Demon Lord VI - Son of Chaos (27 page)

Bane stopped
beside Drevarin. “Why did you two drag me through the wards?”

“
Those wards cannot be completely deactivated, so we had to
shield you. They will only allow light gods to pass through
them.”

Bane nodded,
gazing at the casket. “So, you came out of one of these things.
What is it called?”

“
A viachin. But I was not a created child; my mother birthed
me. This is the child of a god with no mate.”

Kayos moved
around the viachin, stroking it in circular motions, his hands
leaving bright, glowing trails that gradually faded. Near its top,
a shining letter formed, and he paused to study it. Bane leant
closer, intrigued, as the Grey God moved his hands apart, and more
bright letters appeared, spelling out a name. Kayos bent and kissed
the name, which pulsed, then remained lighted when he removed his
hands.

“
Sherinias,” he whispered, and the chamber echoed the name in a
hissing chant that faded away into silence. Kayos turned to smile
at them. “She is a goddess.”

A flicker
passed around the chamber. The lines of runes lighted and dimmed in
quick succession, spelling out glowing words, as if liquid fire
coursed through them. The sequence started at the top of the
chamber and worked its way down the walls, every rune activating
except the one Kayos had used to disarm the wards. The sequence
ended at the back of the chamber, and it went dark again, save for
the glowing viachin. Then the walls burst into brilliant
luminescence, forcing Bane to squint.

The hairs on
his nape rose as a pure, warm force entered the chamber, filling it
with power. He glanced at Drevarin, alarmed to find him glowing, as
if he was made of light, his expression blissful. Kayos was also
radiant, his eyes shining and silver hair sparkling. Bane glanced
down at his hands and found that he too was filled with light. It
shone through his skin, making him tingle. The light intensified
until he could hardly keep his eyes open, then dimmed to a more
bearable glow.

A shining
crack appeared along the top of the viachin. The sides slid apart
and vanished into the ground. A girl with ink-black hair and skin
as golden as the sun lay on a bed of gleaming satin, her slender
form sheathed in a gown of diamond lace edged with pearls. White
power seethed around her, soaking into her in a river of light. She
drew in a deep breath, and her hands fluttered, then she opened
azure eyes and stared at the roof. The light ebbed as she sat up
and raised her head to look at Bane, who recoiled from the yearning
in her eyes.

“
Father?”

Kayos stepped
in front of Bane as he opened his mouth to deny the charge.

“
Here I am, child.”

With a
tremulous, adoring smile, she held out a slender hand. Kayos took
it and helped her to her feet, and she stepped into his embrace,
winding her arms around his neck. She had the willowy form of a
fifteen-year-old girl, on the brink of womanhood, but yet to take
the last step into it. Bane moved closer to Drevarin, noticed that
his mouth was open and nudged him. The light god shot him a
startled look and closed his mouth.

Sherinias
released Kayos and stepped back, sank to her knees and pressed her
brow to his feet. “I thank you for my life, beloved Father.”

“
I am Kayos. Your name is Sherinias. Arise, you are
born.”

She rose, only
half a head shorter than Kayos, and turned to bow to Bane. “I am
Sherinias, daughter of Kayos.”

Bane shot
Kayos an accusing look and wished that he had explained what was to
happen beforehand. “I am Bane, son of Kayos.”

She smiled.
“You are my brother.”

“
Yes.”

Sherinias
seemed to float towards him, her arms outstretched, and he stepped
back, frowning.

Kayos glared
at him. “Bane...”

Bane steeled
himself and stood still, intensely uncomfortable as Sherinias
twined her arms around his neck, forcing him to bend so she could
embrace him, for the top of her head barely reached his chin. She
brushed her lips against his cheek, released him and stepped back,
bestowing a radiant smile upon him.

“
You are mortal. How wonderful.”

She turned to
Drevarin, who gazed at her with his heart shining in his eyes. “I
am Sherinias, daughter of Kayos.”

“
I am Drevarin, son of Merlinan and Dravinar.”

Sherinias
bowed her head and held out her hands. Drevarin took them, and she
raised his hands to her lips, kissing the back of each one. “My
heart sings with joy at your presence to witness my birth.”

“
You bring a new light into this world.”

Sherinias
released Drevarin and turned to Kayos, the light of her birth
flowing from her like mist. He summoned a cup of ambrosia and gave
it to her, and she sipped it.

Bane moved
closer to Drevarin and whispered, “She is Kayos’ child now?”

“
Oh yes, he birthed her.”

“
But he did not create her.”

“
It does not matter. She must have a parent. If no one claims
her, she will have no lineage and no guide.”

Bane studied
Sherinias, who gazed at Kayos with adoring eyes. “But she has a
lineage and a real parent.”

“
Who is undoubtedly dead, or he would have returned to birth
her. She is an orphan, so Kayos has made her his own. If she was
told that she has no parent, she would fall into despair and
probably die. Kayos will always be her father now.”

“
But surely light gods do not die when their parent is
killed?”

Drevarin
smiled. “No, not once they are mature. She is only a child.”

“
Kayos had no parent.”

“
He is a Grey God.”

Bane
considered. “Why did her parent not wake her before he left, or
seek shelter in the birthing chamber?”

“
Most likely she was not ready to be born, or perhaps he did
not want her to be slain as well. If he had come in here for
sanctuary, he would have put her in danger too, since he would have
had to deactivate the wards inside and open the portal.”

“
Those wards would have remained.” Bane gestured to the web of
light outside the door.

“
Could they stop you?”

Bane eyed the
wards, his gaze roaming the portal where they emerged from the
stone. “No. I could destroy them.”

“
Then you have your answer. We will find out soon enough what
happened, when Sherinias learns it from the Oracle.”

“
Could you not find out from it?”

Drevarin
nodded. “But this is not my domain. I would have to go to it and
question it, so would Kayos. Only Sherinias can access its
knowledge from here. This is her domain, and she will know all its
history and information soon. It will upset her.”

“
So this became her domain as soon as her parent
left?”

“
Yes. The reins of power always go to the resident
god.”

Bane grew
weary of standing and caused a stone seat to arise, which he
settled upon with a sigh. Drevarin glanced at him and did the same,
summoning a cup of ambrosia. Sherinias now wore a vacant
expression, gazing into space with a slight smile, which Bane
assumed meant that she was accessing the Oracle. Kayos watched her,
evidently waiting for her to discover what had happened to her real
parent. Several minutes passed, and then she gasped and reached for
Kayos. He took her hand as her cup drifted away and waved a cloud
couch into being, guided her to it and made her sit down. She gazed
at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

“
You are not my first father.”

“
No.”

“
The one who made me... his name was Pretarin, son of
Astrekar.” Her face twisted. “Darkness came... A dark god. He
opened the Gate. Pretarin tried so hard to protect his domain, his
people, and me. I was but a few months old. He was old and wise and
powerful, but he... he entered his shield sphere... he should have
been safe.” Her eyes widened, roaming over Kayos’ face. “The dark
god opened it!”

“
What was his name?”

“
The... the Destroyer.” Tears spilt down her cheeks.
“Torvaran.”

Bane jumped up
and swung away, going over to the wall, where he closed his eyes
and leant his brow against the cold stone. He had seen Pretarin’s
death, and it rushed back to him vividly, as if he had killed
Sherinias’ father himself. Someone clasped his shoulder, and he
turned his head to find Drevarin beside him, his eyes filled with
sympathy. Bane faced the wall again, unable to look at Sherinias as
she continued her story in a broken whisper.

“
He came after me... He spent a year trying to enter my
chamber. He failed.” Her voice filled with alarm. “Where is he now,
Father? Tell me that he cannot harm us!”

“
He cannot,” Kayos murmured. “You are safe, child, be at
ease.”

“
How can you be certain?”

“
Because he has been destroyed.”

“
Thank the light,” she murmured. “But how was he destroyed? Who
could do such a thing? He was powerful.”

“
Do not concern yourself with that now.”

“
I would bow down to his destroyer and bless his feet with my
tears, Father.”

Bane glanced
at Drevarin, who smiled.

Kayos said,
“That is as it should be, and perhaps one day I will tell you his
name, but it is not for you to know now.”

“
As you wish, Father.” A short silence fell, and then she said,
“Pretarin left a message for me, and for you. He wishes me a long
and happy life, and he sends you his gratitude for birthing me. He
says that if I have been born, my new father can only be one of the
Seven, a Grey God.”

“
He was indeed wise.”

Bane turned.
Sherinias gazed at Kayos with a stricken, tearful expression. “You
are the eldest of the Seven, Father. I am fortunate and
honoured.”

Kayos smiled.
“Go on with your learning.”

Her expression
became vacant again. “Much time has passed since then. Five
centuries have I slept. My people... have become corrupt.” Her eyes
widened. “The Realm Gate is open. The World Gate also. I must close
them!”

She tried to
stand up, but Kayos held her hands, preventing her. “Do not be
alarmed, Daughter. We are in no danger.”

“
How can that be? There is much danger outside. The Oracle
warns me so. It urges me to close the Gate. There are dark
gods.”

“
Oracles do hate open realm gates, but I assure you, we are
safe.”

She calmed,
nodding. “If you say it, then it must be so.”

Bane frowned,
pondering how terrible it must be, to live in such dread of dark
gods. No wonder Kayos had not told her who he was. She would be
terrified of him if she ever found out. He glanced at Drevarin, who
watched Sherinias with a rapt expression. Kayos rose and plucked
the cup of ambrosia from the air, handing it to Sherinias, who
sipped from it.

“
Is your learning complete, child?” Kayos asked.

“
It is, Father. I am ready to take up my duties.”

“
Rest a while. There is no urgency. You have much work ahead of
you, but it can wait. I have something to tell you.”

Bane cast him
a worried glance, but the Grey God only told her about the city
outside the Gate and how they had sent Nikira to warn them.
Evidently the Oracle knew nothing of what happened outside its
domain. When he finished, she nodded.

“
That is good. They must return. This domain is old, and while
I slept too many people have been born. There is not enough food
for them, and they have ravished the land. I will have to curtail
their numbers. I shall unleash a plague.”

“
Good. Rest now.”

Kayos took the
cup from her, and she lay down and closed her eyes. He rose and
came over to Bane, studying him. “Are you all right?”

“
No. I would rather be anywhere but here, yet I am trapped. I
feel as if I had killed him myself.”

“
But you did not.”

“
I have the memories.”

Kayos inclined
his head. “That is unfortunate.”

“
Now I know why tar’merin grow to hate themselves so much. We
have to live with those memories, which are abhorrent.”

“
Then you must find a way to forget them.”

Bane snorted.
“That is not so easy.”

“
The more important things are always harder to
achieve.”

“
How long must we wait here?” Bane glanced around like a
trapped wolf.

“
Until Sherinias has rested. A few hours.”

“
How fares our harbinger?”

Kayos formed
an Eye, and they gazed into it. Nikira sat on a narrow bench in a
bright cell, her expression forlorn. The gold emblems of her rank
had been torn from her uniform, and Bane frowned.

“
They have accused her of treachery, it seems. She cannot
deliver our message while she is locked up, and they are running
out of time.”

“
Sherinias will close the Gate when I tell her to,” Kayos
assured him.

Bane walked
over to his seat and settled on it. “She fears the darkness very
much.”

“
She is a child. We all do. Only a fool would not. But you are
not the darkness, Bane.”

“
I give a damned good impression of it.”

Drevarin
chortled. “Indeed you do.”