Wholly Undead

A full five carriages were being pulled by a team of four undead horses a piece. These carriages were large and elaborate. These were usually used for the Archbishop. Jack, in fact, wondered, if the Archbishop was already in Saigunrai how they got there if their carriage was left behind. He would ponder this a bit more in the future.

He was sitting in the first carriage, Jade in the second, Boss Crag in the third, Jade"s girls in the fourth, and a squad of undead-at-arms in the last.

Thankfully the undead knew what suspension was when constructing these ivory bone carriages, as it was a smooth ride. Today the carriages had to pull to the side to let the undead horses eat.

These horses were zombie undead, more accurately they were known as Holysteed undead. A type of undead horse summoned, and cultivated by the undead of the Holy Kingdom of Deagoth. They could run at top speed for a full six days, before having to rest on the seventh day, unlike skeletal horses that didn"t have to eat or rest. Most skeletal undead horses could trot for long periods of time, but were unable to bear the pressure to their bones for long travel periods. It had been known that a skeletal horse could be reinforced with holy bones, alleviating this issue, but was wildly expensive. It was to this point that only five Warmarshals, the Grandminister, and the Witch King himself that owned one a piece; making a total of seven in the entire Kingdom.

Jack sat in his carriage thinking about his future. How to solve the kingdom"s issues? He was waiting to hear about the Boneyard"s sending him representatives. He was now incorporating Boss Crag into some of his plans. While engrossed in his thoughts, he heard a light knock at the back of his carriage.

"Yes?" Jack asked while looking at the back of his Carriage, from where he was sitting. He had to give it to his Archbishop. He didn"t know if all the carriages were like this one, but his an interior appearance of a small office. It had a nice couch, a desk and chair, and two chairs in front of the desk. It really reminded him of his office back in the palace.

"Can I come in? Is it a good time, if I do?"

Jack heard the voice. It was a soft voice. He had a good memory for voice, and knew it was Jade. Jack arranged the messy papers he was working with on the desk, and called out to her.

"Yes. Please come in."

The curtain at the back of the carriage brushed aside for just a moment, and in that moment of gap swept in Jade Glowminer. Today she was wearing a long red summer dress. It contrasted well against her light green skin tone.

She took of her shoes by the curtain side. Jade looked around, but didn"t move, after.

[Ah. Jade always liked the couch... Maybe the same?] Jack thought, "Please have a seat here." As he gestured to the couch.

She nodded, as she walked over to the couch and sat at one side, with her legs tucked under her.

"So what brings my soon to be Mother-in-Law to visit me?"

"Ah. Well... I wanted to ask about her... My Daughter... MMmm... Leslie."

"Ah, what of her?" Jack stood a bit straighter in his seat. He wasn"t quite sure how to face his mother-in-law.

"How is she doing? What has she been doing? Have you set a wedding date? Do you know...?"

In just a few moments, Jade had asked over fourteen questions, including "What does she think of me?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Ms. Glowminer. Please I am only one... Undead. I can"t answer everything at once."

"Ah!?" Jade squeaked out. She covered her face with both hands. She was very nervous sitting in front of the supreme pontiff and ruler of the Kingdom. Never in her life did she think she would be sitting in front of The Holy Witch King.

Seeing her reaction, Jack softened his voice, and decided to change how he called her.

"Mother, it"s not that bad."

Of course, Jade noticed this change of address. This wasn"t mother-in-law, but mother. Wasn"t this a sudden change, but it made her feel all the better. It had been a very long time since someone had called her that.

"Ah, but the wedding hasn"t been held. I"m not your mother yet..."

"Formalities. I took Leslie as my consort. In my mind, it"s already done, but I"m not going to deprive Leslie of her special night. I know ladies love these kinds of affairs." Jack was thinking as fast as he could. He wondered if he could make a spell to think faster.

[Light speed thinking! That would be sooooo sweet.] Jack was thinking, and side tracked a bit. He was jarred back, when Jade replied.

"I guess I can"t so no to The Holy Witch King." Jade placed her hands back into her lap.

"Ah. Well. You don"t have to call me by t.i.tle either, in private you can call me Jack."

Jade stared at Jack vacantly for a few moments.

[Is this a type of condition Leslie"s family has?]

"OH! Jack... What a fine name, Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack."

"eerrrr?" Jack was feeling slightly shy from his name being called so many times. This may be his mother-in-law, but it was the first time a lady had called his name so many times in a row.

"I"m sorry. It"s just... I didn"t even know you had a name!"

"How is that possible? Everyone has a name, even me."

"Yes, even you, but I always thought you were just... I don"t know The Holy Witch King. No one else knows your name... AH! Does Leslie know your name?!"

"Well, of course. How could my consort not know my name...?"

"Ah, well that makes sense, but why tell me?"

"I like to think We can be family. I mean... I will be your son-in-law... If you approve of me." Jack looked down at his desk, at the roughly arranged work papers.

"What?! No, no, no... It would be us asking, if our daughter is good enough for you!" Jade was horrified. If The Holy Witch King wasn"t good enough for her daughter, then who would be qualified to marry her? The Emperor?

"You have a good daughter. She has been by my side for a while now. I have seen her dedication to me." Jack thought back to her bone white hands. He later learned that she had hands like this from washing his linens in Holy water. He remembered his bath... Holy water was not a good time.

He continued, "I am just responding to her feelings."

Jade nodded, as she stared into the dancing flames in Jack"s eye sockets.

A silence drug across the carriage.

"Does she... Has she mentioned me?" Jade asked in a whisper.

Jack wondered why she whispered this; she had asked this kind of question in her rapid fire state earlier. He thought for a few moments, and then replied.

"Leslie wanted her family back together. She asked me to put it back together. This is why I came to get you, because she wanted you. In fact, she didn"t care how I did it, as long as I did it."

"Ah!? That"s why you fought with Boss Crag?!"

"Yes."

Jade"s mind was thrown into chaos. The Holy Witch King fought with the Boss of the Crag families just for her daughter, for her daughter"s mother...

"But there could have been another way right?"

"Like what?"

"Couldn"t you of just bought out Boss Crag"s contract?"

[WHAT!?] It was now Jack"s turn to have his mind thrown into chaos. That"s right. Boss Crag had a code of ethics. Once he received a job he would do it, but that didn"t mean you couldn"t buy his contracts. Boss Crag liked money... A lot. Jack could have easily bought the contact for Jade and the Manor she worked.

Jack shook his head to clear his thoughts. He felt he was truly an idiot, but Jade took this another way. She felt that him shaking his head meant that he had no choice but to fight.

"Oh, I see. So you wanted to summon the Angel of Death to let the world know you had awakened, and were not to be trifled with. I see. I see." Jade was nodding her head up and down in understanding.

[You see what? That I"m a dumba.s.s... sigh... We"ll go with that.]

"Right." Spoke Jack, agreeing with his Mother-in-Law.

*******

It had been half a month since Warmarshal Frostgard had left Saigunrai to visit the Grimnight Clan of Sosuhalf. She was ill at ease with the information that the Grimnight clan provided at her Grace"s request.

Recalling the conversation, the Clan Head Grimnight stated that because of the ma.s.sive collapse in the Glowstone mines, the clan was still unable to exhume the corpse. They were putting in full efforts to reopen the collapsed section and exhume all of the workers in the accident; as well as, restart mining in that part of the mine.

The story was sound, but something in Warmarshal Frostgard" s gut feeling told her that there was funny business a foot. She couldn"t place her finger on it, but her mother had always told her to listen to those gut feelings. They were there for a reason.

After getting permission to a.s.sist in the mine clean up to exhume the corpse of Nicholas Grimnight to bring back to Saigunrai under orders from The Holy Witch King himself, her and her Company of Frost Knights made way to the Grimnight"s Glowstone mine, Little Gloom mine.

At the outskirts of the mine, Warmarshal Frostgard called a halt to her company. She over looked the ranks and silently counted. A hundred and sixty eight Frost Knights atop their undead steeds. Her family summoned and cultivated a rare horse, Icehoof Draft Horses. She was atop her favorite, she named Black Ice. These horses unlike Holysteed undead horses, where not known for speed, but for toughness. These were the tanks of the undead horse breeds. Some tomes her family held, recounted stories of these Frost Knight and Icehoof Draft Horses weathering so much damage that when the battle was over, both the rider and the steed looked like blue lave urchins with all the spears sticking out of them.

Out of the company a lone rider came to the side of Warmarshal Frostgard, her General. General Frostgard.

"You got that look in your eyes. Something isn"t right here?" Asked.

"Observant as always, Gerald." Warmarshal Frostgard coldly replied. Gerald didn"t take this to heart. He knew that in his family, the Frostgards that the Cultivation made them cold in nature, even their personality. He didn"t feel slighted by his cousin at all.

"Sara. Tell me what you really think."

"The Grimnights are going to f.u.c.k us the first chance they get."

"You think this is a trap?"

"Something like that."

"Why? What"s so important about Nicholas Grimnight that his corpse needs to be brought back to his Grace?"

"Gerald, it is not for us to question his Grace. We are the shield that protects the kingdom and the bulwark his Grace uses for his enemies to smash their bones upon us."

Warmarshal Frostgard gave a rare look to her cousin. Gerald had heard this mantra in his family for years. It would seem that he would continue to hear it.

"Sigh... I get that, but I would fight a lot better knowing why I"m doing something. You know besides, "I told you so.""

Warmarshal Frostgard continued to look at her cousin.

[You dare breathe a word of this, and I will smash your body, personally.]

Gerald stiffened and felt cold. He was always cold due to cultivating his families" art, Ymir"s Icegard, but now he might have asked too many questions. He nodded his head to his cousin, Sara Frostgard. No. Warmarshal Frostgard, at this moment.

[Nicholas Grimnight is the father of Consort Leslie. This would make Nicholas Grimnight the Father-in-Law of his Grace.]

[WHAT?!?] Was the first thought to come to Gerald"s mind? Countess Leslie was a Grimnight. No. Consort Leslie was a Grimnight. The very point that she was a Grimnight was difficult to accept. Grimnight"s always cultivated Unholy arts. An Unholy Cultivator was going to marry a Holy Cultivator in a Holy Kingdom?!?!

Warmarshal Frostgard was glad that messages and thoughts in one"s mind, even when whispered or screamed all sounded at the same volume. Otherwise, she was sure to have a ma.s.sive headache from her cousin"s yelling.

[Now you know. We will now walk into this trap.] Messaged the Warmarshal.

[Why?]

[Because we are the Frostgard. We are the bulwark of his Grace. Even when the trap snaps, we will not break.]

General Gerald Frostgard nodded to his cousin Warmarshal. She signaled, and he rode back to his position.

They rode down from their hilltop to the base of the mine. For what trap springs, it mattered not to the Frost Knights of the Frostgard. Let them break upon their bodies.