Demon Lord VI: Son of Chaos

Demon Lord VI

Son of Chaos

T C Southwell

Published by T C Southwell at Smashwords

Copyright © 2010 T C Southwell

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter One – Light God

Chapter Two – Intervention

Chapter Three – Healer

Chapter Four – Demon Hound

Chapter Five – Wraiths

Chapter Six – The Battle

Chapter Seven – Aftermath

Chapter Eight – Grey God

Chapter Nine – Unbelievers

Chapter Ten – Vengeance

Chapter Eleven – Tarnished Light

Chapter Twelve – Child Goddess

Chapter Thirteen – Realm Gate

Prologue

A Grey God’s impregnable shield sphere is his last defence against a dark god, but a domain key might unravel it and force Kayos to flee into the unknown, for to Move in the God Realm is to be lost… Bound, blind and powerless, the unbelievers who have captured the Demon Lord will kill him unless a light god comes to his aid, and without healing he can no longer wield the shadows. Kayos constantly changes the patterns of his shield sphere while he waits for his dark son to free him, and his time is running out…

Chapter One

Light God

Tryne roused from his pleasant reverie, tilting his head as he listened to the faint call. One plea was all he needed to know who had summoned him and whence it came. Such calls were so rare that most angels never received one. Lightness invaded his heart, filling it with purpose, and several hitherto unknown instincts kicked in. He rose from his seat at the foot of a waterfall and stepped into a Channel.

The call lingered like a beacon, luring him powerfully, undeniable and uplifting. He walked along the Channel until he found another that existed next to the domain’s realm gate, then followed it through the mighty portal, the wards’ power tickling his skin.

In the God Realm, his true home, he soon found a Channel that existed close to the beacon and stepped across. He gazed out at a strange metal room, where a man lay pinned to a table. Becoming invisible, he exited the Channel and stood beside the man, studying him. Laying his hand lightly on the prisoner’s chest, he absorbed all he needed to know about him.

Bane drifted up through the dark veils of unconsciousness, his head pounding as if it would burst. Pain rushed from his broken arm, and he opened his eyes in the oft-repeated, but again futile hope that his sight had returned. Closing them, he became aware of the light being who stood beside him and turned his head in that direction.

Angel.

I am here.

These people mean to kill me. Tell them what I am. Tell them to release me.

The angel moved away, and Bane gritted his teeth. Soon the pain would end. He had not wanted to call upon an angel, but he had no choice. The favour would undoubtedly be large.

Senior Containment Technician Enyo leapt up from his console with a strangled yell as a glowing being stepped from the air beside him. Huge, snowy wings framed the slender form of a man whose hair drifted about his head in skeins of spun gold and whose clear grey eyes glowed in an inhumanly refined face. A strip of diaphanous fabric that looked like it was made from silver cobwebs clung to his narrow hips, and his feet seemed to barely touch the floor.

The apparition raised his arms, and looked as if he was about to deliver a speech, then the roar of automatic gunfire forced Enyo to dive behind a console. The two soldiers who stood at the shredder room door sprayed the apparition with bullets, their teeth gritted. The being staggered, lowering his arms as bluish blood oozed from wounds in his chest and belly, then he turned and vanished. Enyo peeped over the console, his heart hammering.

The guards lowered their weapons, and one said, It’s gone, sir.

What the hell was it?

Unknown, sir.

But you killed it anyway.

It was an intruder, sir, possibly hostile.

Enyo stood up. Right; shoot first, then ask the corpse questions.

There is no corpse, sir.

Even better. Enyo looked at the dra’voren. It was probably a damned illusion.

No sir, we hit it.

Enyo consulted the bio-scanner screen, which showed the dra’voren to be awake, as he had noticed only a few moments before the apparition had appeared. Had it been another dra’voren? If so, it was a strange-looking one, and his presence within the ship, undetected, boded ill for all of them. The scanners that detected the dark power were not installed inside the ship, except for in the shredder room. How had a dra’voren found the ship while it was in stealth mode? The only possible explanation was that the captive had summoned him. He touched a key on the console, activating a communications link to Commander Nikira’s office.

Tryne walked along the Channel a little way and sank down, clasping the wounds in his chest. Gossamer threads appeared under his palms, formed from the air, covered the injuries and stopped the bleeding. He gasped as sharp burning sensations stabbed him, his first experience of pain, and wondered what he should do next. The mortal tar’merin was in dire peril, as his own injuries testified, but it seemed the men who had imprisoned him were not inclined to listen to an angel, and perhaps did not even know what he was.

How was he to order them to release the tar’merin, in that case? If he could not aid the mortal god, he must find someone who could. Casting about, he located the nearest light god and walked along the Channel until he found one close to him, then stepped across. Strangely, he did not pass through a realm gate, but stepped straight into the blinding brilliance of a birthing chamber.

Tryne paused, considering. If the god was not yet born, he was not going to be of any help. He cast about for the next closest light god, and once again walked along the Channel, then stepped across to one that existed close to him. This time he passed through a realm gate, the wards touching him with a familiar shiver of power.

Tryne gazed out at a gazebo in a brilliant cloud garden, where a light god lay upon his couch, staring into an Eye. Tryne tore a door in the Channel and stepped out. The god looked up, his brown eyes narrowed and his blond brows drew together. Ash blond hair framed a finely formed, jovial face, and a light god’s customary silver-grey garb clothed his powerful frame.

Tryne bowed with the traditional flourish of his kind. I am Tryne.

Greetings, Tryne. I am Drevarin. What do you want?

Your help, regrettably.

Drevarin chuckled. That makes a change. You are injured. If I heal you, I get a favour.

The god who called upon me for aid will owe the favour.

Drevarin waved the Eye out of existence and sat up, frowning. A god is in danger?

Indeed. When I answered his call and did as he asked, I was wounded by the people who have imprisoned him, and mean to kill him.

Drevarin’s expression became grim. So, a lesser mortal god. Unfortunate, but I do not see how this concerns me, and if he is dead he cannot pay his debt.

He is not a lesser god, Lord.

Tell me.

Tryne recounted the tale, and by the end of it Drevarin’s eyes sparkled. A mortal tar’merin? How amazing! Where?

The God Realm.

Drevarin’s face fell. You know perfectly well I cannot find him there.

Have you explored beyond your domain, Lord?

A little. It is not a fun place.

Indeed. The tar’merin is close to a domain where a god lies unborn, but fully formed.

Ah. I know it. Drevarin pondered. Those people are powerful, and ignorant. They have been too long without a god to guide them. They have become irreverent and arrogant. If this tar’merin is at their mercy, he can expect none.

Will you help, Lord?

Earn the favour of a tar’merin? Drevarin smiled. I would be a fool not to. Come here.

Tryne approached and knelt, and Drevarin laid his hands upon the angel’s hair, healing him in a flash of golden light. Drevarin rose as Tryne stepped back, surveying the light realm with a slight frown.

I dislike leaving my domain, but the place you speak of is not far. All I have to do is heal this tar’merin and proclaim his goodness to those horrible people?

He only asked me to tell them what he is and order them to release him. His healing is your choice.

Drevarin beamed and wagged a finger. A small deed for a greater favour. I have never encountered a dark god. He will be my first. It will be a grand adventure.

Tryne was amazed that he referred to travelling through the God Realm as an adventure. Drevarin struck him as a young god, and, judging by the confident swagger with which he strode to his realm gate, he had seen little of the horrors of the darkness, or the God Realm. Most light gods ventured outside their domains at some time to explore, and, since they had often seeded their domains, they had travelled through it in search of a realm seed before that. Drevarin, however, appeared to have been born in this domain, and his parent had left him to go out and seed another.

What favour will you ask of him, Lord? Tryne asked as they arrived at the realm gate.

Drevarin drew a shining key from his tunic and pressed it to the gate. At the moment, I have no need of his aid, but dark gods are always a threat. Should I ever need him, I have then only to summon an angel and send him to find this tar’merin. What is his name?

Bane, the Demon Lord.

The realm gate glowed and chimed. I hope he is powerful.

I could not tell. He has been stripped of his power, otherwise he would not be in the predicament that he is.

Indeed. Drevarin nodded as the gate’s giant locks disengaged with a soft grating of stone. Those people have learnt how to vanquish dark gods, but unfortunately they do not destroy them. Their silly attempt to rid the God Realm of dark gods is futile, and now they have captured a tar’merin. Do you know how rare tar’merin are, Tryne?

I have only heard legends, Lord.

The gate swung open with ponderous majesty, revealing the shivering darkness beyond. Drevarin sauntered through it, Tryne at his heels. So have I, the light god said, from my mother. I will wager you never thought to meet one. I certainly did not.

I was surprised.

Drevarin bent to study the ground, rubbing his chin. The gate swung closed with a soft boom, the locks engaging again. Now, which one of these leads to that accursed domain?

Tryne gazed down at the sandy floor, but the trails Drevarin perused were invisible to anyone but a light god or demon hound.

What happened to that domain, Lord?

Drevarin shrugged and set off to the right. I have no idea; before my time.

Tryne followed the light god, whose faint luminescence kept the seething darkness at bay. How long will it take you to get there?

A couple of days.

Then I should go ahead and tell him what has happened.

Yes, do that, and if necessary, do what you can to protect him. I would not want to get there and find him already dead.

Tryne inclined his head and stepped into a Channel.

Commander Nikira glared at Enyo. It was an illusion. No dra’voren could find Retribution while we’re in stealth mode. It’s not possible.

The guards shot it.

It looked like it was shot. That was part of the illusion.

Why would he cast an illusion? Enyo motioned to the dra’voren on the other side of the armoured glass.

I don’t know. To frighten us? Distract us maybe? Buy more time while we search for a non-existent dra’voren? That would keep us busy, wouldn’t it? And if it was a dra’voren, why hasn’t he killed anyone yet? Or the soldiers, for that matter?

Enyo frowned at his console. I suppose so, but it certainly looked real.

I’m sure he can spin excellent illusions. Think about it. If it was a dra’voren, why would he reveal himself? If he had gained entry to the ship he could slaughter us without ever letting us see him.

Enyo grunted, and Nikira turned to shredder room the window. The dra’voren’s apparent concern for Ethra had softened her heart, but this attempt to deceive them hardened it again. It was all a ploy, the gentleness, the lies, all meant to trick them into believing that he was good. He had remained unconscious for ten hours after being hit with the stunner, and now he appeared to be asleep. His vitals were stable for now, but it was only a matter of time before he sickened again. Drontar would probably kill him before that happened, though. She had confined Ethra in a cabin, fearing the girl would incite a riot if she was allowed to rejoin her group. The last thing she needed was more problems.

Bane sensed the light being beside him and turned his head towards the shining radiance of the angel’s soul. What has happened?

The people injured me before I could speak to them, Lord.

Then I require you to find a light god and bring him here to speak to them.

I have already done so. He comes now.

Bane sighed, opening his eyes briefly. How long?

Two days.

That may be too long. They will kill me soon.

Lord Drevarin asked me to protect you until he arrives.

Bane smiled. You are earning many favours.

Indeed.

Beware this room. It has a machine that renders me senseless, and will do the same to you.

Then I shall evade it. The angel’s soul was so bright it faintly illuminated his outline.

Have you a name?

I am Tryne.

Was it difficult to persuade Drevarin to come to my aid?

Not at all; he is eager to save a tar’merin.

Bane flexed his good arm, which was going numb, and considered asking Tryne to find out what was happening to Kayos. From what Kayos had told him of light gods, he assumed one as powerful as the Grey God could defend himself almost indefinitely, and he had no wish to owe the angel any more favours.

Your foes come, Lord, Tryne whispered.

Do they mean to kill me?

The angel vanished, then returned a moment later. One of them has poison.

Let me deal with them while I can. If they render me senseless, it will be up to you.

Three soul lights entered Bane’s perception, all of them familiar. One was the man who had stuck something sharp in his arm, and the other two were the ones with weapons. He had not wanted to frighten his captors before, hoping to convince them of his good character, but now he had no choice. Even if he had controlled them earlier, he could not have freed himself, so it would have been pointless. Now he just wanted to stay alive until the light god arrived. With a flick of his will, he took control of them.

Enyo frowned at the bio-scanner’s screen. The dra’voren’s brain image had flared briefly, and was now bright with white sparkles. Nikira observed the procedure through the window.

He’s doing something, but I don’t know what, Enyo said.

I can’t see anything.

The medical technician, Jonar, stopped beside the table, and appeared indecisive. He held the syringe loosely at his side, and liquid dripped from it.

What’s in that syringe?

Only a tranquiliser, Nikira replied. We don’t want him getting upset when we start testing poisons on him.

The medtech raised the syringe and pressed it to the dra’voren’s arm, then led the two guards out of the shredder room and glanced at the clock. Enyo watched the bio-scanner, but, when the requisite number of seconds had passed, he shook his head at Jonar.

It’s not working.

Jonar frowned. The anaesthetic did. Why wouldn’t a tranquiliser?

You’re the medtech.

We’ll have to use anaesthetic then.

Jonar left to fetch the drug, returned a few minutes later and entered the shredder room again. Once more, he paused beside the dra’voren, then set up the drip and pressed the needle to his arm, taping it in place. He rejoined Enyo and Nikira at the bio-scanner, and they waited.

After almost a minute, the medtech remarked, That’s even more peculiar. It worked before.

He must be doing something to stop it, Nikira muttered.

Aside from changing his body chemistry, or changing the anaesthetic itself, he can’t. If he can do that, why didn’t he do it before?

Maybe because now he thinks we’re going to kill him.

We are.

Nikira nodded. So now he’s stopping us.

If he can change the nature of fluids, we’re not going to be able to do much to him.

Unless we stun him.

Jonar said, I’ll test the anaesthetic to see if it’s been changed.

The medtech removed the drip and took it to his lab, returning half an hour later, plainly even more perplexed. He hasn’t changed it. I don’t get it, unless he did it after it entered his system.

We’ll have to stun him, Nikira said. Then we won’t need anaesthetic. We’ll just test the poison.

Jonar nodded and selected a syringe from his medical case, admiring the golden hue of its contents. Trimethanol vardus.

What’s the point of this? Enyo enquired.

To see how much it takes to kill him, compared to a normal human.

Why?

Jonar shrugged. Idle curiosity, I suppose. He’s got to be killed, so why not find out a few things while we’re at it?

Nikira, who stood by the observation window, said, I really thought they’d want to study him more. We know so little about him and his powers. It’s a waste.

How are we supposed to find out about his powers without him getting loose?

There are some things that wouldn’t pose a threat. Like the girl said he can summon cups of god food from the air. I’d like to have seen that.

How would we persuade him to do that? Jonar asked.

Ask him, she replied. I think he’d co-operate if we offer him something in return, then we could test this god food and see what it is.

Your call, Commander.

Nikira entered the shredder room and stopped close to the captive’s head. Dra’voren, show me how you summon your god food.

He swallowed and licked his lips, his voice husky. Why should I?

I’ll give you medicine for your pain.

And when I have no more to show you, you will kill me.

No, why should I? You can’t escape, so we have no reason to kill you.

You think I am a dra’voren. Is that not reason enough?

She fought a strong urge to touch him. Not as long as you don’t harm anyone.

Will you keep me prisoner for a thousand years?

Nikira contemplated his youthful countenance, amazed that he would live so long, and wondered how old he really was.

Am I to spend all that time tied to this table? he asked.

Put like that, the offer did not sound so appealing, she had to admit. All I’m prepared to offer is an end to your pain. Take it or leave it.

He sighed. All right.

His easy agreement surprised her. Show me the god food.

Bane spread his right hand, and a gleaming gold cup appeared, hovering above his palm. She peered into it, elation making her breath catch. A glowing, pearly fluid seethed within it, and she took hold of the cup. Instantly, it became empty.

It’s gone!

You touched it?

Yes.

You may not touch it.

She released the cup, and the liquid reappeared. I want to examine it.

Then you will have to do it without touching it.

Keep it there.

In the containment room, Enyo and Jonar stared at the cup with bemused expressions.

Nikira said, We have to analyse the contents of that cup without touching it. Can we do that?

Maybe. Enyo went to his console and tapped several keys. The image on the bio-scanner was replaced by a solid green field with many glowing