“Now you die, mortal god,” the tra’mith grated. “We will avenge our brethren.”
“You are fools to attack me.”
“We are not afraid of you.” He waved his crude sword at the city. “It is indeed a fine place out here. Lots of mortals and many worlds, but already light gods and angels hunt us, doubtless thanks to you. Why would you warn them?”
“What makes you think I did? I am sure you have slaughtered many already.”
“We have feasted, but do not imagine the weak fools who serve the light will triumph. They will regret finding us, and already we have ravished many humans and angels. Our kind will become prolific, and rule every world.”
“Your blighted offspring will be stamped out. The light gods will see to it.”
The angel tilted his head. “Why do you champion the light?”
“I do not. You are abominations. My kind will slay you too, if you are no use to them, and since you are so arrogant, you are not. Your extinction is guaranteed.”
“Our females are well hidden, and already with child.”
“As soon as they are found, they will die.”
“No one will find them.”
Bane’s lip curled. “Run and hide then, while you can, but seeking me out was a mistake.”
A movement stirred the air beside Bane, and he stabbed at it, then lunged at the visible tra’mith. He vanished as Bane’s sword swished through the spot where he had been. Bane became invisible, even though it did not serve him as well as it did the dark angels, since they could still detect him. They were growing bolder, goaded by the dark power’s arrogance. Soon, one of them would blunder. A thud behind him made Bane spin, his sword raised. He leapt aside, slashing at the spot. A dark angel became visible as the weapon clipped his wing and made him reel, and he leapt into a Channel. So, if he touched them, he could see them.
Bane whipped around again, and his weapon hit the second angel, sliced deep into his ribs and sent him sprawling. As Bane followed, something hit him from the side. The tra’mith seized Bane’s sword arm, his face twisted, and stabbed at his chest with a curved dagger. Bane blocked the blow, the weapon gashing his arm, and the angel slashed at his neck. Bane parried it again, drew his dagger with his left hand and impaled the angel’s flank. He released Bane and vanished. Bane glanced around, but the second angel had also disappeared.
Bane took stock of his injuries, neither of which was serious. He was far faster than the tra’mith, and the bolder one had paid the price, but Kayos was right; he had to kill these two, lest they follow him. They lost him for a while when he Moved, but he could not do that in the God Realm. He cut a strip off his shirt and bound his arm, wondering if the angel he had injured would die.
An almost inaudible swish made him spin and slash as an angel with snowy wings sprang from the air. The tra’mith became visible as the newcomer bore him to the ground. Bane stemmed his stroke as the two rolled across the concrete in a blur of white and grey, massive wings beating. The dark angel broke free, leapt up and vanished, his attacker in hot pursuit. Bane stared at the spot where they had been, surprised. He could have sworn an archangel had attacked the tra’mith. He dispersed the shields and waited. Tense seconds ticked past, then the air above and to his left parted and the two angels fell out, hit the ground with a thud and grunt and jumped to their feet.
The dark angel scanned the area, clearly wary of Bane. The archangel wore silver armour and was armed with the Sword of Vengeance: Majelin. He sprang at the tra’mith, his sword aimed at his foe’s heart, but he spun away. The archangel’s weapon sliced into his opponent’s shoulder, and he raised his sword as Majelin crashed into him, sending him sprawling. Bane found their fighting style insane, since it involved so much brutal contact between two beings whose wings looked so fragile. Perhaps broken wings were the object of the exercise.
Majelin pinned the tra’mith, holding his sword at bay, and Bane stepped up and chopped off the dark angel’s head. Majelin jumped up and backed away. Remembering that he was invisible, Bane shed the light shield.
The archangel relaxed, lowering his weapon. “Demon Lord.”
Bane rested the tip of his sword on the ground and leant on it. “Majelin. What brings you here?”
“You required my aid.”
“Actually, I thought I was doing quite well, and was close to killing that bastard. I already killed the other one, or, at least, I injured him.”
“Did you?” Majelin frowned at the corpse. “That is bad.”
“How so? And how did you find me?”
“I was trying to find him in the Channels, and eventually I did, just as he attacked you. As to why it is bad that you injured one who escaped, that is because he will summon the rest.”
“There cannot be that many left.”
“I must go.” Majelin turned away, then swung back. “If you wish to keep your existence a secret, as Kayos does, do not let them see you.”
“Who? Majelin, wait, I…”
The archangel stepped into the air, and Bane frowned at the spot where he had been and muttered, “So now he leaves.”
The Demon Lord sighed and gazed at the city, then at the corpse, which had turned grey, as if made of ash. He poked it with his sword, and it crumbled, revealing that it was indeed ash. Drevarin appeared beside him and bent to peer at the angel-shaped pile of dust.
“So, when dark angels die, they are snuffed out utterly,” he commented. “Nothing remains of them, not even their flesh.”
A sparkling in the sky drew Bane’s eyes upwards. Along the edge of a bank of clouds, the air shimmered and parted. Angels stepped out, spread their wings and soared towards him. Each held a shining sword that pale fire licked. Pure white hair flew around their shoulders and silver armour clad their muscular torsos. Archangels.
The angels swooped into the city, and fire demons rose to meet them. The archangels stabbed and slashed, making the demons dim and swirl as blue fire ate away at their sickly flames. One rushed at an archangel who fought an air demon, striking him with a massive impact. The angel’s wings folded and he fell to earth, his foe on top of him. Bane started towards them, but then three angels appeared beside the embattled pair and plunged their weapons into the demon, which expired in a greenish-yellow flash. The three rescuers helped the downed angel up, and they all vanished again. Further down the street, an earth demon slumped into a pile of soil and rocks. An archangel stood over the mound, a silver sword glinting in his fist, then stepped into the air.
“It seems your friend has summoned aid,” Drevarin observed. “Archangels fight the darkness in all its forms.”
“They are insane. They will be slaughtered. It is hard to vanquish greater demons.”
“They have the Sword of Vengeance.”
“I hope that is enough.”
“I do not think they are fools, Bane. They know what they face.”
“Do they?”
“Most of them are older than the two of us put together, and have been fighting demons all their lives. Plus, they are immortal.”
The angels disappeared as they returned to the Channels to seek out demons. A rustle of wings made Bane turn.
Majelin bowed. “Demon Lord. I have asked my brothers to aid in this battle. We may not be able to defeat a dark god, but we are a lot better at fighting demons.” He gestured. “Look.”
Bane looked down. Far below, three angels surrounded what appeared to be a businessman and ran him through. The man crumbled to dust, and the angels returned to the Channels as people shouted and fled. Up and down the street, archangels attacked people who turned out to be demons, always three to one, and their ploy of surprising the disguised demons was effective. While the demons that had attacked the city had left, many others remained, it appeared. The people who had emerged from their hiding places fled from the brief bouts, but the conflicts were over so swiftly they allowed only a glimpse the combatants.
Some demons shed their disguises and fought back, and not a
ll the battles went in the archangels’ favour, as demons and droges drew together in defensive gangs. Two dark angels attacked an archangel and retreated into Channels almost immediately. The archangels followed, to continue the conflicts within them, Bane assumed.
Bane fought the dark power’s malicious enjoyment of the angels’ peril, most of whom leapt into a Channel when attacked. In other instances, more angels joined a fray to even the odds. The abundance of demons surprised Bane, who had not taken note of the number of soulless before the battle.
Bane turned to Majelin. “Your brethren should leave. They cannot win.”
“We know, but it is our duty to fight the minions of the darkness.”
“These people do not deserve your aid.”
“We are not here for them.”
“Then why?”
“The child goddess,” Majelin said. “You have done all you can for her and these corrupted people. Now it is time to allow others to partake in the battle. This is not only your fight.”
“It is pointless. This world is doomed, and I hardly think you lot are equipped to fight demons.”
“We will surprise you, then.” Majelin smiled and raised his sword. “Also, we are far better equipped to fight dark angels. We will slay them, rest assured. Ordur has ordered it.” He leapt off the roof and glided down.
Bane stepped closer to the edge to watch him.
Drevarin came to stand beside him. “It is time we joined in, do you not think? The demons will not flee and the archangels will not see you if you make yourself invisible.”
“They will as soon as I use the black fire.”
“Then Move.” Drevarin vanished.
Bane Moved to the street, became invisible and directed twin streams of black fire at a demon, blowing it apart. He searched for the soulless, since droges were harder to spot, owning corrupted souls, like most of the populace. Archangels assaulted demons in melees of flashing swords and sweeping wings, leaving bystanders agog. Piles of soil littered the pavement, and Bane destroyed or dismissed any demons within his range.
A few droges fired projectile weapons or light guns at the angels when they attacked a demon, and the angels made short work of them. The conflict became a running battle between archangels and demons, but the angels had the advantage of the Channels and used them to good effect, while the earth demons had nowhere to flee. Even if they dived into the ground, the angels stabbed their fiery swords into the pavement to impale them.
A fire demon took true form and flew down the street, but an archangel smashed into it from the side in a tangle flames and wings. An air demon swooped at three angels battling an earth fiend, and another angel stepped forth to plunge his sword into the misty form, which burst into a poisonous cloud. Bane destroyed several more demons before others turned tail and quit the city. Droges fled in air cars, sometimes pursued by angels, who attacked the vehicles and slew all within in a bloodless carnage.
Bane rounded a corner and found three angels battling an earth demon, which smashed one down. Bane unleashed a bolt that tore into its chest, and it turned to dust. The other two angels landed next to their fallen comrade and knelt. One lifted his head, murmuring to him, then picked him up and stepped into the air.
The Demon Lord continued down the street, wondering how many archangels would perish. He suspected that, like tra’mith, catastrophic injuries would kill them, despite their immortality. Angels died. Immortality was never as the word implied. Immortals lived forever unless someone killed them, since the inability to die could not overcome such fates as burning, dismemberment or being turned into something else, such as stone. Any survivor of those fates would rue his immortality deeply.
Mortals, ironically, had more claim to immortality, being blessed with an immortal soul, which immortals were not. For them, death was the end. Bane wished he knew more about what happened when angels fell, but that was the purview of the light. He was surprised that the archangels were such effective fighters, when armed with their Sword of Vengeance. On their own, they would stand little chance, especially against a fire demon, but in trios, and with the advantage of surprise, they made short work of them. The fact that the demons wore human disguises helped, too, for they were far more formidable in their natural forms.
A rumble of thunder made him look up. Grey clouds blanketed the sky and blocked out the sun. He had been too busy to notice the clouds rolling in, but now rain began to fall. He knew at least one angel had died. The sky wept when angels fell. He wished he had been there to save him. Angels should not die to save unbelievers, even for the sake of a child goddess. Perhaps the rain was Sherinias’ tears. She had been weeping when he had left the light realm.
Bane crossed into a wide thoroughfare lined with trees and shops, where a group of ten archangels stood in the centre of the road. Frightened people hurried past them, and he surmised that the angels were invisible to all but gods. Majelin stood at the group’s forefront, his expression proud and just a little bit smug. Bane stopped a few paces away.
Dozens of archangels drifted down to land behind him. Their cobweb clothing and silver armour were fairly uniform, as were their tall, powerful physiques, shoulder-length white hair and black brows.
Majelin bowed to his brothers, and they returned it, then stepped into the air one by one. When only Majelin remained, Bane shed his light shield.
The archangel smiled. “We have done all we can for this world. Most of the demons have been driven from the cities or defeated. The droges are beneath our notice. The humans must find ways to protect themselves now.”
“I think they have learnt an important lesson today.”
“The demons will not return for some time. We never will. The battle for this world is over. Let fate prevail. You should leave, Demon Lord.”
“I intend to. What about the dark angels?”
“As far as we know, only three remain. My brethren are hunting them.”
Bane nodded. “I am grateful for your aid, and that of your comrades.”
“I only fulfil my oath, and as for the others, this is their purpose. No thanks are required.”
“Where is Sarmalin?”
“She is at home, safe. I forbade her to come.”
The Demon Lord smiled. “I know what that is like.”
“What?”
“Forbidding spouses to put themselves in danger.”
“Yours too?”
“Indeed.”
“I doubt your lady wife will succeed in keeping you out of peril,” Majelin said, “but now you have me to help when you require it. Perhaps she will find that comforting.”
“It might help.”
“In order to fight for the light, we must step into the darkness.”
“And some of us carry it in our bones.”
Majelin inclined his head. “Farewell, Demon Lord.” He turned away.
“Majelin.”
He swung back. “Yes?”
“Call me Bane. I would prefer it.”
“As you wish.”
The archangel vanished, and Bane surveyed the city. Fires burnt in numerous buildings, sending up columns of smoke. A blazing structure collapsed with a crash and gritty rumble, strewing rubble and glass into the street. Crashed vehicles littered the roads amid piles of demon dust. A few people wandered in the devastation, their expressions shocked or vacant, and some called out for friends or relatives. The stench of sulphur mixed with acrid smoke from burning chemicals, and the soft roar of the infernos underscored the survivors’ cries.
Darjahan had been all but destroyed. It would take years, possibly decades, to rebuild it, and he doubted the people would have the resources to build stealth ships. The demons had effectively ended the human threat to their playground. Only the churches would be bastions of safety and purity. There had never been much hope for this world; now there was none.
Chapter Fourteen
Arkonen’s Curse
Bane Moved to the gazebo, where Sherinias sat on her c
ouch, gazing into her Eye with a forlorn air. Drevarin reclined on his, looking grim. Mirra jumped up and hurried over to Bane, raking him with worried eyes.
“Are you all right?”
He nodded. “Just some scratches.”
Mirra hissed and muttered as she examined his wounds, and Drevarin came over to heal them. The young light god struggled a little, even though Bane leashed his power as much as he could. When it was done, Mirra led him to the spare couch and sat beside him. Bane waved an Eye into being and viewed the ruined city. Only a few tall towers still stood, and those had cracked walls and smashed windows. Some leant, on the brink of falling. A number of flying vehicles now rode the skies, searching for survivors, probably, while uniformed men herded dishevelled people to shelters and loaded injured onto air cars to be ferried to hospitals. He wondered what the unbelievers would make of this latest tragedy. It certainly would not infuse them with any faith in Sherinias. Now they knew their world was rife with demons, and there was little they could do about it.
Perhaps they would use their scanners to identify demons and, at the very least, lessen their ability to torment people. They might invent weapons capable of defeating demons and mount an ongoing resistance, and there was a slight chance more would find faith and be redeemed. More likely, the world would become a battleground for a low-grade guerrilla war with demons and droges. He was sure of who was responsible for this latest disaster, too, but accusing the demon gods would do no good. They would deny it, and he had no proof, even if that would do him any good. All he could do was ensure they left with him.
While demons hated their gods, they were susceptible to their influence. Doubtless Dramon and Nomard had found the conflict highly entertaining, especially the archangels’ intervention and Bane’s attempt to fight back. They had ended the conflict for now, but had done little by way of harming demons. Bane had banished hundreds and defeated scores, but had only destroyed several dozen. While casting down dark gods was satisfying, fighting demons was futile. There were just too many of them.
When Angels Fall (Demon Lord) Page 24