Zombie Mage by Jonathan J. Drake

escape.
    “This just gets better and better.  How many times do
I have to explain to people that I’m not interested in eating them?  In fact,
it’s more likely that your weird and wonderful doctor down there enjoys a quiet
taste of human flesh on the side.  He was certainly desperate to sample my
insides.”
    Olligh decided the conversation wasn’t helping
matters.  He stepped towards the door to leave but his knee went weak and he
fell forward, almost grabbing the maid.  She shrieked and ran out of the
kitchen, leaving him to collapse onto the stone floor.
    “Oh, wonderful.” He sighed. “Why can’t I have some
good luck for a change? I can’t even feel my leg now.”
    Unable to stand, he rubbed and slapped his leg, trying
to get some feeling back.  Content with a slight tingling sensation, he reached
for the table and heaved himself back to his feet.  He lurched through the
doorway and along a corridor with many more doors, trying to find the quickest
route out of the building.  Straight ahead, he could hear alarmed shouting and
the door at the end of the corridor burst open. A small group of peasant men
rushed inside, waving their fists at him.
    “There he is! Grab ‘im!” one of them shouted.
    Not particularly in the mood to make friends, Olligh
pushed open a door to his left and hurried inside.  The key was still in the
lock so he turned it with a satisfying clunk and looked around.  He appeared to
be in a small study.  A large desk, littered with books, stood at the far end
of the room and next to it was a skeleton hanging from the ceiling by a metal
hook.   Behind the desk was a window with closed shutters; a sure way to escape
and continue his search to find his wife.  Not believing his good fortune, he
rushed forward to open the shutters, spurred on by a heavy thud and angry cries
from behind.  He didn’t think it would take the peasants very long to break
down the door.
    Olligh fumbled with the catch on the shutters and
flung them open, happy to be greeted by a familiar scene.  He spotted Ekelton
village square and, more importantly, it appeared deserted.  Glad he now knew
where he was, he scrambled through the opening anxious to escape the angry
mob.  Halfway outside, someone grabbed him by his neck and he felt a heavy blow
to the side of his head.  Alas for poor Olligh, all went dark again but, this
time, it wasn't the cosmos claiming him.
     
    * * * *
     
    Olligh opened one of his eyes.  His head throbbed and his throat felt
red raw.  Unable to focus properly, he decided to shut his eye and wait a bit
longer.  A cool breeze touched his face, calming his senses, and a crow cawed
nearby.  For a moment, he felt quite light-headed and relaxed until he
remembered his botched escape attempt.  Both eyes flicked open and he glanced
around sharply.  He noticed thatched roofs and treetops in the distance.
Wondering where he was, he peered down and realised that he was still in the
village.  This time though, he was peering down at the ground rather than
standing on it.  A sudden, horrible thought assailed him.  Looking up confirmed
his suspicions; he noticed a stretch of rope and wooden gallows.  Olligh
groaned.  No wonder he had trouble swallowing.  The peasants had decided to
hang him.
    “Mister! Are you awake?”
    Olligh peered down and noticed a little girl sitting
next to the wooden platform. “You are awake!” she continued.  “I’ll go and get
Doctor Sykes.  I’ve got to tell him if you move.”
    The girl stood and ran through the village square and
into a side alley.  Olligh rolled his eyes.  He didn’t particularly wish to
spend more time getting to know Doctor Sykes.  The man was obviously insane and
Olligh wondered if he really was a doctor of medicine or merely an enthusiastic
collector of unusual body parts. He had to escape so he reached for the rope
above his head and focused on the cosmic energies.
     
    Zoldack!
     
    Nothing happened.  Olligh cursed,