Demon Lord VII - Dark Domain

by Southwell, T C

“Come now, Bane, you are thinking like a human again. You can slow time, even stop it. What chance do mortals have against you?”

  “You will still be unconscious for many hours, defenceless unless I guard you.”

  Kayos nodded. “But there will only be one dark god left, and you can take care of him.”

  “And if I am mortally wounded, Drevarin cannot heal me. Besides, we do not know for certain that there are only three dark gods in this domain. What if there are four?”

  “We are over thinking this. The chances of everything going wrong are slim. Consult your demon and find out if there are four, then.”

  “If he knows. He was supposed to report to me if he found more.”

  “He might have sniffed out a rumour, which will still help.”

  Bane inclined his head and Moved, rematerialising in a field of dry grass that one of the unnatural forests surrounded. “Eslason, come to me.”

  A black circle formed on the ground in front of him and spread, tongues of foul fire turning the grass to ash, the soil sizzling as it burnt. A mud form shot up from its centre and took on the appearance of a handsome dark-haired man clad in a cream shirt, black leather trousers and a matching jacket. Several gold chains and an ornate belt completed his outfit. Demons did love garish finery, Bane mused, and Eslason’s was quite reserved by their standards.

  Eslason bowed. “Lord.”

  “Are there more than three dark gods in this domain?”

  “Counting you?”

  “No.”

  “I have only found three so far,” the demon said, “but there are rumours of a fourth, possibly a beast god. I have not had much time yet.”

  “If gods were as slow as demons, you would still be nothing more than a pocket of dark power in the bedrock of this domain.”

  “I have their names and locations.”

  “I do not need them now. I have already found them, and they are no longer where you think they are.”

  “Then you do not need me anymore?”

  “I never needed you,” Bane said. “I made use of you to accomplish a tedious task. Who was Parsimon?”

  “Scryon.”

  “Continue searching for more dark gods, and if you find any, report to me.”

  Eslason bowed. “As you command, Demon Lord.”

  “Go.”

  The demon sank back into the ground, and Bane Moved to the mess hall where Kayos waited. The Grey God looked up at his arrival, raising his brows in enquiry.

  Bane settled on his couch. “Only rumours of a fourth, a beast god, although how hard he looked is anyone’s guess. The one we defeated was Scryon.”

  “Then we do as I said.”

  “I still do not like it.”

  “You are a pessimist, Bane.”

  “I am cautious. I know what dark gods are like. I am one.”

  “You are more human than them, and they are evil,” Kayos said.

  “So why do I not just go there and tear that bastard apart?”

  “That would be reckless. You could be hurt. He will call his mate, and then you will have to fight two of them.”

  “I have done it before, and it was not in a light realm.”

  The Grey God nodded. “Yes, but you were hurt, and now we have time to plan and options to consider. If two of them attack you, they will Move you to the dark realm, and you will be in grave danger. This way will be far easier, and safer.”

  “If it works.”

  “It will.” Kayos sighed. “It is times like these when I wish you would just do as I say. It would save a lot of arguments.”

  “I do not have to listen to you at all, yet I do.”

  “For which I am glad. But I can claim to be older and wiser than you.”

  “Older, certainly, but I do not know about wiser, when it comes to protecting me.”

  “No, in that I am wiser than you, too,” Kayos said. “You do not value your life as much as you should.”

  Bane threw up his hands. “All right, we will do it your way, but when you get to the light realm, shield yourself.”

  “I shall.”

  “I will instruct Sarjan.”

  Bane Moved to the containment room, and Kayos followed. The four contechs stiffened in alarm when Bane appeared in their midst, two jumping up and retreating.

  He addressed the nearest, who remained seated. “Summon Commander Sarjan.”

  The man touched the communications device on his console and spoke into it, then rose and sidled away. Several tense minutes passed before a concerned-looking Sarjan trotted in and stopped a few feet from Bane.

  “What is it?”

  “I have found another of your dra’voren, and I intend to lure him in there.” Bane gestured to the shredder room. “When he appears, you will have only an instant in which to use your stunner. Can you do it?”

  Sarjan nodded. “How will you lure him in?”

  “Rest assured, I will not be going in there. I know I cannot trust you.”

  “Right. When’s it going to happen?”

  “Shortly. Make your preparations.”

  Sarjan turned to the senior contech. “Bring the generators online. Prepare for shredding.”

  “Yes sir.” The man ran his hands over his control panel.

  Bane went to the back of the room, and Kayos cast his shield over him. The contechs stared at the spot where he had vanished, and Sarjan scowled, plainly unhappy with the situation.

  “Time to go,” the Grey God said.

  Bane clasped his shoulder. “Be careful.”

  “I have not lived this long by being reckless.”

  The Demon Lord released him, and Kayos Moved. The containment room crew stared at Bane when he reappeared and strolled back to the middle of the room, where he could watch the window and scanner screen. He stopped beside Sarjan, who eyed him with deep mistrust, but stood his ground.

  “What did you learn about the droge?” Bane asked.

  “He’s made of inert plasma, a form of stable dark power, like your clothes.”

  “I could have told you that.”

  “We’re still running tests.”

  “There is not much more to learn about him. He has no power.”

  Sarjan licked his lips. “Could you... capture a fiend for us to study?”

  Bane chuckled. “I could, but you could not hold it. It would assume its true form and slip from your bonds, or go below. Even capturing one would be... difficult. I would more likely destroy it in the attempt. But I could summon one.”

  “Would you?”

  “Perhaps. What will you offer in return?”

  Sarjan hesitated. “What do you want?”

  “Does your word of honour mean anything, Sarjan?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even if you gave it to me?”

  Sarjan nodded. “It doesn’t matter who I give it to. I would keep it.”

  “Then I would ask for your word of honour that, should the opportunity arise, you and your crew will offer me no harm.”

  Sarjan frowned, avoiding the stares of his crew. “Just myself and my crew?”

  “If you deliver me to someone else who would harm me, that will also be breaking your word.”

  “I see. I’ll have to think about it.”

  “You have five minutes.”

  Sarjan walked away, and the senior contech went over to whisper in his ear. They held a brief discussion, then Sarjan nodded and faced Bane again. “Very well, you have my word.”

  “On what?”

  “I swear upon my honour that neither I nor any member of my crew will try to harm you, should we be able to do so.”

  “Is there anyone on this ship who is not a member of your crew?”

  “No.”

  Bane paused, regarding him. “To assure myself that you are telling the truth, I wish to read your mind. Will you submit?”

  Sarjan swallowed. “I... All right, as long as it doesn’t do anything to me.”

  “It will not.”


  “Do I have your word?”

  “You do.”

  The commander stepped back as Bane approached, then gathered his courage and stood still. Bane raised his hand, and Sarjan’s eyes followed it all the way to his brow. After a moment, Bane nodded and removed his hand.

  “You speak the truth. I will summon one when the dra’voren has been shredded.”

  Sarjan rubbed his brow. “Right... Right.”

  Bane looked down at the scanner screen, his tension growing. A lot of time had passed. Kayos should have been here by now.

  Kayos arrived outside Sherinias’ birthing chamber, remaining invisible while he assessed the situation. Tolrar pounded the chamber, which as yet showed no signs of damage. Kayos scanned the area, seeking demons, droges, or anyone who might cause a distraction or pose a threat, but it appeared to be empty. Tolrar swung around, sensing Kayos’ presence, and he became visible.

  The dark god’s eyes narrowed and a sly, cruel smile curved his lips. “Well, well, what have we here? Another sheep for the slaughter. You must be the father of the little one?”

  Kayos nodded. “I am.”

  “Come to rescue her, have you?” He sniggered.

  “I am certain I can offer you better sport. That must be tiring, especially here.”

  “It is more annoying than tiring. But why would you offer yourself? After I have caught you, I shall have her and her craven friend too.”

  Kayos raised his shields in case the dark god’s mate was around, as Bane had advised. “Why would you care why I do it?”

  The bearded god frowned, his eyes glinting. “If you think your pathetic whelp and her cowardly companion can escape through the realm gate while I am chasing you, they cannot. My mistress and fifty demons guard it.”

  “I only wish to release them from the chamber, so they can flee and I can protect my child.”

  “But then you will retreat inside your shields with her, and that will really be annoying.”

  “Drevarin can protect her too,” Kayos said.

  “Yes. Your kind’s penchant for cowering within your damned shields is irritating. But I think I will winkle these two out first. I have a theory that I can get to them before they can Move.”

  “Then you are a fool.”

  Tolrar snorted. “Well, you would say that, would you not?” He muttered a few guttural words. “I shall consult my minion before I decide.”

  Kayos shrugged, knowing full well that Tolrar was summoning his mistress. An air demon coalesced close to the dark god, who whispered to it, and it vanished.

  He turned to Kayos, a sneer twisting his lips. “Allow me to introduce myself: Tolrar, Lord of Darkness.”

  “I am Kayos, eldest of the Seven Founders.”

  Tolrar’s eyes widened. “Ah, a prize indeed. No wonder you thought I would chase you.” His feigned look of wonderment vanished. “Who the hell are the Seven Founders?”

  “You are ignorant. We are the ones who created the God Realm.”

  “How nice for you. I am the one who will enslave you and take great delight in your pain.”

  Kayos shook his head. “You will not catch me.”

  “You are trapped in this domain, with an open world gate and a powerless whelp ruling it. It is only a matter of time.”

  Kayos sensed a displacement as something arrived beside him, and then his shields flared as a dark entity touched them. He Moved. He rematerialised in the shredder chamber of Sarjan’s ship, and almost Moved again. Being so close to a dark goddess was unnerving, to say the least, and all his instincts clamoured for distance between them. He had become invisible the instant he arrived, and waited. If the goddess had followed him, she should have arrived a moment after he did. He suspected that Tolrar was a cautious fellow, perhaps a little more cunning or cowardly than most. He stood poised, ready to Move, and sensed Tolrar’s Eye upon him.

  Again he fought the urge to Move, or block the dark god’s Eye. He hoped Tolrar would find nothing threatening about the metal room, and his suspicions would be allayed. Clearly he suspected that it was a trap, which was why he had used his Eye instead of allowing Jerriss to follow. Several moments passed while Tolrar studied the situation and made his decision, and Kayos waited with every nerve jangling in alarm. Even allowing a dark god to view his location was against all his instincts, and he hoped that his failure to flee or block it did not warn Tolrar. The Eye would follow him wherever he went, unless he found hallowed ground, of which there was none in this domain.

  The dark goddess appeared beside him in a surge of power, and Kayos Moved. As he did, he sensed the concussion shake the air around him, then he was beside Bane in a dim corner of the containment room.

  Bane frowned at the scanner screen on the senior contech’s control board. Too much time had passed, and his concern was reaching monumental proportions. He longed to create an Eye and see what was happening to Kayos, but Tolrar would sense it. He might think it was Scryon, but it was risky. From what the demon had told him, Scryon would not dare to cast his Eye upon Tolrar.

  Alarms whooped and beeped, and the contech who sat in front of the screen swore as he hit a red button on his console. A dull thud shivered the floor, and someone gripped Bane’s shoulder. Kayos stood beside him, looking somewhat dazed.

  Bane took hold of his arm, supporting him. “Are you all right?”

  Kayos nodded, leaning on a console. “I will be. I was almost caught by the machine.”

  Bane glanced through the shredder room window, where a woman lay on the floor. Her milky skin glowed in the harsh light and her silken black gown shimmered. Shining golden tresses framed her heart-shaped face and dark lashes fanned her cheeks. Her arms were draped across her slender contours, and she appeared as innocent as a sleeping child, her rosy lips slightly parted. She was the epitome of helpless beauty, exuding the unrivalled seductive power of a dark goddess, which no man could resist.

  “His mistress,” Kayos said. “He is cautious.”

  “Indeed.”

  Sarjan and the contechs peered through the window at the lovely creature, their expressions awestruck and disbelieving. Several men swore and shot horrified glances at their commander.

  Sarjan swung to face the man who sat at the shredder console. “What is she?”

  “It’s a dra’voren!”

  Bane said to Kayos, “Let them see me.”

  The Grey God vanished, and Bane scowled at Sarjan. “Shred her.”

  The commander cast him a wide-eyed glance. “But she’s -”

  “Shred her!”

  Sarjan gave the order, and the senior contech tapped another key on his control board. The lodestones emerged from their niches, and the chamber filled with hot blue light. Bane was forced to look away, as were the rest of the containment crew. After several tense minutes, the senior contech relaxed and typed on his keyboard, whereupon the light faded to reveal an empty room.

  “She’s gone.”

  Sarjan turned to Bane, looking confused and a little sheepish. “You said it would be a male dra’voren. I’ve never seen a female one.”

  “It should have been a male, but even the best laid plans sometimes go astray.”

  “She was... beautiful,” Sarjan mourned.

  “They always are, but they are just as dangerous and evil as their male counterparts, though not as common.”

  “I’ve never seen such -”

  “Their power of seduction is one of their greatest weapons. Men worship them because of it, and end up on the sacrificial altar.”

  Sarjan leant on a console and rubbed his forehead. “Two dra’voren in a matter of hours. That’s a record.”

  “Keep obeying me, and it might be three before long.”

  Sarjan lowered his hand. “You promised me a fiend.”

  “And I shall give you one. Would you like it here?”

  “No! Not here.”

  “It will not be able to harm you,” Bane assured him.

  “No. In the lab, if you don’t m
ind.”

  “It makes no difference to me, but I have other matters to attend to, so I am in a hurry.”

  “Right.” Sarjan straightened and addressed his crew. “Good work, men.”

  The containment crew acknowledged their commander’s praise with stiff nods as he left, and Bane followed. Sarjan led him down the corridor and into a lift, which shot up several floors while the commander did his best to hide his intense dislike for Bane’s proximity in the little room.

  When they left the lift, Sarjan headed down another of the seemingly endless corridors to a white-walled room Bane recognised as the same sort as the one in which he had confronted Drontar. Glass-paned cabinets lined it, along with more glowing screens, many filled with writing and numbers. A slight, astringent scent hung in the air, and the spotless white floor gleamed like glass. Men and women in white coats glanced up from their toil over strange instruments, and the droge languished in a glass-walled cubicle, chained to a chair. He watched Bane with cold eyes, then looked away. Several of the technicians cast Bane narrow-eyed glances, and a few left.

  Sarjan stopped and faced Bane, clearly a little apprehensive. “You’re sure you can control it?”

  “Of course. Is there any particular type you would prefer?”

  “There are different types?”

  Bane nodded. “Earth, air, fire and water; but I cannot summon an earth demon in here. This ship is not in contact with its element.”

  “Does it make a difference?”

  Bane shrugged, gazing at the vials on a table. “Fire demons are the most dangerous and aggressive, air demons are devious and cunning, and water demons are silent and stubborn.”

  “And earth fiends?”

  “They are the strongest and most brutal.”

  Sarjan shook his head. “They all sound like monsters. You choose.”

  “Very well, I shall summon a minor air demon.”

  Bane murmured the words of summoning, selected a name from the many the dark power whispered in response to his wish, and spoke it. The air in front of him coalesced, forming a man-shape of pale vapour, its extremities tenuous, its eyes sparkling like diamonds. Sarjan backed away as the demon bowed to Bane and spoke in a hissing, sibilant tone.

  “Lord, it is my honour to serve you.”