"He will only cause trouble
here."
Mirra nodded
and followed him back into the inn, where the crowd of curious
onlookers had returned to their tables. After the day's travel and
big meal, she longed only for a bath and bed. Bane paused just
inside the door, his eyes becoming intent. Following his gaze, she
found the object of his scrutiny to be a sharp-featured man who had
evidently entered the common room while they had been outside, for
she did not remember him being there earlier. The man looked
disreputable, but wealthy, his clothes fine and his fingers heavy
with gold rings. He kept the company of a rather miserable
looking, but lovely woman, whom his
presence seemed to cow. Bane's interest in the couple surprised
her. She had not thought that a woman's plight would move
him.
She glanced up at him. "What is
it?"
"He is a demon."
Mirra's mouth fell open in
surprise, and she turned to stare at the man, trying to fathom what
made Bane so sure he was one. There was nothing unusual about him,
other than his piercing black eyes.
"How do you know?"
Bane smiled and leant closer to
whisper, "I am the Demon Lord."
"Why does he seem not to know
who you are?"
"He is beyond the range of my
influence, so he cannot sense me."
"I did not know you had
limits."
"I do not, but when my power is
leashed it is difficult to sense that far away."
The man was on the far side of
the common room, engrossed in a conversation with a stout,
well-dressed merchant. Mirra's gaze drifted to the despondent woman
who sat beside him, and her heart ached with pity.
"We must help her."
Bane's brows rose. "Must
we?"
"You can banish him."
"Why should I? Now that the
wards are gone, there will be hundreds like him, enjoying the
pleasures of the flesh in such a disguise. And if I do it here
these people will witness it."
She frowned. "We cannot let him
continue to torment that poor woman. I will denounce him then."
Mirra started forward, but his
hand flashed out and gripped her arm, making her glance up at him
in surprise.
"He will deny it," he
growled.
"I am a healer."
"Can healers detect demons?"
She shook her head. "Not like
you can."
"Then you have no proof on which
to base your accusation."
"I have enough influence to make
them summon a priest, who can perform an exorcism."
He released her arm. "As you
wish."
"What sort of demon is he?"
"Earth. A lesser demon. Very
weak."
"How can he look so human?"
"A pseudo
form, like Dorel had. It requires little power to make,
and
, unlike her, he can do it
himself."
She studied the man again. "So
he is not really dangerous?"
Bane smiled. "He could kill you
with one blow."
Mirra shivered. "But he would
not dare."
"Why not?"
"Because then he would reveal
himself."
"If you betray him, why should
he care? He can return to the Underworld in an instant and emerge
again somewhere else, which is no hardship for the reward of
killing a healer."
She chewed her lip, frustrated.
"There are too many people here. They would not let him."
"No mortal can hope to match a
demon's speed."
"Except you, I suppose."
He inclined his head. "I have no
need to enter into a physical confrontation with him. But yes, I am
faster."
"Then I shall find a
priest."
"As you wish."
Bane walked
back to the table where they had dined and sat down. Mirra headed
for the door, then stopped, realising that leaving Bane in a
crowded common room was probably not a good idea. Instead, she
approached a man beside the door, who straightened and hid his
tankard of ale behind his back
like a naughty child. When he had left to convey her
message to the local priest, Mirra joined Bane at the table,
staring across the room at the well-disguised demon.
Bane leant towards her. "If you
take so much interest in him, he will become suspicious."
Mirra looked away, but not
before she glimpsed the man glance in her direction. A serving
wench came over, her eyes lingering on Bane, her smile
flirtatious.
"Some ale or
wine,
My Lord?" she enquired,
thrusting out a hip and placing her hand upon it.
He cast her a contemptuous look
that wiped the smile from her face. "Wine."
The girl
turned to Mirra. "And milk for you,
healer?"
Mirra nodded, frowning at Bane.
As soon as the girl left, she said, "This is not a good time to get
drunk."
He glared at her. "I doubt your
Overworld wine will do much to me, but I am not a complete
fool."
She looked away, chastened. "How
do they make wine in the Underworld?"
"I have never enquired. I
believe the water demons make it."
The serving
maid returned with their beverages, and Bane seemed to find the
wine to his liking, judging by
the way he swilled it down. His stony expression and air of
aloofness discouraged conversation, and his clipped answers made it
difficult, so Mirra gave up trying to talk to him. Bane smothered
several yawns while they waited, and Mirra's eyelids drooped as she
sipped the creamy goats' milk.
When at last the priest arrived,
he came over to their table, casting Bane a curious look. He was a
mild-faced, balding man clad in a coarse, cowled white robe tied
with a brown rope belt, and leather sandals shod his feet. He
returned Mirra’s smile and sat beside her when she gestured to the
vacant chair.
"Healer, you're very welcome in
our town. How may I help you?"
Mirra glanced at the man-shaped
demon, who stared at Bane, and leant closer to the priest. "The man
sitting over there with the woman is a demon."
The priest grimaced, but did not
seem unduly surprised. "We've had a few lately. Which man
exactly?"
Mirra described him, nodding at
the trio, and the priest turned his head to follow her gaze. The
sharp-faced man looked agitated, and rose, dragging the woman with
him. The priest studied him with narrowed eyes.
"What makes you suspect
him?"
"I just know, and it is not a
suspicion."
His brows rose. "You have a
gift?"
"I have a reliable source of
information."
The priest
looked at Bane, who ignored him and sipped his wine. The man-shaped
demon headed for the door, his female companion in tow, and she
hung back with obvious reluctance. To reach the door, he would have
to pass close to their table, and Mirra wondered how close he had
to be to sense Bane. The Demon Lord did not seem worried,
however
. With a tight smile
in Mirra's direction, the priest rose and approached the demon,
confronting him halfway between his table and theirs. The man
halted, scowling when the priest pointed at his face.
"You will leave this place. You
are not welcome here."
The demon made a feeble attempt
to look innocent. "What did I do? I was just going, anyway."
The man tried to sidestep the
priest, tugging at the unfortunate woman, who now looked alarmed.
The priest stepped into his path again, keeping his finger aimed at
the demon's forehead as if he was going to blast his brains out
with a celestial bolt. The other patrons turned to watch the
confrontation, many gaping in astonishment. Mirra glanced at Bane,
who watched them with a bland, disinterested expression.
"You," the priest stated, "are a
demon."
"I am no such thing! Who has
accused me?" the man blustered. "I demand to know!"
"You have no rights here,
demon."
The priest pulled a silver flask
from his pocket and intoned the words of exorcism. The demon
released the woman and lunged at him, thrusting him aside with a
mighty push that sent him stumbling into the table behind him.
Mirra jumped up in alarm as the demon strode towards her, his
expression murderous. The priest recovered, opened the silver flask
and trotted after him, speaking harsh words as he prepared to
sprinkle the holy water on the man.
The demon swept up an ale flagon
from a table and spun, hurling at the priest, who failed to duck
fast enough and was struck in the chest. Once again, the priest
recovered and pursued his quarry towards Mirra and Bane as he
continued to speak the words of banishment. Mirra backed away, and,
as the man came within a few strides of him, Bane rose to his feet.
The man's eyes flicked to the Demon Lord and widened, which, Mirra
guessed, meant that he had just crossed the invisible boundary and
sensed Bane's power. His mouth swung open in surprise.
"You!"
The priest flung a stream of
holy water at the demon, and at the same moment, Bane raised a
hand.
"Begone," he murmured.
Mirra sensed the tiny frisson of
cold power, and the demon vanished, leaving a cloud of settling
dust. The priest stared at it, looking stunned, and the demon's
erstwhile companion fainted, causing a commotion as patrons shook
themselves from their stupor to help her. The priest's eyes rose
from the pile of earth, seeking Bane, who sat down and picked up
his wine cup.
The common room filled with a
bustling hubbub as patrons talked and rushed about, some leaving,
others gathering to discuss the event, a few tending the comatose
woman. No one seemed to have noticed that Bane had had anything to
do with the demon's banishment, except the priest. He walked
towards the Demon Lord, his gaze intent. Mirra took his arm and
guided him to his chair. His eyes never left Bane's face.
"How did you do that?"
Bane sipped his wine. "I did
nothing."
"Yes, you did. I didn't banish
him, and I've never seen a demon vanish so fast."
"Perhaps he decided to leave of
his own accord."
"No." The priest shook his head.
"He was banished, and he seemed to recognise you."
"How could he?" Mirra
interjected. "And besides, what does it matter? The fiend is
gone."
The priest tore his gaze from
Bane to study her ragged, travel-stained attire and weary face.
Horror blossomed in his eyes, mixed with disbelief. "It cannot
be... you... you're..." His gaze flew back to Bane. "You're..."
Mirra laid a hand on his arm,
and, when he glanced at her, raised a finger to her lips. The
priest became pale and agitated, staring at Bane.
"He's..."
"My friend," Mirra said.
Bane snorted, casting her a
scathing glance.
"He's..." The priest gulped, and
the silver flask slid from his grasp and clattered onto the table.
Bane picked it up and examined it, then opened it and tipped a
little holy water onto his hand. The priest watched in stunned
amazement as the Demon Lord tested the water with a finger, then
closed the flask and set it down, unconcerned by the drops of
sacred water on his skin. Mirra also watched him, still holding the
priest's arm in an attempt to gain his attention.
He turned to her and whispered,
"What's he doing here?"
She shook her head. "It is best
you do not know."
He glanced furtively at the
patrons. "If they find out... there will be pandemonium."
"I know. That is why it is a
secret."
The priest leant away from Bane,
his eyes fearful. "You did banish the demon."
Bane shrugged. "Yes."
"But they must think it was
you," Mirra added, indicating the inn's patrons with a flick of her
eyes.
"Yes, of course. But why...?" He
shook his head. "I don't understand."
"The Black Lord has risen in the
Old Kingdom, and he has cast aside the Demon Lord. It was he who
told me of the demon's presence here."
The priest turned to her, his
agitation increasing. "What are you doing with him? Is he here to
destroy us?"
Bane's lip curled, and he looked
away.
"No," Mirra said. "He is going
to help us."
Bane snorted again.
"All the wards are broken?" The
priest seemed to have difficulty taking it all in. "We're
doomed?"
"No, we are going to defeat the
Black Lord and put back the wards."
"Goddess! How?"
"With Bane's help."
"Him?" The priest pointed a
shaking finger at Bane. "He broke them."
"And he can restore them."
"Goddess preserve us!" The
priest made the sign of the Lady, staring at Mirra, then his eyes
flicked to Bane, and he studied him before shaking his head. "I
must go. I have to pray."
The
priest
rose, his eyes riveted
to Bane, who sipped his wine in an unconcerned fashion. Mirra stood
too, still holding the priest's arm.
"There is nothing to fear.
Tomorrow we will be gone."
"Yes,
yes
, good."
The priest hastened to the door
and let himself out, ignoring the patrons who sought to thank him
for banishing the demon. Mirra sat down again and looked at Bane,
who sipped his wine and glared at her.
"He will betray me."
"I think not."
"Let us hope not, or we will
waken to find the town empty tomorrow."
As soon as Bane had finished his
wine, she asked the innkeeper for two rooms and baths, then
followed him up the creaky staircase to a poky room whose only
redeeming feature was its cleanliness. The bathroom was at the end
of a short corridor, and she soaked in a steaming tub for nearly an
hour, to emerge refreshed and revitalised. Before going to bed, she
decided to check on Bane. When she knocked and entered, she found
him sitting on the bed, staring into space. He turned to regard
her.