Demon Lord III - Grey God (5 page)

Beyond the
Gate lay the dark, forbidding realm of the gods, where she had
never dared to venture. Her father had vanished into the God Realm
over a thousand years ago in search of her daughter, who had fled
into it to escape Lyriasharin's husband, Arkonen, now the Black
Lord, ruler of the Underworld. The only being who could be at the
Gate, making it chime with imperious notes, was another god.

Lyriasharin
rose and ran along the path that led through the glowing cloud
garden to the vast Gate Hall. It stood in solitary splendour in a
clearing beside the sheer rock cliff that marked the domain's
boundary, surrounded by a broad swathe of diamond sand. The last
time she had entered its echoing confines was on the day her father
had left, yet nothing about it had changed. Like everything in
Eternity, the aeons had not touched it.

Runes covered
its walls, and massive alabaster pillars supported a high roof
ornamented with carvings of the creatures and landscapes found in
the mid realm below, celebrating its beauty. The cloud garden's
brilliance poured in between the pillars, filling it with
shimmering radiance. She stopped before the towering Realm Gate,
fear gripping her heart in a cruel fist. It glowed, pulsing with
pearly light, the chimes echoing through the hall.

The runes
carved on its edges glowed and dimmed in a sequence that travelled
around the portal. An occasional solitary one lighted briefly in a
code that told her that whoever stood outside held a Key to this
Gate, and was in the process of unlocking it. If the being outside
was a dark god, her domain was in grave danger, for she had no
defence against such an invasion. The Gate was her only protection,
and, although the portal was all but impregnable, it was about to
open, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

The chiming
stopped, and she held her breath as the pulsing glow faded. A soft
grating told her that the massive stone lock was disengaging. The
sounds ceased, and the Gate swung open with ponderous majesty.
Lyriasharin stood frozen with dread, her power clenched within her,
ready to flee whatever danger lurked beyond the Gate. The only one
who owned a Key to this domain was her father, but a dark god might
have stolen it, or possess one that opened many gates, since such
existed. The widening gap revealed an impenetrable blackness that
swallowed the pale light of her realm without reflecting a glimmer.
She stepped back as a cold draught seeped over the threshold and
lapped at her feet.

A man stepped
from the darkness and strode through the Gate with lithe grace. His
steel grey hair shimmered in the brilliant light and his pale skin
glowed. His silver eyes flashed as they came to rest upon her. He
stopped and regarded her with a grave smile. She gave a cry of joy
and flung herself into her father's arms. Kayos enfolded her in a
warm hug that she remembered from her childhood, and bent his head
to kiss her hair. Behind him, the Realm Gate slowly closed,
shutting away the shivering darkness with a soft boom and a grating
of stone as the massive locks engaged.

Kayos held her
away and studied her, his broad smile revealing even white teeth.
"Beloved daughter."

"Honoured
Father." She stepped back and gazed at him raptly.

He raised her
hands and kissed her palms. "My sweet child, dark are the aeons
that have parted us. My heart sings with joy to be reunited with
you."

"As does mine.
Joy overflows me."

He laughed and
pulled her into his arms again. "Long have I wished for this
moment."

"And I have
lived for your return."

For several
minutes she clung to him, and he held her, kissing her cheeks and
hair. Finally Kayos stepped back and cupped her face, piercing her
soul with the intensity of his silver eyes.

"Lyriasharin,
my child. Tell me all is well."

"All is well,
Father."

"But you are
pale, my dear, your power is weak."

She nodded.
"Much has happened since you left."

"Then let us
sit and sup ambrosia while you tell me the tale. I have missed my
home, and am well pleased to find it still in existence." He took
her hand and led her out of the Gate Hall and into the cloud
gardens' brilliance.

Lyriasharin
gazed at him, hardly able to believe he was real, and had finally
returned from the God Realm's terrors. She had thought him lost. A
thousand years was a long time to wait, even for a goddess. He
strode with cat-like grace, his slender, supple form clothed in a
light god's traditional garb. A pale grey jacket clung to his
chest's muscular contours, glimmering with shifting hues as he
moved, shot with silver and white sparkles. Dark grey trousers
hugged to his slim hips, frosted with white and edged with silver.
A silver belt clasped his waist, and the jacket's narrow tails hung
to mid-thigh, front and back. Beneath it he wore a white silk
shirt, and dark grey boots shod his narrow feet, their silver soles
clicking on the marble floor.

Kayos was an
Elder God from the times of reckoning, when dust had formed stars
and the God Realm had burnt. His kind was also known as Grey Gods,
or sometimes Silver Gods, due to their odd colouring, which tended
to be mostly grey, white and silver. His pale skin hardly lessened
the overall impression of greyness, and his silver eyes could
pierce a younger god's soul. His immense powers far outstripped
hers, which were barely sufficient to sustain the three realms he
had created. The light realm brightened perceptibly with his
presence, star flowers flared as he passed, and rainbows appeared
amongst the clouds.

They entered
the gazebo, and he caused a second couch to appear with a gesture,
flopping down on it. Lyriasharin sank onto her couch, and he
summoned a cup of ambrosia to sip, smiling.

"My child, I
have news. I have found your daughter."

She stared at
him in stunned disbelief. "Where is she? Why did you not bring her
with you?"

He shook his
head. "Alas, she is a dark god's captive. I could not free her,
though I tried."

"How does she
fair?"

"She suffers,
Lyria. He has used her to create a domain, and she is his
slave."

Lyriasharin
bowed her head, her eyes stinging. "What can we do?"

"Nothing,
except to be comforted that she still lives, and perhaps one day
the dark god will fall and she will be free."

"My poor,
foolish Ashyn. How she must now regret her rash flight into that
blighted place."

"It was a
miracle I found her."

"Could you do
it again?"

He shrugged.
"Yes, but it would be pointless. The god who holds her is
powerful."

"How did you
find her?"

Kayos lay back
and related the tale of his adventures in the God Realm while
Lyriasharin listened, spellbound. A thousand years of history
unfolded as he spoke, filled with the dark horrors and dangers he
had faced. Many times, she made soft sounds of shock or amazement,
but did not interrupt his narrative. When he told of her daughter
bound and enslaved, her eyes flooded with tears and her heart
filled with sorrow. Kayos paused occasionally, allowing several
minutes pass while he sipped his ambrosia before continuing the
tale. It ended when he stepped up the light realm's Gate and
pressed the Key to it. A long silence descended when he finished,
both of them lost in thought.

Kayos roused
from his reverie. "Now tell me all that has happened in my
absence."

Lyriasharin
settled into the couch's billowing softness. The tale took a long
time to relate, since Lyriasharin left out none of the details, as
her father would expect. They sipped the bottomless cups of
ambrosia, oblivious to the flittering movements of the garden's
denizens. Kayos did not interrupt, and when she finished, she
opened her eyes to find him frowning at her with deep concern.

"So there are
now two dark gods in my domain. I am perturbed. That Arkonen is
trapped in the Underworld by these wards is good, and you did well
to avert the disaster of his rising. But this other dark god
concerns me. To leave him loose in the Overworld is to invite
disaster. He cannot be allowed to remain."

She sat up.
"No, Father, Bane will do us no harm. He is uncorrupted."

"If he carried
the dark power for four years he is tainted, and I suspect that
only his attachment to this healer keeps him from taking it up
again. When she dies, he will become unpredictable, and could
revert to evil at any time. It is well that I have returned
now."

"Bane is my
ally, Father. He is my friend. Without him, Eternity would have
fallen to Arkonen. We owe him a great debt. What could you do
against him, in any case?"

"He is very
young, an infant by our standards. He could be duped into stepping
through the Realm Gate."

Lyriasharin
shook her head. "No. I will not. You must not judge him without
even meeting him."

"How powerful
is he?"

She hesitated.
"I believe he is superior to most dark gods. He has outstripped
Arkonen."

"How often
does he use the dark power?"

"He has not
for two years, since he defeated Arkonen."

Kayos regarded
her with piercing eyes. "You care for him."

"Yes."

"Show him to
me. Does he let you watch him?"

The goddess
nodded and gestured, creating the Eye through which she watched the
Overworld. Since he was the last person she had watched, it was
still tuned to Bane, and his image filled it. He sat on the lake
shore, a fishing rod beside him, his eyes half closed as he dozed.
Mirra was nowhere in sight, probably collecting flowers in the
meadow beyond the trees behind him.

Only two
months had passed since their marriage, and they were rarely apart
for any length of time. She hesitated, not wishing to intrude, even
though he seemed unaware of her. Her father could only see her
Eye's edge, and could not form one of his own without Bane sensing
it. Mirra appeared through the trees with a bunch of flowers, which
she set down before pouncing on Bane, making him start with
surprise that Lyriasharin knew was feigned. They rolled together in
the leaves, frolicking as only young lovers could.

"This is not a
good time." Lyriasharin raised a hand to dismiss the Eye.

"Wait." Kayos
leant forward. "I wish to see him now. The abhorrent acts of dark
gods are familiar to me, I assure you."

"It is not
that."

"Show me."

Lyriasharin
hesitated, then turned the Eye so he could see the image. Kayos'
brows rose, and he shot his daughter a quizzical look. "This is a
peasant man and his sweetheart."

She shook her
head. "Look at his aura."

Kayos studied
the image again, and his brows drew together. "What is his
title?"

"The Demon
Lord."

"His aura is
pure." He sat back, and she dismissed the Eye. "So, a strange one
indeed."

"Father, he
could help us."

"In what way
do we need the aid of a dark god, child?"

"To free
Ashynaria."

Kayos eyed
her, his brow smoothing and a smile curling his lips. "No dark god
will help one of our kind."

"Bane
would."

"You have seen
the depravities of which they are capable. The cruelty and
senseless violence. They conquer and destroy realms purely for the
pleasure it gives them. They enslave our kind and force us to serve
them in abhorrent ways. They have even enslaved two Grey Gods for a
time."

"You?"

"No."

"Do you fear
him?"

Kayos sipped
his ambrosia and lay back. "Even as young as he is, he could do
great harm. I doubt he could enslave me, but he could certainly do
it to you."

"You do not
know Bane. I do not fear him in the least. When the Gate chimed, my
first thought was to appeal to him for help, if the one outside had
been a danger."

"A foolish
notion. He may be distracted for now by this girl, and he has no
power, but if he took it up to fight your foe, which I doubt, he
would become corrupted and join the enemy instead."

"No. Not
Bane." She toyed with her cup. "He cast Arkonen down and saved the
domain."

"He defeated
the one who had tortured him, with your aid, and to ensure the
safety of the mortal he loves. He does not love you, child."

"He is my
friend, and I trust him."

Kayos stood.
"Then I shall meet him and test him."

"Wait."
Lyriasharin jumped up. "Let me speak to him first."

"No. I want
him to have no time to hatch schemes or invent lies."

"Then I will
come with you."

He inclined
his head. "Very well. But I will cloak you from his sight."

"As you wish,
Father."

Kayos
vanished, and a moment later, Lyriasharin followed him.

The Elder God
reappeared within the forest next to Bane's house, stilling the
shiver that went through the earth with a calming motion of his
hand. Lyriasharin appeared close by, visible only to him, her form
translucent in the dappled sunlight that shone through the leaves.
He turned and walked towards the nearest cabin, his shoes barely
touching the leaves. No guardian wards barred his progress or gave
alarm to the young man who sat before the humble abode, whittling a
stick with a black-bladed dagger. He and the girl had returned from
the lake only minutes before, and she was nowhere in sight.

Bane looked up
as a strange man emerged from the woods, surprised by his sudden
appearance so close to the cabin. The grey-clad man walked closer,
and Bane's scrutiny sharpened as he noticed a faint silvery nimbus
surrounding him. His eyes flicked over the stranger.

Kayos studied
at Bane, intrigued by his lack of reaction to his presence. The
dark god merely gazed at him, his expression shuttered. Lyriasharin
moved to stand beside Bane, earning a frown from her father at her
dangerous proximity.