Arkonen made an expansive gesture with his free hand. "Well, here I am."
"Indeed," Bane replied. "Still hiding behind a girl, I see."
The Black Lord smirked. "An excellent shield."
"Because you are too cowardly to face me without her. You know that in a fair fight you would lose."
Arkonen laughed. "You have become arrogant, and proud. I came for some sport, nothing more. If you do not adequately entertain me, seeing you watch her die might prove more enjoyable." He glanced around at Bane's demons. "An impressive army, but useless against me."
"I see you brought your own."
"Yes, it should be interesting to watch them pound each other to dust and ashes. A waste, though. But it will be even more entertaining to tear you apart."
"It should be amusing to see you try."
Arkonen's eyes narrowed. "Such confidence, for one so young and stupid. You forget, I have been around for more than two thousand years, and most of that time was spent as a god. You, on the other hand, have barely managed twenty years, yet you think you can beat me. Amusing, indeed."
Bane's lips twitched into a slight, chilling smile. "One thing I have not acquired in my short lifetime, is the need to ramble on about the obvious as if everyone else is an idiot."
The Demon Lord gestured, and an eir'greth sword appeared in his hand. He leapt forward and brought the weapon down in a mighty stroke that clove the Black Lord in half from head to crotch. The halves melted away into the shadows, and Arkonen swelled, his form taking on a four-armed, three-eyed demonic aspect with great bat wings. Red sparks swirled within the blackness like swarms of tiny, maddened fireflies, and his yellow eyes shone, lamp-like. His red maw curved in a foul smile, and his laughter bellowed forth.
Behind Bane, the earth demons hurled their twisted iron spears with enough force to penetrate stone, filling the air with an eerie whistling. The shield that sprang into being around Arkonen consumed all but two, and the holes they tore in his shadow form swiftly closed. The Black Lord's earth demons loosed a hail of whistling iron death at Bane, but his fire demons rose to snatch them from the sky and turn them to slag. The few that got through Bane batted aside with a lash of force. The demons roared and stamped, shaking the ground with their massive legs.
Bane swung the sword again, severing the arm that held Mirra. She tottered as her support vanished, and an earth demon raced forward to try to snatch her away. A lash of power from the Black Lord turned it to scattered soil, and Mirra fell, writhing. Arkonen's shield consumed another volley of iron spears in fiery flashes, and his fire demons rose to parry them as Bane's did. The earth demons drew the crude spears from the ground, forming them within the earth with their will and causing them to rise to the surface.
Arkonen dragged Mirra back to his side, then flung a bolt of dark fire that ripped rocks and soil from the ground, hurling them at Bane. The Demon Lord went sprawling, rolled as his shields deflected the mass of earth, then sprang to his feet and vanished. The Black Lord snarled, his eyes seeking his opponent with raking beams of hot light. The flying spears buzzed like wasps, and fire demons' eyes melted them. Bane Moved to Arkonen's side and grasped the Black Lord, his Gather causing his opponent's wings and two arms to shrivel. At the same time he dispensed with the invisibility, its purpose served.
Mirra staggered free and fell to her knees, gagging. Another earth demon ran forward to grab her, but Arkonen smashed it aside with one of his remaining arms. The seven runes on Bane's chest shone with the power of his Gather, and the banshee song howled around him. Unable to contain so much, Bane channelled the excess upwards in a column of darkness that burnt the thunderheads away, and a beam of sunlight shot down. Arkonen growled and leapt aside. An earth demon sprinted to Mirra and snatched her up, but five of Arkonen's minions rushed to intercept it, their fists ripping chunks from its earthen body. Demons raced into the fray from both sides, those that served Bane struggling to protect the girl.
Bane strived to hold Arkonen in the light. The power he directed upwards tore open the clouds even as the Black Lord dragged him away from it. Arkonen's strength surpassed Bane's, however, and his aversion to light gave him more. Shadows rushed into the Black Lord to replace those that Bane's Gather drew from him, and his hands reached for Bane's throat. The Demon Lord raised the sword and slashed at Arkonen, lopping off the remaining arm on his left side.
The Black Lord howled with fury, regenerating the lost limb in a few moments, and his right hand almost closed about Bane's throat. Bane released him and Moved, reappearing close to the embattled demons around Mirra. He lashed out with a shadowy scythe, annihilating several of the Black Lord's minions. Spinning to face Arkonen as he sensed a threat from behind, he Moved again as a huge boulder thudded into the ground where he had been standing. It rolled into the mass of demons, bowling several over.
A swift glance assured Bane that a demon held the girl safely, protecting her from the mighty brawl around it as earth demons struck each other, breaking off clods of soil. Several fire demons joined the fray, burning the struggling earth demons. The lash of their molten eyes crisped demon soil, turning it to glowing slag that sloughed off in streams of lava. Several earth demons sank down in defeat, their power consumed.
The battle's dull roar filled the air, the gritty thudding of the earth demons' blows combining with the booming and growling of fire demons' flames. Bane burnt several more earth demons to dust, cursing when he could not release the one that held Mirra. Several of his demons had formed a protective wall around it, but more of Arkonen's minions rushed into the melee all the time, replacing those Bane destroyed. The larger battle continued around him, spears whistling through the air to be destroyed by fire demons before they could strike either of the greater antagonists.
Bane whipped around at the sound of several dull booms behind him, to find Arkonen charging towards him, having just destroyed the four fire demons that had sought to stop him reaching Bane. Before the Demon Lord could leap aside, Arkonen smashed him backwards and sprang after him, as lithe as a cat. Bane raised the sword in time to stab it through Arkonen's belly, slowing his attack, and jerked up his legs to plant his feet against the Black Lord's midriff, holding him at bay. Releasing the sword, he smashed his fists into Arkonen's face, tearing the shadow form and obliterating one eye.
Arkonen reared back and raised his fists to crush Bane, who flung up his arms. A domed shield sprang into being, absorbing the blows. It drew power from the attack as Bane renewed his Gather once more, and Arkonen recoiled. The Demon Lord yanked the sword from Arkonen's belly and swung it in a lightning-fast slash that almost cut the shadow form in half. The Black Lord howled and recoiled again, allowing Bane to jump up. Two demon spears tore through Arkonen and thudded into the ground near Bane, making him step aside with a glare in the general direction of the throwers. Although they had not been aimed at him, their trajectory had been poorly judged, and he did not wish to perish by one of his own demons' spears.
The Black Lord paused, eyeing Bane, who glared at him. Exertion quickened his breath and sweat dewed his brow. The damage to Arkonen's shadow form had already repaired itself, and his Gather thickened his substance to solidity once more. Bane had only suffered a few bruises so far, since Arkonen had not yet chosen to resort to edged weapons. That, Bane sensed, was about to change, for the Black Lord's fury grew with each setback. The Demon Lord glanced at the mob of battling demons, where his minion still held Mirra safe but could not move. The rest seethed in a thudding, growling melee around it. Arkonen followed his gaze and gave a grating chuckle.
"Worried about your sweetheart, boy? If my demons do not tear her apart, I will, and I shall enjoy it." A false smile twisted his ugly maw. "Last chance to stop this stupidity, Bane. Take the girl, go somewhere and clear the skies. I will let you live there with her."
Bane's lips curved in a contemptuous sneer. "How generous of you. I can take half this world if I choose. I do not need your permission. The fact that y
ou are still trying to bribe me only proves that you know you cannot win."
"Maybe not, but nor can you, and, if you continue with this, she will die. Then what will you have achieved?"
Bane Moved to Arkonen's side and swung his sword in great strokes that sliced through his shadow form, shredding it. The Black Lord growled and vanished, fragments of his substance dispersing like smoke as they drifted down. Bane also became invisible as he continued to swing the sword, then he spun, the sword out flung, meeting a resistance that told him he had struck Arkonen again. Leaping aside, he lashed out, using his best judgement of where Arkonen would go next, but this time the weapon cut air. He stood still, the sword poised, and stretched his senses to find his opponent, searching for the frisson of dark power that would give away Arkonen's position. The whistling of demon spears had stopped, since they no longer had targets to aim at, and instead they engaged each other in brutal combat.
Sensing a presence close behind him, Bane dropped and rolled, holding the sword close to his chest. He leapt up and lashed out at the spot where he judged Arkonen to be. The weapon cut air, and his senses warned him of a presence beside him as clawed hands closed around his neck, tightening in a choking hold. Bane swung the sword, and the blade met the resistance of Arkonen's shadow form as he sliced through the arms that held him. The hold on his neck vanished, and he gasped smoky air.
Deciding that invisibility gave him no advantage when his opponent was also invisible, but only consumed power needlessly, Bane relinquished it. Arkonen appeared before him, a contemptuous smile on his ebon visage, his eyes bright with mockery.
"Stupid boy. You will not learn, will you?"
Arkonen conjured a sword and leapt at the Demon Lord, swinging it in wild, but well-aimed strokes that forced Bane to jump back and parry the attack with his weapon.
"See what we are reduced to," the Black Lord said conversationally as the blades clashed together in a shower of sparks. "Trying to chop each other up with mundane weapons like dirty humans."
"I am human," Bane snarled, parrying another swing of Arkonen's sword.
Bane retreated from a barrage of scything strokes, able only to fend them off. He had not been trained to use a sword, and neither had Arkonen, yet he did seem to have a little more skill than Bane possessed, perhaps gleaned from years of idle experimentation. All Bane knew was what he had seen human warriors do in battle, skills that had impressed him with their brutal deadliness, prompting him to occasionally conjure a sword and practice with it when he was alone.
That had not prepared him for a proper sword fight, however, and he retreated before the Black Lord's onslaught, the clashing blades numbing his hands. Arkonen matched Bane's unnatural speed, and his mortal body was a grave disadvantage in a physical conflict. One good cut from Arkonen's weapon could cripple him, and he could not afford to lose another battle. The demons, finding that their targets had reappeared, stopped fighting each other and hurled their spears again, filling the air with eerie whistling.
Reaching out with his mind, Bane summoned a mass of stone from deep within a distant mountain and released it above the Black Lord. Arkonen shouted a harsh word as he was buried under the rocks with a gritty rumble, allowing Bane a brief respite while the shadow form oozed free, minus his sword, which remained trapped beneath the rubble. Arkonen straightened with a foul smile, and the futility of their struggle struck Bane afresh. Sensing a surge of dark power beneath him, he Moved as a gaping hole appeared where he had been standing.
The Black Lord raised his arms and gestured, muttering, "Gre'ath dra rogane pry'vor nyresh. Vor dramyr leryn pryash grond."
The soil and ash around him rose in a whirling eddy, rushing together to form a towering, monstrous shape, its substance hardening while Bane watched. The ground shuddered and groaned as fissures tore open beneath its feet, and molten metal poured in fountains from them, sheathing the construct with iron armour. Huge hands formed on the end of long, muscular arms, tipped with razor-edged steel claws. Spines burst forth to bristle along its back and mantle its sinuous neck. Its powerful legs ended in broad, clawed feet, and a massive tail dragged behind it, giving it added stability. Yellow eyes opened in its grotesque head, and its jaws filled with sharp metal teeth.
Chapter Twelve
Intervention
Ellese gasped and recoiled, her eyes wide with horror. The other seer closed her eyes and swayed, almost fainting. Two Elder Mothers rushed to help her, patting her cheeks and holding a cup of water to her bloodless lips. Their eyes sought Ellese, desperate for an explanation. Ellese looked away, becoming aware that sweat trickled down her face. Her muscles cramped with tension, and her nails had bitten into her palms, drawing blood. It seemed like only minutes that she had been watching the terrible battle, but a glance at the water clock told her that more than an hour had passed. With an effort, she opened her aching fists and tried to relax, raising a shaking hand to her brow. Shayla came to her side with a damp cloth and wiped the sweat from her face, her eyes filled with concern.
"What is it?"
Ellese shook her head, her throat tight. A cup of water was pressed to her lips, and she sipped it, coughing a little. She closed her eyes, only to find the image of Bane, dwarfed by the Black Lord's monstrous creation, burnt into her mind. Opening them again, she glanced around at the ring of tense faces.
"He is doomed. Goddess save us. Surely he is doomed."
Bane looked up at the huge monster and smiled. The Black Lord had opened a Source to power his creation, and dark power surged forth in cold waves. As Arkonen's construct shimmered and flowed in its last moments of fluidity, Bane Moved, reappearing several hundred yards away.
Raising his arms, he spoke the same string of guttural words that Arkonen had. Dust and ash rose all around him, and the seven runes flared to brilliant yellow as he Gathered again, the power flowing out to bind and shape the dust. He reached into the ground with his mind, and fissures opened with dull tearing sounds and booming reports as rocks tore and crumbled. Dark magic poured forth from the Underworld at his command, dimming the inner fire and causing hosts of demons below to lose their substance.
Molten metal gushed upwards at his behest, forming into armour and spines. He had not formed a construct before, for it used a great deal of power. Had he tried it when Arkonen's treachery had weakened him, he would have died. He had been taught the theory, however, and now used it to form a monster from his imagination, armed with long, sword-like claws and curved spines protruding from the side of its head like scimitars. Iron scales clanked into place all over it, and he stood in the darkness within. The space was filled with dark power so thick it formed a jelly-like substance, only a little less dense than Arkonen's shadow form. A tube linked his nose to the outside air so he could breathe, and he closed his eyes, using the Far See.
His construct's torso was short and heavily armoured, the arms long and sword-tipped, its sinuous neck balanced by a long tail ending in a spiked sphere. The head was armed with a mighty curved beak of sharp steel, a pair of forward-curving blades that could cut and pierce protruding from its cheeks. Essentially it was similar to a droge body, but matter, in the form of earth and metal, strengthened it. It was a match for Arkonen's construct in every way, except his was a part of him, whilst Bane's was like a suit of armour around him. It moved when he did, and possessed massive strength. Once again he and Arkonen were equals.
Bane cast a quick glance at the knot of demons around Mirra, finding their numbers much reduced, the battle waged on a mound of demon dust from all those that had gone below. The outcome of that conflict would depend on who had the most demons, in which case it seemed likely that Arkonen's minions would triumph in the end. At least the Black Lord could not use her as a shield while Bane's demons held her. She appeared to have fainted, and he was glad she was spared the horror around her.
Bane raised his construct onto its short, powerful legs and took a few steps, swinging the arms and finding that it followed his
movements perfectly, with little effort. The ground shuddered, alerting him to the Black Lord's approach, and he focussed on the monster that lumbered towards him. Arkonen's construct moved fluidly, indicating an experience Bane lacked, and he settled his creature on its haunches to wait, forming two massive spikes on its chest to meet the challenge of Arkonen's charge.
Ellese whispered, "Praise the Goddess! He is a match for the Black Lord."
The Elder Mothers leant closer, hope brightening their eyes as Ellese described the scene in her glass. The other seer had recovered, and gaped at her glass. Ellese winced as the behemoths crashed together, the earth tearing beneath huge clawed feet as long tails lashed to keep their balance. Arkonen's charge almost bowled Bane's monster over, but it kept its feet, the spikes on its chest driving deep into the Black Lord's metal-clad chest.
The vast amounts of dark power that poured from the Sources they had opened caused the clouds to roil and thicken. Lightning flashed down to hammer into the ground, and thunder rumbled through the abbey walls from the distant battle, bringing the reality of it to them. A wind rose, carrying the stench of sulphur in through the open windows.
The Lady writhed on the radiant softness that upheld her, dismayed by the image of the battling behemoths that hung in the air before her. Her power poured from the light realm to keep the abbeys lighted and hold Arkonen's power at bay within the young healer. Her realm had shrunk further under this strain, some parts of it vanishing as the white fire that formed it was expended. Her fingers clasped the shimmering flesh of her right arm, where ugly blue welts had appeared on her pale skin.
"No, Bane," she whispered. "That is not the way. You will lose."
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