Demon Lord VI - Son of Chaos (7 page)

Nikira bit her
lip as Drevarin appeared to have a mild seizure. For an instant he
became a figure formed of light, then it faded and the conduits
between him and Bane pulsed. A moment later the tar’merin’s back
arched, and his lips drew back in a grimace of pain.

Enyo swore.
“What the hell are they doing?”

“
I wish I knew,” Nikira mourned.

Drevarin
writhed again, his hands clenching, then Bane did the same. Blue
fire sparkled at his fingertips, making several people gasp. When
the seizure passed, he lay gasping, a faint film of sweat sheening
his brow. The creator showed no signs of physical distress, but a
deep frown furrowed his brow.

“
This is supposed to be healing him?” Drontal muttered. “Looks
more like he’s trying to kill him.”

Drevarin sent
the filament of light questing a final time, forcing it to touch
the last fragment of shimmering greyness. The wave of soul energy
made him bite his lip in agony, then it passed, and he relaxed,
sensing Bane’s physical reaction to the intrusion a moment later.
The strain had taxed them both, but the Demon Lord had paid a
heavier price, since his mortal form was susceptible to injury. The
power Drevarin poured into him ensured that any damage was
instantly healed, but it did not undo the drain on Bane’s strength.
That would require more work. Drevarin examined the area minutely,
braving another two weaker flares of soul energy to be certain that
the damage had been completely healed. When he was sure, he opened
his eyes and smiled up at the angels.

“
It is done. You may go.”

Lyris and
Pryad bowed and stepped into the air, but Tryne remained, cocking
his head with a slight smile. “I will stay.”

“
Please yourself.” Drevarin closed his eyes again and sank back
into the healing sleep, continuing to strengthen the Demon
Lord.

***

Bane drifted
up through the darkness, becoming aware of the soft couch upon
which he lay, and the lack of pain. It seemed like a pleasant
dream, for he knew that reality was quite different, so he tried to
cling to it. His rise back to consciousness slowed, and more
sensations seeped into him. Becoming aware of two beings close by,
he discovered that one could only be a god. His soul light was too
brilliant to be anything else. Turning his head towards the new
soul, Bane opened his eyes.

A stranger sat
on a cloud couch beside him, sipping ambrosia and smiling. “Welcome
back.”

Bane rolled
onto his side, finding that he also lay on a cloud couch, and some
of his strength had returned. Raising himself on one elbow, he
bowed his head as a wave of dizziness washed over him, then looked
up at the stranger again.

“
Who are you?”

The light god
beamed, his eyes sparkling. “I am Drevarin.”

“
Tryne brought you.”

“
Just in time.”

“
I owe you my life.”

Drevarin
inclined his head and smiled. “I had that privilege, but think
nothing of it. Saving a tar’merin is an honour. Through you and
your deeds, my name will live in legend.”

Bane sat up
and swung his legs off the couch, rubbed his face and ran a hand
through his hair. He looked around at the strange room with its
many protuberances and the black lodestones in their niches, then
glanced down at himself, discovering that he was clad in his own
clothes.

“
How long have I been unconscious?”

“
Two days since I got here. The idiots who captured you had
almost succeeded in killing you.”

Bane summoned
a cup of ambrosia and drank from it. “What else have you to tell
me?”

“
The shackles you wore damaged your spirit bond. I healed it,
so the weakness that plagued you will not return. These people are
godless and therefore ignorant, which is why they did not recognise
Tryne.” He smiled again. “They did not even know what I was at
first.”

“
Fools.”

“
Their leader is preparing to beg your forgiveness, I should
imagine. I told her to be eloquent, but they lack any form of
etiquette.”

Bane glared at
the window, where many faces peered into the room. Putting aside
the goblet, he rose, testing his strength. Finding it sufficient,
he strode over to the window and slammed his palm against it. The
glass turned to steel.

Drevarin
chuckled. “They have glass eyes in the corners too.”

“
What about the machine that gave me a headache?”

“
I disabled that.”

“
Good.” Bane glanced up at a lens just under the ceiling, and
raised his arm. Blue fire spat from his fingers and smashed it, and
he did the same to the other three. Satisfied, he returned to the
couch and picked up the cup.

“
You are angry,” Drevarin commented.

“
Immensely.” Bane studied the ambrosia in his cup, then glanced
up at Drevarin. “Did anyone tell you about Kayos?”

“
Yes.”

“
Have you scried him?”

Drevarin
grimaced. “I have been busy restoring your strength, as much as I
can.”

“
Will you do it now?”

Drevarin waved
an Eye into being and sought Kayos within it. A dull landscape of
grey rock and yellow sky formed, a shimmering silver sphere at the
centre of the image. A tall figure clad in dark red, his head
covered with crimson feathers, stood beside the sphere, holding a
shining key. Bane leant forward to study the image as the dark god
looked around. Drevarin recoiled from his baleful glare.

“
What is he doing?” Bane asked.

Drevarin shook
his head. “I do not know.”

“
Can a key open a... What do you call that thing?”

“
A shield sphere. Not as far as I know, but then, my knowledge
is limited.”

Bane glanced
at him. “You are young?”

“
Yes.”

“
That makes two of us.” He studied the image, while Drevarin
grew increasingly nervous.

“
Have you seen enough?”

“
Yes.” Bane straightened as the light god waved the Eye into
nothingness. “That makes you uneasy?”

“
He knew I was watching him.”

“
So?”

“
So dark gods glaring at me make me nervous.” Bane looked away,
and Drevarin added, “I did not mean you.”

“
I am a dark god.”

“
You are tar’merin.”

Bane nodded.
“But that does not stop people and gods from trying to kill
me.”

“
And sometimes it makes them save your life.”

“
True.” Bane sipped his ambrosia. “I must save
Kayos.”

“
You must rest first. I could only give you back a little
strength.”

“
We do not know how much time he has left.”

“
He is a Grey God, and further, he is Kayos. I am certain,
whatever that dark god is trying to do, Kayos knows a dozen ways to
thwart him.”

“
I will not chance it.”

Drevarin
looked thoughtful. “This vessel is quite amazing. It is invisible,
and it travels through the God Realm safely. It could take you to
Kayos while you rest.”

“
An interesting idea. I would have to summon a demon hound for
it to follow.”

“
These people can also vanquish dark gods in this
room.”

Bane glanced
up at the lodestones. “That would send him into the nearest domain,
where he would wreak havoc.”

“
True. Do you mean to try to destroy him then? He looked
powerful.”

“
I do not know.” Bane gazed into his cup.

“
I would be honoured to accompany you and offer you any aid I
can provide.”

“
Do you not have a domain?”

“
Yes, but it does not require my constant
supervision.”

Bane sipped
his ambrosia, and then glanced at the door. “I suppose I should
speak to Nikira now.”

“
Bit of a role reversal there, I would say.” Drevarin
grinned.

Bane smiled.
“More than a bit.”

“
You could give her horns and a tail, although that would be a
shame. She is quite pretty.”

“
I would require my power for that, and I cannot Gather in
here.”

“
That was a joke.” Drevarin shook his head and stood up, waving
away his cup. “What you do to her is your choice, naturally, but I
do not recommend horns and a tail. I shall leave you to it, and
tell her to come in, shall I?”

Bane nodded
and addressed Tryne, who sat unobtrusively in the corner. “You will
have to wait until after I have rescued Kayos for your favour,
Tryne. Leave me now.”

The angel rose
and stepped into the air, leaving Bane to gaze down at his cup of
ambrosia. Drevarin’s couch floated in front of him, and he pushed
it aside. Nikira would need somewhere to kneel. His anger simmered
within him, requiring release.

***

Nikira paced
around her office, her stomach quivering with dread. Almost half an
hour ago, Enyo had informed her that the tar’merin had woken, and
had sealed the window and knocked out the cameras. It sounded like
he was angry, and that boded ill for her and her crew. Would he
destroy her ship? She recalled the angel’s words, running through
them again. Would his advice save them? She jumped as the comscreen
beeped, and activated it with her heart pounding in her throat.
Enyo’s face filled it, looking worried.

“
Drevarin just came out. The... uh... Demon Lord wishes to
speak to you. Those were his words.”

“
The tar’merin is called the Demon Lord?”

“
Apparently.”

Nikira nodded
and closed the connection, clinging to her desk as a wave of
intense dread froze her blood. Gathering her courage, she went to
the door and let herself out, making her way with measured steps to
the containment room. The atmosphere in it was tense and hushed,
and Drevarin stood to one side, leaning against the wall. His dark
eyes impaled her with a cold glance, and any thought of begging him
for help evaporated. Her only source of hope was the fact that the
people who had put the shackles on Bane had been allowed to live,
and he had even helped them.

How could he
then kill her and her crew? They had done worse, a little voice
shouted in the back of her mind. Far worse. She stopped beside the
door, her breath coming in short gasps, her stomach a tight knot.
Bile stung her throat, and she swallowed hard, nodding at Enyo to
open the door. It slid aside with a tortured screech, and she
almost ran. She glanced down at the gold braid on her cuffs and
forced her legs to move.

The shredder
room’s bright lights made her squint, and she jumped when the door
slid shut behind her. She had not ordered Enyo to close it. With
flinching eyes, she looked over at the cloud couch where the
tar’merin sat with his head bowed, his hair hiding his face. Her
feet seemed to be glued to the floor, and she lifted them with an
effort, approaching the black-clad man. She had returned his
clothes, cleaned and mended, but Drevarin had been the one who had
dressed him.

The long black
cloak fell from his shoulders in graceful folds, the crimson lining
gleaming like a pool of blood in which he sat, and which fell to
the floor under the couch. When she was within a few paces of him,
her courage ran out, and she stopped. Her throat was dry and her
tongue refused to move. Her shaking knees buckled, and she sank
down on them.

The Demon Lord
raised his head, his hair sliding back to reveal his cold,
perfectly chiselled face. He opened eyes the shade of a flame’s
blue heart and regarded her from beneath sharply angled brows.

Nikira wanted
to run, but forced her tongue to move instead. “I... I...” She
gulped and tried again. “I beg your forgiveness.” The words came
out in a rush, and his nostrils flared. Nikira clasped her shaking
hands in her lap and looked down at them. The sight of him was too
terrifying. “I beg your forgiveness. We didn’t know.”

She cursed
herself, remembering Drevarin’s avowal that this was not an excuse.
“We destroy dra’voren...” She shook her head, recalling the angel’s
words. “I beg for your forgiveness, and swear to... to aid you
however we can, and to... We will be your loyal servants... and...
I will do whatever you wish and if you want to kill someone, kill
me, but let my crew live.”

A tense
silence fell, and she tried to remember what else she was supposed
to say, but her mind was blank. She listened to the soft sound of
his breaths while she waited for him to do something, dreading what
that might be.

“
What did you do to me?” His voice was soft.

“
I... We... You don’t remember?”

“
No. Tell me.”

Hope flared in
her, and she grabbed it. “We... we captured you and... the
lodestones took your power... then we questioned you. Then you got
sick.”

“
That is all?”

“
Yes.” She bit her lip, hating herself. This was wrong. They
had done terrible things to him, and she deserved to be punished.
“No. We starved you and held you prisoner. We allowed you to suffer
for days and we didn’t heal your arm or your eyes. We used the
stunner on you, several times. We experimented on you, and we
didn’t believe you when you told us what you were. We were going to
kill you.”