Page 34 of Ruins of Magic
“I don’t think they’ve ever met someone who could understand them. They usually just bring them here, chatter on, then kill them for not obeying.”
“But you can tell us what to do, right?” Valaria said.
“I hope so.”
“You have to get us out of here,” Garron begged.
“I’m trying.”
“Order. Order in the court,” the head imp yelled. “What is the meaning of this witchery?” the imp asked Arion. “Let us speed up this trial and get it over with. Bring the first prisoner,” he said motioning toward Garron.
“Wait,” Arion said. “Please, take me instead.”
A hush washed over the crowd. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“What did you say?”
“I said, take me instead.”
“You would be willing to sacrifice yourself for the lives of these two?”
“Yes, yes I would.”
“What’s going on?” Valaria asked. “What are you saying to them?”
“Shh,” he hushed her before turning back to the imp. “Spare my friends and take me instead.”
A creepy grin spread over the imps face.
“You will have a chance to prove that commitment to those you love.” To the crowd he turned. “Let the trials begin.”
“What exactly are the trials? Wait. I need you to tell me more,” Arion insisted.
“Does it matter?”
“No. Yes.”
“Well which is it? Will you face the trials to save your friends or will you have them face it in your place?”
“I would never sacrifice them for myself,” Arion insisted.
“This the details do not matter.”
The imp got up and left, and the crowd reassembled, moving higher up the in the stands. A cage closed over the top and Arion quickly noted that Valaria and Garron were still inside.
“Wait! You said they would be saved.”
“They are. They will not face the trials as you will, they are now considered the bait,” the imp informed him.
“The what?”
Arion watched helplessly as Valaria and Garron were tied up to polls and fires lit beneath them. Every time he got close to them the flames increased, so he backed off.
“What do you want me to do? Anything!” Arion yelled.
“This is a test of your true character, Arion,” the head imp said. “It is easy to say you will die for your friends, they you will do absolutely anything for them, but the true heart of man is selfish and only in the end will only care for itself. Every five minutes a new challenge will emerge to test your true heart. Or you could just save them now.”
“How?” he asked as calmly as he dared.
