Demon Lord IV - Lord of Shadows

by T C Southwell

  The great boom that shook the Darkworld made Bane glance up, and a cruel smile drew his lips back to reveal even white teeth. Vorkon struggled, trapped by his need to maintain his dark form, which Bane drew off almost faster than he could replace it. The free flowing dark power was dwindling, and Vorkon began to Gather from the rock beneath him, opening a glowing Source. One just like it blazed beneath Bane's feet, but it was not a Source.

  Bane exulted in his power, and the evil within him rejoiced, urging him to destroy Vorkon. He wanted to. The longing made him sick. He looked into Vorkon's dark, fiery face. Its glowing yellow eyes and ugly red maw were so much like Arkonen's, reviving the hatred that he had thought dead long since. If only he had possessed this much power then, he would have destroyed the god who had tortured him so vilely, and who had made him hurt the girl he loved. His strength was dwindling, however. The blood that seeped from his shoulder and thigh spelt doom if he ignored it for too long. He had won. Vorkon's destruction was within his power.

  A sweet chime rang through the Darkworld, and he sensed the lines of power hissing into place above him, locking Vorkon here. His chilling smile widened.

  "That is the sound of your doom, Vorkon," he grated. "This is now your prison."

  Vorkon's glowing maw twisted. "I will escape it!"

  "Do not be too sure of that. If you do, I shall be waiting for you. Or perhaps I should destroy you now. You know I can. Beg, Vorkon. Beg for mercy."

  "Never!"

  Bane's eyes narrowed as he sensed his weakness becoming dangerous. "Perhaps another time, then."

  Vorkon writhed. He lacked the power to do anything other than maintain his dark form, even summoning a weapon was beyond him now. Bane stepped forward and thrust Vorkon against the cavern wall. Demons struggled behind him, his own and Vorkon's, neither able to prevail. Bane used some of the power that thrummed through him to soften the rock behind Vorkon and pushed the dark god into it, burying him in the stone. Bane's arms vanished into it up to the elbow. The stone would only hold Vorkon for a few moments, but that was all he needed. Releasing him, Bane stepped back and Moved.

  Bane sensed his passage through the ward as a frisson of power tingling through him, then he reappeared on a barren plain. His knees buckled, and he sank down, his strength ebbing away as the shadows oozed from his skin. The dark power licked over him, almost beyond his control, the runes on his chest burning bright orange. He leashed it savagely, letting the excess flow out and sink into the earth. Steam rose from his clothes and hair, and he slumped back onto the grass, which blackened beneath him. Clotting blood oozed from his shoulder and thigh. He closed his eyes, and darkness claimed him.

  Kayos straightened after healing Tygon, who had barely survived his ordeal. Summoning the hovering Eye with a gesture, Kayos gazed into it. The image had turned pitch black, and he frowned. The Eye would follow Bane. He adjusted its focus, catching sight of the faintly glowing runes on Bane's chest. Wherever he was, it was dark, but it could be anywhere, since it was night, and dark everywhere. He hoped that Bane was not in a cavern in the Darkworld, since then he would be beyond reach, and he needed help. Kayos dismissed the Eye and dragged Tygon into the shelter of the wall, then Moved.

  The Grey God reappeared in darkness, but since he had not been turned away by the ward, he was somewhere in the mid realm. Glancing around, he spotted the glowing runes a short distance away, and hurried over to Bane. The Demon Lord lay on his back, unconscious. Kayos knelt beside him and tried to lay his hands upon him, but the dark power thrust him back with a vicious flare of shadow. Bane contained so much that he could not be touched. Kayos sat back, frowning. He would have to wait for Bane to wake, since now not even a mortal would be able to touch him safely. Raising a hand, he ignited a white flame in his palm and used it to examine Bane's wounds. The bleeding had slowed, and only the wound in his thigh still oozed a little. He snuffed out the flame and settled back to wait.

  When the first streaks of a dark dawn laced the low clouds with bands of blood red, Kayos roused from his torpor. The night seemed to have lasted an eternity, as the day before had done. The light brightened to a dim glow, and Kayos examined Bane once more. His deathly pale skin almost glowed, and some of the excess power had seeped away during the night, for the runes were unlit. He found that he could touch Bane, although the dark power was still strong. He shook him gently, then more firmly when that had no effect. Bane groaned, and his eyes flicked open.

  Kayos smiled. "You did it."

  A chill shot through Kayos as he realised that Bane's eyes were black. The Grey God flung up his shields as Bane lashed out, deflecting the powerful bolt of shadow in a flash of blue fire. The Demon Lord struggled to sit up, and flopped back with a groan, clutching his thigh. Kayos retreated a few steps.

  "All is well, Bane, calm down. It is over, you are safe. You must purge some of your power."

  Bane glared at him. "Go to hell."

  "It is influencing you. Take control, let it flow out."

  "Leave me be!"

  "If you want me to heal you, you have no choice."

  The Demon Lord grimaced as he tried to sit up again. "I do not need your help."

  "Very well, just let some out, and you will feel better."

  Bane forced himself upright, sweat popping out on his brow. He raised his hands and stared at them. "I defeated him."

  "I know."

  "I could have destroyed him."

  Kayos realised that he was speaking more to the dark power than Bane. "Yes, you could. But you need to rest now."

  "No one can stand against me."

  "Probably not. But if you do not let me heal you, you will be ill for a long time. Are you not ill, Bane?"

  The Demon Lord nodded, grimacing again. "Feel sick."

  "Let some out, you will feel better."

  A sneer tugged at Bane's lips. "Afraid of me?"

  "Anyone who is not is a fool."

  "Damn right. Even your shields would not protect you, if I chose to use my full power against you."

  Kayos shrugged. "Perhaps. But why would you want to hurt me? I only wish to help you."

  "I do not want your damned help!"

  Bane groaned and raised a shaking hand to his brow as if an unwelcome memory had assailed him, then bowed his head, his hair falling forward to hide his face. Shivers racked him, and Kayos watched him with deep concern. Bane was extremely dangerous now. The dark power had almost entirely subjugated his will, and talking to him probably would not help, Kayos decided. The Grey God walked away and settled down to wait. Bane stared at his hands for several minutes, then tried to get up. He sat down again with a groan, holding his thigh.

  Fresh blood oozed from it and his shoulder. Eventually, Kayos hoped, the pain would goad him to reassert himself. Bane glanced at him with eyes that were pits of darkness, then bowed his head again. Shadows oozed from him, sinking into the ground, and Kayos breathed a sigh of relief. The shadows thickened until they were ropes of darkness, and the amount of power Bane carried amazed Kayos. Half an hour passed before the Demon Lord raised his head again, and the blackness ebbed from his eyes.

  Kayos rose and approached. "Feeling better?"

  Bane nodded, but the power continued to flow from him. After several more minutes, it stopped, and he sighed. "I am all right now."

  Kayos knelt and laid his hands on the wound in Bane's shoulder after only a moment's hesitation, struggling to push past the dark power. Slowly the wound closed, and he placed his hands upon the deep gash in the Demon Lord's thigh. Bane was so close that his breath warmed Kayos' cheek, and he could make out the beads of sweat that sheened the dark god's pale skin. If Bane chose to take hold of him now, he would have no defence. Touching him whilst the darkness affected him so badly took a lot of trust. Yet somehow he sensed that even now, Bane would not harm him. He sat still with a bowed head while Kayos healed him. When he had healed Bane's thigh, and several other minor scrapes and bruises, he sat back. Bane summoned a cup of
ambrosia and drank from it.

  "Where is Mirra? Is she safe?"

  "She is at the church with Grem and your father. They are all safe."

  "What happened to me?"

  Kayos explained, describing Shrea's plight as well. At the end of his tale, Bane sighed again, his eyes drooping with fatigue.

  "I must rest."

  "Return to the church, I will see to Shrea and Tygon. Now that Vorkon is trapped below, I can."

  "What about Jishka?"

  Kayos shook his head. "Jishka will not attack me. I doubt that she even knows about the ward yet. You will have to free Drayshina from the flesh beast, but it can wait a few hours."

  "Jishka might try to break the ward."

  "If she does, you will have to stop her, but breaking the seventh ward will not be easy. You will have time to reach it before she succeeds."

  Bane gazed at the red clouds. "And then this realm must be cleansed, the Sources closed, the black mages killed."

  "Yes, there is still much to do. But it can wait. Go and rest."

  The Demon Lord dismissed the cup and tried to get to his feet, but sank back with a groan, his limbs trembling. He bowed his head, raking back the hair that slid forward in a gleaming fall, and sighed. For several minutes he sat motionless, then he looked at Kayos, his lips curling in a slight, wry smile.

  "It seems I do need some help after all." He held out his hand. "I will release you."

  Kayos hesitated, then stood and reached down to clasp the dark god's hand, pulling him to his feet. Bane held onto him for a moment, staggering a little, then released him and frowned, rubbing his brow.

  "Why should I go to the church? I could create a couch right here."

  "Jishka."

  "Right."

  Bane turned away, and Moved. He reappeared in a corridor of the city church, and two priestesses gasped and stepped from his path, bowing low. Ignoring them, he found the nearest empty cell and entered it, removed his boots and flopped down on the narrow cot. In moments he sank into the soft dark arms of sleep.

  The news of Bane's arrival spread swiftly through the church. It reached Shevra where she sat in the kitchen, a concerned priestess plying her with hot soup. The two women who had seen him arrive had followed him to a room, and as soon as they told her where it was, Shevra ran from the kitchen. She crept into the room and stood beside his bed, gazing down at him. He looked exhausted, his eyes sunken, lines of weariness bracketing his mouth. She had thought that he would be slain when Vorkon had attacked him. How could anyone stand against an immortal dark god? Yet he appeared to be unharmed. Pulling one of the chairs closer to the bed, she settled down to wait.

  Several minutes later the door opened, and she looked up to find a blue mage framed in it, gazing at Bane with an unreadable expression. The woman smiled at her, then placed the second chair beside the bed and sat down.

  "You know him?" Shevra enquired.

  She nodded. "I am Tarris. He and Kayos found me in the God Realm. They saved me."

  "He saved me also, three times. I'm Shevra."

  "Then you are fortunate indeed."

  "I know, although everyone can say the same, I suppose."

  "True." Tarris nodded. "But few can claim to have met him, that is a rare privilege."

  "Not many would consider it so, given what he is."

  "They are fools."

  "Indeed."

  The door opened again, and Grem stood aside. Mirra ran to the bed with a cry of joy. She gazed down at Bane, her eyes filled with a mixture of relief and anguish. Sitting on the bed beside her husband, she laid a hand on his cheek. Bane jerked away from her touch, but she smiled, her eyes bright with tears. She pressed her lips to his cheek, and this time he lay still. Straightening, she pulled aside the torn shirt to examine the new scars on his shoulder and flank, then looked up at Shevra and Tarris, forcing a wan smile. Shevra introduced herself, and Mirra nodded, turning to gaze at Bane again, fingering his torn shirt. She looked exhausted, her eyes shadowed with worry, and Shevra wondered when she had last slept.

  Chapter Eight

  Trap

  Kayos Moved to the mountains, where he found Shrea huddled shivering in a tiny cave, barely more than a crack in the rocks. She raised a haggard, tear-streaked face, and a glad smile spread across it.

  "Lord Kayos."

  "Be at ease, child." He knelt and healed her.

  "I heard the chime. The seventh ward..."

  "Is active."

  "Vorkon..."

  "Is trapped below."

  Shrea's face twisted, and she sobbed, overcome with relief. Kayos transported her to the cave above, where she activated the sixth ward. Again the earth chimed as the blue powder ignited and the glowing pentagram formed next to its solid counterpart. It filled the chill cave with its pure power, and Kayos smiled. He took her hand, and they reappeared on the cold tundra beside the curved wall and mighty monolith. Shrea stared up at it in awe. The blue pentagram was visible above it in the dull light. Kayos shook Tygon awake, and Shrea's smile faded at the sight of him. She knelt beside him and embraced him, shocked by his appearance. His gaunt, weary face still bore the film of blue spotted grey dust, and she wiped it clean with a damp cloth as he sat gazing up at the seventh ward.

  "We did it," he sighed.

  Shrea nodded. "You did it."

  "I still cannot believe I created something so huge, so powerful."

  "It is beautiful."

  "I did not think I could do it. I was afraid I would fail and doom us all."

  "But you did not," she murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder.

  "If not for Lord Kayos, I would have died."

  "The Demon Lord pushed you too hard."

  "No. He had to, or I would have given up."

  Kayos scooped up a handful of ash and transformed it into a feast of roasted fowl, vegetables and potatoes, which he laid out on a polished silver platter that appeared at a wave of his hand. The Grey God transformed the water in Tygon's pack into wine, then gestured to the food, inviting them to eat. Shrea kept glancing at Tygon. The change in him dismayed her. He seemed to have aged twenty years, and despite his triumph, looked tired and ill.

  Shrea turned to Kayos. "What of Kimera and Bashir?"

  "I will go to them as soon as you have finished your meal, and I have taken you back to Avadorn."

  "They are not in danger?"

  "If they are, they will pray to Bane."

  "He has recovered? Vorkon did not go below of his own accord?"

  "No. Bane cast him down. He rests now."

  Her brows rose. "He requires rest?"

  "Indeed, as any mortal does. Even I enjoy sleep sometimes."

  "I find it hard to think of him as a mortal."

  "Strange, most people find it hard to think of him as a god."

  She shook her head. "He does not even look human."

  "But he is."

  "Why did he force Tygon to work so hard?"

  Kayos glanced at the consort, who gazed at his creation, oblivious to their conversation. "He did what he had to do. It would have taken a terrible toll no matter what, and Tygon was lucky to survive it. Do not blame Bane for it."

  She put down the bone that she had been nibbling. "What of Drayshina?"

  "Bane will free her as soon as he has rested."

  "Surely she should be freed first?" Shrea's voice rose in indignation, and Tygon glanced around.

  "She is in no danger, nor is she suffering."

  "Even so -"

  Kayos frowned. "Child, you have no idea of Bane's importance. His health cannot be jeopardised. Drayshina will be all right."

  "Why is he so important?"

  "Because of what he can do, foolish child. Without him, this domain would be ruled by Vorkon, and Drayshina would be enslaved for thousands of years. A tar'merin is to be cherished and guarded at all costs. He can free other domains, and he will free my granddaughter."

  She looked away. "I find him frightening."
/>   "That is only natural. He frightens most people, and a lot of gods too. It is wise to treat him with a great deal of respect while he wields the dark power."

  Tygon shivered and pulled his coat closer. "Could we go home now?"

  "Certainly."

  Kayos rose, then swung around as Shrea gasped. A black circle had formed just beyond the seventh ward, spreading rapidly, its edges flaring with foul fire. An earth demon rose from the centre in a rush of soil. It stared at them, then turned to face the ward, tilting its head back to study it. Shrea cursed and stepped forward, but Tygon grabbed her and pulled her back.

  "Leave it," he said.

  "But -"

  "Tygon is right," Kayos said, eyeing the demon. "It can do nothing to the ward. Doubtless the black mages will soon follow, but they can do nothing to it either."

  Even as he spoke, a warlock appeared, doubling over as he retched after his Move. Another followed within a few moments, and when they had recovered, they too looked up at the ward, then at the trio who stood beside the wall.

  "We should leave now," Kayos murmured. "These are for Bane to deal with."

  One of the mages spoke to the demon, and it sank back into the ground. The mages started a discussion, ignoring the trio.

  "A message will be sent to Jishka," Kayos said. "I fear that Bane might not have as much time to sleep as he craves."

  Shrea shot him a horrified glance. "The dark goddess is still above the wards?"

  "Bane could hardly take them both below at the same time."

  "But then she is trapped here!"