Kyra Blackrein's Arc

Chapter 2 of 5

Kyra stood before the three glowing graves and spoke the words of binding. The candle flames bent toward the disturbed earth. The ground trembled beneath her boots. She watched dirt crack and split along the grave mounds. Pale fingers pushed through the soil. Three figures clawed their way up, their cavalry uniforms torn and stained. They stood motionless, waiting. Kyra stepped forward and met the first rider's hollow gaze. "You serve House Blackrein now," she said. The riders needed horses. Dead men couldn't ride the living. Kyra walked to the old stable yard and began clearing space in the corner stall. She swept out years of dust and dead leaves. The three undead soldiers followed her, their boots dragging across the stone. They would need proper equipment before they could be useful. She returned to the fort's storage room and found a cavalry captain's saddle buried under rotting blankets. The dark leather was cracked but solid. Iron stirrups caught the lamplight. Military insignia marked the seat. This had belonged to an officer once. She carried it back and set it on the stall rail. Two more saddles hung on the far wall. She pulled them down and lined them up beside the first. Her riders would be ready when she found them proper mounts. The undead stood watch as she worked, silent and still. House Blackrein had its first three soldiers. Kyra needed to learn more. Three riders were only the beginning. She climbed the stone stairs to the fort's upper rooms and found what she'd been searching for. A heavy wooden table stood against the far wall, covered in a worn dark cloth. Black iron candlesticks flanked an open book, its pages yellowed and brittle. She stepped closer and read the faded text. Instructions for binding larger groups of undead. Methods for keeping them controlled over distance. She traced her finger down the page and found a section on mounted forces. The book described rituals for raising dead horses, binding them to riders, creating units that moved as one. Kyra pulled a chair close and sat down. She had raised three soldiers, but she didn't yet know how to command an army. This book would teach her. She turned the page and began to read. House Blackrein would rise again, and she would be ready. The next morning, Kyra dragged a heavy stone trough from the corner of the courtyard. She positioned it near the graves and filled it with water from the well. Dark ritual liquid followed, poured from clay jars she'd brought from home. She drew geometric chalk markings along the stone rim and placed black iron candles at each corner. The book had been clear about this step. Skeletal remains needed preparation before they could be raised properly. Horses buried in the valley beyond would need this treatment before they could serve. She lit the candles and watched the liquid turn dark. The three riders stood nearby, waiting for their mounts. Kyra wiped her hands on her cloak. She had her soldiers, her equipment, and her knowledge. Now she needed to find the dead horses that would carry House Blackrein back to power.