Demon Lord IV - Lord of Shadows Page 9

Shevra glanced at Bane. "We're his... attendants."

  "Stay out of the way."

  "Yes, sir."

  The men, whom she assumed must be the doctors sent to wake Bane, approached the bed with obvious misgivings, some making warding signs or muttering mantras of protection. Mirra rose and faced them, frowning. The eldest of them gestured rudely at her.

  "Stand aside, girl."

  Grem stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'd advise you to keep a civil tongue in your head, old man."

  The doctors looked unimpressed, and the eldest scowled at him. "We have orders from the Queen, and if you get in our way, you will be removed. Her too."

  "No, we won't. We have every right to be here, especially Mirra, and if she wishes it, you'll be the ones leaving."

  "We do not have time to bicker with overzealous servants, soldier."

  Grem smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "You really should ask for introductions before making assumptions."

  The doctor looked impatient, and several of his companions snorted or rolled their eyes. "Very well, who are you then?"

  "I'm only his friend, but that entitles me to some respect. Mirra, on the other hand, commands it, for she is his wife."

  Shevra stifled a gasp as a cold spasm gripped her heart, and she stared at the slight blond girl. No wonder she was so important. She appeared to be a nothing more than a mortal girl who possessed a fragile beauty, yet she was wed to a god. Did Bane love her as she loved him? That possibility sent a wave of sorrow through her, and she blinked, feeling foolish. Had she really imagined that so handsome a man would not be taken? In truth, she had hoped it, she knew, and the realisation that her romantic dreams were futile was a crushing blow. Of course he must care for Mirra, else he would not have wed her. She frowned, her heart heavy as she turned her attention back to the confrontation. The doctors shifted and muttered, then the spokesman performed a sketchy bow.

  "My apologies, Lady Mirra, we were not informed."

  "It seems that Lord Kayos is too busy to perform introductions, Doctor."

  "With your permission?" The doctor waved a hand at Bane.

  "Be careful."

  "Of course."

  Shevra glanced at Patrin as he whispered, "Who would have thought that one such as he would have a wife?"

  "Not I."

  "Me either."

  The doctors set out an assortment of bottles and jars on the bedside table, and Shevra turned away to gaze out at the wondrous sunshine. Her world seemed to have darkened now that she knew the futility of her foolish hope that Bane might one day come to care for her. The depths of her sadness after such a brief acquaintance surprised her, yet the combination of what he was, the fact that he had saved her twice, and his devastating allure was potent. She did not doubt that many women had fallen under his spell, and many more would in times to come. She glanced at Mirra, a painful pang of jealousy shooting through her. It was so unfair.

  Vorkon shouted vile curses, his face twisted with fury as he paced up and down outside his temple. He flung bolts of shadow at nearby buildings, crushing walls and sending their occupants fleeing for their lives. The people of the city of Draynon worshipped him, but he cared little for them. The seven warlocks cowered before him, their brows pressed to the ground, while demons and droges hid in the shadows. After several minutes Vorkon flung himself into the black stone throne that rose from the ground at a gesture of his hand, glaring at the unfortunate mages.

  "You will go there, all of you, with slaves. I want that flame extinguished! I want that tar'merin's head!" He turned to a cowering fire demon. "Has the army been sent to Avadorn?"

  "They make all speed, Lord."

  "Make them go faster. I want that city crushed!"

  "Yes, Lord."

  "How long before they reach it?"

  "Two days, Lord."

  Vorkon scowled. "Too slow. I will create a Portal."

  One of the warlocks raised his head. "Lord, they will have soldiers in the church, protecting the white flame. Our slaves will have no chance of reaching it."

  Vorkon tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. "Yes, you are probably right." He considered. "Which of you are necromancers?" Two mages raised their heads, and Vorkon gazed at them. "The soldiers will all be protecting the church. You will be safe in the city now. Go and raise the dead."

  Chapter Six

  Necromancer

  Kayos studied the ranks of soldiers that stood around the altar, silver weapons ready. The chapel windows darkened in the gathering dusk, and two priestesses walked the aisles, lighting the glowing blue spheres with long tapers tipped with tiny, fizzing sparks.

  Queen Kyan stood at his side, and he glanced at her as she said, "No one will get past them. And more stand guard outside the church."

  "The black mages will bring the slaves in here. The attacks should have started by now, which makes me think he is up to something else."

  "Perhaps he waits for his army?"

  "He will be afraid that Bane will wake before they get here. He will try something quicker."

  "If not the black mages, then what?"

  Kayos shook his head. "Dark gods have many powers. There are other options open to him."

  "Still the Demon Lord does not awake. The doctors have tried bad smells, loud noises, and ice, to no avail."

  "He will wake when he is ready."

  Kayos turned and left the chapel, walking along the corridor that led to Bane's room. Kyan fell into step beside him.

  "Is there nothing you can do?"

  "No. He is a strange combination, frail flesh and indomitable spirit. Being what he is takes a great deal out of him, physically, just as it does you when you wield your power, only worse. But, by the same token, his flesh is stronger. The limits of his strength and tolerance are unknown to me, but he has them."

  "Being struck on the head with a stone seems a small injury to lead to such a grave condition."

  "His condition is not grave, only our need of him. The injury might seem minor, but he would have died of it had I not healed him."

  They stopped in the doorway of Bane's room. Mirra sat on a chair beside the bed, holding Bane's hand, and Grem stood behind her. Patrin and Shevra stood by the window, and a group of doctors muttered at the foot of the bed. They bowed to Kyan and Kayos and shook their heads.

  "Let us not forget," Kayos said, "that he was struck down only a few short hours ago. It is only that our peril has become so dire since then that our need for him to wake is so great. Also, he was scarred by the dark god who made him what he is, and that might contribute to his current state."

  "You mean the ones on his chest?" She glanced at Bane, whose shirt remained open.

  "No, although Arkonen gave him those scars too. His brain was damaged. Parts of it were weakened so that he would die achieving the final part of his task. The healers of my domain undid the damage, but the scars remain."

  "What task was that?"

  Kayos smiled. "Breaking the seven blue wards that bound Arkonen in the Underworld."

  "I did not think that was possible."

  "It is not, except for a god. Even the mages who create them cannot break them."

  She frowned. "I trust that you have not forgotten the dark goddess who guards the light realm?"

  "I have not. She is not powerful. She is merely a beautiful woman whom Vorkon corrupted and killed, then raised up to be his goddess. That she has risen again so soon after Bane vanquished her can only be because Vorkon helped her, but Bane will cast her down again once Vorkon is trapped."

  "If he ever wakes up."

  "He will."

  "What if it is too late?"

  He shook his head. "My dear young queen, there is no point in entertaining such doubts. Trust in fate."

  "You have seen the future?"

  Kayos grimaced. "Generally, I try not to. All is changeable, so it really does little good. A certain path may be avoided, but that often leads to the taking of a w
orse one. When my daughter foresaw Bane's birth, she took action to prevent him from achieving his goal, and she succeeded. But she did not know that he was tar'merin, and had he not been, her plan would have failed. The fact that he was tar'merin was decided by fate. You see?"

  "But surely fate is the will of the gods?"

  "No. It is the will of the universe. It is what brought gods into being. Anyone may change it, even a fool with a stone."

  Kyan shook her head. "I am not sure that I understand."

  "There are laws in the universe, flows of power, good and evil. We can affect it, but it always seeks balance. To upset that balance would destroy reality as we know it. It cannot be done. Fate is that flow, that balance being achieved. When we seek to change its course, we risk sending ourselves on a worse course."

  She nodded, but still looked confused. "So you mean that if this situation is to have a good outcome, Bane will awaken in time, and if not, he will not."

  "No. Just the opposite. If Bane awakens in time, this situation might have a good outcome, but the fact that he wakes does not guarantee it. There are no guarantees, only the balance of fate."

  "So you are saying that it is all up to fate?"

  "No." He chuckled. "I am saying that it is best left up to fate. Meddling is not always wise. You can make something happen, but if it is not meant to happen, it affects the balance, and something worse will happen to correct it."

  "I see. Like when a seeress foresaw a great earthquake that would destroy a town, and warned the people to flee. They did, and were saved, but the seeress died, and they rebuilt the town. Two years later, it was destroyed by another earthquake."

  "And they all died."

  "Almost."

  He nodded. "And the balance was restored. Those people had to die for it to happen."

  "Why?"

  "I do not know. I could make some educated guesses, but you would find it confusing."

  Kyan smiled. "I agree. My mind is already quite steaming from the effort."

  Kayos turned at the sound of footsteps. An officer ran up, his pale face sweaty, his wide eyes filled with horror. He bowed to them.

  "Lord. Majesty. We are under attack."

  "Black mages?" Kyan asked.

  "No." He hesitated. "People, Majesty. Hundreds of them. But... they are all... dead."

  Kayos frowned. "Vorkon has unleashed his necromancers."

  "And another thing," the officer hurried on. "A great black... hole has appeared outside the city, and a dark army emerges from it."

  Kyan paled, raising a hand to her mouth. "This does not sound like a good twist of fate."

  Kayos shook his head. "This has nothing to do with fate. He has created a Portal. He goes against fate, leaving nothing to chance." He glanced at the officer. "Send soldiers to the graveyards, find the mages who are raising the dead and kill them."

  The officer ran off, and Kyan turned to the Grey God. "What will fate do now?"

  "Find an instrument to restore the balance, and there is only one powerful enough here."

  "The Demon Lord will wake?"

  "Let us hope so."

  "My Lord, you are confusing me again. If fate sent those necromancers to raise the dead, and the dark army, why should it also wake the Demon Lord?"

  "It will not. But it did not. Fate does not work like that."

  Kyan sighed. "I hope you are right."

  "I usually am."

  The Queen turned away. "I must find the Blue Council, they will have to help fight these... dead people."

  "Zombies are hard to stop; even small parts of them will continue to try to achieve the goal set for them by the mages who raised them."

  She swung back to face him. "Then what do you suggest we do, My Lord, leave it up to fate?"

  "Certainly not. Tell the mages to destroy the zombies' legs, that will slow them down."

  "Are you an instrument of fate?"

  "We all are."

  She eyed him. "Surely gods stand outside fate?"

  "If we choose to, and we often do, because when we step into it, we affect the balance greatly. When Vorkon rose to destroy this domain, fate placed Tarris in our path to restore the balance. But if you keep thinking like this, you can be driven mad. Just accept what happens and hope for the best, young queen."

  Kyan nodded and hastened away down the corridor, leaving Kayos to gaze at the young man who lay on the huge bed. If this domain was fated to be ruled by Vorkon, their presence here was a mistake, and he was not supposed to have found Tarris. Now their fates were inextricably interwoven with that of the domain, and the consequences could be dire for both of them. He refused to believe that, however. His discovery of Tarris had been too providential, almost miraculous, and fate worked like that.

  Soldiers filed past him to take up position around Bane's bed, and Kayos raised a hand to beckon to Mirra and Grem. They came over, Mirra glancing back at the soldiers with curious concern.

  When she stopped before him, Kayos said, "Mirra, I want you and Grem to go and stay with Mithran."

  "No! Why?"

  "Vorkon's army is attacking us, and Bane will be one of their targets. That is why the soldiers are here, but they have orders only to defend him, and none can be spared to protect you. It will not be safe for you here."

  Her brows drew together. "I will not leave my husband. If he is safe, then I will be too."

  "No. You will do as I say. There is nothing you can do here except get killed."

  "And if I do not obey, you will make me do it?"

  Kayos inclined his head. "Regretfully, yes."

  Mirra glanced at Grem, who looked away, frowning. No one could defy the will of a god, except of course, another god, but Bane was unable to help her now. After a lingering look at her husband, she left, followed by Grem.

  Kayos strode back to the chapel, becoming invisible before he entered it. The soldiers who guarded the altar looked tense, many checking and rechecking their weapons as they listened to the foreboding silence outside. He walked past them to the chapel door, stopping just outside to stare at the horror that approached. The many street lamps, and the softer light that spilt from windows, lighted a hideous scene. A few carriages stood abandoned in the street, their owners having fled into the buildings to escape the terror that marched towards the church.

  Hundreds of shuffling corpses staggered, reeled or crawled along the road, dropping bits of themselves as they lost cohesion. Some were relatively fresh, their skin grey and slack, their eyes sealed with the wax that embalmers used in this domain. Others were desiccated and shrivelled, yet still in good condition, but some were in an advanced state of rot, their putrid flesh sloughing away to reveal colonies of worms. The majority were skeletons, the bones of ancient ancestors summoned from the ground by the dark power, as only it could. They were not under a geas, since they had no minds or spirits to control. They were merely animated by the mage who had raised them and given a purpose. This ancient form of magery required more skill than power, and the mage who had raised these must be skilled indeed, to animate so many.

  One of the soldiers who stood in the ranks protecting the church turned and vomited as the stench reached them. Another cursed foully, but most just stood and watched the approaching horror, save for a few who sent fervent prayers to their enslaved goddess. The only sure way to stop this shambling, rotten horde was to kill the mage who had raised them, but he would be well hidden. Muttered curses behind him made him turn to find the blue mages emerging from the church, their faces paling at the awful sight.

  Kyan led them, her lovely features marred by an expression of intense horror and disgust, mingled with a deep loathing, presumably for the dark forces at work. The advance of the dead was slow, they moved with studied lethargy, and the faces of those who still possessed them were blank. Children walked amongst them, their thin corpses pathetic and frail. A soldier gave a cry of anguish and ran, casting his weapon aside. Others began to weep as they spied dead relatives amongst the
crowd, and the officers had to shout to keep them in line.

  "Destroy their legs!" Kyan cried, and many soldiers glanced back, surprised to find their queen standing behind them. They obeyed, slowly at first, their silver weapons spitting lines of blue light that cut through the cadavers' legs, sending them crashing to the ground. They started to crawl, and the blue mages joined the battle, sending bolts of hot blue light into the crowd, blowing away their legs or other parts of their bodies.

  The dull thuds of the explosions and the crunch and clatter of breaking, falling bones mingled with the humming of the weapons and the curses of the soldiers, almost drowning out the soft scraping that the corpses made as they advanced. Many of the men wept as they destroyed the mortal remains of their people, a sacrilegious act. More and more of the dead fell, bits of them littering the street, but still they came on.

  A movement further up the street drew Kayos' attention, and his heart sank. The dark army poured from the roads that led to the edge of the city, where Vorkon's Portal spewed them out in their thousands. Most were dark creatures of fearsome appearance and malevolent intelligence, some were men. They advanced more swiftly than the dead, and from a different direction, using a deserted street that led to the side of the church.

  The officers spotted them and raised the alarm, sending some of the soldiers running to form up into ranks on that side. They unleashed a barrage of blue fire upon the advancing enemy, and hundreds fell, but thousands came on. The advancing dark army howled and roared, the dark creatures made a variety of blood chilling sounds, and the men beat their swords on their shields. Some carried silver weapons, and they fired back at the defenders, cutting many down.

  The first of the dead crossed onto the hallowed ground, and the white fire struck, shooting up their legs to mantle them in blue as it warred with the black. There was no life in them to be snuffed out, however, and they continued to advance. The dark army split up, groups disappearing down side streets to emerge onto other roads that led to the church, forcing the officers to thin their soldiers' ranks in order to protect all sides of the church. The mages joined them, hurling streaks of blue fire at the monsters, and many fell screaming as they died. Kayos spotted a blank-faced man who walked with a purpose but took no notice of those around him. Vorkon had covered all his options, sending slaves as well, in the hope that they would slip through the defenders and extinguish the flame.