world and brought him back!
As the cage is removed, I roll on to my side and brace myself for the possibility of Marduke’s rescue. My suspicions soon prove correct. The man towering over me is none other than Marduke himself, living and breathing. Yet the man before me is not the Marduke I remember. He is hardly a man at all. His time in the middle world has changed him considerably, with disastrous effect.
Somehow I have to warn the Guard. But how? And without my powers?
I swallow hard, wanting to form words, yet not knowing what to say. Marduke holds his torch up close to me. And now I see the old man, white-haired and wrinkly, and the four creatures that are part human, part bird and other animals combined. Their legs and arms are human, but their entire bodies are covered with animal fur, brittle and coarse.
One of them leans over me. ‘Awake,’ he manages to say through a mouth that juts forward in a square form, more like a pig’s snout than a bird’s beak, or a human jaw.
I look up at Marduke – or what he has now become – and see a similarity with the creatures or strange beasts he keeps as his soldiers in this world; and I wonder if these beasts were once men. The thought makes me quiver.
Marduke lowers his hood and I try hard not to look away. His one good eye has swollen to twice its size and now glows red. Where once he had a head of soft golden hair, snow-white bristles cover the entire top, and run down his face as far as a brow that juts forward.
‘So, old friend, we meet again,’ I finally say.
He snorts at my greeting and kicks me hard in the side, making me double over. I try again to strike up a conversation. ‘The middle world has changed you … somewhat.’
He grunts and this time the sound is very much like that of a pig. The only thing missing is the pawing of the earth with a trotter.
‘Where have you brought me?’
I don’t think he’s going to answer when his half-mouth drags down at its long end. ‘You are in my world now.’
I look around at the stone walls and iron grate, the darkness overwhelming in its intensity. ‘If this is your world, then you live in a very dull place, Marduke. Hardly an advancement, I would say, old friend.’
His boot connects with my stomach, hard, forcing bile into my throat, making me want to vomit. Anotherboot to the underside of my thigh sends muscles into tight spasms. Apparently this Marduke hasn’t only changed physically, but has grown a lot more sensitive and intolerant of criticism. I’m sure Lathenia must be overjoyed! All the same, I’d better choose my words more carefully if I want to live.
‘Strap him,’ he says, turning his back on me to light several torches in brackets around the room, mumbling to the old man as he does so.
And now, as the rest of the room is revealed, I see exactly what he has planned. A rack stands ready to be used. And judging by the cobwebs, probably for the first time in hundreds of years. ‘Your techniques are a little old fashioned,’ I call out as the winged creatures reach for me. I kick at them and it takes all four in the end to secure me to this ancient mechanism of torture.
‘The Medieval lords were experts in pain and confession,’ Marduke says.
‘You would know, Marduke.’
‘Ah yes, I have suffered. In those days my powers were far less appreciated.’
‘The Guard rescued you.’
Marduke snorts and his spittle stings my face. He points to his own half-missing face. ‘Do you think I’ve not suffered because of the Guard?’
I could argue it was his own fault he got into that fight with Shaun, but I can see from his hard expression, he has moved beyond simple reasoning.
Vaporised air puffs out through snout-like nostrils. ‘I will tell you this, Arkarian, your holding here is temporary. The Goddess seeks to stop you from meddling in her affairs. She also wants answers from you. She will be here before …’
The old man coughs, I sense on purpose. But it soon turns into
As the cage is removed, I roll on to my side and brace myself for the possibility of Marduke’s rescue. My suspicions soon prove correct. The man towering over me is none other than Marduke himself, living and breathing. Yet the man before me is not the Marduke I remember. He is hardly a man at all. His time in the middle world has changed him considerably, with disastrous effect.
Somehow I have to warn the Guard. But how? And without my powers?
I swallow hard, wanting to form words, yet not knowing what to say. Marduke holds his torch up close to me. And now I see the old man, white-haired and wrinkly, and the four creatures that are part human, part bird and other animals combined. Their legs and arms are human, but their entire bodies are covered with animal fur, brittle and coarse.
One of them leans over me. ‘Awake,’ he manages to say through a mouth that juts forward in a square form, more like a pig’s snout than a bird’s beak, or a human jaw.
I look up at Marduke – or what he has now become – and see a similarity with the creatures or strange beasts he keeps as his soldiers in this world; and I wonder if these beasts were once men. The thought makes me quiver.
Marduke lowers his hood and I try hard not to look away. His one good eye has swollen to twice its size and now glows red. Where once he had a head of soft golden hair, snow-white bristles cover the entire top, and run down his face as far as a brow that juts forward.
‘So, old friend, we meet again,’ I finally say.
He snorts at my greeting and kicks me hard in the side, making me double over. I try again to strike up a conversation. ‘The middle world has changed you … somewhat.’
He grunts and this time the sound is very much like that of a pig. The only thing missing is the pawing of the earth with a trotter.
‘Where have you brought me?’
I don’t think he’s going to answer when his half-mouth drags down at its long end. ‘You are in my world now.’
I look around at the stone walls and iron grate, the darkness overwhelming in its intensity. ‘If this is your world, then you live in a very dull place, Marduke. Hardly an advancement, I would say, old friend.’
His boot connects with my stomach, hard, forcing bile into my throat, making me want to vomit. Anotherboot to the underside of my thigh sends muscles into tight spasms. Apparently this Marduke hasn’t only changed physically, but has grown a lot more sensitive and intolerant of criticism. I’m sure Lathenia must be overjoyed! All the same, I’d better choose my words more carefully if I want to live.
‘Strap him,’ he says, turning his back on me to light several torches in brackets around the room, mumbling to the old man as he does so.
And now, as the rest of the room is revealed, I see exactly what he has planned. A rack stands ready to be used. And judging by the cobwebs, probably for the first time in hundreds of years. ‘Your techniques are a little old fashioned,’ I call out as the winged creatures reach for me. I kick at them and it takes all four in the end to secure me to this ancient mechanism of torture.
‘The Medieval lords were experts in pain and confession,’ Marduke says.
‘You would know, Marduke.’
‘Ah yes, I have suffered. In those days my powers were far less appreciated.’
‘The Guard rescued you.’
Marduke snorts and his spittle stings my face. He points to his own half-missing face. ‘Do you think I’ve not suffered because of the Guard?’
I could argue it was his own fault he got into that fight with Shaun, but I can see from his hard expression, he has moved beyond simple reasoning.
Vaporised air puffs out through snout-like nostrils. ‘I will tell you this, Arkarian, your holding here is temporary. The Goddess seeks to stop you from meddling in her affairs. She also wants answers from you. She will be here before …’
The old man coughs, I sense on purpose. But it soon turns into
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