Chapter 1

A boy, not over fifteen, walked around the castle’s outerbelt, walked the grounds, looking weary.
He had just finished his Necromancy Exam; he was rather pleased with himself. A very old, weak
looking man eyed him. He immediately recognized him—he frowned, willing him to keep quiet.
The will didn’t work; only high-level sorcerers and advanced wizards could repel him. The
young necromancer was fourteen and a half. The necromancer had bright light blue eyes and he
had red hair. He was wearing a white tunic and brown leather pants; he had a Necromancer
Apprentice cloak—a dark black cloak—over him.

“Who—who are you?” the young necromancer stuttered, agitated.

“Someone more powerful than thee, boy,” the mysterious man said, very amused. Then he
looked into the boy’s eyes, and frowned with his word’s immediately. “Oh my dear lord! I didn’t
know—I mean… I’m sorry. I did not recognize you to be the High Necromancer’s son,” he
stumbled, in awe. The boy shrugged nonchalantly. His dad, the High Necromancer, was the
second-in-command, after the King, and was the heir to the throne.

“We’re not close, so I’m not bothered. What does bother me, however, is you resisted my will for
you to keep quiet.” The necromancer replied, wearily.

“A high-level secret to sorcery,” he said dismissively. “So you and the Highman aren’t close, eh?
Who would’ve thought that? You seem to be his little mischievous spy.” The man wasn’t asking if
he was a spy, it was an implication that he was. The boy scowled; he wasn’t truly a spy, but the
High Necromancer was not only a necromancer, but a sorcerer, alchemist, scholar, and high
wizard—the Highman easily bent the boy to his will.

“Think as you wish,” he said, sadly. “My name is Theo, the Apprentice-in-training,” he said
tiredly.

“Mmmhmm. My name is Rexuses. But people call me Xuse,” he said mischievously, as if the
name should’ve meant something. And, after a few moments of thought, it did make sense.
“Yes, Xuse—I have apprenticed the King’s grandfather and the King’s father. And the highest
sorcerer,” he said with a grin. Theodore nodded, not externally showing his carelessness. “Did
you know the difference between sorcery and necromancy?” Not waiting for Theodore to reply,
he went on, “Sorcery is a very advanced version of wizardry, but it involves drawing magic from
the dead as well as your environment. Necromancy, as you know, is summoning the dead and
bidding them to do as you want.”

Theodore frowned; regardless of the fact he and the Highman did not associate really, he had to
attend the King’s feasts and such with his father. Looking at the sun, he judged it was
approximately six o’clock—the feasts began at six thirty. “Feast time,” the young boy said
simply, shrugging. “Come,” he said to the old crone, “you should feast with us, Xuse,”

“Ah, but my lord, I cannot. Mentally and physically, might I add. I am neither alive, nor a ghost, I
am InBetween. With strong sorcery, and my age, I formed a body that keeps me here, but I am
magically stuck to my hut,” Theodore didn’t understand the man’s words, but left the house.
Theodore went to the castle on a black warhorse. The Highman and the King insisted he only ride
on warhorses because it was only suitable for the third-in-waiting to the throne. His Necromancer
Apprentice cloak was flying in the air absently, as he thought about Xuse. The man had been a
mentor to many of the Kings, he reminded himself, all though the old man did not offer
apprenticeship to the boy. Theo considered it was because the man was not a necromancer, but he
wasn’t sure.

“Ey’ey,” the boy told the warhorse, slowing it down as he neared the castle. At first one of the
guards advanced on him, then they realized it was the dark color of the Necromancer, and backed
off. “Good decision,” he muttered irritably as he past through the gate into the castle village. The
townsfolk all looked at him pitifully, as if to beg for money. He ignored their pitiful glances and
proceeded to the castle.

Two white-vested guards approached him—white-vested guards are the village team, and black
and gold-vested guards are the Castle’s. “Halt!” one of the white-vest’s snarled. Theodore looked
at the guard with amusement, as he summoned a local skeleton. The skeleton charged at the two
white-vests vigorously. The necromancer’s face looked weary and ill; he was still a mere lad, and
necromancy took a lot of his energy. About ten minutes after he left the guards, he released the
necromancy on the skeleton and he went back to the grave.

Theodore’s stablehand approached him. “Hello,” the necromancer said politely to the stablehand.
“How are you today?” The boy nodded and said it was doing pretty well. Reaching for his pouch
on the belt, he gave the stablehand one silver coin. “For your troubles,” and left the warhorse in
the stablehand’s care.

As the boy entered the Dining Hall, he was surprised to see junior ministers and senior ministers
as well as the Highman and King in the Hall. There was a long table, approximately fifteen-yards
long, and on the head sat the King, and on the head sat the Highman, and a vacant spot by Theo’s
father. Keeping his head down, he went to the empty seat by his father, and didn’t look up for his
father’s scolding for him being late. “Glad you could join us, Theodore,” the King said, eying him
intently. Ignoring the King, they began their feast. “Let us eat!” he roared, and servants came in
caring silver plates full of meats, potatoes and desserts and plates of wines and beers.

Respectively the servants went to the King and the Highman and served them first, then
Theodore. Theodore picked a bowl of warm potatoes with a light sauce, half of a pheasant, a leg
off of a turkey, and a bowl of peas, pumpkin pie, and hot apple cider. Pleased with his choices for
his dinner, he ate the potatoes quickly and the pheasant along with the peas. Then, all that was left
was his warm glass of cider and the pie. He finished it off in a matter of minutes.

Then, the boring part of the feasts started—the discussion on their kingdom. As the senior
ministers discussed how their part of the territory was going, Theodore was thinking of what he
would say when it was his turn to speak. He was considered a junior minister of the outerbelt of
the castle. He really didn’t care for the peasants of that area, but he did his job pretty well. Seeing
as he was the youngest minister, he was last. It was his turn to speak: “Well, everything is going
pretty well. The peasants are starving, but the majorities have yet to pay their taxes. I say it is
time we intervene and take their home from them,”

“You’re ignorance is why you will never be a senior minister,” the senior of the outerbelt snarled,
“You think you can undermine me! You’re a junior minister—I am the senior minster of the area.
We are not taking their homes. They are poor; give them time.”
“Why you are in power is beyond me,” the Highman snarled. “I am the Highman; a necromancer,
sorcerer, alchemist, scholar, and high wizard. I am the master minister, above all other ministers.
It is unwise to talk so foolishly of my son right before me and your Kingship,” he snarled
irritated.

“ENOUGH!” the King boomed. “I think it is time we release some of the ministers,” he said
simply. “I don’t care if you’re born into nobility directly or if you are a noble yourself, you’re not
promised a seat on the minister council,” the King frowned. “My kingdom is not going to be
warring with each other, when other evils are lurking. We need be to be united now more than
ever. We have, in record, one necromancer—the Highman—and his son, two sorcerers, two seers,
one wizard, four healers, and two alchemists! Magically we are weak.”

Theo left the room of the warring ministers, and went to his father and his wing of the castle. He
thought of going to his half of the wing, but then he decided he would go to his father’s part; he
was interested in his father’s forbidden study to anyone and everyone. As he attempted to enter
the door to the study, he considered something—his father would have magical barriers; else just
anyone could get into the study.

Theodore immediately sent a surge of energy through the doorknob, a thing he learned from his
father’s wizardry—the boy knew no more wizardry than the surge he did on the knob. It erupted
to a dark yellow color; that let him know it was highly trapped. Then, from about of an inch from
the doorknob, he sent a stronger surge into the doorknob and it opened swiftly.

Grinning with his ability, he entered the study. It was fascinating! The whole left and right walls
were nothing but bookshelves which had too many books for the space on them. The right
bookshelf was completely full with the wizardry books, necromancy books, his scholarly books,
alchemy books and many other books. The left bookshelf was filled up with past Highman
journals and other books.

The young necromancer selected a old, worn book that was dated 1546 from that times Highman,
all though that Highman was a wizard, not a necromancer. He sat in his father’s swivel chair,
grabbed the old man’s diary, and read. But as he evaluated the situation, he realized it wasn’t a
diary… No, it was the man’s brain, incarnated into one “diary” so to speak.
 Chapter 2
Wizards were running around my door, hollering things
about me—the Highman—and what I was going to do
when the Kybe attacked the Castle of Ode. Sure, I am
the highest wizard on Ode and perhaps from realms
from hereon, but I am not the all-knowing. I considered
using the my necklace, with the enchantingly colored
stone on it; it was the dragon of Ode, the one Highman
pass down the generations, for one to use when
needed—once used, it was into the world forever, and
no longer in the Highman’s possession.

Immediately the wizard released a spell that resisted

all to enter his magical study, and read all of the
incantations possible. Sending a message-shadow to
the master minister, he quickly ran to the study. As
soon as the Highman sensed him, he let go on his
control, then as soon as the minister was in the
boundary, he recast the spell.

“Ah, glad you came, my dear minister!” I said with

high excitement. “I have an idea. If I can disable the
Kybe’s magic-weavers, then no one will be able to stop
our cavalry. Which is where you come in; you must get
the cavalry to be out of the center of the battle zone,”
then, getting out his enchanted necklace, he pointed
at the stone. “The Dragon of Ode—the last of its kind.
Once released into the world, it is forever in its own
control. But within a few hours of its release, I will be
able to bend it to my will, as it won’t be as strong yet.”
The minister frowned. Magic bothered him as well as
some of his cavalrymen—it was a dark art really, and
that’s what bothered the majority. “Yes, yes—of course
my liege. I’ll have my men be out of the center. But—”

“No buts,” he said irritated. “They’re less than an hour

away, judging from the aura I can sense and feel of
them. I don’t quite know how to release the dragon…
so leave me to my studies.”

“But what of our few wizards and sorcerers?” the

minister said hastily, before he could be banished from
the study. With a frown, he responded:

“They are already gone—” he glared at him, and the

minister didn’t interrupt, “Yes, as you’re probably
thinking… I ordered them to leave. They’re already at
the back of the Kybe’s forces; they’re going to destroy
them from the back.” Then he banished the minister
from his study, and he began to study hastily. His mind
thumped—a part of it was keeping up the magic wall
surrounding the border up, one part tending to the
Dragon which prepared it to be released soon, one part
tending to the incantations of the Dragon and spells of
war, and one part overseeing the whole realm, and
areas outside it.

Reading through the book, he drew a conclusion: He

would have to sacrifice a life for the Dragon. The
problem to him, however, was he didn’t know who to
sacrifice. As the Highman, al l but the King—who didn’t
question him, for he himself was encamped in a cave,
making his decisions from there—all did as he asked
without question. And those who did repel him, he
simply bent them to do it.
However, using a human as a sacrifice required a bit of
the Highman’s soul itself. Which, considered how he
multi-tasked, could easily make him not so abundant.

Chapter 3