Demon Lord V - God Realm (6 page)

Artan cursed
and dropped the crossbow to hurry over to Bane. The two soldiers
followed, nursing burns from Rinath's fire, and he pointed at the
black-haired woman.

"If she's
alive, tie her up, and use the chains, she'll burn through
rope."

As he knelt
beside Bane, Juvo joined him, accompanied by Sarrin and Ethra. The
young priestess was dead, part of her head burnt away by Rinath in
the earlier battle to save Sarrin. He studied Bane, assuring
himself that the dark god was truly unconscious this time, then
looked at the elderly priestess.

"Do we kill
him, or help him?"

Sarrin shook
her head as she knelt between Bane and Rinath. The soldiers had
found that Rinath still lived, and bound her hands with the thin
chains that had once served to carry their scabbards. Sarrin pulled
open Rinath's leather jacket to expose her belly. A dark red mark
encircled her navel, and Artan frowned, leaning closer to examine
the swirling pattern. Sarrin hissed, staring at the mark.

"She is a
demigoddess."

Artan turned
his head and spat. "I grow sick of finding deities in our midst.
What about him? Is he telling the truth?"

Sarrin looked
at Bane. "In as much as he is a dark god, undoubtedly. Whether or
not he is truly tar'merin I cannot tell."

"What the hell
is a tar'merin?"

"Essentially,
an uncorrupted dark god. One who is capable of doing good."

"A good dark
god?"

Sarrin nodded.
"Very rare."

"So if he's
tar'merin we should help him, but if he's not, we should kill
him."

"A dilemma
indeed, but considering that he cannot use his powers, I think we
are safe from him, even if he should prove to be lying. Then again,
he saved Ethra and me from the dark beasts."

"Which he
probably did so we wouldn't kill him, since he's powerless."

"Possibly."
Sarrin pulled aside Bane's blood soaked shirt to examine the oozing
scratches on his chest. "These are not serious. They are shallow,
but you must remove the bolt from his arm."

Artan scowled
at her as she rose and walked over to the young priestess’ body.
"I'm not really inclined to help a dark god after what happened to
Armorgan."

Sarrin
returned with a pouch. "How long do you think we will survive with
only five warriors? Rinath and Vertack fought well when we were
attacked, and one of your soldiers is still unconscious. He may not
recover, which would leave only four of you. Now that we know what
Rinath is, we will have to keep her bound."

"He's the
reason we lost them. If he knew that Vertack was a demon, why
didn't he say anything earlier?"

"For the same
reason Vertack did not tell us what Bane was. Vertack knew I would
exorcise him, and Bane was afraid we would kill him. If Vertack had
told us what Bane was, he would have revealed his own true
identity, and they both would have been exposed."

Artan looked
thoughtful. "So that's why Vertack attacked Bane when we discovered
what he was."

"In the hope
of slaying him before he could say anything, yes."

"And Vertack
was Rinath's minion, so she tried to stop you from exorcising
him."

"Exactly."
Sarrin sprinkled some white powder onto the wounds in Bane's chest.
"Are you going to remove the bolt?"

"And if Bane
was afraid that we would kill him, then he must be mortal."

"Indeed.
Rinath must have known that, which is why she exposed herself to
save her demon, thinking that he would slay Bane."

"And then we
would have been at their mercy."

Sarrin nodded.
"Please remove the bolt, so I can dress his wound."

Artan leant
over Bane and lifted his bound arms to examine the bolt. It had
gone right through, and the barbed head protruded from the other
side of his forearm. The steel bolt was not fletched, and he took
hold of the head, yanking it out. Sarrin rubbed some powder into
the wounds and bound Bane's forearm with a strip of cloth.

Artan studied
the dark god, frowning. "If he cannot use his powers, how did he
destroy the demon?"

"He cannot use
the dark power, but clearly he was born a god, so he has other
powers. That is the only way he could be a tar'merin, too. A spirit
god takes up the dark power of his own free will, and is therefore
evil."

"So he could
be telling the truth."

"Yes, and if
he is, I wish we could remove the shackles."

Artan gazed at
the cuffs. "He could protect us."

"Effortlessly."

He glanced at
Rinath. "So could she."

"She would be
less inclined to, since she is evil. In fact, she poses a problem,
because binding her does not prevent her from using her powers. The
only one who could control her is Bane, since she cannot harm
him."

"Then why did
she join us?"

Sarrin sipped
water from her flask. "She is mortal, and so must sleep. Her minion
was only an air demon, and the dark creatures are many. They would
have killed her had she not joined us."

"And him?"

She smiled.
"He is infinitely more powerful, and could easily survive here
alone. But not anymore."

"So if we take
the shackles off, and he's not tar'merin, he could kill us
all."

"Yes."

Artan beckoned
to Juvo, who tended the fire, and the burly man came over. Artan
laid a hand on his shoulder. "You were a blacksmith before, right?"
Juvo nodded, and Artan indicated the shackles on Bane's wrists.
"Could you break the link between those manacles?"

Juvo leant
closer to examine the cuffs. "That depends on the metal."

"Try."

Juvo nodded
and went off to find something to use as a tool, and Sarrin looked
concerned. "The shackles' power might rely on their being bound
together, Artan."

"If he's
tar'merin, you would want them taken off altogether."

"Yes, but he
might not be."

"I'll just
have to risk it then. With his hands unbound he'll be more useful,
and if the shackles still work he won't be a threat. If they
don't..." He shrugged. "We'll probably all die in here anyway."

"I think we
should kill them both," Ethra said.

Artan scowled
at her. "No one asked you. But, while you have my attention,
perhaps you can explain why you didn't notice that Vertack was a
demon or Rinath a demigoddess?"

She looked
away. "I don't know."

"I do."

Artan whipped
around at the sound of Bane's soft voice. His eyes remained closed,
and the warrior studied his pale visage. The dust and sweat on his
skin had vanished, leaving him haggard and drawn with pain and
exhaustion.

"Why?"

"Because Ethra
is not a seeress."

"I am!" she
cried.

"I would guess
that her powers came to her recently, after the black-haired woman
-"

"Rinath."

"- and her
demon joined you."

Artan nodded.
"A few days after they joined us, Ethra told us that one of the
women who were with us then would be killed during the next attack,
and she was."

"Rinath saw to
that."

"What are you
saying?"

Bane sighed.
"Rinath sent the thoughts to Ethra."

"Why?"

"She probably
thought that it would be useful, especially to weed out unwanted
members of your group."

Artan glanced
at Ethra, who chewed her lip, and looked on the verge of tears.
"Why didn't she claim to be a seeress herself?"

"She did not
want to draw attention to herself by claiming any powers."

"He's lying!"
Ethra snarled. "Everything that comes out of his mouth is a
lie!"

"It makes
sense," Sarrin admitted.

Artan glared
at Bane. "Can you prove you're tar'merin?"

"Only through
my deeds."

"Can anyone
else tell if you are?"

"Only a light
god. I had one as my companion, before I fell into the trap. I hope
he finds me soon."

"More lies,"
Ethra said.

Artan snorted.
"I find that hard to believe."

Sarrin leant
closer to Bane, gazing down at his pale, finely chiselled features.
"It could be true, if he is tar'merin. What was his name?"

"Kayos."

Her brows
rose. "Indeed? One of the Seven Originators."

"The eldest of
the Grey Gods."

"Ordur is the
eldest."

"Chaos came
before order."

Sarrin looked
up as Juvo approached, carrying the demon's sword and a rock. Bane
opened his eyes as the burly man squatted down beside him, looking
puzzled and a little apprehensive. Juvo took hold of the manacles
and pulled Bane's arms to the side, forcing him to roll onto his
side with a grimace of pain. Juvo placed Bane's wrists on a stone
and picked up the sword.

Bane's eyes
widened. "Cutting off my hands might free me from the shackles, but
I cannot grow new ones."

"We know."
Artan said. "We're not removing the shackles, just breaking the
link between them. That way you'll be more useful in a fight."

"I see." Bane
relaxed. Juvo fitted the sword blade into the groove between the
cuffs and pick up the rock. The hammering soon made Bane's ears
ring, and the others moved away to sit by the fire.

Two hours
later the shackles parted, and Bane was able to move his arms
independently again. He stretched them, rubbed his shoulders and
winced, then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Artan gazed at
him, gnawing on a chunk of meat. "Does he eat?"

Sarrin nodded.
"Physically he is almost identical to us, but he possesses more
strength and the ability to wield vast amounts of dark magic."

"He hasn't
touched our food at all."

"Then he must
have his own."

"How badly
hurt is he?"

She sighed,
shooting a glance at Bane. "I am not sure. His wounds are not
serious, but I think the shackles are harming him. He said that
they were killing him."

"He could have
lied."

"I do not
think we should regard everything that he says as a lie."

"He's a dark
god."

"I am aware of
that." Sarrin nibbled her meat. "He wishes to leave this place as
much as we do, and considering that he can be killed, he has as
much to lose as us. If only I could be certain that he is
tar'merin, I would ask you to remove the shackles immediately."

"That may be
easier said than done. The link between the cuffs was thin, yet it
took Juvo two hours to cut through it."

Sarrin sighed
and stared into the fire. "If only we knew for sure."

Kayos stepped
from the glowing sphere into an area of shifting greyness, glancing
back at the rock wall behind him. A feeling of unease had been
plaguing him for some time, and now that his power no longer
surrounded him, he stretched forth his senses. Something moved
towards him within the rock, but he could not identify it. He
surveyed the new terrain, finding that it was neutral, the greyness
thick and viscous, like water. Whatever was following him was not
friendly, he was certain, and the greyness would slow him. He
pushed his way through it, the trio following within the protection
of his shield.

Chapter Four

Demigoddess

Bane woke with
a jerk, and groaned as pain flared from his chest and arm. His
muscles still throbbed, and his stomach was a tight, empty knot.
Rolling onto his side, he levered himself upright, his muscles
stiff from their earlier abuse. Artan sat by the fire, his head
sunk on his chest as if he had fallen asleep. Bane scanned the
darkness, finding it empty.

Turning his
back to Artan, he summoned a cup of ambrosia and gulped from it.
His eyes fell on Rinath, lying bound a short distance away, and he
grimaced. She should have been dead, but evidently she was tougher
than he had thought, and he was surprised that Artan had not killed
her. He sipped the ambrosia, then jumped when Artan stepped in
front of him and hunkered down, his eyes on the golden cup.

"I suppose you
thought I was asleep."

"You appeared
to be. Are you a mage with eyes in the back of your head?"

Artan smiled.
"No. I don't think we'll find any more surprises amongst this
group."

"That will be
a mercy."

"What's that?"
Artan jerked his chin at the cup.

"God
food."

"May I?"

Bane held out
the cup, and the warrior took it, glancing inside. "It's
empty."

"Like I said,
it is god food. Forbidden to mortals."

"But not
mortal gods."

"Indeed."

Artan handed
back the goblet. "Do you think we should have killed Rinath?"

Bane glanced
at the demigoddess. "Probably. She may prove to be more trouble
than she is worth."

"She can help
to fight off the dark beasts."

"And it will
be hard for me to sleep with her around."

Artan nodded.
"But she must sleep too."

"Which means I
cannot until she does. If anything happens to me, you will be at
her mercy."

"Then we'll
just have to make sure nothing happens to you, won't we? What would
you do if we took off the shackles?"

Bane eyed the
stocky warrior. "Anything I say, you will discount as a lie."

"Humour
me."

The Demon Lord
gazed at the pearly fluid in the cup. "I would help you to escape
this trap and try to find a domain where you could live."

"Why?"

Bane shrugged,
and winced. "Because I am tar'merin. If you do not believe that,
then believe this: the shackles will eventually kill me. That is
what they are designed to do."

"Even if
you're tar'merin?"

"They bind the
dark power to me, so I cannot unleash it, and in time it will
consume me. Your god created them to defeat his enemy, and I doubt
that he considered the possibility that they might be used on a
tar'merin. We are, by all accounts, rare."