“My employer. I’ve told you, I don’t know who he is. I always dealt with his associate. He’d show up, leave notes, or send others with messages. I’ve never contacted him.” He looked from one to the other, but they both remained stony and detached. “Come on, now. I can’t give you information I don’t have.” Sturtagaard was charming.
Annie rolled her eyes again. “You really don’t have any idea who the employer is?” she asked with sarcasm.
“Really, I don’t,” he said.
“So you’re building an army of the dead. How long did you have to get this done?” Annie took out her phone and pulled out her calendar.
“He wanted it ready for September first.”
Annie looked up with a grimace, and Cham looked surprised. She didn’t need to mark the date on her calendar or research its significance, though neither could figure out why a zombie army had to be created for that day, the Day of First Sun. It was a very powerful and ancient day for good magic.
“So, your employer wants an army of the dead on that day? Why?” Cham asked in a flat, emotionless voice.
“He’s a black wizard. What do you think he wants? He wants to overthrow the Council, take over the world, practice magic in the open. You know, the typical magical fantasy.” Sturtagaard grinned because he believed that would benefit the entire supernatural world.
“Wipe the smirk off your face, Sturtagaard. Having free reign won’t be as good as you think, with all the angry mobs, torches, and stakes through the heart.”
Annie smirked at Cham, who shook his head and laughed. He waited to compose himself before looking back at the vampire.
There is something so appealing about the idea of magic being real, especially in our ultra-modern world of computers, smart phones, mass media and weapons of mass destruction. The appeal of the fantastic helps drive the popularity of books and movies such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, and while I love traditional fantasy, in the last few years I have become a big fan of urban fantasy Continue reading
