Free Spirit Past (Book 8) by Jeff Inlo

possible, he used Gnafil's link to the daokiln to create the map for his spell, and then he allowed the crimson energy to form the portal to Demonspawn.
    "Indeed, you did that rather quickly," Gnafil noted with both surprise and a hint of suspicion.
    "Better to get it done and over with. No sense dragging it out." Neltus paused as he gave one last look to the infern. "Do you think I'm trying to trick you? You just said I can't get away. Don't you think I know that? I'll tell you what. I'll go first and you can follow."
    The wizard didn't wait for an answer. He leapt through the portal and disappeared from the room.
    Gnafil looked to the portal. Neltus was gone, there was no doubt in the half-demon's mind about that, and the rift was a direct path to the center of Demonspawn. He didn't expect Neltus to put up much of a fight, but the speed in which Neltus accepted his fate still surprised the infern.
    He wondered what Reiculf would do when the wizard appeared. It would certainly make the transference of energy much easier. There might also be additional questions regarding the magical cores now that the daokiln had additional subjects to study.
    Not wanting to displease his master, the infern quickly followed through the portal. He leapt into its center and immediately passed into the dark heart of Demonspawn. The gateway was flawless, and its construction confirmed Neltus' willingness to enter into a bargain with Reiculf.
    Surprisingly, however, Gnafil found himself alone in front of Reiculf. He expected to find the daokiln questioning the spell caster, but the only question was directed at him.
    "Where is the crimson wizard?" the daokiln hissed, as the lord of hate glared down upon the infern.
    Gnafil looked up into the blazing eyes of hate. Seeing far too much pain waiting for him, he averted his eyes and frantically glanced about the dead and blackened grounds.
    "He should be right here," the infern moaned. "I followed right after him. I used the same portal."
    Reiculf growled.
    Gnafil, fearing for his very existence, looked back into the rift. Through the break, he could see the empty room of the inn. The portal had not closed. It remained open, and that in itself was an oddity.
    "He went through," the half-demon insisted. "I saw him."
    "Find him!" the daokiln commanded.
    Without hesitating, Gnafil leapt back through the portal. He stood in the empty tavern room with no sign of the wizard. He had seen Neltus enter the portal. That was no illusion. He could even follow the lingering trail. He was absolutely certain the wizard entered the rift, but he was not on either side. The infern was beyond confused.
    A portal to Demonspawn was a unique rift. It could not be opened easily. Any gateway leading to the master of all demons required more than just an understanding of dimensional pathways. It was more than just a passage from one realm to another. It was a conscious decision to enter corruption. It amounted to spiritual decay.
    Growing more suspicious of the portal, the infern examined it more closely. He also took hold of his connection to the human wizard. The echoes of their bond allowed the half-demon to grasp strands of history, shadows of past actions. In doing so, he found part of his answer.
    Neltus' trail led into the portal, of that, there was no question. It did not, however, lead out into Demonspawn. The trail ended in the very middle of the portal, at the curtain between dimensions.
    Realizing he had been tricked, Gnafil summoned the power of Reiculf to clarify the mystery. Three rings of transparent but distorted energy appeared around his head. The half-demon stared through each ring and looked into the heart of the gateway.
    With the aid of the daokiln's magic, Gnafil finally spied the remnants of a second portal. It had been constructed within the first gateway when the spell was initially cast. It no longer existed in physical space, for it had closed immediately after Neltus' leapt into the rift. Still,