The walking corpse stood a dozen feet away. It didn't advance, dance, or perform anything remotely dangerous. Its head swiveled as if to take in everyone. The creature gave me the creeps. Like the shivering creeps, but I couldn't look away.

"Orc say dead here! Dead here!" Moktar yelled. "Morthisal return!"

The undead creature's head turned to look at Moktar. Its head slowly turned back and forth as if to say "No."

Mira nodded at her squad. They slowly advanced toward the animated corpse, drawing swords as they cautiously crept forward. Their boots splashed through the ankle-deep water. Metal rang as blades cleared sheaths.

Moktar pulled his huge axe off his back and swung it up in a guard position. The other orcs drew weapons as well and moved out beside Mira and her crew.

A few more dead swirled up from the ground. Mud and water cascaded off their bones as they rose. It was hard to tell them apart, except that one was shorter than the others and another held a staff made of gnarled bones. Curiously, a dull red jewel topped it, yet it seemed to have no magical glow. The three of them stood together, their hands outstretched, their fingers curled into claws. Wait. Were they shaking them or waving? Hard to tell when it's just a few strands of flesh and sinew on bone. They still did not advance. Didn't taunt. The small troop made no noise that could be considered menacing. Nope. Instead, they hissed, "Please!" Their voices sounded as if their throat had long ago been burned in a fire.

"Wait!" Mira and I yelled at the same time.

Mira held up a hand and cocked her head to the side. The other guards stopped as well. Raynard's sword trembled in his grip. The younger guards looked to her for guidance.

"This is very strange," Mira said.

I couldn't agree more.

"Release us," one of them said. The others echoed his words. Their voices layered over each other, and their eye sockets seemed to be locked on me. It made me want to turn tail and run. They should not be able to sense him. The Heart of Shadows completely isolated him from Morthisal's power. "We beg you!"

Bristling with anger, Moktar roared, "Orc release Morthisal minions!"

With a war cry, the orc leader raced toward the undead. His other orcs were close behind. Their feet pounded through the marsh water. Weapons raised high.

"Hold on!" I yelled. Why? I don't know. I suppose part of me felt pity for the walking skeletons, even though they freaked me out.

The orcs did not wait.

As Moktar swung his axe overhead, just before it would make contact with the undead, the walking skeletons fell to pieces and disappeared into the swamp. Bones scattered. Flesh dissolved. The murky water swallowed every trace.

Mira put her hands on her hips and looked around. "What in the hells just happened?"

Moktar turned and yelled, "Orc frighten undead!"

The Heart of Shadows burned against my chest. Heat spread through my ribs. My stomach twisted into knots. Something was very wrong here. The undead had spoken. They'd asked for release. That wasn't normal. Animated corpses didn't plead. They didn't think. They just attacked, at least, that's how Mira had described them.

"That was strange," I said to Mira.

"Very strange." She sheathed her sword but kept her hand on the pommel. "Undead don't normally talk. And they definitely don't beg. They also tend to charge first and attack en masse."

Raynard and the other guards formed a loose circle around us. They scanned the marsh for more threats. Water dripped from their boots.

"Lord Commander," Raynard said. "Should we search the area?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to get far away from this place. I feared the amulet's heat told me danger lurked nearby.

"I'm not well-versed in military tactics. Mira?"

Mira smiled and offered a quick nod, then told the others, "Spread out. But stay within sight of each other. Look for anything unusual."

"Unusual? What could top that?"

"I don't know. Stampeding skeletal elephants."

"Uh." Raynard looked around with a nervous tic. "You've faced skeletal elephants?"

Mira shook her head with a gentle smile. "No, I have not. Just look for anything as weird as the skeletons that appeared and just as quickly disappeared.

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The guards nodded and waded deeper into the marsh. They poked at floating debris with their swords. Moktar and his orcs did the same. They spoke to each other in the guttural Orcish language, which always sounded like they were angrily arguing with each other.

Mira stepped closer to me. "You look pale."

I wiped sweat from my forehead. "Just concerned about, you know." I gestured wildly around. "Dead things coming out of the ground this close to Everspring."

She studied my face. "They didn't want to hurt us. Why did they say release us? They tried to reason. They don't normally chat about the weather, or otherwise stand around asking for directions."

"Directions! They go back to hell!" Moktar shouted.

"If there's no danger, we should leave." I whispered, "Should I inform the town council about what we witnessed? I want to avoid causing unnecessary alarm."

"As you say, Lord Commander, but I recommend we keep a watch. I can make sure Caden sends out regular patrols." She also lowered her voice. "It's a good idea. Tell them to keep it quiet for now while we investigate. The town is seeing incredible growth. No reason to scare the traders away."

"That sounds good," I stated, then leaned in close to Mira. "Thank you."

Mira winked and nodded once.

The Heart of Shadows had cooled against my chest, which was a relief. I swear the damned thing's heat had crept into my body. My face was flushed and my skin warm.

The walk back to Everspring felt longer than the journey out. Everyone stayed alert. We kept to the main road and avoided any side paths. The guards flanked our group while the orcs stayed together in the rear. Moktar kept glancing over his shoulder at the new marsh.

When we reached the edge of Everspring, the orcs veered off toward their fortress. I raised my hand in farewell. "Stay safe!"

Moktar bellowed back. "Dead not safe from orc!"

I had to admire their tenacity.

Mira's squad dispersed into town, while Raynard headed toward the fortress with the orcs.

Mira offered to come with me to see Roland, but I waved her off. She had duties to attend to. Besides, ever since she and Alic had gotten together, she'd been sticking around Everspring more and more—helping out with the guard, lending her sword where it was needed. The town was lucky to have someone with her skills watching their backs. For all I knew, she was due to go on watch soon.

Mira and I said goodbye, and I headed to Roland's office. The door creaked when I pushed it open. Roland looked up from a pile of paperwork spread across his desk. I'd lived in Everspring for close to a year, and in all that time, the town Steward's pile of books and documents had not changed, nor had the light sprinkling of dust that dotted the surfaces.

"Ah, Varix. I mean, Lord Commander. Back so soon? I believe our meeting could have gone better, I'll give you that, however-"

I closed the door, waved my hand dismisively at his concerns, and took a seat next to his desk. "We have a problem, but I don't want to panic anyone. I'd appreciate it if we kept this news confined to the us and the council."

Roland set down his quill. "A problem? What sort of problem?"

"A problem of the undead variety."

Roland sat back and dropped his pen. "I'm sorry. A what?"

I told him about the undead in the brand new marsh that had seemingly grown over the past few weeks. My words were carefully chosen to avoid causing him to panic.

"That's deeply troubling." Roland's face paled. "You say they spoke to you?"

"They spoke to us. Mira, her squad, and the orcs." I felt it necessary to clarify this even though I knew they had been directly addressing me.

Roland scratched his head. "What should I do with this information?" He looked down and muttered, "Most troubling," again.

"I don't know. Mira is going to talk to Alic. She will suggest more patrols in that direction." I paused and added. "I believe it is important to keep this quiet for now. They were not threatening, and the walking skeletons seemed to want something other than attacking us."

"Perhaps a job at one of your taverns. You have a knack for finding unusual talent."

Laughter exploded. Couldn't help myself. This was just sort of levity I needed.

Roland's grin was only half joking.

"Anyway," I said and shook my head. "You know I am new to my post. Is this he best course of action for now?"

Roland nodded. "I believe it is. I can send a message to one of the temples and get a few clerics out here. They very much enjoy reclaiming lost souls such as these."

"That is a great idea, Roland."

I left Roland's office and headed back to The Shadow's Respite. My boots squelched through a puddle near the entrance. Water damage. Right. I'd nearly forgotten about that mess. Thankfully, Caden should know how to fix the broken pipe.

Inside, the main room still had a damp smell. I walked to the kitchen and surveyed the warped floorboards. The tavern would be closed for days. Maybe longer.

But I had an idea. The saucy tomato trenchers had been a huge success. People loved them. I'd been thinking about what else I could make. Something new. Something that would draw crowds to both The Shadow's Respite and The Wandering Boar. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until the kitchen had been repaired.

The front door banged open. Penelope rushed in, her face flushed red. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I was held up by this young man named—"

I held up my hand and laughed. "I don't need the details." Then I detailed what had happened in the kitchen and why we wouldn't be able to work at full capacity. Of course, we could bring in well water, but it would slow us down. Thankfully, I knew a strong young orc who could ferry some to the tavern.

"Lady Churl!" I called toward the cellar.

The door flew open and crashed against the floor with a tremendous bang. Lady Churl scrambled up the stairs. "Boss?"

I grinned at both of them. "We're setting up the food wagon. We're going to serve food today out by the side of the road near the front of town."

"We ain't done that in a while," Lady Churl said.

"The pipes have a temporary spell placed on them. It should hold, but I would feel better if we didn't take a chance on ruining a batch of food until Caden has a chance to offer a solution."

"Food truck? That sounds fun."

I blinked at Penny.

"Food cart. What did I say?" she laughed nervously.

"Something what's I don't understand."

"Okay," I said and quickly changed the subject. "Let's pack up the supplies we'll need." Even though Lady Churl knew of my origin as well as Seraphina and Penny, we had a rule never to discuss it unless a silencing stone was used.

As I surveyed the bustling preparations for the food cart, a chill ran down my spine, and the Heart of Shadows warmed once more against my chest. A whisper, faint but unmistakable, echoed in my mind: "Release us."

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