Demon Lord V - God Realm (16 page)

"Kayos."

"A
presumptuous name. Do you aspire to that state of being, or do you
claim to own it?"

"I created
it."

Torvaran's
smile faded a little. "That would make you one of the
Originators."

"You are quite
well educated, for an upstart dark god."

"I have been
around for a while, and heard the legends. You have not heard of
me, then?"

"Should
I?"

The dark god
glanced off into the distance. "If you were as well educated as I
am, you would."

"I do not
bother to keep track of dark gods. To me, your kind come and go in
the blink of an eye."

"Allow me to
enlighten you, then. I am known as the Destroyer."

"Are not all
your kind?"

Torvaran's
smile returned. "Some lay claim to a domain and enslave one of your
kin to serve them. I do not. I destroy light gods. You will be the
first Silver God on my tally."

"I have no
doubt that I am the first Silver God you have encountered in your
short and unremarkable existence."

"Which is why
you will be the first I destroy."

Kayos glanced
at the Hound. "If you had met an Originator before, you would know
that we are not so easily overcome as our children."

"Then this
will be a pleasant challenge. Your children die too easily."

Kayos studied
Torvaran, whose confidence, although common to his kind, was
chilling. He could continue to flee until he found a domain, but
already he was far from where he had left Bane. He did not wish to
go any further, or it would take a long time for the Demon Lord to
find him. Also, Torvaran would keep pace, and if a light god
allowed Kayos to enter his domain, Torvaran would follow, with
disastrous consequences for the domain and its owner. He hoped that
Bane would be fully recovered before he fought this dark god, who
struck him as old and powerful. He spread his hands.

"Do you plan
to bore me to death with your boasting?"

Torvaran
smiled. "You will soon see that my name is well earned, Silver God.
You are foolish to face me, you should continue to flee."

"Well, since
you are so fond of giving advice, here is some for you. Leave now,
or you will pay the price."

Torvaran
laughed. "I think not."

Kayos
shrugged. "As you wish."

The dark god
stepped towards Kayos, who stepped back, keeping the distance
between them. Torvaran chuckled and walked around him, his eyes
bright with glee. Kayos turned to face him, keeping his expression
deadpan. Although he did not show it, his gut was clenched in
anticipation of the battle to come, and he knew that he was in
grave danger.

Although he
was more powerful, wise and skilled than younger gods, one mistake
was all it would take to spell his doom. He was tempted to raise
his shields and wait for Bane, but first he would show Torvaran
that a Grey God was more than capable of defending himself. He
smiled inwardly at his foolish pride, but the likes of Torvaran had
killed too many of his children. He longed for some retribution,
and perhaps to dent the dark god's brash confidence.

Torvaran leapt
at Kayos, who jumped back, raising his hands in a sweeping motion
that yanked a shining sheet of power from the ground. Torvaran
rebounded off it, white flames licking over his chest. He rubbed
them out, his smile widened and his eyes gleamed, then he raised an
arm and unleashed a bolt of dark power at the Grey God. Kayos
batted it away with a blazing shield that appeared in his hand an
instant before the black fire struck.

A growl of
thunder shook the region as the dark power vanished into the
surroundings in a blaze of blue. The area was one of the common
grey rock landscapes, but white fire suffused it, and the sky
glowed dull yellow. Torvaran's arms shot out, lengthening as only a
droge body could, and a curved sword of light appeared in Kayos'
fist. He slashed upwards, lopping off Torvaran's hands, and the
dark god hissed in anger. New hands budded from his wrists, and his
eyes flashed.

With a
sweeping gesture, he flung a swathe of black fire at Kayos, who
deflected it with another brilliant shield. Torvaran threw bolt
after bolt at the Grey God, striving to penetrate his hand and body
shields, forcing Kayos to move at lightning speed to avoid or
deflect the bolts. At the same time, Torvaran leapt at his foe,
following his every evasion, seeking the brief hold that would end
Kayos' existence.

For two days,
or two rest periods, since the town had no night or day, Bane
rested. The price of their meals had increased to ten gold coins,
but he did not care. In fact, he had offered to turn the entire
building into gold, but Tronak had protested that Morwanor would
simply take it if it was too visible. Instead, Bane had turned the
stones Artan brought him into gold coins, satisfying Tronak's
demands.

Mirra still
slept, but Sarrin assured him that she was improving, while Ethra
hovered close to death. Bane's head throbbed and his eyes stung,
reminding him of the sickness he had suffered long ago in his own
domain. Then Mirra had given him a potion that had eased the pain,
but, although Sarrin had asked the kitchen girl for herbs to brew a
similar potion, they had not been forthcoming. This told Bane that
Frendar either enjoyed suffering, or did not care to help ease
it.

They ate their
meals in the room now, since Bane did not wish to stumble around or
fall down the stairs. He finished picking at another delicious
repast, which he surmised was dinner, but it might have been
breakfast. He did not care, his mood was sour, and he held out the
empty plate. Someone took it, and he fingered the bandages over his
eyes.

"Sarrin."

"Yes,
Lord?"

"Take this
off."

She approached
him. "I think you should leave it on for a little longer."

"Take it
off."

After a
moment's hesitation, she removed the bandages. It took several
minutes before the last strips of cloth fell away, and Bane rubbed
his aching eyes, finding that they were gummed shut.

"Let me wash
them," Sarrin murmured, and left to fetch a bowl of water and a
clean cloth. Sitting beside him, she wet the cloth and wiped the
crusts from his eyes, studying the damage to his face. The red
welts had faded to faint pink marks, and she prayed to no one in
particular that his eyes had healed. The men watched with grim
expressions as the last of the crusts softened and sloughed off,
and Bane opened his eyes. They were completely white, and Sarrin
stifled a gasp of horror. Swallowing a lump, she strived to speak
in a steady voice, but it shook.

"Can you
see?"

"No."

"I am
sorry."

Bane smashed
his fist into the wall beside the bed, cracking the stone and
making everyone jump. "That is it then, I am blind."

"Perhaps it
just needs more time, My Lord."

Bane's head
jerked around as his keen hearing picked up a faint skirl of
childish laughter. "Get out, all of you."

Closing his
eyes, he watched their soul lights leave the room. Ethra lay on the
narrow bunk they had brought in for her. Mirra slumbered beside
him, but he did not think the presence of two unconscious girls
would deter Frendar. As soon as they left, a brilliant white soul
appeared before him, drifting around the room.

"Hello,
Frendar."

The child god
giggled. "I could fix you, but I won't."

"I did not ask
it of you. You are a malicious child."

"I'm a
god!"

"How old are
you?"

"Five."

Bane groaned
inwardly. This was worse than he had thought. Frendar was
undoubtedly much older, but his childish reasoning had stopped
developing at the age when he had been turned into a god, and,
since he was so young, he probably could not count any higher.

"Who made you
a god?"

The shining
soul settled on the end of the bed. "Tyrashin. She's dead now."

"What happened
to her?"

"A bad man
came, and chased us for a long time. When he caught her, I ran
away."

"Why did
Tyrashin make you a god?"

Bane sensed
the child shrug. "She liked me."

"Why do you
stay here? Would you not like to live in a nice world instead?"

"Yes, but it's
scary out there. It's dark."

"You fear the
dark." Bane nodded. That was why Frendar had chosen to stay here,
where the light never died. There were plenty of light places in
the God Realm, but evidently this was the first one that Frendar
had come across. "Your old world, where Tyrashin lived, it is close
by, is it not?"

"Not far. But
it's nasty now, all dark."

"Would you
like to go to a nice bright place, with a sun and trees and animals
and things?"

"Yes."

"I could take
you to such a place."

Frendar
giggled. "You're blind!"

"You like
that, do you not?"

"It's fun. I
think I'll make some more people blind, then they can bump into
things and fall over." A swirl of red flushed through the shining
brilliance of Frendar's soul.

"That is
cruel. Why do you not help them instead of changing them?"

"What fun is
that?"

"You give them
food, so you must want to help them."

Frendar
bounced on the bed, making it creak. "That's to keep them alive, so
they can look after me."

"How do they
look after you?"

"They say nice
things to me, and sometimes, when monsters come, they fight them."
He giggled again. "That's fun."

"Only for
you."

"I'm the only
one who counts!"

"Do you not
want them to be happy?"

"No!" Frendar
left the bed and drifted across the room. "Then they won't need me
anymore."

"Did Tyrashin
not teach you to be kind to mortals?"

"She tried,
but that's no fun. You're boring, I'm going to go and play a new
game now."

The child god
vanished, and Bane sighed, then called Sarrin, who entered moments
later.

"Tell the
others to come back, he has gone."

"Who,
Lord?"

"Frendar."

She came
closer. "You spoke to him?"

Bane nodded,
and she called out to the others, who returned to gather at the
foot of his bed again.

"What did he
say?" Sarrin asked.

"Not much. He
is only a five year old child. He thinks blind people are fun, so
we can expect some of our benefactors to be struck blind now."

"How
terrible."

"Eventually he
will grow bored with it, and then he might restore their
sight."

"Will he help
you, Lord?"

"No."

Sarrin sat on
the bed and studied him. His eyes remained closed, and his
expression was grim. "Perhaps in time your eyes will heal,
Lord."

"Perhaps."

"Is there no
way to persuade Frendar to help you?"

"He is afraid
of the dark. I could make this place dark, but that would attract
the attention of Morwanor. Since these people provide him with
gold, and sport, he would not like it if they left."

Sarrin
frowned, considering this. "Can Morwanor not make gold, as you
can?"

A slight smile
curled Bane's lips. "No. But he could easily summon it."

"Then why does
he make them provide it?"

"He thrives on
pain and suffering, and these people are as much his playthings as
they are Frendar's. Exacting a tithe from them is just part of his
enjoyment. Without them, he would have no one but his demons and
droges, so he will want them to stay. He probably destroyed this
domain, then realised that there is no fun to be had without
mortals to torment. Fortunately for him, Frendar arrived and kept
the remnants alive, so he tolerates the child god. He might even be
the one who destroyed Frendar's domain and killed the light
goddess."

Sarrin
shuddered. "The ways of gods are strange indeed, Lord."

"You think me
strange?"

"In some
ways." She paused. "Surely if I prayed to Frendar, he would help
us?"

Bane shook his
head. "Do not draw his attention to you. He is malicious, and you
would find his pranks unpleasant."

"Then what
should we do?"

"Wait."

Kayos spun to
face his foe, deflecting the bolts of darkness that flew at him
with one of his two shining shields. He leapt aside to avoid
Torvaran's grasping hands that shot out to try to capture him. The
dark god was weakening, unable to draw much dark power from the
light area in which they fought, and his bolts had dwindled, but
were still dangerous. Furrows streaked the ground around Kayos
where deflected bolts of shadow had ripped into it, and the area
reacted to the forces their battle unleashed, dark clouds sweeping
in to block out the dull yellow sky.

Kayos had lost
track of time, but probably several domain days had passed.
Torvaran was indeed powerful to maintain his attack for so long,
and now would be a good time for Bane to appear. The dark god would
not suffer from fatigue, but Kayos needed sleep occasionally. As
yet, the lack had not affected him unduly, but eventually it
would.

Torvaran
stopped and lowered his arms, smiling. "A good battle, Old One.
Tired?"

"Not in the
least." Kayos adopted a relaxed stance.

Torvaran
chuckled. "I have enjoyed it immensely, but now I will take a short
break. I would not want you to become lonely in my absence,
however, nor for you to rest."

The dark god
gestured, and a pile of wood appeared at his feet. A trickle of
dark power from his fingers lighted it, and he muttered a few harsh
words of summoning. The fire blazed, shot with sickly hues of green
and purple, then rose in a roaring column as a fire demon took
shape in it. A narrow head formed, and two muscular, fiery arms,
then it opened a pair of molten eyes and stepped out of the fire. A
pair of sweeping, curved horns crowned its head, and a protruding
brow ridge formed a deeply frowning countenance. Kayos had seen
many kinds of demons, and this sort was familiar to him, little
different from the ones in his domains. The fire demon bowed to
Torvaran, and another manifested in the flames. Torvaran summoned
ten fire demons and ten earth demons, then turned to Kayos.