Dark Consequence

Voluminous sleeves
Bloodstained cloak
Eyes of fire
Breath like smoke

It stung my eyes
Made me choke
He looked my way
And then he spoke

His voice resembled
A demonic choir
All screams and hisses
Like snakes on a pyre

The words were foreign
Dangerous, dark
They generated fear
Deep in my heart

He gestured wildly
Screaming his words
And throughout the chamber
Other sounds could be heard

More screams joined the noise
Demons called to his aid
I readied my wits
And drew my long blade

Then came a sound
As one tearing a sheet
This dark mage's spell
Was almost complete

The time was at hand
To end this dark curse
I readied myself
And prepared for the worst

Portals had opened
One, two, a slew
And this dark man's army
Was coming right through

They slithered, they walked
Some were fat, some were slim
But they did not approach me
They instead went to him

He continued to speak
Those strange sounding words
But as they neared, he quieted
Until just silence was heard

There was a moment of silence
Perhaps two or three
The mage started to gibber
Then started to scream

The screams were of pain
They bored into my heart
I watched, grimly satisfied
As they tore him apart

When they were finished
They returned to their home
Walking back through the portals
They left me alone

I stared at the space
Where the mage had just died
Turns out all that power
Was just a big lie

I looked the room over
Walls, ceiling, and floor
Then I just shook my head
And sought out the door

My duty was done
The mage's life force was snuffed
I really had no interest
In searching through his stuff

His secrets would go
Where they could not be found
I lit up my torch
And burned the place down
-composed 9/27/2004