Dreams of the Oracle

Chapter 39

Ashur continued writhing on the floor as the monster watched with obvious glee. He found it all but impossible to focus on anything but the cold and the pain. His eyes rolled from the gleaming eyes of his tormentor to the flickering candle off to one side. They were the only things visible in the accursed tent.

This is only the beginning little Ashur.

Ashur's entire body seemed at a point just before it should have gone numb from the blistering cold. His wounds seemed to burn as though every cut and scrape had been soaked in acid. The ringing in his ears had begun to intensify as well.

This is just to give your sister a little inkling of what will happen if she continues to displease me. If she still refuses...that's when I'll start getting creative!

Mention of Cassandra halfway sharpened Ashur's thoughts. White rage filled him and burned in his chest. His body continued its uncontrollable thrashing. His muscles clenched and unclenched spasmodically but his mind for a time was driven forward in frenzied search for a way out of this. Tears oozed unbidden from his ears and dripped down the sides of his twitching face.

What's this? Tears already?

Ashur's eyes slid from the eyes filled with cruel mirth above him to the flickering blue candle and back again. This was done in spurts between the sudden winks and movements of his face. The visible half of the face opened its mouth and began to laugh.

The audible sound was lost on Ashur with the ringing noise in his ears steadily rising to intensely painful levels. The mental sound scattered across Ashur's mind like shards of glass. Coherent thought was all but impossible with such a thing slashing the corners of his mind. A shrill mocking voice pounded into his thoughts.

Is little Ashur in pain? Does little Ashur want the pain to stop?

Anger shot through him again and this time through all the pain and mind invasion he suddenly struck an idea. It was lost almost the moment he had it. It was lost to the unnatural torment that stabbed into his senses. It was lost to the terrible laughter.

* * *

Segurant reached out and grabbed the dark cloth that made up the door of the tent. The magic burned so brightly around his hand that it seemed for a moment that it would catch the tent on fire.

As he pulled the flap aside he felt the full brunt of the demonic presence wash over him. Pure unadulterated evil was carried through the air like a foul stench. Segurant pushed through the feelings assailing him and stepped into the lair of the worst foe he had yet faced.

* * *

The pain was growing worse as Ashur quivered on the floor. He was no longer aware of the grinning half lit face above him. He was no longer aware of the darkness around him or the flickering blue flame of the lighted candle. He was aware only of burning cold and stinging pain and there in the distance a gleaming light that was his need to save Cassandra.

So when the demon suddenly looked up towards the door of the tent. Ashur might as well have been blind. He didn't see the cruel smile suddenly vanish from the lit half of the face. He didn't see the burning red eye suddenly burn with increased intensity. He didn't see the being that seemed made of pure blue light as he stepped into the darkened tent.

He didn't see the demon slowly rise to face the intruder. He didn't see a flaming sword stretch out from Segurant's right hand. His first awareness was when a cold hard voice so unlike the silky smooth voice of before settled across his tortured mind,

So! This is the Valtyr's watchdog?

Ashur slowly tried to regain a sense of where he was and what was going on. His muscles refused to obey him and so he caught glimpses with his twitching eyes. His ears had yet to recover and he wondered vaguely if he had actually gone completely deaf.