The Summoning

A little short story / vignette written for http://www.worldsofink.com/, creature feature #2 on Friday, March 11th! 

Something about the incantation felt wrong to Marzul.  The words were cumbersome, stumbling out of his mouth like those inebriated louts at pub closing time.  He questioned his competence of course, if only for a brief moment, but quickly disregarded the notion.  He was a capable sorcerer and knew the importance of caution when summoning....besides, he had questions that needed answers.

With all his preparations complete, including the most important piece, the summoning circle, which emanated a soft glow confirming it's functionality to confine the demon within, Marzul could now begin to recite the incantation.  He ignored the screaming feeling to "STOP"; it wasn't the first time he didn't trust his gut and he hoped it wouldn't be the last....

His longtime friend Aliwyn, the wizard who gave him the ancient scroll from the vault of the wizard’s enclave, assured him of its validity, as did the hefty sum he paid in gold to acquire it.  Shaking off the rest of his doubts, he continued to weave the words of magic, delicately and deftly carving the air with glowing symbols that radiated an earthly hue as he chanted.  Sweat was beginning to form on his brow...a couple drops breaking free, flowing down the side of his face and immersing themselves into his salt and pepper colored beard.  His concentration was fierce; his dark brown eyes matching the intensity of the earthly light he wove. 

The spell weaving continued well into the night, yet Marzul's vigor did not wane...

When the spell was finally complete and the last words of magic spoken, the large summoning circle began to hum.  The humming quickly grew louder and louder, climbing steadily to a most uncomfortable throbbing.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the circle burst upward, in an upheaval of rock and earth!  A terrifying creature slowly pulled itself up from under the ground, locking its bright yellow eyes on Marzul.  The creature was an abomination; its thick burly arms held enormous claws, which could easily pulverize rock and stone, let alone human flesh.  Its eyes, hypnotically filled you with trepidation, while the large spikes and horns protruding from its back and head, completed its fiendish appearance. 

Marzul hadn’t noticed the most important thing about the creature though; it had found a way to break the summoning circle!

The demon, seeing the realization on Marzul’s face, smiled as only a demon could, and said, “You had questions sorcerer, but I have the only answer you’ll ever need.....YOU HAVE BEEN BETRAYED!”