The Curse of Credesar, Part 1

by Robert E. Keller

  Chapter 18: Terror Unleashed

  Dameon smashed his mace repeatedly against the metal door, but failed to even dent it. "It's too stout," he muttered.

  "They have to open the door to kill us, right?" said Thayan. "Once they do, we can strike."

  Dameon pointed to the small slot in the stone twelve feet above them. "They can use that hole to kill us, Thayan. It finally dawned on me what that is for. I guess we should have taken our chances and fought them."

  "They're all insane," said Theodus. "What is the purpose of this?"

  Dameon slumped against the wall, looking defeated. "They obviously fear Credesar, and I'm guessing they think this chamber is strong enough to contain him. And if Credesar does emerge before Kelden is slain, he'll be weakened by the motion sorcery and they can finish him off."

  "But you said the magic here is an illusion," said Kelden, "that you can resist it. Surely Credesar could resist it as well."

  "Credesar is a fiend," said Dameon. "Regardless of his vast power, he shares the common weakness to motion sorcery."

  Theodus nodded glumly. "This chamber is taking a huge toll on me. It's like I'm being pulled through the floor. I feel sick and feeble."

  "It's almost amusing," Dameon went on. "If Credesar comes forth, this chamber will make the mighty demon as weak as an infant. Or rather, it will make him believe he's that weak, which is good enough."

  "Brilliant trap," said Thayan, a wry smile on his face. "And we stumbled right into it like the biggest fools."

  "We had no clue Jarvin was controlling this city," said Dameon. "It must have happened just before we arrived. Because of the bracelet, Jarvin knew where we were headed and what we were planning. It was easy for him to just let us in and then take us prisoner. He knew we'd be cautious and not readily put up a fight, as long as we didn't suspect what was really going on."

  "You suspected the truth," said Thayan. "Yet you let it happen."

  "I was suspicious," said Dameon. "But we wouldn't have survived a fight with every armed solider in Murakan. There was no escape for us."

  "The seers must be in league with Jarvin," said Kelden. "Vangoss, at least. I was suspicious of him from the start. I'll bet he's Jarvin's puppet."

  Dameon shrugged. "We cannot know for sure. The bracelet came from Valganleer. It was given to you by Theodus, but he does not remember its origin. Therefore, we have no conclusive facts--yet."

  Renstad groaned and clutched his head. "Gods," he muttered, sitting up. "What hit me? I can't remember anything."

  Dameon refreshed his memory as best he could, while Renstad gazed on in confusion and asked repeated questions.

  When Dameon was finished, Renstad shook his head. "I'm some sort of leader here? Guard captain you say? Do I know you?"

  Dameon sighed. "You've taken a fierce blow and your mind betrays you. In time you should recover your memory."

  "Dameon, try your mace on the door again," said Kelden. "We need to--"

  A glass vial flew in through the slot and broke on the floor. Greenish vapors arose, and everyone coughed and gagged. Dameon swung at the door with his mace in desperate fury. "We're finished!" he said.

  Soon everyone lay struggling to breathe, but they stayed conscious. Their eyes and throats burned, their stomachs heaved and cramped, and their lungs felt full of boiling acid. It was the sort of misery that almost made them hope for death.

  Once the vapors dissipated, the iron door opened and Wessop peered in, grinning. "No Credesar, I see," he said, his eyes on Kelden. "The demon hides himself." He threw back his head and laughed, and then stepped into the chamber. "I regret to inform you that you've all been fatally poisoned. It will take an hour or so for you to die, depending on your constitution. The Dar fiend may take all night. But in the end, you'll all be lifeless bags of bones."

  "I'll...kill...you!" Thayan grunted, from where he lay clutching his stomach.

  "Are you here to gloat over us?" said Dameon.

  "Not at all," said Wessop, "though that sounds sort of fun. No, I'm here to offer you an antidote, if you'll have it."

  "At what price?" said Dameon, his large stomach quivering as the poison wracked his innards. "No doubt our very souls."

  "Indeed," said Wessop. "But just you and Renstad. The others must die."

  "I'm not sure who you are," said Renstad, still confused from his concussion, "but I bow to no man. I'll die first. I remember that much..."

  "I'll never serve your master," said Dameon. "Not at any price or promise. I've been alive for more than two-hundred years. That's far more years than most men ever see. I don't fear death. To me, it means peace."

  Wessop nodded. "I figured as much." He walked over and kicked Dameon in the stomach, causing the former seer to cry out in agony.

  Dameon cursed him.

  "Sorry," said Wessop. "I just wanted to beat something--even if it is only a pathetic dying oaf like you. It just feels good to kick that big fat gut!"

  Rage consumed Kelden, and his mind was flooded with darkness. His agony from the poison was so extreme that he made no attempt to fight the presence that was seizing control of him. He was easily shoved into the void.

  Because his back was turned to Kelden, Wessop didn't see the monstrous, hairy form rise up behind him, its wolf-like eyes burning with ravenous hunger.