The Demon Lord jerked his head up, and the beast flew backwards several feet to sprawl amongst the furniture and turn several tables and chairs to matchwood. Grem narrowly avoided being crushed under it as it fell, but two other fighters were not so lucky. The creature struggled to rise, growled and shook its malformed head, lashing out at the men around it. Bane created a third ball of blue fire, and Grem wondered how he knew where the monster was. The beast was thoroughly enraged now, and badly injured, its burnt skin sloughing off to reveal dark meat that oozed black ichor.
Despite this, it moved towards Bane again with surprising speed, using its arms to aid its locomotion much like an ape. Bane flung the orb of light, which struck the monster on the head and engulfed it in bright flames. The beast emitted a high-pitched squeal, smoke pouring from its burning skin, then lunged at Bane. Grem's heart leapt in terror as the monster loomed even closer to Bane, and again the blind god jerked up his head, hurling the beast away. As it flew backwards, one of its club-like fists swung inwards to strike Bane's left forearm a glancing blow. The Demon Lord spun against the wall and rebounded off it to sprawl on the rush strewn floor.
Grem hesitated, torn between his wish to help Bane and the need to finish off the beast, which thrashed amongst the smashed furniture, blind and squealing. The fighters closed in to plunge their weapons into its burnt flesh. Deciding that the monster was no longer capable of doing much harm, Grem ran to Bane's side. The Demon Lord gasped, his lips pulled back in a snarl of pain, revealing white teeth filmed with blood, and his right hand gripped his left forearm. Grem fell to his knees beside him, hesitating to touch him lest he lash out, not knowing who it was. Mithran arrived and dropped to his knees too, his eyes filled with anguish, and Artan came to stand behind them.
"Bane, it's me, Mithran. Are you all right?"
"No, I am not, Father, and I know who you are."
"Your arm, is it broken?"
Bane nodded, biting his lower lip. "I fear it is."
"I'll fetch Sarrin," Artan said, and ran off.
"Grem."
Grem started in surprise. "Yes?"
"Go to the room and guard Mirra and Ethra."
"Of course." Grem jumped up and headed for the stairs, bellowing to Artan's men and making one race up the steps with him.
Running into the kitchen, Artan found Sarrin with several local women, huddled together in a weeping group. When she spied him, she extricated herself and hastened towards him.
"Is it dead?"
"Almost. Bane came to our aid. If not for him, we would all be slain."
"Is he all right?"
Artan shook his head. "His arm is broken."
Sarrin raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Light save us. This just keeps getting worse."
"He needs you."
The old priestess turned to the women, some of whom were strange creatures indeed, and mimed her need for bandages and splints. One of them went over to the kitchen cupboards and drew out a bundle, handing some to her before heading for the common room with the rest to tend to the other injured men. Sarrin shot a quick glance at the monster that twitched amongst the wreckage as Artan led her over to the side of the stairs that ran up the wall of the common room, where Bane sat, nursing his left arm. Her heart contracted at the sight of him, a lump blocking her throat. His head was bowed, but the bandages kept the wings of ebon hair from hiding his pained expression. She sank down beside him, laying a hand on his arm, and he raised his head.
"Where is it broken, Lord?"
Bane indicated his forearm, and she hesitated, wondering if they should move him up to the room first. In order to splint his arm, she would have to remove his tunic and shirt, but was loath to do it in the presence of so many strangers. While she paused, irresolute, Bane turned his head to the side and snarled, "Leave me, or I may harm you yet."
Sarrin gasped. "But Lord..."
"Not you." Bane faced her again. "I was talking to that infernal god brat who taunts me."
"Frendar is here?"
"Indeed, revelling in the chaos he has wrought."
Sarrin glanced at the empty space beside Bane. "He did this?"
"His idea of fun, luring a soul-eater in here to see if I could kill it. He finds the outcome most amusing."
She stared at him, shocked by this amazing revelation, and still unable to decide what to do, then marshalled her scattering thoughts and asked, "Should we go to the room before I splint your arm?"
"No, do it here."
"There are people..."
"I do not care."
Sarrin nodded and undid his tunic, removing it with difficulty, hampered by his proximity to the wall. He grimaced as she eased the sleeve off his arm, and she noticed a red mark blossoming on his cheekbone, where he had evidently hit his face on something, probably the wall. As she undid his shirt, she became aware of a growing audience around them, and glanced up at the ring of curious locals. Artan stood over her, his hand resting on his sword hilt, a hard glint in his eye as he glared at the spectators.
Mithran, Juvo and a soldier stood beside him, ready to defend Bane if necessary, although the Demon Lord was more than capable of defending himself, as his slaying of the soul-eater testified. As Sarrin struggled to tug Bane's shirt off his shoulders, a woman with feline features and golden fur instead of hair came forward to help. Bane turned his head towards her, making her hesitate, her lips drawn back to reveal pointed canines. She joined Sarrin's struggle, and between them they eased off his shirt. The watchers muttered when the rune scars were revealed, and several moved away.
Bane's forearm was reddened, and the bones grated together when Sarrin lifted it, making her stomach clench. He bit his lip as she realigned the bones, and groaned when she enlisted Artan's aid to pull on his hand until the broken ends touched. As she placed the splints around his arm with the help of the cat woman, Bane slumped sideways. Artan and his men tensed, their eyes snapping around the ring of spectators, searching for hostile intent, and the cat woman looked up at them.
"Do you really think we would harm your god, after he saved us all?"
Artan glared at her. "I've learnt to distrust most creatures that I meet in this god forsaken place."
"We're not creatures, we're people, and we mean him no harm."
"Then why don't they go about their business?"
The cat woman shrugged. "They're curious. We've never seen a mortal god before. We've wanted to see him since Tronak told us what he is, but you've been hiding in your room."
"Well he looks pretty much like the rest of us, so there's no need for them to hang around, is there?"
She smiled, revealing her long canines again. "Oh, he doesn't look like you, soldier. Not in the least."
"Maybe not, but -"
"Hey," Sarrin interrupted. "Hold the splints steady, missy."
The cat woman turned her attention back to her chore. "My name is Kimi."
"I am Sarrin, now can we get this done before he wakes up?"
Kimi nodded and held the splints in place while Sarrin wound the bandage around Bane's arm until it was firmly bound. Local women had tended the rest of the injured, and most were being helped from the room. Sarrin stood up and turned to Artan.
"Let us get him up to the room."
Artan nodded, and with the aid of Mithran, Juvo and the soldier, they carried him upstairs and laid him on the bed beside Mirra. Sarrin turned to find that Kimi had followed them, and raised her brows at the woman.
"I'll help you," the cat woman volunteered.
"Why?"
"I wish to earn his favour."
Artan frowned at her. "Why?"
"I want to leave this place."
Sarrin turned to Artan. "We could use her, and Bane did not object to her downstairs."
"It's up to Bane," Grem stated, drawing all eyes to him.
Kimi nodded. "Of course."
Sarrin glanced at Juvo and the soldiers, who stood in a muttering group, taking stock of their inju
ries. One of the soldiers had a nasty cut on his arm, and tried to stem the bleeding with a torn shirt. "Well, Kimi, we need more bandages, if you could find us some."
Kimi nodded again and left, returning a short while later with bandages and a pottery jug. Artan took the bandages and went to tend to the injured soldier, and Kimi held the jug out to Sarrin.
"It's a potion for pain."
Sarrin took it and sniffed its contents. "When we asked for herbs before, we could not get any."
"Our lord has provided for the wounded."
Artan looked up from his chore and snorted. "Big of him. You really expect us to feed that to Bane?"
"It's not poison. Our lord may be playful, but he's not evil."
"Playful!" Artan glared at her. "He's bloody mad."
Kimi shook her head. "He's a child."
"He just got a bunch of your people killed down there."
"He knew that your god would help us."
"And now he's injured."
Kimi bowed her head. "I'm certain he regrets that."
"And I'm sure he doesn't."
Sarrin raised a hand. "Let us not fight about it. If it makes you happy, Artan, let Kimi test the potion."
"You trust her?"
"Not entirely."
Kimi took the jug and drank from it, then handed it back to Sarrin. Artan snorted again and went back to bandaging the soldier's arm. When he was finished, he sat with them and eyed Kimi, who moved to the furthest corner of the room and settled there. Sarrin sank down on the chair beside the bed and gazed at Bane, recalling the events that had taken place downstairs when the beast had arrived. She had been in the kitchen when the outer doors of the common room had swung open to admit the monster, already harried by a number of the local fighters. The people who had been seated at the tables had jumped up in alarm, and the serving girl who had been carrying a tray from the kitchen dropped it and screamed. Clearly Frendar had lured the beast into the building, and she wondered what else the child god had in store for them.
Chapter Nine
Child God
Kayos smashed aside a crumbling earth demon's fist, and it sank into a pile of foul soil, vanquished. Nine such piles surrounded the Grey God now, and four of the fire demons were gone. Lines of molten rock scored the stone beneath his feet, where fire demons' eyes had swept past, seeking him. Only once had the blow of an earth demon staggered him, the rest he had countered easily. He swept his shield through a fire demon, and the fiend vanished in an orange blaze, leaving a foul stench. The demons were almost exhausted now, and becoming easy to defeat.
"Leave him!" Torvaran's deep voice lashed the demons, and they retreated. The dark god approached his foe, grinning. "Have you been enjoying yourself, old one?"
Kayos shrugged. "It has been vaguely entertaining."
Torvaran glanced at the piles of earth. "You have done well. Tired yet?"
"When I get tired, I will let you know."
"And cower inside your shields."
"That will be frustrating for you, will it not?"
Torvaran chuckled. "I will rip apart your shields and destroy you."
"You will try."
"No, I shall succeed. Many have tried that tactic, as you cowardly light ones are apt to do. They all perished. The last one I killed tried it, but when he realised that I was going to break his shields, he Moved, and the chase was on again. It did not take me long to find him, and when I did, he tried to put shackles on me." Torvaran laughed. "He was a fool, and if you try to hide in your shields, so are you."
"Do you really expect me to believe anything you say?"
"No, and that is why you, too, will die, old one."
Kayos kept his expression neutral, but he wondered if Torvaran was telling the truth. Legends existed of dark gods who had learnt to open a light god's shields, although he was unsure how. If Torvaran was one such, retreating into his shields was the worst thing he could do, but he could not fight forever. There was also a good chance that Torvaran was lying in order to force him to fight. If he was telling the truth, and he could open Kayos' shields, it would compel the Grey God to Move, and in the God Realm, he could end up anywhere. Torvaran would instantly follow, and if Kayos landed in a dark region, he was doomed.
Sarrin looked up as Bane groaned and fingered his cheek, where a dark bruise formed. She glanced at Kimi, who lifted her head from her arms to stare at Bane with deep trepidation, mixed with hope. Bane lowered his hand to the bandages on his left arm, examining them with long slender fingers that caressed the soft cloth like a lover's touch, making her shiver at the unbidden images her mind conjured up.
The bandages shimmered and turned to stone, and her eyes widened in amazement. She looked away, nauseated by the realisation that he could do that to anything or anyone, if he wished. Putting the horrible thought aside, she wondered why anything Bane did surprised her anymore. Naturally stone would give better support than wooden splints and bandages. She rose, poured a cup of Kimi's potion and sat on the bed beside him.
"I have something for the pain. Can you sit up?"
He turned his head towards her. "So that little bastard relented?"
"He provided for the injured."
Bane sat up with a hiss of pain, cradling his arm, and held out his hand. She placed the cup in it, and he sniffed its contents. "Big of him."
"It is safe."
"Who is the stranger?"
Sarrin's brows shot up in surprise. "How do you know?"
"I can see souls."
She stared at him, stunned again by this amazing revelation, then gave herself a mental shake. "Her name is Kimi, and she wants to help, in return for passage out of here."
Bane sipped the potion and grimaced. "Fine. Why does this stuff always taste like fermented cow dung?"
"You do not wish to question her?"
"About what? She is untainted, which is more than I can say for Frendar."
Sarrin frowned. "How can a light god be tainted?"
"Easily. Take a normal everyday human, or worse, a child, make him omnipotent, and see how quickly he becomes a monster."
"But I thought only the dark power corrupts."
"That, or ultimate power. For one who is not born a god, the temptation to use it to relieve their boredom is usually too much to resist. I have known that temptation, but only when the dark power influences me." Bane finished the potion, pulled a face, and held the cup out for Sarrin to take before lying down again.
"I suppose his deeds speak for themselves. Have you any other injuries, My Lord?"
"Nothing serious."
"Even a minor injury can become a problem if not treated."
He sighed. "I twisted my ankle, that is all."
Sarrin put the cup on the table and moved to the end of the bed, where she unlaced his boots. When she removed the right one, she found that his ankle was swollen, and probed it, making him hiss and frown.
"It is not broken, just sprained."
"I may not be a stranger to pain, Sarrin, but I would appreciate it if you did not poke me like a slab of meat."
"I am sorry, Lord; I had to find out how bad it was." Sarrin turned to Kimi. "We need more bandages."
The cat woman nodded and left. A few minutes later, Artan rose and went over to Ethra, squatting beside her cot. He glanced at Sarrin with a grin as she hunkered down beside him, taking Ethra's hand. The girl gazed at them with dazed eyes.
"What happened?"
"We were attacked by vampires, but Bane saved us."
Artan jumped up and fetched a cup of water, raised Ethra's head and pressed it to her lips. She swallowed some, coughing. "Is he all right?"
Sarrin hesitated. "He will be fine."
Ethra's eyes filled with dread. "What's wrong with him?"
"He is all right, do not worry."
"I want to see him."
"No, lie down, you are still weak."
Ethra struggled to sit up. "Let me see him."
Realising that the gi
rl was not going to be gainsaid, Sarrin helped her to her feet. She stared at Bane, leaning on the priestess as she moved closer to him.
"No." Her face twisted. "Not his eyes."
"Ethra." Bane held out his hand, and she took it and clasped it to her cheek. Sarrin shivered, recalling the stone bandages.
Ethra gazed at him with anguished eyes. "Are you blind?"
"For the moment. I am glad you are better. Lie down now."
"You have to get better!" she wailed.
"That is my fondest wish too."
Tears ran down her cheeks, wetting his hand, and he sighed. "Go and lie down now, regain your strength."
Ethra sagged, her face twisted with grief, and Sarrin helped her back to her bunk. Kimi appeared in the doorway, clutching a roll of bandages, and Sarrin looked up at her.
"Now we need a bowl of broth, Kimi."
The cat woman handed her the bandages, then left again on her new errand. Sarrin bound Bane's ankle, trying to be gentle. Kimi returned, and Artan took the bowl, holding it while Ethra spooned its thick meaty contents with shaking hands. Bane turned his head toward Kimi, who sat in the corner again, trying to be unobtrusive.
"Come here, Kimi."
The cat woman hesitated, glancing at Sarrin, who cast her a reassuring smile. Kimi approached the bed, and Bane lifted his hand, making a gesture and murmuring a soft word.
"Are there any others who wish to leave, and would be willing to help?"
"Perhaps. I don't know."
"Could you find out?"
"I - I could, but Lord Frendar would be angry."
Bane nodded. "Yes, I imagine he will."
"He'll punish me."
"If you want to help us, you will have to do more than fetch and carry. I may ask you to do dangerous things. I will also try to protect you. Will you do it?"
Kimi glanced at Sarrin again, and then nodded. "If you wish."
"I do."
She turned and left the room, her shoulders hunched.
Sarrin shot Bane a worried look. "What will he do to her?"
"That depends on how angry he is, and how malicious. He will not kill her."
Demon Lord V - God Realm Page 13