Demon Lord VI - Son of Chaos (17 page)

“
We must go out there, Bane needs us.”

“
Yes, of course.” In a daze, Nikira followed them into the
lift.

Chapter Seven

Aftermath

Drevarin
hurried towards the Demon Lord, growing more worried as he drew
closer to Bane’s still form. He lay on his back, one arm out-flung,
the other at his side, his legs twisted at an awkward angle. Pools
of blood had formed beside him, and it still ran down his
chalk-pale face from his nose and soaked into his hair from his
ears. He breathed puffs of steam in short, harsh gasps, and shivers
racked him.

The Demon Lord
radiated dark power in cold waves, and shadows leaked from his
fingers to sink into the stone. Wisps of smoke and steam rose from
his clothes and hair, and the seven runes on his chest shone dull
red through the bloody tears in his tunic. A blue nimbus shimmered
around Drevarin as he drew close, and he wondered if he should
raise his shields, even though Bane was unconscious. Reaching the
Demon Lord’s side, he knelt and stretched out his hand, but a flare
of black fire repelled him.

“
Bane.”

Drevarin
wondered if the concussion had deafened Bane, or if he was too
deeply unconscious. The sound of running feet made him look around.
Mirra sprinted towards him, followed by Mithran, Nikira, several
soldiers and the rest of Bane’s group.

Drevarin
frowned at them. “Stay back!”

All except
Mirra stopped, and he jumped up and grabbed her.

She struggled.
“Let me go! He is hurt! Bane!”

“
Stay away from him.”

“
He is hurt! Heal him!”

“
I cannot. Not yet.” He dragged her back to the others and
thrust her into Mithran’s hands, then turned to gaze at
Bane.

“
Is he all right, Lord?” Sarrin asked.

“
He will be, but he is unconscious right now.”

“
Why do you not heal him?”

“
He has too much dark power in him.”

Nikira shook
her head in wonder. “How did he survive that explosion?”

“
He has shields.”

Sarrin glanced
back at the silver sphere. “Why does Kayos not emerge?”

“
I do not know.”

Nikira looked
puzzled. “If he has shields, why was he injured at all?”

“
His body shields reside just beneath his skin, and when he
raises them they protect him from fire, and, to a certain extent,
from concussion or physical attack, but sharp weapons can penetrate
them.”

Drevarin
frowned at the Demon Lord, his concern growing with each passing
minute. Bane’s wounds were grave, but Drevarin could not heal them
unless Bane first cast out the dark power, and to do that he must
wake up. The prospect of waking him up while he was filled with so
much evil was not appealing, but there seemed to be no choice. The
pools of blood around him were growing larger, and he had already
lost a great deal during the battle. He walked back to Bane and
knelt beside him again, braving the flare of black fire to try to
touch his shoulder, but was thrust away.

“
Bane, wake up.”

The Demon
Lord’s eyelids flickered, and he groaned, his Adam’s apple
bobbing.

“
Bane, you have to wake up and purge the dark
power.”

Bane turned
his head towards him and opened his eyes. Drevarin recoiled from
their blackness, and Bane studied him, his expression blank.

Drevarin
smiled. “It is I.”

Bane’s brows
drew together as he tried to raise his head, grimacing. His hands
clenched and he groaned, staring at the grey sky. Clearly he was so
weak he could hardly move, and that goaded the dark power within
him to ineffectual rage.

Bane’s
weakness did not comfort Drevarin, who knew he could lash out with
the black fire even while he was incapacitated. Bane continued to
pant, and drops of perspiration mingled with the blood that soaked
his hair. The dark power had burnt most of it away, leaving only
the fresh streaks that ran down his pale skin, where red marks had
started to blossom, the result of the blows Torvaran had landed. He
continued to exhale puffs of steam, even though the air was not
chilly. His jaw muscles bulged as he clenched his teeth, then his
mouth worked, and he spoke in a soft, grating voice.

“
Go away.”

“
Right.”

Drevarin
retreated as Bane tried to raise his head again, baring his teeth
in a snarl of pain. He relaxed, closing his eyes, and black fire
flowed from him in a pool of shadow that soaked away into the
ground. Drevarin returned to the little group and stood with them
while Bane cast out the dark power in a foul tide.

It poured from
him to vanish into the nooks and crannies amongst the rocks, while
some rose to mingle with the clouds; an immense amount, even though
he had shed it all through the battle. Drevarin glanced at the
distant silver sphere, wondering why Kayos remained within it.
Nikira came to stand beside him and gaze at Bane, her expression
puzzled.

“
May I ask a question, Lord?”

“
You may.”

“
Bane defeated Torvaran by taking away his power,
right?”

Drevarin
inclined his head.

“
Then why didn’t Torvaran use the same tactic against
Bane?”

“
Because it does not work very well against a mortal god, whose
flesh traps the dark power like stone. A spirit god, who is made of
it, is easy to Gather from. Also, as you discovered, Bane cannot be
killed like that, since he does not need the dark power to survive,
whilst a spirit god requires it to clothe himself, or his soul will
be drawn back into a dark realm. It is, in some instances, useful
for a dark god to be defeated. It is the easiest way for them to
gain access to a domain.”

Nikira paled
and swallowed, looking stricken. “You mean...?”

“
Those you defeated will have flown to the nearest dark realm,
where they will rise again and lay waste to the domain.”

“
We didn’t know.”

“
Ignorance is not an excuse. You should not do things if you do
not know what will result, even if you have the power.”

“
There was no way to find out something like that,” she
protested.

“
There are always ways. If you had studied the ancient arts
instead of using machines, you would have been able to summon a
demon, and he could have told you.”

“
But they’re evil. They would have lied.”

Drevarin shook
his head. “A demon cannot deceive its summoner. It can omit to give
vital information, but it must reply truthfully. Such is the
binding of a summoning.”

Nikira gazed
at Bane. “He could summon one, couldn’t he?”

“
With a few words. He summoned many during the battle, and he
could control hundreds, perhaps even thousands. After witnessing
his destruction of Torvaran, I would hesitate to surmise the limits
of his power. The battle lasted less than seven hours, and he did
it without the aid of sunlight, or even my help to heal his
wounds.”

“
But if you don’t heal him now, he’ll die, right?”

Drevarin
inclined his head. “Possibly, but not for certain. He would be ill
and weak for a long time, but he might survive without
healing.”

“
But we almost killed him, and it didn’t take much.”

“
He was weak and sick when you captured him, and you stripped
him of his power, then prevented him from freeing himself. In that
state, he was vulnerable to dehydration and starvation, as is any
mortal.”

Drevarin
glanced at Bane and frowned as the dark god’s head lolled to one
side and the flow of shadows stopped. Hurrying into the pool of
darkness, Drevarin knelt to examine him. Bane had lapsed into
unconsciousness again, probably from blood loss. When he touched
Bane’s chest, blue fire sparkled under his fingers. Placing his
palms over Bane’s wounds, Drevarin let the white power flow, and a
golden glow formed under his hands.

The blue
flames intensified, preventing his power from entering Bane’s
flesh. Drevarin strived to force it past that of the Demon Lord’s
but, while Bane’s power was acquiescent, it formed an impenetrable
shield just beneath his skin. After a minute, Drevarin removed his
hands, rubbing them. Bane still contained too much dark power.

Sliding his
arms under the Demon Lord, he picked him up and headed for the
ship. The group followed, and Mithran and Grem murmured to Mirra as
she gazed at her husband with intense anguish. Nikira caught up to
trot beside him, eyeing the blue flames that licked at his arms.
Bane’s sodden cloak left a crimson trail, and his blood stained
Drevarin’s shirt.

“
Can’t you heal him now?”

Drevarin shook
his head. “He still has too much power. I hope you have a
well-equipped hospital.”

“
We do, but will we be able to treat him? Won’t his power harm
the medtechs?”

“
No, it will make them feel sick, that is all.”

“
They can handle that.”

“
Good.” Drevarin ascended the ramp, and Nikira led him to the
hospital, where the medtechs tended to the crewmembers the
shockwave had injured.

The doctors
scrambled from Drevarin’s path when he marched in and placed Bane
on the nearest bed, which a soldier with a bruised hand hastily
vacated. Crimson stains spread over the white sheets, and a gawping
crowd of patients and medics gathered as Drevarin unbuttoned Bane’s
ripped tunic and pulled it aside, then did the same to his
shirt.

Sarrin
unclipped Bane’s cloak and attempted to strip off his soaked tunic,
but the moment she touched his blood she recoiled, clamped a hand
over her mouth and retched. Drevarin cast her a sympathetic glance
as he eased Bane’s shirt away from his lacerated skin. Ethra stood
beside Sarrin, chewing her lip. Mirra merely watched, apparently
knowing better than to try to touch her husband.

Mithran
whispered to her, and she muttered back, shaking her head. Drevarin
removed Bane’s blood-soaked shirt, revealing the extent of his
injuries. In addition to the wounds they had seen him acquire, he
had a number of cuts on his hands and arms and a lot of red marks
and swellings. Blood oozed from his nose and ears to stain the
pillow.

Nikira glared
at the gawkers and said, “This man needs treatment! Move!”

Two medtechs
stepped forward, looking uncertain, then Jovan elbowed his way
through the crowd and stared down at Bane.

He looked up
at Drevarin. “But surely...?”

“
I cannot heal him. Treat him as you would any other
patient.”

Jovan shook
his head. “He needs blood, but if we give him a transfusion it
might have an adverse effect, like the drip we tried.”

“
Just bind his wounds. No blood.”

“
What about drugs?”

Drevarin
nodded. “Drugs will be all right.”

Jovan gave
orders to the medics, who brought trays of medical equipment and
placed them on the table beside the bed. Jovan selected a syringe
and injected Bane in the arm, paling and gulping. A junior medtech
tried to wipe off the blood on Bane’s chest, but drew back,
retching. Jovan glanced at Drevarin, who pulled a wry face.

“
His power will sicken you, for it remains strong. That is why
I cannot heal him, but it will do you no harm.”

Jovan donned a
pair of rubber gloves and picked up a bottle of disinfectant, then
frowned at Mirra when she took a cotton swab and wiped Bane’s
cheek.

“
You’re not sterile, young lady, stand back.”

Drevarin
smiled. “Do not worry about infection.”

Mirra
continued with her self-appointed chore, although she turned pale
and bit her lip.

Jovan glared
at the spectators who had gathered again. “Get back to work, all of
you. This isn’t a sideshow.” He glowered at the little group that
had followed Bane into the hospital. “That goes for you lot as
well. Go and wait somewhere else.”

They all moved
away except for Nikira, Drevarin and Mirra, and Jovan threaded a
needle, eyeing the wounds in Bane’s chest.

“
I watched the battle on the vidscreen. Incredible. I thought
he would be wounded worse than this. In fact, I didn’t think he
would survive, never mind win. He must have lost a hell of a lot of
blood.”

Drevarin
nodded. “That is why he is unconscious.”

Jovan noticed
the faint puffs of steam Bane exhaled and picked up an instrument
from his tray, pressing to Bane’s chest. His eyes widened as the
numbers on the readout shot up.

“
Bloody hell. His core temperature’s over two hundred degrees!
Bring ice, quick!”

Drevarin held
up his hand as two medics started to obey, and they froze. “Do not
be alarmed. I think it is a side effect of his use of the dark
power. It will not harm him. It will return to normal in time.”

“
You think?”

Drevarin
nodded. “There was more steam coming off him outside, but he still
lives. If it was going to kill him, he would be dead already, not
so?”

“
He should be dead with vitals like that.”

Mirra’s swab
became soaked, and she retched as she threw it into a nearby waste
receptacle. Jovan glanced at her, and then touched the gash he
intended to sew. At once he turned away, pressing the back of his
hand to his mouth with a scowl.

“
I can’t touch him.”