Demon Lord IV - Lord of Shadows (20 page)

Kayos
marvelled afresh at the tremendous power that the young god
wielded. The commands that Bane spoke shivered the air, and the
dark power's fall quickened as he described a third, then fourth
set of runes. Two of the scars on his chest lighted as he used
their power, his brow furrowed as he bent the shadows to his will.
By the time he had completed the sixth set of runes, the clouds'
forbidding darkness had lightened to grey, and the faint blue
nimbus around Kayos had vanished. As Bane wrote the seventh and
final set of runes in the air, then spoke their names, the last
dregs of shadow seeped away into the ground. The Demon Lord
stretched his hands towards the leaden sky, then moved them slowly
apart, and the clouds began to drift away.

Bane lowered
his arms and turned to Kayos, who gazed up at the clouds, a smile
curling his lips.

"Drayshina
will be pleased." His eyes flicked down to Bane. "But there is
still Jishka."

Bane nodded.
"She will not confront me, so I must hunt her."

"Difficult,
while she blocks your Eye. She is in Draynon, but that does not
help much."

Bane turned to
gaze across the land. "There is only one way to get close to her,
and that is in the guise of an ordinary mortal."

"An illusion
cannot hide your dark aura from her."

"I know."

"You mean..."
Kayos' brows shot up, then lowered. "That is madness. You would be
too vulnerable. Enter her city while invisible and she will not
sense you."

"If she has
any sense, she will have set warning wards around herself. Besides,
there will be crowds of demons, droges and worshippers around her,
if I bump into one of them, it is over."

"Then do not
bump into anyone."

Bane snorted.
"Easier said than done. It is too risky. At the moment, she is not
certain of my intentions, but she is probably expecting me to do
exactly what you have just suggested. She will not expect me to go
there without power, and that is the only way to get close to her
now."

"There is no
guarantee of that. Even as a blue mage, you would be vulnerable.
Any demon or even a droge with a knife could kill you."

"And without
my power, you could heal me like that." Bane snapped his fingers.
"But more importantly, she will not know who I am. The demons and
droges will not dare to kill such a prize as a blue mage. They will
take me to her, and she will gloat over me, perhaps even try to
torture me. The moment she touches me..."

He paused,
considering. "I know how a dark god thinks, Kayos, I am one. At the
moment, she is afraid, but also angry and vengeful. The dark power
will urge vengeance, but she fears me. An injured blue mage would
be too good a source of amusement to resist. The dark power would
demand my sacrifice, and she, I do not doubt, is its slave."

Kayos shook
his head. "How would I know if you were injured?"

"Syrin."

The Elder God
groaned, swinging away. "I am already in her debt."

"I shall ask
her."

"You will pay
dearly for it."

Bane shrugged.
"I think not so dearly. Only as much as I care to."

Kayos faced
him again. "You do not think like a dark god, you are
tar'merin."

"I used to. I
remember what it was like to be ruled by the dark power. I know how
it makes a person think."

"It is
madness. Far too risky."

"You have a
better plan?"

Kayos studied
the young god, his expression shuttered. Several ideas came to him,
but all were fatally flawed. Bane's plan had a lot of merit, and
probably was the only way to get close to the dark goddess, but the
risk was high. Without the dark aura, and with a soul that shone
with purity, he could easily pass for a blue mage. As long as he
did not use his god powers, there was no outward sign of his true
identity once an illusion covered the rune scars.

"It is not as
risky as you think," Bane said, as if reading his mind. "Even
without the dark power, I am faster than a demon and stronger than
a droge. If I feign injury, they will not harm me. They will take
me to her."

"Perhaps, if
the demons who took you to her were your own."

Bane
considered this, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "An excellent
idea. Jishka will not know that they are not hers. I am sure she
has hundreds at her beck and call, to protect her, she will
think."

"And they can
protect you."

Bane's lip
curled. "I will not need the protection of demons. This is not a
battle with a powerful dark god."

"No, but this
time you will have no power."

"It takes only
a few moments for me to Gather it now."

"That is all
she needs to kill you."

"Not with the
dark power."

Kayos
gestured. "No, all she needs is a dagger, or a droge with a
crossbow, or a demon with a spear."

"They will
have no reason to attack me until I have taken hold of her, and
then it will be too late."

"You will
command those demons to protect you, or I will not go along with
your plan."

"I do not need
your approval." Bane frowned.

"You do, or
our deal is off."

"Then you will
not get your granddaughter back."

"And your wife
will not become a goddess."

Bane's
nostrils flared and his eyes frosted. "You belittle me with your
doubts and fears."

"No, it is you
who have fallen prey to the dark power's arrogance, Bane." Kayos
stepped closer and gripped Bane's forearm, sensing his start of
surprise. Blue fire flared between them. "You have been under its
influence for too long, and used it too much. That last battle with
Vorkon made you more vulnerable, and I do not want you to lose your
mortality.

"It is that
which makes you so unique, and so dangerous. Think about it. Only a
mortal dark god can step on hallowed ground, pass through the
wards, cast out the dark power and walk unknown amongst people. Do
not risk all that through arrogance. That is probably what the dark
power wants." Kayos shook his head. "Keep your mortality for as
long as you can. Do not take risks, no matter how slight you may
think them."

Bane glanced
down at Kayos' hand on his arm and raised his free hand to grip the
light god's forearm. Kayos suppressed a shudder, but did not try to
free himself. Bane's eyes flicked up to meet his steely silver
gaze.

"You trust me
this much?"

"Yes."

"Because I am
tar'merin?"

Kayos smiled.
"No. Even tar'merin are sometimes prone to bad urges, and have been
known to become destructive under the influence of the dark power.
I trust you because I know you. Mithran is the father of your
flesh, but I am the father of your soul. You sprang from the part
of me that I bequeathed to the domain that I created. You are my
son too."

Bane gazed at
him, his expression unreadable. "Why did you have to touch me to
find out that I was tar'merin when you could see my soul?"

The sudden
change of topic startled Kayos. "I could see that you were
uncorrupted, but a tar'merin can only be sensed by touch."

Bane released
Kayos and stepped back, pulling free of the Elder God's grip. "I
would not harm you."

"Command the
demons to protect you, Bane."

The Demon Lord
swung away and vanished. Kayos gazed at the spot where he had been,
then up at the thinning clouds. A soft, sweet rain fell, washed the
soot from the air and filled it with the musty redolence of wet
ash. He let it dew his skin with fine drops, enjoying its cool
touch while he considered the Demon Lord. Seventeen light sons he
had created in various domains, and left them to rule in his
absence, returning to the God Realm to create more domains.

Countless
souls had sprung from his essence, each of them bringing their
contribution to his knowledge upon their return to the light realm.
He recalled the intense sorrow that he had felt when his domains
were destroyed and the souls were lost to him forever. The death of
his sons had grieved him deeply, and he still remembered the names
of the dark gods who had killed them. Some of them had also been
his sons, corrupted and raised to godhood by the dark power. They
would have destroyed him if they could, not caring that he was
their father, but not Bane, his youngest dark son. He trusted him
now, even under the influence of the dark power.

Kayos Moved
back to Drayshina's room, and was surprised to find Bane there,
lounging on his couch, frowning. When Kayos appeared, his
expression became blank, betraying that he had been pondering
something that the Grey God had said. Mirra sat with Grem and
Mithran on the bedrolls, apparently sensing her husband's black
mood. Kayos went to the cloud couch and sat on its edge, leaning
forward to shake Drayshina.

"Wake up, dear
child."

"You call
everyone 'child', do you not?" Bane muttered.

Kayos glanced
at him and smiled. "Only those who are younger than me."

"Which is
everyone."

"I suppose
so."

"And even when
they are not your children."

"It is a form
of endearment." Kayos eyed him. "But yes, even so."

"Beware of
what you lay claim to, Kayos. I am not a son of whom a great light
god can be proud."

Kayos noticed
Mithran glance up sharply, and opened his mouth to refute this,
then decided not to just yet. "Why is that?"

"You know what
I have done."

"Yes, I do.
Cast down three dark gods and saved two domains. Now why should I
be proud of such a son?"

Bane snorted.
"What of all the people I have killed?"

"I think you
have been through this already, have you not? Why do you want to
find reasons that I should not be proud of you? Is the fact that
you are my son such a surprise? All the people of my domains are my
children, no more or less than you. I am proud of what you have
done, and you should be, too."

Bane looked
down at his hands, spreading them. Shadows drifted from his
fingers. "Yet I am abhorrent to you."

"No, not you.
Only the power you carry, and only because it is dangerous to me.
You are exceptional, Bane. You have a soul so powerful and pure
that you can bend evil to your will. You are the only one of your
kind to be born of my soul."

"But it was
Arkonen who made me a god."

"And by doing
so, doomed himself. I am proud of all my children who do good deeds
or great work. Why do you hate yourself so?"

Bane looked
up, meeting his eyes. "Because I am a dark god. Everyone fears me,
even you."

"So long as
you destroy evil, you have nothing of which to be ashamed.
Initially people will fear you, but once they know you, they will
stop. Lyriasharin does not fear you."

"But you
do."

"Only when the
dark power overwhelms you. Then it pays to be cautious, do you not
agree?"

Bane nodded,
glancing down at his hands again. The trickle of dark power
stopped, and Drayshina sighed. Kayos turned to gaze down at
her.

"She
wakes."

The goddess'
eyes opened, flicked to Kayos' face, and widened. A tremulous smile
tugged at her lips, and when Kayos returned it, her expression
filled with joy. He took her hand and raised it to his lips,
kissing the back of it.

"Welcome back,
sweet child."

"Kayos. I am
free?"

"You are, my
dear."

"Vorkon?"

Kayos patted
her hand. "Cast down and trapped in the Darkworld."

"Blessed
light." Intense relief filled her face, and her eyes sparkled. "I
am deeply in your debt, Lord of Chaos."

"It is not I
who deserve your gratitude, My Lady."

Kayos' eyes
flicked to Bane, and Drayshina's gaze followed them. A little of
her joy ebbed when she spied the dark god lounging on his couch.
She sat up, brushing at her hair, and swung her legs off the bed.
Bane watched her, his face expressionless.

"Thank you, My
Lord."

Kayos frowned,
and his hand tightened upon hers, drawing her attention to him. "I
think something a little more formal is called for, Drayshina."

She looked
uncertain, her eyes pleading with him not to ask her to do what she
clearly did not wish to.

Kayos' frown
deepened. "My son almost lost his life on two occasions, to free
your domain."

Bane lay back
and closed his eyes. "Leave her be, Kayos. It is not finished
yet."

"Not
finished?" Drayshina's eyes widened in alarm. "You said -"

"The truth.
Vorkon is cast down, and the dark power banished from the mid
realm." He glanced at Bane. "But Jishka remains at large. Bane will
cast her down too, soon."

"Then -"

"The war is
won, only a final battle remains."

She hesitated,
and Kayos' anger grew at her reluctance.

Bane said,
"Whatever it is you are trying to make her do, Kayos, leave it. She
is afraid of me, just as you are."

"I would not
insult a valuable ally by denying him the courtesy of proper
recognition for his deed."

"We have a
bargain. Her gratitude will be in the granting of that to which she
has agreed. I need no flowery speeches or boring formal posturing.
Persist, and I shall leave."

Kayos cast him
an irritated frown. "You have no concept of formal relations
between our kind, Bane. It should be part of your education."

Bane waved a
hand. "Such things do not interest me."

Kayos sighed,
turning to Drayshina. "Your reluctance to follow protocol does you
no favours, child. Your father would be disappointed in you."

She bowed her
head. "Perhaps when the trauma is not so fresh in my mind."

"Perhaps. When
it is too late."

Bane yawned
and sat up, stretching. "I think it is time I went and found
Jishka."