Asgoleth the Warrior - By Bill Kirkwood Page 0,33

a tense, expectant silence lay over the Akonite encampment as they waited to see what the Calthian would do. The silence remained unbroken as the sun climbed higher and Demos snarled quietly as he looked out at the forbidding wastes that held his enemy. His men glanced at him from time to time but said nothing, fearful of arousing his wrath. At last Demos decided to force the barbarian’s hand. Perhaps the fool thought he had been bluffing in his threat to kill the girl. Well he would soon find out differently. He knew now the location of the Heart of Ra; he did not need her anymore.

‘Bring her.’ he growled as he rose to his feet. Once again his wounded leg sent out a clarion call of pain and his face twisted. By all the gods he thought, this barbarian was going to take a long time to die.

His strength had returned a little and as he emerged from the protection of the shields his body was once again clothed in a glowing mantle of red energy as it had been before the walls of Fort Kronos. In his glowing armour he was protected against any earthly weapons, as long as his strength lasted.

He searched the jumbled rocky terrain with keen eyes but could see no sign of his foe. He was out there though, this he knew, watching every move he made. He decided to give the barbarian something to watch and gripping Amira by the neck, so cruelly that she cried out in pain, he forced her to her knees at his feet. She struggled but his grip was too powerful for her to break. Demos called out,

‘Hear me, Calthian. This girl will die now because of you. You had the chance to save her and you did not take it. Watch then as her body is consumed by fire. Watch as her soul is torn from her body and borne off to everlasting torment.’

He laughed as he raised his hand and his eyes gleamed with wicked anticipation as he looked down upon his writhing captive. Again that evil gem began to pulse and glow and Amira screamed. She saw no pity in her captor’s eyes only a cruel joy and she knew without a doubt that he would carry out his threat. Despite her terror she cried out,

‘Do not listen to him, Asgoleth, he must be stopped. Kill him.’

Demos merely sneered at her and raised his hand for the killing stroke but before he could unleash the hellish gems power against her a voice rang out,

‘Hold dog! I am here.’

Demos gave a startled curse at the nearness of the voice and saw the huge form of the barbarian emerge, as if by magic, from the shadows where he had lain concealed.

‘Take him!’ screamed Demos and a squad of his soldiers leapt to obey. In moments Asgoleth had been stripped of his weapons and his arms bound behind him with thick leather thongs. Demos sneered at his captive.

‘Well done barbarian, now your pretty princess will live but you? Oh you will die as no man has died before. You will scream and beg for death and when I finally grant it to you, you will die thanking me.’

Asgoleth said nothing and Demos snarled,

‘Take him away; I will dispose of him later.’

Amira watched in despair as her protector was dragged away and she began to weep. He had been her only hope and now it seemed that hope had been dashed. With Asgoleth a prisoner she could think of nothing that could stand in the way of Demos’ plans to plunge the world into an age of slavery and nightmare.

CHAPTER TEN

Asgoleth tried to spit the dust from his mouth but his throat was too dry. For three long burning days he had trudged through the blasted lands with his hands tied to the tail of a pack horse. His dry skin itched and burned in the pitiless heat of the day and his lips were black and swollen from lack of water. He was given food and water at each day’s end but only enough to keep the life within him and no more, Demos wanted him to suffer.

Black, burning anger filled his soul as he thought of the tyrant. He had had to surrender to save Amira’s life but in the freezing cold of the desert nights gone past when he had heard her cries of torment and Demos’ mocking laughter he had realised that it would