Demon Lord IV - Lord of Shadows (30 page)

"For power? To
have people worship you, serve you -"

"Fear me?" He
shook his head. "I do not crave such things."

"What do you
crave? What would make you happy?"

"To return to
my domain and live in peace with my wife, and have some
children."

"But any man
can have those things. Surely, if you could have anything you
wanted -"

"That is all I
want. The one thing that is denied me."

Shrea opened
her mouth to pursue the subject, but Kyan shot her a sharp glance
and asked, "What is it like in the Forever City, My Lord?"

"If it is at
all like my home domain's Eternity, it is bright, fluffy and filled
with dead people."

Kyan smiled.
"Could you elaborate?"

Bane described
the cloud gardens and star flowers, diamond sand and rainbow skies
while the women sat entranced. Even Kimera seemed to forget her
sorrow and crumpled, damp handkerchief. As he came to the end of
his narrative, a mild-faced, brown-haired man entered, carrying a
bag. He started to bow to Kyan, then spotted Bane and froze, his
eyes wide. Kyan smiled.

"Patrin.
Welcome. We have a special guest. You remember Bane, do you
not?"

"How could I
forget?" He looked stunned, and sank to one knee, bowing his head.
"Lord."

Bane sighed.
"Get up."

Patrin stood
up and stared at him. "It is an honour to meet you, My Lord." He
hesitated. "It was you who saved me... in the garden, was it
not?"

"Yes."

"I am forever
in your debt."

"Sit, doctor,"
Kyan invited. "You came to tend to Kimera?"

"Yes, Majesty.
I heard about Bashir." Patrin sat beside Kimera and opened his bag.
"I brought a calming draught." He took out a flask and handed it to
her, instructing her to sip it.

Bane studied
the plump blue mage. "Bashir was dear to you, Kimera?"

"Yes, My Lord.
He was my betrothed."

"You have my
regret."

"No, Lord, you
-"

He raised a
hand. "Let us not start that again."

"Bane has
graciously allowed us to question him, Patrin," Shrea said. "He has
asked us to treat him as our peer."

Patrin cast
Bane an incredulous glance. "Really?"

The Demon Lord
shrugged and inclined his head. A servant entered and placed a tray
of pastries and confections on the table, then poured wine for
Patrin and refilled the other glasses before retreating. As the
doors closed behind him, Patrin put away the flask and closed his
bag, eyeing Bane.

"You will
answer any question?"

"If I know the
answer to it."

The doctor
laced his fingers. "Where were you born?"

"In a dark
realm."

"Your mother
was a mortal? And your father?"

"Yes."

"So..." He
paused, looking wary. "How did you become a dark god?"

"I was changed
in my mother's womb, by a dark god, and taught to use the dark
power, which made me into one."

Patrin leant
forward, eager now. "How are you different from normal people?"

"I am stronger
and faster, that is all I know."

"Could I...
Would you allow me to examine you?"

"Patrin!" Kyan
sounded scandalised.

The doctor
hung his head. "I apologise, My Lord."

"Examine me?"
Bane's brows rose. "How do you propose to do that?"

"I... Forgive
me, I should not have asked."

"No, I am
curious. You do not intend to wound me, I assume?"

"No, certainly
not." Patrin shook his head.

"Then by all
means, examine me." Bane glanced at the women's shocked faces and
shrugged. "What harm can it do?"

Patrin looked
hopeful. "Truly, you would not mind?"

"No."

"Would it not
be dangerous?" Kyan enquired.

"I am in
complete control of my power," Bane assured her. "Or would you
prefer that I cast it out first?"

"You can do
that?"

"Naturally."

"No, that will
not be necessary." Patrin approached Bane and squatted beside his
chair, then hesitated, his hand hovering over Bane's wrist. "May
I?"

"I have said
that you may, doctor."

"It would help
if you would remove your wrist guard, My Lord."

"No." Bane
turned his hand palm up.

The doctor
placed is fingers above the wrist guard and consulted a timepiece
he extracted from his pocket. Bane studied the tiny hands that
crept around a face marked with numbers, intrigued.

"Am I
alive?"

"Indeed you
are. Your heart beats a little faster than normal." Patrin studied
Bane's skin, pinching it. "Do you eat normal food?"

"Not often.
Usually I consume only ambrosia now, although I was raised on
ordinary food, I suppose."

The doctor
rose and fetched a light globe, which he held close to Bane's face
as he leant over to peer into his eyes. Bane met his gaze, smiling.
"Clearly you are not a superstitious man, doctor."

"Because I
dare to look into the eyes of a god?" Patrin smiled. "I am a man of
science."

"Yet you will
learn little about me from this kind of examination. I could show
you more, if you trust me."

Patrin nodded.
"Please do."

"You may feel
a little ill, but do not be alarmed." Bane held the doctor's gaze
and released the dark power from its bonds, allowing it to flow
into his flesh and eyes.

Patrin
recoiled, almost dropping the light globe. "Goddess!" He juggled
with the radiant sphere, regaining control of it, put it down on
the table and returned to Bane's side, seeking the pulse in Bane's
wrist again. He paled and snatched his hand away, rubbing it. "Does
using the dark power sicken you, My Lord?"

"It used to,
but now it does not unless I use a vast amount."

Patrin picked
up the light sphere again and examined Bane's eyes, swallowing hard
as his stomach roiled and the air around the Demon Lord became
chilly. Kyan held a hand over her mouth, looking distressed.
Patrin's courage surprised Bane. The doctor returned the light
globe to the table and gazed at Bane.

"I have not
examined a black mage, but I do not believe that their eyes become
black when they wield the power."

"No, they use
a tiny amount compared to me."

"Amazing." He
took a book from his bag and scribbled notes, and Bane leashed the
power.

"Have you ever
been ill?" the doctor enquired.

"No."

"Can you
corrupt someone by touching him?"

Bane shifted,
glancing down at his hands. "I have not tried, but I would think
so, yes."

"Can you
transform yourself?"

"No. I can
cast a glamour, that is all.

Patrin made
more notes, looking excited. "Could you transform others?"

"Yes."

"So you are
immune to the dark power. It cannot harm you."

"That is
correct."

Kyan rose
offered a plate of food to Bane, who selected a pastry and nibbled
it.

"That is
enough now, doctor," Kyan admonished. "I think you have imposed
sufficiently upon the Demon Lord's good will. This is becoming more
of an interrogation than a conversation between peers."

Patrin
retreated to the couch beside Kimera, still writing, and Bane
enquired, "What is your finding, doctor?"

"I have not
seen anything like it, My Lord, but that is not surprising. You
appear to be a normal man..." He shook his head. "Yet you are not.
Clearly you are capable of withstanding rigours and forces far
beyond the ability of a normal man. But to establish the extent of
those capabilities would require a number of tests, and I would not
know where to begin."

Kyan took
advantage of the doctor's preoccupation with his notes to ask, "My
Lord, you were made a god to break the blue wards in your own
domain. What is to stop Vorkon from doing the same here?"

"Nothing."

She looked
alarmed, and cast a quick glance at Shrea. "Is there any way to
prevent him?"

"Perhaps by
setting black wards in addition to the blue ones. A powerful dark
god might be able to break them, but not a mortal youth."

"Would
you...?"

"No. The idea
may never occur to him, and it would be a waste of time."

"How so?"

He looked down
at his hands, spreading them. "Because a mortal dark god could
still open the World Gate and kill Drayshina, unless she was able
to slay him first. But light gods are loath to kill, save perhaps
in self-defence, and even then the chances of her succeeding are
slim. She would not attempt it until she had no other choice."

"So how may we
defeat him?"

Bane shook his
head. "You could not. Do not send your armies against him; they
will be mere sport to him. Your only hope would be to kill him, if
you can find an assassin brave enough to attempt it. Or you could
call upon me."

"May we?"

"If all else
fails, yes."

"Thank you, My
Lord."

Kyan looked
thoughtful, and Patrin continued to scribble in his notebook. Bane
picked up his glass as Shrea broke the short silence. "What is it
like outside this domain, in the... God Realm?"

Bane described
some of what he had seen there, and the group listened raptly. The
food and wine were consumed and replaced, and Kimera fell asleep on
the couch. Bane yawned and put down his empty wine glass, his head
spinning a little.

"I must
rest."

Shrea jumped
up. "I will show you to a room, Lord."

Chapter Sixteen

Dark Temple

Bane gazed out
of the window of the luxurious chamber in which he had been
installed the night before. Early morning activity filled the
street beyond the palace walls, where people shopped, bartered and
met in convivial groups. He would never truly fit into their world,
he mused, even if he cast out the dark power forever. For the most
part, their lives were petty, useless and boring, full of strife
and discontent, and lacked the joy that he shared with Mirra. They
did not have the serenity that he and Mirra possessed, which
allowed them to share a special contentment.

Mirra was less
inclined than he, and occasionally became angry with him for
insignificant things, which he did not understand. He tried to make
sense of her little grievances, but they seemed too trifling for
his concern most of the time, although he schooled himself to
patience and listened to her air them without complaint. By the
same token, common people had a zest for life and a drive to
achieve that he lacked. Perhaps it was because they had to strive
to gain what little they possessed, while he could have anything he
wished with a wave of his hand.

Bane sighed,
sensing Kayos' Eye upon him, and turned from the window to create
his own. The image showed the light gods lounging upon their cloud
couches. They looked up, and Kayos waved. Bane smiled and dismissed
the Eye, then turned to the bed, where Mirra watched him with
sleepy eyes.

He sat on the
bed beside her. "Time to get up. We must be off."

She groaned,
yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Must we?"

"We cannot
stay here forever."

Mirra rose and
donned a satin robe that had been provided with the room, padding
into the adjoining washroom.

A knock at the
door made him glance around and invite the applicant to enter. Kyan
came in, followed by Tygon. She sank down in a deep curtsy, and the
prince consort bowed.

The Queen
straightened. "Would you and your wife care to join us for
breakfast, My Lord?"

Bane shook his
head. "It is time for us to leave, Kyan."

"So soon? We
are having a celebration tomorrow, and had hoped that you would
attend."

"I dislike
crowds."

"Perhaps
-"

"No."

She bowed her
head. "Will we ever see you again, Lord?"

"I doubt it."
Bane turned and picked up his cloak, which was draped across the
chest at the end of the silk-hung four-poster bed.

Kyan
approached him. "Let us honour you before you go. A small ceremony,
nothing more. Please."

Bane gazed
down into her soft grey eyes. "Very well. A few hours, no
more."

"Thank you, My
Lord. We will consecrate your new temple, and with your attendance
it will be a singular celebration."

"My
temple?"

"It has been
built to accommodate your worshippers, and to honour you."

Bane's smile
broadened. "Indeed? Will there be sacrifices and orgies?"

Tygon made a
strangled sound, and Kyan's eyes widened, her expression becoming
dismayed. Bane chuckled. "I jest, little queen, but I am surprised
that you would build a dark temple in your city."

"It is not a
dark temple, Lord. It is the temple of a tar'merin."

"Now I am
curious."

She smiled.
"Good. I will send Shrea for you in one hour, if that is
convenient?"

Bane gazed at
the new temple's towering spire as the horseless carriage hummed
towards it along a broad street. Shrea sat opposite him, her back
to it, Mirra sat beside him. The temple was only a few blocks from
the palace and Drayshina's church, near the centre of the city. The
delicate golden spire topped a steep black slate roof, and the
grey-streaked white marble walls boasted many windows paned with
coloured glass. They dismounted outside a sweeping, arched
entrance, where a crowd watched him pass in silence. A few cast him
timid smiles and some of the men bowed, but for the most part they
seemed hesitantly respectful.

Shrea led them
into an echoing white marble chapel lined with vases of bright
flowers and crowded pews. Bane paused just inside the door as the
assembly fell to its knees.

"Get up." His
words echoed around the temple, and he strode up the aisle towards
the altar, where Kyan waited with a bevy of red-robed priests. The
Demon Lord's boots clicked on the polished floor, and when he
reached the massive, red velvet-draped altar, he turned to survey
the congregation, many of whose members were noble, the rest middle
class. Bane raised a quizzical brow at Kyan.