Demon Lord III - Grey God by T C Southwell Page A

bore it
stoically.
    The Elder God
set off, and Bane fell into step beside him, his skin prickling.
The shivering darkness around them seemed to wave and ooze. There
was no way to measure time, but after a while Mirra's hand grew
heavy in his. When she stumbled, Bane stopped and turned to survey
the trio. Mirra looked exhausted, while the men were merely
grim-faced.
    "I cannot
summon a demon steed here," he said.
    Mirra gazed
through him with blind eyes. "I am all right."
    "No, you are
not." Bane reached around her and gripped his father's wrist,
pulled his hand from Mirra's and placed it on his cloak. "Hold onto
this, Father."
    "Bane, no."
she protested as he scooped her up.
    "Be
quiet."
    Mirra wound
her arms around his neck and laid her head against his shoulder
with a sigh. Bane strode on, a tug on his cloak assuring him that
Mithran held onto it.
    There was no
way to tell how far they walked, but Bane's legs ached by the time
they reached an area of coruscating redness, like oozing magma,
which formed a massive tunnel. Given his unnatural strength and
endurance, he calculated that it was probably an entire Overworld
day. They had stopped briefly while Grem, Mithran and Mirra had
eaten the food Kayos had created from handfuls of dark sand,
turning it into cooked meat in a flash of white light. Mirra's
repast had consisted of nuts and berries, and they drank water from
the flasks they carried, which Kayos kept filled.
    The Grey God
had created a glowing orb, like a tiny sun, to provide light during
the rest period, but its presence had made him uneasy, and he had
extinguished it before they journeyed on. Mithran and Grem looked
exhausted, but after the respite they had marched on manfully. The
silence between him and Kayos did not bother Bane, as it was
relaxed and amicable.
    Bane knew he
would have to summon demon steeds to carry his father, Mirra and
Grem soon. Already their strength was all but gone, and the journey
just begun. The tunnel offered the prospect of fire, but he did not
look forward to his father witnessing his use of the dark power. He
had not permitted Mithran or Grem to see him perform the Gather
before Lyriasharin had transported them to Eternity. In the tunnel,
Mithran released Bane's cloak, and Grem gazed around with keen
interest. Kayos stopped and turned to Bane.
    "We can rest
here for a while."
    Bane put Mirra
down and walked over to the wall, running his hand along it. His
fingers sank into it without any reaction, which meant it was
almost pure dark power, like the thick blackness from which they
had just emerged. He turned to find Kayos and the others watching
him.
    "Interesting
to see the different reaction of this realm to you," Kayos
remarked.
    The nimbus
still shone around the Elder God, and blue fire sparkled between
his boots and the floor. He went to the wall and laid his hand
against it, sparking a blue glow that spread along the wall,
transforming the swirling redness to stone. When he removed his
hand, it gradually reverted to its state of flux.
    Bane gestured,
and a portion of the floor rose to form a seat, which he sank down
on with a sigh. "At least you do not get tired."
    "True."
    Bane summoned
a cup of ambrosia and sipped it. "How big is the God Realm?"
    "Vast. I know
of no end to it."
    "So it is
infinite?"
    "Perhaps it is
now, but it was not when I was created. Yet it grows bigger all the
time, and it changes constantly." Kayos eyed Bane. "There is much I
must teach you. You are powerful, but I think you lack skill. You
will need both to free Ashynaria."
    "You do not
even know what I can do yet."
    "That is why I
shall wait until then before I begin to instruct you."
    "As you
wish."
    Mirra came
over and sat on Bane's lap, yawning. "Can we sleep here?"
    He glanced at
Kayos, who shook his head. "It is too dangerous. We will find
somewhere further on."
    Mirra sighed
and leant against Bane, closing her eyes. Mithran and Grem sat back
to back, their chins on their chests as they snatched