Without fighting, it took just a few minutes to get down into the dungeon. As we went, I kept an eye on the fight up above. While the enforcer in black could cut down any and all of our various minions we sent at him, the guild just couldn’t advance.

I had them pinned down with magic and arrow. The tanks were holding the doorway, but since we weren’t advancing, their reduced back line couldn’t get a good shot. Their guards couldn’t move out of the doorway, or they would get hammered by arching fire. Then they would need to be healed, which was what the priestess was there for.

If they advanced too far, the undead could attack their healer or shield mage directly. Yet, by not advancing any, the guards couldn’t get in range for a taunt, which meant they couldn’t get my suppressive fire to stop. It was the great thing about well-managed undead. They wouldn’t give up or tire out.

On our side, however, we couldn’t get past their guards and the enforcer. The undead that I had stolen from the lich were too low of a level to do much. When I sent a sizable chunk of my hell dogs at them, the guard’s taunt skill kept them pinned in. The massive advantage of the hell dogs was their speed, and getting locked in front of the merchants guild’s forces meant they were cut down.

My stronger guards I had defending the ranged attacks and with me. Which meant that I couldn’t really pry the merchant’s guild out of where it was. In many ways, it was like World War One. Both sides held a massive defensive advantage, which kept us in a stalemate, so I planned to keep them pinned down until I could attack from both sides.

With that in mind, we descended into the lich’s laboratory. I would call it his lair, except I had seen a real one. It wasn’t a crypt, as I owned one. No, this was just a dungeon of the non-magical training type he set up to work out of. Just a few short months ago, it would have seemed all sorts of spooky too.

When Eric had commanded all the undead out to attack me, the guild guards took the time to close and bar the gate. Then they armed up and were on the other side of the gate, watching us come.

In the middle was one I had seen at the desk when I sent the shade in. He asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”

I laughed. “That was what I was about to ask you!”

The man spat to the side. “I’m the one asking the questions. I know my spot here, and you better learn yours soon. If you’re another lich, we can make a deal.”

I shook my head. “Not a lich. Now open the gate or else.”

The big dumb-looking man laughed. “Else what? Your magic won’t work through the gate! We put a Mana siphon on it!”

I gave a grim laugh and shook my head. I activated a dozen shades. As soon as they formed their raven-like selves, I sent them through the walls and into the room. As they flew through the walls, they let out ghastly croaks. Then they dove at the backs of the three men guarding the door.

For whatever reason, shades couldn’t interact with inanimate objects. However, their attacks were both spiritual and physical as they ripped flesh open. The whole group of shades attacked like an unkindness falling onto a weakened animal. Their attacks were quick and brutal, claws flashing in and grabbing at any exposed skin.

As the men weren’t heavily armored, as they were just workers. However, the shades stayed focused on exposed skin. Being killed by a shade was far from pleasant as it traded its death for their life. Each slash traded hit points and caused real visible damage as well.

The men were shouting and swinging at the shades; however, their weapons passed through. They were unable to damage the shades as nothing they had did magical damage. That said, whenever a shade got close to one of the siphons, it lost part of itself, becoming smaller and smaller.

The smart one of the three pushed the big guy away from the door and yelled. “Make a run for it!”

The big one screamed and started running away, and the other second one tore off running with him. The shades all turned to follow them. Blood flowed from their faces and necks as the shades ripped them apart. The smarter one stepped close to the gate and gave me a wicked smile.

He looked over his shoulder and watched as the big guy died as the shades shrunk from the size of ravens down to that of sparrows. The smaller shades changed how they attacked, from slashing with their claws to slamming themselves into the second guy. Each impact caused one of the shades to vanish and the man to scream in pain. Foam bubbled out of his mouth as the last one flew into him.

The last defender turned and stared at me with a slightly worried expression as I sent out a few shades. They passed around the siphon and turned to dive into him. As it was about to make impact, the front one was pulled off course and into the mana siphon. The man gave me a grin and laughed.

Then he said. “So here’s what we are going to do! You are going to make a deal with me where I get to walk out of here alive and with as much money as I can carry if I open this gate for you.”

I liked that idea. I was going to let him walk if he just opened the gate for me. As I slowly nodded, I felt a searing pain in my hand. I yipped and looked down at my right hand. My right pinkie felt like someone had just shoved a hot needle into it. The ring on the finger was flashing white and blue.

Then it clicked. That ring would tell me if someone tried to mess with my mind. I hadn’t needed it yet, but he was trying to compel me to let him go. I kept my mind calm and thought about what I was going to do.

I gave the man a nod. “Okay, you can take whatever you want and leave.”

He smiled, nodded, and walked away from the siphon. I watched him through the eyes of one of the shades as he filled up his pockets with jewels and coins.

As he walked away, the young woman who had started following me in the kitchen asked. “You aren’t letting him go, are you?”

I shook my head slightly. “He tried to compel me. Do you know him?”

She nodded. “He’s one of the worst.”

I slowly nodded. “In what way?”

She stared at me with a blank expression. Then it clicked with me, and I mouthed, “Oh.”

She asked in almost a whisper. “Kill him slowly.”

I nodded and watched as he walked over, opened the gate, and picked up the siphon. He walked through holding the siphon in front of himself like a talisman and said. “I know you agreed to let me go, but I think I’ll hold onto this as I leave.”

I waited till he passed me before saying. “Kill him slowly.”

With that, all of my guards attacked. While the siphon would quickly kill a shade, it was because it had no body for the mana to be bound up in. The undead would lose it quickly and start to take damage, but it wasn’t that bad. His mistake was thinking he could compel me and not making sure he really did.

My undead guards attacked him quickly, knocking him to the ground and clubbing him with their blunt weapons. Then the woman slipped in and grabbed the siphon. She held it for a moment, and then it shut off. I looked over my shoulder to see her kicking him in the groining. As that happened, my throne and I were carried into the laboratory.

Blink’s cage was the first that I saw. It had been days since she had been captured. She was lying in a short cage that she couldn’t stand in. I growled angrily and sent two undead forward. One slammed the siphon off the top of her cage, and the other hit the lock with its mace.

The minions that weren’t currently slowly killing the last human flowed into the room. Two went to free each of my friends. Several of the others moved to check the rest of the dungeon. I didn’t want to leave anyone down here as a prisoner.

I looked down from my throne at the few people with me. “Check to make sure there aren’t more prisoners. I don’t know what the guild has been up to, but I don’t want surprises.”

The boy lich stood beside me and asked. “Master, what directions do you have for me?”

I looked down at my minion with disgust. “Free Renfry now.”

The lich nodded and ran to where he had chained up my lancer. As soon as Renfry was clear of the chains, I laughed as I saw him kick the lich back. While I wouldn’t deny Renfry of his revenge, I wasn’t sure if I would still hold the lich’s will if he died.

I called out. “Renfry! Don’t kill him right now. I have claimed him, but I don’t know what will happen if you kill him.”

My lancer’s shoulders stooped a bit, and then he nodded. He looked over at me and then got wide-eyed. Renfry quickly scrambled toward my throne as I was being set down.

Blink in lizard form bolted to me and jumped onto my lap. I screamed in pain as her weight dropped onto my missing leg. She jumped off with her front right claw digging into my nub of a leg and causing me to scream again.

Blink did a little wiggle back and forth while in the air as she checked all around her. When she landed, I got a shocked thought across the bond. “Daddy, what happened to you?”

I looked over at where Irwin was still in his cage. The lock and siphon were gone, but he was sweating and lying there. I pointed at Irwin and hit him with a minor heal. His body didn’t even twitch. I knew he was alive since the spell took, but he wasn’t even moaning.

I shook my head. “Get him out of the cage, and let’s get a health potion into him!”

Renfry nodded and ran for the cage. Kasidy pushed her cage open as the lock blasted off. She stood up looking far worse for wear. No one had healed her since they put her in the cage.

I was about to send a quick healing spell to her, but her raiment clicked on. The minor scratches and even the black eye she had disappeared as her body healed. The dress cleaned itself with a glow that started at her feet and moved up. Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything for the blood on her face or the mess of her hair. She gave me a quick smile, and then her eyes landed on my legs.

Kasidy let out a yelp and pointed at me. “What happened to your eye!”

Then Kasidy screamed as she saw the rest of me. “What happened to you!”

She rushed over to me as the skeletons set my throne down. Tears flowed down her face as she dealt with what she saw of me and the emotions of getting out of the cage.

Irwin moaned, and both Kasidy and I looked over at him. Renfry had just poured a full high-quality healing potion down his throat. Our healer started to get up as mana slowly flowed back into him. I could tell he was having problems and commanded one of my zombies to give him a mana potion.

Irwin didn’t even blink as he took the offered potion and then downed it. I saw his face loosen up from the headache he must have had. Then he looked over at me. I watched the shock of what I looked like cross over my healer’s face.

Then I smiled. My friends were free. It was time to end this mess.

* * *