Vilos wandered through a tunnel. The dark stone walls pressed tight around him. A strange mist filled the air making it impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. The floor of the cave was smooth so at least he had no fear of tripping on some unseen obstacle. Vilos shuffled along through the darkness and finally emerged into a huge domed cavern.

A creepy déjà vu feeling struck him. He swore he’d seen something like this long ago. Light filled the cavern as twenty torches ringing the perimeter burst into flame. The torches were held in the hands of twenty stone statues. The statues looked identical to his stone soldiers.

The far end of the cavern rose above the floor about ten feet. The raised portion still lay hidden in shadows.

Vilos knew where he was.

He didn’t want to approach the dark corner of the cave, yet he found his legs wouldn’t obey him.

Though he fought with all his will, Vilos continued to inch closer to the darkness. He stopped at the base of the platform and found a short flight of steps.

A blinding flash of light forced Vilos to raise his arm and cover his eyes.

When he lowered his arm he found a hooded figure seated on a throne of black volcanic glass. On either side of him stood a golden pole topped with a glowing crystal. The man wore a purple robe with black trim.

The dark figure beckoned.

Vilos had no desire to get any closer, but as before his body had other ideas. He climbed the steps and stopped ten feet from the throne. The man stood to face him. Though six inches shorter than Vilos and at least one hundred pounds lighter, the man radiated an aura of power such that Vilos knew if they came to blows he wouldn’t get the better of it.

The dark figure threw back his hood, revealing the face that Vilos had feared for the last twenty years. Thin and hawkish with a bald head and icy blue eyes that seemed to look through rather than at you, the sorcerer hadn’t changed since Vilos last saw him. Two tattoos resembling a skull surrounded by black flames, one on each cheek, decorated that strangely compelling face.

“What do you want?” Vilos asked at last. His voice sounded soft and weak in his ears.

“You know,” the sorcerer said in a voice so deep it seemed to shake the cavern.

“No,” Vilos said.

“I’m coming.”