Something was wrong ...

Honir turned on the steps of Yggdrasil and looked around. Nothing. And yet ...?

All his instincts told him he was close to danger. But what ...?

.. and then something on the breeze, a strange unfamiliar smell, caught his senses. The smell of sulphur and burning.

His hand flew to his sword.

Too late.

He stumbled back towards the wall as the grinning crimson beast bore down on him. Its great leathery wings beat the air as it crashed to a halt before him.

"Ahh, a courtier", snarled the Dark Lord. Saliva dripped from its grinning jaws.

Honir stepped back into the courtyard and prayed that the house wards would hold but the demon made no attempt to enter. It seemed content to stand its ground.

"We will soon rule this world", it said. Its foul fetid breath washed over the knight. "This valley shall burn." The creature howled with laughter. It swept its clawed arms before it, releasing a volley of fireballs that hit the ground before the knight and burst into a wall of flame.


Honir leapt back. He was trapped between the wall of stone behind him and the wall of flame before him. He choked on the burning air but he managed to spit out words of derision to the howling creature. "You may have powerful spells," gasped Honir, but you're not very bright; this building is made of stone."


"Your house is built on ice ... and fire melts ice." Once again, the creature swept its arm before it and, once again, balls of fire hit the ground and burst into flames.

The air was thick with dense choking smoke. Honir pressed his back against the wall. The flames were licking around him and he could feel the burning air against his face. Fearing for his life but refusing to let the creature see his fear, he threw back a challenge. "Once the Court knows you have been here and attacked one of its members, your days will be numbered. You will not stand against their combined forces."

The Dark Lord laughed again. "I have defeated members of the court before you..."

Honir cut him short. "Your days are over, Dark One"

"Never!" the Dark Lord spat back. "you will fall, "and my minions will dance over your ashes."

"Your minions will perish with you!"

"Never! We are demon..and we are eternal!"

"Then you will go back to hell!"

Throwing back its head, the great beast roared with laughter and with one final wave of its hands it sent fireballs crashing to the ground, exploding around the knight, and then it took to the air, its mightly wings beating down a draught which fanned the flames and sent them dancing higher.

As the creature rose higher and higher into the air, its rabid howling laughter rang in Honir's ears as it flew away. The knight made a dash for the safety of the building and locked the door behind him. He leaned back against the door, gasping in deep breaths of clean air, and tried to slow his pounding heart.