Ghaji opened the door and stepped inside. Diran followed and moved past the half-orc, slipping into the room as silent as a shadow, and Ghaji closed the door behind them.
The room was dark, so much so that even Ghaji's orcish night vision couldn't make out any details. There were no windows, no candles or lamps. Knowing an attack might come at them any instant, Ghaji drew his elemental axe and willed it to activate. Mystic flames burst into life around the blade, revealing a stone room devoid of furnishings, the only exceptions being a rumpled bedroll in the middle of the floor and a chamber pot that smelled as if it hadn't been emptied in a while located in one corner. Sitting on the floor next to the bedroll, cross-legged and looking at them with an almost serene expression on his face, was a boy who couldn't have been more than ten. He was completely naked, the flesh of his body crisscrossed with scratches-some scabbed over, some fresh and bleeding-as if the boy had been clawing at his own flesh. The child's resemblance to Calida was obvious both in his face and brunette hair. But as disturbing as the boy's appearance was, the aspect that bothered Ghaji the most was his eyes: they were completely black, moist and glossy, like the eyes of a beast.
'Are you Taran, son of Baroness Calida?' Diran asked. The priest's voice was firm, but kind.
The boy's beatific smile grew wider and became sinister, almost mocking. 'She thinks so. The stupid cow.'
Ghaji remembered an important element of the curse of Kolbyr. 'Diran, wasn't the firstborn child supposed to be an indestructible monster? This boy may be in dire need of a lesson in manners, but he looks human enough… except for those eyes.'
Diran smiled grimly, but he kept his gaze fixed on the child. 'It appears the details of the curse have become distorted over the last century, starting with its very name. You see, my friend, the Curse of Kolbyr isn't a curse at all. This boy is possessed by a demon-one that has cast a foul enchantment over the city, causing the Fury.'
Ghaji could feel waves of hatred and fury rolling off the naked boy, and he had no trouble believing Diran's words. Then a thought occurred to him, and he frowned. 'But what of all the other firstborns that preceded Taran? Were they possessed by demons as well?'
'My guess is they were,' Diran said. 'But not by other demons: by the same demon. That's why each cursed firstborn is reputed to be indestructible. They're individual bodies may perish, but the demon that possesses them simply waits to return in the next generation.'
The boy's grin grew even wider, his mouth stretching farther than was humanly possible. The corners of his mouth tore and thin lines of blood ran down past his chin. 'Well done, priest. I knew when I first sensed you and your friends approaching the city-and by the way, I did send those gulls to attack you as a greeting-I knew you would prove to be a worthy adversary. Perhaps the most worthy I've faced since first being summoned.'
Ghaji snorted. 'Spare us. Your kind always thinks you can put opponents off balance by alternately complimenting then castigating them. We've heard it all before.'
The boy turned to regard Ghaji with his glossy black eyes, and despite his earlier courage, the half-orc warrior felt a chill shiver down his spine.
'Is that so? Then perhaps you'd like to hear something new. My body may be locked away in this chamber, but my mind roams free. I know many things… things you and your companions would dearly love to know.'
Ghaji rolled his eyes. 'And now you're trying to make deals with us. Is there some kind of infernal school where they teach you this sort of thing, or are demons bereft not only of souls but of imagination as well?'
The demon grinned even wider, and this time Ghaji thought he could hear the boy's mouth tear. The blood flow increased, and now drops fell from Taran's chin to patter onto his claw-marked chest. 'Let me give you a sample of my wares. I know where your elven lady-love is right now, half-orc. I know who she's talking to and what they're talking about. I could relate their conversation to you word for word, if you wish. It would be as if you were standing there beside her, listening unseen.'
Ghaji clenched his teeth in anger. 'Shut up.'
The demon continued speaking, its voice a hideous parody of sympathy and concern. 'She's such a mystery to you… you have so many doubts. You keep them to yourself, struggle to tell yourself that you understand and that not knowing doesn't matter. But it does matter to you, doesn't it, half-orc? It matters very much indeed.'
Ghaji's gripped the haft of his axe tighter, and without realizing it he took a step toward the possessed child. Diran took hold of his arm and stopped him.
'He's just trying to goad you,' the priest said. 'If you slay the demon's host body, the Fury will be dispelled, but Calida will lose her son. The demon will be banished, but only until such time as the next Baron or Baroness produces an heir.'
'As long as that ruler is a descendent of the House of Kolbyr,' the demon said. 'When the line of Kolbyr ends, so too ends the curse, and I shall return to your world no more. Needless to say, I hope that doesn't occur for many, many years. I'm having too much fun playing with the city and all the foolish mortal toys that inhabit it. I love to make them angry, make them fight each other, kill each other… I'm a naughty child, I suppose, always breaking my toys.' The boy shrugged. 'But no matter. There are more where those came from, are there not?'
'The one who summoned you was Kolbyr's sister,' Diran said. 'Nathifa was her name.'
'I should make you barter for confirming that information, but I'm in an especially good mood today. Yes, that's true.'
'She must've have been an especially powerful sorceress to call forth a demon of your strength,' Diran said.
The demon's laugh was so much like that of a normal little boy that it startled Ghaji.
'So now it is your turn to attempt to appeal to my vanity, eh? What fun! You amuse me, so here's another free tidbit: the sorceress is powerful, yes, but the one she serves-and from whom her power flows-is far stronger.'
Diran frowned. 'You speak of the sorceress in present tense, but she summoned you a century ago. Are you telling us that she still lives after all this time?'
A sly look came over the boy's face, as if he were hiding a secret. 'She is not alive, and that's the last thing I shall tell you without receiving payment first.'
Ghaji glanced at Diran. 'Not alive isn't the same thing as being dead.'
'Indeed,' Diran agreed.
'Are you now convinced that the information I have to offer is worth the cost?' the demon said. 'Are you ready to bargain with me?' The demon sounded almost as if it were pleading, like a child begging an adult to play.
Diran appeared to consider the demon's offer. 'I don't know… you haven't really told us anything new. And quite frankly, you could be making up what you have told us. Demons aren't known for their scrupulous adherence to the facts.'
'My friend means you're a bunch of damned liars,' Ghaji translated. 'Literally.'
The demon scowled, and the waves of anger pouring off of him became more intense. 'Do not push me, half-orc. Cease to amuse me, and it will go all the worse for you.' The demon considered for a moment. 'Very well. Another sample for you, but I warn you, this is the last. I know where your vampire lover is, priest. I know who she travels with and where they are bound. Not only do they sail the vessel the half-orc's love lost, they also carry with them an object that your artificer friend is most anxious to regain possession of.' The fiend's smile returned. 'Now are you interested in bargaining with me?'
Ghaji was stunned by the demon's words. He'd learned a great deal about infernal creatures since beginning his travels with Diran, and he knew that demons did far worse than simply lie. They seasoned their falsehoods with truth, mixing the two together until you couldn't tell where one began and the other ended. It was this diabolical tactic that ensnared more fools than any other, and even though Ghaji knew better, he found himself tempted by the demon's offer.
If I could return the Zephyr to Yvka…
Ghaji turned to Diran, looking to his friend for support. Diran wouldn't be tempted by the demon's sly words. He'd take hold of his silver arrowhead, the sacred symbol of the Silver Flame, and he'd thrust it toward the demon's face, and in a commanding voice reject the fiend's offer.
But Diran said nothing. The priest only stared at the demon wearing the face of a young boy, his gaze dark, jaw clenched as if he were struggling to hold back his voice. He made no move to reach into his vest pocket and remove his silver arrowhead. His arms remained slack at his sides, hands empty.
Ghaji couldn't believe it. Was Diran actually considering the demon's offer?
