Demon Lord V - God Realm (7 page)

Artan studied
him, looking thoughtful. "You're a contradiction in terms. Dark
gods are, by definition, evil."

"I was not
born a dark god. I was forced to take up the power by the dark god
who made me what I am. It has always disagreed with me." Bane
sighed and sipped the ambrosia. "It is complicated."

"I see. Did
you know what Rinath was before she revealed her power?"

"No. Mortal
gods are hard to spot, demigods even harder. She knew what I was,
which is why she used Ethra to try and make you kill me, but I did
not notice her, she kept away from me and was unobtrusive."

Artan gazed at
the unconscious woman again. "How powerful is she?"

"Far more
powerful than a black mage. They do not have the ability to store
the dark power, only a god can do that. A black mage must Gather
while he wields, so his ability is limited by the shadows available
to him, and what his flesh can stand." He sipped the ambrosia. "Of
course, even normal mortals like you can be invaded by tiny amounts
of darkness, which corrupts their souls."

The warrior
rose and went to tend the fire, returning with a piece of charred
meat when it was blazing again. He settled down a little further
from Bane than before. "So, you could corrupt us."

Bane nodded.
"Yes, if I was not wearing the shackles. But people have a natural
barrier that keeps evil at bay, and of course, their faith in their
god."

"My god is
dead."

"You still
have your belief in what is right and wrong. That will protect you
to a certain extent."

"But not
completely."

Bane looked at
Rinath. "No. She was probably trying to corrupt you before, and she
will try harder now."

"Can you
protect us?"

"No. I can do
nothing to prevent it, apart from killing her."

"Even without
the shackles?"

"Without them
I could draw the darkness from you, but if you were susceptible it
would invade you again." Bane waved the cup of ambrosia out of
existence, and Artan blinked.

"Doesn't that
require you to use your magic?"

"Not the
darkness."

Artan tore off
a chunk of meat and chewed it, frowning. He seemed to have run out
of questions for the moment, and Bane nodded at Rinath. "Those
chains will not hold her."

"What
will?"

"Nothing,
except these." Bane indicated the shackles. "She will melt the
chains off in a few moments."

"Can you stop
her?"

"No."

Artan looked
suspicious. "But I expect you could if you weren't wearing the
shackles."

Bane smiled.
"No. Then she would fear me far more, but I could not prevent her
from using her power. I am not trying to make you take them off. I
know you cannot."

"So you think
I should kill her?"

Bane sighed
and spread his hands. "She will not harm you so long as she needs
you to guard her while she sleeps, but you cannot allow her to
enter another domain. No light god will let her in, anyway. She
will be a threat to all of you once we are out of this trap and she
feels that she does not need you anymore."

"Then as soon
as we're out of it, we'll kill her."

"And me?"

Artan
hesitated. "No. As long as you wear the shackles, you're no threat
to us."

Bane inclined
his head, then looked around as Rinath groaned. Artan stiffened,
his hand seeking his sword hilt, his glance flying to Bane.

"I hope you're
feeling strong enough to deal with her now."

"Not really,
but she does not know that."

Rinath's eyes
opened, ink-black in her chalk-white face, and she writhed,
discovering that she was bound. She turned her head to glare at
Bane, and the glamour she had used to make herself look
unremarkable faded. The dark power had made her strikingly
beautiful, as it did all who wielded it. Her ebon hair and eyes
remained unchanged, but her features were revealed in all their
startling perfection. Artan drew a deep breath as she glanced at
him, turning the full power of her beauty upon him. The chains
melted and fell away, and she sat up, turning to Bane again. A
sweet smile curved her full red lips.

"Did they
think they could bind me?"

"Evidently."

She raised a
hand to her head and grimaced. "Were you trying to kill me?"

"Not
really."

"You will not
get another chance."

"You plan to
leave us?"

Her eyes slid
away, a glint of fear in them. "No."

"Then you will
do as you are told."

She glanced at
the shackles. "You cannot make me."

"And you
cannot kill them. You need them."

"For now, but
I do not need you. I shall kill you at the first opportunity I
get." Her hand sought her dagger and found an empty sheath, which
did not surprise her.

"I am sure you
will try."

"I will
succeed. I shall summon Vertack again."

Artan glanced
at Bane. "I thought you destroyed the demon?"

Bane shook his
head. "He was vanquished, and went to a dark realm."

Artan looked
alarmed. "She could summon a whole host of demons."

"No, I do not
think so. If she could, she would have done so already. One demon
is all she can control, and only a minor one."

"One is all I
need," she snarled.

"I will not
allow you to summon one."

"How will you
stop me? You have no power." Her lips curled in a contemptuous
sneer.

Bane leant
forward. "Do not try me."

Once again her
eyes glinted with fear, then she jumped up and walked over to the
fire, where she helped herself to meat and water. Artan leant
closer to Bane and muttered, "How will you stop her?"

The Demon Lord
shrugged. "I have no idea."

"You were
bluffing?"

"Dark gods are
good liars."

"Armorgan's
teeth!" Artan stared at Bane. "This is a dangerous game you're
playing."

"It is not a
game."

"Damn right
it's not. Our lives are at stake."

"You are safe
for now, but when the time comes, you had best kill her when she is
not expecting it."

Artan nodded,
and Bane glanced at Rinath, who tore at a chunk of charred meat.
"So demigods do not have the ability to summon ambrosia," he mused.
"I wonder how limited her powers are?"

"Not limited
enough." Artan frowned at Bane. "How limited are yours?"

"Pretty much
non-existent."

"I wish I knew
if you were telling the truth."

"So do I."
Bane looked down at his torn shirt and raised his hands to caress
the material, pressing the rents together. The cloth sealed up, and
in moments the shirt was restored. He laced it up. "She cannot
sense the trap turning, either."

"How long
before we can leave?"

"I need to
rest a while longer."

Artan nodded,
watching the demigoddess.

Kayos entered
an area of glowing golden rocks interlaced with rivers of fire, and
glanced back. That which followed him was drawing closer, despite
the speed at which he moved. He was forced to stop from time to
time to reinforce his sense of which direction to take, and that
allowed his pursuer to gain ground. The dim, snow-clad dead forest
he had just left hid whatever followed him, and he turned to look
ahead again. Beyond the small golden region was a bank of white
cloud, much like a light realm. Rising into the air, he flew
towards it, making up time while the going was easy. The steeds
followed below, able to match his speed, their riders drooping with
fatigue. His concern for the mortals was becoming acute, and soon
he would be forced to stop and rest for their sake. They needed
food and sleep.

Bane remained
prone, giving the impression of languid laziness until he
calculated that he had regained sufficient strength to rise and
walk without revealing his weakness. That had taken two sleep
periods, during which a guard had been posted to watch Rinath as
well as the darkness. Bane had slept more than anyone else, secure
in the knowledge that the guard would rouse him if Rinath came
anywhere near him. She had done nothing untoward, either because
she feared him, or she was trying to lull them into a false sense
of security. That, he mused, would not work. The group was
extremely nervous of both of them, and he could not blame them.
Ethra had not come near him, but had listened to him answer
Sarrin's questions, most of which were about his powers and his
past. He had answered her unreservedly, and she seemed to believe
him.

The dark power
gnawed at his flesh, and the sickness it caused increased. He had
to leash it constantly now, for it leaked from his bones of its own
accord, no longer content to remain there. The shackles glowed
faintly, and when he slept the shadows stole into his blood, waking
him with the burning pain. His stomach rejected the ambrosia, and
he could eat little. The soldier Vertack had struck down regained
consciousness, to Artan's relief, and they buried the young
priestess in the dusty ground.

When everyone
woke from the second sleep period, Bane sat up and nodded at Artan,
who gave the order to break camp. The Demon Lord summoned a cup of
ambrosia and sipped it, but his stomach heaved, and he vomited.
Sarrin came over and squatted beside him, clearly concerned.

"What ails
you?"

Bane wiped his
mouth. "The shackles are killing me."

Sarrin looked
sad, and he stood up. Rinath watched him. He could sense the
intensity of her black eyes boring into him. The packs were
distributed amongst the group, the soldiers forced to carry some
now that they had lost two more members. Artan shouldered one
himself, but did not ask Bane to carry anything. Instead he was
given a torch, as were Sarrin, Ethra and Juvo. The soldiers took up
their positions beside each torch bearer, and Rinath now walked
alone in the centre. Artan accompanied Bane at the rear of the
group, with Sarrin and Ethra leading. They travelled in the
direction Artan chose, and Bane did not comment upon it. There was
no way of telling which direction was the right one until the trap
shifted again.

Bane's legs
ached when the ground moved, and he staggered into Artan. The
stocky warrior cursed and stumbled, but kept his feet. Bane sank to
his knees, his head spinning. The group stopped, and Artan stared
down at Bane.

"Which
direction?"

The Demon Lord
pointed to the right. "That way."

Artan nodded,
and Bane rose to his feet, his stomach heaving again. The group
headed off to the right, but Bane stayed where he was.

"Wait."

Artan halted
and looked back. "What is it?"

"The beasts
always attack right after the trap shifts. We should prepare."

Artan
signalled to his men, and they closed ranks, crossbows pointed at
the gloom. Bane moved closer to Rinath, who glanced at him when he
stopped beside her, and he leant closer to murmur, "Burn anything
other than a beast, and I will kill you."

Rinath glared
at him, and he turned to gaze into the darkness, awaiting the first
sign of the attack. The high-pitched thrumming came moments later,
and then shadowy forms boiled from the darkness. Rinath raised her
hands, and streams of shadow poured from her fingers, striking the
horde's leaders. Three exploded in clouds of brown gore, and
another two fell writhing, but the rest came on.

Bane lowered
his torch and thrust it at the rushing mass of mottled greyness
that shot out of the darkness. Two more sprouted crossbow bolts in
their chests, but that did not slow them. The soldiers drew their
swords as the beasts reached them. Once more the group was engulfed
in a frenetic melee of stabbing beaks and ripping claws. Bane leapt
aside as a beast shot towards him, stumbling a little. He thrust
his torch into the face of another, forcing it to veer away, and it
headed for one of the soldiers. The man swung and chopped at the
beast with his sword, laying open a wound in its shoulder, and it
fell, flailing.

Bane leapt
backwards to avoid another beast, jabbing his torch into its flank
as it shot past. It keened and vanished back into the darkness, and
then he whipped around as one rushed him from behind. Rinath laid
about her with the dark power, and Ethra shrieked as she was bowled
over. Bane leapt towards her, smashing aside two beasts, then
kicked the one that crouched over her, sending it flailing into the
gloom. She rolled to her feet, lifting her torch again. Blood
stained the side of her dress.

Bane kicked
another creature, and it went sprawling, then leapt up and raced
away. Something hit him from the side, and he went down, rolling
away as a beak struck the ground where he had been. The dark power
poured from his bones, seeking to be unleashed against his foe, and
the shackles burst into blinding incandescence. His torch sprayed
sparks as it bounced away along the ground, and he writhed, crying
out as the power flooded him with agony. His vision dimmed, and his
back arched as his muscles went into a spasm.

Artan spun
around as brilliant light flooded the scene, and the beasts fled
back into the darkness, two bursting into flames. Bane writhed on
the ground, his eyes screwed shut and his face twisted. Rinath
swung and punched the soldier closest to her, knocked him senseless
and snatched up his sword. Artan ran after her as she marched over
to Bane and raised the weapon high. Sarrin gave a cry of anguish
and flung herself at the demigoddess, but Rinath sent her sprawling
with a casual flick of her hand. Artan reached her as she brought
the sword down, and plunged his weapon into her back. Dark power
burst from her and flung him backwards, pain exploding in his face
and hands. Rinath coughed and fell to her knees, dropping the sword
to clasp the blade that protruded from her chest.