The demon’s snout split in a broad grin. He waved his claw and the fires immediately extinguished, the soaring wind died, and the sand settled to the floor of the desert.

“You have spirit, priest,” declared Dobuk. “I may strike a bargain with you this day.”

Vand gazed at his charred limbs, afraid to touch the skin in case in peeled off and fell into the sand.

“What bargain?” Vand asked nervously. “I have signed all of my belongings away to gain entry here. I have nothing left to offer. Still, I beg for your mercy.”

“You have your life to offer,” grinned the demon.

“My life is over,” sighed the priest. “If you wish me dead, I will not fight you. Take my life and be done with it.”

“That would be your death,” countered Dobuk. “That would mean nothing to me, but your life can be valuable. Renounce Kaltara and become my priest.”

“Impossible,” Vand shook his head vigorously. “Kaltara would strike me dead instantly.”

“An instant death is what you desire,” smirked the demon, “but you have no fear in that regard. Kaltara will not touch you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Vand. “Why would Kaltara not punish me for abandoning him?”

“You have already abandoned him,” chuckled the demon. “The moment you walked through that door, you gave up your faith in Kaltara. You failed his test, Priest. Now your life is mine to do with as I please.”

A look of shock came over Vand’s face, but he realized the truth of the demon’s statement. Kaltara had been testing him, and Vand had failed. He rebuked the king and the other priests who had gathered to help. He had placed himself above the people as the only one to know Kaltara. He had let vanity and pride defeat his holiness.

“I am an old man,” Vand said softly. “I do not have much life left in me. What would you have me do?”

“I will determine the number of your days,” retorted Dobuk. “If I were gracious enough to allow you to return to Angragar, your days would be limited, but I have other plans for you. How would you like to live for thousands of years?”