Free Into The Abyss (Demons of Astlan) by J. Langland Page A

was definitely large.  At the mouth of the cave was a fairly large overhang of rough stone.  The mouth itself was about twenty feet in diameter, and as far as he could see, extended a long way into the mountain and down.  The cave seemed to be inaccessible, except by flight, since below the overhang, the gray rock of the mountain dropped drastically downward for well over a thousand feet.  The best thing about this cave, however, was the fact that Tom was unable to detect any markings around the cave mouth indicating that the cave was occupied.
    What a stroke of luck, Tom thought.  He landed on the ledge and turned to look out over the valley.  Looking back the way he came, he was amazed to note that he could no longer see the plains.  Apparently, he'd flown a lot further than he had thought.  True, his wing muscles were a bit fatigued, but nowhere near being exhausted.  "I guess one just has to go to the ends of the world to find a good home these days," Tom said to himself. 
    As he looked over the valley he noted that there didn't appear to be any other caves in this valley, which suited him.  For some reason, he felt totally satisfied being alone, and he really had no desire at the moment to see any other demons.  Well , Tom thought, if I am alone here, then this shall be my kingdom .  In a mock imperial manner, the King of the Valley viewed his new land.  Truly, looking out over the majestic, rocky valley and the rugged range of mountains, he did feel like a king.
    As he was surveying the valley, Tom heard voices calling his name in the distance.  Commanding him to attend.  Slowly the world began to fade around him, as the King of the Valley was forced to return to slavery.

Chapter 10
    The image of the valley was slowly replaced in his mind by that of the tower room into which he had first appeared after traversing the color world.  As the valley dimmed and the room came into focus, he was able to note that he was standing in the middle of a five pointed star inscribed within a circle.  Tangent to the circle at each point of the star were smaller circles with stars inscribed in them also.  In each of the smaller stars was a three legged metal stand with a small bowl on top.  Each bowl contained glowing embers which gave off strange noxious odors.  He also noted that each brazier was made of a different metal: gold, silver, platinum, a white faintly glowing material, and a dull gray metal unlike any other that he'd ever seen. 
    Arranged outside of the circles were three individuals, an old balding skinny man, the woman who's face he'd seen in the circle that had summoned him, and the face that he dreaded, the one called Lenamare.  The old balding man was about six foot, but not yet bent with age, and weighed in the neighborhood of about one hundred and thirty five pounds, although it was hard to tell since he was wearing a large purple robe.  His face was basically skin and bones, his nose long and pointed.  He head was shaved except for a mustache and goatee.  His gaze fell upon Tom, hesitant, yet determined.
    The woman appeared to be in her mid-thirties.  Not a great beauty, her features were too sharp for that, yet she had an aura of command about her, that he imagined would pass for strong charisma, if he were more inclined to be sympathetic with her.  She was quite tall, about six-two and around one hundred and fifty pounds.  Her reddish brown hair was done in a spiraling braid above her head.  She wore a black gown trimmed in red, and cut and highlighted so as to reveal a good deal of her ample breasts.  She stared at him in a manner of contempt, mixed with a trace of caution.  By her stance she felt herself in control, but also she clearly yielded to the third person in the room.
    The room's other occupant was Lenamare.  A man who Tom would not forget, a face he was sure would haunt his dreams for weeks.  Lenamare was the shortest of the three at around five-ten, yet he stood tall