There it was, suddenly, in the darkness. The flame appeared with its attendant rushing sound, not unlike fast moving water, as it flared into existence and then was gone.

Victor strained one more time against the ropes that were tied tightly around his wrists and ankles. He could not make anything out in the blackness, even though he had returned to consciousness and opened his eyes several minutes before. He had never been in complete darkness before, and he was starting to wonder where he could be that not even the tiniest amount of light could find its way to his eyes, apart from that flame. He decided that as he could not work out where he could be or how he could have got there that he had nothing to lose by trying to make contact with whoever was in control of the flame.

“Hello? Who’s there?”

Again the flame burst into life, for nearly a second and then was gone.

“Come on, tell me what you want if not who you are. Okay?”

A low laugh came out of the void.

“What makes you think I want anything?”