Morgan stared at the bald-headed little man behind the counter with a trace of impatience as the other adjusted his pince-nez glasses. "Yes," the man wheezed asthmatically. "I'm - er - looking for an anniversary present," Morgan explained, hesitantly. "I've been married ten years come Sunday, you know. It's got to be something unusual. Yes. Sally'll like something out of the ordinary." The shopkeeper peered at him. "Well, you've come to the right place," he agreed "Strange is the name: Strange's Store for something unusual, all right. Stange's Super Store it says on the shop front outside, and super is what the stuff I've got is." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Mind you," he croaked, "it's only a small place, this. Junk shop, some call it. It's the goods that are super. Tell me, do you see anything that you like the look of?" Morgan could see a great many things that he DIDN'T like the look of, including the wizened shopkeeper, but he said nothing. He picked up a dusty phial from a display stand on the counter. "What's this?" he asked. The shopman grinned, revealing toothless gums. "Ah yes," he said, "I can recommend that, all right. Ancient Chinese Love Potion, direct from ninth century Peking. Very powerful." He smirked, then the grin disappeared from his face as Morgan glowered at him. "Oh, I forgot. It's an anniversary present you want isn't it. You're married, aren't you?" "Yes, Morgan agreed, grimly. "But how long I'd remain married if I tried that stuff God only knows. Haven't you got something a bit more down to earth?" he asked. The old man considered for a moment. "Jewellery." Morgan's face lit up. "Ah, jewellery, now you're talking. Sally adores trinkets and the like. What have you got? Anything any good?" The shopkeeper looked hurt. "All my merchandise is only the best," he replied sulkily. "Here, look at this. You'll never see another one like it." He groped beneath the counter and pulled out a box. It looked about the right size to contain a ring, Morgan reflected. "A ring?" he asked. "Ah, not just a ring. The ring of rings. Many are the princes who would have given up their titles for the possession of this bauble. But it belonged to a frog, or so the legend has it, and he wore it around his leg. A huge frog, he was, three times the size of any frog you or I will see. When the ring was taken from the frog it died." Morgan wondered how Sally would take to a ring that had been worn by a frog. He began to waver. "Well, perhaps something else-" But his protests were cut short as the man pulled the ring out of it's box. It was so beautiful that it took his breath away. "It's magnificent," Morgan breathed. "The most beautiful ring I've ever seen. But that must cost a fortune!" The old man smiled. "My friend," he replied, "I can see that you appreciate beauty; that is all that matters. How much do you have?" Morgan pulled out his wallet, and leafed through the contents. "About ten pounds," he stated. "It's yours,'' the old man said briskly. Morgan handed over the money in a daze, his eyes still fixed on the ring. It couldn't be a fake - it was so beautiful. And yet ten pounds was so little. The old man disappeared into the back of the shop to wrap the ring. He came back with a small parcel. He smiled as he handed the packet to Morgan. "Tell your friends to come," he requested. "I will," Morgan assured him. "Goodday." He walked from the shop, and on down the street into his car. He laid the precious packet carefully on the front seat, beside him as he started up the motor. Then he killed the engine, smiling to himself. He had to have another look at the ring. He undid the package with some difficulty, having to cut through the pretty ribbon that the wizened shopkeeper had tied around it. As he did so, Morgan stiffened with apprehension. He heard something moving around inside the packet, heard it quite distinctly. He pondered for a moment, realising that it seemed bigger than was necessary to house the ring, even in an elaborate box.. He stared at it in uncertainty for a moment, then hastily pulled away the remaining wrapping. Yes, he thought to himself, the box that was revealed was definitely bigger than the ring's original box had been. The old fool of a shopkeeper had either given him the wrong box, or else swindled him. He pulled off the lid, to reveal a frog gazing up at him, it's throat pulsing. "What the hell-" Morgan cursed. His ejaculation was cut short as the frog jumped from the box, and leapt onto the seat beside him. He grabbed it and replaced it in the box, shuddering with revulsion. He had touched frogs before, but this one was repellent. He wiped his hand on his handkerchief, trying to imagine what the reaction would have been had he presented Sally with a frog in a box. He decided to go back and have it out with the shopkeeper. He got out of the car and marched indignantly back towards the shop. As he entered he realised that there was no-one around. "He's skipped it," Morgan muttered, marching through to the back of the store. He came to the back door, and wrenched it open. Then he gasped with surprise. By rights Morgan should have been looking out into rear of the dingy alleyways that criss-crossed this part of the town. But no, it was a strange landscape indeed that met his gaze. Green meadows and hills stretched out towards the horizon, where he fancied that he could see some kind of a building, half hidden in mist. But the wizened shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen. "He has gone," said a voice, from behind Morgan. Morgan wheeled about, startled. He was even more surprised when he saw the man standing at his back. A young adventurer, was this fellow, decked out in splendid garments, with jewelled rings sparkling on his fingers, and a heavy sword by his side. Morgan gaped at him, noting that one of the rings that the stranger wore was the very same as the ring that he had purchased in the shop. "That ring. It's mine'" he blurted out. Immediately he was sorry that he had spoken. If the newcomer wished to dispute possession, he knew who would win the argument. But the man just smiled. "I will explain," he said, "though let us not hang around in this place, lest somebody observes us." So saying, he pushed Morgan through the back door, following close behind, shutting the door as he passed through. Morgan gulped in awe as he stood on the strange green sward. The shop had vanished when the other had shut the door. Where it had been was only thin air. He gulped. "It will come back when you wish to return," the stranger said. "From this side it is invisible and impalpable." Morgan accepted this dully. He had to. "But where are we?" he asked. "This is Loralia, a land of myth and magic. I am Prince Vaughan of Jannamere." "But why have you brought me here. What IS all this?" "I will explain. I need help. The ring that you bought is also a magic charm of great potency that measures personality. Suffice it to say that I knew that the first person who bought it would possess the very qualities I seek in my aide. The shopkeeper is a friend of mine. When you bought the ring, I was hiding in the back room. When you discovered the substitution and charged back into the shop, as we knew you would, I was there waiting for you. The shopkeeper had already left the back way." The Prince paused. "Will you help me?" he continued, "if you do I will refund your money and you may keep the ring. If you choose not to aide me your money will be refunded and you may return to your world." Morgan thought about it for a moment, he wanted the ring badly. "I may well help you," he declared. "Excellent," the man replied. "I thought you would." "But I need to know what help you require." "The Princess Maria, my bride to be, has been carried off to the dark underworld by the Black Prince's men. I cannot rescue her on my own." "But why enlist the help of someone like me?" Morgan asked. "If you are a prince..." "I should have many trusty followers." He laughed. "No my friend, I am a stranger here. The people live in fear of the rulers in the underworld. They take orders only from the Princess Maria's father, for only he dares to defy the powers of darkness, but he is now unable to do anything for fear that they harm his daughter. He would rather she was the mistress of the Dark Prince, than for her life to be taken." "But what life would she have? This prince sounds evil." "Yes," Vaughan replied bitterly, "He IS evil. There is no good in him at all. Maria will only meet an evil end." "But how can I help, a mere mortal?" Morgan asked. The Prince laughed. "A mere mortal, no. A mortal. Although we live in a land of myth and magic, we are not powerful. On the contrary, it is a fallacy from your land. Watch." The man drew his sword, and lunged forward at Morgan's chest. The blade buckled like rubber. "See, our weapons cannot penetrate your body. To us are you invincible." "Hmm," replied Morgan. "I've never been a superman before." "It is something to do with our different existences," Vaughan explained. "But be warned - after a while you will begin to come like us. That is why there is no time to waste." "I see," Morgan replied. "Then let us away, but tell me one more thing if you do not come from here, where do you come from?" The prince pointed up into the sky. "Up there," he replied. "Another planet?" Morgan asked. The prince frowned at him. "I do not understand," he said. "I'll explain later. We'd better rescue your princess before my 'magic' wears off." He looked around at the green meadows and hills. "But how do we get there?" he asked. Prince Vaughan pointed toward the structure enshrouded in mist, towards the horizon. "Over there," he said, "is the Tower of Bats." Morgan shuddered. He didn't like bats. "Vampires," Vaughan continued. "Don't worry," he laughed, "there are no bats there now, only Astrol, keeper of the castle; they drained all his blood a long time ago and have moved on." Morgan hoped what Vaughan said was true, but still wondered who this Astrol character was, and whether he posed a threat. Slightly uncertainly, he trekked across country with Vaughan towards the Tower. Having reached their destination, Morgan looked round cautiously. "How do we get in?" he whispered. "Through the door," Vaughan replied quietly, then laughed out loud. "Like this," he boomed, kicking open the door and striding inside, sword now drawn. "Look," Vaughan stated, pointing with his sword towards the stairs. "Here comes Astrol!" A figure appeared out of the darkness. It was a black silhouette until Vaughan shone the torch in the thing's direction, Morgan gasped. The creature was basically human, he supposed, but it's neck was a mass of old scars and it was quite clear even in this light that Astrol had no blood whatsoever in his body. Morgan wondered how the creature managed to exist. It spoke in a thin frail voice: "So Vaughan," it wheezed, "you have returned again. You are not welcome. Leave immediately or -" "Or what?" Vaughan jeered. "You'll set the bats on me? They have drunk their fill from you and now they are long gone! I would not lower myself to attack you and you would not dare to attack a prince." "You underestimate me," the keeper spat. "At any other time I would fight with you to the death, but now I am weak..." Morgan winced, looking at the ghostly pallor of the man-thing's body. "Let's get away from here," he whispered to Prince Vaughan, "this Astrol gives me the heebies." Vaughan scowled. "You're right," he said, "we have no time to bandy words with this half-man. On to the Crystal Caves, and hence to the underworld and the Black Prince." Astrol was laughing. "You expect to get through the Crystal Caves," he cackled. "You really expect that?" Vaughan looked back at him contemptuously. "Certainly," he shouted. He turned and began to stride forward through the fusty cave that made up the rear of the Tower, until they could no longer hear Astrol cursing them with vile implications. "Well the first hurdle's cleared rather easily," Morgan commented, "but what's this crystal cave Astrol was going on about?" "It is the entrance to the underworld," Vaughan explained, "it is at the rear of this cave." Suddenly Vaughan pulled out his sword. "What's happening?" asked Morgan, looking round uncertainly. "Another little obstacle," Vaughan explained, looking up at the roof. "Randa," he continued, "doesn't like strangers." "Randa'?" asked Morgan, "Who's he?" In answer to his question a bolt of lightning flashed down from the roof. Suddenly there was a loud thump behind them. Morgan twisted round to see a luminous figure correcting its balance. He spoke with a voice that echoed around the cave like thunder. "So Astrol has let some strangers slip past him." "We are not strangers," Vaughan replied. "It is I, Prince Vaughan of Jannamere." The luminous figure's voice turned menacing. "So Vaughan," he said, "you try to enter the underworld. The Black Prince has warned me about you." "We are going in," Vaughan stated. "No," Randa replied. "I will not allow it." "You, a mere underworld creature dare to tell. me, a prince, what I can and cannot do," mocked Vaughan. "You are no prince here," Randa replied. "Then we will fight you for access," Vaughan challenged. "So," Randa jeered, rocking the walls with his laugher, "you are so conceited as to dare to make battle with me." "Not I," Vaughan replied, "but my friend." The creature laughed again. "Very well then." He drew his sword. "I am ready." Morgan turned to Vaughan. "What sort of a mess have you got me into now?" he asked. "Don't worry," Vaughan replied, "he can't harm you." Morgan drew his sword and stepped forward. As his sword hit the others' there was a huge flash of lightning, and Morgan's sword jumped out of his hand. The other man looked surprised. "Why are you not shrivelled up?" he breathed. "Have I not unleashed my magic fire on you?" "Your puny weapons cannot harm me," Morgan improvised, hastily covering his shock and surprise with an arrogant leer. "You would do well to let us pass." Randa stared at him before his face broke into an evil grin. "Very well," he said. "I may as well let you pass into the underworld. It will do you no good. The Prince of Darkness awaits you." "His head will roll at the touch of my sword," Vaughan roared, "and Maria will be mine again." "Fine words," sneered the luminous figure, "but how will you get through the crystal caves? You don't know the way, do you?" Vaughan cursed. "Fear not shining one," he muttered, "we shall find our way through the crystal caverns. I am not afraid of old wives' tales." Randa laughed, a deep booming sound. "You'll learn better," he chuckled. "Remember the old rhyme, Vaughan of Jannamere. Beware the caves of crystal, beware the eye of night: beware the Prince of Darkness, beware the lambent light." That's four obstacles you must overcome. One you might pass, yes or even two, but you haven't a chance of getting past all four with a whole skin. Why don't you give up before it's too late?" Beckoning to Morgan to follow, Vaughan thrust the luminous figure out of his path and strode forward. Randa was still laughing in the distance as they turned a corner that blocked him from their sight. "Just out of interest," Morgan said to the Prince as they plodded onwards, how are we going to find our way through this crystal cavern he was talking about?" "Intuition," Vaughan said. "and your magic powers ought to help us, too." Morgan pondered. "I've a feeling," he stated, "that we're going to rely on them just once too often." The Prince didn't answer, for they had now come to a shimmering door, faintly transparent, which showed a dim light percolating through from the other side. "The entrance to the caves of crystal," announced Vaughan ."The only thing is, now we're here - how DO we get through?" "Maybe it's open," Morgan suggested. He pushed the door and it creaked on its hinges. The Prince shrugged. "I don't like that," he said. "They wouldn't leave it unfastened for no good reason. It smells like a trap to me. They want us to go in." Morgan stared through the door into a world of shifting colours and images. "It looks alright to me," he decided. "We've had luck on our side so far, why should we lose out now?" "Perhaps you are right," Vaughan said, "but tread carefully." Morgan stepped forward into the strange cave. Nothing seemed real. The floor and walls moved constantly, changing colours and shapes. Specks of white light glittered from the ceiling. Morgan turned to the Prince, and then exclaimed, somewhat surpisedly, "You've turned a yellowish green!" "And you have gone bright red," Vaughan countered. "But don't worry, it's just the light." They walked on into the cave very slowly, testing each new piece of ground they stepped on. Suddenly Morgan stopped and gasped in horror. "What is it?" asked Vaughan. "You're turning into a huge lizard!" exclaimed Morgan. "And you've got a red and yellow plume on your head!" "A red and yellow plume!" exclaimed Vaughan. "but that is a Madi lizard, a vicious killer that stalks the rain forests. Beware, I fear some evil trick is in the making. They would change your vision into something as well, but you are alien to this world, so they are unable to affect you in that way. Don't forget, it's just a trick of the light." "Well, it's a pretty convincing trick," Morgan replied. "You look pretty frightening to me. But what is the point of it? I'm not liable to attack you; I know you're Vaughan." "And they cannot make me attack you, for as far as I'm concerned, you're still the same shape. They cannot change you." They paused in the middle of the crystal cave wondering what was going to happen. The next second they were surrounded by a horde of snarling Madi lizards.
Slay them," Vaughan's voice urged. "They will kill on sight of another living creature." Morgan realised as he pulled his sword, which suddenly took the appearance of a slim reed, that the lizards all looked exactly the same. Which one was Vaughan he had no idea. "It's still a sword," Vaughan shouted, "use it!" "But I can't," Morgan replied. "I don't know which one you are." He heard Vaughan's voice coming back to him desperately. "I'll jump up and down. Tell me if you see one of the reptiles jumping up and down. If you do it'll be me." As he finished speaking Morgan saw that one of the ferocious looking Madi lizards was indeed bouncing on the spot. The sight was so utterly ludicrous that for a time he almost burst out laughing. Then he realised the peril that they were in, and lashed out with his reed-sword at the snarling reptiles all about him. Vaughan too had pulled his sword and was laying into the lizards frenziedly. Morgan paused for a moment at the ludicrous sight of one lizard hacking at the others with what looked like a conductor's baton. It was achieving the same results as a sword though, and reptilian blood stained the caves of crystal, flying in huge gobs and spatters all about him. He was so distracted by the sight that he barely remembered to duck when a huge Madi lizard claw raked at the air scant inches from his face. He swirled around with his sword in a vicious arc and the claw was lopped off. A bestial warty face surmounted by a red and yellow plume loomed up before him. He lunged hopelessly at it, and was rewarded by a bellow of pain. His sword had gone through the creature's eye, he followed up his advantage as the lizard creature stumbled backwards, hacking at it's other eye. Thus blinded, the Madi lizard staggered about the caves, careering into it's fellows and causing general mayhem. But now the tempo of battle was slackening as the remaining monsters caught the smell of the fresh blood pouring from their dead and wounded comrades. Like the bestial scavengers they were, they turned on their own kind, ripping and tearing at the fallen carcasses. In the carnage, Morgan and Vaughan slipped past them and on into the depths of the caves. "You know," Vaughan said as they sheathed their swords, "I think that we shall find ourselves in the Black Prince's kingdom if we can only find our way through these damned caverns." He had now returned to his own form, but his colour changed every now and then as a fresh shift of the ever-changing lights fell on him. The sound of the Madi lizards was fast becoming lost in the distance. Morgan nodded uncomfortably. "Maybe," he muttered, "but what was that rhyme Randa quoted at us? According to that we've got to pass the 'Eye of light' before we emerge into the underworld. Have you any idea what that might be?" The Prince shook his head. "No," he admitted, "but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." "Well, start crossing," Morgan replied. "Look! The multi coloured caves seemed to have dimmed, and the entrance in front of us is pitch black." There was a strange glow filtering down, which Morgan guessed was from the roof. Vaughan drew his sword again. "It looks like this is the home of the eye of night. Be prepared for anything." "By now," Morgan countered, "I don't think anything would surprise me." He stepped into the cave, and then turned to Vaughan. "And I mean anything!" He turned to look upwards. Whatever he was going to say was strangled in his throat by a gasp of horror. Vaughan stood in silence, gazing at the thing that seemed to be suspended in mid air in the darkness of the cave. It glowed with a white light, yet it seemed to be devoid of even basic blacks and whites. It held the form of a bloated eye, but the white was so white and the pupil so black that it defied description. The two travellers were unable to take their eyes off it. Finally Morgan managed to force his eyes away from the thing and stared at Vaughan, who stood as still and stiff as a marble statue. In contrast to his previous multi-coloured image he now only reflected the absolute black and white of the eye, which gave him an image more like a print from a lino cut than a human being. As Morgan gazed at Vaughan, the prince began to lose his three dimensional shape and assumed a flat two dimensional image like a drawing. For a while Morgan was so preoccupied by this occurrence that he didn't realise that the vague cracks in the dark walls of the cave were getting larger. Was this place caving in? Then he realised that it was them seeming to shrink, getting smaller and smaller. Vaughan was slowly opening his mouth. "It's another trick," he croaked. "Whatever happens it's just an optical ill.- us - ion, don't c-r-a-c-c-c-ck." Everything around them seemed to have grown into mighty dimensions. The pebbles on the floor were now like boulders. A whispering entered their minds, a hissing noise. "Look at me," it breathed. "Look at the eye." The message was repeated over and over again, but somehow Morgan managed to force his gaze away from the thing every time it appeared in his field of view. Then from behind a tentacle that suddenly snaked out from behind the eye, a mighty army of super giants were marching towards them out of the sky. Morgan's head slowly twisted in the direction of the leering orb. It's evil malignance beat down upon him like a solid force, and he felt his senses reeling. He tried in vain to lift his sword arm to hack at the giant creatures whose marching footsteps filled the hall, but his limbs were like lead. Then a thought came to him; an idea that was so simple that it couldn't possibly work, yet so audacious that it might have been overlooked by Prince Vaughan in his difficulties. Crossing his fingers with extreme effort, Morgan closed his eyes. The evil influence, or hypnotic spell, whichever it had been, dropped away like a cloud dispelling. Morgan hurled his sword in the direction that the eye had been and was rewarded with the sound of tinkling glass and a number of screams of shrill rage. Opening his eyes cautiously, he saw the black and white eye smashed. Before him, Vaughan was blinking away the last vestigial effects of the hypnosis that had come to him, and was staring at a dozen or so two foot dwarfs that stood in a gibbering cluster behind the remnants of the hypnotic eye. "By the Underworld!" Vaughan roared, "it's the dwarfs!" He turned to Morgan, drawing his sword. "You see their cunning? That eye was a hypnotic lens, sending out a black and white beam. When we were hypnotised the dwarfs looked like giants. It's their only weapon; they knew we wouldn't be scared of little titches like them, so they planned to turn the tables on us, utilising that eye thing that you smashed. Let's get them!" He leapt at the cluster of demoralised dwarfs, hacking and cutting all about him. They scattered like chaff before a gale, vanishing into nooks and crannies of the cave, squealing in terror as they fled. One raced past Morgan, and he put out his leg and tripped it. The dwarf stumbled to the floor, and, by the time it regained its balance, the point of Vaughan's sword was at it's throat As the dwarf lay trembling, Morgan recovered his own sword from the shattered remnants of the eye. "Save me," the dwarf croaked at Vaughan. "I meant no harm" The Prince bellowed with mirth. "No harm, eh," he chortled. "Then why try to hypnotise us, tell me that." The dwarf shivered. "It was no wish of ours. The Black Prince ordered it. We were to try and kidnap you and take you to him. He is becoming annoyed at your persistence." "Aha!" Vaughan exclaimed. "Getting too near for him are we? Very well, dwarf, you WILL take us to him. But you shall be our prisoner, rather than the other way about. And remember, one false move and you die." The dwarf nodded tremulously. "I will do as you say." Vaughan smiled grimly. "The Princess Maria will be restored to me," he vowed. "The Black Prince shall die in his underworld castle, stricken by my blade." "Hurry," the dwarf said. "We must hurry. At the moment the Black Prince will imagine that we are still in battle with you. You will be able to catch him unprepared." "Very well then" Vaughan ordered "Lead us, but don't forget, the point of my sword will always be at the back of your neck, and my blade is very sharp." The tiny man began to scuttle forward across the dark cave and out through an opening down a passageway that seemed to be leading them down into an even deeper level. They walked this passage for what seemed an hour, until finally they emerged onto a sort of balcony that looked down onto the largest cave that Morgan had ever seen in his whole life. In the centre was a huge opening that spouted volcanic fire and lava. In the far corner on a mighty golden throne sat a huge black faced creature with evil red eyes. Horns stuck out of his head, and his body rippled with excess fat. All around him, the little dwarfs danced and sang for his pleasure. "You see why his defences are so intricate, " Vaughan whispered. "He only has these tiny creatures in his inner sanctum." "But the rhyme says beware the Prince of Darkness," Morgan reminded him. "Yes," agreed Vaughan. "He is very dangerous, for he is controlled by evil forces. He was once the same as these evil little goblins, but he has been made powerful." "By the lambent light?" Morgan asked. "It is certainly possible," Vaughan answered. "None has ever found out and lived." "Where is the Princess Maria?" Morgan asked. "Look," Vaughan pointed. "There in the shadows, next to the Black Prince!" Morgan peered into the darkness. His eyes could just make out the vague outline of someone next to the prince. Suddenly the volcano belched flame, lighting up the whole cavern. There was no time for them to hide. They were in view of the Black Prince below. "So," Vaughan," an evil voice boomed across the cave, "I thought you'd get through. Come down and fight me, if you dare!" "He seems very sure of himself," Morgan commented. "No-one can beat him," Vaughan replied, "for he has all the powers of evil on his side." "That's something you overlooked to tell me," Morgan reminded him. "Mind you," Vaughan continued, "with you being from another Universe, so as to speak, his evil spells might not work on you. Go down and see if he can do anything to harm you." Morgan spun around. "Oh yeah," he muttered. "Not likely. His spells might just be strong enough to break through my protection. No, if we're going down, we go down together. Look." And he pointed at a rope which lay coiled in the corner of the balcony. Vaughan shrugged. "So what?" he queried. "Distract that black monster for a minute," Morgan requested. "I've got an idea how to surprise him." The Prince looked dubious but he called down to the Prince Of Darkness. "Ho, you craven scum, would you dare fight Vaughan of Jannamere?" The black creature's mouth opened in a thunderous roar of laughter." Fight you Vaughan? Why, I'll crush you to a pulp." Vaughan shouted back a string of curses. While the two insulted each other, Morgan worked furiously to loop the edge of the rope around one strut of the balcony. This done, he pulled on it, testing it for strength, then wound the other end around his chest and under his armpits. Then, gripping his sword in one hand, and the rope in the other, he clambered up onto the balcony. Vaughan's cursing faded away into nothing as he saw Morgan clamber up. "What in the Hades are you doing?" he hissed. "If I've judged this length of rope correctly," Morgan explained, "it should just be long enough to swing me over to that black devil. Neck or nothing. Here goes." And, so saying, he swung himself out from the balcony, curving out in a huge arc across the cavern. As he swung down at a terrific rate, he held the sword out before him. The dwarfs, gibbering with terror, scuttled out of the way as he swooped down. The Prince of Darkness, a look of puzzlement on his face, began to rise as Morgan swung towards him. Then the two met, and Morgan's sword plunged directly into the Black Prince's chest. And broke on contact! Morgan swung past the Black Prince, the stub of his sword held in a numb hand. "Looks like my magic has run out," he muttered. He had now reached the far point of the mighty arc he was describing across the underworld cavern, and he started on the backward swing just as the Black Prince was getting to his feet. "So you knave," the Black Prince raved, "thought you could stab through my armour did you. I'll -" Morgan caught him full in the face with the heel of his left foot as he swung back. The Black Prince toppled over. As Morgan let go of the rope and jumped to the ground, he realised with a sigh of dismay that he was defenceless. The Prince staggered to his feet, holding his nose which gushed blood, and began to prowl towards Morgan with his sword drawn. "You'll die for this," he shouted. Suddenly a soft hand touched Morgan's, and a sword pressed into it. He turned and saw the Princess Maria. She had a determined look on her angelic face. The Black Prince turned to see Vaughan, who now had climbed down from the balcony. "So Vaughan," the devil incarnate shouted, "I must fight two at once, what sort of odds -" He got no further. He saw Morgan coming towards him, and with a lunge of his sword, disarmed him and knocked him to the ground. He turned to face Vaughan, but he was too slow. As he raised his sword again, Vaughan using both his hands swept his sword down in a mighty arc, disarming the Prince with a mighty clang of metal. He raised his sword to finish him off, but the Black Prince laughed, and clutching it by the blade, ripped it out of Vaughan's hand and bent it in half. "You fools will die," he raved. Just then the Princess Maria stepped between the two of them and spat in the Black Prince's face. At this he seemed to wither, and the Princess pulled a jewelled dagger from her robe and dug it deep into the Black Prince's throat as he sagged to his knees, with a final moan he collapsed to the floor. "What a woman!" Morgan exclaimed appreciatively. Prince Vaughan grabbed Princess Maria, kissing her passionately. "You've saved us," he shouted. "Now I can take you back to the world of light." "Just a minute," interrupted Morgan. "Unless my memory fails me, we've still got to counter with the Lambent Light." As Morgan spoke the Princess screamed. Morgan spun round to see the whole area behind the Black Prince's throne lighting up as rocks crumbled away. Something was coming out. Something incredibly huge. "What is it?" shouted Morgan, above the din of falling rocks and rubble. "It must be the Lambent Light," Vaughan shouted back. "It's coming out! Out of it's cave!" "How can light have form?" Morgan croaked, but before Vaughan could reply he saw the answer for himself. Out of the cave that the falling rocks had left lumbered a creature so vast and horrible that even Prince Vaughan let out a cry of horror. It's body was barely visible in the dim red light of the cavern, green scaled and encrusted with slime, but the unique thing about it were it's eyes. They shone with a radiant light, a flickering glow that lit the cavern before it as it rumbled forward. "My God," Morgan muttered, "those eyes. Those beams of light." But fresh horror was still to come. The monster, hearing the sound of a dwarf scuttling away in terror, swung it's searchlight eyes after the fleeing figure. As they touched the tiny man, his body withered to a charred, dry husk, and he fell to the floor with a rustling sound. "That creature's eyes emit some kind of destructive beam," Morgan said, his voice cold with horror. "Don't let it touch you, or you'll be done for, like that dwarf." He paused. "I've got an idea," he muttered. He bent and picked up a loose stone that was laying on the floor of the cavern. Aiming carefully, he hurled it upwards. It crashed against the roof with a clatter that echoed through the cavern, striking far above the monster's head. "What good was that?" Vaughan whispered impatiently. "Wait and see," Morgan replied softly. He crossed his fingers. But now the creature's head was lifting upwards, as it sought to locate the origin of the noise above it. It's lambent eyes groped up, sending their flickering beams sloping across the cavern's roof. As the deadly light touched the roof, their destructive force took it's toll, and the ceiling seemed to fall apart. Great chunks of stone began to rain down. "Let's get the hell out of here," Morgan breathed. Vaughan nodded and, taking the Princess between them, they plunged into one of the corridors that led away from the great cavern of the Prince of Darkness. Behind them, the monster was bellowing in agony as great blocks of stone rained down upon it, burying it in a few seconds. Vaughan glanced back once, to see a huge tail threshing wildly from beneath the pile of rocks. Then they had plunged around a corner and the cavern was lost from sight. "We must hurry," Morgan urged. "I don't like the way the roof of this tunnel is creaking. I think that creature's light must have broken through a supporting beam or something. I think this whole area could collapse at any minute!" They quickly made their way upwards through the now empty cave that had housed the eye of night and the cave of crystal that now dimly wavered with changing colours. They finally emerged into the upper cave where Randa lived. They saw him trembling in the corner, listening to the rumbling below. "What have you done?" he quavered. "You no longer have an underground to guard," Vaughan replied contemptuously. They left the creature cowering in the corner. They made their way finally through the fusty caves that led back into Astrol's tower. They met him coming down the stairs from above. "So," he wheezed, "you did save her!" "You'd better get out of here quick," Vaughan warned. "Your tower is going to collapse any moment." "No," he wheezed. "I can't leave. I must wait for my bats to return." Vaughan looked at the empty husk of the creature. "They are gone," he advised. "They have no further interest in you." "No," Astrol cursed. "They WILL return. My blood will flow again. They will return!" "Stay here then," Vaughan decided. "It's your funeral!" He ran with his two companions for the door as the ground trembled. They were only a few feet away when the ground rumbled and the old tower suddenly began to collapse. Had it fallen in their direction they would have surely been crushed to death by the falling masonry. The three stood and looked silently at the pile of rubble for a few minutes, then Prince Vaughan pulled the ring off his finger and gave it to Morgan. "I think you've earned this," he said. Then, taking the Princess Maria's dagger, he seemed to cut a hole in the air. "Goodbye to Loralia," he said. "I would like you to stay much longer, but I fear that if you remain here too long, your return home will prove impossible." He smiled. "I am sure though, we will meet again......soon." Morgan shook their hands and stepped through the opening. He found himself back in the shop. He caught a glimpse of the two floating upwards in the clear blue sky, waving to him. He closed the door and walked slowly out of the shop which was now deserted. He looked down at the ring as if not sure that it was still there, but it was. Who would believe the fantastic story he had to tell? He went back and opened the door, but it now just led out into the back yard. He walked out into the street, a little sadly that his adventure was over. He hoped what Vaughan had said was true and they were soon to meet again. |