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The fire surged into a final clih The de huan a slow stalk around the ic circle in search of clues to the extent of this wizard’s power
The apprentice finally ed to steady himself He had summoned a major demon! That fact helped him to reestablish his confidence in his abilities as a sorcerer "Stand before me!" he commanded, aware that a firm hand was necessary to control a creature from the chaotic lower planes
Errtu, undisturbed, continued its stalk
The apprentice grew angry "You will obey ht you here, and I hold the key to your torment! You shall obey my command, and then I shall release you, mercifully, back to your own filthy world! Now, stand before me!"
The apprentice was defiant: The apprentice was proud
But Errtu had found an error in the tracing of a rune, a fatal iic circle that could not afford to be almost perfect
The apprentice was dead
Errtu felt the familiar sensation of power more distinctly on thethe direction of the es over the cities of the hu a panic wherever it was noticed, but not delaying its journey to savor the erupting chaos below
Arrow-straight and with all speed Errtu soared, over lakes and reat expanses of ee in the Realms, the Spine of the World, and the ancient relic that it had spent centuries searching for
Kessell are of the approaching de in terror fro shadow of darkness Crenshinibon had i relic anticipating the movements of the powerful creature froes uncounted
Kessell wasn’t worried, though Inside his tower of strength he was confident that he could handle even a nee over the dehtful wielder of the relic It was attuned to hiical artifacts from the dawn of the world, Crenshinibon could not be wrested from its possessor by sheer force Errtu desired to wield the relic and, therefore, would not dare to oppose Kessell and invoke Crenshinibon’s wrath
Acid drool slipped freely froe of the relic "How many years?" it bellowed victoriously Errtu saw the tower’s door clearly, for the demon was a creature not of the material plane, and approached at once None of Kessell’s goblins, or even giants, stood to hinder the demon’s entrance
Flanked by his trolls, the wizard aiting for Errtu in Cryshal-Tirith’s main chamber, the tower’s first level The wizard understood that the trolls would be of little use against a fire-wielding demon, but he wanted them present to enhance the demon’s first impression of him He knew that he held the power to send Errtu away easily enough, but another thought, again iestion of the crystal shard, had come to him
The demon could be very useful
Errtu pulled up short when it passed through the narrow entryway and cae Because of the remote location of the tower, the de the shard It had hoped to inti the relic, but the sight of a robed hu into its plans
"Greetings,low "Welcoe and started forward, forgetting the drawbacks of destroying the possessor in its all-consu human
Crenshinibon reht pulsed frohtness of a dozen desert suns The deht dissipated soon enough, but Errtu held its ground and did not approach the wizard again
Kessell s with confidence, he addressed the dee in his voice "You have co within the folds of his robe to produce the shard Errtu’s eyes narrowed and locked onto the object it had pursued for so long
"You can not have it," Kessell said flatly, and he replaced it under his robe "It is htfully found, and you have no claim over it that it would honor!" Kessell’s foolish pride, the fatal flaw in his personality that had always pushed hiedy, wanted hi of the deh," warned a sensation within him, the silent voice he had come to suspect was the sentient will of the shard
"This is none of your affair," Kessell shot back aloud Errtu looked around the roo Certainly the trolls had paid him no heed As a precaution, the de an unseen assailant
"You taunt a dangerous foe," the shard persisted "I have protected you fro a creature that would prove a valuable ally!"
As was usually the case when Crenshinibon coan to see the possibilities He decided upon a course of coreement mutually beneficial to both himself and the demon
Errtu considered its predicah the de without the relic, putting off the quest that had been its primary motivation for centuries, was not an acceptable option
"I have a proposal to offer, a bargain thatthe death-pro him "Stay bythem and the power of Crenshinibon and Akar Kessell behind theh the northland!"
"Serve you?" Errtu laughed "You have no hold over me, human"
"You view the situation incorrectly," retorted Kessell "Think of it not as servitude but as an opportunity to join in a can that promises destruction and conquest! You have hty demon I would not presume to call myself your master"
Crenshinibon, with its subconscious intrusions, had coached Kessell well Errtu’s less-threatening stance showed that it was intrigued by the wizard’s proposition
"And consider the gains that you shall somedaytine by your ageless estimations Who, then, shall take the crystal shard when Akar Kessell is no more?"
Errtu smiled wickedly and bowed before the wizard "How could I refuse such a generous offer?" the demon rasped in its horrible, unearthly voice "Show lorious conquests lie in our path"
Kessell nearly danced with joy His areneral