Craving

Sapphire ring

Judy carefully cut the meat with her favorite long, sharp knife. Boiled for over three hours it was easily separated from the bones, just as she wanted. The whole room smelled with bullion lacking maybe the vegetable touch. She definitely was hungry, but she had work to do.

After three quarters of an hour all the meat landed in the bucket and the skeleton lying on the table was white and clean, ready to be brought to life. Judy smiled – she's always preferred skeletons to those awfully smelling zombies, unlike most of necromancers, too lazy to bother themselves with properly preparing a corpse. She looked closely at her work, judging every detail. She wanted it to be perfect, as were all of her creations that made her famous as the best craftswoman of undead guardians. She caressed the white bones, looking for any defects, but they were smooth like well-polished stone.

Aaah, Tony was handsome even when he was alive. That was actually why she has chosen him to be the source of youth for her. She remembered his full, sweet lips, as she finished drawing arcane symbols on his skull. It would be extremely foolish to let him recollect anything from his real life, especially the part when she took all his vital forces to sustain her own beauty. After all, hadn't he told her he would have given up anything to make her happy?

She added final touches by placing on him a platinum necklace bearing the mark of his future master. The silvery armor together with a shiny scimitar and immense tower shield he would pick up himself after the ritual. But this was to be held later at night, when the pale moon looks down on sleeping earth. Now it was time for dinner.

* * *

"The castle in the middle of a swamp doesn't exactly have to be a haunted ruin", Judy Silvera used to say when talking about her home. Indeed it was not a grim place if one didn't mind undead servants, that is. Her magic was strong enough to hold away all the mist and mosquitoes and one thing she would not stand in her home was mess

Tony had been sent to the foolish merchant who wanted his tomb guarded, as if it could protect it from being robbed, and Judy had some time for herself. She chose to stroll a little in the rose garden and then maybe she'd go to the orchard. Her thoughts floated around the yearly ball at the Ice Princess' castle – the event that would be nothing to bother with if it was not for her best friend the host of the party – Ice Princess herself.

Judy frowned at her favorite blue rose being eaten by some pests and went back to planning the dress for the ball. Until now she decided it should be sea-green, so that it would match her eyes and the enchanted emerald necklace, which she recently brought from one of her tomb raids among the forbidden Dead Lands. The jewel had one nice property. It made its wearer completely immune to the effects of alcohol, just what she could use on the party with too many guests for her taste. If the garment should be long or short it was another matter – usually she wore simple linen or leather trousers and some light blouse, so it was hard to decide about an elegant gown. Every year she had the same problem, which she solved with the help of a lottery. This time it said a long one should be her choice, so she called Barbara to tell her what she should prepare for the next week's ball.

Barbara with her long, blond hair was far more than a maid – she was her friend and advisor on womanly matters. Her white bones clattered under the pink dress when she approached her mistress, ready to serve her in any way. Bare skull could show no emotions, but Judy knew she was smiling. She had already guessed the errand that she was to accomplish for her lady.

* * *

The ball started as planned, all shiny and glamorous. Judy came late as usual, not liking the formalities of ceremonial reception. Her name was cried out loud by the butler as she entered the ballroom. She gazed at the colorful gathering of mages and nobles of all kind, half of them already drunk, the other half struggling hard to join them. Nonsensical if you asked her. At last she spotted Ice Princess from the height of the immense stairs she hasn't yet descended. Alas, her friend was in a company that virtually made it impossible to talk, so it was no use going to her right now.