Best Laid Plans by D.P. Prior Read Free Book Online Page A

settling upon his shoulders like a sodden coat. A chill breeze rustled the leaves of the forest and cloud smothered the light of the sun. Shader felt an icy prickling at the nape of his neck.
    ‘Something terrible has happened,’ Tajen said, cocking his head and shutting his eyes.
    ‘What…?’ Shader began, but was arrested by Tajen’s silencing hand.
    The colour drained from the Luminary’s face as the enormity of what he’d perceived dawned on him. ‘Death.’ His eyes snapped open, the pupils like two gaping holes onto the Void.
    Almost immediately the sky blackened with thick clouds and a shrill wind began to gust about the clearing. Screams sounded in the distance.
    ‘Come,’ Tajen said, winking out of existence.
    Shader followed, instinctively knowing the Luminary’s destination. They appeared in the darkness of an immense cavern. Stalactites glistened with droplets of a reddish liquid and spread an eerie haze throughout the interior. There was a dim glow coming from something on the ground, a dark and bloated shape looming over it. The other Luminaries began to materialize, visibly shaken and gasping at the sight that greeted them. The lifeless body of Jarmin the Anchorite lay sprawled upon the rocky floor, his luminescence fading as the thing straddling him sucked and slurped at his mouth.
    Jarmin’s assailant was a pitch-black avalanche of blubber with squat arms and legs; a grotesque parody of a man jiggling with rolls of fat, its swollen face dripping cheeks that melted into the torso.
    Shader took a step towards the monster, but froze as it raised its head and let out an anticipatory sigh, shifting its bulk to get a better look at him.
    ‘So,’ it gurgled, ‘you followed me, little man. You realize you are mine. An agreement was reached.’
    ‘Agreement? What agreement?’
    ‘Oh, of course, you weren’t present. Nevertheless, a deal’s a deal. If you have a grievance, address it to Dr Cadman.’
    ‘Cadman?’
    ‘What’s up, honey, don’t you recognize me? Don’t you remember my touch?’
    Shader stiffened at the memory of the demon’s noxious belches, its tentacles cutting into his flesh, its undulating bulk smothering him.
    ‘The Dweller.’ His voice quavered, and the demon closed in like a shark scenting blood. Shader scrabbled about for time. ‘Cadman sent you?’
    ‘My lips are sealed.’ The Dweller gave a sickly grin. ‘You were promised to me, and believe me, it’s better all round if you come quietly. By the way, how do you like my new look?’ It lifted up the apron of flab covering its loins and wobbled it about. ‘Come on, my darling. Give us a hug.’
    The Luminaries backed away and Shader felt hands tugging at him, but he shrugged them off. Ice formed in his veins as he watched the Dweller in fascinated horror. His guts churned in revulsion. He wanted so desperately to scream, to turn and run, but he was rooted to the spot as the creature lumbered towards him. The Dweller’s tongue ran across its lips, thick ropes of drool oozing down its cheeks. It belched and held its belly, lifted the flab to reveal a flaccid maggot between its legs. With one hand, it began to rub there until the maggot starting to swell at an alarming rate.
    The air shimmered and a cowled figure appeared between Shader and the Dweller. It held out a shortsword with intricate letters etched into the blade. Shader recognized it instantly, as if it had cut through the fog of his amnesia.
    ‘Archon,’ the Dweller snarled. ‘My master will trap you here.’
    Ignoring it, the cowled figure lifted its head towards Shader, bright light effusing from the hood and dazzling him.
    ‘Take back my sword, Deacon Shader,’ the Archon said in a voice like the wind. ‘It learns from experience. It will prove stronger this time. Aid is on its way, drawn to the gladius. I cannot stay. This place is poison to…’
    The gladius started to fall as the figure faded from view.
    Snatching the hilt, Shader thrust the