Ira blinked...Ira tried to stand as far away from the foul smelling creature, which stood, restrained by two of the largest men he had ever seen, before him and the older man. They had been standing by the small table one second, and the next they were standing on the edge of an active volcano. Ira was not sure where it was located, or how they came to be standing or floating at the edge of it. He had not at first been able to feel the ground beneath him. Molten rock had been flowing over his feet and down the side of the volcano, as blistering steam; and more molten rock; had spewed up into the night air. The ground beneath his feet had been trembling.It had seemed as though the molten rock simply ceased its forward movement, and had been suddenly sucked backwards into the mountainous cavern below his feet. As it had drained, an old iron-hinged wooden door had slowly emerged from the bubbling, draining surface below. The scarred wooden door had been crossed and bound securely by black iron strapping, and a huge forged lock had been set securely into its face. As Ira had watched, the lock seemed to explode from some unseen force. The iron strapping had burst apart, and spun viciously down into the still draining molten rock, hissing as it touched the surface. The two men who now stood before them, had dragged the foul smelling man-like creature out of the darkness the door had revealed, and the level of the hot liquid below had suddenly risen, and had begun to cascade down into the now open doorway, enveloping whatever lay within. The man-creature struggled to free itself. "Stop!" the older man commanded. "There is no longer any reason." The man-creature opened its mouth and pursed its lips as if to spit, and Ira turned his head from the squirming mass of snakes that tried to push through the small opening. Greenish bile flew from the creature's mouth as it spoke, and, although the language was unfamiliar to Ira, the intent was clear. The older man's face clouded over, and he raised his hand toward the screaming thing that was still being restrained. The flesh of the man-creatures face seemed to boil as new pinkish-looking skin formed, appearing from nowhere, and sealed its mouth completely shut. Ira could still see the snakes behind this newly formed tissue, twisting and turning, as they tested the strength of the enclosure. The green eyes of the man-creatures face burned momentarily, as if with fire, and the muscles in its body bunched, in an effort to loose itself from the two formidable men who held it.The older man stood calmly beside Ira, and waited for the struggles to subside. When they had, he spoke. "You will listen," he said, and then paused before continuing. ...