Demon Lord III - Grey God

by T C Southwell

  Mirra released Bane, who cast her a martyred look. "Yes, my husband is wonderfully strange."

  Bane dismissed the cup of ambrosia and stood up. "Let us be on our way then."

  The Grey God rejoined them, and Tarris led them in the direction in which they had been travelling, veering to the left. Soon, however, her exhaustion forced her to stop and sink down in a heap, her head bowed.

  "Forgive me, lords, I have no strength."

  Grem dismounted and approached, addressing Kayos. "She may ride my steed, Lord."

  Tarris looked up with a weary smile. "I have not even the strength to cling to your beast without a saddle, but thank you, My Lord."

  Grem nodded and retreated, his steed following. Kayos scooped up more sand to create sweet cakes and a flask of honey mead. While she ate, he came over to Bane, who had created another seat for himself, still tired from his battle with the Naribis.

  "How do you intend to do this?"

  Bane eyed him. "As quickly as possible?"

  He ignored the quip. "The element of surprise would be of great benefit."

  "No doubt, but will that not be difficult if I have to blast my way in?"

  "Through a Realm Gate?" Kayos chuckled. "Even you are not capable of that."

  "I might surprise you. I examined the Gate at the dead domain, and I think I could do it."

  "Beware the arrogance of the dark power, Bane. Perhaps you could, but do not try to walk through one, whatever you do. The wards around a Gate are the most powerful ever created, and would incinerate you. Unfortunately, dark gods use Keys stolen from their slaves to enter domains. If my Key works, we will be able to enter without causing too much of a ruckus, and then you will have to deal with the goddess and her demons.

  "In a light realm they will have no access to the dark power, and she will be a droge. Strip away her form and prevent her from Moving, and the light will do the rest. Her soul will fly to the Land of the Dead, where hopefully Vorkon will not find her for a while. If you can defeat her and her demons quickly enough, no warning will reach him."

  Kayos looked pensive. "He will not know of her defeat unless he is in the dark realm, and as a spirit she cannot warn him. It is doubtful he will be in the Darkworld, since he has already conquered the mid-realm. He is more likely to be there, trying to capture Drayshina. We do not need a lot of time, only enough to enter the light realm and meet Drayshina."

  Bane sighed and rubbed his face. "I need to rest."

  "Not here. The best place to rest will be in Drayshina's light realm, before Vorkon becomes aware of your presence. It means a delay, but that cannot be helped. I will enter first and distract the goddess, which will give you more time to prepare yourself. A word of warning. Be sure to raise your shields in the instant you strike. The discharge of dark power in a light realm will have spectacular results."

  Bane glanced at Tarris, who had finished her meal and gazed at him pensively. She looked away, but he found her penchant for staring at him annoying. "What about the others?"

  "They will wait outside." Kayos raised a hand when Bane opened his mouth to protest. "They will be safe for a short time, never fear."

  Bane looked around as Tarris rose to her feet and set off again. The journey continued at a slow pace until she had regained enough strength to ride with Grem, whereupon the pace quickened.

  Leaving the red desert, they passed through an innocuous area of brilliant yellow clouds, reminiscent of a light realm, with twinkling stars shining in the mist. After that they entered a grey, rocky landscape under a pale, featureless sky. Creatures that looked like giant scorpions scuttled amongst the rocks, rushed forward to menace them with raised claws, then retreated. The sky darkened and the rocky terrain faded, leaving them once more in an area of darkness.

  They came to a vast cliff of black rock, and Tarris pointed to a barely visible Realm Gate, only the fine cracks of its outline revealing its presence. Kayos studied it, then turned to Bane.

  "Are you ready?"

  Bane shrugged, glancing at Tarris, who gazed at him with wide eyes, bit her lip and looked nervous, but hopeful. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his trousers.

  Kayos said, "This goddess will be nothing more than a doxy, a beautiful woman he has corrupted to be his companion. She will not fight you."

  Bane clasped his hands behind his back. The memory of his battle with Arkonen haunted him still. The encounter with the Narabi had been too sudden to allow for an attack of nerves, and that had been fairly disastrous, in his opinion. The Grey God took a shining Key from his pocket and approached the Realm Gate.

  Mirra came to his side and took his hand, glancing up at him in surprise. "You are shaking."

  He nodded. "Wait here until it is safe."

  Concern shone in her eyes. "You should not be afraid. I know you will win."

  He forced a weak smile. "Then you know more than I. You would not understand. You cannot. You do not know what it is like to face a dark god, or even a goddess. It is not what I would call fun."

  "I did not think you would be afraid."

  "I am not as confident of my omnipotence as you appear to be. If anything happens to me, you -"

  "Nothing will happen to you. You should have more faith in yourself. You can do this. You were not afraid when you fought Arkonen."

  "Not the first time, which is why I was almost killed and you were captured. The second time I was almost too afraid to face him, and I only did it to save you. This could end in disaster."

  "It will not." She shook her head, her mouth set in a determined line. "Just be careful."

  Bane raised her hand and kissed her palm.

  The wards' radiant lines sprang into being with a soft hiss as Kayos approached them, and he touched the Key to one of them. They winked out, and the Gate began to glow and chime. Striding up to it, he pressed the Key to the carved portal. After another long delay, the chiming stopped, and the gigantic lock disengaged with a soft grating. Bane became invisible and strode after Kayos as the Gate opened. Brilliant white light flooded out, making him squint, and Kayos held up a hand to shield his eyes.

  A slender woman stood framed in the gateway, the light gilding her bright red hair and milk-pale skin, turning her green eyes to glowing gems. She wore a floor-length gown of shimmering gold, which clung to her curves like a second skin. Jewels dripped from her throat and ears, clasped her wrists and adorned her fingers with flashes of fire.

  Her beauty surprised Bane, and she smiled, beckoning to Kayos with a languid, seductive gesture.

  "Enter, My Lord, and welcome."

  Kayos ascended to the door, Bane close behind him, where he hoped the goddess would not sense his presence. Her attention, however, was fixed upon Kayos, her eyes alight with delighted avarice. The light realm brightened as Kayos stepped over the threshold, and he stopped before her, beyond her reach.

  "I seek Drayshina."

  "She will return shortly. Take some refreshment and ease while you wait." She looked puzzled by Kayos' lack of fear, but evidently did not have the experience or knowledge to suspect anything untoward.

  Bane scanned the imposing hall, which was more lavishly decorated than Kayos' one, finding fourteen demons in various guises, and five droges. The demons stood against the walls, their forms blending into the carved whiteness, perfectly camouflaged so as to be almost invisible. Two earth demons disguised as pillars stood sentinel at the Gate, which swung closed with a soft boom. The droges hid behind the pillars, only their curiosity betraying their presence as they peered from their hiding places when Kayos' back was turned.

  The goddess walked away, then paused to smile at Kayos and indicate that he should precede her with a sweep of her hand. Bane wondered if she lacked either the power or the courage to try to capture the Grey God herself, or merely wished to lead him away from the Gate first. Kayos lingered, feigning interest in the hall.

  Bane knew he must strike before she sent a messenger to summon Vorkon, which she could do at any mo
ment with a flick of her fingers. Raising his arms, he shed the cloak of invisibility, and the goddess' eyes widened as she spied him. She opened her mouth to shriek a warning at the demons, and he unleashed the dark fire in two sweeping swathes, one directed at her, the other at the demons behind him. Kayos dropped into a crouch and flung up a blazing shield as the dark fire swept over him, and Bane squinted as his power warred with the light in a flare of brilliant blue.

  The goddess' scream reached him through the hissing roar of the conflagration, and he spun away before she could Gather from him, sending lashes of burning shadow at the remaining demons, some of whom tried to dive into the ground to escape it. The fire demons exploded in crackling roars, the earth demons slumped into mounds of diamond sand on the alabaster floor. The blinding light faded as he let his power die, and he swung to face the goddess. His fire had stripped her of her droge body, and her dark form shrank and shredded in the white light, surrounded by a blaze of blue.

  Bane Moved to her side and took hold of her, Gathering her remaining power to prevent her from Moving. The confrontation had taken mere moments, but a furtive movement caught his eye as a surviving demon sank into the floor. Without pausing to think about what he did, he took hold of time with a wrench that made the hall quiver and directed a lash of dark power at the demon that hung trapped in mid-flight, scattering its essence. Two droges were smears of grey ash on the floor, the other three cowered behind the pillars. He spoke the harsh words that rescinded their forms, and they wailed as their bodies melted away, their glowing red souls vanishing downwards. Swinging back to the goddess, he found that she too was now a bright spark of red light, which shot into the floor, drawn back to the Land of the Dead.

  Bane lowered his arms as the last remnants of blue brilliance shrank into fading sparkles and soft gleams. Kayos straightened, his shield winking out, and turned to Bane with a smile.

  "Most impressive."

  "If only Arkonen had been so easy to defeat."

  Bane glanced around at the mother-of-pearl pillars, some of which now bore dull grey patches, a few even had cracks in them. Kayos followed his gaze, calculating the damage with a measuring glance, then walked to the Gate and pressed the Key to it. It chimed, and they waited while the locks disengaged. When the Gate swung open, Kayos beckoned to the four humans who waited outside. Tarris' eyes widened as she took in the damage to the hall, and the look she cast Bane was respectful and a little fearful. She bowed to him.

  "You have freed the light realm from the taint of evil, Lord. I thank you. Drayshina thanks you."

  "All but my own," Bane said, raising a hand when she opened her mouth. "Do not bother. Summon your goddess."

  Tarris bowed her head and sank to her knees, clasping her hands in prayer. Mirra came to Bane's side and inspected him, smiled and took his hand when she found him unhurt. Kayos wandered away into the cloud gardens, which resembled Eternity. Only its design and the appearance of its denizens varied. They followed him to an intricately carved alabaster gazebo, where a pale cloud couch hovered, bereft of its usual occupant. The Grey God gestured to it.

  "Rest, you must be tired."

  Bane sank down with a sigh, Mirra beside him. Tiredness weighed his limbs, adding to the lingering weakness from his injury, and he wondered how long it would take the goddess to arrive. His blood thrummed in the aftermath of his use of the power, adding to his fatigue.

  Chapter Eight

  Light goddess

  Tarris closed her eyes and whispered, "It is safe, My Goddess. The great Grey God, Kayos, is here. He found me in the God Realm, and his companion has defeated Jishka and her demons. He awaits your presence and offers you freedom. I tell you truly, see it in my mind. There is no deceit, no trap, I swear."

  Raising her head, she sat back on her heels and thought about the strangers whose company she now kept. The Demon Lord terrified and fascinated her. Even though he could have been mistaken for an ordinary man, now that she knew what he was, she recognised the distinctive look of his kind, and recalled his eyes' coldness with a shiver.

  The warmth with which he regarded his wife amazed her. His kind was supposed to be incapable of such emotions, and she wondered if the commonly held belief that dark gods were cold-hearted monsters was wrong, or if it was only tar'merin. Kayos awed her. The tales of his prowess and his part in the Beginning Time had been well taught in Drayshina's temples. The vast powers of the Grey Gods were legendary, and he was the eldest and greatest of them all.

  The air before her shimmered, and the light realm pulsed and brightened as Drayshina appeared. Long ebon hair framed a golden-skinned, finely sculpted face with eyes as dark as thunderclouds beneath arched brows. Tarris prostrated herself, and Drayshina gestured for her to rise, glancing around at the grey, cracked spots on the pillars. Her eyes narrowed.

  "Child, dark power has been used here." She spoke in a soft, musical voice.

  "Yes, My Lady. Kayos' companion destroyed Jishka and her demons."

  "A dark god."

  "Yes. But one who walks in the light. Lord Kayos called him tar'merin, and vouched for him."

  "Tar'merin." Drayshina frowned. "One such has not existed for aeons. How can you be certain Kayos is not his captive, and lied upon his instruction?"

  "It did not seem that way to me, My Lady. They walk together as equals, and Kayos wears no bindings."

  "You know much of the ways of gods, child, but not all."

  Tarris glanced at the Realm Gate. "The Gate is unguarded."

  "Yes, and therein lies my assurance, though I like the situation not. If this be a ruse, it is a clever one."

  "Could a dark god capture a great one?"

  Drayshina's lips thinned. "Yes. But he would have to be powerful indeed to capture Kayos. Where are they?"

  Tarris gestured to the end of the hall. "In the gardens."

  The goddess headed in that direction, seeming to float above the ground, her shimmering, mother-of-pearl gown swaying with the rhythm of her graceful strides. Tarris followed, her heart filled with tentative joy, mixed with trepidation that Bane had duped her. If so, she had brought yet more danger to menace her goddess, a prospect that did not bear contemplation.

  There was no sign of the strangers in the gardens, and Drayshina followed the path that led to the gazebo. As she approached it, a Grey God stepped out to greet her with a gentle smile, his eyes soft with affection. She stretched forth her hands in joyous welcome.

  "Lord Kayos."

  "Drayshina, daughter of my brother Ordur."

  "You are most welcome in my domain, My Lord."

  He took her hands and raised one to his lips. "Your welcome brings me joy."

  "I am grateful to you for coming to my aid."

  "I only wish it was I who offered it." He released one of her hands, but kept hold of the other. "I would like you to meet my companions."

  Kayos turned to the gazebo, and Drayshina's breath caught as a tall, black-clad man stepped out of it and wandered towards them, his fire-blue eyes flicking over her. His pale skin seemed to glow in her realm's brilliance, and his hair gleamed like a raven's wing. A nimbus of blue fire edged the dark aura that surrounded him like a shadow. Her instinctive fear of his ilk made her step back, a large part of her wishing to flee his presence, but Kayos' hand held her in place. He tightened his grip to reassure her, casting her a serene smile.

  "This is Bane, the Demon Lord."

  Drayshina shuddered at the name, which evoked images of demons and curses. She found her throat tight and swallowed. "I bid you welcome, Demon Lord."

  He inclined his head, looking tired and a little irritated. Kayos indicated the slender girl at his side, whom Drayshina had barely noticed. "His wife, Mirra." He gestured to the two travel weary men who waited nearby. "His father Mithran and his friend Grem."

  The men knelt and bowed their heads, as did the girl, causing Bane to frown down at her.

  "You are all welcome. Rise." She turned to Kayos, fighting to control he
r emotions. "We must flee before Vorkon comes. I - I must prepare myself for..."

  "Hush, child, be not uneasy. He has no reason to come here. Those who guarded the Gate had no chance to warn him of our presence."

  "Jishka is powerful."

  "Not compared to Bane." Kayos smiled. "She is now in the Land of the Dead, along with her servants, and her demons are destroyed."

  She shot Bane a sidelong glance. "He cannot be so powerful that he could defeat Jishka so easily."

  "She was taken by surprise."

  "I am in your debt, My Lord," she said to Bane, who tilted his head and yawned.

  Kayos drew her aside and murmured, "You would do well to treat him with civility, Drayshina. He can free your domain from Vorkon. You have Mirra to thank for your freedom, but I doubt she will seek to press him further. While she is able to influence him, I sense her reluctance to do it, for if he is harmed in the granting of her wish, she will be anguished. It at least brought him here, where you can speak to him. He is extremely reluctant to confront Vorkon, understandably. Whether or not he will be inclined to do so depends on you, but if you continue to be rude to him, he will certainly not consider it."

  "His kind does not help us," she replied. "They do not help anyone. They are usually too busy slaughtering or torturing them."

  "He might help you, if you can persuade him. I recommend you do so, for to abandon this domain and all your people to Vorkon's rule will be a hard thing to do, and will bring you great pain. To seek out another Realm Seed in the wastes will also be arduous and dangerous. But for him to face and defeat Vorkon is no small matter, and he will not take on such a task lightly, I can assure you."

  A slight frown puckered her brow. "What payment will he demand? My servitude?"

  He sighed and shook his head. "Put aside your prejudice for the moment. Think of him as an ally, not an enemy. Would I be with him if he was evil?"

  "Why are you with him?"

  "He has agreed to free my granddaughter Ashynaria from slavery, in return for the deification of his wife. He has already cast down a dark god in my domain, who rose in my absence and almost enslaved my daughter, Lyriasharin. It is a boon to have him on our side."