Demon Lord III - Grey God (10 page)

Bane turned to
find a blue glow behind him and walked towards it. Kayos examined
the sand at his feet, the nimbus of blue fire that surrounded him
lighting the ground for a short distance in every direction. As
Bane moved away from the Realm Gate, the wards vanished, telling
him that it had been his presence so close to the portal that had
triggered them. Bane stopped beside the Grey God and glanced down
at the darkness at his own feet.

"It seems you
have an advantage already."

Kayos
straightened and turned to him. "It is my light that blinds you.
Without me, you would be able to see a great deal more than I can.
This is a dark place, better suited to you than me, but we will
soon journey into more neutral territory."

Bane glanced
around. Mithran held Mirra's other hand and Grem gripped his wrist,
chaining themselves together in the darkness, which was complete
for them, he assumed. Although they looked uneasy, they bore it
stoically.

The Elder God
set off, and Bane fell into step beside him, his skin prickling.
The shivering darkness around them seemed to wave and ooze. There
was no way to measure time, but after a while Mirra's hand grew
heavy in his. When she stumbled, Bane stopped and turned to survey
the trio. Mirra looked exhausted, while the men were merely
grim-faced.

"I cannot
summon a demon steed here," he said.

Mirra gazed
through him with blind eyes. "I am all right."

"No, you are
not." Bane reached around her and gripped his father's wrist,
pulled his hand from Mirra's and placed it on his cloak. "Hold onto
this, Father."

"Bane, no."
she protested as he scooped her up.

"Be
quiet."

Mirra wound
her arms around his neck and laid her head against his shoulder
with a sigh. Bane strode on, a tug on his cloak assuring him that
Mithran held onto it.

There was no
way to tell how far they walked, but Bane's legs ached by the time
they reached an area of coruscating redness, like oozing magma,
which formed a massive tunnel. Given his unnatural strength and
endurance, he calculated that it was probably an entire Overworld
day. They had stopped briefly while Grem, Mithran and Mirra had
eaten the food Kayos had created from handfuls of dark sand,
turning it into cooked meat in a flash of white light. Mirra's
repast had consisted of nuts and berries, and they drank water from
the flasks they carried, which Kayos kept filled.

The Grey God
had created a glowing orb, like a tiny sun, to provide light during
the rest period, but its presence had made him uneasy, and he had
extinguished it before they journeyed on. Mithran and Grem looked
exhausted, but after the respite they had marched on manfully. The
silence between him and Kayos did not bother Bane, as it was
relaxed and amicable.

Bane knew he
would have to summon demon steeds to carry his father, Mirra and
Grem soon. Already their strength was all but gone, and the journey
just begun. The tunnel offered the prospect of fire, but he did not
look forward to his father witnessing his use of the dark power. He
had not permitted Mithran or Grem to see him perform the Gather
before Lyriasharin had transported them to Eternity. In the tunnel,
Mithran released Bane's cloak, and Grem gazed around with keen
interest. Kayos stopped and turned to Bane.

"We can rest
here for a while."

Bane put Mirra
down and walked over to the wall, running his hand along it. His
fingers sank into it without any reaction, which meant it was
almost pure dark power, like the thick blackness from which they
had just emerged. He turned to find Kayos and the others watching
him.

"Interesting
to see the different reaction of this realm to you," Kayos
remarked.

The nimbus
still shone around the Elder God, and blue fire sparkled between
his boots and the floor. He went to the wall and laid his hand
against it, sparking a blue glow that spread along the wall,
transforming the swirling redness to stone. When he removed his
hand, it gradually reverted to its state of flux.

Bane gestured,
and a portion of the floor rose to form a seat, which he sank down
on with a sigh. "At least you do not get tired."

"True."

Bane summoned
a cup of ambrosia and sipped it. "How big is the God Realm?"

"Vast. I know
of no end to it."

"So it is
infinite?"

"Perhaps it is
now, but it was not when I was created. Yet it grows bigger all the
time, and it changes constantly." Kayos eyed Bane. "There is much I
must teach you. You are powerful, but I think you lack skill. You
will need both to free Ashynaria."

"You do not
even know what I can do yet."

"That is why I
shall wait until then before I begin to instruct you."

"As you
wish."

Mirra came
over and sat on Bane's lap, yawning. "Can we sleep here?"

He glanced at
Kayos, who shook his head. "It is too dangerous. We will find
somewhere further on."

Mirra sighed
and leant against Bane, closing her eyes. Mithran and Grem sat back
to back, their chins on their chests as they snatched a few minutes
of rest. Kayos created more food for the trio, and Bane
contemplated what he must do next. When they had finished their
meal, he stood up, allowing the rock seat to sink back into the
ground. He had not intended that his father should ever see him use
the dark power, but now he had no choice.

Scanning the
area for hot spots, he went over to the nearest and stretched out
his hand, allowing a trickle of power to flow from his fingers. The
hot spot flared, sprouting flames, and Bane spoke the harsh words
of summoning. The flames roared up into a blaze that made his
father, Grem and Mirra step back, their eyes wide. Mirra had seen a
summoning before, but that made it no less daunting.

A chiselled
head formed in the fire, weaving with sinuous grace atop a powerful
arched neck with a flowing, fiery mane. A graceful body coalesced,
and the demon steed pranced, its glowing hooves striking sparks on
the molten rock as it turned to Bane and bowed. Its white hot,
malevolent eyes sought the three humans, then flicked to Kayos,
brightening. Bane commanded it, and it swung away. Its fire
darkened, and glossy black hide covered it until it almost looked
like the normal horse it had once been. It snorted and tossed its
head in displeasure, fighting Bane's control, then subsided and
stood still, becoming statue-like.

"Shaniss,"
Bane murmured, repeating the name the dark power whispered in his
mind.

Turning to the
hot spot again, Bane summoned a second demon steed, this one darker
and bulkier than the first, which fought his control with more
determination, snorting fire, but subsided too, defeated.

"Ardon," Bane
named it as it transformed into a mighty iron-grey charger.

A third demon
steed stepped from the fire at his behest, this one burning almost
white-hot with fury. Its narrow head snaked towards him, ears laid
back as it defied him. Once more Bane's power forced it to bow to
him, its eyes filled with baleful fire as it turned into a shining
red roan.

"Kess." Bane
frowned at the third demon steed. "You will obey these three
humans. You will harm nothing unless attacked, and you will protect
them."

Kess lunged at
him, its teeth snicking together beside his cheek, then retreated,
swishing its tail. Bane made no attempt to avoid it, knowing it
could not harm him. He commanded the other demon steeds, then
turned to his father, who stood open-mouthed, his eyes wide. When
Mithran glanced at Bane, such intense sorrow filled his expression
that Bane was unable to meet his gaze.

He faced
Mirra. "Which one would you like?"

She shivered,
shaking her head. "None of them."

"You cannot
walk that far, and I am not carrying you all the way."

"You choose
one, since we will share it."

"I will
walk."

"Why?"

He shrugged.
"I have no need to ride."

"You will get
tired too."

"A little,
yes."

She glanced at
the demon steeds again. "Then I choose Kess."

Bane eyed the
furious steed, which snorted fire and pawed the ground. "She is
yours."

Mithran shook
his head. "You expect us to ride those things?"

"They will not
harm you, Father."

"They're
evil."

"Yes."

"Isn't there
something else we could ride?"

Bane smiled.
"No."

Mithran
grimaced. "How do we make them do as we want?"

"Talk to
them."

"Won't they...
you know..."

"Corrupt you?
No."

Grem
approached the black demon steed, Shaniss, displaying the courage
Bane had always admired, and reached out to touch its shoulder. It
tossed its head and swished its tail. The warrior ran his hand over
its silken hide.

"It's just
like a horse."

"It is a
horse, long since dead and condemned for some terrible deed. Beasts
are not capable of true evil, but can be corrupted by the humans
who abuse them."

"Amazing,"
Grem said.

Bane turned to
Mirra and lifted her onto Kess' back, where she clung to the glossy
mane, biting her lip.

"All right?"
he enquired, and she nodded.

Grem swung
onto Shaniss' back, but Mithran continued to hesitate, looking
reluctant. Bane went over to him and beckoned to Ardon, which
approached with mincing steps. Mithran glanced at Grem and Mirra,
then scrambled onto the grey charger's back, clinging to its mane.
Bane turned to Kayos, and the Grey God led the way into the
tunnel.

Chapter Five

Dead Domain

Several hours
later, they left the red tunnel and emerged into a vast grey desert
beneath a violent, stormy sky shot with silent lightning. As they
traversed it, the ground changed from grey dust to dirty ice, and a
bitter chill pervaded the air. Bane noticed that Kayos watched the
sky, and did the same, wondering what kind of danger lurked in the
clouds. They stopped to rest, and the three humans settled on the
ground, facing each other. Bane sat between Mithran and Mirra,
while Kayos wandered around a short distance away, examining the
ground.

Something huge
and dark shot from the clouds, heading straight for Kayos. Bane
leapt to his feet with a warning shout, and Kayos spun around. An
instant before the creature struck him, he reached down and pulled
a curving shield of rock from the ground with a sweeping gesture.
The creature hit it with a screech of claws and teeth, bounced off
and tumbled towards Bane in a tangle of webbed wings and clawed
feet. The Demon Lord raised his hands and unleashed a blast of dark
fire, sending the creature spinning away with a scream of agony. It
fell nearby, flapping, its jaws snapping.

Kayos had
vanished. Mirra looked stunned, Mithran gaped at Bane and Grem
scowled at the beast, his hand on the hilt of his sword, which he
had not had time to draw. The Demon Lord approached the half-sphere
of grey rock that Kayos had dragged from the ground and studied it,
then tapped on it. After a moment the stone opened like a
blossoming flower and sank into the ground, revealing Kayos sitting
within it. He stood up, brushing ice from his trousers, and went
over to examine the still twitching creature.

"A jarawok,"
he explained as Bane arrived at his side. "They live in the clouds.
I have not seen one up close before, they move too fast."

"This one did
not move fast enough."

"It was not
attacking you."

Bane's brows
rose. "Why would it only attack you?"

"Because it is
a creature of darkness, much like the ones in the Overworld. It
would not try to harm a dark god."

"I am sure
there are plenty of other things that would."

"Yes."

The creature
had a streamlined, teardrop-shaped torso and muscular hind legs
armed with razor-clawed feet. A pair of narrow, pointed webbed
wings curled around it as if incapable of folding properly. Orange
eyes blazed in its black, hatchet-shaped head, and rows of pointed
teeth filled its narrow jaws. Purplish ichor oozed from the wound
in its chest and bubbled from its mouth. Mithran and Grem joined
them, but Mirra stayed away, a hand pressed to her chest as she
shared the creature's pain.

"Who created
these?" Bane asked.

Kayos
shrugged. "They may have escaped from a domain that collapsed, or
possibly a light god created their forebears to guard him, and
their descendants turned to the darkness."

"But how can
life exist here?"

"In the God
Realm, light and darkness are wild, and usually exist in areas
separated by neutral regions. Much of it is in a state of flux,
ever changing and unpredictable. Some parts contain life, but
beasts such as these are sustained mostly by the dark power. They
prey on mortal travellers who escape from collapsing domains."

"Why would a
domain collapse?"

"When its
creator is killed or driven out, a domain will slowly collapse,
releasing some of its denizens into the God Realm."

"Does every
domain have an Underworld?"

"Yes." Kayos
turned away, and the trio of humans mounted the demon steeds and
followed as he resumed the journey, Bane beside him. "The universe
demands balance, therefore, where there is a light realm, there
must be a dark one. Even domains created by the slaves of dark gods
have the three realms separated by gates, if they contain
life."

"Yet Arkonen
tried to destroy the Overworld."

Kayos nodded.
"I have seen it happen many times. A dark god will destroy the mid
realm, then slay the light god or goddess, or force him or her to
flee into the God Realm. The domain becomes dark as the white fire
is drawn back into the Oracle, and the souls the light god created
fly to another domain. The victorious dark god soon grows bored and
leaves in search of another domain to destroy."