I basked in the sun.

  The light was warm and inviting, nothing like the black stars over Dis.

  A breeze swept through the meadow I was standing in, bringing with it the sweet scent of flowers and woods. Being aboveground was delightful. I should have asked my father to come up years ago.

  Lambert clambered out of the hole in the ground we’d come up, his bone armor rattling. He turned and gave me a look. Some found the amalgamation of face parts unappealing, but I thought it had a rough charm.

  “Quiet Lambert, you’re ruining the moment,” I said.

  He didn’t seem too apologetic as he made way for the rest of the retinue. An assortment of undead creatures and rare monsters made their way into the clearing. Each of the noble houses had given me gifts of their finest creations or creatures for my trial. It felt like cheating honestly, but my father said my leadership of this menagerie would be a part of the test. Best to get off to a strong start. I turned to the black-robed rich, casting a series of divination spells.

  “Vikram, please set up an outpost here and find a place for the servants. Lambert and I will go ahead to the city. We’ll stay in touch via this.” I shaped a piece of bone from my hand and removed it from my palm before handing it to Vikram. The pain was sharp, but I’d learned to manage it long ago.

  “Of course, my lady. Please contact us if you need anything,” he replied, bowing.

  I blew on the whistle around my neck to summon my Nightmare Abaddon. The spectral steed came galloping out of the woods, pale blue ghost-fire where his mane and tail should be. I swung into his saddle and gripped the reins. Time to see the people on the surface. The undead of Dis had warned me that surface folk were a different breed. They claimed I could easily frighten them. For that reason, I’d only bring Lambert. So many people composed him. I hoped some would find him comforting, like I did. Plus, a revenant bodyguard would discourage all but the most determined ambushers. Not that I was worried. Humans were notoriously weak.

  Lambert ran on foot while Abaddon rode through the forest. The city’s defenses gave off a strong magical signature, so I pointed us in that direction. Father had said that we would be near Machford, my birthright, when he opened the portal. I planned to ride into the city, claim the throne, and then consider how to best succeed in the trial. I’d ask them what their biggest problems were and go about solving those to start. Perhaps conquering the neighboring kingdoms would help them. Certainly couldn’t hurt.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  I was so excited thinking about meeting with my new subjects that I almost didn’t notice the owl-bear before it was too late.

  The gigantic creature jumped in front of us on the trail, roaring in defiance. Fifteen feet long and several tons of teeth and muscle stared us down. I’d only seen examples in books, but this was definitely an adult owl-bear, near the top of their maximum size. The feathers around their heads were valuable alchemical ingredients. Vikram would be furious if I didn’t collect any. Still, I didn’t want to go about disturbing the local ecosystem in my first hour on the surface. Owl-bears were supposed to be apex predators, keeping many smaller predators and prey populations in check.

  It charged.

  I sighed. Clearly, this monster didn’t recognize a true hunter. I spurred Abaddon out of the way of the charge, the horse side stepped with eerie grace. Lambert leapt forward and tackled it head on. His eight foot frame put him at equal height to the chimera.

  There was a short contest of strength as I considered options. Lambert was unusually strong, but the owl-bear tossed him to the side. No matter, Lambert bought me enough time to think of my solution. I shaped a thin needle of bone out of my hand and rode straight at the owl-bear’s back. As it turned to face me, I swung off the saddle and drove the needle into its shoulder. Once I felt the needle hit bone, I used magic to usurp control of the owl-bear’s skeletal structure. I jumped back from the owl-bear’s swipes, narrowly dodging its talons. Now, though, with my essence inserted into its body, it was merely a contest of wills. The owl-bear was strong, but it had never faced down Death before. The conclusion was foregone.

  “Sit.” I commanded.

  With a whimper, the owl-bear fell onto its hindquarters.

  “Stay.” I said.

  The owl-bear made no motion to move, my intent transmitted through the needle. With a thought, I sent a message to Vikram to come pick up the owl-bear and add it to the menagerie. I would remove my bone essence and test its performance after it was trained. The beast was definitely intelligent enough to obey instructions.

  Lambert was still extricating himself from the trees. His impact from being thrown had almost chopped the tree in half. He made a half-hearted attempt to dust the brush and branches from his armor and gave up. I stifled a giggle at his bedraggled state. As usual, my revenant bodyguard was unamused.

  “Stop playing around, Lambert. You’re slowing us down.” I said, readjusting my dress.

  With the grace of a long-suffering friend, he helped me back onto Abaddon and we resumed our trek at a more leisurely pace. While the creatures of this forest shouldn’t pose any real threat, letting my guard down like that was a dangerous habit.

  I enjoyed the spring air for the rest of the ride. Soon enough, the trees thinned out, and we came upon a dirt road. We could see the smoke from the villages outside of the capital walls. I fidgeted with the reins. A powerful ruler should make an impression, but how to do it?

  There was the Ra’Zul sphinx. It would make for a regal first look, but difficult to maneuver in narrow city streets, so I ruled it out. Maybe a zombie griffon? Flying in was always impressive, but it might try to eat someone if I wasn’t around. Ah, I snapped my fingers; I had the perfect idea.