The 3rd Rise

Ihvon looked down holding Sasha’s head in his lap both of them covered with cuts. Sasha’s horse meandered above them its tackle clattered softly.
Sasha looked at his horse and smiled. “Take Oxana”
“Shut up you’ll be fine.” Ihvon said his eyes revealing the lie.
Ihvon looked at the deep stab wound and the piece of the broken pike lying next to him. Sasha had been struck saving his life. All at once they came from beneath the wood and over the wall. Sasha fired a flaming arrow but it went out in mid flight he struck the bell but it did not make a sound. He was already on the rope making his way down when Sasha threw the torch into a pile of hay. He dropped from the edge of the foundry splintered skeletons broke his fall and he beat me down. Ihvon let go early and fell but still it took too long. A swarm of skeletons slashed at him like angry bees. Ihvon managed to fend off thrust from spears and blows from axes but it was the small cuts strikes that slashed through the leather lashings of his armor. Ihvon nearly dropped his sword when one gashed his hand the wound still burned as wounds of that nature usually do partly because it is in a place of continuous use.
Sasha closed his eyes and blood began to pool in one of the sockets until it spilled over the side.
He opened them wide with a jerk. “Cut off my head.”
“What?”
“Cut off my head.”
“No” creases forming everywhere in Ihvon’s haggard face.
“You heard what will happen once I pass.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
“You think those two made in out of there.”
“Who?” Ihvon asked relieved at the change in subject.
“Those twins.” Sasha said followed by a bloody wet cough.
“Yes I hope so.” Ihvon said.
Sasha looked down the aisles of books blood and spit running out of his mouth.
“Yes they did.” Ihvon changed his answer.
“They had a faster way than us.” He looked back up at Ihvon.
Ihvon nodded. “They are not short on courage.”
Sasha hacked a bloody cough spittle speckled Ihvon’s slashed face but he did not bother to wash it off. “They are not courageous, they are nuts.” He coughed and heaved hard his face blanching white. “I want you to give them my bracers.”
“You can give them to them yourself.” Ihvon said eyes going back to the wound in his side pooling on the floor and the gash on his head.
“Cut off my head.”
“No”
The sounds of battle seemed even more distant now. Ihvon made note of the books in the library the wooden doors and the stacks of shelves he had forced against them. He wondered how a place like this could have been missed. Most of this would have burned real well.
“Cut off my head.” Sasha said his eyes intermittently rolled to the back of his head.
“No”
“Please don’t let me become one of them.”
“You won’t just…” he struggled to be positive as the blood soaked his leggings.
“I can’t” one eye closed and opened drifting aimlessly. “Just do what I ask.” His breath was an agonal rasp.
Ihvon nodded and lifted up his head blood covered his hand his hair a paint brush of red. Sasha fingered the cords to his bracers but his pale blanched fingers would hardly move. Ihvon set his head down and stood up touching a rather large cut on his cheek.
“You are going to have to take the bracers off for me.” He spit a foamy bright red came out and rested on his lip.
Ihvon nodded drawing his sword. He took in a deep breath and his eyes became hard as he raised his sword preparing for that death blow.
“Give the Quartermaster my boot knife he is always asking for it.”
Ihvon jerked a bit nearly losing his composure he brought the blade down a little waiting, hoping for Sasha to change his mind. Instead he looked up at him and nodded his eyes blank, resigned to their fate and with one smooth stroke Sasha’s head came clean off. There was not that much blood not like he expected but he was already nearly dead. He dropped his sword looking at his friends head. Oxana, Sasha’s mayor whinnied and stepped nervously. Ihvon did not want to touch him. He did not even want to go near him but he had to do what he asked. He fought being sick he fought throwing up heaving but nothing was in his stomach now.
He got down on his knees his whole body trembling; working the knots to the bracers they were issued to a scout after their training was complete it was more than just a set of bracers they were a symbol of their status in the army. His hands too shaky to do it quickly his friend’s hands already cold they must have been cold before death. One off, he tossed it away and worked on the other and then the boot knife. He sighed with relief as he stood up putting the items in Oxana’s saddle bags.
The hairs on his neck stood up on end as the horse snorted. He could tell somehow that his friend is now standing behind him without a head. His hand trembled he did not have his sword in his hand. He ducked and turned. Sasha headless body swings the blade passing through his hair. Headless Sasha smashed Ihvon with his knee. Ihvon was still exhausted Sasha had not stopped bleeding and death had brought new life and strength to his friend. Ihvon scrambled down the aisle tearing books from the shelves the undead scout tearing after him. He exited the isle and spun around racing down the next. Sasha stabbed through the shelf with crazy mad thrusts. Ihvon sucked in and manage to evade the strikes and gain some distance. He made it back to Oxana she snorted nervously he grabbed his sword but felt eyes upon him. He looked at Sasha’s heading staring up at him from the ground. He kicked his head and it flew far bouncing off a column and disappearing in the dark. The hair on his neck stood up again and he raised his sheathed sword up to block Sasha’s strike. Headless Sasha kicked Ihvon in the back. He dropped his sword as he stumbled forward plowing into a shelf of books.
“You said you didn’t want to do this.” Ihvon spat.