Tak looked beseechingly at Molos Gomm, but his master only seemed annoyed by the young boy's appearance. "Transform!" he commanded, his magically amplified voice making the very walls shake. "I command you! Transform!"

     The boy vanished, and in his place stood a naked girl, no more than fifteen years old. Full bodied and beautiful. A girl who should have been an innocent but whose every sinuous movement and leering glance spoke of a worldly knowledge beyond that of the most ancient pox ridden whore.

     "Is this more to your liking?" she purred, fluttering her eyes at Molos Gomm while she reached her perfect hands between her legs and opened herself to him. "Come on, big man! Help yourself to a little slice of heaven!"

     "Transform!" commanded Molos Gomm again, but although the girl winced a little, as if in pain, her appearance remained unchanged. It wasn't a girl at all, Tak now realised. It was Vassago, trying to distract them into making a fatal mistake by presenting them with alluring images, or at least what the demon thought they would find alluring.

     She was examining each of them in turn now, passing over Molos Gomm and Gal-Gowan with only a cursory glance. She spent a little longer looking at Philip, but finally settled on Tak as the youngest and most vulnerable. The deceptively beautiful apparition sauntered over to the edge of the barrier, as close as she could get to the staring teenager, and paraded herself before him, stroking her inner thighs with slender, long fingered hands. "I want you," she purred, staring straight into his popping eyes.

     Tak had to struggle to remember the words of the formula. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and a hard erection pushed out the front of his robe, so hard it was painful.

     "I can give you pleasures you cannot imagine," murmured the apparition, followed by a long, lingering moan of passion. "I can..."

     "Transform!" roared Molos Gomm again, thrusting the sword into the nearest brazier.

     The girl screamed in agony and vanished. In its place was something dark and awful, something whose form and appearance Tak was never sure of afterwards except that it had blood red horns and great bat wings and eyes that burned like windows into Hell. It glared at Molos Gomm and the wizard glared back, facing it down. It was big! Tak couldn't believe how big it was. So big it didn't seem possible that it could fit in the room. The awful head seemed to tower over them like a dragon over a mouse. It seemed ridiculous to imagine that four mortal men could hope to contain such a thing. It seemed that it only had to flex its mighty shoulders to tear the castle apart like a pile of eggboxes. Another illusion, thought Tak in near panic. It's still trying to trip us up.

     Molos Gomm seemed satisfied with this form, though, even if it still wasn't the demon's true form. "Vassago, by the pact between us you are bound to obey me. I summoned you and you came. I commanded and you obeyed. Now I command you again. You will give truthful answers to our questions. You will make no attempt to deceive us, either by omission or volunteering what is unasked for. I command and you obey."

     "You command for now," conceded the demon, its voice like the grinding of great blocks of stone far below the earth, "but you are old and the hour fast approaches when you will leave this life and find yourself in my dominion. A few short years. A mere beat of the heart for one who counts the passing eons..."

     "Silence!" commanded Molos Gomm furiously, but there was a trace of fear in his voice as well, as if he recognised the truth of the demon's words. "You will speak no more except to answer the questions of Gal-Gowan." He turned to look at the visiting wizard, signifying that he could now take over.

     Gal-Gowan drew himself up proudly and Molos Gomm took over the chanting of the formula as the visitor fell silent. Gal Gowan took a few moments to gather himself, then took a step forward.

     "Demon, my master sent me here to learn the answers to questions that trouble him greatly."

     Vassago peered scornfully down at him, and although Tak couldn't have brought himself to look at the demon's face if his life had depended on it, he somehow knew that it was wearing an expression of utter contempt. "Ask your questions," it said, however, as if all it wanted now was to get this over with and get back to where it belonged. Tak felt himself tensing up with new fear, though. He somehow sensed that this creature was never more dangerous than when it tried to pretend it was beaten.

     The questions turned out to involve another wizard called Salph who was evidently a rival of Molos Gomm's master and up to something in the wastelands of Huk. The demon's answer, that he was seeking an alliance with yet another wizard, prompted a whole series of follow up questions and the interrogation went on for over an hour. Summoning a demon of Vassago's caliber was such a major undertaking that no wizard, no matter how confident or powerful, would attempt it more than once every few years except in a real emergency, and so the conjurer would save up a lot of unrelated questions to ask all at once.

     Once Gal-Gowan had learned everything he wanted to know about Salph, therefore, he moved on to the sea brakes, whatever they were, and then the League of Coppra, the Derronian Fellowship and others. All sounding more and more bizarre until Tak's head was spinning trying to remember it all, totally fascinated by this opportunity to learn about the outside world he had never seen. The chanting of the formula had become automatic and unconscious now. He did it without needing to think about it.

     During a lull in the interrogation in which Gal-Gowan paused to digest the answer to a particularly interesting question, Tak glanced over at Philip to see how he was doing. He was startled to see that the other apprentice was staring right at him with a look of undisguised malice and gleeful anticipation. Tak was horrified. Whatever he was up to, he was going to do it now, while the demon was actually present! Was he insane? If whatever he was going to do made Tak break the cage spell they'd all die, Philip included. What in the name of the Gods was he thinking of?

     Then he saw something that almost froze his heart, that shocked him so badly that he actually hesitated in the formula between one word and the next. There was a very faint line drawn on the stone floor around Philip's feet, along with some symbols and runes that he recognised. Another cage spell! A second level of protection for Philip alone! He must have crept in last night and prepared it while everyone else was asleep. It wasn't just Tak he wanted rid of, but Molos Gomm and Gal-Gowan as well, leaving him the undisputed master of Castle Nagra.

     He couldn't pause in the chanting of the formula to shout a warning. Even a moment's hesitation might be enough to free the demon. He couldn't wave or try to attract attention. The only movements he could make were those needed to perform his part in the conjuration. With both elder wizards just a few yards away, he was on his own and could only deal with the situation as best he could himself. Okay, so Philip had planned something. What?

     He looked around carefully, searching for something wrong, something else Philip might have done overnight, but he found nothing. But there was something! There had to be! He looked at Philip again, hoping for a clue, and saw him glance up at the ceiling above Tak. Tak followed his gaze and gasped at what he saw.

     Attached to the ceiling, ten yards above him, momentarily visible through the layer of roiling smoke that almost hid the oak beams and wooden planking, was a large ball of spun silk looking like the clusters of spider eggs he sometimes found hidden in narrow spaces during the winter months. This one was a good ten inches across, though, and more solid looking, as if it contained a single creature, and already it was pulsing and heaving as something inside tried to get out. It was attached to the ceiling by large blobs of sticky paste and positioned directly above Tak, so there was no question of it having appeared there by itself. It had been placed there for the express purpose of killing Tak.

     As the terrified apprentice watched, the thing inside succeeded in tearing open its silken envelope and an iridescent, jointed leg forced its way out.,it was followed by several other legs and the soft, bloated body to which they were attached. It was horrible and, Tak had no doubt, quite deadly. He stared desperately at Gal-Gowan, mentally begging him to end the conjuration and dismiss the demon so that he could escape. Praying silently to all the Gods that one of the older wizards would hear the frightened quality in the formula he was still reciting and realise something was wrong. Gal-Gowan was questioning the demon again, though, and Molos Gomm had all his attention on the proceedings. He was almost certain that Vassago knew, though. There was something in the appearance of the demon and in its voice that told the apprentice that it knew it would soon be free. Some quality of glee and delight. Tak felt himself close to despair.

     The creature was entirely free of its cocoon now and paused a moment while it recovered its strength. It was about the size of a pigeon but all legs and feathery extrusions and easily the most horrible thing Tak had ever seen. Later, he learned that it was a hanth. A viciously aggressive creature that hibernated over the winter in a cocoon of spun silk. When it emerged it was hungry and would feed on the first thing it encountered, whatever that was.

     It was a favourite pet of assassins because it could be kept in hibernation for years simply by keeping it in a cold place, and it would emerge less than an hour after being placed in a warm environment, such as the bedchamber of the contracted victim. Philip might have procured it years earlier, possibly originally intending it for use on Molos Gomm, although how he'd kept it secret from Trobo, who had full access to the cold room, Tak never found out. He never quite dared ask the houseman whether he had, in fact, known of it and simply regarded it as none of his business, but it would have been fully in character if that had been the case. Trobo's loyalty was to the master of Castle Nagra, whoever that was, and as matters stood at the time Philip was Molos Gomm's heir.

     The hanth stirred, gathering itself, and began to drop on a line of silk like a spider, straight towards Tak's head. Philip's positioning had been perfect. Surely now the others must see it! Their attention was still firmly fixed on the demon, though, and they remained completely oblivious to their peril.

     Tak gave a gasp of shock as the creature landed on his head, its long legs tangling in his hair as it detached itself from its silk thread. Tak froze, only his mouth moving as he continued the formula, tensing up as he waited to feel the prick of fangs and the burning of venom injected into his body. The creature just sat there, though. Apparently quite happy to use the apprentice as a perch for the time being, the lower half of its body hanging in front of his eyes. Tak stared hypnotised at the fine, downy hairs that covered its pulsing abdomen and the needle sharp organ that protruded from its rear end. A tiny drop of clear fluid appeared at the tip, hung there a moment then dropped to the floor. He looked down and saw the stone smoking where it landed. If it could do that to arrastone, it would eat through his flesh like acid.

     There was a change in the tone of Molos Gomm's voice. It had suddenly gained a tone of urgency and Tak's eyes flicked in his direction to see that his master had finally become aware of his situation. The elderly wizard hastily began the rite of dismissal, surprising Gal-Gowan who stared at him in fury until he also saw the situation Tak was in. The rite was long and complicated, though, and would take several minutes to complete. All three were sweating now, except Philip who was almost laughing in delight. This was perfect, Tak imagined him thinking. That they should see their end coming and be unable to do anything about it. It was better than he'd dared hoped!

     The spider thing was moving again, and Tak held himself like a statue as it climbed slowly and carefully down his face, its legs hooking into his ears and mouth for purchase. The smell of the thing was almost overwhelming, like the acrid reek of crushed beetles, and he almost gagged as it paused for a moment with its head resting on his cheek. He gasped with relief as it moved again, then shuddered as it squeezed its way inside his robe.

     He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt it making its way down his body like a triumphant mountaineer returning home, its sharp legs pricking his skin like tiny needles. When it reached his groin it was almost more than he could bear. It took every ounce of his self control to stop himself ripping his robes off and brushing it away. Then it dropped to the floor, though, and he gasped with heartfelt relief as he watched it scuttling away. His breathing slowed and the pounding of his heart began to ease a little.

     The creature was heading towards Philip, though, and the older apprentice's eyes widened in horror as he saw it approaching him. The rite of dismissal was almost complete but he still couldn't move as it reached his bare feet and began to climb. The others saw his face go as white as chalk and his eyes widen in sheerest horror, but the thing hadn't hurt Tak so maybe its reputation as a killer was overstated. If he could remain still, as Tak had done...

     "... and no longer dwell in this sphere," Molos Gomm finished breathlessly. "Begone, begone, begone until I call thee again. Begone!"

     The demon gave a screech of frustration as it vanished, and then Tak was tearing his robe off and rubbing himself all over to erase the prickly feeling the creature had left on him.

     "Treacherous scum!" Molos Gomm roared, striding over to where Philip still stood rock still as the thing disappeared under the hem on his robe. He pointed accusingly at the circle around the young man's feet. "Wanted to give us all to Vassago, did you? Go to him yourself!"

     "No Master!" pleaded Philip in terror. "Please!"

     He backed away as Molos Gomm advanced on him, and the movement was enough to alarm the hanth, which responded by plunging its sting into his thigh. Philip screamed and beat at himself in terror, then convulsed in agony as his flesh began dissolving into smoking soup. Tak watched in horror for a moment, unable to take his eyes from the fate the older apprentice had had in store for him, and then he lost control and fled from the room, almost falling down the stairs and throwing up on the floor.

     When it was over and he felt able to stand again he wiped the sick from his chin and staggered uncertainly back to the conjuration room. He paused at the top of the stairs when he heard the two wizards talking. They hadn't noticed his return yet and were staring down at the liquifying corpse that had been Philip.

     "This was always the one I was least sure of," Gal-Gowan was saying. "He never really had what it took to be a wizard."

     Molos Gomm merely nodded, too ashamed and fearful to say anything. One of his apprentices had made a deliberate attempt to murder the messenger of Khalkedon, not to mention Tak and himself. Who knew what kind of retribution he could expect when his master found out about it.

     "That other apprentice of yours, however," continued Gal-Gowan, who seemed to feel that the incident was closed. "What was his name?"

     Behind him, Tak bristled with fury. The beast had repeatedly raped him since his arrival and yet hadn't bothered to find out what his name was.

     "Tak," said Molos Gomm hopefully. "Tak Eweela, from the Borderlands."

     "That's it, Tak," said Gal-Gowan. "Now he has real potential, I can sense it. You are teaching him the high magic, of course?"

     "Of course," relied Molos Gomm dryly, who had been doing no such thing. Tak guessed that he would in future, though, if it meant getting out of this alive, and he turned out to be correct.

     "He should, in the fullness of time, make a fine addition to my master's retinue. There's just one thing I noticed, though. When the demon tried to tempt him in its guise as a young girl, he was distracted almost to the point of disaster. Am I right in thinking that he has never known the bed of a woman?"

     "That is correct," confirmed Molos Gomm, who could see what was coming. "I judged him too young to know the pleasures of women."

     "But not too young for our beds, eh?" said Gal-Gowan with a sharp look at the other wizard.

     "But, as I was saying, I was about to introduce him to that side of life when I received word that you were coming. As you so astutely discern, the intimate knowledge of women will armour him against further demonic temptation."

     "Good," said Gal-Gowan. "I leave it in your hands then. My master may have further need of your assistance in the near future and I would hope that your apprentice will be able to play his full part."

     "I will see to it."

     "Good. In that case, I think I can assure you that my report will be completely favourable." He paused for a moment in thought before continuing. "I think I shall arrange for your young apprentice to visit Domandropolis some time in the next few months. Our master is very interested in all that happens in his domain and will surely want to see such a prodigy with his own eyes. He may even want to put his mark on him."

     "He is my apprentice!" cried Molos Gomm in sudden fear.

     "Of course, of course, and he will continue to be. A quick visit and he will be returned to you. It is not my master's habit to steal other wizards' apprentices. You will be without him for a couple of weeks at most, but that is for the future. For now I think we need to rest and relax, and I'm sure that Tak, it was Tak wasn't it? He needs to relax as well. Have him join us, will you?"

     Tak crept back out of sight, his discarded robe forgotten, and trotted back to Molos Gomm's bedchamber, suddenly feeling more tired than he'd ever felt before. He collapsed on the huge bed and was instantly asleep.

☆☆☆

     "Molos Gomm was as good as his word," said Thomas sleepily, idly circling Lirenna's nipple with a fingertip. "He took Tak into the town of Volk a few days after Gal-Gowan's departure and bought a prostitute for him, giving her instructions to teach him everything she knew." He smiled. "That's one of Tak's more pleasant memories. In one week she taught him more than..."

     He hesitated, suddenly remembering who he was talking to. "...than you taught me on our first night. None of his memories can stand beside the reality of being with you."

     She grinned happily. "It's not that late. Think you can manage once more?"

     "Woman, you'll kill me!" But he did manage once more, and it was the best one of the night.