Demon Lord III - Grey God

by T C Southwell

  A man stepped from the darkness and strode through the Gate with lithe grace. His steel grey hair shimmered in the brilliant light and his pale skin glowed. His silver eyes flashed as they came to rest upon her. He stopped and regarded her with a grave smile. She gave a cry of joy and flung herself into her father's arms. Kayos enfolded her in a warm hug that she remembered from her childhood, and bent his head to kiss her hair. Behind him, the Realm Gate slowly closed, shutting away the shivering darkness with a soft boom and a grating of stone as the massive locks engaged.

  Kayos held her away and studied her, his broad smile revealing even white teeth. "Beloved daughter."

  "Honoured Father." She stepped back and gazed at him raptly.

  He raised her hands and kissed her palms. "My sweet child, dark are the aeons that have parted us. My heart sings with joy to be reunited with you."

  "As does mine. Joy overflows me."

  He laughed and pulled her into his arms again. "Long have I wished for this moment."

  "And I have lived for your return."

  For several minutes she clung to him, and he held her, kissing her cheeks and hair. Finally Kayos stepped back and cupped her face, piercing her soul with the intensity of his silver eyes.

  "Lyriasharin, my child. Tell me all is well."

  "All is well, Father."

  "But you are pale, my dear, your power is weak."

  She nodded. "Much has happened since you left."

  "Then let us sit and sup ambrosia while you tell me the tale. I have missed my home, and am well pleased to find it still in existence." He took her hand and led her out of the Gate Hall and into the cloud gardens' brilliance.

  Lyriasharin gazed at him, hardly able to believe he was real, and had finally returned from the God Realm's terrors. She had thought him lost. A thousand years was a long time to wait, even for a goddess. He strode with cat-like grace, his slender, supple form clothed in a light god's traditional garb. A pale grey jacket clung to his chest's muscular contours, glimmering with shifting hues as he moved, shot with silver and white sparkles. Dark grey trousers hugged to his slim hips, frosted with white and edged with silver. A silver belt clasped his waist, and the jacket's narrow tails hung to mid-thigh, front and back. Beneath it he wore a white silk shirt, and dark grey boots shod his narrow feet, their silver soles clicking on the marble floor.

  Kayos was an Elder God from the times of reckoning, when dust had formed stars and the God Realm had burnt. His kind was also known as Grey Gods, or sometimes Silver Gods, due to their odd colouring, which tended to be mostly grey, white and silver. His pale skin hardly lessened the overall impression of greyness, and his silver eyes could pierce a younger god's soul. His immense powers far outstripped hers, which were barely sufficient to sustain the three realms he had created. The light realm brightened perceptibly with his presence, star flowers flared as he passed, and rainbows appeared amongst the clouds.

  They entered the gazebo, and he caused a second couch to appear with a gesture, flopping down on it. Lyriasharin sank onto her couch, and he summoned a cup of ambrosia to sip, smiling.

  "My child, I have news. I have found your daughter."

  She stared at him in stunned disbelief. "Where is she? Why did you not bring her with you?"

  He shook his head. "Alas, she is a dark god's captive. I could not free her, though I tried."

  "How does she fair?"

  "She suffers, Lyria. He has used her to create a domain, and she is his slave."

  Lyriasharin bowed her head, her eyes stinging. "What can we do?"

  "Nothing, except to be comforted that she still lives, and perhaps one day the dark god will fall and she will be free."

  "My poor, foolish Ashyn. How she must now regret her rash flight into that blighted place."

  "It was a miracle I found her."

  "Could you do it again?"

  He shrugged. "Yes, but it would be pointless. The god who holds her is powerful."

  "How did you find her?"

  Kayos lay back and related the tale of his adventures in the God Realm while Lyriasharin listened, spellbound. A thousand years of history unfolded as he spoke, filled with the dark horrors and dangers he had faced. Many times, she made soft sounds of shock or amazement, but did not interrupt his narrative. When he told of her daughter bound and enslaved, her eyes flooded with tears and her heart filled with sorrow. Kayos paused occasionally, allowing several minutes pass while he sipped his ambrosia before continuing the tale. It ended when he stepped up the light realm's Gate and pressed the Key to it. A long silence descended when he finished, both of them lost in thought.

  Kayos roused from his reverie. "Now tell me all that has happened in my absence."

  Lyriasharin settled into the couch's billowing softness. The tale took a long time to relate, since Lyriasharin left out none of the details, as her father would expect. They sipped the bottomless cups of ambrosia, oblivious to the flittering movements of the garden's denizens. Kayos did not interrupt, and when she finished, she opened her eyes to find him frowning at her with deep concern.

  "So there are now two dark gods in my domain. I am perturbed. That Arkonen is trapped in the Underworld by these wards is good, and you did well to avert the disaster of his rising. But this other dark god concerns me. To leave him loose in the Overworld is to invite disaster. He cannot be allowed to remain."

  She sat up. "No, Father, Bane will do us no harm. He is uncorrupted."

  "If he carried the dark power for four years he is tainted, and I suspect that only his attachment to this healer keeps him from taking it up again. When she dies, he will become unpredictable, and could revert to evil at any time. It is well that I have returned now."

  "Bane is my ally, Father. He is my friend. Without him, Eternity would have fallen to Arkonen. We owe him a great debt. What could you do against him, in any case?"

  "He is very young, an infant by our standards. He could be duped into stepping through the Realm Gate."

  Lyriasharin shook her head. "No. I will not. You must not judge him without even meeting him."

  "How powerful is he?"

  She hesitated. "I believe he is superior to most dark gods. He has outstripped Arkonen."

  "How often does he use the dark power?"

  "He has not for two years, since he defeated Arkonen."

  Kayos regarded her with piercing eyes. "You care for him."

  "Yes."

  "Show him to me. Does he let you watch him?"

  The goddess nodded and gestured, creating the Eye through which she watched the Overworld. Since he was the last person she had watched, it was still tuned to Bane, and his image filled it. He sat on the lake shore, a fishing rod beside him, his eyes half closed as he dozed. Mirra was nowhere in sight, probably collecting flowers in the meadow beyond the trees behind him.

  Only two months had passed since their marriage, and they were rarely apart for any length of time. She hesitated, not wishing to intrude, even though he seemed unaware of her. Her father could only see her Eye's edge, and could not form one of his own without Bane sensing it. Mirra appeared through the trees with a bunch of flowers, which she set down before pouncing on Bane, making him start with surprise that Lyriasharin knew was feigned. They rolled together in the leaves, frolicking as only young lovers could.

  "This is not a good time." Lyriasharin raised a hand to dismiss the Eye.

  "Wait." Kayos leant forward. "I wish to see him now. The abhorrent acts of dark gods are familiar to me, I assure you."

  "It is not that."

  "Show me."

  Lyriasharin hesitated, then turned the Eye so he could see the image. Kayos' brows rose, and he shot his daughter a quizzical look. "This is a peasant man and his sweetheart."

  She shook her head. "Look at his aura."

  Kayos studied the image again, and his brows drew together. "What is his title?"

  "The Demon Lord."

  "His aura is pure." He sat back, and she dismissed the E
ye. "So, a strange one indeed."

  "Father, he could help us."

  "In what way do we need the aid of a dark god, child?"

  "To free Ashynaria."

  Kayos eyed her, his brow smoothing and a smile curling his lips. "No dark god will help one of our kind."

  "Bane would."

  "You have seen the depravities of which they are capable. The cruelty and senseless violence. They conquer and destroy realms purely for the pleasure it gives them. They enslave our kind and force us to serve them in abhorrent ways. They have even enslaved two Grey Gods for a time."

  "You?"

  "No."

  "Do you fear him?"

  Kayos sipped his ambrosia and lay back. "Even as young as he is, he could do great harm. I doubt he could enslave me, but he could certainly do it to you."

  "You do not know Bane. I do not fear him in the least. When the Gate chimed, my first thought was to appeal to him for help, if the one outside had been a danger."

  "A foolish notion. He may be distracted for now by this girl, and he has no power, but if he took it up to fight your foe, which I doubt, he would become corrupted and join the enemy instead."

  "No. Not Bane." She toyed with her cup. "He cast Arkonen down and saved the domain."

  "He defeated the one who had tortured him, with your aid, and to ensure the safety of the mortal he loves. He does not love you, child."

  "He is my friend, and I trust him."

  Kayos stood. "Then I shall meet him and test him."

  "Wait." Lyriasharin jumped up. "Let me speak to him first."

  "No. I want him to have no time to hatch schemes or invent lies."

  "Then I will come with you."

  He inclined his head. "Very well. But I will cloak you from his sight."

  "As you wish, Father."

  Kayos vanished, and a moment later, Lyriasharin followed him.

  The Elder God reappeared within the forest next to Bane's house, stilling the shiver that went through the earth with a calming motion of his hand. Lyriasharin appeared close by, visible only to him, her form translucent in the dappled sunlight that shone through the leaves. He turned and walked towards the nearest cabin, his shoes barely touching the leaves. No guardian wards barred his progress or gave alarm to the young man who sat before the humble abode, whittling a stick with a black-bladed dagger. He and the girl had returned from the lake only minutes before, and she was nowhere in sight.

  Bane looked up as a strange man emerged from the woods, surprised by his sudden appearance so close to the cabin. The grey-clad man walked closer, and Bane's scrutiny sharpened as he noticed a faint silvery nimbus surrounding him. His eyes flicked over the stranger.

  Kayos studied at Bane, intrigued by his lack of reaction to his presence. The dark god merely gazed at him, his expression shuttered. Lyriasharin moved to stand beside Bane, earning a frown from her father at her dangerous proximity.

  Kayos stopped several yards away. "Greetings, Demon Lord. Do you know who I am?"

  Bane nodded. "You are a light god, most probably Lyriasharin's father, Kayos."

  "Correct. I have returned from the God Realm after a thousand years."

  "Welcome back."

  Kayos tilted his head. "I am displeased to find a dark god at large in the Overworld."

  "I do it no harm."

  "Your presence offends me."

  Bane turned his head as if detecting the faint fragrance of flowers that gave away Lyriasharin's presence. "Lyriasharin does not mind."

  "This is my domain, not my daughter's."

  "You have no reason to fear me."

  "Nor do I have any reason to trust you."

  Bane shrugged. "What do you intend to do?"

  Kayos gazed at him, puzzled. "If I asked you to leave my domain, what would you do?"

  "I would ask where you wished me to go."

  "Into the God Realm."

  "I have never been there. I was born here, and this is my home. I have given you no reason to cast me out."

  Kayos frowned. "What you are gives me reason. You are a threat to my domain."

  "I did not ask to be what I am, nor do I pose a threat to you."

  "Your words do not comfort me. Dark gods are liars."

  "I am not lying." Bane's tone was mild, but his eyes glinted. "You have no right to judge me."

  Kayos looked at his daughter and relinquished the cloak of invisibility with which he had hidden her. The Lady appeared in a shimmer of light, and Bane stood up, turning to face her.

  Lyriasharin placed a pale hand on Bane's arm, smiling at him. "Bane."

  "Lyriasharin."

  Kayos frowned, concerned for his daughter's safety. "Lyria, come away."

  "No, Father. I do not fear Bane. He has never attempted to take hold of me. I will not banish him. You have done nothing except try to anger him, and even that has not worked. Ask him if he will help us."

  "I would not waste my time on such a useless exercise."

  "Test him then," she challenged.

  "He will not allow it."

  "He will."

  Bane eyed Kayos. "Do as you wish."

  Kayos closed his eyes for a moment, his brows rising as he studied the blue-white purity of the young man's soul, untarnished despite his use of the darkness. An idea occurred to him that caused his breath to catch and his heart to pound. Lyriasharin watched him with puzzled eyes. Was it possible that such a marvel had been born in his domain? A light god, even one as powerful as he, would not come within touching distance of a dark one, yet Lyriasharin's fearlessness, along with the purity of Bane's soul and the fact that he carried no dark power, reassured the Elder God.

  Kayos approached Bane, whose flawless features bespoke a tremendous use of the dark power, yet his demeanour was placid. Stopping within a pace of him, Kayos hesitated, age old instincts clamouring for the safety of distance between them. He found himself forced to look up at the young god, who was half a head taller. Putting aside his doubts, he raised a hand and touched the Demon Lord's chest, opening himself to his senses. After a moment he stepped back, frowning to hide the surge of excitement and wonder that rushed through him.

  "You are tar'merin."

  "What is that?" Bane enquired.

  "It means you are uncorrupted. Your soul has resisted the dark power." Kayos turned and walked away, beckoning to Lyriasharin. "Come, Daughter, let us return to Eternity, I would speak to you."

  The Lady cast Bane a smile and followed her father. Their power lingered in the earth where they had been standing, causing it to shimmer and burgeon with lush grass. Bane wondered what aid Lyriasharin needed. He liked the goddess; she had given Mirra back to him when the droge, Dorel, had killed her. Turning away from the patch of glowing ground, he went the cabin, where he found Mirra grinding nuts for the evening meal. Everything she prepared was strictly vegetarian, so when he, Grem and Mithran wanted meat, they hunted and cooked it in the forest. She looked up with a smile as he entered the kitchen.

  Blue fire sheathed the inside of the cabin, providing light and warmth as well as several other magical conveniences. He had found the blue magic easy to use once he had discovered its source between the white light above and the darkness below. The cloud bed he had created on their wedding night had been only the latest in a long list of things he had made with the blue power. It also channelled water into the house from a nearby stream, the flow controlled by a simple gesture.

  He sank down on a chair at the well-scrubbed table. "I just spoke to Lyriasharin."

  Mirra swung around with a gasp, scattering nuts. "How wonderful! What did she say?"

  Bane related the tale, and she sat on the chair beside him, her expression awe stricken. When he had finished, she shook her head in amazement. "You met Kayos. He has returned after a thousand years. This is momentous news, I must tell Elder Mother at once."

  Mirra jumped up and ran into the bedroom, where she kept her scrying glass, and Bane sighed, filching some nuts from her ingr
edients as he pondered the encounter.

  Kayos stood on the cliff and gazed down at the Eternal City, lost in thought. Lyriasharin waited beside him, idly running her fingers through a cloud of glowing white fire filled with twinkling star flowers. After several minutes he turned to her, his silver eyes piercing.

  "A tar'merin is not merely uncorrupted, he is incorruptible. That is why he was not seduced by the darkness, even after four years under its influence. His soul is so pure he could take up the dark power forever and not be soiled. His kind is legendary, but I never thought to meet one, for they are exceedingly rare. They are amongst the most powerful of all the gods, but I have not heard of a mortal one before. Only four others have ever existed, and I learnt all that I could about them, for they were truly miraculous.

  "Imagine it, Lyria. A dark god who will fight for the light; who will use his immense destructive powers to defeat his own kind and save ours." He cupped her cheek. "You did well to save him, my child. He is incredibly valuable, and, had your healer not persuaded him to cast Arkonen down, I have no doubt Arkonen would have slain him and destroyed his soul, even though I doubt your spouse knows his true nature. When he made Bane a god, he not only sealed his own doom, but that of many others of his kind, I hope." Kayos looked pensive, gazing down at the city again.

  "Unfortunately, he still might not help us. He will not want to leave his wife, and he will care nothing for a goddess he has not met. But one as rare and as valuable as he cannot be allowed to languish in sloth. We must persuade him to use his powers for good." Kayos sighed. "Have you brought him here before?"

  She nodded, lowering her eyes, and he shook his head in gentle reproof. "That was foolish. And you did not tell me."