The Rise of the Demon Prince

by Robert Kroese

  I fell—for seconds? Hours? Time had no meaning in that place. As I fell, I tried to shift my consciousness to somewhere else in the in-between, away from the pit. I felt a jolt and for a moment thought I had been successful, but then I realized I could still hear the moans and screams of the damned. I sat up and found myself lying in a pool of cold muck that smelled of sulfur and rot. The sky was a dull gray and the gray-brown swamp seemed to extend for miles. All around me, at varying distances, dozens of figures trudged through the muck, all headed the same direction. Turning my head, I saw their destination: on a low island perhaps a mile away there stood the ruins of what appeared to have been a temple. A warm, welcoming light glowed from within. Finding myself drawn to it, I got to my feet and began to trudge toward it along with the other damned souls.

  I was vaguely aware that I had returned to Veszedelem, although it was an area of that accursed plane that I had never seen before. The sky was dimmer, and the muck, though cold and viscous, seemed at the same time almost insubstantial. It was like walking through the idea of muck: I could feel its pull on my boots, but when I looked down, I saw only an amorphous miasma of grayish-brown. I could breathe but could not feel the air in my lungs. Even the cold was more like a dull, sourceless ache rather than a genuine physical sensation. All the unreality of the shadow world was amplified in this place, and I realized the draining of the vitality of Veszedelem had been uneven, perhaps stemming from a particular place in this world. This swamp was evidently closer to that place. Was it the epicenter of the decay, or were there places even more degraded and unreal than this?

  My mind rebelled against the dull, gray ethereality of such a place, and I found myself unable to resist the pull of the relatively substantial temple and the warm glow that came from inside it. Exhausted from my efforts at sorcery, I trudged mindlessly toward it.

  From somewhere in the distance, I heard a call that rose above the din of moans that surrounded me. I turned toward it for a moment, but seeing nothing but distant silhouettes trudging through the muck, I soon forgot it and pressed on toward the temple.

  “Konrad!” a voice called.

  This time I stopped and peered across the swamp in the direction of the sound. A figure was moving toward me. I was about to resume my journey toward the ruins when the figure called my name again.

  I watched as the figure approached. It was a woman, perhaps a few years older than me. She had probably been very beautiful once, but her skin had gone pallid and her hair had begun to fall out. Her dress was soiled and tattered. I did not recognize her.

  “How do you know me?” I asked, still somewhat addled, and annoyed that she’d distracted me from my quest to reach the temple.

  “Word has spread of you here. You are the one who carries the brand.”

  “What is this place?”

  “That temple once connected your world to ours. It still does, in a way, but as you have seen, our kind can exist in your world only as wraiths. The light that glows in the temple is the light of the moon in your world. This is the only place in Veszedelem where phantoms such as we can live. The pull toward your world is strongest at this time. Most here cannot resist it, even though we know there is little hope of reaching your world and no hope of remaining there. Konrad, do you still travel with my Vili? Is he well?”

  I could not speak for a moment. “You… you’re Vili’s mother?”

  “I am. My name is Haneen. My husband and I were traveling with Vili through the Maganyos valley when we were attacked by the wraiths. It was many years ago, as time is reckoned in this place.”

  “Vili is well,” I said. “I promised him I would see that your suffering is ended.”

  “Please, do not let any harm come to him.”

  Haneen’s words had now fully disrupted my trance. “I will try. He is one of the few brave enough to face Voros Korom with me.”

  “You will not be able to defeat Voros Korom until you have severed the connection between our worlds.”

  “How can I do that, while the temple still stands? Is there a way to destroy it?”

  “We have tried,” Haneen said. “Arron and I and the others who have been able to withstand the pull of the light. But we are too few, and they are too many. Our numbers continue to dwindle as more and more are mesmerized by the light. Those of us who still resist have a small settlement here, but it will soon be overrun. I will not be able to resist much longer, and I am worried that Arron may not make it back this time.”

  “Vili’s father tried to climb out?”

  “He has gone several times. He is the strongest of us. He was not tempted by the light, but rather driven by the desire to protect Vili. It is one of the ways we know so much about you. It is how I knew you would come during the next full moon. But each time it was more difficult for him to return. I begged him not to go again, but he insisted that he had to keep the others from taking Vili.”

  “The conduit runs from Voros Korom to this temple,” I said. “If we cannot kill Voros Korom, and we cannot destroy the temple, we are doomed.”

  “No,” Haneen said. “There is another way. It will be difficult, but Arron has seen what you can do and he believes you can do it. He has been trying to get to you. I can tell you how to do it, but you must promise me that you will never tell Vili what you have done.”

  “I cannot make such a promise. I don’t even know what you intend for me to do.”

  “The conduit must be closed, or all of Orszag will suffer. But there is only one way to close it, and it will not be easy for any of us.”

  “Tell me, then, and I will do it.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  I forced my body back to Orszag a few feet from where I’d disappeared. Voros Korom was a scant thirty feet in front of me. Wraiths converged on me from all around.

  With a tremendous effort of will, I once again opened a channel to Veszedelem. This time, though, I did not travel through it myself. Rather, I left it open and then opened a second channel, through which I traveled to the in-between. Maintaining my distance from both the pit and the channel I had just created, I used tvari to join the two together. There remained but one thing to do: I drew away a tremendous amount of the shadow substance from Veszedelem, infused it with tvari, and then released it in Orszag.

  I reappeared a short distance from where I’d vanished, just as the kovet began to take shape in the sky above Voros Korom. It spread like a spidery cloud across the sky, blotting out the moon and plunging the plain into near-total darkness. The wraiths squealed as their power faded. I only had the strength to maintain a kovet of such size for a few seconds, but it was enough: the wraiths, desperate for the life-giving energy, were drawn to the dim bluish glow of the rift I’d just opened.

  Overcome with exhaustion, I fell to the ground, glancing back just in time to see the wraiths surge through the opening and disappear. A few of those toward the rear seemed to sense the danger, but they were too close to avoid it. They were pulled into the rift like smoke to a window. When the last wraith had vanished, I let the rift close. At the same moment, the kovet dissipated, allowing the plain once again to be showered in moonlight. All was now silent except for the distant cries of the Torzseki and the flitting of arrows overhead. The wraiths were gone.

  For a moment, Voros Korom stood towering over me, stunned and then enraged at what I had done. At least fifty arrows protruded from his flesh, mostly about his face, neck and arms, but he seemed untroubled by them. He strode toward me, bringing his massive right fist back to deliver a death blow.

  And suddenly, Ilona was in front of me, holding her silly little stick in front of her like a ward. “In the name of Turelem,” she cried, “stay back!”

  Part of me wanted to pity her, but another part was angry with her for interfering. I’d done everything I could against Voros Korom; it was up to the Torzseki to stop him now. I had resigned myself to a quick, noble death. And now Ilona had gone and made the whole business into a joke. If nothing else, I tho
ught, I had just proven conclusively that the only way to defeat a threat like Voros Korom was with sorcery, and here she was with her ridiculous stick and her invocation of Turelem.

  Voros Korom must have sensed my annoyance, because he paused in mid-strike and simply stared at Ilona, as if amazed by her audacity, or at least amused by her foolhardiness. I waited for him to brush her aside or jeer at her, but a look of consternation came over his face. He drew back his fist again, but again did not strike.

  “By Turelem’s name, I command you,” Ilona roared. “Go back to whence you came!”

  The demon did not obey, but neither did he strike. He simply stared at us, apparently as confused by his inaction I was. Did Ilona really have some kind of power over Voros Korom?

  The question remained unanswered as an arrow shot over our heads and embedded itself in the demon’s left eye. Voros Korom howled and stumbled backwards. “Run, Konrad!” came Rodric’s voice from behind me.

  But I was barely strong enough to stand, much less run. Ilona helped me to my feet and we staggered away. The Torzseki, no longer kept at bay by the wraiths, rode toward the now-blind Voros Korom, still pelting him with arrows. Most of these bounced off his tough hide; few of those that stuck penetrated far enough to do any damage. But some, mostly around his face and neck, had drawn blood. The Torzseki had seen this and were now targeting his head with more accuracy. Voros Korom threw up his hands to protect himself and continued to stagger away. It was only a matter of time now. Even Voros Korom could not outrun the horses of the Torzseki. As long as they didn’t run out of arrows, they would take him down eventually.

  But Voros Korom, apparently coming to the same conclusion, suddenly reversed course and began bounding toward us—and toward Nagyvaros. If he could reach the city, the horsemen’s advantage would be neutralized and he could take cover behind buildings while wreaking destruction. He might even still acquire whatever he was after in the city.

  Voros Korom broke out of the pack of Torzseki, moving at incredible speed. Ilona let me go and I staggered out of the demon’s path. She put one knee on the ground, and for a moment I thought she was going to try again to ward the demon off. But instead she planted one end of her fighting stick in the ground, angling the other end toward Voros Korom. The demon’s left foot came down and Ilona rolled aside. Voros Korom howled as his full weight came down on the tip of the stick. He tried to lift his foot, but Ilona had lunged back toward him, wrapping her arms around his ankle. Now off-balance, Voros Korom fell forward, bracing himself with his arms as he hit the ground. Nearly a hundred arrows protruded from his back; the Torzseki had continued to fire as the demon fled. Voros Korom lay dazed for a moment and then began to struggle to his feet.

  I staggered forward, drawing my rapier, and climbed onto the demon’s back, snapping off half a dozen arrow shafts as I did. My weight slowed the demon’s rise a bit, but soon he would be on his feet again. I had one chance to stop him; if I failed, there would be no way to keep him from reaching the city. I gripped the hilt of my rapier with both hands and plunged it into the space between the two tendons at the back of his neck. There was a moment of resistance, and the rapier blade bowed so wide I thought it might snap, but then the point broke through the demon’s tough hide and sank into his flesh.

  And then he was gone. I fell to the ground, still clutching the rapier beneath me; the blade penetrated a foot into the ground before stopping. I pulled myself to my feet and looked around. Ilona stood where the demon’s feet had been, her eyes fixed on me. Rodric was running toward her, and Vili was not far behind on Ember. Torzsek horsemen circled cautiously. Everyone was looking to me for confirmation that Voros Korom was dead. I wanted to believe my rapier had penetrated to the demon’s spine, but I could not be sure. And I could not take the chance he might return some day. Fortunately, I knew where Voros Korom had gone.

  Fighting against exhaustion, I envisioned the plateau in the mountains of Veszedelem where I’d been transported the last time I fought Voros Korom. Knowing that if my mental image of the place didn’t match precisely, I might end up lost in the void, I pulled my body through.

  I found Voros Korom lying on the ground, crawling toward his house. Gone was the baleful demon of a moment ago; Voros Korom had been reduced to a pathetic animal struggling to survive.

  I was not faring much better. Trembling, I had to steady myself to keep from falling over. “Voros Korom,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster. “It is time for you to face your fate.” I reached for my rapier but found my scabbard empty. Even when I traveled to Veszedelem physically, I did not seem to be able to take anything of metal with me. I might have to kill Voros Korom with my bare hands.

  “Leave me be, sorcerer,” Voros Korom groaned, his voice strained and his speech slurred. “Can you not see you have already dealt me a death blow? I wish only to die in my own home.”

  I saw now that it was true. The demon’s entire left side was paralyzed; I must have cut halfway through his spine. He bled from a hundred different wounds. I admit to feeling some pity for him at that moment, but there was nothing I could do. I did not have the strength either to help him or to finish him. Voros Korom, realizing he was not going to make it to his house, had given up struggling.

  “Come, sorcerer,” he slurred. “Sit and speak with me.”

  I staggered toward him and sat on the ground near his face. The broken shaft of an arrow still protruded from his right eye.

  “I am here, Voros Korom.”

  “I am… glad,” Voros Korom slurred. “It is… not good to die alone.”

  “Why did you do it?” I asked. “Why did you seek to destroy Nagyvaros?”

  “My… birthright,” Voros Korom slurred, his voice growing weaker. “Invaders. Not their… city.”

  “The city was lost to your people long ago. You cannot fix the past.”

  “Would not have tried, but… Radovan… convinced me. Too… dangerous.”

  He was speaking so softly now that I could barely make out the words.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “Radovan convinced you of what?”

  “The book,” Voros Korom murmured. “Do not let him… get the book.”

  “Book?” I said. “What book?”

  But I saw now that the demon’s eyes had gone dull. Voros Korom was dead.

  I sat for some time, recovering my strength, before returning to Orszag. I would have collapsed on the spot if Rodric and Vili had not been there to catch me.

  “Konrad, what happened?” Rodric asked. “Did he escape?”

  “No,” I replied. “It is done. We have killed Voros Korom.”

  Nebjosa approached on foot. “It appears you did not need our help after all.”

  I shook my head tiredly. “We could not have taken him down if your men had not weakened and distracted him. I owe you a great debt, Chief Nebjosa.”

  Nebjosa smiled. “I am not yet ready to reclaim that title, but perhaps I will soon. As for a debt, you owe me nothing. The cowardice of the Barbaroki has ensured that I will receive my prize.”

  I nodded, understanding. With the Barbaroki gone and the gendarmes in hiding or dead, Nagyvaros was theirs for the taking. Much of the city’s treasure had been taken, but it remained a valuable strategic location. Nebjosa could not hope to hold the city with twenty-eight men, but our victory would likely shame the Torzsek council enough to reappoint him chief. Or perhaps he would bypass the council entirely and appeal to the Torzsek people. A warrior who had defeated a demon and a horde of wraiths and who now promised an entire city would command considerable clout among the Torzseki.

  I was dimly aware, too, that Nebjosa was letting me know in no uncertain terms that he considered Nagyvaros his domain. I had no desire to rule the city, of course, but the dying words of Voros Korom troubled me. What was the book he spoke of, and whose hands did he not want it to fall into? Nebjosa’s?

  I pushed the thought out of my mind. There were still too many unanswered questions,
and I was too tired to even consider where I might begin to look for answers. If Nebjosa wanted the city, I would not fight him for it. At least not yet. The important thing was that Voros Korom was dead, and I was telling the truth when I said that we could not have done it without Nebjosa and his men.

  “Very good,” Nebjosa said. “Then I suggest we celebrate. We have wine and some beer at our camp.”

  “Thank you, Nebjosa,” I said. “I am too exhausted from the battle to do much celebrating. I think I shall have to return to the city.”

  “Then we will meet again soon. For an impostor, you make an impressive sorcerer. I could use a man like you by my side.”

  “I will certainly give the matter some thought.”

  Nebjosa bid us farewell and got back on his horse, which stood nearby. He started back toward the Torzsek camp a short distance away, where the men had already begun drinking and singing songs of victory. Rodric pulled my rapier from the ground where it had stuck, wiped it on the grass, and then handed it to me. I took it and slid it into its scabbard. Vili led Ember to me and then he and Rodric insisted on helping me into the saddle.

  I rode back to Nagyvaros, leaning against Ember’s warm, damp neck, occasionally dozing, while the other three walked. After a time, I found we were back in the city. It smelled even more of death, but the smoke was not as thick and the chaos seemed to have died down. We took Carter’s Ramp down to the Hidden quarter, found a stable where we could leave Ember, and made our way to the Lazy Crow. The Hidden Quarter was quiet; it seemed oddly untouched by the events of the past few days. We arrived at the Lazy Crow without incident. I remember Rodric helping me up the stairs but I passed out before I reached the room.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  I was awakened by Vili, who was doing a poor job of pretending to look for something in his backpack. Vili was always as quiet as a mouse except when he wanted to be heard. Rodric stood at the window, looking outside. Full daylight streamed through the single window.