Pug allowed himself to believe that the selection involved no coercion, that those who were here had been willing; it let him sleep better at night. But whatever their reasons, the beings in this cave had been willing to sacrifice their lives to protect this unique creature.
Pug had visited this cavern many times, yet he still had only a vague idea of their history and place in the order of things. His direct questions were always answered vaguely, and eventually he came to accept that he would only find out what the Oracle wished him to know. He was content with that, for she had proven to be a valuable ally in the defence of his world upon more than one occasion. He could have believed her aid to be born of self-interest, for if this world perished, she would die along with it, but he judged her motives to be loftier than that; she seemed genuinely concerned with helping Pug and his Conclave re-establish a semblance of order in this part of a very big universe.
All this ran through Pug’s mind as he waited for the Oracle to reply. She laid her head down on the floor so that her companions could tend to her wounds. Two lay dead and would be disposed of as soon as she was healed.
Pug watched fascinated as magic he barely recognized, let alone understood, was employed. He had seen enough clerical magic to recognize the healing arts, but this manipulation was unlike anything he had witnessed before.
Each companion tending a wound seemed to encourage the dragon’s body to repair itself, but at an accelerated rate. But the price was dear; those ministering to the dragon aged before Pug’s eyes, their faces becoming sallow and haggard, the weight melting from their bodies. They were giving her their life essence. As he watched, her wounds healed, after five minutes their mistress was left looking as she had before the attack. They, however, had aged years in minutes.
‘Impressive,’ said Pug.
‘We are an old race with many gifts.’ Indicating the bodies of her fallen companions who were being carried off, she added, ‘But we have limits, too.’
‘Can I assume this encounter was the reason you specifically requested my appearance today?’
‘What is, is as it should be, as it was, and as it will be again.’ Slowly she rose up, and stared distantly into space as she received visions that no other could witness.
‘Even for you that’s unusually cryptic, my old friend,’ said Pug.
The Oracle stood silently for a long time. Finally Pug said, ‘Ah, I see. I must ask. What else troubles you?’
‘Much, sorcerer. I see a nexus approaching, a blending of time and probability, a place of many outcomes. Beyond that I can see nothing, too many possibilities flow from that moment. Or an end, should the worst outcome occur.’
‘Worst for you or for all of us?’
‘They are one and the same. Should I fall, this world will have fallen with me.
‘I see havoc and destruction and the deaths of many, on a scale which dwarfs all that you’ve endured; and I see the tipping of a precious balance, one which will cause the gods themselves to tremble in fear.’
‘I’m listening,’ said Pug quietly. Already his skin crawled in anticipation of having his suspicions confirmed. Summoning demons as powerful as the one he had just faced required prodigious magic. Confining one was difficult enough, but to be able to subdue, then send a creature like that by magic means into this cavern, required a Demon Master of unmatched skill and power.
‘A legion comes this way, Pug of Sorcerer’s Island. It rides hard and brings chaos and death in its wake. Others battle it already, and they yield grudgingly, but they will soon be overwhelmed.
‘The Dark One, he whose name cannot be uttered, sleeps restlessly, and in his fevered dreaming he reaches out with the power of a Greater God. He has envisioned a passage between the realms, and as he dreams, it is so. He dreams of home and wishes to return.
‘The other Greater Gods soothe his restlessness, and stem his dreams, but they are overmatched. Only she who balances him can stop the madness.’
Pug felt a cold tightening in his chest. ‘And she is dead,’ said Pug.
‘She is,’ said the Oracle, ‘yet even in death she provides, for her legacy lives on, in the hearts of those who serve good.
‘Find allies, Pug. Find those whom you have never sought out. Seek strength where you are weak, and find those who have knowledge where you are ignorant. Understand what comes soon.’
The Oracle’s head lowered again to the floor and Pug knew from experience that her vision had drained her. He had time for one, perhaps two more questions, and then she would enter a slumber which could last for days, even weeks. Once she had awakened, those visions would be lost.
Pug’s mind raced as he thought of a dozen things he wished to ask. He finally said, ‘Tell me of the legion that approaches.’
‘Demons from the Fifth Circle, Pug. The demons are coming.’