The Wizard and the Sylph - Page 251/573

"Belloc is saying very little," said Gart. "Nor is Baldric. But you can see it in their faces and in their eyes that they are deeply troubled."

"I've always wondered, Who or what is the Demon king?" asked Damond. "And why is that dread being's name always mentioned synonymously with that of Morlock the wizard?"

"Morlock, we're told," said Akaru, smiling at the lack of knowledge which Damond should by rights have been long familiar, "was chiefest of those wizards that first brought wizard's magic to ancient Morag.

"No doubt you have heard the common speculation that Morlock long ago created the Demon king and his minions, but such talk is fit for mere fireside tales told to the very young.

"I once heard from Belloc himself that, while it is within a necromancer's abilities to summon Demons, those dread beings are, however, as ancient as the earth and time itself. Belloc has said that Morlock may have had dealings of a sort with the Demon king, but that no wizard wields such might as could influence the King of the Underworld.

"Yet here is the thing, and another matter that gravely concerns ourselves:

"The wise tell us, young Damond, that the ancient king of Morag was enslaved by Morlock, even as the king of the elves strove against Kolibos. After that time, Morlock rose to power himself in the king's own city of Valerian, yet still those two powers strove with each other for supremacy.