"I have returned," said a low, harsh voice from beneath the blackness behind the raging fire.
She was ready and knew what he wanted. He wanted more of her. It was the cost of her creation.
It came back after each task to consume, to take more of her essence.
She had a choice. In the beginning, she always had an option. She could pay, or she could lose her creation to the void, and thus, part of her. She had taken the former course many times, because it was the smart option, the way to spend less of her in the long term. All she had to do was to utter the words of banishment and he would be gone, never again to return to her world.
The fire at which she had first created him still burned hot and bright in the basin carved into the black marble floor of the chamber. The flame had not di
