"Patrick Welch - Before & Beyond" - читать интересную книгу автора (Welch Patrick)

It was evening of the following day. The magician had been working on a formula in his laboratory while
Ahlbhenzer cowered in a corner. The magical bright light that flowed from the glowing globe high in the
ceiling was blinding him, and without eyelids he could only use his arms to shield himself. He hated being
around Cylydar while the mage was experimenting. Too often he was the subject.

"I said now!" and Ahlbhenzer felt an insistent tug on his leash.

Chastened, he walked to the trunk the magician pointed at. It was large and wide and he had a struggle
getting his arms around it even at the sides. Even with his great strength it was going to be difficult to
move. Ahlbhenzer sank his claws into it and managed to lift it off the floor. Using his tail and wings for
balance, he started slowly toward his master.
His clawed feet, so helpful when outdoors, were nearly useless on the smooth granite floor. Something
shifted within the heavy trunk, jeopardizing his balance. Ahlbhenzer tried to compensate but lost his
footing. As he fell backward, he found himself looking straight at the glowing globe. He screamed then
and dropped the trunk as he tried to shield his eyes from the searing light. The trunk crashed majestically
on the floor, scatting paraphernalia everywhere.

"What kind of moronic incompetent idiot are you?" Cylydar raged as he turned to see Ahlbhenzer rolled
up and shaking on the floor, the telltale wreckage about him. "You have ruined my experiment!"
Muttering curses, Cylydar approached the cowering demon. "You will pay dearly for this, Ahlbhenzer.
To the box with you!"

Ahlbhenzer felt himself jerked to his feet, then the terrible pain of compression, then the magician's cold
fingers squeezing his now-minuscule body. "Fhennezel and I will have another talk," the magician vowed.
Minutes later Ahlbhenzer was back in the box, looking at a myriad of Ahlbhenzers stretching endlessly in
all directions.

He huddled on the floor and stared at the images staring back at him. You are an idiot, he imagined them
saying. You are a worthless incompetent disgrace. Be a demon, came the voice of Fhennezel, unbidden.

Be a demon. Ahlbhenzer rose slowly, awkwardly. A demon wouldn't allow himself to suffer such
indignities at the hands of a mere human. He flexed his wings. He had never tried this before, never
tried to fly while in the confines of the box. But his prison was large enough. He leapt and flew toward
what he hoped was the top of his mirrored cage.

He rammed solidly into it, fell back, tried again. Within seconds he was completely disoriented. With
reflections on all sides, Ahlbhenzer wasn't sure if he was flying into the sides, the top or the bottom.
Think, you idiot, he chastened himself as he caromed once again off a wall. You can always find the
bottom.

He stopped flying, let himself fall into an ocean of onrushing Ahlbhenzers. He picked himself up, shook
himself, then looked up. If this was the base, the lid could only be directly above.

Steeling himself, he flew up with all his strength into what had to be the lid. He bounced off, allowed
himself to fall, then tried again. The second time he felt something give, just slightly. Encouraged, he tried
again. Yes, he did feel the lid move. He tried again; this time he saw a slight separation on one side, a
small glimpse of darkness in the all-encompassing light. Ahlbhenzer dropped to the bottom, then walked
in that direction until he ran into the wall. Then he flew straight up and was able to raise the lid just a
sliver.