DRAGONLANCE

Kiss of the Necromancer

by PJ

 

The first sensation was cold. It was not the cold of a salty breeze from the crashing ocean, or the cold of night as the sun died to be replaced by the weak light of tiny stars and the dim glow of three moons. This sensation of cold seared the soul, flowed into bones and marrow, paralyzed muscles and made teeth chatter till they cracked. This was the first thing Fistandantilus felt upon awakening once more in the living world, the cold of a deep, dark tomb far beneath the earth, the frigid embrace of Death that reluctantly released her beloved.

Fistandantilus was well-acquainted with Death. They had been lovers for centuries, Fistandantilus had fed Death well, thousands during the Inquisitions, when the Kingpriest had put all those with evil in their hearts to the sword or into the Coliseum. When the mountain of fire fell and destroyed Istar, Fistandantilus returned to his black lair, the citadel of Zhaman, to research new, powerful magics in order to cheat Death of her most sought prize. Study and skill created the Bloodstone, an artifact that allowed Fistandantilus to possess another's body, to make the victim a host, a vessel to preserve Fistandantilus's knowledge and ambition.

Before Fistandantilus could employ his dread tool, two armies of dwarves began making war upon the fields of Zhaman. Drawn into the conflict, Fistandantilus employed his dark sorcery, and destroyed himself along with the once proud spire of his black citadel. The ruins of Zhaman became Skullcap, a cursed place of restless ghosts and ravenous shades.

Reduced to a wandering spirit, a wretched soul in constant pain, driven mad with envy for the living, Fistandantilus found himself once more in the bowels of Skullcap, his wraith form now visible in the living world, a tall, thin shade cloaked in tattered, black robes. Death had released Fistandantilus, and only one being in creation had the power to sway Death, Chemosh.

Fistandantilus fluttered around the empty rooms of his former home for a time. He sensed the dead god's magic, the swelling of necromantic might, the armies of undead rising from the barren earth. Just as quickly, the magic evaporated, the dead fell back to Death's cold bosom. Only Fistandantilus remained, only he had the will to defy Death and remain in the living world, even though the agony threatened to drive the wizard mad for a second time.

A host was required, a shell to protect Fistandantilus from the ravages of the living world which tore and bit into his ethereal form. Floating about one of the shattered laboratories, Fistandantilus stopped and stared long at the dark, crimson stone that lay upon a broken stone table, veiled with the heavy dust of Time, its magic a faint ember, a single spark that warmed the wraith mage's black soul. Regarding the surviving Bloodstone, an idea came to Fistandantilus. The cowled wraith smiled, he would live again, and have revenge upon the bloodline that had plagued and cheated him.

***

Usha Majere sat at the dinner table, lost in the pages of a wide, leather-bound book, a single candle lighting the dry pages for her. Palin had not returned home again, Usha assumed he was still at the Academy, desperate to capture even a spark of magic for the simplest of spells. The candle flame danced before Usha's lovely face, she turned to look across her left shoulder, Palin was a flash of white robes in the foyer of their small home, removing his heavy cloak.

"Are you hungry? I can fix you something."

Palin didn't reply, but he entered the dining room where Usha sat with her book. The dusky-skinned, young woman regarded her silent husband and smiled softly. Palin gazed down sharply at her, eyes cold and unreadable, skin pale and bloodless, matching the hue of his pure, white robes. The only color upon Palin was the dark, scarlet stone that hung from his neck upon a silver chain. Usha noticed the dull, red stone and frowned with puzzlement.

"Where did you come upon that?"

"It's something I've been working on for some time," smiled Palin abruptly, reaching out to caress a strand of Usha's long, silver hair.

Usha started when Palin touched her, they had not lain together for weeks, barely even kissed, while Palin hunted for the weakest spark of magic in the new world without the three moons.

"What does it do?" murmured Usha, brushing her fingertips across the dangling amulet, the stone hot to the touch.

"Many things, my wife," leered Palin, combing his right hand through Usha's thick, gleaming hair, inhaling her scent, then kissing her violently, lips crushing Usha's soft mouth.

When they parted lips, Usha gasping for breath, Palin seized the young woman's shoulders and flung her onto the dinner table. The candle fell and rolled to the floor, the flame sputtered and nearly died, shadows grew and flailed across the bare walls.

"Palin..!" cried out Usha as her snarling husband ripped open her blouse, baring her warm, caramel-brown breasts.

Palin groped his young wife's tits, milking them while licking her neck and naked shoulders.

"Palin! Stop it!" moaned Usha, her cheeks burning when Palin reached underneath her skirts, tore away her underwear.

"You are mine, wife! I will have you!" sneered Palin, kissing Usha hard, then hiking up her skirts, yanking her slender, brown legs apart.

Usha groaned sharply when Palin shoved his member into her, the dinner table rocking beneath her as the panting wizard impaled her wildly, clawed hands scratching her stomach, then clutching her rolling breasts. Usha clung to the sides of the shifting table, calves swaying in the air as Palin pumped between her open legs with more violence and strength than he had ever used before. Usha panted while Palin rode her, she looked up into his wide, smoldering gaze, she watched the red stone sway above her, the amulet's heart glowing with the same fire as her bucking husband's eyes.

Palin was still clutching Usha's yielding breasts when he filled his young wife's belly with his cold seed. Usha could barely feel her crotch, it was numb as Palin slipped from her wet cunt. Adjusting his flowing, white robes, Palin left Usha on the dinner table without another word. Usha lay limply, spread-eagled across the table, when the candlelight finally guttered and went out.

***

Usha awoke the next morning to find Palin securing a leather satchel closed on his side of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to go on a rather long journey, my lovely wife. I will return as soon as I can."

"I'll go with you," offered Usha, sitting up in bed, holding a sheet over her torso.

"It will be a hard trip, I can't have you slowing me down."

"I can keep up!" scowled Usha vehemently.

Palin shouldered his satchel and regarded Usha. "Good-bye, my wife."

Usha threw off her covers and pounded after Palin while he made his way to the front door. She snatched Palin's left arm and yanked him around to face her. Palin tensed and snarled at Usha, he almost looked ready to strike her, but he restrained himself with visible effort.

"I won't let you leave me alone here! I've been alone for weeks, months, while you keep searching for magic! If you want me to be your wife then let me come with you!"

Palin pressed his left palm into Usha's shoulder and shoved her into a wall. "You would defy me!"

Usha winced from Palin's painful grip, the young man relented slightly, but kept Usha pinned to the hallway wall.

Tears fell from Usha's bright, amber eyes. "Please..let me go with you, I don't care where it is! I just want to be with you, I'm afraid of being alone!"

"Afraid..of being alone?" frowned Palin, looking away from the weeping woman. He released Usha's shoulder, stepping away from his sniffling wife.

"Pack a few things, I will wait for you," said Palin softly, turning his back on Usha.

Usha smiled tremulously, gave Palin a quick hug, then raced back to the bedroom to get dressed and pack a satchel of her own. Palin fingered the Bloodstone about his neck, lost in thought.

***

Palin and Usha left Solace and walked southwest, till they reached the wide South Pass. Traveling south, Usha gazed at Darken Wood that loomed to the west, a long expanse of shadowed forest and wild hills. Palin set a swift pace, he never seemed to grow tired at all, but he did reluctantly stop for brief spells so Usha could catch her breath and relieve sore feet.

The warm day passed swiftly. When dusk fell, Usha joined Palin who walked a short span ahead and tugged on his arm.

"We should make camp for the night."

Palin said nothing, but he left the road and looked over the hills and clustered trees of Darken Wood.

"Maybe we should set up camp on the east side of the pass," suggested Usha softly.

"No, this will do fine," smiled Palin, glancing at Usha, then leading the way down a short valley to a glade of black trees fencing a clearing of brown grass. A slow, narrow stream passed through the shadowed glade, Usha gratefully knelt upon its bank and splashed her face with cool water while Palin gathered dead branches and leaves for a small fire. Usha joined her husband, much refreshed from her brief bathing, when she froze in mid-step, amber eyes wide as she beheld blue fire dancing in Palin's open right palm. Palin hadn't noticed Usha's shock, he lowered his blazing hand to the broken wood and kindling, setting the dry leaves and scrub alight, dismissing the blue flame with a quick twist of an agile wrist.

"Palin! You..you have magic!"

"All those lonely nights were not in vain, my wife," smirked Palin, smoothing his robes before sitting. "I have learned much, and gained power for my diligence."

Usha sat next to Palin while he shared dry, dark bread and hard cheese from their ration bag.

"How? The Three Moons..?" stammered Usha, numbly accepting food from her serene husband.

"You already know the answer, Usha," replied Palin, tearing free a chunk of bread with his teeth. "In a way, you were the key to the entire riddle."

Usha frowned deeply, nibbling on a small slice of cheese.

Swallowing, Palin placed his right palm over Usha's heart, his skin cool and dry upon her flesh. "You are part Irda, magic burns in your veins, fills your body. That is the magic I discovered, the magic of the heart, magic of blood and mind."

Usha placed a hand over Palin's, but the young man quickly slipped free of her grasp. He pondered the crackling fire, eating without relish.

"So if you've discovered this magic of the heart, why are we on this mysterious journey?"

"Because it is not enough," whispered Palin, reflected firelight glimmering in his dark eyes like twin funeral pyres. "I quest for an artifact of infinite potential, a relic of history, forged when dragons covered the skies and wizards summoned powers that shook the world."

"Would this artifact still have power? If high sorcery has failed..?"

"Artifacts still have power, magic lives within them just as it dwells within you."

"You keep saying I have magic inside me, but I don't, Palin," murmured Usha, dropping her face, letting her silver hair veil her. "When I first came to Ansalon I had to become a thief to survive. I can't cast spells, even after studying under you. I'm just a woman, I'm not even a true Irda."

Palin tore his gaze away from the popping fire and regarded his wife. Usha gradually raised her tear-filled, amber eyes to meet Palin's. Without word or expression, Usha unbuttoned her blouse and let the shirt fall from her dusky shoulders. Usha's bare breasts glowed warmly in the firelight.

"I can only be a woman for you, Palin. Make me feel like a woman."

The young mage reached out and stroked Usha's soft cheek, she clasped his hand, kissing his palm.

"I love you, Palin."

Palin didn't reply, he traced his fingertips across Usha's moist lips, caressed the curvature of her slim neck. The white-robed wizard enfolded Usha's right breast with his left hand, he ran a thumb across her tender nipple, dragging a nail around the dark brown nub in slow, languid circles. Usha sighed and pressed her face into Palin's throat, she pressed her lips against his cool, pale flesh while Palin kneaded her breast, rolled it in his palm.

"Touch me here, Palin," purred Usha, taking her quiet husband's hand from her aching breast and guiding it between her legs, underneath her long skirts. Usha moaned beneath Palin's chin when he touched her warm sex. Palin pulled down Usha's smallclothes, letting them cling to her ankles while his hand worked inside the young woman's cunt, fingers penetrating..exploring. With one hand underneath her skirts and the other clinging to her husband's shoulder, Usha arched her back, silver hair cascading behind her as she bucked gently on the ground, naked breasts trembling as Palin delved into her melting pussy.

Usha shifted her ankles and slipped out of her dangling smallclothes while Palin unbuttoned and pulled away his wife's long skirts. Palin stood and shrugged out of his robes. Usha knelt before her husband, she lifted her arms, stroking Palin's ivory stomach and chest with her gentle, warm palms. Gazing up lovingly at Palin, Usha opened her mouth and drew in the mage's manhood, lips caressing up and down the veined shaft while her tongue wetly stroked it. Palin was gasping, hips shuddering, fingers combing through Usha's brilliant hair as she devoured his cock, face nuzzling her husband's crotch, mouth loudly slurping and sucking. Looking down at the kneeling woman, Palin slid his fingers from her soft hair and cupped her hot, flushed cheeks. Palin raised Usha's beautiful face, her eyes were bright and liquid, her lips kissed his hanging prick as she met his stare.

Holding Usha by the shoulders, Palin turned her around so her bare back was facing him. Palin knelt on the soft ground, he pushed down on Usha's slim shoulders, forcing her to rest on hands and knees. The young wizard slid his cool palms down Usha's shoulder blades, beneath her ribs to the graceful swell of her hips. Palin caressed Usha's firm, rounded buttocks, then spread them apart for his jutting member. Usha's eyes enlarged when Palin eased his cock through her moist pussy. Palin lowered his right hand between Usha's slender thighs, he rubbed her pert clit and ran his fingers through Usha's small bush of silver pubic hair while he pushed deeper into the moaning woman's snug vagina. Usha rocked back and forth on her hands and knees, silver mane tossing as she bucked against Palin, naked body gleaming in the bright firelight. Palin rested his left palm on the small of Usha's back, humping her sharply, grunting from burying his swollen cock in his young wife's belly.

Glittering with sweat, Usha knelt up, pressing her spine onto Palin's bare chest, covering the mage's clit-fondling fingers with her own as she writhed against Palin, tilting her head back so Palin could kiss her gasping lips, mouths locking together while they humped against each other. Palin's left palm caressed Usha's sweat-slick stomach as his right hand massaged her pliant right breast. Palin slammed into Usha's tight bottom, digging his cock deep into his wife's contracting hole, tasting Usha's shivering lips, her cheek, her creamy shoulder.

Palin sat on his heels, Usha sitting on his bouncing lap. The wizard hugged Usha's thin waist while she squeezed his taut thighs with her slim fingers, riding his hard erection, breasts swaying up and down, head thrown back as she moaned raggedly, perspiration beading her face and shifting tits. Palin groaned into Usha's musky hair when he climaxed. Usha lay back against her husband, panting with Palin's cock nestled in her cum-soaked pussy, white droplets gleaming between her trembling thighs.

"You're wrong, Usha. You do have magic, very, very powerful magic," whispered Palin into the young woman's wet hair, resting his slick palm over Usha's pounding heart.

***

Palin and Usha marched for several more days, following the White Rage River, until they reached the east coast city of New Ports. There, Palin booked passage across the New Sea, along the western coast of Solamnia, to the great harbor of Palanthas. The couple boarded a new ship and sailed the short way to Kalaman, there, Palin and Usha went afoot once more, walking west to the towering, cloud-crowned peaks of the Dargaard Mountains.

It was raining when Palin and Usha finally reached the slopes of the northern-most peak. A broken road coiled up the mountainside, leading to the summit where a shattered keep once stood sentry.

Thunder shook the mountain as Palin and Usha stood at the broken castle's gates, hoods pulled up to ward them from the cold, splattering downpour.

"Is the artifact in there?" called out Usha over the rumbling of the storm.

"No, the one who will find it lives here," replied Palin, striding across the gates' threshold into a courtyard split in two by a wide, jagged gulf.

Palin took a deep breath and extended his arms. Usha gasped when the soles of her boots left the stone, she floated with Palin across the plunging crevasse to the fallen iron doors of the castle proper. Palin was breathing hard, Usha drew close and held his trembling arm. Palin looked hard at the young woman, but he patted her hand before slipping away from her.

"Stay close to me, do not be led astray by anything you might see," warned Palin as he entered the ruined fortress.

Usha took a few moments to light a torch before following her husband into the gloom. The torch's golden light flickered and danced above Usha's shimmering hair, but it failed to dispel much of the castle's brooding darkness. Something shattered beneath Usha's left heel, the young woman looked at the floor, it was black with scorching, as if a great fire had once burned here. The debris beneath Usha's foot glittered in the torchlight, it looked like crystal or glass, Usha realized it came from a fallen chandelier, a huge display that lay broken and forlorn upon the blackened floor of the wide, circular chamber.

Usha pulled her eyes from the fallen chandelier, Palin had already circled around the wreckage, he stood before a raised steel throne, palms held up, head lowered with eyes closed as he mouthed a soft incantation. The red stone hanging from Palin's neck burned brightly, it peeled back the darkness cloaking the empty throne, the air throbbed with invisible threads of magic.

Joining her murmuring husband, Usha bit her lower lip to keep from crying out when the darkness returned to the throne in a boiling mist. Two points of blood-red light snapped to life, a form shifted upon the throne, a man-shape garbed in blackened, rent armor. A visored helm masked the dweller upon the throne, only the twin orbs of crimson were visible in the helm's concealing murk. Usha clutched Palin's right arm, she shivered violently against him, frozen beneath the dweller's searing, malevolent stare.

"I..remember..you, black robe!" hissed the armored wight.

Palin glanced at Usha, then met the undead warrior's stare. "Then you know of my power, it has brought you back from the Abyss once more, this time to do my bidding."

The knight roared and leapt to his feet, brandishing an immense sword that crackled with black flame. He charged down the dais and raised the mighty blade, Usha screamed and buried her face in Palin's shoulder, the mage never moved. Usha tentatively raised her face from Palin's soft robes, he was bathed in crimson light, the dark knight stood over them both, arms quaking, sword frozen in mid-slash.

"You always were impulsive, even as a Knight-Inquisitor of the Kingpriest," smirked Palin. "That's why you were led astray by your elf wench."

The death knight hissed sharply and yanked his ebony-flamed blade away from Palin and his terrified wife. The wight sheathed his weapon and ascended to his throne, he collapsed into the cold, steel embrace of the high-backed chair.

"What is your command, black robe?" growled the warrior.

"Remember the Dragon Orbs?"

"Aye, your foul kind created them. My order had orders to destroy them if we ever found one."

"I want you to find one for me. It is the last Dragon Orb, you will hunt for it and bring it to me."

"Where is it?"

"If I knew that I could retrieve it myself. Certain signs indicate that it has been in Qualinesti recently, begin your hunt there."

"Qualinesti? Elf land," growled the death knight, red eyes narrowing to smoldering slits.

"Yes, an old friend of yours is now queen of the Qualinesti," smiled Palin coldly.

"Laurana?" demanded the knight, leaning forward from his throne.

"Indeed, lord knight," nodded Palin.

The death knight stood from his throne, a glimmer of satisfaction radiated from the warrior's scarlet eyes. "I will find your Orb, wizard."

***

Usha placed a few more pieces of rotten wood into the fire weakly flickering within the bedchamber's fireplace. She tried to warm her shaking hands, but the blaze was just too small, hardly any warmth flowed from it. Palin entered the spacious chamber, he dropped a pile of rank furs onto the drooping feather mattress of the room's wide bed.

"This will do for tonight, tomorrow we'll head back to Kalaman."

"Is that..knight gone?" asked Usha as she walked away from the already dying fire.

"Yes, securely on his way to Qualinesti," confirmed Palin, spreading out the patchy sleeping furs.

"Why did he call you a black robe?" inquired Usha, folding away her heavy cloak, then slipping out of her wool dress, shivering in the cold.

"That's a long story, for another time, perhaps," replied Palin, removing his robes before climbing beneath the furs. "Hmm, the ground will almost be an improvement to this."

Usha slipped underneath the furs, grimacing to find a somewhat comfortable position. "I'll be glad to be away from here."

"For once I agree with you, my wife," grumbled Palin, shifting briefly, then staring at the cracked ceiling.

Usha snuggled against Palin. The mage glanced at Usha, then returned to contemplating the ceiling. Usha ran her nails across Palin's smooth chest, her fingers brushed against her husband's amulet, the stone was warm, her skin tingled from the brief contact. Palin took Usha's wrist and pulled her fingers away from the scarlet stone.

"Never touch it, Usha."

"It's magic too, isn't it?" whispered Usha, her eyelids growing heavy with drowsiness.

"Yes, very powerful magic, it could hurt you if you touch it again," warned Palin, his voice a soft whisper as sleep claimed Usha.

"I'm..not..afraid, Palin," sighed Usha, resting her warm cheek on Palin's white shoulder, her breathing slowing.

Palin turned to look upon the sleeping woman, his eyes black pits filled with the cold emptiness of Death. "You should be afraid, my dear, you should be very, very afraid."

*****