achieve its goal and fulfil the purpose of its creation.
Rik wished he had thought to take some of the serpent’s venom for his blade, although he knew how dangerous poison could be. He was nearing a time when any advantage could mean the difference between life and death. Too late now, he told himself, he did not have time to go back. He remembered the magebane Asea had given him.
He stopped for a moment, took the jar from within his duffel bag and, using a small bit of cloth, carefully smeared it onto the sword and the blades of his concealed dagger. Afterwards he sealed the jar and threw away the cloth. He did not want to take the chance of getting any of the poison on to his skin.
Now for the combat drugs, he thought. He took out the package and put the powder on his tongue and let it dissolve. Aside from a slight numbness in his mouth at first, he noted no effects, then he noticed that his senses felt keener, and he felt stronger and swifter and almost cheerful. The effects would only last for an hour, and then he would feel the dreadful after effects. He figured that if ever there was a time to use them, now was it.
He continued to follow the ramps upward until he entered an open space. Before him were two huge green- scaled figures. Their heads only came up to the height of Rik’s chest but that was because the upper half of their massive torso’s leaned forward, balanced by huge serpent-like tails. Their heads resembled those of dragons. Their teeth were massive, their tongues like those of snakes. Their eyes were small, cold and inhuman. In three-fingered, taloned hands they held saw-edged blades massive as two handed swords. It took him a moment to realise that he was looking at statues.
From the knowledge the Serpent Man had placed in his mind, he knew that the command chamber lay beyond. He had reached his goal.
Something like joy filled the Nerghul as it loped through the greenly glowing corridors. Finally its prey was before it. It could catch the scent intensely. It sensed other thing too, the presence of powerful magic, and strong sorcery as well as a potent demonic presence. It recalled its orders. It would kill all the others present as well, but first it would finish its prey. It rushed forward to strike.
Rik looked into a huge chamber in the centre of which sat Ilmarec enthroned. A nimbus of green light played around the wizard’s head. His eyes were closed. Rik slid through the entranceway, poisoned blade held ready. Then he noticed the wizard’s robed bodyguard hovering nearby. Its cowled head turned towards him, and he knew then that he was about to die. A moment later it passed over his head. Seemingly it had detected a greater threat.
Frustration filled the Nerghul. It had come so close. Another few steps and it would have achieved its goal. But it was not to be. The cowled demonic figure swept past his prey towards it. The Nerghul braced itself as the thing impacted upon it. A mass of enormously strong tentacles emerged from within the robes to grapple with it. The Nerghul mustered all of its strength to fight back.
Rik realised that Ilmarec’s demonic guardian had just saved his life, and he had no idea why. Perhaps it could detect the Nerghul and not him, which was a stroke of luck. Behind him the two hellish entities fought with a fury worse than that of rabid wolverines.
It looked as if the Nerghul was engulfed in a nest of snakes. It fought furiously to free itself as enormous ropes of muscle surrounded it and tried to crack its bones. When he looked closely Rik could see that many of those tentacles appeared to have sucker mouths that ripped at the Nerghul’s flesh, yet still it fought on. He tore his gaze away from the battle and returned it to Ilmarec. He had no time to waste on these two. He needed to get the Talisman and go. He strode towards the throne, sword in hand. Just as he reached Ilmarec, the wizard’s eyes snapped open. They had a strange glazed look but still there was something potent and commanding about them.
“Who are you?” Ilmarec asked. “How did you get passed the Shaa Khyraa and the wards?”
Rik shrugged and lied, as he edged closer. “Give me that amulet. I will let you live.” He wanted to distract Ilmarec, to prevent him from drawing on his magic until it was too late.
“Who are you to threaten me in my place of power?”
“This is not your place. It belongs to the Serpent Men. It has always belonged to them. You are an interloper here.”
Ilmarec tipped his head to one side and gazed at Rik with narrowed eyes. “I see you have been touched by their power. That old monster down below was wilier than I gave it credit for being. Somehow it has betrayed me.”
“It said the same thing about you.”
“You look like a human but you are not. You look like a Terrarch but you are not. What are you?”
“I am a half-breed.” Rik took another step closer.
“You are more than that. You would not have been able to pass my wards. I think you are some creation of Asea’s.”
Almost there, Rik thought. “Will you do as I asked or must I kill you?”
“You are very confident to threaten me. I could slay you with a spell.”
“If you wish to try, now is the right time.” Rik raised the blade and pointed it at Ilmarec.
A sly smile of triumph crossed the wizard’s face. He raised his clenched fist. A ring glittered on one finger. Rik found his gaze drawn to the ring’s depths. For a moment his sanity tottered and he felt the urge to do whatever he was told by the Terrarch.
“You will obey me, half-breed,” said Ilmarec. Desperately, Rik resisted, putting all the force of his will into making his limbs obey him.
“I don’t think so,” said Rik lunging forward. The poisoned blade pierced the wizard’s belly and he howled like a tortured dog, writhing on the floor. Rik reached down and ripped the Serpent Man’s talisman from around his neck.
“You idiot,” said the wizard. “You have destroyed us all.”
His eyes closed. He looked dead. Rik stabbed him again a few times just to make sure.
Chapter Twenty-Four
What now, Rik thought? He had the talisman the Serpent Man required. The question was whether he could trust it. He did not see what else he could do. He was trapped on the Tower. The Tower raced through the sky uncontrolled. If the Serpent Man had told the truth it was only a matter of time before the god’s heart exploded killing them all. As ever, it seemed, he had very little choice in the matter. He glanced back over his shoulder. The Nerghul still fought with Ilmarec’s tame demon.
He caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye. He turned, raising the sword to protect himself. A tall Terrarch woman entered the chamber. Rik recognised her from Asea’s portrait as Queen Kathea. She had entered through another door.
Understanding flooded into Kathea’s eyes. She looked at Ilmarec’s dead body and then at Rik, and then she screamed in horror. Rik strode forward and put his free hand over her mouth. He did not want her screams to attract either of the two monsters.
He spoke slowly and softly, “Your majesty, I mean you no harm.”
A small muscle pulsed in her jaw, he could feel it. He kept speaking as quietly and persuasively as he could. “Nod if you understand what I am saying.”
She nodded.
“I have come here to free you, and to take you to Lord Azaar’s army. There are some problems. We need to get out of the Tower. You need to follow me.” He uncovered her mouth.
“We can’t get out of the Tower. It’s in flight and Ilmarec was the only one who could control it. We are all doomed.”
“There is another.”
“You lie.”
“Your majesty. You can stay here if you wish and you will certainly die, or you can come with me, and you may yet live. Which is it going to be?” Her response surprised Rik.
She walked over to Ilmarec’s corpse and started kicking it.
“Bastard,” she shouted. “Stupid, treacherous bastard. I knew it would all go wrong.”
