Free The Spell of Binding (Part One) by Glen Johnson Page B

hurt me? Everything I d o is for the good of the majority. I have given up years of my li fe to the betterment of others.
    Simeon’s anger was growing like a volcano; building, pushing at the limits o f his physical body. In a flash all the pain was washed away . He sprung to his feet as if on elastic. With a wave of his hands runes burst forth, battering away the ones sown on his garments, obliterating them completely, causing the bottom of his clothing to flare up in magical green flames. They died as quickly as they started; leaving his knees visible through the tattered remains. In another flash of his hands –his sleeves flying like things possessed, his age completely forgotten –runes ripp ed the moats protective barrier apart. Electrical discharges flicked about the chamber, blowing chunks out of the wall and statue. Still Simeon continued. In one final display of sheer power the moats protective safeguards exploded, and after one mighty flash the chambe r was left in complete darkness. Smoke hung heavy in the stagnant air.
    Simeon’s shoulders sagged in the darkness. Slowly, his breath returned, bu t his anger was still building.
    Someone ha s taken the Book. Someone tried to kill me . Someone was going to pay dearly.
    A lesser being would have been incinerated by the magic he used to protect the artifact. But the magic was his, created by him.
    With a simple flick of his wrist a rune glowed in the smoky chamber, highlighting the devastating power his magic had unleashed. Stone and rubble littered the floor. The only thing left standing, even though it had an arm missing, and chunks gouged out of it, was the statue. Simeon gave it a quick glance, knowing deep down that it was both of their fault th is was happening – their shame.
    At this though his anger had now turned psychotic, years of built up emotions waiting to be unleashed. Instead of rising bac k up through the stone flooring and along the corridors, he went directly out the thick stone wall, which was suspended above the Main Gate. In a shower of falling masonry and massive stones, Simeon, like a vengeful ancient mythical God, landed right next to the powerful Sphere that hung above the main entrance to New Babel.
     

Chapter Twelve
    DESERT HEAT
     
    S lis and Qwat stood looking down in to the fading embers of a fire. Before leaving t he group had tipped s and over the fire to smother it . Slis found this funny for some reason, wondering why they had bothered.
    It’s not as if anything would be set alight, it was simply sand... sand everywhere.
    Qwat was rummaging through the embers; a bit of charcoal was a nice change to sandstone and sedimentary rock. What he wouldn’t give for a nice chunk of granite, or quarts. He had black smears around his wide mouth as he finished his breakfast.
    Slis on the other hand was still hungry; all he had found to eat was slim pickings off a couple small, what looked like, lizard carcasses, which had been tossed to the side. After he had finished getting every last scrap off, he tossed it t o Qwat, who proceeded to munch down on the bones.
    How Slis hated the desert and its crushing heat. His scales were drying out and becoming brittle. The sand was so rough and corrosive against his under belly. What he wouldn’t give to be soaking in his scummy cold pond, eating a nice raw fish head right about now.
    Qwat had finished the skeletons and all the charco al and came to stand beside Slis. In the distance, from their elevated position, they could see sand and dust being kicked up by the small group who were heading towar ds the large city of Keep Safe.
    Qwat burped. A tong of flames erupted from his nos trils. He patted his warty gut.
    Slis’ stomach rumbled. His belly was empty on the inside and aching from the hot rough sand on the outside. What a great start to a new day , he thought. It could only get better , he decided.
    How wrong he was.
    *
    It was scorching in the heat, even at the break of dawn. They had been