Demon Lord III - Grey God Page 16

  Bane followed, reappearing in a sparsely furnished room with bare walls and a polished stone floor. An elderly woman knelt before Kayos, her hands outstretched in worship. Her aged face held the remnants of great beauty, and a slim golden circlet held a white veil in place over her hair. She wore a simple robe of grey linen belted with plaited flax, and the tattoos of a blue mage, simpler than Tarris', adorned her face and hands. Her brown eyes widened in horror when Bane appeared, and she jumped up with a shriek, bolting for the door.

  Kayos reached it before her, blocking her exit. "He is here to help us. Do not be afraid."

  "He is a minion of the darkness!" she cried, shooting Bane a horrified look.

  Bane snorted and turned to study the book-lined the room, gripping the back of a convenient chair to steady himself.

  "He is no minion, good priestess of Dryashina," Kayos said. "He is the darkness, yet he will not harm you. We need a place to rest until he regains his strength. He has fought Vorkon, and was injured."

  "He fought a dark god?" She gaped at Bane.

  "He is a dark god."

  Her eyes widened, and she paled, turning to Kayos. "And he lost?"

  Bane swung around, scowling. "I would call it a draw."

  "Where is our Lady?"

  "Vorkon has her."

  The woman, whom Bane assumed was a high priestess, tottered to a chair and sank down in it, raising a shaking hand to her mouth. "May the light defend her."

  "I doubt that," Bane muttered, replacing the religious text he had been looking at on the shelf.

  Kayos shot him a hard look. "We will rescue her. Vorkon hunts us now. Our presence here will endanger you, but we must hide."

  The priestess nodded. "Whatever you wish, Lord."

  Kayos turned to Bane. "Vorkon cannot speak to the Oracle, but he will soon find that you are not in the Forever." He faced the priestess again. "When a hound finds me, you must flee at once."

  "We are yours to command, Lord. It is our duty and privilege to serve you." She stared at Bane with fascinated horror. "How is it that he can set foot upon hallowed ground?"

  "He is mortal."

  Bane sank down on the chair he had been leaning on, unable to keep up the pretence that he possessed enough strength to stand any longer. "I am curious too. Why is it that dark gods and demons cannot enter a temple, but they can enter the light realm?"

  "A dark god or demon may enter the light realm only at the invitation of the light god, or if they gain a Key and open the World Gate that links it to the mid realm. Once the Gate is opened, the wards upon the light realm are destroyed, and the white fire loses the power to repel evil. The same applies to the Realm Gate. Similarly, if the white flame in a temple is snuffed out, the hallowed ground ceases to exist, but so long as it burns, it wards off evil."

  "It seems to me that a light realm should be better defended than that."

  Kayos nodded. "Unfortunately that is the way of things. But the World Gate is powerful. No dark god could hope to open it except with the soul of a pure person he has corrupted as a Key."

  "They seem easy enough to come by."

  The old priestess drew herself up. "It took Vorkon fifty-seven years to succeed in corrupting one of us, and fifteen died resisting him."

  Bane raised a brow, and she wilted under his gaze. "Fifty-seven years is nothing to a god, old woman."

  "The World Gate cannot be made more secure, and the time should have been used to find a way to defeat Vorkon," Kayos said.

  "We tried!" the priestess protested. "All our attempts failed."

  "Why can a World Gate not be made more secure? Why not seal it up?" Bane asked, ignoring her.

  "The Gate is necessary for the white power to flow into the mid-realm. Without it, the domain will die. The universe demands balance in all things. It was attempted, with disastrous results. The light realm, or to be exact, the Oracle, is the source that provides the white power. It seeps back into the light realm through the barrier that separates it from the mid-realm, but it only flows out through the World Gate.

  "The World Gate that separates the dark realm from the mid-realm is the same. When a dark god rises, he opens Sources to draw more dark power out than can seep back, thereby darkening the mid-realm. If a light god abandons his or her domain, the World Gate automatically seals, and the Oracle draws the white fire back into itself, becoming a realm seed once again, and the domain dies.

  "The domain where you fought the Narabis was one such. The light realm was empty, and only remnants of white fire existed in the mid-realm. Since no dark god had risen there to open Sources, the process was slow."

  Bane turned to the priestess, who shrank back, making a warding sign. "Where do your most powerful blue mages dwell?"

  "The city of Avadorn, far to the north. That is where the Queen resides, and the Blue Council. Why do you ask, Lord?"

  "I require them to create wards to trap Vorkon in the Darkworld."

  "That was attempted, but black mages killed those who tried."

  Bane glanced at Kayos, raising his brows. "Why not demons?"

  "A blue mage can defend himself against a demon, but not so well against a black mage. Blue mages can even summon and control demons with strong spells. That is why the blue mages in the Overworld succeeded where these have not, for Arkonen had no powerful black mages. Since Vorkon was one himself, he has a large following."

  "So if I kill Vorkon's black mages, wards can be set to trap him below."

  "Yes!" The priestess looked eager. "Our blue mages, powerful though they are, cannot defeat Vorkon's minions."

  "But Vorkon himself could kill your blue mages when they tried to create wards," Bane pointed out.

  "Only if he knew what they were doing," Kayos stated. "In the Overworld, the seventh ward was created without Arkonen's knowledge."

  Bane glanced at the high priestess. "How did the black mages know what your blue mages were doing?"

  "They followed them. Each is assigned to a blue mage, to spy on him constantly. Vorkon cannot watch them all himself."

  Bane looked pensive. "Perhaps I should create the first ward myself. No black mage could stop me."

  "But Vorkon could, and he would sense your power immediately," Kayos pointed out. "The blue power is far more difficult to detect."

  "Then I shall use the blue power."

  "That will be dangerous. Creating such a powerful ward with the blue fire will take many days. Vorkon probably knows by now that you are not dead. He will have his hounds searching for you, demons and mages as well. If you are found, you will not be able to kill the black mages he will send with the blue fire. Not quickly enough, anyway. They will think you a blue mage, and try to stop you, then you will have to use the dark power. As soon as you do that, Vorkon will find you."

  Bane sighed. "Someone will have to persuade the blue mages to help."

  "If you kill the black mages who watch them, they will be eager to do it," the priestess said. "But Vorkon's mages will flee from you."

  "I shall hunt them down."

  "Vorkon will protect them."

  "Then I will have to surprise them. It seems to me that if a blue mage leaves the city, the black mage who watches him will attack him, so all I have to do is accompany them and kill the black mage."

  Kayos nodded. "That should work."

  "The warlock will flee the instant he sees you," the priestess pointed out.

  "I will not let him see me."

  "Of course, My Lord." She turned to Kayos. "But the Blue Council will not trust a dark god, Lord Kayos. You would have to persuade them, and that will not be easy after decades of war with Vorkon."

  The Grey God frowned. "I dislike revealing myself to mortals, especially in another god's domain. Disclosing the presence of a tar'merin is even more fraught with pitfalls, especially a mortal one. Vorkon will be suspicious when his mages are killed, and he will more likely suspect you, Bane, since I am loath to take life, even that of a fallen soul.

&
nbsp; "But I do not think he will seek you out. He will not be in any hurry to face you again, and you are not that easy to find. He might send assassins, however, who will be dangerous. As soon as enough black mages are dead, the blue mages they guarded must start creating wards."

  "Vorkon will instruct his remaining mages to watch more than one of ours, and they will be discovered," the priestess muttered.

  Bane shot her an irritated glance. "They will have to take the risk. They want to save their world, do they not?"

  "Of course."

  "Why are the blue mages safe in the cities? Do the walls of fire repel black mages?"

  Kayos shook his head and looked to the priestess for an explanation.

  "Soldiers defend the cities," she said. "It is they who keep the warlocks at bay, for they use weapons that spit blue fire. A number of soldiers with such weapons can kill a black mage. Together they are more powerful than a blue mage, and too many for the warlock to kill before he is vanquished."

  Bane cocked his head. "Drayshina told us those weapons are useless against a god, so why has Vorkon not destroyed the blue mages himself?"

  "Doubtless he will, but he has been obsessed with capturing our Lady of Light. Perhaps he found their puny resistance amusing. Now he is searching for Kayos, and their fate is delayed again."

  Bane rubbed his brow with a hand that still shook. "What about Drayshina? The wards will trap her in the Darkworld too."

  Kayos frowned. "He will not keep her there. If he tortures her there, she will die." The old priestess looked stricken, and Kayos continued, "He has proven that he wishes to keep her alive. Clearly he plans to amuse himself in this domain for some time yet. His greatest triumph is her capture, and his greatest pleasure will stem from her suffering. He will make it last for as long as possible."

  "But we will not know when he will Move her," Bane pointed out. "And he might keep her there while he searches for you. If he continues to block our Eyes, we will not be able to find her."

  A pained look flitted across Kayos' face, and he turned away. "I doubt he will wait long. He will want to indulge himself soon."

  The priestess fell to her knees. "Lord, I beg you, do not let her suffer."

  Kayos gazed down at her. "I have not the power to save her, good priestess." He cast a meaningful glance at Bane, and she paled as she followed his eyes. Gathering her courage, she crawled towards Bane, prostrating herself.

  "Great lord, I beseech you, save our Lady."

  Bane glared at Kayos, then at the grovelling woman. "Your begging only annoys me, old woman."

  She retreated, and Kayos said, "Vorkon can only block my Eye while he is with her. The moment he leaves her, I will be able to find her."

  "He also knows I seek her, and I know where she was, so he might Move her to hide her from me."

  "Perhaps. We will have to see what happens. There is no use speculating on it now."

  Bane nodded and rubbed his eyes, yawning. "I must rest, and I want to see my wife."

  Kayos turned to the priestess. "Take us to the others."

  "At once, Lord." She rose and went to the door, opening it. "Do you require anything else?"

  Bane stood up, gripping the chair for support. "No."

  The priestess led them down a deserted corridor to a cramped, bare room. As Bane walked past, she shrank back. Mirra sat on the narrow bed, a picture of dejection. She looked up, and her face lighted as she leapt to her feet and ran to him, crying his name in unison with Mithran and Grem. Her enthusiastic embrace made him step back, and she seemed to sense his weakness and fatigue, tugged him to the bed and pushed him down on it. Mithran and Grem hovered, his father clasping his shoulder, his face wreathed in a relieved grin.

  The priestess watched them with a shocked expression, then bowed to Kayos. "I apologise, Lord. We have no better rooms, even my own is the same as this one. It is not fit for -"

  Kayos held up a hand. "It is fine."

  "Thank you, great lord. You honour us with your presence. Long may your name live in sacred legend."

  The priestess backed out, closing the door, and Bane shot Kayos a wry glance. "Do they always fawn like that?"

  The Grey God sighed. "Yes."

  "Ah well, better than screaming and running I suppose." Bane bent to pull off his boots, but Grem knelt to do it for him.

  Kayos created a couch and reclined on it. "They only do that when they find out who you are. You could easily walk amongst them without being noticed."

  "If I do not use my power. So could you, if you used a glamour."

  "Usually I do not let them see me, but now we need their help."

  Bane sighed, rubbing his brow, and Mirra brushed aside the wing of hair that hid his face to study it. "Are you all right?"

  "Just tired."

  "What happened?"

  "He fought Vorkon," Kayos said. "It did not go well, and now he needs to rest."

  Mirra nodded and pushed Bane down, then stretched out beside him. Bane closed his eyes, striving to banish the image of Drayshina writhing in the grip of the flesh beast, her face twisted with despair. It had been foolish of her to walk into the trap, or perhaps naïve, he corrected himself. Surely she should have been aware of her danger, in a realm a dark god had conquered. Light gods had no hope of defending themselves, or even, it seemed, escaping a dark god. Bane tossed and turned until he opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling. Mirra shifted beside him, and he turned his head to gaze at her. The sight of her stilled the darkness' whispering as he could not, and he turned to pull her close with a sigh.

  Drayshina stared at the flesh beast that awaited her at the bottom of the shallow pit with dull, despairing eyes. Vorkon had Moved her to the Lightworld, an unpleasant experience, and stood beside her, gripping her arm. Her struggles in the Darkworld had exhausted her, and while she had been weakened, he had shackled her wrists with thin bands of duron. He held the chains that bound her to him with his other hand, in case she jerked free of him. As long as he held the chains, she could not Move without taking him with her.

  He leant closer and murmured, "Your new bed, My Lady. Fine, is it not?" He sniggered. "Now you will serve me, and no one can save you. Soon I shall have the light god too, and your precious tar'merin will die. Where did he come from, the God Realm?"

  She inclined her head, and Vorkon continued, "He cannot defeat me, I have already almost killed him, and it was easy. Next time I will. It will be a pleasure to destroy a traitor who goes against his own kind in the service of the light."

  He slid his hand up her arm to grip her throat. "He is an abomination, and yet you begged for his help. Did you crawl to him and kiss his feet? Did you promise to lie with him as payment for his charity? He is alive, as you are. Do you lust for him?" His hand tightened on her neck until she gasped, and he smiled. "Your screams will please me."

  Chapter Eleven

  Fire Dancer

  Shevra eyed her friend Derrin, trying to quell the bubble of mirth that threatened to overwhelm her. He glared at her, daring her to laugh as water ran from his hair and dripped onto his shirt. She kept a straight face, and shook her head in mock reproof.

  "You'll have to do better than that if you're going to gain your journeyman status as a water dancer, Derrin."

  "What does it matter these days? We'll all be dead soon."

  "Thinking like that won't help."

  Derrin turned away from the lake and gestured at the gloomy vista around them. "Who will even want to be entertained, in this?"

  "I think they'll need it more than ever, to keep their spirits up."

  "Easy for you. At least they'll still be able to see a fire dancer perform, but me?" He snorted. "Who'll see what I can do?"

  "That's why we must perform together. It'll be wonderful, you'll see."

  "They're all too unhappy to care, and too broke to pay us."

  "They may surprise you. Come on, try again."

  Derrin scowled and shook the water from his hair, mopping his face
with his shirt tail. Turning to the lake, he stretched forth his hands and gestured at the water. A shining globe rose and floated towards him, wobbling. Shevra held her breath as it hovered over his head, dreading his reaction if he failed again and got another soaking. Boys were so full of pride. Derrin kept his eyes fixed on the globe, concentrating hard as he made the subtle gestures necessary to work it. The globe split into myriad smaller spheres, which were almost invisible in the gloom, and Shevra bit her lip, thinking about how terrible life had become lately.

  The world had been dark all of her life, for she was only nineteen years old, but she had listened to the tales of the elders, who spoke of blue skies and white clouds, green fields, trees with leaves and beautiful animals. Such things were only legends to her generation, and even her parents did not recall them. Life had always been hard. The supply wagons that came from the distant cities every moon barely brought enough food to last until the next one came. She had helped to distribute the bags of grain that they brought, and had found that the golden kernels had been touched by a power that she had never known, sweet and warm and golden.

  Once she had drawn that power from a bag of grain and formed it into a golden globe of warmth and light, to the delight of her fellow workers. An elder who had been a fire dancer in her youth had remonstrated with her, however, and made her take the grain for her own family. They had found it dry and tasteless, and she had not repeated her performance. The cities too were legendary, said to bask in pillars of sunlight, which allowed them to grow the food they sent to towns like her own, which survived in the darkness.

  Shevra had never seen sunlight, and when she was seven she had asked a supply wagon driver to bring her some, which had made him laugh. He had sobered quickly, however, and told her that he wished he could, but only the goddess, Drayshina, could ever bring her sunlight. She had prayed for it, but nothing had happened. Now the supply wagons were three days late, and hunger stalked her town while people muttered that the dark creatures that were said to stalk the land had taken them.