"You intend to fight this dark god, Lord?"
Kayos snorted. "Certainly not, that would be folly. I shall defend myself." He turned to frown at Artan, who lay where he had fallen, nursed his jaw and watched Kayos with fearful eyes. "Get up."
The stocky warrior obeyed, bowed his head and clasped his hands before him in an attitude of worship. Kayos walked over to him and touched his brow, a flash of golden light forming under his palm. Artan's burns vanished, and he staggered back.
"You will obey the Demon Lord, and serve him well," Kayos ordered.
Artan bowed. "As you command, Lord."
The Grey God glanced around, then at Bane, who was still engulfed in shadows. He strode into the pool of darkness, a blue nimbus appearing around him, and knelt beside the Demon Lord. Sarrin tried to follow, but the darkness' icy touch forced her to retreat, pale-faced.
Bane opened his eyes as Kayos leant over him and asked, "How goes your purge?"
"Quick, but painful. For once, the dark power is eager to leave me, after being trapped for so long."
"I am pursued. When I have healed you, I shall ascend to the next level and await you there. Do not come until you are strong enough to defeat a dark god."
Bane grimaced. "That could take a while, unless you can restore my strength too."
"That would take too long; I do not have much time."
"Slow it down then."
Kayos shook his head. "That would do little good, since a dark god can counter it."
Bane sighed and closed his eyes. The dark power drained from him effortlessly, taking with it a great deal of his strength. As the last of it seeped from him, he opened his eyes, finding Kayos still beside him, watching him.
"It is done."
Kayos laid his hands on Bane's chest, and golden light flared under his palms. Without the dark power to obstruct him, he healed Bane swiftly and sat back. "Find somewhere safe to rest."
"How will I find you?"
"Follow your instincts, or summon a Hound."
Kayos started to stand up, but Bane gripped his sleeve. "Could you not stay and shield us all until I have recovered, or find a domain where we would all be safe?"
The Grey God looked pensive. "I am tempted to, but I used a lot of power to find you, and have not been able to replace it. This place is neutral, so the light is hard to Gather here. My shield would be weak, especially if I have to protect so many, and I do not think we would find a domain before my pursuer caught up. It is too risky. You must be fully recovered if you are to defeat another god. If you try too soon, you will fail."
Bane nodded and released him, and Kayos rose, glancing at the scruffy group. "Take him from here. Go that way."
Kayos pointed in the direction in which they had been travelling, then turned and strode off in the opposite direction. They bowed to him as he passed, and Mirra ran to Bane's side and knelt to embrace him, Mithran following to gaze down at his son. Bane raised a hand to clasp her cheek as she sobbed, clinging to him.
"Hush. I am well enough. Do not weep."
"I was so worried about you."
"It is all right now. You have found me."
Mirra hugged him tighter, burying her face in the side of his neck. "I was so afraid I would lose you."
"You will never lose me." His lips curved in a sad smile. "Hush now."
Mithran touched her shoulder. "Come, we have to go."
She sat up, wiping her eyes. "Kess will carry you, Bane."
"No." He shook his head. "I am not strong enough to ride. Tell the priestess, Sarrin, to come here."
Mirra beckoned to the elderly woman, who came over to kneel beside her. Bane turned his head to look at her. "Sarrin. Those three horses are demon steeds. You must tell your people not do anything that may be perceived as a threat to my wife, my father or my friend."
Sarrin shot Mirra a startled glance, then looked up at Mithran before casting the steeds a nervous look. "demon steeds?"
"Yes. Do not be concerned, they will not harm you as long as they do not perceive you as a threat."
Sarrin nodded, then rose and went over to Artan.
Kayos glanced back as the four men picked Bane up and set off along the wall at a swift shuffle. Mirra walked beside him, holding his hand. The Hound followed him, its glowing eyes boring into his back. He had two choices now. He could continue to flee and perhaps find a domain to shelter in, or he could find a light place, raise his shields and wait for Bane. The former was more appealing, for he disliked the idea of cowering within his shields, and there was the possibility that something might happen to Bane. His decision to leave him had been a hard one, for the young god was vulnerable now, and would remain so until he had recovered his strength, a perilous state to be in, when in the God Realm.
Arriving at the bottom of the staircase, he started up it, the Hound close behind.
Ethra stared at the glowing river that flowed across their path with despairing eyes. They stood at the bottom of a sheer-sided canyon, and the way ahead was blocked. The lava river emerged from a tunnel on one side of the canyon and vanished into another on the other, impassable. The men had laid the Demon Lord down, and also pondered the lava with bitter expressions. The prospect of backtracking for five days travel did not hold much appeal, and their food was running out. There was no guarantee that anything better lay on the far side of the molten river, but at least there was hope ahead, while there was none behind.
Their new companions, whose kinship to Bane had won them instant respect, stood gazing across the river. Mirra had hardly left his side since she had joined them, and had taken over the task of caring for him. Ethra had been amazed to learn that he had a mortal wife and father, as well as a devoted friend. The steeds followed the group, and sometimes the three newcomers rode them. Their presence made her nervous, to say the least. Sarrin kept well away from them, while Artan often shot them suspicious, calculating glances. No one from Ethra's group wanted to ride the steeds, despite their tiredness.
Ethra approached Bane and squatted beside him. He was asleep, as he had been for most of the last five days, and especially since they had found more wood and fashioned a litter for him. She touched his shoulder, and his eyes opened.
"The way ahead is blocked," she said. "What should we do?"
Sarrin hastened over. "Ethra, do not disturb him."
Ethra glanced up at her with a frown. "Unless his lordship helps, we're stuck here with no food. He won't starve, but we will."
"Do not be disrespectful."
Bane raised a hand. "Enough. She is right." He sat up and turned to gaze at the obstruction. The rest had restored some of his strength, and his appearance had improved, but he remained weak and drained. He climbed to his feet and joined Artan, who stood with the other men, gazing at the molten flow, the intense heat preventing them from going any closer.
Artan turned to him. "Can you help?"
Bane nodded, then smiled down at Mirra as she came to his side and slipped her hand into his. Mithran approached and clasped his shoulder in a brief gesture of affection. Grem walked closer, his eyes bright with anticipation.
Bane raised his hands and spread them towards the lava river, closing his eyes. "Cold."
The air around him frosted, and Artan retreated, his breath steaming in the sudden chill. Mirra shivered and moved away, rubbing her arms. The edge of the lava river solidified in a curving platform of rock, pushing out into the flowing stone. The bridge of rock slowly extended across the river, the lava flowing under it. As soon as it touched the far side, Bane muttered, "Go across now."
Artan and his men picked up the litter and supplies and sprinted across the stone bridge, Ethra and Sarrin close behind. The heat at the centre of the bridge was intense, making her skin and eyes burn. Mirra, Mithran and Grem followed. When they were safely on the other side, they turned to watch Bane walk across, keeping his hands spread towards the rock bridge. As he stepped off it, he let his hands fall, and the bridge melted away. The
group moved away from the river, and Bane followed more slowly, but when they offered him the litter, he waved it away.
"I am strong enough to walk for a while."
"You must not tax yourself," Mirra protested.
"I will not."
Artan walked beside him, casting him occasional concerned glances, and Ethra followed. Clearly Artan still felt guilty about putting the shackles on Bane, and took every opportunity to make amends. She had had a hand in it too, and shared his guilt to a lesser degree, since Rinath had made her tell him to do it. Mirra walked beside Bane, holding his hand, and Mithran followed just behind with Grem beside him. Bane's measured tread slowed them, but Artan did not complain, even though their food was almost finished. Ethra wondered if the Demon Lord would be able to help with that too, when it ran out. She trotted to catch up, and elbowed Artan aside to take his place beside Bane.
"How does your friend, the Grey God, fare?"
Bane glanced at her. "I do not know. Without my power, I cannot form an Eye."
"How long before you'll be able to use it again?"
"Quite a while."
"But he healed you."
"He could not replace the blood I lost, nor could he undo the exhaustion, which is mostly what hampers me now."
Ethra frowned. "Don't gods heal quicker than people?"
"Yes, but my injuries would have killed a normal man a hundred times over, so the after effects are profound."
"Our food is almost finished."
"Ethra," Artan said. "Enough."
"That is regrettable," Bane murmured.
"Can you help?"
"I might be able to."
"How?"
"Ethra!" Artan glared at the girl, who scowled at him.
Bane stopped, and Ethra turned to him, casting Artan an uncertain glance. "At the moment we have a more pressing problem."
Artan's hand dropped to the hilt of his sword, then he followed Bane's gaze. In the distance, the canyon walls drew together, joining in a jumble of stones. Artan groaned and closed his eyes, his expression despairing. Ethra stared at the dead end for a moment, and then turned to Bane.
"What do we do now?"
The Demon Lord shrugged. "Let us look more closely at it."
They walk on, and Ethra glanced up at Bane. "Can you fly?"
"I have not tried without my power. Perhaps."
"Then you could carry us over it." She frowned. "Is that how you survived when you fell into the crevasse?"
"No. That was before..."
"Before what?"
"Enough questions."
Ethra pouted, and Artan shot her a triumphant look, while Mirra cast her a sympathetic one. They drew close to the jumble of stones that marked the end of the canyon, and Bane sank down on a convenient rock, looking tired. Artan eyed the scree and the cliff above it.
"We can't climb that."
Bane sighed. "No."
Sarrin approached, frowning. "You should rest, Lord."
"First I have to find a way past this barrier."
"That can wait," Mirra stated. "Sarrin is right, you should rest now."
"My strength will not return for a while, and a little rest will do nothing." Bane summoned a cup of ambrosia.
"And taxing yourself will slow your recovery."
"We must find a safe place to rest. If we are attacked while I have no power, it could be disastrous."
"We have the steeds, and you can use blue magic."
Bane sipped from the golden cup, then dismissed it. "That might not be enough. Do not be concerned, I am well enough to solve this problem."
Bane looked up at the cliff again, then rose and walked towards it, climbing over the tumbled stones at its base. Reaching up, he laid his hands upon the rock and bowed his head, closing his eyes. Ethra's mouth fell open as cracks shot through the rock from his hands with dull reports, crazing the stone, then the entire cliff crumbled away from him with a grating roar.
Bane stumbled back, tripped over a rock and sprawled, small stones striking him as they fell from the disintegrating cliff. Mirra gave a cry of concern and ran towards him as he was engulfed in a choking cloud of dust, the others hot on her heels. Small stones hit Ethra as she groped towards him, coughing and wiping her stinging eyes. The dust settled swiftly, revealing Bane sitting on the ground holding his head, covered with dirt. Mirra hurried to his side, her eyes widening as he lowered his hand and studied the blood on it.
"You are hurt!"
"My lord!" Artan knelt beside him.
"I am all right. It is just a scratch." Bane wiped his watering eyes, smearing blood on his face as he squinted at the huge gap where the cliff had been. Tumbled stones blocked most of the view, but an area of darkness lay beyond, several strange orange glows lighting it. Mirra laid her hand on his brow, and Ethra gasped as golden light formed under her palm, making Bane's flesh glow. He closed his eyes, and when she removed her hand, he opened them and smiled at her. Sarrin arrived beside him and pulled a cloth from her bag, using some of her precious water to dampen it, and then knelt.
"May I, Lord?"
He glanced at her and shrugged, blinking the grit from his eyes. "I was not expecting that to happen. All I wanted was to make a slope that we could climb up, but it seems the cliff was only a narrow strip of rock."
"You could have been killed." Sarrin wiped the blood and dust from his face, finding no wound under it.
"Unlikely. Just a few small stones that I could not avoid."
"I did not know you could heal yourself."
Bane smiled. "I cannot. Mirra is a healer."
Sarrin glanced at Mirra and inclined her head. "Healer."
The girl smiled in the serene manner that Ethra had come to know. "A small thing, but I have not seen the sun for a long time now. Soon I will be powerless."
"Bring the litter!" Artan bellowed at his men, who trotted up and put it down beside Bane.
"You will not be able to carry me over that." Bane gestured to the mass of tumbled stones that blocked their path.
"If we must, we will."
Bane rose to his feet, swaying a little as he shook the dust from his hair. Mirra brushed at the dirt on his clothes as he climbed the slope, the rest of the group following. When he reached the top, his breath came in harsh gasps, sweat sheening his brow. One disadvantage of his lack of power was the fact that dirt now stuck to him, and without being able to bathe, he was becoming a bit rank.
Bane sank down on a boulder and stared at the vista that lay ahead, his expression grim. The others joined him and gazed at it with bemused eyes. A broad expanse of dark, stony ground stretched away into the distance, swallowed up by the darkness. Numerous towering pillars of flame dotted it, lighting a sprawling collection of ramshackle houses and crumbling stone buildings. Beings moved amongst them, gathering to gaze at the fallen cliff where he sat. Some resembled people, but most were alien.
"What are they?" Mirra whispered beside him.
Bane shook his head. "I have no idea."
"Perhaps they have food."
"Possibly. Or they could be dangerous. In this place, we are as likely to become food as we are to find it. If there was a choice I would avoid it, but you need to eat."
Mirra nodded and bit her lip, gazing at the strange little town. Bane bent and picked up a few stones, tucking them into his tunic pocket. Then he beckoned to Grem, who came to his side and took his hand when he held it out. With his arm around Grem's shoulders, Bane made his way down the slope of jumbled stones, stumbling a little. As soon as he was away from the last boulders, the soldiers brought his litter, and he climbed onto it, lay back and closed his eyes. Mirra glanced back at the steeds, which no longer followed them, so evidently Bane had ordered them to stay behind. The group shuffled towards the eerie village, eyeing the denizens that had gathered to meet them. When they reached the crowd, Artan stopped, and a tall man clad in a cowled, dark crimson robe stepped forward.
"Who are you, and what do you seek here?
"
Artan drew himself up. "We're travellers. We seek only food and shelter so we may rest."
"Where are you going?"
"We're looking for a domain. Ours was destroyed."
The cowled man nodded. "A tale we hear often. You're welcome to rest here, and we have food, so long as you have coin."
The demand surprised Artan, and he opened his mouth to deny that they had money, but instead he heard himself say, "Yes, we have coin."
"Good." The man paused, eyeing Bane. "What ails your friend?"
"He's exhausted."
"Yet he looks stronger than any of you."
"He saved us from a grave danger."
"I see. He must be a great warrior, yet he carries no sword. He looks like a black mage."
"No, he's a nobleman, and a warrior." Artan frowned, for that was not what he had intended to say.
Ethra shot him a puzzled glance. "He's a..." She stopped, looking blank.
The cowled man turned his head towards her. "A what?"
"A lord from our domain." Ethra shook her head in a confused manner.
Artan shot Bane a suspicious look, but he appeared to be asleep. He turned back to the stranger. "Have you somewhere that we can rest?"
"Indeed." The man turned and gestured towards a tall stone building, and the crowd parted to let them through.
Ethra glanced at the beings as they approached the building, most of whom looked like a mixture of races or species, some that made her shudder. Their silence struck her as odd, as did the words she had uttered so unwillingly to the cowled man. The doors of the building swung open ahead of them, and they shuffled into a warm room that many bright torches lighted.
It looked like an inn's common room, with rough-hewn tables and chairs scattered about the rush-strewn floor. One long table bore a feast of roasted meat and vegetables, and ten places were set at it. Ethra's mouth watered at the savoury aroma that arose from the platters, yet she wondered how the food could have been prepared for them so swiftly. Artan also looked puzzled as they approached the table and laid Bane's litter down close to it. The cowled man indicated the feast with a sweep of his hand.
Demon Lord V - God Realm Page 9
