They reached an outcropping of rocks, from which they could better observe what went on, and Laromendis asked, ‘Do you recognize any of them?’
He nodded to the demons perched on the rim of the valley. Now they were close enough that Gulamendis could make out some details. The demon at the centre of the group was massive, perhaps twenty or twenty-five feet tall, with gigantic wings folded behind him. It might have been a flyer once, or the wings might just be there to affect a more impressive visage when unfolded, but the Demon Master doubted the creature could truly fly without magic. On either side of it waited demons of a type Gulamendis had never encountered before, black-skinned monstrosities that were, from the waist up, roughly half-human, and some sort of lizard creature below. Long tails dragged behind them and they were constantly watching in all directions.
‘I think those two,’ he said softly, pointing to the half-lizard demons, ‘are guards or companions of some sort.’ He made a small circular motion with his finger as he pointed. ‘The rest are battle demons, but I’ve never seen them standing motionless, and never have seen them wearing armour and bearing arms.’
He knelt down and said, ‘We’re seeing something very new here.’
‘What?’
‘I’ll tell you when we have a little more leisure time,’ said Gulamendis. ‘The big one is either the Demon King, Maarg, or someone who looks a great deal like the description Pug gave me.’
‘Didn’t Pug also tell you Maarg was found dead on some other world?’
‘Well,’ said Gulamendis, ‘there’s dead and then there’s dead. I’ve been dispatching demons back to their own realm for years, and have even imagined I have destroyed a few, but I can’t really say if they died or just went back where they came from in a messier fashion.’ He glanced back over the rocks. ‘If I’m right, we should find a way out of here down behind those monsters.’
‘We’d better move, because this battle is going to be over soon, and I don’t want to be here when the victors start looking around for more things to chew on.’
The Demon Master nodded. ‘Be ready to make us look like rocks if needed.’
‘I’ll try,’ answered his brother.
They moved slowly, checking their progress every ten yards or so, and then suddenly Gulamendis halted his brother. ‘Something’s not right.’
‘What do you mean,’ asked the Conjurer.
‘I can sense demons all over this valley. It’s like a throng shouting at me, but from ahead…Nothing.’
‘Nothing?’
‘If I close my eyes, there are no demons up on that ridge.’
Laromendis peeked over the rise and studied the scene for a moment, then said, ‘That’s odd.’
‘What do you see?’
‘Be silent; watch for a few minutes then tell me what you see.’
The two brothers ventured another look at the demons on the ridge, now less than a two hundred yards away. The Demon King stood with his arms crossed over his obscenely large stomach, his face a mask of delighted evil and he glared down on the struggle with burning red eyes. Suddenly, his hand shot up into the air and he motioned, urging his followers onward, but no more reinforcements were coming. ‘Why is he signalling the attack when fight is almost done,’ asked Laromendis.
‘Because he’s not signalling an attack. Come with me,’ said Gulamendis as he crouched and hurried along just below the circling rocks that shielded them from sight.
Keeping out of sight as best they could, they got closer than Laromendis felt comfortable with, then Gulamendis said quietly, ‘Look, brother!’
They peered at the assembled demons and saw the Demon King signal the attack again. ‘What?’ then Laromendis closed his eyes. ‘I’m a fool. It’s all a conjuration.’
‘A very good illusion, from what I can tell. It would fool anyone who can’t sense demons, even you dear brother; and no one else is going to get close enough to see that this is all a trick of lights and magic.’
‘But why—?’
‘We can ponder that later,’ said Gulamendis. ‘We need to find the way home, or at least somewhere other than here. Why those demons were lured here to be slaughtered by their own kind is a matter for another time; right now we need to see if there’s a gate of some sort down that side of the mountain.’
He hurried, unconcerned about being seen by the illusions nearby and Laromendis followed. The fatigue from days of privation were offset by the excitement of possibly finding a safe route off this desert planet, and they moved quickly.
As they passed the illusions, they found a wide trail, and realized it was freshly trampled by thousands of feet. ‘Well, now we know the attacking army is real,’ said Laromendis.