Demon Lord VI - Son of Chaos (8 page)

“
We?”

She bowed her
head. “I did it. I deserve the punishment. I gave the orders.”

“
Do you want to be punished?”

“
No.”

“
But you do deserve it, and I am angry.”

She risked a
glance up at him. His intense blue eyes bored into her, forcing her
to look away. “What will you do to me?”

“
Get up.”

Nikira
scrambled to her feet, although her legs threatened to buckle. He
rose from the cloud couch to tower over her. She had not thought he
was so tall.

“
Look at me.”

Nikira forced
her flinching eyes upwards and fixed them on his chin. He raised a
hand, and she cringed, certain that her life was over. Her knees
gave way, but his left hand shot out, gripped her arm and held her
upright without apparent effort. She closed her eyes as his right
hand touched her brow, waiting for the searing agony.

It came like a
rush of ice water under her skin. Intense cold made her shiver and
pain lanced up her left arm. Her stomach was a tight, empty knot
and her throat burnt with thirst. Her limbs were stiff and cramped,
and an intense sensation of helplessness filled her. Her head
pounded, her wounds throbbed, and the cold table chilled her aching
back. Time passed with incredible torpor, days of unending agony
and deprivation. The warm touch on her brow vanished, along with
the sensations.

“
That is what I suffered.” His soft voice spoke close to her,
and she shivered, her breath catching in a sob. “Unpleasant, was it
not? Yet you only suffered it for a few moments.” He released her
arm, and she fell to her knees again, bile stinging her
throat.

“
You... you remember it all.”

“
Of course I do. I am not an infernal idiot, like
you.”

She swallowed
a sob. “Forgive me, please.”

“
You will obey me.”

She
nodded.

“
You will transport me to a place that I will show you, and you
will do everything I say without question.”

Again she
nodded, her fear receding. She risked a glance at him. He had
turned away, clearly waiting for her answer.

“
Yes.”

He swung
around. “You will serve me.”

“
Yes.”

“
Every day you will come before me and prostrate yourself. You
will press your brow to the floor and tell me of your unworthiness
to serve me, and then you will do precisely as I say. You will beg
for the privilege of licking the dirt from my boots.”

Nikira
shuddered. “Yes.”

“
Really?”

She glanced up
at him. “If you’ll let me live.”

“
I may still kill you. I have the right.”

“
Yes, you do. What I did was unforgiveable, and
inexcusable.”

“
But you thought I was a dra’voren.”

“
Yes.”

“
And dra’voren are evil. They deserve to be destroyed. They
should receive no mercy, and they lie.”

Nikira gazed
at him in confusion, unsure of what to say.

He glared at
her. “I am not a damned dra’voren! Get up.” She obeyed, clasping
her shaking hands, and he said, “Now get out.”

Nikira
tottered to the door, which slid open, and she almost fell into
Enyo’s arms as she stepped through it.

“
Commander, are you all right?” His eyes flicked past her and
widened. “Bloody hell.”

Bane strode
through the door, and Enyo yanked her from his path. The people
nearest the containment room door vanished through it, and the
remainder retreated as he glanced around. Bane went over to
Drevarin, a slight smile curving his lips. The light god
grinned.

“
It looks like you frightened her half to death.”

“
Better than horns and a tail?”

“
Much.”

“
She also agreed to obey my every wish, so it seems we now have
a ship to travel in.”

“
Excellent.”

Bane swung
around and glowered at Nikira. “Take me to the people who were with
me.”

Nikira turned
to Enyo. “Tell Donavan -”

“
I did not tell you to speak to anyone!” Bane reached her in
two strides and loomed over her, making her step back with a gasp.
“When I told you to do precisely what I ordered, that is exactly
what I meant.”

“
Yes... sir.” Nikira kept her eyes on his chest, unable to look
at his face.

“
I got it, Commander,” Enyo whispered.

She shot Bane
a nervous glance as he turned to Enyo, his eyes flinty, and asked,
“What exactly did you get?”

Enyo met the
Demon Lord’s gaze, paling as his courage drained away. “The ship
needs to be run, and if the commander’s unable to, Donavan must do
it.”

“
I see. Are you one of my torturers too?”

“
I did as I was ordered.”

“
Really.” Bane’s eyes narrowed, and Enyo stumbled back with an
oath, clutched his head and grimaced. “You did, but you also wanted
to kill me,” Bane said.

“
You... What did you do?”

“
I read your mind. You took many liberties with me, so I return
the favour.”

Enyo said,
“Dra’voren must be destroyed.”

“
I agree, but your stupid room does not destroy
them.”

“
It does. They vanish.”

“
They vanish because your blue lights burn through their droge
bodies and the lodestones strip away their dark forms, but their
souls fly to the nearest dark realm to gather a new form. Did you
think it was so easy to destroy a dark god? Vanquishing one is a
mere inconvenience to him, unless you can then trap him
somehow.”

Enyo glanced
at Drevarin, who nodded. “We thought -”

“
You think too much, you and your people,” Bane said. “You
should spend more time reclaiming your faith and learning what it
is to be people and not gods. Are you gods?”

“
No.”

“
Then why do you have the monumental arrogance to believe you
could destroy one?”

Enyo’s eyes
darted, and he licked his lips. “We... we found that we could
destroy fiends with the lodestones, and we rid our world of them.
Then we went looking for more outside in the Wastes, and found what
we thought was a fiend. But when we tried to destroy it, it was too
powerful, and destroyed the ship instead, killing all on board. So
we learnt the difference and made our shredder rooms, which
destroyed them.”

“
But it does not, and nor would it destroy a demon, or a fiend,
as you call it. Again, it only defeats them, and they return to the
dark realm to regain their power. All your foolish efforts have not
destroyed a single servant of the darkness.”

Nikira raised
a hand to her mouth, her stomach churning. Bane glanced at her. “I
tire of explanations. I want this ship to take me back to the place
where you found me, at all speed. When we get there I will give you
more instructions. Now, I feel like some wine.”

Nikira shot
Enyo a meaningful glance and headed for the door. “This way,
sir.”

Bane turned to
Drevarin. “Will you join me, or do you, like Kayos, not indulge in
such pleasures of men?”

“
That must be a Grey God thing. I enjoy good wine.”

“
Good.” Bane set off after Nikira, who waited in the doorway,
and Drevarin fell into step beside him. She took them to the
nearest dining room, where they scorned the moulded plastic chairs
and Drevarin formed two couches. As soon as they settled upon the
couches, Bane sent Nikira for wine, prevented her from passing the
order to a crewman and made her fetch it herself. When she brought
a bottle of the best wine on the ship, the two gods tasted it, and
Bane grimaced.

“
Sour grape juice.”

Drevarin’s
brows rose, then his expression became deadpan.

“
Go and bring the people who were with me here,” Bane ordered
Nikira. “And change into a dress. Your garb displeases
me.”

She glanced
down at her crisp dark blue uniform jacket and slim-fitting
trousers. “All of them, sir?”

“
No, just my kin, and Artan’s group.” His vivid eyes impaled
her. “And if my wife has been harmed in any way... You will
pay.”

Nikira gaped
at him. “Your... wife?”

“
Yes, my wife. Are you a little deaf?”

“
No, sir. I’ll fetch them at once.”

Nikira left,
and Drevarin chuckled. “I approve of your punishment. That one
needs to learn some humility. Do not expect me to back up any lies
you may see fit to tell, however.”

“
Of course not.” Bane swirled the ruby liquid in his glass. “It
is not a bad wine.”

“
Are Artan’s people the ones who put the shackles on
you?”

“
Yes, but again it was done through ignorance, and the
influence of a dark demi-goddess. They did realise their mistake,
though, unlike these fools.”

Drevarin
sipped his wine. “They have no guidance, and no faith.”

“
And they are all tainted.”

“
Their god is unborn and their Realm Gate stands open. I do not
know what happened, but I would guess that their former god was
either chased from his domain or destroyed, leaving the World Gate
open as well. Tainted souls have been able to enter the light
realm, and been reborn as they are, instead of spending time
trapped in the mid realm until they shed their taint.”

Bane regarded
him thoughtfully. “When will their god be born?”

“
Never, unfortunately. Without his parent, he cannot
awaken.”

“
Could another god wake him?”

“
No.” Drevarin hesitated. “Perhaps a Grey God, but I do not
know.”

“
I shall ask Kayos.”

“
It must be wonderful to know him as a friend.”

Bane shrugged.
“He is my father.”

“
By the light! No wonder you are so powerful. As a creation of
the oldest god, you have benefited from his immense experience and
power. Is your domain really amazing?”

“
Not as far as I can tell. Compared to the ones I have seen
since I left, it is fairly primitive. His daughter, Lyriasharin, is
in charge of it now.”

“
Of course, he cannot spend much time there.”

Bane looked
around as a scream came from the doorway. Ethra raced across the
room and flung herself at him, climbed onto his lap and twined her
arms around his neck. Recoiling a little from her enthusiasm, he
patted her back.

“
You’re better! I was so worried!” she cried.

“
I am well, little one.”

“
They were going to kill you!”

“
Yes, it is all right, let go now.”

Bane glanced
past her and pried her arms from his neck. Moving her firmly out of
the way, he rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on the doorway. Mirra
trotted towards him, her expression relieved and anguished. Ethra
sank down beside his couch and gazed up at him with adoring
eyes.

Bane met Mirra
halfway to the door and swept her into his arms as she reached him.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she sobbed and clung to him. The Demon
Lord cradled her in tender arms, stroking her hair as she wept
against his chest. Drevarin averted his eyes, becoming fascinated
by the wine in his cup, and the rest of the group paused. Mirra
drew back to study Bane.

“
You are unharmed?” A trembling smile curved her lips as she
gazed into his eyes. “Your eyes are healed.”

Bane nodded.
“Did they treat you well?”

“
Yes. Did they hurt you?”

He wiped the
tears from her cheeks. “Must you know?”

“
Yes.”

“
They did.”

“
How?”

Bane sighed
and kissed the back of her hand. “Why must you know this?”

“
I want to!”

“
They feared me, so they kept me bound and weak.”

Ethra jumped
up, her brows knotted. “They tortured him! They starved and
humiliated him! They almost killed him! They -”

“
Ethra,” Bane said.

She pointed at
the cowering Nikira, who stood behind the group. “She did it! She
wanted to kill him! They were going to, but I -”

“
Ethra!” Bane’s shout made the girl jump, and she pouted, still
looking furious.

“
It’s true!”

“
Be silent.”

“
No! They took off all his clothes and strapped him to a table
in a horrible cold room with bright lights! I fed him soup, or he
would have died!”

Bane scowled
at the rebellious child, then looked at Mirra when she cupped his
cheek, drawing his attention. “It was not as bad as she makes it
sound,” he assured her.

“
It was probably worse -”

“
It was!” Ethra interjected, earning herself another glare from
Bane.

“
Do not try to spare me,” Mirra went on, ignoring the child.
“We vowed to share each other’s troubles as well as joys. Do not
hide your pain from me.”

He nodded,
raising her hand to his lips again. “I will tell you all you wish
to know when we are alone.”

Mirra smiled
and stood on tiptoe to kiss him, then stepped back and turned to
Drevarin, inclining her head as Lyriasharin had taught her.
“Forgive me, Lord, I am rude. I was overcome by the joy of being
reunited with my husband, and I am most deeply grateful for your
aid in his release and healing.”