The Deal by David Gallie

good. ‘Which means that they
have sought your help in getting it back. Yet another sin that will
count against them when his lordship comes to judge
them.’
    ‘ Oh, I’m taking the scroll back fat boy.’ I said
defiantly. I kept my eyes on that soft, sagging area just under his
chin. There was no way I was going to be able to kill him, but I
should be able to wound him. Which would buy me enough time to grab
the scroll and get out of this miserable place?
    ‘ We both know there is no
way you're leaving my hall alive.’ He roared and the eternal
rage that dwelled within him came rushing back with a
vengeance.
    As Hermetia began to push
himself up and off his throne I decided that it was now or never. I
mustered every ounce of energy I had and threw the machete at the
rising demon lord.
    For what seemed like an eternity
the blade spun through the air before it sliced through the soft,
greasy skin of Hermetia’s throat. I could see his eyes
shoot open with surprise as the blade dropped to the floor, leaving
behind it a wide gash which stretched halfway across his
throat.
    Blood began to pour from the wound almost
immediately. As he clutched at his throat, gooey black blood oozing
between his fingers, I burst into a sprint towards the scroll. I
could see him turning, watching, as I grabbed hold of the ornate
gold case, emblazed with mystical symbols I would never
understand.
    The air, once filled with the
demon lords booming voice, was now enriched with the sounds of him
choking on his own blood. In the back of my mind, I was
surprised I had been able to cause so much damage with such a small
object, but I had no time to ponder on my own
magnificence.
    I had the scroll firmly gripped in my hand,
but I could see no way out. Going back the way I came was not an
option since there was no access to the monastery that way, and by
now there was probably a horde of Grimoyle’s waiting to tear me
apart.
    There is a secret passageway which will lead you to the monestry from Hermetia’s chambers. The Monk had said, but I could see no other
doorways or trap doors or even a bookcase that may have hidden a
secret passage.
    That was until Hermetia tried
to take a rather half-hearted swing at me. I felt the whoosh of air
above me as his meaty fist sailed past me and slammed into his
throne of bones. There was a deafening rumble as the throne took
the full force of his anger. Slowly it rocked on one side before
crashing to the floor with a massive bang that almost knocked me
off my feet.
    It was then that I saw what I had
been looking for. A small wooden trap door had been placed
countless centuries ago under the demons throne. I ran towards it,
clutching the scroll in one hand and trying to watch Hermetia’s movements as I went.
    The huge demon stumbled backwards as the blood
kept coming from a wound that didn’t seem to heal. I pulled open
the trap door and was about to jump into the passage beyond it when
I looked up one last time.
    Hermetia had managed to gain his
balance, but only for a brief few seconds. His once rage filled
eyes looked lazy and tired like he was about to fall asleep.
He teetered there for only a few seconds before he finally lost his
balance for good and fell backwards out into the great hall and
straight into the flaming pit known as Argol’s fire.
    I was mesmerized as the flames
quickly turned dark green, just like its victim's skin. My
trance was quickly broken though when I could hear the sound of
screeching Grimoyle’s descending upon the hall. It wouldn’t take
long before they were in the room so I needed to get
moving.
    Giving the bright green fire one
last glance, I jumped into the secret passageway .
     
    I fell only a few feet into the
secret passageway before I landed on
the solid ground with a thud. The scroll emanated a strange
glow which I was actually grateful for since there were no torches to light my way.
    Dusting myself off, I continued north along
the passage, unsure of what to expect