Chained in the Demon's Lair (Hellfire Circus) Read Online Free

white light and the absence of all
thought. Then the pain returned with electric ferocity. Samuel hit
the ground and rolled. He wasn’t sure how many more times he’d be
able to endure this. He only hoped Baptiste and Francois had found
the others.
    “ I’m getting bored with this Samuel!”
Mephistopheles called from across the dust, “can’t you mount any
more of a challenge? If you don’t do something to pique my interest
I’ll just have to crush you like a bug and be done with it.
I’m bored Samuel!”
    Samuel winced and pushed his torso up from
the cold sand once more. He’d only managed to get one shot at the
demon so far and Mephistopheles had dodged it effortlessly. If he
was ever going to stand a chance he needed Baptiste by his side.
The voodoo priest was equal in skill if not better than he himself
and together they could give Mephistopheles a run for his money.
Without him, he’d be lucky to last another ten minutes.
    “A disappointment Samuel! Really. After all
these years of searching is this what it finally amounts to?
Shooting a fish in a barrel? What happened to everything I taught
you?”
    “You were a poor teacher,” Samuel said,
rising to his feet, “that’s true. But I learnt a few things myself
since.”
    He slammed his fists together and then turned
them on the demon as a blast of glowing green energy shot from his
arms and hurtled like a laser towards Mephistopheles. This time he
didn’t miss. The blast hit the demon square in the hip and the
force was almost, but not quite, enough to knock him to the
ground.
    Mephistopheles jerked back as the shot hit
him and then straightened up again. For just a second Samuel
descried a look of surprise on his face before the demon subdued it
beneath his usual contemptuous sneer.
    “That’s more like it,” he said, “pathetic,
still, but a little more interesting at least.”
    And the demon was right, Samuel realized,
alone he’d never be enough to beat him. Samuel wasn’t the only one
who’d gotten stronger over the past couple of centuries.
    “Hey Samuel, is this creep bothering
you?”

    It was Baptiste! They’d gotten back to the
surface then.
    As Samuel turned to quickly greet his friends
his relief turned instantly to icy confusion. Only Julie and
Baptiste had returned. Of the others there was no sign.
    “Cassandra and Francois? Where are they?”
    Baptiste quickly jogged to his side and
hissed in his ear. “The bastard has the whole place rigged to blow.
Cassandra and Francois stayed behind to disarm the bombs.”
    “And what if they can’t?” Samuel asked.
    Silence was the only answer Baptiste could
offer and it told Samuel everything he needed to know.
    “ Is that the infamous Baptiste Saint Jean,
I see?” Mephistopheles called. If he was surprised he wasn’t
showing it. “And what the fuck is he doing here, Samuel? How
delightful indeed, you brought a friend. Do you boys need a moment
to confer before I destroy you both?”
    The two men ignored him, just smiled in a way
that assured him they were ready for the worst of whatever he had
to offer. Mephistopheles’ own smile faltered for a second.
    “And is that your little bitch, I see?” he
called, “My, oh my, I’d been planning to save that little snack for
later. Oh well, you can have her. I already had a taste
anyway.”
    Samuel’s brow furrowed but Julie quickly put
his mind at ease.
    “It’s not true Samuel,” she called, “he
wanted to but Cassandra tricked him into leaving me be! Don’t
listen to his lies!”
    A flash of anger as black as the pits of hell
darkened Mephistopheles face. He was a being that despised being
fooled above all else. As far as he was concerned the only
trickster in town should be he himself.
    Samuel relished the anger and uncertainty now
showing on his enemy’s face. Now that Baptiste and Julie were here
he felt stronger than he had been even to start with. “Well how
about that Mephistopheles,” he called, “outsmarted by a