Demon Lord III - Grey God (17 page)

The air before
her shimmered, and the light realm pulsed and brightened as
Drayshina appeared. Long ebon hair framed a golden-skinned, finely
sculpted face with eyes as dark as thunderclouds beneath arched
brows. Tarris prostrated herself, and Drayshina gestured for her to
rise, glancing around at the grey, cracked spots on the pillars.
Her eyes narrowed.

"Child, dark
power has been used here." She spoke in a soft, musical voice.

"Yes, My Lady.
Kayos' companion destroyed Jishka and her demons."

"A dark
god."

"Yes. But one
who walks in the light. Lord Kayos called him tar'merin, and
vouched for him."

"Tar'merin."
Drayshina frowned. "One such has not existed for aeons. How can you
be certain Kayos is not his captive, and lied upon his
instruction?"

"It did not
seem that way to me, My Lady. They walk together as equals, and
Kayos wears no bindings."

"You know much
of the ways of gods, child, but not all."

Tarris glanced
at the Realm Gate. "The Gate is unguarded."

"Yes, and
therein lies my assurance, though I like the situation not. If this
be a ruse, it is a clever one."

"Could a dark
god capture a great one?"

Drayshina's
lips thinned. "Yes. But he would have to be powerful indeed to
capture Kayos. Where are they?"

Tarris
gestured to the end of the hall. "In the gardens."

The goddess
headed in that direction, seeming to float above the ground, her
shimmering, mother-of-pearl gown swaying with the rhythm of her
graceful strides. Tarris followed, her heart filled with tentative
joy, mixed with trepidation that Bane had duped her. If so, she had
brought yet more danger to menace her goddess, a prospect that did
not bear contemplation.

There was no
sign of the strangers in the gardens, and Drayshina followed the
path that led to the gazebo. As she approached it, a Grey God
stepped out to greet her with a gentle smile, his eyes soft with
affection. She stretched forth her hands in joyous welcome.

"Lord
Kayos."

"Drayshina,
daughter of my brother Ordur."

"You are most
welcome in my domain, My Lord."

He took her
hands and raised one to his lips. "Your welcome brings me joy."

"I am grateful
to you for coming to my aid."

"I only wish
it was I who offered it." He released one of her hands, but kept
hold of the other. "I would like you to meet my companions."

Kayos turned
to the gazebo, and Drayshina's breath caught as a tall, black-clad
man stepped out of it and wandered towards them, his fire-blue eyes
flicking over her. His pale skin seemed to glow in her realm's
brilliance, and his hair gleamed like a raven's wing. A nimbus of
blue fire edged the dark aura that surrounded him like a shadow.
Her instinctive fear of his ilk made her step back, a large part of
her wishing to flee his presence, but Kayos' hand held her in
place. He tightened his grip to reassure her, casting her a serene
smile.

"This is Bane,
the Demon Lord."

Drayshina
shuddered at the name, which evoked images of demons and curses.
She found her throat tight and swallowed. "I bid you welcome, Demon
Lord."

He inclined
his head, looking tired and a little irritated. Kayos indicated the
slender girl at his side, whom Drayshina had barely noticed. "His
wife, Mirra." He gestured to the two travel weary men who waited
nearby. "His father Mithran and his friend Grem."

The men knelt
and bowed their heads, as did the girl, causing Bane to frown down
at her.

"You are all
welcome. Rise." She turned to Kayos, fighting to control her
emotions. "We must flee before Vorkon comes. I - I must prepare
myself for..."

"Hush, child,
be not uneasy. He has no reason to come here. Those who guarded the
Gate had no chance to warn him of our presence."

"Jishka is
powerful."

"Not compared
to Bane." Kayos smiled. "She is now in the Land of the Dead, along
with her servants, and her demons are destroyed."

She shot Bane
a sidelong glance. "He cannot be so powerful that he could defeat
Jishka so easily."

"She was taken
by surprise."

"I am in your
debt, My Lord," she said to Bane, who tilted his head and
yawned.

Kayos drew her
aside and murmured, "You would do well to treat him with civility,
Drayshina. He can free your domain from Vorkon. You have Mirra to
thank for your freedom, but I doubt she will seek to press him
further. While she is able to influence him, I sense her reluctance
to do it, for if he is harmed in the granting of her wish, she will
be anguished. It at least brought him here, where you can speak to
him. He is extremely reluctant to confront Vorkon, understandably.
Whether or not he will be inclined to do so depends on you, but if
you continue to be rude to him, he will certainly not consider
it."

"His kind does
not help us," she replied. "They do not help anyone. They are
usually too busy slaughtering or torturing them."

"He might help
you, if you can persuade him. I recommend you do so, for to abandon
this domain and all your people to Vorkon's rule will be a hard
thing to do, and will bring you great pain. To seek out another
Realm Seed in the wastes will also be arduous and dangerous. But
for him to face and defeat Vorkon is no small matter, and he will
not take on such a task lightly, I can assure you."

A slight frown
puckered her brow. "What payment will he demand? My servitude?"

He sighed and
shook his head. "Put aside your prejudice for the moment. Think of
him as an ally, not an enemy. Would I be with him if he was
evil?"

"Why are you
with him?"

"He has agreed
to free my granddaughter Ashynaria from slavery, in return for the
deification of his wife. He has already cast down a dark god in my
domain, who rose in my absence and almost enslaved my daughter,
Lyriasharin. It is a boon to have him on our side."

Drayshina
glanced at Bane, who watched his young wife play with a cloud bush,
a slight smile curling his lips. The scene was so fundamentally
wrong it made Drayshina shudder, and she wondered what tortures he
inflicted upon the hapless girl to satisfy his lust for suffering
and fear. Why else would a dark god keep a mortal wife? Why did he
give her such a title when in reality she could be nothing more
than his slave and plaything? The two older men explored their
surroundings with delight and awe, as any mortal who found himself
in the light realm would. Three demon steeds stood like statues to
one side, and their presence added to her outrage and
indignation.

"Fraternising
with one such as he is a hard thing for me to do, My Lord. His very
presence here offends me."

"I understand.
I too was suspicious at first, but I placed my hand upon him whilst
he was powerless, and he was not offended. His soul is untarnished.
You have nothing to fear from him save his refusal to aid you."

"I know the
legends of tar'merin, but have never understood how one such can be
pure of spirit. His kind chooses the evil path."

Kayos shook
his head. "He did not, which is why he is tar'merin - well, one of
the reasons. Even I am not certain what makes a soul tar'merin. He
was born a god and forced to take up the dark power by the one whom
he cast down. He is a mere youth, only twenty-two years old, and a
child of my domain."

"And you think
he can defeat Vorkon?"

"I have seen
few who could match him for power, although he does lack
skill."

Drayshina was
still doubtful. "It is not possible for one so young possess so
much power."

"Before I met
him, I would have agreed with you, but he does. He came into his
power when he was but sixteen years old. The god who raised him
used an arcane and torturous ritual known amongst humans as the
Dre'beth Runes on him, which he barely survived."

"You trust
him?"

"It is hard to
overcome my aversion to a wielder of the darkness, but in the time
I have spent with him, he has done nothing untoward. It is true,
even a tar'merin is not entirely trustworthy, for their power may
sometimes influence them, yet he seems strong. You do not have to
trust him; just persuade him to help you."

Drayshina cast
another measuring glance at Bane, who continued to watch Mirra. The
girl had plucked a star flower, which surprised Drayshina since
that was not an easy thing to do, and brought it to show her
husband, her face alight with wonder and delight. To Drayshina's
amazement, the Demon Lord smiled down at his wife with warm
tenderness in his eyes and murmured soft words of wonder at her
accomplishment. The star flower soon faded without its source, as
they were inclined to do, and Mirra's face fell as it winked out.
Grem and Mithran had discovered the bushes' soft, cloud-like
nature, and Grem rolled in one, causing a cascade of flickering
star flowers to blossom and wink out as his presence forced them to
bloom. Mirra giggled, and Bane's smile widened at his friend's
horseplay.

Drayshina
turned to Kayos again. "And how do you suggest I do that? Do you
know what he wants in return for his aid?"

"No, but I
doubt it will be beyond your powers to grant it, and if it is, then
I shall. Ask him, but be cautious."

She shuddered.
"The prospect of entering into a discourse with him makes my skin
crawl, My Lord. Asking for his aid... is intolerable."

"Do you want
to save your domain?"

"Do you really
think he would?"

Kayos
shrugged. "He has already freed you, has he not?"

Drayshina
hesitated, torn between her longing to free her domain and her
abhorrence for a dark god. Raising her chin, she walked closer to
Bane, determined to try. He turned to face her, and she stopped
well out of his reach, folding her hands.

"My Lord, my
earlier behaviour was rude. To welcome a dark god into my domain
when one is ravaging it is not easy." She gestured to the gazebo.
"Would you care to relax and refresh yourself?"

Bane inclined
his head, and she led him to the gazebo, which expanded to
accommodate them, two more couches appearing at a wave of her hand.
Mithran and Grem remained in the gardens, but Mirra followed her
husband into the gazebo and settled beside him on the couch. When
all were seated and supplied with cups of ambrosia, Drayshina
turned to Bane again, avoiding his eyes.

"Kayos tells
me you may consider helping me to rid my domain of Vorkon, for
which I would be most grateful."

A slight,
sardonic smile curled his lips. "Doubtless you would. Your
priestess pleaded most eloquently for my aid, but you seem to lack
her skill."

"You are
offended. How may I atone for my lack of diplomacy?"

He snorted.
"Spare me the meaningless posturing and speak in plain language.
Flowery speeches leave me cold, and begging turns my stomach. My
experience of light gods is limited, and I would not like to
misunderstand you."

"Very well.
What do you want in return for your aid?"

Bane sipped
his ambrosia. "I have not agreed to help you."

Drayshina
glanced at Kayos, then turned to Bane again. "I am unfamiliar with
the ways of dark gods, My Lord. I was under the impression you
might be willing to offer your aid."

"No. I agreed
to free you, nothing more. I have no wish to battle a dark god, and
no reason to do so. This is not my fight."

She glanced at
Kayos again, who shot her a slight frown of censure, and she looked
down at her hands. "My Lord, without your aid, Vorkon will conquer
my domain and I shall be forced to flee, an option you have given
me.

"Already I am
grateful to you, but my domain remains at his mercy. If you destroy
him, you will have my undying gratitude and friendship. My people
will be taught your name and sing your praises in my temples. If
some choose to worship you, I will not object, since you will be
their saviour."

Kayos looked
satisfied, nodding.

Bane smiled.
"And would I be welcome in your domain, should I wish to
return?"

"Yes."

"And if I
brought my companions?"

She hesitated,
glancing at Kayos. "Yes."

"Here, in the
light realm?"

"If that is
your wish."

"Will you give
me a Key to your domain?"

Again she
looked at Kayos, who inclined his head. "If you wish."

"And for this
you want him destroyed? Not merely cast into the Land of the
Dead?"

"I do not
care, so long as he cannot threaten my domain again."

Bane sipped
his ambrosia, looking thoughtful. "So, for this slight reward,
offered with such great reluctance and deep mistrust, you expect me
to enter into a battle with a dark god who may kill me, and will
certainly cause me a great deal of suffering. You are arrogant,
goddess, and I advise you to leave this domain while you can."

Drayshina
paled. "To do so would cause me great pain."

"Fighting
Vorkon will cause me great pain."

"What do you
want?"

"Mostly, to be
left alone. You see, that is the problem, is it not?" He raised his
eyes and met hers. "I do not want anything. I do not want to be
welcome in your domain, or to have a Key to it, and I certainly do
not want any worshippers."

"Then why did
you ask for them?"

He shrugged.
"To see if you would agree."

"You have no
intention of helping me, do you?"

"I already
have."

She nodded. "I
do not mean to seem ungrateful, My Lord. How can I persuade you to
change your mind?"

"I doubt you
can."

"You fear
Vorkon?"

Bane sipped
his ambrosia. "What is he?"

"A dark god,
of course."