Free Behind the Sorcerer's Cloak by Andrea Spalding Page A

She was rested, and she could think straight. It was time to make a move while the Earth Magic restraining her remained simple.
    Zorianna shape-changed into a bat and tried to slip her bonds.
    She was quick, but not quick enough. As she shrank in size so did the bonds. One wing remained pinned to her body.
    She changed into water that trickled between the bonds, down the wall and across the floor.
    The Moddy Dhoo’s red tongue shot out.
    Before it reached the water, Zorianna changed into a tiny mouse and ran for a hole in the wall.
    Poor choice! The cat pounced. She held the mouse in her mouth. The tail hung from her lips.
    â€œChoose Light or Dark, for the second time of asking,” mumbled the cat.
    The magical song in the background swelled.
    Zorianna turned into a scorpion. One claw grabbed the cat’s tongue at the same time as the scorpion tail curled up and stung the cat’s nose.
    With a yowl of pain the cat opened her mouth and shook her head hard.
    The scorpion flew through the air, transforming into a large crab that hit the ground and scuttled toward a crack.
    SPLAT. The Moddy Dhoo’s paw flattened the crab’s body.
    AWHOOOOOOoooooo. It was the Black Dog’s turn to leap and howl as the crab became a prickly hedgehog that rolled from under the wounded paw and out of sight.
    â€œEarth Magic is so simple,” sneered Zorianna and became an owl.
    Her owl eyes could see in the dark. She flapped through the labyrinth of tunnels, seeking an exit.
    The irritating magical song grew louder.
    Light!
    A small gap filled with daylight gleamed high up in the dungeon wall. It let in light, a breath of air and the song.
    No matter. It offered escape. Zorianna glided toward it.
    A thundering, rumbling growl made her shiver.
    Something bound past her. The darkness between her and the light thickened.
    Zorianna flapped and dodged from side to side searching for a way past.
    The Moddy Dhoo’s presence grew to fill the space. The light was gone.
    Zorianna doubled back.
    The white shape of the cat sat in the center of the passage behind her.
    â€œYou cannot escape,” said the cat.
    Zorianna’s lip curled. She shape-changed into a black spider invisible in the darkness.
    â€œVery clever,” said the cat. “But you cannot escape. Light or Dark, which do you choose?”
    The magical song wailed and sobbed.
    The spider climbed the dungeon wall.
    The cat sighed.
    Red eyes gleamed like searchlights.
    SPLAT.
    The Moddy Dhoo’s paw shot out and stunned the spider. Its body tumbled to the floor, stretching, lengthening and returning to the form of a young woman.
    Zorianna stirred and opened her eyes.
    â€œLight or Dark? There are no more chances,” whispered the cat in her ear. “There is no escape. ‘Lhiat myr hoiloo —to thee as though deservest.’ Remember?”
    Zorianna remembered and shuddered with fear as the Moddy Dhoo began to bay.
    It was a dreadful sound. Each howl rent the air like hundreds of voices shrieking.
    The cries swelled around her and brought back terrible memories.
    Zorianna remembered every planet she and the Dark Being had visited and destroyed. She heard the cry of each creature she had tormented.
    The cries and screams echoed in her head. She writhed on the floor, blocking her ears. “It wasn’t my fault,” she screamed. “I just followed orders.”
    Now laughter rang in her ears. Her own laughter. A cruel laughter echoing back to her from memories of watching Holly and others like her, tormented by mind games of Zorianna’s devising.
    â€œStop it!” shrieked Zorianna. “Stop the cries, stop the voices, stop the laughter.”
    â€œI cannot stop it,” said the cat. “To thee as thou deservest. They are the voices you unleashed.”
    The Moddy Dhoo threw back its head, and more terrible howls surrounded them.
    Zorianna curled into a ball and stuffed her fingers in her ears. But the howls