Alutar: The Great Demon (80 page)

“Look,” whispered Kalmar as he pointed at the far end of the lake on the right-hand side. “It is one of Crystil’s pillars.”

Fakir Aziz turned and gazed at the distant pillar. He nodded in satisfaction. He looked at the distant shore on the left-hand side of the lake, but he could not find a pillar. Without a word, Fakir stepped back into the trees and continued northward. After a few minutes, the group came to another stone pillar.

“That’s three,” Atule said with a broad grin. “I knew that she could do it.”

Fakir Aziz said nothing. Once again he turned and walked perpendicular to his previous path, leading the group westward along the shore opposite from the altar. The length of the lava lake was much greater than its width, and the group walked for a long time before the Mage halted once again. The group moved cautiously towards the lake until the back of Alutar stood exposed to view. Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on the southwest corner of the lake. Almost hidden from view was a small stone pillar. Alongside the pillar was Crystil.

“She is almost done,” commented Valera. “Do we wait for her to finish?”

“Yes,” the Mage said without hesitation. “The enclosure is needed before I banish Alutar. I do not want his demons following their master. Left alone, they will revert to their usual laziness. We return to the woods and wait.”

Across the lake, D’Artim had been communicating with Alutar. He had been standing with his eyes closed, but he suddenly opened them and saw the group moving back into the trees. He shouted a warning, and the host of demons raced to the edge of the lava lake to see the enemy. Alutar snapped his head around and stared at the Mage.

“So you have come, Fakir Aziz,” the Great Demon said with a thundering voice. “And you have brought offerings for my demons. Very well. Let the game begin then.”

Alutar’s fiery eyes glowed and twin streams of fire shot across the lava lake towards the group of mages. The Mage turned and stepped forward towards the lake while the other mages continued into the forest. The twin streams of fire splayed over an invisible shield before Fakir. The Mage raised one arm and pointed at Alutar, but he suddenly turned and pointed at one of the demons instead. A brilliant tendril of white light shot across the lava lake and struck one of the demons. The demon glowed with the brilliance of the sun and then simply disappeared. Many of the demons who had come forward to see the enemy across the lake now slinked backwards, not wanting to face the Mage. Alutar raised an arm and pointed at the far shore, but not at Fakir Aziz. A tremendous blast of power flew from the Great Demon’s hand and a swath of trees blew away from the edge of the lake, creating a bare strip of ground stretching deep into the forest. Fortunately, Alutar had guessed wrong as to where the Mage’s allies were hiding, but Fakir knew that he would discover them soon enough. The Mage pointed at another demon and quickly ended his existence, but he swiftly followed up with an attack on Alutar, to regain the Great Demon’s focus on himself.

“Spread out,” the Mage warned his group. “The demons will soon be coming for you. Stay within the pillars so you will have some protection when Crystil finishes.”

When the second demon vanished, several of the lesser demons turned and ran for their lives. Unfortunately, their escape sent them right past Crystil, and she was discovered. Their shouts grabbed Alutar’s attention, and he jerked his head around to see what was the matter. When he saw Crystil, twin beams of red shot from his eyes. Crystil’s body began to glow brilliantly, and wisps of black smoke rose from her body. Crystil screamed as her skin began to liquefy. Her hair disappeared in a brief flash of fire and her nose began to drip down her face. Screaming in agony, Crystil moved away from the pillar and towards the lava lake. The black cloud over Crystil’s body continued to grow, and her flesh began to cascade down her body. Unable to save herself, Crystil marched into the lava lake and disappeared beneath the crust.

Across the lake, tears ran down Atule’s cheeks as he watched Crystil die, but he did not have time to mourn. The demons flew across the lake and landed near the group of mages. Eulena swiftly erected shields around the group, as Dorforun cast a stone-splitting spell directly at one of the demons. The creature gasped and staggered backwards, but the dwarf could see no rent in the creature’s body. Dorforun frowned in disappointment. Zynor closed his eyes and concentrated on the other demon. At first, it merely tilted its head as if confused, but soon it reached out with its powerful wing and attacked its partner. The partner growled and attacked in defense.

“We need to get out of here,” Kalmar said anxiously. “We are too close to them.”

“I don’t think we can even hurt these creatures,” frowned Atule as the group began running. “The Mage said to keep them distracted.”

“Until the pillars were built,” nodded Valera. “I am going to finish what Crystil started. Try to keep their attention off of me.”

Valera turned and ran westward. Kalmar halted and watched her go with indecision.

“Go after her,” Atule said sympathetically. “Guard her if you can. Distract the demons if your shields cannot save her.”

Kalmar nodded and raced after Valera.

“The rest of us need to head eastward,” suggested Eulena. “We dare not stay near the Mage, and we must distract the demons from Valera.”

The four mages halted near the northeastern corner of the lava lake. They quickly spread out along the edge of the large clearing and prepared to face the demons. They did not have long to prepare. Almost immediately, the demons that they had run from entered the clearing. They halted for a moment, glancing around the clearing as if looking for something, or someone.

“They want to make sure that the Mage is not here,” whispered Eulena. “An illusion of him might drive them away.”

“It might,” Zynor whispered back, “but that is not what we came here for. We are supposed to be the distraction.”

“Then let us be one,” Dorforun said loud enough for all to hear as he raised his arm and pointed at the demon on the right.

A stone-shattering projectile flew from the dwarf’s hand and struck the demon. While Dorforun had no expectations of actually killing the demon, he was pleased with the reaction. The demon grunted and stepped back a pace. The other demon nodded in the direction of the four mages, and a powerful bolt of energy soared across the clearing, distorting the air as it moved. Eulena grunted as her shield absorbed the spell. Zynor closed his eyes and tried to cast a spell of confusion, but the demons sensed it this time. Together, the demons charged to physically attack the mages. Atule pointed at the ground in front of the demons and muttered an incantation. The soil liquefied, and the charging demons ran into a pit of quicksand. Dorforun immediately cast two more of the stone-splitting spells. One of the projectiles hit one of demons squarely, but the other merely struck a wing and seemed to pass right through the thin membrane. The demon that had been struck in the chest flapped his wings and rose above the pit, but the other could not. When he tried to flap his wings, Atule saw that the wing was perforated, and he smiled at the infirmity.

“Hit the flying one in the wing, Dorforun!” he called to the dwarven mage.

Dorforun was just about to cast another stone-splitting projectile when he heard Atule’s words. The dwarf tried to aim for the demon’s wing, but the demon had heard the instruction, too. The demon shot straight up and disappeared into the canopy. A moment later, the demon returned with amazing speed. The flying demon shot over the pit and grabbed his brother from the quicksand. Before Dorforun could aim, both demons disappeared from sight.

“We have found something that can at least harm them,” Atule said with an optimistic grin. “Teach us that spell, Dorforun.”

“The demons are probably already spreading the word about our location,” frowned the dwarf, “and they will explain the danger to the others. I will teach you the spell, but do not expect them to give us another chance to use it. We must continue to improvise.”

“I agree,” stated Eulena, “but I do think the wings are the correct target. Fakir Aziz warned us to avoid them, and the wings also allow the creatures to fly. I think we need to concentrate on that area of their anatomy.”

“The rest of their bodies are like armor,” commented Zynor. “Physical projectiles will not have much effect in those areas. Perhaps the eyes might be vulnerable, though.”

“Then wings and eyes it is,” Dorforun said with an air of finality. “Listen closely and I will teach you the dwarven spell.”

At the opposite corner of the lava lake, Valera reached the area of the unfinished pillar. As she halted to examine it from the cover of the forest, Kalmar arrived to stand beside her.

“Do you know what to do?” he asked in a whisper.

Valera nodded. “Crystil has been teaching me since Farmin,” she whispered, “but I have always had her around to check my work. I hope that I get it right the first time.”

“You will,” smiled Kalmar. “I have faith in you. I will stay hidden and distract any demons that try to bother you.”

“Thank you,” Kalmar,” the Vinaforan mage replied. “Knowing that you are watching over me will allow me to concentrate on my work.”

Without another word, Valera slipped out of the woods and crawled to the unfinished pillar. Kalmar grimaced at her exposed position. Although he intended to do whatever it took to safeguard Valera, he knew that he was no match for Alutar. He glanced at the Great Demon, and a shudder of fear coursed up his spine. He saw Alutar nod towards the northern shore. A red beam sailed across the lava lake, and Kalmar turned to follow its progress. Fakir Aziz stood on the shore, a brilliant glowing nimbus surrounding him. Alutar’s red beam struck the nimbus, turning it a deep blood red. For a brief moment, the Mage was no longer visible, but the nimbus soon reverted as the red color dissipated.

The Mage spread his arms wide and then swiftly brought them together. The surface of the lava lake rose in a chaotic turmoil and then a tsunami of molten lava sped towards the Great Demon. Alutar laughed at the feeble attack, but it had not been meant for him. The great lava wave continued past Alutar, striking the opposite shore of the lake. The huge wall of molten material spewed across the land, showering the demons with superheated debris. The trees burst into flames, and the demons howled in pain. When Alutar turned to see what had happened, the Mage repeated the spell, sending another tsunami across the lake. The demons saw it coming and raced deeper into the woods.

Alutar growled in rage and turned his attention back to the Mage. The Great Demon thrust out both arms as if pushing something huge towards the Mage. The forest around Fakir Aziz erupted in a frenzy of exploding trees. The air sizzled with flying chunks of wood, and millions of leaves fluttered to the ground. Alutar’s eyes scanned the shoreline looking for the bodies of Fakir’s mages, but he could not find any of them. He grumbled with dissatisfaction and started to turn his head in an attempt to locate the mages. The Mage chose that moment to send a brilliant projectile at Alutar’s eyes. Alutar caught sight of the brilliant missile and swiftly raised his arm across his face. The projectile exploded before it reached the Great Demon, and a brilliant nova suddenly appeared before Alutar’s face. The Great Demon blinked his eyes repeatedly, but his vision was slow to return to normal. He felt a weight upon his back and reached back to seize it.

“It is me, Master,” said the demon. “It is D’Artim. How can I serve you?”

“Find the Mage’s helpers and destroy them,” Alutar ordered.

“They have already been located,” replied the demon. “They are hiding in the northeastern section. D’Cavan is leading the attack upon them.”

“Then point me towards the Mage,” demanded Alutar. “I cannot see him.”

Alutar raised an arm and pointed at the northern shore. D’Artim hid on the Great Demon’s back and guided the attack. After a few moments, Alutar’s sight returned, and he no longer needed help to locate Fakir Aziz, but D’Artim remained in case he was needed again.

* * * *

“Hurry,” urged Eulena. “We need to leave the protected area before the demons attack again.”

“Why in the world are you leading us away from the protected area?” groused Atule. “The whole purpose of the pillars is to protect us.”

“And it never will protect us if there are demons inside of it,” Eulena answered. “We have to lure the demons beyond the pillars so that they will not be able to return to the enclosure when we do.”

“She is right,” panted Zynor, “but I wish she would slow down a bit. I haven’t run this much in hundreds of years.”

“Quiet,” warned Dorforun. “I hear the flapping of wings overhead.”

The four mages immediately halted, each of them seeking shelter in the shadows of nearby trees. A flurry of flapping wings moved over them and then continued onward. A moment later, only a single pair of wings could be heard, and that is when Zynor closed his eyes and cast a spell. A lone demon drifted lower through the canopy, its eyes darting left and right. As it soared over the trail the mages had been on, three magical projectiles sped out of the trees and struck both of its wings. The demon slammed into the ground, but it was not mortally wounded. The demon swiftly rose and turned to face the area of the woods where the projectiles had come from. With a nod of its head, a wind tore through the trees. The wind caught Atule’s cloak, and it stiffened in the breeze. The demon grinned when he saw the cloak. With another nod of its head, the demon sent forth a devastating spell that exploded the tree that Atule was hiding behind. The jungle mage went flying through the air in a mist of wooden fibers. Before Atule’s body had a chance to hit the ground, Eulena stepped out of her hiding spot and cast the dwarven spell. The stone-splitting projectile shot into the demon’s eye and exploded. The demon’s shriek split the air, an inhuman scream that seemed to last forever. Dorforun cast another projectile into the demon’s other eye and then turned and ran to Atule’s side. Zynor and Eulena followed, and the elven mage knelt next to Atule.