Asgoleth the Warrior - By Bill Kirkwood Page 0,38

taking great care not to slip off the door sill, he began to run his fingers over the bronze door in front of him searching for a way through it.

Years of dampness had taken their toll upon the door frame and the ancient wood had rotted and crumbled until the door was left standing without any real support. Asgoleth grinned and began to push against it. His muscles bulged with the effort of pushing against the door in the cramped area of safety but at last he gave a loud grunt of satisfaction as the heavy door, with a squeal of protest, moved slightly backwards. Again he pushed, exerting all his strength and the door twisted and toppled backwards with a mighty crash.

At once he was bathed in a dazzling glow of red light from the chamber beyond. Aware that he must be providing a good target for anyone or anything within he leapt high into the air and threw himself forward into the chamber. His sword lay behind him in the passageway but he still had his broad double edged dagger which he drew in a swift fluid movement. He rolled and jumped quickly to his feet, ready for battle but nothing happened.

He saw that he red glow was emanating from a huge crystal which lay upon a stone dais at the far end of the chamber. It looked like a ruby but no ruby he had ever seen, and he had seen many, had ever glowed with such an unearthly light as did this gem. This then was the fabled Heart of Ra, the stone for which so many had died.

Warily he advanced towards the gem, aware of the bones of men that littered the floor. In the dust he could see the footprints of those men and mingled with them the prints of something else, something huge and misshapen, something inhuman.

He moved on across the chamber, every sense alert for movement but nothing disturbed him and at last he stood over the blazing jewel itself. It was a magnificent thing and his eyes were drawn deep into its ruby depths. Never had he seen such a fabulous gem and he knew that on all the wide Earth it had no twin. It was unique and beautiful and it had cost countless men their lives down the centuries.

This time though he would use it to save a life, that of the princess Amira. As he stared at the jewel a plan began to form in his mind. It was a simple plan but it just might work. He grinned and reached out for the precious stone.

Just as his fingers closed around it some instinct warned him that he was no longer alone in the chamber. He hurled himself sideways just as a large black shape hurtled past him and crashed into the stone dais. As he rolled to his feet the stone slipped from his fingers and clattered off into a corner. In its eerie red light he at last beheld the demon that guarded the jewel.

The thing stood half as tall again as he was. Its body was vaguely human looking but its hands and feet tapered off into savage looking claws and talons and its head was that of a vicious beast. A long snout armed with sharp teeth jutted forward from below eyes that were large and red and which held a terrible, malevolent, intelligence.

All this he saw as the thing recovered from its wasted charge then, to his horror, the thing began to speak and he shuddered as he heard human speech issuing from that bestial snout. Its voice was harsh and grating and full of a terrible joy as it said,

‘So another foolish and greedy mortal has come here to die. It has been long since any have dared to enter my abode. I shall enjoy rending you limb from limb mortal and as you lie dying your last sight shall be of me devouring your own flesh.’

With a roar the creature launched itself again at the young barbarian, claws outstretched and fangs gaping. Asgoleth did not wait for it to reach him, he knew he would have little chance against it should it manage to grapple with him. Instead he too launched himself forward and as the demon passed over him he lunged upwards with his dagger, putting all of his strength behind the stroke. The long blade sank to the hilt in the monsters flesh and thick, black, blood sprayed over