Kingdoms of the Night (The Far Kingdoms) (67 page)

Solaros looked little better, although he tried mightily to smile with encouragement when he saw us.

The light shifted to a cold blue and I could see much better now. It emanated from a third throne half-again the size of the others. A wide area around it sputtered and crackled with a sorcerous shield.

King Ba’land took his ease on that throne. Crouched in front of him like a dog was a naked man. Every bone stood out from starvation and his hair was tangled and long. There was a metal band about his neck with a chain leading from a welded ring to Ba’land’s hand. I saw with dismay it was Tobray.

The demon king yanked on the chain when he saw us. The chain glowed white hot and Tobray moaned in pain.

“Look who’s come to see us, Tobray,” Ba’land said. “Sit up and bark your greetings like the good dog you are.”

Tobray didn’t move. The demon king gave the chain another yank, hissing, “Sit up, I said!”

But Tobray refused, curling up instead as if by making a tighter knot he could escape the agony. I winced as smoke curled from the flesh on his neck and I saw a puddle suddenly form on the floor beneath him as he lost control of his bladder.

Ba’land wrinkled his nose. “What a dirty animal you are, Tobray,” he said. He gave him a kick “I’d make you lap it up but then I’d be forced to smell your breath until I was done with you.”

The demon king looked up at us. He gestured at Tobray. “You see. It was all for nothing. You sought a golden land where the streets are paved with myths. Instead you came to a place where you can’t even find a decent dog.”

I struck a casual pose as if not bothered by Tobray’s misery. “I know where you can find one, my friend,” I said. “There’s a place my sister visited. A realm of seaweed and rotted ships. The fellow who rules it would make an admirable dog for you. If you’re ever out that way, stop by and see him. He’ll leap in your lap and lick your face if you tell him an Antero sent you.”

I was babbling nonsense, trying for delay as Janela had urged. For some reason the demon Rali had bested sprung to mind.

Nonsense or not Ba’land liked it. He slapped his thigh and roared humor.

“Elam?” he said. “You want me to make me a dog of Lord Elam? Why, he’d bite my throat out. And yours afterwards for suggesting it.”

“I’m fairly certain my neck won’t be around for the honor,” I said. “But come now, are you saying a mighty king like yourself fears a lowly creature like Elam?”

“Not fear him, exactly,” Ba’land answered. “I choose to keep my distance.” He waved, taking in his ferocious soldiers. “It may surprise you to know,” he went on, “all demons aren’t civilized like us. Sometimes they cause us almost as trouble as you and the Greycloaks have. But there’s too few of them to bother with so we let them alone.

“Besides they add to the misery of mortals. And you make a much more delicious dish that way.” He smacked lips in illustration.

“Too few?” I asked. “Or too powerful?”

Ba’land didn’t like the way the conversation was turning. “Don’t speak on something you know nothing about,” he said. “It is you who stands before me. And that, little man, is the only power you need consider.”

I chanced a quick look aside and saw Janela slowly drawing something from her tunic. What she was up to I didn’t know. But I did my best to keep Ba’land’s attention.

“You make a weighty argument,” I said. “Here
we
are. And there
you
are. My only possible retort can be: why did it take you so long to accomplish this deed if you truly are such a majestic Majesty?”

Ba’land’s yellow eye glowed in amusement. “I haven’t the faintest idea,” he said. “I’ve commanded whole legions of demon wizards to answer that very question. What is it about the Anteros and Greycloaks — especially when combined — that creates such danger for us? My best wizards have spent years on it. But to no avail. I’ve chained them, flogged them, ripped their limbs from their trunks but the riddle remains steadfastly unsolved.”

“You didn’t get to be king by not doing some thinking of your own,” I said. “Surely you must have your own theories.”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Ba’land replied. “It’s in your blood. I know that’s a market witch’s explanation. But there’s a ring of truth in its haggish simplicity. The blood of the Anteros and the blood of the Greycloaks bears a seed of much power and greatness. Few mortals are blessed with it, which is fortunate for us.

“When we first came to your world and found a moving bounty to feed upon we encountered a few such as you. They fought the hardest and wounded us most severe. But we killed them in the end and killed their brothers and their sisters and all the children we could find. We have legends of a few who escaped to live and breed to haunt us in a future time. Perhaps those legends are true and you and Lady Greycloak are a result of that breeding.”

“It makes more sense than any theory I’ve had,” I said. Then I grinned. “I hope greatly that someday you’re proven correct. Living proof would be the best. Yet another Antero and Greycloak pairing, say?”

”Alas for scholarly inquiry,” Ba’land replied. “For that is also quite unlikely. The odds an Antero and Greycloak would combine more than once are greater than most could imagine. That it should happen more than twice is beyond the fortunes of even the most persistent dice shaker. Still, I won’t chance it. The spell I shall make from your blood today will see to it no others appear. To make doubly certain I will seek out all your kin and even the ghosts of your kin and sup on their souls and make them mine.”

“Beware of your digestion, my friend,” I said. “I intend to make my soul as bitter as I can.”

“Oh, that’s very good,” Ba’land laughed. “You know, I’m almost sorry this day has come,” he said. “It’s given me genuine peace of mind to have you two locked up where I could get to you whenever I wanted, instead of you traipsing about causing me no end of worry.”

I bowed, mocking him. “We did our best,” I said.

“I’m sure you did,” the demon king said. “And for that your deaths will be as painful as I can manage. I have a few regrets. It’s comforting to know your enemy. More comforting still to have him at your mercy. But once you kill him, where are you? Back to the days of faceless enemies and troubled sleep. Then you wake up wondering if you really did kill the fellow or did rather the crafty devil managed to escape once again.”

“May your dreams be as unquiet as my ghost can make them,” I said.

“No chance of that,” Ba’land replied. “Didn’t I already say I wouldn’t even leave a ghost?”

Janela laughed, harsh. “You certainly did, Ba’land,” she said. “Ghosts trouble you, do they? Such a mighty fellow you are, fearing weak spirits who can do little more than tap on your walls and moan at night.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear from you, my dear Lady Greycloak,” the demon answered. “You’ve convinced many that you are a great wizard, as great perhaps as even your great-grandfather, Janos Greycloak. Tell me, O Wise One — what words of wisdom do you have for us this day?”

Janela shrugged. “Wisdom never interested me,” she said. “Wisdom is someone else’s reflections on what they observed. I prefer to do my own observing. When I reach a conclusion I do not reflect — I relate what I have seen.”

“Tell me what you see, then,” Ba’land said.

Janela studied him a moment, then said. “I see an uneasy king. So uneasy it makes one wonder at the stability of his crown. You seem to fear many things which makes one wonder even more.

“I’ll list them. You feared
us
, which you can’t honestly deny. You fear ghosts. You fear wild demons like Elam.” She pointed to the roots shaking above us as the workmen made another try. “You even fear that tree.”

Ba’land hissed. He didn’t like her words. But he said nothing.

“I also think in your own world you and your kind have consumed more power than is wise. It’s like a city that cuts down all the forests to build their homes and heat them as well. Eventually they have to travel very far and pay a dear price for something that was once so close. That is what you have done. In more places, perhaps, than just our world.

“There must be other demon kings with similar problems, kings who would love to see their brother monarch fall. If so, it follows that you are stretched quite thin, Ba’land, merely defending what you hold.”

Ba’land recovered his foul humor. “Pity I didn’t catch you sooner,” he said. “I could have made you into such an amusing little pet.” He kicked Tobray. “Much better than this.”

Janela put a hand to her breast. “Oh la, sir!” she said coyly. “Such words stir a maid’s poor heart anticipating your demonly attentions. We all saw what an affect you have on mortal women. How you charmed the fair Thalila who so willingly danced her way into your arms.”

“Willingly or not,” Ba’land growled, “I had her.”

“Did you, now?” Janela said. “Or did she have
you
? You saw how she played you the fool. How she conspired — and quite successfully — against you. And you never knew, did you? Not until I revealed it in this very chamber.”

“I saw nothing you didn’t intend, witch!” Ba’land snarled. “The vision was nothing but a trick. And a low one at that.”

“Was it?” Janela said.

She held her hand out. In it I saw the stone box with the carving of the dancing maid etched clear by the blue light.

“Shall I call her back for you?” Janela asked. “Would you like to see her dance once again?”

As she spoke Janela’s free hand traced a curving figure in the air. Ba’land turned his head, perhaps to command a guard to have the box taken away. But as he turned a familiar seductive figure wavered into view and his head snapped back.

The dancer’s music swelled from the empty pit and the faint figure of the maid firmed into flesh.

The demon king gaped as Thalila’s slender limbs moved in graceful time to the music.

She was ice in the pale light, but ice that begged to be melted. Hips twitching to be grasped, breasts heaving for a lover’s kiss, lips blowing promises of future delights.

Her perfume charged the air with the spice of seduction, I saw Ba’land shudder when her hands rose in a long slow caress from thighs to breasts.

Janela motioned and the dancer vanished. It was so abrupt it left Ba’land gaping like a wide-jawed sea snake.

She stepped forward, holding out the box. “Here,” she whispered. “Thalila. For you?”

Ba’land gnashed his teeth and held out a hand. Janela mounted the steps. When she reached his magical shield she said, “She’s waiting, Ba’land. Waiting only for you.”

Ba’land gestured impatiently and the shield dissolved.

Janela took one more step, then suddenly snatched the lid off the box.

The demon Mitel exploded from it, howling in fury for being trapped inside so long.

King Azbaas’ Favorite saw Ba’land first and bounded toward him bellowing blood lust.

Ba’land was so frozen in surprise Mitel nearly got him but the demon king kicked his throne over backwards. It shattered into splintered ruins and Tobray scrambled out of the way as Mitel plunged after Ba’land.

The demon soldiers rushed to help their master, who had rolled to his feet to match Mitel talon for talon. King Ignati shouted, bolted from his throne and tried to block the first demon who came up the stairs. But he was pushed aside contemptuously and a blade ran in and out of his chest.

His son shouted an oath and leaped on his father’s killer, curling a brawny arm around his neck and snapping it.

Solaros jumped free and called to his men. The shackled soldiers struggled in their chains as other Tyrenians boiled over to help free them. The Prince raced across the room to join his men.

Beyond the thrones Ba’land was locked with Mitel. The two demons grappled, Mitel trying to sink his teeth into Ba’land’s throat while Ba’land clawed at Mitel’s abdomen with his feet. The demon king broke away, lashing out with all his might.

The blow sent Mitel staggering back into the first wave of Ba’land’s soldiers. Demons went down in a wild tumble and a sword came skittering almost to my feet. I snatched it up and instinctively started forward.

Janela grabbed my hand and shouted, “Wait, Amalric!”

On the throne platform Ba’land caught Mitel behind the neck. Mitel lashed back with his taloned feet but then Ba’land’s soldiers were on him and he went slack as they plunged their swords into his body.

Ba’land reared up, roaring for his soldiers to surround him, then swiveled about to hunt us with his big yellow eye.

I heard Pip and the others cry our names and knew they were charging to our sides.

Ba’land saw us and Janela clutched my hand harder, hissing for me not to let go. The demon king flung his arms high, summoning a mighty spell to strike us down.

Janela held up the box and shouted, “Open!”

The floor fell away and just as Ba’land sent a rolling ball of lightning crackling toward us the underground spring exploded out of the earth. It wasn’t cooling, life-giving water, but a deadly sheet of silver fire.

The two forces met. There was a great blast, sweeping Ba’land and the demons away and up.

The blast caught us and my ears were filled with a great howling and a wind of pure white light flung us high.