The skull of the pail faced monster leaned down to Albies. Its face almost touching the floor while leaning over it body the shape of a U as its wormlike bogy bent over. Its chipped skull an inch from the exhausted mages face. Its dead eyes staring directly into the young mans. The mage felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand as he looked at his new creation. The creature shivered his spine and reminded him of the time he had been shot outside his shack almost a week ago. The mage collected his thoughts despite the gaze of death staring into him.
"You will aid me in killing those who butchered the people of Yourz," Wheezed the mage. "You shall terrorize the men of Lord Brand. You shall make their nights sleepless. A nightmare ended only by the dawn. You will murder the brave and courageous leaving the cowered to suffer their nights in sleepless agony. You will do this at my command and inform me of were they hide so I may kill more of them. This is my command."
"As you command," hissed the creature. It drew away from Albie straitening its bones spine out. The creature slunk to the door. And left to the hallway.
"Wait," ordered the mage. "I wish to test you. Therefore, you shall accompany me tonight."
The creatures head tilted to one side. Perhaps in disappointment.
"Very well," hissed the pail lurker. "I shall follow you tonight."
Albie pulled himself of the ground with the help of the counter. Self-inflicted wounds and fatigue from the day making it difficult to stand. He grasped his walking stick and hobbled out the door after the bone faced monster.
The hospital was dark now except for a streak of moonlight coming from the glass ceiling. Many of the bees had settled in for the night. The sound of buzzing dull in the halls. Albie limped to the glass ceiling that concentrated the waning moonlight into one beam. He placed his hand in the beam and felt the power of the moon soak into his skin. He channeled the moonlight and took his wait of the stick. He stood under the moon for a moment and charged himself and the drained crystals. When he finished, he walked easily down the stairs and realized he had not eaten much. The lurker was busy looking at the women burned to charcoal in the center of the floor. The sun mage had reached for her in death. Perhaps they were lovers and the lurker was remembering something. Albie was hungry and did not feel like asking right now as he walked to the kitchen. He entered the pantry in the back and opened one of the jars of preserves and swallowed the contents before it could come to life in his mouth. He coughed for air after finishing and dropped the jar on the floor. His stomach filled with what he thought was strawberry jam he walked out of the hospital into the spring night air. The pail lurker stalking behind him not saying anything about the charred woman. The outside of the hospital was still the remains of the battle. Dead and burnt men on a well-kept green lawn. Makeshift barricades grew about the yard some burnt others splintered by musket fire. Albie harnessed the moon light to strengthen his tired muscle and walk down the street.
"Do you have any memories?" asked Albie.
"Fragments," whispered the dead man.
"Do you know were we might find some of lord brands men?" asked Albie.
"Lord brand had taken the governor's manor and the bank," hissed the creature.
Albie thought that both were places where one might take the moon charms and sun rings. He bet that a lord would live in the manor and did not feel strong enough to fight this lord Brand yet. So, the bank would be the better place to check first. In the direction of the gate Albie entered last night a loud beastly howl shook the night air. The sound of muskets firing responded to the howl.
"Lead me to the bank," ordered the mage draining the life of flies still hovering over the bodies.