Free Demon Lord IV - Lord of Shadows by T C Southwell Page A

as it climbed
towards the cave. She drew back with a gasp, her breath steaming in
the cold air. Terror chilled her heart. It was heading straight for
the cave, and there was nowhere to hide within it. If it trapped
her here, she stood little chance against it, but outside she might
have a slight hope of eluding it, or perhaps defeating it, although
she was already tired.
    If she fled,
she would also draw it away from the ward, which was vital. The
prospect of an earth demon chasing her down the treacherous slope
made her heart pound, and she considered praying for help. The
Demon Lord could destroy it in a moment, but she did not want to
summon him unless it was absolutely necessary. At least she could
if she had to, and that thought calmed her. Having a dark god as an
ally was special indeed.
    Her mind made
up, she went back and stamped out the fire, pushed her bag of
supplies into a cranny, then returned to the entrance. The demon
was making good progress. What was it doing way out here? Perhaps
it was not one of Vorkon's, in which case it might not even attack
her. But that seemed doubtful.
    As far a she
knew, demons did not spend time in the wilderness for amusement;
they either sported in the cities and towns, or stayed in the
Darkworld. There was nothing to amuse them out here. Even if it was
Vorkon's, it might be looking for Bane, not blue mages. Bolstered
by this hope, she slipped out into the frigid wind and crept
downwards, angling away from the demon. She moved as quietly as she
could, keeping any available crags between herself and it.
     
    Kayos leant
forward and patted Bane's cheek. "Come on, come on. Time to wake up
now."
    The plump,
middle-aged high priestess, who had come to pay homage to Kayos
upon learning of his presence, stared at Bane, her expression a
mixture of wonder and loathing. Shevra knew how she felt. How could
someone so beautiful be evil? Black mages often used their looks to
seduce women, then tortured or sacrificed them when they grew
bored. Even with their reputation, women could not resist their
charms, and she could see why. Black sorceresses were just as bad,
and just as irresistible, but much rarer. The girl who sat beside
Bane, holding his hand in both of hers, was obviously in love with
him. It shone in her eyes as she gazed down at him, and Shevra
wondered what she was to him. The older man also looked concerned
and sad, and he bore a resemblance to Bane.
    Bane had not
so much as a twitched an eyelid, and Kayos was clearly worried. He
had used his healing power again to assure himself that Bane was
completely healed, but apparently he was. At least an hour had
passed since their arrival and Bane's healing. Shevra was refreshed
after a quick warm bath and a hearty meal of thick broth and fresh
bread, which Patrin had shared, although he had declined a bath.
The priestesses had given her a pale brown acolyte's robe to wear,
since her grey dress was torn and filthy. Patrin had found a long
curtain rail to use as a staff, and many of the priestesses had
armed themselves with kitchen knives or sticks of firewood. They
stood around the white flame in the chapel, ready to protect
it.
    A crash came
from the corridor, followed by a scream, and Kayos looked up with a
frown. The high priestess hurried to the door, and Shevra followed
her. The corridor led directly to the chapel, and she could see the
altar from the doorway. Two men stood in the corridor, one clad in
black, the other a dirty soldier who walked towards the chapel like
an automaton. Am acolyte had dropped a flask of water and fled to
join her sisters in the chapel, causing the crash and scream.
Shevra flung a glance at Kayos.
    "They're
here."
    "A black
mage?"
    "Yes. And
another man."
    Kayos rose and
walked towards her, and she stepped from his path. The high
priestess also stepped aside as he brushed past her, heading for
the mage. He vanished as the mage glanced up the passage at her,
then started towards her. Shevra stepped back,