Demon Lord III - Grey God Read online

  "Are you all right?" Kayos enquired.

  "I will be. It is just shock."

  "Having never owned a flesh body, I cannot imagine what it must be like to be injured thus."

  "Unpleasant." Bane shot Mirra a smile, and she returned it, wiping her eyes.

  Kayos stood up, and a column of rock rose to form a seat, which he settled upon. "I am impressed. Defeating two dark gods is no mean feat."

  "He killed me," Bane said. "If not for you, I would be dying even now."

  "Yes. You have power but not skill. I will have to teach you."

  Bane snorted. "What do you know about fighting? All you can do is defend yourself."

  "And that is what you lack. Your shielding is crude, no more than an instinctive use of your power, a weak deflection that even demons can affect with their blows. A solid shield would be far more effective."

  "And far more difficult to create, to say nothing of the amount of power it would require."

  Kayos shrugged. "A small price to pay for good protection, and you need it more than an immortal. If you practice it enough, it will become as instinctive as your body shields, and you have power to spare."

  Bane sat up as a little strength seeped back into him. "What will happen to me if I die here? Will I still go to Eternity?"

  "No, your spirit will be drawn to the nearest light realm."

  "Then what will happen?"

  Kayos looked thoughtful. "You are a paradox, for your soul is pure but your power is dark. You will not be bound to the light realm as other souls are. You will be able to leave, then you will acquire a dark form."

  "And if I stay there?"

  "Then you would remain virtually powerless. Essentially you would almost be as the mortal dead are."

  "I am mortal," Bane said.

  "But as a god you are entitled to wield tremendous power. Why would you choose to give that up?"

  "I never wanted it."

  Kayos sighed. "But you have it, and you can do a lot of good with it."

  "Like freeing your granddaughter?"

  "That is a start."

  "I have no wish to be a dark crusader, Kayos."

  "What else do you have to do with the next thousand years?"

  "I will not have a thousand if I go looking for trouble."

  "You might if you practice your shields."

  Bane smiled. "I shall listen to your teachings."

  "Good."

  The Demon Lord rose to his feet, and Mirra helped him to his couch, where he lay down with a sigh. She sat beside him, and Grem sheathed his sword. Mithran settled on the floor, looking shaken but relieved. Bane took Mirra's hand and studied her.

  "You were not harmed?"

  She shook her head. "I am well. We all are. We hid behind a tree."

  Bane closed his eyes and tried to relax, but his blood thrummed and his eyes sprang open of their own accord.

  He looked at Kayos. "Lyriasharin told me a god cannot change his power, but Arkonen did. He was a light god who became dark."

  "He was a light god with a tainted soul who was restored to his mortal form, becoming a man again. When he was killed and went to the Land of the Dead, he gathered the dark power and made himself into a dark god. He did not change from light to dark as a god. You cannot become an ordinary man because you never were one. You were born a god and as such you will always remain."

  "I was not born a dark god."

  "True. But a mortal cannot wield the white fire. Not even you, although your flesh can withstand it to a degree, as was proven when Lyriasharin channelled her power into you, but it harmed even you. You cannot hold it in your flesh, that is impossible."

  "And when I die?"

  "As a spirit you will be far more powerful than the souls of ordinary mortals, but you will only become a light god if you are made one by another light god."

  Bane frowned. "Why is that?"

  "Because you will lack a form. A dark god creates his own, lifeless form, but light gods are alive. Only a light god can give you a living form."

  Bane pondered this. "So when Lyriasharin returned Arkonen to his mortal form, she killed him."

  "In a manner of speaking, yes, and in doing so she lost most of her power." Kayos sighed and stared into the distance. "When she raised him up, I refused to help her. I warned her of the danger, but she was determined, so she created his form herself, and bestowed half her power upon him. He was not as powerful as her. His spirit was only that of a mortal man. Since you were made a god before you were born, your spirit was enhanced as well as your flesh."

  "So after I die, I could become a light god."

  Kayos hesitated, frowning. "Yes."

  "You do not seem pleased with the idea."

  "As a tar'merin, you have the power to save domains. As a light god, you would be as powerless to fight the darkness as I am."

  "But I could create domains."

  Kayos smiled. "And watch them destroyed. It is a thankless task, I am afraid."

  "Why am I a tar'merin?"

  "Not even I know how tar'merin came to be. If I did, I would ensure that many were born to fight the darkness. It is a twist of fate, a special quality you have, and perhaps many mortals do, but unless they become dark gods there is no way to discover it. There are many kinds of gods, demigods and spirit forms, good, bad and neutral."

  "Could I kill you?"

  Kayos chuckled. "Yes, but, since you are mortal, I can also kill you. I could not destroy your soul though. You would become a spirit god, and I would not give you a second chance, since I cannot prevail against a true dark god."

  Bane's eyes roamed the ruined cabin. "How do you know what happened in this domain?"

  "The last time I was here, I went to see the Oracle. It holds the history of this domain, and any others it was before."

  Bane sighed. "Is there not a faster way to travel through the God Realm? It seems ridiculous that we should have to walk."

  "No. The God Realm is a treacherous place, and caution is necessary. A wrong step and we would be lost, so I must follow the trail I left the last time I was here. I cannot ride a demon steed, my touch would snuff out its fire and free its soul to fly to a light realm."

  "Is there nothing you could ride?"

  Kayos inclined his head. "There is, but it would serve little purpose since I can travel just as fast on my own."

  "And you do not tire."

  "No."

  "Yet you have to eat."

  Kayos smiled. "The ambrosia is purely for pleasure amongst true gods. Only you require it as sustenance."

  "Is there anything you do require?"

  "Only the white fire, if I must expend it. If not, I could survive for aeons with nothing. The same will be true of you, when you cease to be mortal one day."

  Bane yawned, and his eyes drifted closed as fatigue won the battle against adrenaline.

  When he woke, Kayos still sat on his crude chair, staring into the middle distance, his expression blank. Bane sat up and swung his legs off the couch, finding a little of his strength returned and most of his tiredness gone. Mirra slept beside him, and Grem and Mithran snored on the floor, their heads pillowed on their rolled up jackets. Kayos' eyes focussed on Bane as he yawned and stretched, then conjured a cup of ambrosia to slake his hunger and thirst. The Grey God joined him, and they sipped the nectar in companionable silence for a while.

  "So, the Naribis did not return," Bane commented.

  "Having tested you, I did not think he would."

  "Unless he had friends to call upon for aid."

  "Highly unlikely."

  Bane gazed around. "What kind of people lived here?"

  "Humans, you would call them."

  "And what happened to the goddess of this domain?"

  Kayos shrugged. "I suppose she created another."

  "Was she a friend of yours?"

  "I have never met her."

  "Do light gods have friends?"

  Kayos nodded. "We are all friend
s. Should we chance to meet, it is in brotherly camaraderie. Dark gods, on the other hand, are all enemies, rivals, except for those of the opposite gender who sometimes become allies. Or they might create a partner by inflicting their corruption upon a mortal. On rare occasions, dark gods have been known to band together in an uneasy brotherhood, but they usually end up turning on each other."

  Bane glanced down at Mirra as she stirred and sighed, her cheeks flushed with sleep, her lips pouting. Smiling, he stroked her hair, and she squirmed closer to him, a faint frown puckering her brow. Kayos watched him with a smile.

  "You love her very much."

  "She died for me," Bane murmured, not looking up. "And I would die for her."

  "Dorel's bolt would not have killed you. Arkonen sent her only to annoy you."

  "That does not change what she did, and she saved my life before that, as you know."

  "Yes. The universe owes her a great debt."

  Mirra opened her eyes and yawned, then smiled and snuggled closer to her husband, sliding her arms around his waist. "How are you feeling?"

  Bane shrugged. "Well enough. Are you rested?"

  "Yes." She sat up and stretched, casting Kayos a shy smile. "My Lord."

  "Healer." He glanced at the snoring men. "We should be moving on."

  "I will wake them."

  Mirra shook Mithran and Grem awake, and they ate another meal before leaving the hut.

  Their return to the God Realm was achieved with a Move that took them to the Realm Gate. Mirra again chose to travel with her husband, and suffered the consequences. When Mirra, Grem and Mithran had mounted the waiting demon steeds, they passed through the Gate. They had been walking through the God Realm's greyness for several minutes when Kayos glanced back at the trio, then at Bane.

  "You choose to walk?"

  Bane shrugged. "If you are, then so will I."

  "It is not a competition."

  The greyness around them began to swirl in slow patterns, gradually turning into a real snowstorm, and the area darkened. Snow crunched under their boots and their breath steamed in the chill air. It nipped Bane through his clothes, making him draw his cloak around himself. His silent command made the demon steeds exude heat to keep their passengers warm. Sensing the presence of something on either side of the narrow trail that Kayos illuminated with his glow, Bane sharpened his sight, discovering that they walked through a huge, dark forest. Beyond Kayos' dim light was only blackness and the sense of looming trees, and they walked in a radiant cocoon of falling flakes.

  An oppressive silence pressed in on Bane like the walls of trees that skirted the narrow path. From time to time Kayos paused to examine the ground, which to Bane appeared to be pristine snow. He wondered how they could possibly get lost when they could only follow the path. Some time later he found out, when Kayos, after one of his examinations, turned slightly to the left. Bane expected to reach the trees and leave the path, but the trail continued ahead as if they had not turned at all, yet he knew they had.

  The forest seemed interminable, and Bane noticed an occasional pair of glowing eyes amongst the trees. He wondered what manner of beasts watched them pass with such hunger, yet lacked the courage to attack. As they passed another set of eyes, he glanced at Kayos.

  "Who created these areas?"

  "Grey Gods, a long time ago, before we discovered how to construct domains we could seal off from the God Realm and its dangers. Most have become corrupted now, like this one. I have no doubt that this was a beautiful place when it was created."

  "And the beasts?"

  Kayos glanced at the glowing eyes and shrugged. "Probably escaped from a collapsed domain, or maybe the warped descendants of whatever beasts the god who created this forest placed here."

  "And these, like the jarawok, would feed on mortal travellers?"

  "Yes, unless they are spirit beasts, who need nothing but the dark power. But even they would attack and slay mortal travellers, who generally do not survive for long in the God Realm unless they find another domain and gain entry."

  "Have you encountered any?"

  "A few."

  "Did you help them?"

  Kayos smiled. "If they were worshippers of the light."

  The forest lightened, the trees becoming smaller until they were stunted, twisted shadows in a thick, damp grey mist. The snow stopped, and the ground became stony. A distant howl came from the misty land, reminding Bane of the dark creatures in the Overworld. He glanced at Kayos, who gazed in the direction whence the sound had come, his eyes narrowed. Bane sensed his apprehension and turned his head to stare into the mist.

  Kayos stopped and murmured, "Make a shield. Be quick. That which approaches is a beast god, and I do not think it is friendly."

  Bane's brows rose. "Why not flee?"

  "It will follow."

  The Demon Lord spread his hands, and a black shield shimmered into being before them, its ebon substance shot with sparkles of red. Kayos eyed it critically.

  "You have no skill."

  Bane shot him a startled glance. "I used one like this to keep Arkonen from killing me. It served its purpose."

  "It is crude, a mere instinctive creation, borne out of your need for protection when you fought him. You have much to learn."

  The shield wavered and thinned as soon as Bane stopped concentrating on it, and Kayos shook his head.

  "That would not even keep a mortal at bay."

  Bane renewed his concentration, and the shield thickened and darkened, swirling with red sparks. As soon as he glanced into the mist again, however, the shield wavered.

  "Keep it in a part of your mind. Hold it there," the Elder God instructed.

  Bane focussed on the shield again, strengthening it, then tried to put that part of his thought aside without letting it fade. When he glanced away again, it wavered, but did not thin.

  "Better," Kayos murmured. "Strengthen your thought."

  Bane did so without looking at the shield this time, sensing it becoming solid once more.

  "Good," Kayos said. "Now form one in front of us, from the ground."

  Bane drew the shield back into himself, then caused a wall of shadow to arise before him. It wavered, becoming translucent, and he frowned, willing it to thicken and solidify. Again he put the thought that had formed it aside, but held it in a part of his mind. When he glanced away, the shield shimmered and thinned, and he increased the power of the encapsulated thought until it grew solid once more.

  "So where is this beast god?" he asked.

  "It comes."

  A few moments later, the ground beyond Bane's shield changed as a path formed in it at right angles to their own, the trees on either side of it vanishing. A soft rasping and clicking became audible, like claws and scales dragging on the hard ground. It made Bane's hackles rise, and he glanced along the new path in the direction of the sound. A huge dark shape emerged from the mist with slow, measured steps. Its wedge-shaped head swung to and fro on a long, sinuous neck attached to a bulky body with vast webbed wings folded on its back. A line of spikes ran down its spine, and its short, powerful legs ended in three-clawed feet. Mottled red and black scales covered its back and flanks, with yellowish spots on its belly, and red eyes glowed in the ridged, horned head. Its baleful gaze swept over Bane, filled with malevolent intelligence and hatred.

  "Concentrate," Kayos muttered.

  Bane focussed on his wavering shield, thickening it to solidity again.

  "Make it bigger," Kayos instructed.

  Bane increased the power he fed the shield, making broader and taller, its substance solid black, shot with brilliant sparks of red.

  Kayos glanced at the young dark god, impressed. Seldom had he seen the black so thick with redness, an indication of immense strength, and only three runes glowed on Bane's chest. The Grey God turned his attention to the beast god, whose eyes raked them, lingering on the shield. It hissed, a sibilant, threatening sound, but showed no sign of slowing its ponderous progress
. He was certain it had never encountered light and dark human gods working together before, and wondered at it. It turned its head away as it moved beyond them and continued down its path. When the mist had swallowed it, he looked at Bane.

  "Very good. It was suitably impressed."

  The shield shimmered and shrank to nothing as Bane turned to him, frowning. "I assume that is why it did nothing?"

  "Correct."

  "Otherwise it would have attacked you?"

  "Both of us. It has no respect for other dark gods, unless they are powerful enough to deter it."

  Bane gazed after the beast. "Ugly thing. I would have thought a beast god would be beautiful, as some mortal beasts are."

  "Spirit gods choose their own appearance. I created the beasts of the Overworld, so I decided what they should look like."

  Bane grunted and glanced back at Mirra, who stared after the beast god, pale and wide-eyed. Grem and Mithran looked similarly awestruck, but hid it better. She cast him a wan smile when she noticed his attention, and he returned it, wondering if she regretted her wish to come on this adventure yet. Certainly she appeared to be tired and scared, and he was torn between vindication of his warnings and regret that she had come. He could have been relaxing in his cabin with a good hot meal now, or fishing in the lake, instead of trudging through this hostile place. With a sigh, he followed Kayos when the Grey God headed down the path once more.

  There was no way to measure time in the God Realm, so they walked until Bane's legs ached or the trio's stomachs rumbled, the only indications that time had passed. The terrain changed at irregular intervals, sometimes abruptly, other times slowly, into weird landscapes or surreal environments. At times he and Kayos talked, but for the most part they walked in silence, their senses alert for danger. Bane noticed an unusual lack of questions or comments from the three who followed aboard the demon steeds, which he attributed to the presence of the Grey God.

  Chapter Seven

  Blue Mage

  Bane gazed across the vast, flat red desert that baked beneath a glowing orange sky. The heat was so intense he had to shield himself and the trio, and he had decided it was one of the more unpleasant landscapes they had encountered. The endless walking had long since become tedious and tiring, and this area looked particularly endless. More and more, he was tempted to summon a demon steed for himself, or share Kess with Mirra. Pride kept him walking at the Grey God's side. At least, that was what he called it. Mirra and Mithran called it stubbornness, and Grem refused to take sides. Bane's aching feet agreed with Mirra's urging to ride with her, and he wished Kayos would summon something to ride so he could too. As Kayos had pointed out, however, it was not a competition, yet Bane still walked.