MEMORIES
Slowly the six companions descended into the lightless depths of the well of Ahazu. Mandi and Daelric had paused after the top of the pit had resealed to dab their eyes with a thick unguent. A few magical phrases later and both of them could see as clearly as if they were under the light of a full moon. Far below, both of them could make out a faint shimmering across the shaft. As they descended lower, their allies behind them, they soon saw that there were in fact three such areas, each subsequent one ten feet below the previous. They were force walls.
“It would appear we are expected,” Mandi commented.
Below the third barrier, a large, glossy black pool rippled in the center of a wider space. In the ring surrounding it were stacked hundreds of books, scrolls and stone tablets. Interspersed among these were strange perches made of bones, upon which rested three varrangoin. These were different than their savage kin the company had encountered above, however. For one, the membranous skin of their wings hung in tatters, revealing yellow bone beneath. Second, their mouths were gaping, black pits which seeped sooty smoke. They gazed up at the intruders with dead eyes, their taloned hands clenching and unclenching.
“Can you take down two of these walls?” Mandi asked Marius as she hovered above the barriers.
“Of course,” the warmage replied. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”
“Now,” the sorceress replied as she unleashed a blast of verdant power, causing the first wall to flare and then wink out of existence. Immediately, Marius followed with two blasts of his own, causing the two remaining walls to fail as well. No sooner had their wards vanished than the varrangoin liches unfurled their wings, screeching as they rose from their perches.
“Settle down, boys,” Mandi chuckled, summoning her magic once more. Behind two of the varrangoin, large, disembodied, glowing hands materialized and then reached out to seize the creatures. As the third turned to see what had befallen his brothers, another green ray flashed from Mandi, reducing him to a pile of ash in the blink of an eye.
Try as they might, the other varrangoin could not free themselves, nor could they speak the words to their own powerful spells as the crushing hands would not allow them to draw breath. Then Sepoto was among them, slashing and smashing with his chain until both of the undead were reduced to barely recognizable heaps of flesh and bone.
No sooner had the goliath crusader struck his final blow than his attention was immediately drawn to the dark pool at the bottom of the well. It called to him and pulled at him. Unconsciously, he took a step towards it.
“What are you doing?” Mandi’s voice broke the spell for a moment.
“Ahazu,” Sepoto answered. “He’s here. I think I can speak with him, but I have to touch the pool.”
Mandi considered this for a moment before nodding. “It’s your choice, but I don’t think we have many other options. The Forbidding that surrounds this place prevents us from teleporting out. We’re trapped and we still don’t have the answers we came for. On the other hand, this may all be some sort of ploy to entrap you as well. Your choice, as I said.”
This time is was Sepoto’s turn to consider, and after several seconds, he nodded as well and knelt beside the pool. As he cautiously reached towards its surface he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The disembodied hands that Mandi had conjured were now positioned on either side of the pool and each one of them had their fingers crossed.
“Funny,” the goliath grumbled as he touched the pool. Instantly the black liquid extruded dozens of tendrils that writhed and clambered up his arm, rooting him in place. As he gazed down into the black depths he could see a dark-skinned, naked humanoid shape with bat wings, an elongated head, and long, thin arms. His legs trailed away into nothingness and his skin was smooth and devoid of obvious features. His face was dominated by a mouth filled with hundreds of needle-sharp fangs and his sunken eyes seemed to almost have withdrawn into his skull.
‘Why have you disturbed my slumber?’ the voice of Ahazu the Seizer spoke into Sepoto’s mind, his words ringing with the cold, lonely emptiness of the void.
‘We are enemies of Demogorgon,’ the goliath replied, ‘and we have come here seeking information on how to best assure his destruction.’
‘The so-called Prince of Demons does not concern me,’ Ahazu replied.
‘We do not ask for your direct aid in this,’ Sepoto answered. ‘We wish to speak with Shami-Amourae.’
‘The Lady of Delights is mine,’ Ahazu stated matter-of-factly.
‘Is there no way you would even let us communicate with her briefly?’ Sepoto asked. For several moments, silence was his only answer, then:
‘For me to free Shami-Amourae, you must provide me with one of equal power to take her place.’
Sepoto didn’t hesitate. ‘Demogorgon,’ he offered. ‘It is our intention to destroy him. When we have done so, we will bring him to you.’
‘So be it!’ Ahazu responded immediately. ‘I grant you sixty and six days from this moment. Before the end of that period, you must bring Demogorgon here, dead or helpless. If you fail to fulfill your bargain, then I shall take you and your companions in payment instead. Do you agree to the pact?’
Sepoto nodded. ‘I do.’
The imprisoned demon lord chuckled menacingly and the air in the pit seemed to drop in temperature by several degrees. Fog wafted up from the surface of the pool, whirling and cavorting and eventually drifting towards Sepoto. It shrouded his hands and he felt something heavy settle into them. A moment later the fog cleared and he saw that he was holding a large tome.
‘This book has a long history with Shami-Amourae’s cult,’ Ahazu said. ‘It was in the possession of her high priest for many years, a man named Hadonis. It has only one page left and contains only one spell. When this spell is cast while standing at the edge of Shami-Amourae’s well, she will be freed from her imprisonment.’
Abruptly, Sepoto felt the telepathic link with the Seizer break, leaving only a lingering soft chuckle in his mind.
“Do you mind telling us what that was all about?” Mandi asked as Sepoto gazed silently down at the book that he held.
“We can free her now,” he replied, “but I sort of had to make a promise…”
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
