Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #13 April 2015 | Page 133

The Butcher of Souls
The room was dark, lit only by two small lamps
burning on the walls. Shadows jumped in the flickering light, adding to the eerie stillness. In the centre
of the room was a large, simple wooden table. The
table seemed out of place. The rest of the room was
ornately decorated. The walls contained many mirrors and framed portraits. Several statues were dotted
around the room on marble pedestals. In the dim light,
they looked like gargoyles. Smaller tables, intricately
carved from mahogany, stood against the walls. They
contained artefacts big and small – jewels, ornaments,
weapons, clothes, armour, even a preserved human
head. The plain pine table stood out. It looked like a
butcher’s block. It was empty except for a sword. The
sword was black, except for a blood red ruby embedded in its hilt. It was placed in the centre of the table,
inside a pentagram. One point of the pentagram was
precisely located at ninety degrees beneath the sword.
It pointed directly at the only door in the room. The
pentagram seemed to