Residents of Moramatch were already cleaning up the battlefield by the time Anfey returned with the zombie, bound by some vines he summoned. Even though they had eliminated a large number of zombies with few casualties, the town was still damaged. Shinbella’s old camp was completely under the marsh, and it would take a lot of digging to recover the lost recourses.
"Why did you bring that thing back?" Alice asked with a frown after she saw the zombie.
"It can talk," Anfey said with a shrug. "It can give us some information."
"You heard it speak?" Alice asked incredulously. Zombies communicating with humans was something unheard of.
Anfey nodded. "How are things going?" he asked
"Shinbella lost about thirty men," Alice said with a sigh. "We are wrapping up cleanup."
"Cleanup?"
Alice nodded. "They’re about to finish treating those who were injured."
"There’s no objection? Should we go check on them?"
"No need," Alice said. "They know what we are facing. You did not see how intense the battle was back here. Thank god for Shinbella’s men. Without them, we would have lost even more people."
"If that’s the case, then we have to be there," Anfey said.
Alice sighed, then nodded.
"After this is done, ask the dwarves to make a cage," Anfey ordered.
"You’re not thinking about keeping this thing, are you?" Alice asked. She glanced at the zombie with disgust.
"Of course," Anfey said. He tugged on the vine and said, "I can’t lead it around all day, can I?"
Alice nodded. "I’ll see it done."
Some of the nearby mercenaries gathered around, pointing and cursing at the zombie. They would have beaten the zombie up if it weren’t for the zombie’s power to infect people. The zombie cowered low to the ground, shaking as if it could feel the hatred the mercenaries held for it.
"Suzanna, keep an eye on it. Keep it away from people," Anfey ordered.
Suzanna nodded.
Moramatch was not a big town, and it didn’t take long for Anfey to find Shinbella and her men. Christian and Blavi were there with a dozen mages. Mercenaries were hardened and merciless, but they could not bring themselves to kill their friends. The mages were summoned to take care of the injured ones. The deceased and the injured were all gathered in a group and burned.
The surviving mercenaries stood around in a circle, their heads hanging low out of respect. Unlike her men, Shinbella stood with no expression on her face. She had experienced too much pain lately for her to feel anything other than numbness. She wasn’t married to Manlyn, but it was widely known that they were once in love.
All these mercenaries were her elites, and she trusted and cherished them deeply. The only reason the mercenaries did not object to Manlyn was because they knew it would be futile. They chose to keep their objections to themselves and wait for the moment for revenge. They knew that if they died, Shinbella would lose her last chance at survival.
Shinbella chose to give power to Manlyn even though she was as powerful as he was. This was because she respected and loved him. She didn’t want to fight with him for powerful and create a rift between them. She would give Manlyn everything he demanded and support his decisions. His betrayal had caught her off guard and caused her great distress.
The older mercenaries in Jagged Rose mercenary group knew that the group started off as a second rate mercenary group founded by Shinbella’s family, which was once a Shansa noble family with a rose as its sigil. It was renamed Jagged Rose by Manlyn. Shinbella and Manlyn, two senior swordsmasters, quickly made a name for themselves and expanded their mercenary group. However, when Shinbella suggested that they marry, Manlyn said that they should wait until Jagged Rose become a first rate mercenary group. Shinbella accepted his answer and patiently waited for the day the mercenary group rose in the rankings.
After Jagged Rose was recognized as a first rate mercenary group, however, Manlyn still found excuses to put off marrying Shinbella. Shinbella understood Manlyn’s concerns and waited. She never imagined that their relationship would end in tragedy.
The mercenaries understood Shinbella’s feelings, but they were more concerned with their own future. Why didn’t the mages join the fight earlier? Why didn’t they receive any aid? They didn’t want to think about it because they knew that once they did, they would no longer be willing to serve Anfey and his people. They also knew that they needed Anfey’s help and did not want to break away during the middle of a war.
"What are you doing here?" Christian said when he saw Anfey. He looked every sad. Kumaraghosha could face losses without any emotional distress, but Christian couldn’t.
Anfey sighed and joined the mercenaries in their mourning. He turned to Shinbella and said, "How many men did you lose tonight?"
"Forty-seven."
"Give me their names and the names of their families," Anfey said.
"I will," Shinbella said with a nod, then turned back to the pyre. The loss of her lover was a great blow to her, and the loss of her men was an even greater one. She knew this day was coming, but she was already mentally exhausted, which made this loss even more painful.
Anfey sighed. He was poked Christian, who was too consumed by the sadness and did not notice him.
"Why do you want their names?" Christian asked.
"They’re heroes," Anfey said with a shrug. "They died for us. They can’t take care of their families now, so we must."
"There’s no need for that," Shinbella said, shaking her head.
"What do you mean?"
"Our city had already fallen," Shinbella whispered. "We barely escaped."
"You mean…"
"Yes, my lord," Shinbella sighed and lowered her head. This was the first time Anfey saw emotion in her eyes that night.
The mercenaries around them turned their heads away to hide the sadness in their eyes. They had sworn to protect their city and families, but there were too many zombies and necromancers. They were forced to abandon the city and flee with Manlyn.
Anfey looked around and saw a few dwarves nearby with armor and weapons. These were the weapons of mercenaries who participated in the battle. Any gear that had come into contact with zombies must be thoroughly cleansed before it could be used again.
Anfey walked over to the dwarves and asked, "Can you make a large stone tablet?"
"Yes, my lord," one of the dwarves said respectfully.
"Good," Anfey said. "These are heroes. We can’t let their sacrifice be forgotten. We need at least to engrave their names in stone."
Anfey knew that he couldn’t give the mercenaries money, as money was useless during a war. The only thing he could do was honor the memory of the deceased.
"Shinbella, hold the funeral off until tomorrow," Anfey said. "We will hold a collective funeral tomorrow for all the mercenaries killed in action."