Simon could not believe his eyes.
Something that looked like a huge black lion kicked aside the ruins of the door. Flames danced in its mane and eyes, and sparks shot from its claws. A hideous smell, a mixture of sulfur and rotting flesh, rose from its reeking breath. The beast strode forward, claws clicking against the linoleum.
It was heading straight for Lithon.
Katrina grabbed a meat knife from the rack, jumped forward, and plunged the blade into the lion’s neck. The beast growled and lashed out, the back of its paw smacking into Katrina’s stomach. The blow threw her across the room and into the kitchen wall, the impact knocking pots and pans from their hooks. Simon yelled and tried to reach her, but the beast blocked his path.
It swiveled, eyes fixed on Lithon, and tensed to spring.
Conmager strode towards the creature, hands locked around his staff’s dark length. “Get back!”
The lion’s burning eyes narrowed, and a deep, booming laugh rose from its fanged maw. The creature surged forward with terrible speed, claws reaching for Conmager.
Conmager struck the butt of his staff against the floor.
The staff’s head burst into brilliant white flame, filling the kitchen with light.
The lion screamed as an unseen force caught it in mid-leap and flipped it over. The creature landed on its back on the wreckage of the door, rolled over, and tried to dart outside. Conmager moved like lightning, sliding between the creature and the door. The lion flinched from his staff, slinking away. Simon darted past them and ran to Katrina’s side. She blinked, moaned, and looked up at him.
She didn’t look too badly hurt.
Conmager thrust his blazing staff, driving the creature back. It hissed and snarled and growled, clawing at him, but could not face the staff’s fire. The creature kicked over the table in an effort to get away, but Conmager did not relent. Soon he had driven the beast into a corner.
“Go back.” Conmager lifted his staff, the fire flaring brighter. “Go back to the darkness. By the power of my spirit, by the spells of this staff, I compel you, go back!” Ally walked to his side and grabbed his belt, the white fire reflected in her eyes.
The lion howled in fury. “You cannot win!” A booming voice rolled out of its snapping maw. “The Lord of the Warlocks will find you. I see your future, weakling apprentice! You will perish in flames!”
Conmager’s face steeled. “So be it.”
The lion leapt at him with a howl of pain.
Conmager the burning head of his staff into the beast’s open maw. The lion shrieked and jerked like a dying fish. Its body twisted and diminished, shrinking into a pale man clad in red rags. Conmager muttered something and twisted his staff. The pale man fell to the floor with a thump and shriveled into black ash. Conmager sighed and slumped against the staff. The white flames flickered and went out.
“Are you okay?” said Simon, taking Katrina’s hands.
Katrina got to her feet. “I’m fine. Just…just some bruises, that’s all.” She brushed dust from her jeans. “Conmager, what the hell was that thing?”
Conmager’s right hand trembled against the staff. He looked more tired than ever.
“I mean, I rammed that knife at least six inches into its neck, but it didn’t slow it down a bit,” said Katrina. “What the hell was it?”
“A spirit of the void, summoned from the black places between the worlds,” said Conmager. He scraped the butt of his staff through the ashes. “It is summoned and bound by the sacrifice of an innocent.” His gaze snapped to meet Simon’s. “We have to go now! Marugon created this thing to track Lithon, and Marugon will know that I banished it.” He picked up Ally with his free arm and hurried towards the door. “We must go now! We have no time.”
Simon didn’t argue. He wrapped his arm around Lithon and followed Katrina out the ruined door.
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The Tower of Endless Worlds Page 49
