Demon Lord VII - Dark Domain (10 page)

“His mistress,”
Kayos said. “He is cautious.”

“Indeed.”

Sarjan and the
contechs peered through the window at the lovely creature, their
expressions awestruck and disbelieving. Several men swore and shot
horrified glances at their commander.

Sarjan swung to
face the man who sat at the shredder console. “What is she?”

“It’s a
dra’voren!”

Bane said to
Kayos, “Let them see me.”

The Grey God
vanished, and Bane scowled at Sarjan. “Shred her.”

The commander
cast him a wide-eyed glance. “But she’s -”

“Shred
her!”

Sarjan gave the
order, and the senior contech tapped another key on his control
board. The lodestones emerged from their niches, and the chamber
filled with hot blue light. Bane was forced to look away, as were
the rest of the containment crew. After several tense minutes, the
senior contech relaxed and typed on his keyboard, whereupon the
light faded to reveal an empty room.

“She’s
gone.”

Sarjan turned
to Bane, looking confused and a little sheepish. “You said it would
be a male dra’voren. I’ve never seen a female one.”

“It should have
been a male, but even the best laid plans sometimes go astray.”

“She was...
beautiful,” Sarjan mourned.

“They always
are, but they are just as dangerous and evil as their male
counterparts, though not as common.”

“I’ve never
seen such -”

“Their power of
seduction is one of their greatest weapons. Men worship them
because of it, and end up on the sacrificial altar.”

Sarjan leant on
a console and rubbed his forehead. “Two dra’voren in a matter of
hours. That’s a record.”

“Keep obeying
me, and it might be three before long.”

Sarjan lowered
his hand. “You promised me a fiend.”

“And I shall
give you one. Would you like it here?”

“No! Not
here.”

“It will not be
able to harm you,” Bane assured him.

“No. In the
lab, if you don’t mind.”

“It makes no
difference to me, but I have other matters to attend to, so I am in
a hurry.”

“Right.” Sarjan
straightened and addressed his crew. “Good work, men.”

The containment
crew acknowledged their commander’s praise with stiff nods as he
left, and Bane followed. Sarjan led him down the corridor and into
a lift, which shot up several floors while the commander did his
best to hide his intense dislike for Bane’s proximity in the little
room.

When they left
the lift, Sarjan headed down another of the seemingly endless
corridors to a white-walled room Bane recognised as the same sort
as the one in which he had confronted Drontar. Glass-paned cabinets
lined it, along with more glowing screens, many filled with writing
and numbers. A slight, astringent scent hung in the air, and the
spotless white floor gleamed like glass. Men and women in white
coats glanced up from their toil over strange instruments, and the
droge languished in a glass-walled cubicle, chained to a chair. He
watched Bane with cold eyes, then looked away. Several of the
technicians cast Bane narrow-eyed glances, and a few left.

Sarjan stopped
and faced Bane, clearly a little apprehensive. “You’re sure you can
control it?”

“Of course. Is
there any particular type you would prefer?”

“There are
different types?”

Bane nodded.
“Earth, air, fire and water; but I cannot summon an earth demon in
here. This ship is not in contact with its element.”

“Does it make a
difference?”

Bane shrugged,
gazing at the vials on a table. “Fire demons are the most dangerous
and aggressive, air demons are devious and cunning, and water
demons are silent and stubborn.”

“And earth
fiends?”

“They are the
strongest and most brutal.”

Sarjan shook
his head. “They all sound like monsters. You choose.”

“Very well, I
shall summon a minor air demon.”

Bane murmured
the words of summoning, selected a name from the many the dark
power whispered in response to his wish, and spoke it. The air in
front of him coalesced, forming a man-shape of pale vapour, its
extremities tenuous, its eyes sparkling like diamonds. Sarjan
backed away as the demon bowed to Bane and spoke in a hissing,
sibilant tone.

“Lord, it is my
honour to serve you.”

“Setiss. I am
Bane, the Demon Lord. You will remain in this room until I dismiss
you. You will obey these mortals, and you will offer them no harm.
You will answer their questions truthfully in all matters, and you
will allow them to examine you in any way they choose. You will do
nothing else.”

The demon’s
eyes flashed. “Lord.”

Bane turned to
Sarjan. “Now I must leave.”

“Wait.” Sarjan
eyed the demon. “Will it obey your orders after you leave?”

“Yes.”

“It’s just...
air, isn’t it? And steam?”

“It is a
noxious gas of some sort, usually mixed with sulphur, which is why
it stinks. If you want to know more, study it.”

“Right.” Sarjan
glanced at his minions, who stared at the demon with wide,
horrified eyes. “Could you wait a few minutes?”

Bane folded his
arms and sighed, a slight frown tugging at his brows. Sarjan turned
to the demon and pointed to the far side of the room. “Go and stand
over there.”

Setiss drifted
across the room, making the people retreat.

Bane snorted.
“You think I am lying, Sarjan?”

“It’s possible.
It might kill us after you’re gone.”

“If I wanted
you dead, I would do it myself, and you heard me give him the
orders. He cannot disobey me, and now he cannot disobey you.”

“How dangerous
is it?” Sarjan asked.

“He is only a
minor demon. He could kill you one at a time, and you could not
stop him. Your weapons would have no effect.”

“Is there no
way to destroy it?”

“Only a dark
god could do that.”

“What about the
shredder room?”

Bane shook his
head. “That would only vanquish him, which would release him from
my summoning.”

“And then it
could return and avenge its humiliation?”

“He could, but
that is unlikely.”

Sarjan looked
intrigued. “Why?”

“Because demons
generally have better things to do, amusing themselves in man form,
mostly. He will not find your examination humiliating, I assure
you, and you cannot harm him. He will enjoy your fear and taunt you
endlessly. He will play tricks on you to frighten you until you
order him to stop, whereupon he will find something else to shock
or scare you, unless your orders are too specific for him to
circumvent. He is a demon; what do you expect?”

The commander
nodded. “You say it’s a minor fiend, what could a larger one
do?”

“A greater air
demon would be able to kill everyone in this room within a few
moments. They are a lot bigger and more powerful. Direct your
questions to Setiss. He has all the answers you crave.”

Sarjan turned
to the demon. “Setiss, come here.”

The demon
swooped across the room and loomed over Sarjan, who retreated with
a curse, bumped into a table and made the paraphernalia on it
rattle.

Bane sighed.
“Move away from the mortal, Setiss.”

Setiss drifted
off with a hissing snigger, stopping a few feet away, where it
regarded Sarjan with sparkling eyes. The commander glanced at Bane,
who said, “You cannot be so vague with your orders. He will exploit
your every mistake for his own amusement. Remember, he cannot harm
you, so there is no need to fear him.”

“Right.”

“Now, I will
leave you to your study. You may fly your ship back to your own
country if you are in danger here.”

“I... Thank
you. Will you be coming back?”

“I will have to
dismiss Setiss, but whether or not I will allow you to see me
remains to be decided. Why?”

Sarjan’s
expression was uncertain, which Bane took to mean that he was torn
by some inner conflict. “I’d like to ask you some more questions,
if you don’t mind.”

“Is there any
chance I can convince you that I am not a dra’voren?”

Sarjan frowned.
“Perhaps.”

“Then if you
wish to speak to me, say my name and ask me to come. I might.”

“Is that...
praying?”

“Yes.”

Sarjan’s eyes
hardened. “I’m not going to pray to you. You’re not a god. There
are no such things as gods.”

“Then do not.”
Bane swung away, and Kayos cast his shield over him.

The Grey God
fell into step with him, smiling. “You waste your time.”

Bane left the
aseptic room and strolled down a corridor, not particularly caring
where it led. “Maybe. What are we going to do about Tolrar? He will
not follow you into the shredder room now, and I have no wish to be
stunned, even though Sarjan has sworn not to kill me.”

“You cannot
trust him. Tolrar is hardly a challenge for you. Go and tear him
apart, as you long to.”

Bane shot him a
frown. “I do not long for that. I want him cast down, but if there
was someone else who could do it, I would gladly let him.”

“Alas, there is
no one else who can.”

“How fare
Sherinias and Drevarin?”

“Afraid, but
safe for now.”

“It is time I
put an end to Tolrar.”

“Wait.” Kayos
took hold of Bane’s arm, halting him. “If I go with you, I can
distract him.”

“No. I do not
need you to distract him, so stay away.”

“I will do as I
wish.”

Bane shook his
head. “Do not endanger yourself.”

“Do I look like
a fool?”

“Not
usually.”

Kayos smiled
and released him. “Good luck.”

The Demon Lord
rematerialised amid the billowing clouds of the light realm, some
distance from Tolrar, who pounded on the birthing chamber with
bolts of shadow that caused brilliant flares of blue incandescence,
making Bane squint and avert his gaze. Remaining invisible, he
walked up behind the dark god, who was too engrossed in his task to
notice his presence.

Bane raised his
hands and unleashed twin streams of black fire at the back of
Tolrar’s head. The dark god gave a bellow of surprise and shock,
and Bane cut his power before it fed Tolrar’s Gather. His foe
whirled, the light eating away at his exposed dark form in a savage
rush of blue flame. Bane became visible and lunged at him, seized
his arm and started to Gather.

Tolrar howled
and writhed as the white fire ate into him and Bane drained his
power. He struggled to counter the double attack, but his droge
form thinned and warped. His human face became translucent,
revealing the darkness beneath it, in which his glowing yellow eyes
flashed with fury. The remnants of his droge form faded away, and
his dwindling arm shot out to slash at Bane’s eyes with claw-tipped
fingers. The razor-sharp claws raked the side of Bane’s neck as he
jerked his head aside. Tolrar roared a strange hissing name, and
the hairs on the back of Bane’s nape bristled as he sensed a surge
of power behind him that heralded the arrival of a dark entity. He
released Tolrar and spun around.

A massive
creature loomed over him, its sinuous neck arching as it opened
jaws filled with crimson teeth, a ruddy glow emanating from its
gullet. Tolrar vanished, and Bane Moved in the instant before the
monster’s teeth closed upon him, rematerialising several yards
away. The beast god snarled and headed towards him with gliding
strides, its silver-clawed feet digging deep into the diamond sand.
It resembled a great dragon, only larger and more fearsome, its
black scales edged with crimson, long silver spikes bristling along
the back of its neck and spine. It halted when Bane raised a shield
between them, its green eyes gleaming with rage. The beast god eyed
the shield, snorted a burst of flame, and vanished.

Bane stared at
the spot where it had been for several moments, reviewing his
narrow escape, then let the shield disperse. Kayos appeared nearby
and approached him, scowling with concern and anger. Bane touched
the scratches on the side of his neck and contemplated the blood on
his fingers.

The Grey God
stopped in front of him. “That was close.”

“How can Tolrar
summon a beast god to his aid?”

“It must be his
friend.”

Bane raised his
brows. “How does one befriend a beast god?”

“With
difficulty. The commonest way to gain such an ally is to make the
beast a god before it is born, foster it and train it to use the
dark power, thereby damning its soul, then slay it and raise it
from the Land of the Dead, helping it to achieve its full
power.”

“Like Arkonen
did to me.”

“Almost. It is
a formidable foe. Beast gods are just as intelligent as we are. It
is one of the gifts of godhood.”

Bane fingered
his wounds again. “But how did he summon it?”

“He must have
forged a strong mind link with it, as Arkonen did with you. That is
how he was able to enter your dreams and speak to you.”

“This makes
defeating Tolrar a little more difficult.”

“A little?”
Kayos smiled, placed his hand on Bane’s wounds and healed them in a
flash of power. “Beast gods are dangerous, especially ones as large
as a dragon. Tolrar was lucky his friend was asleep when he needed
it, so he was able to summon it. Next time, he may not be so
fortunate.”

“I will still
have to get rid of it.”

Kayos nodded,
then looked around as Drevarin and Sherinias emerged from the
birthing chamber, the girl wan and shaking. She released Drevarin’s
hand and ran to embrace Kayos, burying her face in his chest. He
held her and stroked her hair.

Drevarin cast
Bane a lopsided smile. “You almost had him.”

“Almost.”

“Next time you
will defeat him.”

Bane gazed into
the distance. “Now he knows about me, and he has a powerful
ally.”