Demon Lord IV - Lord of Shadows (15 page)

Kayos
straightened after healing Tygon, who had barely survived his
ordeal. Summoning the hovering Eye with a gesture, Kayos gazed into
it. The image had turned pitch black, and he frowned. The Eye would
follow Bane. He adjusted its focus, catching sight of the faintly
glowing runes on Bane's chest. Wherever he was, it was dark, but it
could be anywhere, since it was night, and dark everywhere. He
hoped that Bane was not in a cavern in the Darkworld, since then he
would be beyond reach, and he needed help. Kayos dismissed the Eye
and dragged Tygon into the shelter of the wall, then Moved.

The Grey God
reappeared in darkness, but since he had not been turned away by
the ward, he was somewhere in the mid realm. Glancing around, he
spotted the glowing runes a short distance away, and hurried over
to Bane. The Demon Lord lay on his back, unconscious. Kayos knelt
beside him and tried to lay his hands upon him, but the dark power
thrust him back with a vicious flare of shadow. Bane contained so
much that he could not be touched. Kayos sat back, frowning. He
would have to wait for Bane to wake, since now not even a mortal
would be able to touch him safely. Raising a hand, he ignited a
white flame in his palm and used it to examine Bane's wounds. The
bleeding had slowed, and only the wound in his thigh still oozed a
little. He snuffed out the flame and settled back to wait.

When the first
streaks of a dark dawn laced the low clouds with bands of blood
red, Kayos roused from his torpor. The night seemed to have lasted
an eternity, as the day before had done. The light brightened to a
dim glow, and Kayos examined Bane once more. His deathly pale skin
almost glowed, and some of the excess power had seeped away during
the night, for the runes were unlit. He found that he could touch
Bane, although the dark power was still strong. He shook him
gently, then more firmly when that had no effect. Bane groaned, and
his eyes flicked open.

Kayos smiled.
"You did it."

A chill shot
through Kayos as he realised that Bane's eyes were black. The Grey
God flung up his shields as Bane lashed out, deflecting the
powerful bolt of shadow in a flash of blue fire. The Demon Lord
struggled to sit up, and flopped back with a groan, clutching his
thigh. Kayos retreated a few steps.

"All is well,
Bane, calm down. It is over, you are safe. You must purge some of
your power."

Bane glared at
him. "Go to hell."

"It is
influencing you. Take control, let it flow out."

"Leave me
be!"

"If you want
me to heal you, you have no choice."

The Demon Lord
grimaced as he tried to sit up again. "I do not need your
help."

"Very well,
just let some out, and you will feel better."

Bane forced
himself upright, sweat popping out on his brow. He raised his hands
and stared at them. "I defeated him."

"I know."

"I could have
destroyed him."

Kayos realised
that he was speaking more to the dark power than Bane. "Yes, you
could. But you need to rest now."

"No one can
stand against me."

"Probably not.
But if you do not let me heal you, you will be ill for a long time.
Are you not ill, Bane?"

The Demon Lord
nodded, grimacing again. "Feel sick."

"Let some out,
you will feel better."

A sneer tugged
at Bane's lips. "Afraid of me?"

"Anyone who is
not is a fool."

"Damn right.
Even your shields would not protect you, if I chose to use my full
power against you."

Kayos
shrugged. "Perhaps. But why would you want to hurt me? I only wish
to help you."

"I do not want
your damned help!"

Bane groaned
and raised a shaking hand to his brow as if an unwelcome memory had
assailed him, then bowed his head, his hair falling forward to hide
his face. Shivers racked him, and Kayos watched him with deep
concern. Bane was extremely dangerous now. The dark power had
almost entirely subjugated his will, and talking to him probably
would not help, Kayos decided. The Grey God walked away and settled
down to wait. Bane stared at his hands for several minutes, then
tried to get up. He sat down again with a groan, holding his
thigh.

Fresh blood
oozed from it and his shoulder. Eventually, Kayos hoped, the pain
would goad him to reassert himself. Bane glanced at him with eyes
that were pits of darkness, then bowed his head again. Shadows
oozed from him, sinking into the ground, and Kayos breathed a sigh
of relief. The shadows thickened until they were ropes of darkness,
and the amount of power Bane carried amazed Kayos. Half an hour
passed before the Demon Lord raised his head again, and the
blackness ebbed from his eyes.

Kayos rose and
approached. "Feeling better?"

Bane nodded,
but the power continued to flow from him. After several more
minutes, it stopped, and he sighed. "I am all right now."

Kayos knelt
and laid his hands on the wound in Bane's shoulder after only a
moment's hesitation, struggling to push past the dark power. Slowly
the wound closed, and he placed his hands upon the deep gash in the
Demon Lord's thigh. Bane was so close that his breath warmed Kayos'
cheek, and he could make out the beads of sweat that sheened the
dark god's pale skin. If Bane chose to take hold of him now, he
would have no defence. Touching him whilst the darkness affected
him so badly took a lot of trust. Yet somehow he sensed that even
now, Bane would not harm him. He sat still with a bowed head while
Kayos healed him. When he had healed Bane's thigh, and several
other minor scrapes and bruises, he sat back. Bane summoned a cup
of ambrosia and drank from it.

"Where is
Mirra? Is she safe?"

"She is at the
church with Grem and your father. They are all safe."

"What happened
to me?"

Kayos
explained, describing Shrea's plight as well. At the end of his
tale, Bane sighed again, his eyes drooping with fatigue.

"I must
rest."

"Return to the
church, I will see to Shrea and Tygon. Now that Vorkon is trapped
below, I can."

"What about
Jishka?"

Kayos shook
his head. "Jishka will not attack me. I doubt that she even knows
about the ward yet. You will have to free Drayshina from the flesh
beast, but it can wait a few hours."

"Jishka might
try to break the ward."

"If she does,
you will have to stop her, but breaking the seventh ward will not
be easy. You will have time to reach it before she succeeds."

Bane gazed at
the red clouds. "And then this realm must be cleansed, the Sources
closed, the black mages killed."

"Yes, there is
still much to do. But it can wait. Go and rest."

The Demon Lord
dismissed the cup and tried to get to his feet, but sank back with
a groan, his limbs trembling. He bowed his head, raking back the
hair that slid forward in a gleaming fall, and sighed. For several
minutes he sat motionless, then he looked at Kayos, his lips
curling in a slight, wry smile.

"It seems I do
need some help after all." He held out his hand. "I will release
you."

Kayos
hesitated, then stood and reached down to clasp the dark god's
hand, pulling him to his feet. Bane held onto him for a moment,
staggering a little, then released him and frowned, rubbing his
brow.

"Why should I
go to the church? I could create a couch right here."

"Jishka."

"Right."

Bane turned
away, and Moved. He reappeared in a corridor of the city church,
and two priestesses gasped and stepped from his path, bowing low.
Ignoring them, he found the nearest empty cell and entered it,
removed his boots and flopped down on the narrow cot. In moments he
sank into the soft dark arms of sleep.

The news of
Bane's arrival spread swiftly through the church. It reached Shevra
where she sat in the kitchen, a concerned priestess plying her with
hot soup. The two women who had seen him arrive had followed him to
a room, and as soon as they told her where it was, Shevra ran from
the kitchen. She crept into the room and stood beside his bed,
gazing down at him. He looked exhausted, his eyes sunken, lines of
weariness bracketing his mouth. She had thought that he would be
slain when Vorkon had attacked him. How could anyone stand against
an immortal dark god? Yet he appeared to be unharmed. Pulling one
of the chairs closer to the bed, she settled down to wait.

Several
minutes later the door opened, and she looked up to find a blue
mage framed in it, gazing at Bane with an unreadable expression.
The woman smiled at her, then placed the second chair beside the
bed and sat down.

"You know
him?" Shevra enquired.

She nodded. "I
am Tarris. He and Kayos found me in the God Realm. They saved
me."

"He saved me
also, three times. I'm Shevra."

"Then you are
fortunate indeed."

"I know,
although everyone can say the same, I suppose."

"True." Tarris
nodded. "But few can claim to have met him, that is a rare
privilege."

"Not many
would consider it so, given what he is."

"They are
fools."

"Indeed."

The door
opened again, and Grem stood aside. Mirra ran to the bed with a cry
of joy. She gazed down at Bane, her eyes filled with a mixture of
relief and anguish. Sitting on the bed beside her husband, she laid
a hand on his cheek. Bane jerked away from her touch, but she
smiled, her eyes bright with tears. She pressed her lips to his
cheek, and this time he lay still. Straightening, she pulled aside
the torn shirt to examine the new scars on his shoulder and flank,
then looked up at Shevra and Tarris, forcing a wan smile. Shevra
introduced herself, and Mirra nodded, turning to gaze at Bane
again, fingering his torn shirt. She looked exhausted, her eyes
shadowed with worry, and Shevra wondered when she had last
slept.

Chapter Eight

Trap

Kayos Moved to
the mountains, where he found Shrea huddled shivering in a tiny
cave, barely more than a crack in the rocks. She raised a haggard,
tear-streaked face, and a glad smile spread across it.

"Lord
Kayos."

"Be at ease,
child." He knelt and healed her.

"I heard the
chime. The seventh ward..."

"Is
active."

"Vorkon..."

"Is trapped
below."

Shrea's face
twisted, and she sobbed, overcome with relief. Kayos transported
her to the cave above, where she activated the sixth ward. Again
the earth chimed as the blue powder ignited and the glowing
pentagram formed next to its solid counterpart. It filled the chill
cave with its pure power, and Kayos smiled. He took her hand, and
they reappeared on the cold tundra beside the curved wall and
mighty monolith. Shrea stared up at it in awe. The blue pentagram
was visible above it in the dull light. Kayos shook Tygon awake,
and Shrea's smile faded at the sight of him. She knelt beside him
and embraced him, shocked by his appearance. His gaunt, weary face
still bore the film of blue spotted grey dust, and she wiped it
clean with a damp cloth as he sat gazing up at the seventh
ward.

"We did it,"
he sighed.

Shrea nodded.
"You did it."

"I still
cannot believe I created something so huge, so powerful."

"It is
beautiful."

"I did not
think I could do it. I was afraid I would fail and doom us
all."

"But you did
not," she murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"If not for
Lord Kayos, I would have died."

"The Demon
Lord pushed you too hard."

"No. He had
to, or I would have given up."

Kayos scooped
up a handful of ash and transformed it into a feast of roasted
fowl, vegetables and potatoes, which he laid out on a polished
silver platter that appeared at a wave of his hand. The Grey God
transformed the water in Tygon's pack into wine, then gestured to
the food, inviting them to eat. Shrea kept glancing at Tygon. The
change in him dismayed her. He seemed to have aged twenty years,
and despite his triumph, looked tired and ill.

Shrea turned
to Kayos. "What of Kimera and Bashir?"

"I will go to
them as soon as you have finished your meal, and I have taken you
back to Avadorn."

"They are not
in danger?"

"If they are,
they will pray to Bane."

"He has
recovered? Vorkon did not go below of his own accord?"

"No. Bane cast
him down. He rests now."

Her brows
rose. "He requires rest?"

"Indeed, as
any mortal does. Even I enjoy sleep sometimes."

"I find it
hard to think of him as a mortal."

"Strange, most
people find it hard to think of him as a god."

She shook her
head. "He does not even look human."

"But he
is."

"Why did he
force Tygon to work so hard?"

Kayos glanced
at the consort, who gazed at his creation, oblivious to their
conversation. "He did what he had to do. It would have taken a
terrible toll no matter what, and Tygon was lucky to survive it. Do
not blame Bane for it."

She put down
the bone that she had been nibbling. "What of Drayshina?"

"Bane will
free her as soon as he has rested."

"Surely she
should be freed first?" Shrea's voice rose in indignation, and
Tygon glanced around.

"She is in no
danger, nor is she suffering."

"Even so
-"

Kayos frowned.
"Child, you have no idea of Bane's importance. His health cannot be
jeopardised. Drayshina will be all right."

"Why is he so
important?"

"Because of
what he can do, foolish child. Without him, this domain would be
ruled by Vorkon, and Drayshina would be enslaved for thousands of
years. A tar'merin is to be cherished and guarded at all costs. He
can free other domains, and he will free my granddaughter."