Demon Lord III - Grey God (2 page)

A soft,
musical voice spoke behind them. "Nicely done, My Lord."

Bane turned to
face Lyriasharin. Sunlight gilded her patrician features and filled
her chestnut hair with gleams of red and gold. Her shimmering
mother-of-pearl gown brushed the grass that sprouted lushly around
her feet, and her bright green eyes sparkled with gold. Shining
star flowers were twined into her hair and around her slender
waist. Mithran, Grem, Tallis, Ellese and Mirra sank to their
knees.

Bane smiled.
"I am glad you liked it."

Lyriasharin
gestured for the little group to rise with a soft smile. "It is not
that it was a fine ceremony, I just wonder where you found those
words."

He shrugged.
"They came to me, when I thought about it."

"Of course
they did. You have just performed a large portion of the life bond
vows of my kind."

"They seemed
appropriate."

"Certainly
they are. I congratulate you both upon your nuptials, and wish you
long life and happiness."

Bane glanced
down at Mirra as she came to his side and slipped her hand into
his, then faced the goddess again. "I am glad you chose to attend,
My Lady."

"How could I
not? Mirra is my special child, and you are kindred. It pleases me
that you have found happiness together."

"Especially
since you arranged it."

"Indeed."

Mirra glanced
up at him. "I, too, thought it wonderful."

He smiled.
"Now you may tell me why you were all so... flabbergasted."

A tinge of
pink crept into her cheeks, and she lowered her eyes. "Well... you
knelt."

His brows
rose. "Is that a social blunder?"

"No... It was
just surprising for you to do it."

Lyriasharin
smiled. "Our kind does kneel when we enter into the life bond,
child, which is why Bane did it. He has knowledge locked within him
that he does not understand, but he follows it, which is good."

Bane shrugged.
"It seemed right to me, although I would have preferred not to have
had an audience."

"You followed
your inner knowledge, and there was nothing wrong with what you
did. Your wish for privacy is likewise inborn, for our kind makes
our vows without witness."

"And I will do
it again, if I wish." Bane raised his free hand, and a golden cup
appeared in it. Lyriasharin's smile broadened, revealing a glimpse
of white teeth.

"So, your
powers come upon you, My Lord."

"I mastered
this only a few days ago."

"What is it?"
Mirra asked.

"Ambrosia. It
is what Lyriasharin's kind live on."

"Actually it
is merely refreshment to us," she corrected him. "We do not require
it."

"But I
do?"

"You can
survive just as well on mundane food."

Bane held the
cup out to Mirra. "Try some, it is good."

"That is
forbidden, My Lord," Lyriasharin stated.

"Who will stop
me?" He shot her a curious look.

"Not I."

"Good." He
offered the cup to Mirra, who shook her head and glanced at the
goddess.

"I cannot. It
is forbidden."

"You can, if I
say so."

"My lady will
be displeased with me."

Bane snorted.
"No, she will be displeased with me, but I shall brave it. I want
you to try it, just once. A wedding gift."

Mirra looked
at the goddess again, clearly torn, and Lyriasharin shrugged. Bane
pressed the cup into her hand, and she looked down at the pearly
liquid within it, but the moment Bane released it, it became empty.
He frowned, turning to Lyriasharin, who cocked her head, her eyes
sparkling.

"You knew that
would happen," he accused.

"Of
course."

Bane took the
cup back, and the ambrosia reappeared. After pondering the problem
for a moment, he held the goblet to Mirra's lips. She took a
mouthful, and her eyes widened.

"It tastes
like sunshine."

Bane chuckled.
"How would you know what sunshine tastes like?"

"I do not know
how else to describe it. It is wonderful."

A strangled
sound made Bane glance at Mithran, who looked as if he had just
swallowed a live frog. "What is it, Father?"

Mithran shook
his head. "You... you disobeyed the goddess, Son. You shouldn't do
that."

Bane cast
Lyriasharin an amused look. "I am sure I will displease her many
times with my upstart ways."

"You
shouldn't."

Bane's smiled
faded, and the cup vanished. "As you wish, Father."

Mithran looked
even unhappier and swung away, rubbing his brow. "Hark at me,
telling you what to do."

"That is your
right, is it not?"

Mithran shook
his head. "On the one hand, yes, on the other, definitely not."

Lyriasharin
smiled. "Treat him as your son, Mithran. It is, after all, who he
is. Feel free to command him. You are one of only two, I suspect,
who can claim that privilege."

Mithran swung
back. "Yes, but he's also -"

"Do not argue
with the goddess, Father," Bane interrupted.

Mithran looked
anguished, and Lyriasharin laughed. "This is indeed confusing, good
Mithran, which is why I recommend you forget what else Bane
is."

"Yes, My Lady.
It's just so strange that he... usually I can forget what he is,
but when he treats you with such disrespect..."

Lyriasharin's
amusement faded. "He is my peer, and you have more power over him
than I."

Bane growled,
"I wish you would all stop talking about me as if I was not
here."

Mirra glanced
up at the glowing stripes. "Thank you for the rainbow. It is
beautiful."

"I am glad it
pleases you."

"Of course it
does."

Becoming aware
of a bustle behind him, Bane turned to survey the industrious
healers, who set up a table and covered it with a vegetarian feast.
None of them paid any attention to the goddess, and he realised
that he and those in his party were the only ones who could see
her. He cast Lyriasharin an amused look, and she tilted her head
with a smile, her eyes sparkling.

"Very clever,
My Lady. Perhaps we should eat. I hope there is wine."

"You know we
do not drink wine," Mirra said.

"Which is why
we brought some." Grem grinned, then cast a sheepish look at
Lyriasharin, who raised her brows with a smile.

"Good
thinking." Bane headed for the feast table.

"I hope you
are not going to drink too much," Mirra muttered as she walked
beside him.

"Would I do
that on our wedding day?"

"I would not
put it past you."

Bane chuckled,
and the goddess went to a shady tree at the edge of the forest and
settled upon the grass. Grem reappeared with a flagon of wine, and
the celebrants filled their plates from the platters on the table,
then found comfortable spots on the grass to sit and eat. Bane sat
beside Lyriasharin, with Mirra on his left. Ellese joined their
group, and for a while they ate in silence, the goddess sipping
ambrosia. When it became clear that the other members of the group
were not about to start a conversation with Lyriasharin, Bane did
so.

Mirra listened
to them, taking the opportunity to let her eyes linger on her
husband's face. Over the past two years, she had come to know Bane
far better, and her love had grown stronger than she would have
thought possible. The effects of his upbringing, and wielding the
darkness, had left him distrustful of everyone save her, his father
and Grem, and they all strived to be worthy of it. It had taken
many months for him to understand what a real joke was, unlike the
cruel tricks that served as such in the Underworld, and to laugh at
one. In this, Grem had proven to be the most effective teacher.

The grey-eyed
warrior had gradually eroded Bane's innate dislike for being
teased, and had even, on occasion, played pranks on him, which had
provoked angry reactions at first. Grem's good-natured,
back-slapping frankness and total disregard for Bane's anger had
taught Bane that such things were not intended as insults or meant
to be degrading. The turning point had come when Grem had enlisted
Bane's aid to play a prank on Mithran. The resulting levity, along
with his father's jovial reaction, had finally convinced Bane that
such things were intended to be enjoyed.

Mirra was
grateful to Grem, who had proven to be more courageous than
Mithran. He had been far too serious in his treatment of his son at
first, and Bane's demeanour towards his father had been too formal.
Bane seldom used his powers, and then only for serious pursuits, or
to please her. It had taken almost a year for Grem to persuade Bane
to play a prank on Mirra. Grem had informed her that Bane had
refused on the grounds that she would be upset, frightened or hurt
by it. With her help, Grem had convinced Bane to go along with a
minor prank that had been the source of much hilarity for several
months, the very mention of it bringing gales of giggles from her.
Since then, he had played a few rather lame tricks on her, and had
been delighted by her amusement. What most amazed her was that he
had not once used his powers to trick her, which would have made
him the ultimate prankster. Bane had joined Grem in several other
amusing pranks, and discovered the joy of such simple
pleasures.

Grem had
become part of the family without invitation or protest, but Mirra
knew that, had he attempted to leave, Bane would have asked him to
stay. Grem was somewhat older than Bane, and just the kind of
mature male friend he needed, and he had profited from the
friendship. Grem appeared to possess a great font of affection for
Bane, and had taught him much about the Overworld and its people,
as well as their customs, quirks and weaknesses.

Mirra's
thoughts strayed to the coming night, and her heart quickened. For
almost two years, Bane had refused to bring the wedding date
forward, confining her to no more than an occasional chaste kiss or
hug. It had bothered her so much that she had spoken to Ellese
about it on one of her visits to her old abbey. Elder Mother had
assured her that it was just Bane’s way of showing his respect for
the Overworld’s traditions, since Mirra was too young.

Mirra became
aware that Bane had shifted away, removing the warmth of his leg
against hers, and glanced at him. He rubbed his brow as if he had a
headache, yet she sensed no pain from him. Setting aside his empty
plate, he rose, gesturing to the others to remain seated, and
turned to the goddess.

"Will you walk
with me, My Lady?"

Lyriasharin
smiled and rose. "Of course."

Mirra longed
to go with him, but did not dare to ask, since he had not invited
her.

Chapter Two

Power

As soon as
they were out of earshot, Bane turned to Lyriasharin, looking
perturbed.

"What is it,
My Lord?" she enquired.

"I do not
know, exactly. I sensed something, when I was sitting beside Mirra,
almost as if..."

"You could
read her mind?"

"Yes. Am I
supposed to be able to do that?"

She smiled,
but her eyes were concerned. "This is only happening to you now?
Your powers are coming upon you slowly, My Lord, perhaps too
slowly."

"So this is
something I should be able to do?"

"Long since.
This power usually manifests at puberty."

Bane frowned.
"A person's thoughts are their own. I do not want to know
them."

"One day you
may need to, but, until then, you will have to learn to block them
out."

"How do I do
that?"

"It is
difficult to explain. Think about it, and it will come to you." She
turned and wandered on, and Bane fell into step beside her. "Your
next power should be the ability to read people's minds at a
distance. When you do, they will feel it, so if you must
experiment, do it on someone who knows what you are doing and will
not be alarmed."

"Why do you
say it is happening too slowly?"

"You are
already twenty-two. By our standards you are still a child, but by
human standards you are a man. This power is one that usually comes
much sooner. Something is slowing your development down to a
crawl."

"What does it
mean?"

She shook her
head. "Without knowing its cause, I cannot say. But it may have an
adverse effect on your development. Gaining the basic powers at
such a late stage makes it more difficult for you to adjust to
them, since your mind is more set in its ways. You may unwittingly
seek to block these changes, and in so doing, stunt your true
potential, or over-compensate, and make them stronger than they
should be."

"How many
more... powers am I going to get?"

"That is
impossible to know. Some of us have more than others, and different
ones. These are the basic ones you are receiving now, we all have
them."

He sighed.
"This could not have happened at a worse time."

"Yes, you
should warn Mirra."

"Could she
block it?"

"No one can do
that."

Bane stopped,
glancing back. "We should return."

"Yes, you
should, but I will leave you now, My Lord."

"As you
wish."

Lyriasharin
stroked his cheek. "Mirra is a lucky girl."

Bane tried
unsuccessfully to hide his embarrassment, and she vanished with a
skirl of laughter.

Dusk's shadows
crept across the meadow when he returned to the edge of the trees,
and fires had been lighted. Three young healers played a merry tune
on drums, pipe and fiddle, and others danced around the fires. Grem
and his father had been persuaded to join the revellers, and Mirra
ran up to him, taking his hand.

"Where is the
Lady?"

"She
left."