Chapter 3 - Wrath of the Volcano

Moses was to be sacrificed to the volcano. That was his reward for winning in the arena of death. Over night he had been shackled to the wall of lost souls and the next day he was dragged up from the stinking pit and put before the Lizard-Emperor once again.

The reptile king told him that the volcano would be pleased to have his soul. For he was to treat it like an honour because the volcano was the heartbeat of the world and it controlled everything.

Moses remained as he was forced into an wooden cage and put onto a cart. There it was wheeled up by slaves to the crater that towered over Sodom.

The blood-red lavas bubbled below as the angry god awaited it's appeasement. The high priests of the Ishkur dressed in violet silks kneed before it and chanted the ancient scriptures of the red sea scrolls. The sea being red because it was made up of boiling lava that popped and hissed behind the city acting as a natural wall on the north side.

Moses turned his head to see the leading high priest turn it's scaley head towards him, and it narrowed it's piercing yellow eyes at him. It then seemed to grin through razor sharp teeth as it's fork tongue it's long dried lips.

Moses turned around from where he sat in the wood cage and saw what the high priest had in his sights. It wasn't him, it was the poor soul behind him. Judas. He was stood up in a similiar cage that had just been heaved up the crater behind him.

The high priest waved a hand and the troops snatched Judas from the cage, cutting his skin with their sharp talon claws as they did so. Moses looked on in horror as Judas was screaming in pain as his eyes were ripped out by the high priests claws, he then crushed the eyeballs in his fists and threw them into the lava.

Moses could feel the heat on his hide as the lava bubbled in the crater. The blinded Judas was stood stock still like he had given up. Then, by instruction by one of the reptile priests, Judas took a silver dagger from a trooper and put it to his own neck, blood still ran from where his eyes used to live.

Moses clamped his hand over his ears as there was a loud on going chant. A chant to the volcano god. It went on and on, louder and louder till there was silence.

Judas then screamed out a yell as he forced the dagger into his neck and be-headed himself. Moses gasped out as the headless Judas held up his own head into the smokey hot air and it screamed out it's own chant before it and his body fell to the lava.

The Lizard-men turned their attentions onto Moses. Two of them snatched him from the filthy confine of the cage and stood him on the ledge. The lead high priest turned it's head and stared at him. Moses tried to resist, but there was something that was very alluring about those eyes. They were mesmerizing, like they were drawing him in.

The was a loud hit on the gong and Moses was turned around to face the volcano. A silver dagger was placed into his hands and the high priests started to chant.

Moses tried to fight the cloud that was trying to override his mind. Something was trying to control him, like some sinister inner force.

He screwed his eyes tight as the chanting of the reptile priests was becoming louder and faster.

Suddenly when he felt that he was no longer in control of his own hand because the dagger wanted to move toward his neck, there was a tremor.

The tremor shook more violently and the bubbling lava overlapped the sides of the volcanic crater.

Moses jumped back as he felt in more control of his movements, the evil force that had bewitched him had suddenly worn off. The high priests gasped and hissed out as they feared the volcano god was angry at them.

Moses turned around and made a run for it as the fireworks crackled up in the skies around the smoking crater and then the massive explosion sending him hanging from the ledge over a steaming river of lava...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX