five pointed star with a small rectangle underneath and a series of lines fanned out like sun rays running between the two. No sooner had the sword tip finished its last stroke then the design too began to glow, but this time with a golden light that bathed everything around like the new born sun. What it meant and what it did again Yorik didn't know, but the creature did and it didn't like it.
Immediately it began twirling its staff and making some strange clicking and growling sounds, perhaps its own version of speech, and the barrier that it had formed between them became stronger again. In fact it was almost solid.
Meanwhile Mayfall – still dying by painful degrees – had managed to turn his eyes from Yorik to the demon crouching over him, and despite his having summoned it, he clearly didn't like what he saw. He began screaming in horror, although not a sound made it through the demon's barrier. But Yorik could see his bulging eyes, open mouth and terrified expression, and knew his thoughts. So did the demon, and it didn't like them.
Even as Mayfall began screaming, began resisting that which he had called into the world, no matter how futile that resistance might be, it extended two green clawed fingers like knives, and pushed them deep into his eyes. The screaming – already loud from what he could see of the wizard's terrified face had surely grown far louder. At least for a while, until the wizard either fainted or died. Yorik had no idea which he did. All he knew was that Mayfall's head suddenly flopped to one side. But whatever he did it didn't matter. What mattered was that the demon had silenced his summoner, and was suddenly released from even his meagre and corrupt control. It was free.
With a single hop, something like that which a toad might make only not as graceful, the creature and its staff suddenly fled the fallen wizard, leaping high into the air and far over the wall. It was escaping Yorik realised. But so did the Lady, and she had expected it. With a single word he found himself pointing the sword directly at the demon even as it was almost flying away from them, and a ray of golden light shot out from the sword's tip to strike the creature directly in its middle.
It was a perfect strike. Yorik could feel the satisfaction of the Lady within him as she saw the creature pinned perfectly in the air. And while it hung there helplessly she began drawing it in like a fisherman pulled in a fish. Somehow, as the light from the sword seemed to intensify the creature was being drawn closer to the two of them, and closer Yorik realised, to the two glowing symbols still hanging in the air between them. And they, he guessed, were what were really going to harm the demon. How he didn't know, but the demon clearly understood the same thing, and he watched it struggling frantically in the air as it came closer and closer to the glowing symbols. But it had no chance. The Lady had it secure in her grasp, and she would not let it go.
Seconds or perhaps many minutes later – time was irrelevant to Yorik in the presence of the Lady – he watched the demon's struggling form suddenly touch the edge of one of the glowing symbols, and finally lose its battle. In a single instant both symbols seemed to change, reshaping themselves into a single glowing ball of twine which surrounded the demon, trapping it within. A glowing ball of brilliant white and gold that rapidly began shrinking in front of his eyes.
In a very short while the ball was half its size, and presumably the demon within it was as well, since not a single part of it escaped the strands of golden fire that surrounded it. Perhaps it was being crushed to death? He could but hope though as far as he knew, demons still couldn't be killed, only vanquished. Perhaps half a minute later the demon ball was the size of only a man's head, and still no part of it leaked through the fiery strands of the spell. Then it was the size of a
Immediately it began twirling its staff and making some strange clicking and growling sounds, perhaps its own version of speech, and the barrier that it had formed between them became stronger again. In fact it was almost solid.
Meanwhile Mayfall – still dying by painful degrees – had managed to turn his eyes from Yorik to the demon crouching over him, and despite his having summoned it, he clearly didn't like what he saw. He began screaming in horror, although not a sound made it through the demon's barrier. But Yorik could see his bulging eyes, open mouth and terrified expression, and knew his thoughts. So did the demon, and it didn't like them.
Even as Mayfall began screaming, began resisting that which he had called into the world, no matter how futile that resistance might be, it extended two green clawed fingers like knives, and pushed them deep into his eyes. The screaming – already loud from what he could see of the wizard's terrified face had surely grown far louder. At least for a while, until the wizard either fainted or died. Yorik had no idea which he did. All he knew was that Mayfall's head suddenly flopped to one side. But whatever he did it didn't matter. What mattered was that the demon had silenced his summoner, and was suddenly released from even his meagre and corrupt control. It was free.
With a single hop, something like that which a toad might make only not as graceful, the creature and its staff suddenly fled the fallen wizard, leaping high into the air and far over the wall. It was escaping Yorik realised. But so did the Lady, and she had expected it. With a single word he found himself pointing the sword directly at the demon even as it was almost flying away from them, and a ray of golden light shot out from the sword's tip to strike the creature directly in its middle.
It was a perfect strike. Yorik could feel the satisfaction of the Lady within him as she saw the creature pinned perfectly in the air. And while it hung there helplessly she began drawing it in like a fisherman pulled in a fish. Somehow, as the light from the sword seemed to intensify the creature was being drawn closer to the two of them, and closer Yorik realised, to the two glowing symbols still hanging in the air between them. And they, he guessed, were what were really going to harm the demon. How he didn't know, but the demon clearly understood the same thing, and he watched it struggling frantically in the air as it came closer and closer to the glowing symbols. But it had no chance. The Lady had it secure in her grasp, and she would not let it go.
Seconds or perhaps many minutes later – time was irrelevant to Yorik in the presence of the Lady – he watched the demon's struggling form suddenly touch the edge of one of the glowing symbols, and finally lose its battle. In a single instant both symbols seemed to change, reshaping themselves into a single glowing ball of twine which surrounded the demon, trapping it within. A glowing ball of brilliant white and gold that rapidly began shrinking in front of his eyes.
In a very short while the ball was half its size, and presumably the demon within it was as well, since not a single part of it escaped the strands of golden fire that surrounded it. Perhaps it was being crushed to death? He could but hope though as far as he knew, demons still couldn't be killed, only vanquished. Perhaps half a minute later the demon ball was the size of only a man's head, and still no part of it leaked through the fiery strands of the spell. Then it was the size of a
Similar Books
