The hours had passed, the sun had finally relinquished its hold on the island, leaving it in the shadows cast by the dark ring of rocky mountains. With steps soft and silent, Banion passed through the quiet paths of the village, sticking to the shadows.
The sounds of goblins from the nearby tower carried on the wind, but it did not unnerve Banion in the least. He reached the graveyard and picked his way by the newly cresting moon's light to Arlenia's resting place. "Child, you will have your revenge. I can't live knowing you didn't. Then, you can rest."
It took a full two hours for Banion to move the earth over Arlenia's body. Sinking into the dark hole, he hoisted the decaying, skeletal remains over his shoulder, then onto the ground beside the grave. He hefted himself from the hole, sweat beading on his aging pate. He laid out the contents of his pack, and opened the tome. It had been many a long year since he had practiced his necromancy. He knew it would also be a risk, a ripple in the fabric of magic that would alert the dark wizards that he was, in fact, still alive. But Banion was driven, and by a calm madness, he started weaving his spell.
"By tenebris lux nocturna,
in utero mortis,
puero hoc tenebrarum nativitate,
eius obligaverit vita ad meam,
porta illam anima pennis doloris,
illi mentem profundissimum solitudo."
Banion cut deep into his forearm, spilling his blood onto Arlenia's putrid remains. He watched a red and sinister light form around her body and staggered back onto his rear as she took in a breath and screamed into the night a screech of abject terror that silenced even the goblin's usual raucous hoots. Banion breathed heavily, and slowly began to smile.
