“Enough!” Elymas roared, slicing the air with his hand. Her spell vanished, only for his to begin.

         Again, the candles bubbled, again the stones turned red. But the shadow creatures didn’t stir. 

         “Passable.” Her tone was dismissive.

         Elymas was ready to explode. Though untied he was still stuck in the chair, forced to watch a woman-child at play, and his emotions had been manipulated to the point where he felt good when she praised him and diminished when she’d deemed him passable. She was beginning to set the rules. 

         “This next is a risk, but you are hard to convince.” Elymas wanted to shout an obscenity but couldn’t. “You must not move about. The shadows are hungry and will be hard to control.”

         She struck her hands together and the floor became a sea of blood, and from the sea rose hungry creatures. Elymas watched in horror as two monstrous gars battled, tearing chunks from one another, sometimes tearing themselves in their frenzy to feed. It was a gory sight, but he remained transfixed. Then, his body began bleeding. His thigh, upper arm,  left shoulder were wet, blood running down his spine. Now other creatures were bobbing their heads, vying in place for their next victim. Him. 

         Illusion or not, Elymas could stand no more.

         “I concede!” he shouted. “You are Rizla!”

         “You are a wise man.” She clapped, and the sea of blood, along with the ravenous monster fish sank back into the stones, though she continued to stare at the floor. “So unfair that I should allow them to have at each other, but not at you.”

         Elymas looked down at the foot of the dais. The little monstrosities were gone as well. 

         She shrugged and looked up. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rizla the Red Witch.” 

          “Rizla the Red Witch,” he repeated. There was no challenge. He bowed his head.