When Demons Walk (26 page)

“For your
short
lifetime it would be, if the demon had anything to say about it,” replied Sham without heat—they'd already had this argument when she'd first approached him for help.

“If Shamera's plan fails, could you try to control it then?” asked Talbot.

Sham shook her head, answering before Halvok could. “No. I have to release the rune that holds the demon in place while I work the spell to send it home. If I fail, it's not going to be contained—nor is it going to be happy with us. Don't worry, though, if my spell doesn't work, the backlash of wild magic will kill us and burn Purgatory to the ground before the demon can do anything to you.”

“Thanks,” said Talbot, with a wry grin, “that's good to know. I wouldn't want to be killed by a demon.”

Sham left Talbot talking with Lord Halvok and walked to the edge of the cliffs. Below her was inky blackness. Though there was no moon to see by, she could tell by the silence that the tide was out. The unnatural quiet seemed expectant.

Elsic seated himself on the ground next to her. His sightless eyes closed, he breathed in the salt air.

 

K
ERIM KNOCKED SOFTLY
at the door, ready to play his part. Although he was honest by nature, acting was the meat of any politician, and he had no fears about his ability. He worried about hurting Sky, though, and she'd been hurt enough.

“Who is it?” Sky's voice sounded husky with sleep.

“Kerim.” There was a pause, and Kerim could almost hear her thinking.

“My Lord?” The door opened partially, and she peered through. Her sleeping gown was sheer and inviting.

Kerim gave her his best boyish grin. “Do you know what day it is?”

“No, My Lord,” she smiled with a hint of shyness.

Looking at her, he found it even harder to believe that Sham was right. He had a feeling that he was going to be apologizing to Sky before the night was over.

“It's the day the Spirit Tide breaks. Have you ever seen it at night?”

“No, My Lord.”

“Well, get dressed then. You have to see this. I know
you're not up to a strenuous ride yet, but we'll take a gentle horse for you—I have one with paces as smooth as cream . . . and I believe I owe you an apology for last night.”

She drew herself up. “What about Lady Shamera?”

Kerim allowed a sad smile to cross his face. “Ah, Lady Shamera . . . Perhaps you could put on a dressing robe and I'll come in and tell you about her. The hall is not the place for it—I promise I'll keep my hands to myself.”

The door shut momentarily; when Sky opened it again, she was decently covered in an ivory silk bedrobe. “Come in, my lord.”

He slipped by her, a difficult thing to do gracefully with his crutches but much easier than the wheeled chair, and took up residence on a uncomfortable wooden stool. She looked from him to the only other seat in the room, a padded loveseat, and smiled before she sat in it.

“You were going to tell me about Lady Shamera?”

“Yes,” he sighed and looked at his feet before turning his gaze to hers. “I am not her first protector, you know. She enjoys men. I met her soon after you came here, and I think that it was knowing that I had to leave you alone that drew me to her.”

“But I was crippled and it was getting worse.” He swallowed heavily and continued in almost a whisper. “I knew that Ven loved you, and would make an admirable husband and father. The child . . . the child was mine, wasn't it?” He didn't have to feign the sadness in his voice: the poor babe, doomed by demons and wizards long dead or by mischance, he supposed it didn't matter which.

“I thought I was dying. I could see no good in making you a widow a second time, so I went looking for something to put between us—and I found Shamera.” He played with the top of his left crutch. “Then I began to recover.”

“I noticed that you have been getting better, my lord. Can you tell me why?”

He hesitated and managed to look frustrated and slightly guilty. “That's the truly odd part, and I'm not certain it is my secret to tell.”

“My lord,” she said meeting his eyes squarely. “Anything you say will stay with me.”

He gave her a measuring glance, then nodded as if in sudden decision. “Late one night, when one of the cramping spells began, Shamera came in and . . . worked magic.” He let some of the wonder he had felt creep into his voice. “I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Shamera has told me that the wizards are largely fled from here, though there are a few, like her, who hide what they are.”

“Did she find out who did that to you?”

Kerim nodded his head, even while the meaning of the mistake she'd just made washed over him. He'd never told Sky that Sham had been undoing a spell laid upon him—just that she'd worked magic. “She seems to think so,” he said smoothly. “After the High Priest died—and this is the strangest part, I'm not sure I'd believe it if Shamera hadn't had Brother Fykall to back her up—something took over his body, or wore his shape. Shamera says that it was a demon. It made the mistake of going to the Temple of Altis, and brother Fykall destroyed it.”

Sky's mouth tightened with anger momentarily. If he hadn't been watching her closely, he would have missed it. The guilt that he'd been feeling for misleading Sky all but melted away.

“I owe Shamera a great deal—my health, and even my life. But—” he looked down, as if caught by shyness. “—I don't love her. Last night made me realize that I had to talk to her, and tell her how I felt. I'd already left it too long; I was afraid I would hurt her.”

He grinned suddenly. “I almost wish you'd have been there. I was expecting to face down the virago who leapt on my bed with a broken pitcher and faced a merchant instead. She let me say what I had to say, then smiled and laid down terms she thought were fair for services rendered.”

Kerim smiled coaxingly. “Come with me tonight, Sky. I haven't been to the sea for a long time. The Spirit Tide is something you will remember for the rest of your life.”

“I . . .” she gave him a look filled with desire and fear. “I don't know if I should . . .”

“Come with me,” he lowered his voice into a purr. Practicing with Shamera had improved his seduction technique.

She drew in a breath, and recklessly said, “Yes, I would like that. If you'll wait a moment in the hall, I'll put on riding clothes.”

“For you, I'll wait,” replied Kerim softly, rising to his feet and crossing the distance to the hall as lightly as someone on crutches could be expected to.

Lady Sky gave him a quick, bright smile before she shut the door.

 

L
ANTERN IN HAND
, Dickon waited outside the walls of the Castle with three horses: A sweet-faced bay mare, his own sturdy gelding, and Kerim's war stallion, Scorch.

The stallion looked rather odd with the crutches attached to the shoulder of either side of the saddle, but he was used to carrying stranger things than crutches. Kerim rubbed the black muzzle affectionately.

Cautiously, with Dickon holding the opposite stirrup so the saddle wouldn't slip, Kerim gripped the saddle at pommel and cantle and powered the rest of his body up and into position. Not graceful, but it was effective. Dickon handed Kerim the lantern, and helped Lady Sky on her mare before mounting himself.

“We are not to go alone, my Lord?” questioned Lady Sky softly, with a pointed look at Dickon.

Kerim shifted his weight until the stallion sidestepped next to Lady Sky's mount. Reaching over he took one gloved hand into his free hand and brought it to his lips. “Alas, no, Lady. The best place to view the Spirit Tide is on the other side of a bad section of town. Despite the fact that I've paid off the proper people to ensure a quiet ride, it would be sheerest folly to go into such a place with only a crippled warrior such as myself to guard you. Dickon is quite a hand with that sword he carries.”

Lady Sky smiled. “So this is not such an impulsive trip after all—you could have given me more notice.”

Behind her, Kerim noticed that Dickon was frowning his disapproval. He'd cautioned Kerim about flirting too hard and hurting Sky.

“Ah, me.” Kerim grinned. “I have betrayed myself. No, Lady, I've been planning this for most of the day.” He gave her a convincing leer. “But if I had given you notice, you'd not have met me in your sleeping gown.”

Lady Sky laughed and followed him as he nudged his mount into a swinging walk.

 

I
N SPITE OF
his spoken pessimism, Kerim's ride through Purgatory was without incident. He could feel the eyes peering at them from the inky blackness, but they stayed there. Apparently Shamera had greased the right fists with his gold. He took his time, flirting and delaying. By the time they reached the broken timbers of the old bell tower, he calculated that they only had a short time before the tide returned.

Kerim stopped the stallion near a clump of scrub a fair distance from the cliffs. Returning the lantern to Dickon's care, he dismounted with more expediency than skill, but ended up on his feet, which was something of a salve to his pride.

While Dickon saw to Lady Sky's dismounting, Kerim untied the leather strings that kept the crutches in place. He was still unsteady on his feet, but with the crutches he had a fair bit of mobility on the rough ground.

“Come,” he said, leading Lady Sky away from the horses and Dickon. “You'll have to take the lantern.”

The nearby buildings were nearly rotted through from the salt-sea air. Kerim ignored them as he made his way to a small area of sandy dirt near the cliffs. He stopped with the base of one crutch resting near a solitary piece of broken cobblestone. Sometime during the ride the stars had come into their full glory. Even without the moon's light, it was possible to see the beach far below.

Sky drew in her breath as she gazed beyond the cliff. “How fascinating.”

“Beautiful,” he agreed, “an unexpected act of nature—
like you.” He reached into his belt pouch and looked for something that wasn't there.

“Plague it,” he said, with boyish embarrassment, “I brought you something, but I forgot to get it from Dickon. Wait here, I won't be but a moment.”

She gave him the lantern. Holding it awkwardly, he turned and rapidly made his way back to the horses while Lady Sky waited, her beautiful profile turned to the sea and a faint smile on her face.

 

A
S SOON AS
Kerim was far enough away, Lord Halvok sneaked soundlessly around the remains of the building he had been hiding behind, giving Sham a hint at the reason his guerrilla campaign had been able to hold out against the Easterners. He stopped at the place she had hidden the break in the wire.

Quickly he brought the ends together, fusing them with a touch of magic that caught Lady Sky's attention. Hidden in the shadows of another building, Sham bit her lip. Halvok's fate rested on her rune skills, and she'd never had to make a rune of this size before.

As the magic built, the golden thread began to glow, burning brightly beneath the covering sand. Under other circumstances the rune would have been enough to hold its prisoner indefinitely; a demon was as capable of unmaking a rune as Sham or Halvok was, so Halvok knelt where he was and continued to imbue the rune with magic.

“What are you doing?” asked Lady Sky staring at Lord Halvok in surprise and taking a step back. “Kerim?” her voice rose in fright, “what is he doing to me?”

Coming out of her hiding place, Sham flinched at the fear in Sky's voice. Looking at her standing alone on the cliff edge it was difficult to remember the reasoning Sham had used to convict her. Instinctively Sham glanced at Kerim, knowing that he'd had his doubts as well. Kerim was frowning as he gripped Dickon's arm. He gestured as he talked—though Sham couldn't hear what he said.

Elsic stepped out around a rock, the flute in one hand and his other resting lightly on Talbot's shoulder. “I know
you, demon,” he said, his face turned to Lady Sky. “I've felt you in my dreams.”

“What are you talking about? Kerim said the priest killed the demon,” said Lady Sky, looking more frightened than ever. “Kerim?”

“She's going to send you back,” said Kerim gently, as he approached with Dickon. “Isn't that where you've been trying to go all this time? It's time for you to go home.”

“No . . .” Lady Sky's voice lost its cultured softness as she wailed despairingly. “You don't know what she's trying to do!”

“Nor does she,” said the Shark from just behind Sham, causing her to jump. “But that never stopped her before.”

“What are you doing here?” asked Sham in a voice designed to carry only to the Shark's ears.

He grinned. “You think I'd miss the most exciting bit of news to happen around here since the Eastern Invasion?”

“Stay back with Kerim,” she warned him. “This could get nasty.”

“Shamera?” asked Lady Sky. “Why are you doing this? I thought you were my friend.”

Sham walked forward until she stood just outside the barrier Halvok held. “Chen Laut,” she said, and gestured.

It was unnecessary to call the demon's true form in order to send it back to its world, but Sham needed the reassurance of knowing she was right. So she call the demon by a name it had held for centuries. It was not its true name, but it had power all the same.

The sand at Sky's feet shifted, as if at a strong wind. Sky herself jerked like a marionette in the hands of a toddler, shifting . . . The body fell limply to the ground, and over it stood the demon.

Larger than a horse it was, a creature of flames the color of magic. Eight fragile limbs held its apparent bulk off the wet sand, but there was nothing arachnoid about the rest of the demon. A tail of gold and red ever-changing flames hit the edge of the rune with a crack, driving Lord Halvok to the ground at the unexpected pain.