Demon Lord VII - Dark Domain (18 page)

“I’ll get some
people on it, sir.”

The governor
nodded. “And contact Miraculous. Find out what’s going on aboard
her and where she is. Maybe we can send another stealth ship to
shred those bloody dra’voren and put an end to this fiasco. Either
that or we destroy the gate so they can’t keep closing the damned
thing, but a shred would be preferred. When is Retribution’s
overhaul going to be complete?”

“In a few days,
sir.”

“Who’s
commanding her now?”

“Commander
Balen,” Ranjal said.

“Ah, he’s a
good man; solid, dependable. Not the sort to be hoodwinked by a
bunch of dra’voren. Send Retribution as soon as she’s ready. It’s a
fitting mission for a ship with that name.”

“I would
suggest also sending some warships, sir, in case Retribution fails
to capture the dra’voren.”

“To destroy
Miraculous? What about the shield?”

“If the
warships stay out of scanner range, they might be able to take them
by surprise. Retribution can find out if the shield’s in place. We
just have to hope it’s not a permanent thing. It’s worth a
try.”

“It’s a long
shot.” Predoran frowned, but then shrugged. “I suppose no sacrifice
is too great to get rid of those monsters. I’m sure Miraculous’
crewmen would agree, if they could. They’re probably under his
control. Very well, do it.”

“Yes sir.”

Chapter Eight

Friendship

Bane strolled
along a corridor towards number three mess hall, where Drevarin
resided and most of the surviving refugees socialised. After three
days of rest, some of Bane’s strength had returned, and someone had
washed and repaired his clothes while he slept. The corridors were
almost deserted, making him surmise that the survivors of Tolrar’s
rampage rested, too. The crewmen he did encounter stepped out of
his path, and a few ducked into doorways ahead to avoid him.

In the mess
hall, the refugees sat around tables, drinking ale or tea, some
eating, and the low hum of conversation ceased at his entry. Most
of the refugees still regarded him with deep wariness, but several
managed weak smiles and nodded, and a few stood up and bowed. Mirra
sat with the other women, engrossed in a conversation. They looked
around and smiled, as did Grem and Mithran, who played a card game
with Artan and two other men. Drevarin, who reclined on his couch,
gazing into an Eye, cast Bane a smile, and the buzz of voices
resumed.

Mirra came over
to hug and kiss him. “Come, sit with us. We shall have tea and
biscuits.”

He shook his
head, unnerved by the thought of joining the female discussion. “I
think not. I am on my way to see Sarjan. I thought maybe you,
Mithran and Grem might like to come with me.”

She studied
him. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing; I
just thought it would do Sarjan good to see me as a man, rather
than a god.”

“He does not
see you as a god. He does not believe in them.”

“A dra’voren,
then.”

Mithran and
Grem approached, and Mithran clasped Bane’s shoulder. “It’s good to
see you back on your feet, Son. How are you?”

“I am well,
Father.”

“Bane wishes us
to go with him to talk to Commander Sarjan,” Mirra said.

“Of course,”
Mithran declared. “We should all go.”

Grem nodded,
and Ethra ran up, Sarrin following at a sedate pace, while Nikira
hung back.

Drevarin sat up
and looked around. “Are we on a quest, then?”

“Not exactly,”
Bane said.

“Count me
in.”

“Wonderful. I
hope we can all fit into that little room that goes up and
down.”

“That’s a
lift,” Nikira said.

Ethra scowled
at the ex-commander. “Don’t try to make Bane appear foolish just
because he doesn’t know what you call your silly room that goes up
and down.”

“I wasn’t; I
was just trying to help.”

“He doesn’t
need your help, he’s -”

“Ethra,” Bane
said, “stop it.”

“She’s -”

“That is
enough.”

“But -”

“Shush.” He
wagged a finger at her.

The girl heaved
a dramatic sigh and shot Nikira a glare.

Mirra cast him
a smile. “When Sarjan sees you surrounded by your entourage of
female admirers, and how well you keep the peace, I am sure he will
no longer be able to think of you as a dra’voren.”

Bane snorted
and turned away, only to almost bump into Grem, who raised his chin
and said, “You’ll have my sword beside you if there’s any
trouble.”

Ethra glowered
at Grem. “He doesn’t need your protection, he’s -”

“Ethra.” Bane
shook his head at the mutinous child. “I do not need you
championing my cause every time someone says something.”

“But they’re
-”

“My friends;
and they are only trying to help.”

“Disrespectful.” Ethra muttered, almost inaudibly, since she knew
she was out of line.

Bane opened his
mouth to continue the debate, but Mirra slipped her arm around his
waist. “Hush, husband, you will not win this argument.”

Bane smiled and
headed for the door, the little troop following. The lift ride to
the bridge was a cramped affair, and Drevarin opted for a less
crowded route. Mirra ensured she was closest to her husband,
pressed against his chest by Mithran’s broad back. Even so, when
the lift doors slid open to disgorge its packed contents, Bane was
glad to quit its close and rather smelly confines. He resolved to
speak to Mithran and Grem about personal hygiene, for, while a
weekly bath had been sufficient and understandable when they had
lived in a forest and had to bathe in an icy lake, there was no
excuse for lack of washing on a ship equipped with easy to use
ablution facilities. The two men had stuck to their weekly wash
routines even after Bane had provided hot baths in the cabins with
the blue power, but now the ship’s confines made hygiene more of a
necessity than a luxury.

The bridge crew
turned to stare at the invaders, and Sarjan straightened from
studying a minion’s screen. His eyes raked the group and came to
rest upon Bane, who approached him. The commander held his ground,
his expression wary. Bane was aware of his followers spreading out
amongst the consoles to peer, poke and point. Drevarin entered
through a wall, causing several officers to jump up and
retreat.

Bane stopped a
pace away from the commander, sensing the man’s deep unease at his
proximity. “Commander Sarjan. I am grateful for your aid when I was
injured.”

“Ah, well it
was nothing, really.”

“I disagree. It
took a great deal of courage to keep your word when you thought I
was your enemy.” Bane paused. “And yet, you are still afraid of me.
Rest assured, you are in no danger, and would not be even if I had
power.”

“You don’t? I
mean… I thought you’d have gathered more by now.”

“No. I loathe
the darkness. I cast it out whenever I do not require it.”

Sarjan glanced
around at his men. “So you don’t plan to destroy this ship?”

“No. Why would
I?”

“Because it’s a
threat to you.”

“Do you intend
to hunt me down and kill me?” Bane enquired.

“No.”

“Well then, I
have nothing to fear, and neither do you. We can be allies, Sarjan,
if you are prepared to put aside your preconceptions.”

“That won’t be
easy for many of my crewmen.”

“I understand.
You have lived with the threat of dark gods for a long time, so it
must be hard to accept that I am different. But I am. Allow me to
present my family and friends.” Bane introduced all the group’s
members except Nikira, whom he assumed Sarjan already knew.
Drevarin waved from his perch on a console. Several officers cast
them disbelieving looks, and Sarjan was clearly gobsmacked, as Bane
intended.

“So you see,”
he said, “I am just a man with a few friends and family.”

“I know you’re
not
just
a man, though.”

“Do you still
think I am a dra’voren?”

Sarjan
hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

“Well, that is
an improvement, I suppose.”

Two officers
muttered, and Ethra, who stood within earshot of them, scowled and
marched closer to shout, “Take that back!”

Bane turned to
her. “Ethra, leave them.”

“They’re rude!
And stupid!”

“Come away.
They are entitled to their opinions and prejudices.”

“But not their
ignorance!” she said. “Tell them they’re wrong! We’re not your
slaves, or under your spell, and we’re not too afraid to argue with
you.”

“You are
certainly giving a good display of just how unafraid you are.”

“They don’t
even appreciate that you saved their world from four dark
gods!”

“Four?” Sarjan
asked Bane. “So you destroyed the one who attacked the ship?”

“No, I cast him
down. That was when the beast god attacked me. It was his
ally.”

“How long
before they return?”

Bane shrugged.
“It will take them a few months to gather enough power.”

“And then what
happens? Can’t you destroy them?”

“I could, but I
prefer not to. It is unpleasant for me. I will set wards in your
world, powerful artefacts that will trap them in the Underworld
where they cannot harm you; at least, not as much. They will still
be able to snatch people, but that happens rarely.”

“What about the
fiend?”

Bane smiled.
“Is he giving your people a headache?”

“I’ve given up
questioning him.”

“I thought you
would. But I cannot dismiss him without power. You can shred him,
or order him to leave the ship, but would it not be useful to have
a demon at your command?”

“Maybe,” Sarjan
admitted. “And the droge?”

“Again, I
cannot rescind his form without power. If you want to be rid of
him, shred him.”

“So… what can
you do without your power?”

Ethra, who
wandered about, pushing buttons and twisting knobs and scowling at
the officers who corrected her adjustments, glared at Sarjan. “He
can do anything he wants, roast you on the spot, turn you to stone,
make you -”

Bane said,
“Ethra!”

“What?” She
thrust out her chin.

“Stop trying to
frighten everyone.”

“If they’re too
stupid to see that you’re good, they don’t deserve your
friendship.”

“You are not
helping by telling them I can roast them on the spot, are you? You
do not even know that. You are just making it up.”

“I bet you
can.” Ethra smiled, then swung around as one of the officers
muttered and bellowed at him, “I am
not
brainwashed!” She
glanced at Bane. “What’s brainwashed?”

“Forced to
think in a certain way.”

The girl
approached him. “You can command the seas to part and the stars to
fall, yet you let these idiots think you’re evil.”

Bane wondered
what was going through Sarjan’s mind, but he appeared to be
interested in the answer. “And how does having that power prove I
am not?”

“Because if you
were evil you’d do it.”

“They think I
am a destroyer, and you think if I destroy things it will convince
them I am not?”

“No… What about
if you fixed things?” she asked.

“Such as?”

“The ship is
damaged, isn’t it? I heard people talking about it. There are
wounded people, too. Mirra could help them.”

Bane cocked an
eyebrow at Sarjan. “Would that allay your fears?”

“Can you do
that without your power?” the commander enquired.

“Yes.”

“But… if you
can do that, you must have power.”

“Not the
darkness.”

Mirra said, “I
did not know there were injured people on the ship. I would like to
help them.”

Bane gestured
to the lift. “Take us to your wounded, Sarjan.”

The commander
led the way to the lift, where Bane turned to the little crowd at
his heels. “We are not all squeezing in there again. Father, Grem,
Sarrin, let Commander Nikira show you the way. I will go ahead with
Sarjan.”

In the lift, he
remarked to Mirra, “I am surprised you did not sense their
pain.”

“So am I.”

Sarjan said,
“Our wounded crewmembers have been given painkillers.”

“That explains
it,” Bane observed.

“Your wife can
sense pain?”

“She is a
healer, so yes, she can, if they are close enough.”

“Why doesn’t
Drevarin heal my men, like he healed you?” Sarjan asked.

“Gods are a
funny bunch.”

“But you’re one
too, or so you claim.”

“He is!” Ethra
declared.

“Hush,” Bane
rebuked her, then addressed Sarjan. “I am not like them, being
mortal. I am inclined to do things they will not. They have all
kinds of rules, regulations and rigmaroles, which I tend to ignore.
You could call me an upstart god, I suppose, although I find being
called a god… discomfiting. I prefer to think of myself as a
man.”

“The fiend says
you are one,” Sarjan said, “but what do you think a god is?”

“Someone who
can create or destroy a world.”

“Yeah, I guess
that would qualify as a god’s powers.”

Ethra piped up,
“And Bane could destroy your world if he -”

“Ethra!” Bane
said.

She pouted.
“Why won’t you let me tell him stuff?”

“You are trying
to frighten him.”

“He should be
frightened. He -”

“Stop it. I
will put you over my knee if you do not behave.”

Sarjan glanced
from one to the other, then said to Bane, “Presumably, if you have
all these powers, you could easily silence an impertinent
child.”

“But he
wouldn’t,” Ethra retorted, “because he’s good!”

“It will not
stop me paddling your backside,” Bane warned.

The commander
shook his head. “I saw you attack a dra’voren, yet you let a little
girl be cheeky to you.”