Rivers of lava coursed through the cavern like arteries supplying fresh blood to a body. The intense dry heat filled the air as Bakalor slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne. “This is unacceptable!” The demon growled at Irluk. “Where is my son, Grub?”
Floating nearer to the demon, the swirling coal-colored debris of the Death Witch hovered over the demon’s hand for a moment before dispensing fragments of rocks which once was the lesser demon, Grub.
Watching the pieces of his son drop into his open hand, Bakalor was momentarily speechless. “What could have done this?” He pondered the question until the final rocks fell from Irluk. “Was it Ambrosius? Has he returned?”
Moving back from the enormous throne, Irluk landed on the cavern floor in front of him. “We thought it was he, but it was Darkmere in disguise. Our trap was sprung on the wrong E’rudite.”
“How could you make such a mistake?” Closing his palm on the remains of Grub, he squeezed his fist so tight that heat and light, from the extreme pressure, began to escape from between his fingers. “I want this over! Bring the Nums back to me.”
Standing next to the spinning burnt fragments of the Death Witch was the white-cloaked Darkmere. Looking out from his solid white eyes, Darkmere had already healed his own wounds from the attack near the Squalid Waters bridge. “You have interfered with my plans!” he shouted. “I could have had information out of Thorik about our enemy’s war plans as well as a prisoner to lure Ambrosius into my trap.”
The swirling of Irluk’s debris increased as she took offense to his comment. “This was not my mistake. Changing your form to look like the one we are all hunting was a poor idea. My only mistake was believing Grub when he informed me he had found Ambrosius.”
“Stop bickering!” Bakalor squeezed tighter on the nearly liquid rocks of Grub and grabbed his mighty mace with his free hand, pointing it at Irluk and Darkmere. “Movement toward war has begun. Someone must ensure that Ambrosius will not interfere.”
“Where do we start?” Irluk backed away slightly from the demon and lowered her eyes. “We no longer know where Ambrosius’ friends are heading.”
The demon slammed the mace into the cavern floor, releasing a massive quake to erupt around them. “Irluk! You promised me you wouldn’t let Thorik escape.”
She had no response to his accusation. He was correct and they both knew it.
“I can tell you where he is.” Darkmere’s statement was clearly a surprise of the others.
With the earthquake fading, Irluk hissed at Darkmere’s arrogance. “And do tell, how you know this?”
Darkmere opened a side pouch and pulled out an old battered wooden box.
Irluk laughed at the absurd item. “A child’s toy? You’re using a prattle box?” Overjoyed at the stupidity, she waited for Bakalor to lash out at the E’rudite.
Bakalor was not impressed. Opening his palm, he dropped the red glowing magma glob onto the cavern floor. His eyelids narrowed over his diamond eyes and his teeth began to grind.
“Yes.” Darkmere was obviously irritated at Irluk’s lack of respect. “It was given to me as a child, as a toy.” He confirmed the witch’s comment. “However, many years ago my master, Deleth, instructed me to give it to Thorik.”
Irluk watched the steaming ball of magma start to cool and crust over. As it did, she could start making out features of legs and arms. “Then how did you acquire its mate?” Irluk snipped back to Darkmere.
“I never did.” Darkmere smiled at the confusion. “However, the Dark Oracle, Deleth, also informed me that I would need Thorik’s prattle box which will be buried in the future, even though it will show up in the past. Deleth did not explain how, but he did provide me with a map of its location near Farbank. The search caused the death of Thorik’s parents. I don’t know how the Oracle knew my prattle box would end up in a northern canyon, but it was. So, even though there are only two boxes, one of these boxes exists twice. Thorik has the original from my past, and the one I now own is from Thorik’s future.”
Now, fully crusted over, a mouth opened in the center of the round glob, exposing the liquid inside. Grub had returned, and stood ready for his master’s orders.
Irluk avoided staring at the lesser demon and kept to her conversation with Darkmere. “If you knew Thorik and his parents, how come the Num doesn’t recall you?” She was more than a little skeptical.
Suddenly, Darkmere used his E’rudite powers and changed his body to look like a typical human traveler. “Because…” He gave a slight bow. “…I was Su’I Sorat at the time.”
Irluk scoffed at the name. “A child’s toy and a child’s game?”
Bakalor looked confused. “Explain!” He struck the cavern floor again with his weapon, causing the ground to vibrate uncontrollably, loosening rocks from the walls and ceiling.
Irluk glanced over at Darkmere before providing the answer to the demon in order to stop the quake from dropping more rocks from the cavern’s ceiling. “It’s a foolish tradition that the maker of prattle boxes sign their name backwards, inside the box. Darkmere took it to a new level by changing his birth name of Tarosius to Su’I Sorat when delivering the box.”
Bakalor shook his head in anger, causing the ground’s shaking to increase again. “I don’t care about this! I want to know where they are headed!”
“Their travels lead them to Govi Glade…” Darkmere changed his form back to his normal white robes, eyes and hair before smiling at Irluk as he finished his sentence. “…In search of Vesik.”
Irluk was shocked. “That’s my book! How dare they venture to its hiding place.”
Darkmere didn’t allow her complaints to derail his conversation. “They most likely will die in their efforts to find your book, but if they should be so lucky, I need a spell from within it for myself.”
“Out of the question,” Irluk hissed. “It’s mine. It is bound to me. Only I should have access to it.”
“The spell I need will allow me to swap locations with my brother, Ambrosius.” Darkmere could tell he had their curiosity. “How convenient would this be for the two of you to have him suddenly show up here in Della Estovia under your powers?”
Shaking her head, Irluk argued the point further. “You can’t perform that spell without possessing a piece of his body.”
An evil thin smile crossed Darkmere’s face. “Which you do not have, but I do. Which is why I am now taking control over the hunt for him.”
Irluk knew that the Dark Lord had played the game better than she had in front of the demon. The charred debris, which made up her body, violently swirled as her anger grew at Darkmere’s comments.
Bakalor grinned at the idea and the remaining earth tremors ended. “What do we need to do?”
Darkmere plotted for a moment before glancing down at the lesser demon as it awaited its orders. “Send Grub to kill them after they have acquired Vesik. Then, Irluk can make haste to bring the book back here.”
Bakalor glared back and forth between Irluk, Darkmere, and Grub as he considered the E’rudite’s idea. “And what will you do in the meantime?”
“Return to Corrock. I have business to take care of there, just in case Grub fails to perform a simple task of rolling onto a frail Num.”
Grub’s heat intensified at the backhanded comment.
“Agreed,” Bakalor replied.
Essence of Gluic Page 42