She shivered, shaking her head. "None of them."
"You cannot walk that far, and I am not carrying you all the way."
"You choose one, since we will share it."
"I will walk."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "I have no need to ride."
"You will get tired too."
"A little, yes."
She glanced at the demon steeds again. "Then I choose Kess."
Bane eyed the furious steed, which snorted fire and pawed the ground. "She is yours."
Mithran shook his head. "You expect us to ride those things?"
"They will not harm you, Father."
"They're evil."
"Yes."
"Isn't there something else we could ride?"
Bane smiled. "No."
Mithran grimaced. "How do we make them do as we want?"
"Talk to them."
"Won't they... you know..."
"Corrupt you? No."
Grem approached the black demon steed, Shaniss, displaying the courage Bane had always admired, and reached out to touch its shoulder. It tossed its head and swished its tail. The warrior ran his hand over its silken hide.
"It's just like a horse."
"It is a horse, long since dead and condemned for some terrible deed. Beasts are not capable of true evil, but can be corrupted by the humans who abuse them."
"Amazing," Grem said.
Bane turned to Mirra and lifted her onto Kess' back, where she clung to the glossy mane, biting her lip.
"All right?" he enquired, and she nodded.
Grem swung onto Shaniss' back, but Mithran continued to hesitate, looking reluctant. Bane went over to him and beckoned to Ardon, which approached with mincing steps. Mithran glanced at Grem and Mirra, then scrambled onto the grey charger's back, clinging to its mane. Bane turned to Kayos, and the Grey God led the way into the tunnel.
Chapter Five
Dead Domain
Several hours later, they left the red tunnel and emerged into a vast grey desert beneath a violent, stormy sky shot with silent lightning. As they traversed it, the ground changed from grey dust to dirty ice, and a bitter chill pervaded the air. Bane noticed that Kayos watched the sky, and did the same, wondering what kind of danger lurked in the clouds. They stopped to rest, and the three humans settled on the ground, facing each other. Bane sat between Mithran and Mirra, while Kayos wandered around a short distance away, examining the ground.
Something huge and dark shot from the clouds, heading straight for Kayos. Bane leapt to his feet with a warning shout, and Kayos spun around. An instant before the creature struck him, he reached down and pulled a curving shield of rock from the ground with a sweeping gesture. The creature hit it with a screech of claws and teeth, bounced off and tumbled towards Bane in a tangle of webbed wings and clawed feet. The Demon Lord raised his hands and unleashed a blast of dark fire, sending the creature spinning away with a scream of agony. It fell nearby, flapping, its jaws snapping.
Kayos had vanished. Mirra looked stunned, Mithran gaped at Bane and Grem scowled at the beast, his hand on the hilt of his sword, which he had not had time to draw. The Demon Lord approached the half-sphere of grey rock that Kayos had dragged from the ground and studied it, then tapped on it. After a moment the stone opened like a blossoming flower and sank into the ground, revealing Kayos sitting within it. He stood up, brushing ice from his trousers, and went over to examine the still twitching creature.
"A jarawok," he explained as Bane arrived at his side. "They live in the clouds. I have not seen one up close before, they move too fast."
"This one did not move fast enough."
"It was not attacking you."
Bane's brows rose. "Why would it only attack you?"
"Because it is a creature of darkness, much like the ones in the Overworld. It would not try to harm a dark god."
"I am sure there are plenty of other things that would."
"Yes."
The creature had a streamlined, teardrop-shaped torso and muscular hind legs armed with razor-clawed feet. A pair of narrow, pointed webbed wings curled around it as if incapable of folding properly. Orange eyes blazed in its black, hatchet-shaped head, and rows of pointed teeth filled its narrow jaws. Purplish ichor oozed from the wound in its chest and bubbled from its mouth. Mithran and Grem joined them, but Mirra stayed away, a hand pressed to her chest as she shared the creature's pain.
"Who created these?" Bane asked.
Kayos shrugged. "They may have escaped from a domain that collapsed, or possibly a light god created their forebears to guard him, and their descendants turned to the darkness."
"But how can life exist here?"
"In the God Realm, light and darkness are wild, and usually exist in areas separated by neutral regions. Much of it is in a state of flux, ever changing and unpredictable. Some parts contain life, but beasts such as these are sustained mostly by the dark power. They prey on mortal travellers who escape from collapsing domains."
"Why would a domain collapse?"
"When its creator is killed or driven out, a domain will slowly collapse, releasing some of its denizens into the God Realm."
"Does every domain have an Underworld?"
"Yes." Kayos turned away, and the trio of humans mounted the demon steeds and followed as he resumed the journey, Bane beside him. "The universe demands balance, therefore, where there is a light realm, there must be a dark one. Even domains created by the slaves of dark gods have the three realms separated by gates, if they contain life."
"Yet Arkonen tried to destroy the Overworld."
Kayos nodded. "I have seen it happen many times. A dark god will destroy the mid realm, then slay the light god or goddess, or force him or her to flee into the God Realm. The domain becomes dark as the white fire is drawn back into the Oracle, and the souls the light god created fly to another domain. The victorious dark god soon grows bored and leaves in search of another domain to destroy."
"That is pointless."
"Not to them. They exist for the joy of destruction and death. Occasionally you will find one who is content to dwell in the dark realm and wreak havoc in the mid realm. The light gods of these worlds can do little to prevent this, though some devise clever ways of trapping the dark god, as Lyriasharin did. With your help, she came close to destroying Arkonen, but you lacked the skill to use the white fire to trap and destroy his soul."
Bane stopped, and Kayos turned to face him. "Is this is how you intend to use me to destroy Telvaron?"
"Not unless there is no other way. I know how painful it would be for you. Ashynaria's domain has a mid-realm and a light realm, all under Telvaron's rule. If you have to fight him, you must Move him into one of those realms, where it will be easier for you to defeat him."
Bane walked on. "Have you any idea how dangerous it is for me to get close enough to a dark god to Move him?"
"More than you know. But it is your best hope of defeating him. You just need the skill to do it."
"I tried that with Arkonen, but he just Moved back into the darkness."
"Because you did not begin a Gather as soon as you had him in the light, so he could not."
Bane snorted. "I had to take him above the clouds. I cannot Gather and air walk at the same time."
"You could not enter the light realm, but in Ashynaria's domain there are no wards."
"You make it sound easy."
"That is not my intention. A great many things can go wrong, and Telvaron can employ many strategies. He is much older and more skilled than you, but he is not as powerful."
Bane cast the Elder God a curious glance. "How can you judge my power? You have not seen me use it."
"I do not have to; I can sense your potential."
"What makes me more powerful than others? Why are we not all equal, save in skill?"
Kayos shrugged. "Why is one man short and another tall? Or one woman beautiful and another plain? None of us are equal. Arkonen created
you as his equal, but you have far surpassed him. He chose you because you had potential, but he miscalculated, or perhaps he did not care, since he planned your death. Perhaps that is why he tried to kill you that way, because he knew you would outstrip him, or maybe he just did not know."
"It seems Lyriasharin told you the whole story."
"Naturally."
The grey desert's ice and chill gave way to another area of darkness, this time lighted by a dull red glow. A series of canyons crossed their path, and they stopped at the edge of an apparently bottomless abyss. Bane knew he would have to fly to the other side, which was too far away to see, but the ridges between the rifts offered places to stop and Gather. The trio of riders dismounted, eyeing the obstacle, and Mirra came to stand beside Bane.
"Can demon steeds fly?"
"No."
Kayos turned to them. "I will carry you."
"Thank you, My Lord,” Mirra said, “but I would prefer my husband to carry me."
Bane shook his head. "It will sicken you. It is better if Kayos -"
"No. I do not care about a little sickness."
"It will be worse than a Move. It may take several hours to cross this place."
"Why can you not protect me from your power as you do from that which surrounds us?"
He hesitated. "I have not tried, but I suppose it is possible."
"So try."
"I may have to stop and Gather."
She shrugged. "Then you will have to protect me from that too."
A wry smile tugged at his lips. "You have a lot of faith in me."
"Naturally."
Kayos said, "You must learn to fly without using the darkness, Bane. It is one of your inborn powers."
"Then it is one that has yet to manifest."
"So it would seem." The Grey God turned to Mithran and Grem, holding out his hands. "Take hold. So long as you touch me, you will fly beside me."
They hesitated, looking uncertain and a little reluctant, then Grem gripped Kayos' wrist. Mithran followed his example, although the need to touch the sacred person of a Grey God clearly discomfited him. Kayos stepped over the edge and drifted away, Mithran and Grem floating beside him. Bane scooped Mirra up and followed, a column of black fire supporting him, invisible in the gloom. Kayos flew swiftly, and Bane was glad he did, not wishing to prolong Mirra's ordeal.
Mirra retched, burying her face in his chest to hide her distress, and he strived to protect her from his power, which proved more difficult than he had imagined. Whenever he diverted power from his air walk to strengthen the shields around her, his flight faltered and he lost altitude. Restoring the power to his air walk brought back Mirra's sickness, though she tried to hide it. He could shield her from vast amounts of dark power, but when he was in contact with her, preventing that which coursed through him from sickening her seemed impossible.
"You should have gone with Kayos," he muttered.
She shook her head, her arms tightening. "I do not care, so long as I am with you."
"Well I do."
"I am all right."
"You do not look all right to me. You are as white as a sheet and green around the edges."
She giggled and gulped. "Fly faster then."
Canyons flashed past below, and after half an hour Bane landed on a ridge, his power almost depleted. He sank to one knee and seated Mirra on the other, and she sighed and smiled as her sickness ebbed.
Bane frowned at her. "When Kayos returns, go with him."
"No."
"I cannot protect you. I tried."
"It does not matter. It is not so bad."
He shook his head. "Why do you make me hurt you?"
"You are not. I choose to stay with you, no matter what."
Kayos landed nearby, releasing his charges, who staggered a little, looking bemused.
"It is not good to linger here for long," he warned.
"I must perform another Gather."
"Ah. The constraints of a mortal body."
"An unfortunate drawback."
"One of many, but still outweighed by the rewards."
Mirra went to stand with Mithran and Grem, allowing Bane to rise to his feet. The Demon Lord glanced at his father, then raised his arms and summoned the shadows. Evil thickened the air, as it had outside the Realm Gate, and it poured into him with a faint, high pitched screaming, like distant banshees. Four of the runes on his chest shone through his shirt, and Kayos eyed them.
Mithran turned away, and Mirra put a comforting hand on his arm. Bane cut the Gather, lowered his arms and grimaced as his stomach clenched. Kayos held out his hands to Grem and Mithran, and Bane scooped up Mirra and followed. Although he could not protect her entirely from it, he found that if he balanced the two uses of his power it lessened its effect on her without losing control of his flight, but it took a great deal of concentration.
By the time they reached the far side, Bane's power was almost used up again, and he paused to Gather more. The demon steeds would take a while to catch up, even with their great speed, so for the moment they all had to walk. Kayos signalled for silence, and Bane gazed around, sharpening his sight to penetrate the gloom.
The ruddy glow became a backdrop to a series of massive shapes crouched on either side of them. They appeared to be statues of hideous, tusked monsters, their bodies swollen and misshapen, their grim visages knobbly and ridged with bony growths. Their eyes were closed, and after a few minutes he became aware of a soft susurration, deep breaths being drawn in and exhaled. His hackles rose and his steps quickened. They passed twelve dark shapes before moving into an area of brighter redness, which appeared to be empty.
When he calculated it was safe to do so, Bane leant closer to Kayos and whispered, "What were those things?"
"Troll gods."
"Did we have to walk right through the middle of them?"
"Unfortunately, yes. This is the path I know. If I stray I will be lost. There was no real danger, they are asleep."
"How did you know they would not be awake this time?"
Kayos shrugged. "I did not, but I had no choice. I think they have been asleep for aeons, and the likelihood of them waking up at the moment when we passed them was extremely small."
"You might have warned me."
"I did not think you would see them."
"Well I did." Bane gazed around. "How much further until we can stop?"
"Do you require more rest?"
Bane glanced at Mirra. "We all need some sleep. We must have walked for more than two days now."
"Probably."
Bane eyed the Elder God. "Something else you do not need, I suppose?"
"Actually I do, but not as much as you. Unfortunately, safe places are hard to come by here."
"We could take turns to stand guard while the rest sleep."
Kayos shook his head. "To spend too much time in one place is to invite attack."
"Then I hope you have a better idea."
The Grey God looked thoughtful. "There is a domain near here, but gaining access will not be easy."
"Not impossible, though."
"No."
"Did you visit it last time you were here?"
"No."
"Then how do you know it is not a dark domain?"
Kayos headed off to his left. "I do not. If it is, tell them I am your prisoner."
"Will they believe it?"
"Yes. Dark and light gods keep no other kind of company, and they will not know you are tar'merin. If they ask you how you captured me, be evasive. Dark gods do not share their knowledge, so they will not suspect anything untoward."
"You think there will be more than one?"
Kayos glanced at him. "If it is a dark god's domain, there will be an enslaved light god, and possible a dark goddess as well. If it is a light domain, then possibly there will only be one."
"But if it is a dark god's domain, surely it will not be safe to sleep there?"
"No, then we keep moving. Unfortunately
, a dark god is more likely to open his Gate than a light one, for obvious reasons. I will approach the Gate; you remain invisible until I signal you."
"And if they do not open the Gate?"
Kayos patted his belt. "I have a Key. Not the one I used on my domain. This one opens many gates, but not all."
Bane sighed. "All for a bit of sleep."
The Elder God led the way into an area of hazy blueness shot with silver gleams, which gave the impression of streaming downwards like a waterfall. They walked through it until they reached a wall of grey rock, into which was set a massive, intricately carved Realm Gate. A faint blue nimbus appeared around Bane, indicating the presence of the white power, which he took to mean that the domain they approached was a light one. As Kayos approached the Gate, a network of white wards sprang into being. He stopped, not touching the lines, and Bane made himself invisible beyond the scope of the wards.
The Gate chimed, its sweet notes ringing dully in the God Realm's vastness. Bane rested a leg, yawning. Mirra, Mithran and Grem sat down further away, as they had been instructed. Bane's eyes drooped with fatigue, his legs ached and his feet throbbed, and he wondered if he should join Mirra on her demon steed when it returned. Stubborn pride made him walk, determined to prove he could keep up with Kayos. The chiming stopped, and Bane straightened. Something told him the Gate opened too soon, and Kayos seemed to feel the same way, for he stepped back.
The Gate swung inwards with majestic torpor, the ghostly blue luminescence that shone out of it riming Kayos with silver. A tall form stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light until he advanced down the sloping ramp and stopped at the bottom, far enough from Kayos that he was not a threat.
Kayos eyed the grey-clad Naribis dark god, whose black eyes bored into his like bottomless pits in a golden mask. Smooth taut skin moulded the perfect features dark gods were inclined to possess. The shadows' concept of perfection varied according to the species of its wielder, and to Kayos' eyes the flat nose and thin lips were reptilian and repellent.
A line of tiny scales ran down his nose, and pointed ears protruded from his dark grey hair. His long robe, belted at the waist with gold chains, covered all save his head and hands. Kayos was glad he had not sought shelter in this domain the last time he had come this way. Naribis gods were usually powerful, and this one appeared old. The Naribis eyed Kayos with ill-concealed avarice, but, even without Bane, Kayos was far from defenceless, and the Naribis was cautious. Kayos retreated another step.
Demon Lord III - Grey God Page 8