was standing on the side, her eyes begging him to believe this was not a trap.
He had thought he had prepared for every possible situation, but this…this was beyond his comprehension. Before him was an abomination, the culmination of a necromancer’s lust for death and destruction. He spoke to the creature. “Why would they create one such as you? I have never heard of any like you before.”
Simon had already turned back to his bubbling tubes. He was studying one of them, making notes. “They turned me because I am a being of exceptional brilliance.”
Larissa gave a small laugh behind him. “Not exactly modest.”
“I’m a man of science. I deal in truth, not obfuscation.” Simon finished his notes, then after lowering the heat on the tube, turned his attention back to them. “That truth was why they made me undead in the first place. Cancer would have killed me within six months and they didn’t want to lose me.”
“Who is your master?” Terak asked.
“Don’t have one.”
“Do not lie to me, creature. All of your kind has a master.”
Simon shook his head as a teacher would at an unruly student. “I don’t lie. A necromancer created me, yes, but he is not my master. No one controls me.”