Huge fangs protruded down from an exaggerated upper lip, and the demon’s head was adorned with two long black horns tapering backwards, like those of an antelope. It shook its head in frustration and howled in outrage at being confined and injured.
Pug had limited experience with demons, and all of it bad. He did not hesitate to follow his confinement spell with the most powerful assault he could muster.
Tendrils of flaming white and purple energy shot forward, waving like the tentacles of a squid as they latched on to the creature’s body. As each touched the demon’s hide more acrid black smoke was released and a tiny flame of dull orange shot upwards.
The demon trembled as it fought against its confinement, then howled again in outrage and burst the binding spell. The shock that reverberated back through the tether struck Pug’s mind like a physical blow.
The Oracle’s mystic powers were nothing like the battle magic the greater dragons of Midkemia possessed, but she was still a force to fear. She lashed out with claws and teeth, sinking them deep into the demon’s shoulder at its neck. Fountains of steaming black blood erupted and flowed down its back and chest as it lashed out over its shoulder with the opposite claw, raking her muzzle, aiming to blind her.
Pug recovered from the shock of the magical backlash and sent out a spear of energy. This was one he had never employed before save in practice in an isolated part of his island.
The invisible energy filled the cavern with a hissing noise, counterpoint to the shouts and screams of the Oracle’s companions as they hurled themselves at the demon.
They were not without their own magic and strength, and although the first companion to reach the demon was eviscerated with one claw, the next two were able to cause some injury. The dragon’s maw held fast on the creature’s shoulder, while Pug and the companions inflicted as much damage as possible.
The invisible energy spear struck the demon full in the chest; it stiffened, as if it had been run through by cold iron. The creature’s mouth moved, and Pug suspected it was attempting some type of incantation. But the spell was too much for it; its eyes rolled up into its skull and the demon fell limp.
For a moment the Oracle held fast to the creature, now as limp as a child’s doll, then it released its hold. Pug saw gashes in the dragon’s snout, blood flowed freely to drip upon the still carcass, but the wounds looked relatively trivial.
‘Stand back!’ instructed Pug as the Oracle’s companions continued to attack the fallen demon. ‘Back!’ he commanded as calm returned to the room.
As he anticipated, the demon’s body began to smoke and smoulder and then a sudden flash of crimson flame, gone almost as soon as it was perceived. A stench of brimstone and putrefaction filled their nostrils and several of the remaining companions fell back, physically repelled by the odour.
Pug turned towards the towering form of the Oracle of Aal and asked, ‘You wanted to see me?’
Over the years Pug and the Oracle of Aal had forged a trusting relationship, though Pug had never been convinced their aims were always the same. The Oracle, despite appearing as a mighty dragon, was more alien to the world of Midkemia than any creature he had ever encountered.
The Aal were rumoured to be the oldest life forms in the universe; no other race could trace their lineage back as far. Even the Dragon Lords at the height of their power gave the Aal a wide berth and left them in peace.
When Pug had first encountered them, they were a doomed race, as the world upon which they resided was nearing the end of its long life. He had offered those who remained safe passage to Midkemia, and through a series of circumstances the Oracle had found a host in the mindless body of Midkemia’s single greatest creature: a golden dragon.
Her companions found willing hosts among men and women of diverse backgrounds. They were sought over the years by arcane arts that even Pug didn’t understand, and offered the unique chance to hold a place in this world, as a servant and companion to the Oracle.
Pug allowed himself to believe that the selection involved no coercion, that those who were here had been willing; it let him sleep better at night. But whatever their reasons, the beings in this cave had been willing to sacrifice their lives to protect this unique creature.
Pug had visited this cavern many times, yet he still had only a vague idea of their history and place in the order of things. His direct questions were always answered vaguely, and eventually he came to accept that he would only find out what the Oracle wished him to know. He was content with that, for she had proven to be a valuable ally in the defence of his world upon more than one occasion. He could have believed her aid to be born of self-interest, for if this world perished, she would die along with it, but he judged her motives to be loftier than that; she seemed genuinely concerned with helping Pug and his Conclave re-establish a semblance of order in this part of a very big universe.
All this ran through Pug’s mind as he waited for the Oracle to reply. She laid her head down on the floor so that her companions could tend to her wounds. Two lay dead and would be disposed of as soon as she was healed.
Pug watched fascinated as magic he barely recognized, let alone understood, was employed. He had seen enough clerical magic to recognize the healing arts, but this manipulation was unlike anything he had witnessed before.
Each companion tending a wound seemed to encourage the dragon’s body to repair itself, but at an accelerated rate. But the price was dear; those ministering to the dragon aged before Pug’s eyes, their faces becoming sallow and haggard, the weight melting from their bodies. They were giving her their life essence. As he watched, her wounds healed, after five minutes their mistress was left looking as she had before the attack. They, however, had aged years in minutes.
‘Impressive,’ said Pug.
‘We are an old race with many gifts.’ Indicating the bodies of her fallen companions who were being carried off, she added, ‘But we have limits, too.’
‘Can I assume this encounter was the reason you specifically requested my appearance today?’
‘What is, is as it should be, as it was, and as it will be again.’ Slowly she rose up, and stared distantly into space as she received visions that no other could witness.
‘Even for you that’s unusually cryptic, my old friend,’ said Pug.
The Oracle stood silently for a long time.
Finally Pug said, ‘Ah, I see. I must ask. What else troubles you?’
‘Much, sorcerer. I see a nexus approaching, a blending of time and probability, a place of many outcomes. Beyond that I can see nothing, too many possibilities flow from that moment. Or an end, should the worst outcome occur.’
‘Worst for you or for all of us?’
‘They are one and the same. Should I fall, this world will have fallen with me.
‘I see havoc and destruction and the deaths of many, on a scale which dwarfs all that you’ve endured; and I see the tipping of a precious balance, one which will cause the gods themselves to tremble in fear.’
‘I’m listening,’ said Pug quietly. Already his skin crawled in anticipation of having his suspicions confirmed. Summoning demons as powerful as the one he had just faced required prodigious magic. Confining one was difficult enough, but to be able to subdue, then send a creature like that by magic means into this cavern, required a Demon Master of unmatched skill and power.
‘A legion comes this way, Pug of Sorcerer’s Island. It rides hard and brings chaos and death in its wake. Others battle it already, and they yield grudgingly, but they will soon be overwhelmed.
‘The Dark