mouth a few feet away.
Bane rose and went in search of
wood, finding a scrubby, windswept hillside outside. When he had
gathered enough fuel, he piled it beside the sleeping girl and
lighted it with his fire, not caring about the tingle that jabbed
through his head. The blaze warmed the cave, and he knelt beside
it, feeding it dry twigs.
Mirra's
shivers lessened, and her breathing quickened as she began to wake.
He watched her, trying to analyse the strange emotion that had
driven him to call upon the Goddess for aid, something he would
never have otherwise considered doing. After several
minutes, she sighed, and her
eyes opened, roving the cavern before coming to rest on him. She
looked confused and vaguely alarmed.
"Bane? What happened?" She sat
up and glanced around. "Where are we?"
He shrugged, studying the fire.
"In a cave."
"How did we get here?"
He hesitated, unwilling to
relate the tale of his threat and the Goddess' subsequent
abduction. "I brought you. Dorel shot you, remember? I brought you
here, and spoke to your Goddess. She healed you."
"You spoke to the Lady?" Her
eyes widened. "What was she like? What did she say?"
Bane shrugged again. "She was a
goddess. She glowed. I asked her to heal you, and she did."
"You have received a rare
honour. The Lady appears rarely in visions, and then usually only
to an Elder Mother."
Bane nodded, looking ill at
ease, and Mirra studied him more closely. He seemed subdued, and
his eyes avoided hers. Lines of weariness bracketed his mouth and
gathered around his eyes, and his skin had a sickly pallor, worse
than before. As if uncomfortable under her scrutiny, he rose and
walked to the cave entrance to stare out at the bitter sky as
lightning played across the land. She noticed that he was not
wearing his cloak, and found that she was wrapped in it. He turned
to face her.
"I have a task to complete. I
will return you to the temple."
"You must be purged and healed,
Bane."
He hesitated, then inclined his
head. "Very well."
His agreement surprised her, but
she was too thrilled to question it. She rose, her legs a little
weak. Approaching him, she held out his cloak. He took it, and, to
her surprise, draped it around her shoulders, wrapping her in
it.
"You need it more than I. It is
cold."
Bane turned
away, and the thunder of the demon steed's hooves outside heralded its arrival. She
followed him out to where Orris snorted fire and pawed the ground.
The icy wind stung her face, probing the cloak for a way in, and
she was glad of its warmth. She gazed around, shocked by the vista
that greeted her. The grass that covered the hillside was yellow
and brittle, and the wind had stripped it away in places, leaving
bare, dead soil. A stand of dying trees lashed naked branches in
the unnatural wind. In the few hours that had passed since the
accident with Dorel, the Overworld's demise had leapt
ahead.
She turned to Bane, who gazed at
the destruction. He glanced at her. "I will set it right."
Bane lifted
her onto the demon steed,
then mounted behind her. She leant against him, and his arms slid
around her waist and held her, to her amazement. A gush of joy
washed through her, and she marvelled at the change in him,
wondering what had caused it.
Chapter Five
The Purge
Ellese eyed Bane,
wondering what it was about him that appeared different, apart from
his pallor and the shadows under his eyes. He looked exhausted, and
stood close to Mirra. She noted the bloodstains on the girl's
robe.
"What happened?"
Mirra grinned, looking immensely
happy and just a little smug. "Bane will be purged."
"I meant, what happened to
you?"
"Oh!" Mirra looked down at
herself. "I am fine! Dorel tried to kill Bane, but I stopped her,
and then he saved me."
"Indeed."
Ellese's eyes flicked back to
the Demon Lord, who leant against the wall, studying the floor.
Mirra's abbreviated explanation did little to satisfy her
curiosity, but it could wait. The main thing was that Bane was
back,
Bane rose and went in search of
wood, finding a scrubby, windswept hillside outside. When he had
gathered enough fuel, he piled it beside the sleeping girl and
lighted it with his fire, not caring about the tingle that jabbed
through his head. The blaze warmed the cave, and he knelt beside
it, feeding it dry twigs.
Mirra's
shivers lessened, and her breathing quickened as she began to wake.
He watched her, trying to analyse the strange emotion that had
driven him to call upon the Goddess for aid, something he would
never have otherwise considered doing. After several
minutes, she sighed, and her
eyes opened, roving the cavern before coming to rest on him. She
looked confused and vaguely alarmed.
"Bane? What happened?" She sat
up and glanced around. "Where are we?"
He shrugged, studying the fire.
"In a cave."
"How did we get here?"
He hesitated, unwilling to
relate the tale of his threat and the Goddess' subsequent
abduction. "I brought you. Dorel shot you, remember? I brought you
here, and spoke to your Goddess. She healed you."
"You spoke to the Lady?" Her
eyes widened. "What was she like? What did she say?"
Bane shrugged again. "She was a
goddess. She glowed. I asked her to heal you, and she did."
"You have received a rare
honour. The Lady appears rarely in visions, and then usually only
to an Elder Mother."
Bane nodded, looking ill at
ease, and Mirra studied him more closely. He seemed subdued, and
his eyes avoided hers. Lines of weariness bracketed his mouth and
gathered around his eyes, and his skin had a sickly pallor, worse
than before. As if uncomfortable under her scrutiny, he rose and
walked to the cave entrance to stare out at the bitter sky as
lightning played across the land. She noticed that he was not
wearing his cloak, and found that she was wrapped in it. He turned
to face her.
"I have a task to complete. I
will return you to the temple."
"You must be purged and healed,
Bane."
He hesitated, then inclined his
head. "Very well."
His agreement surprised her, but
she was too thrilled to question it. She rose, her legs a little
weak. Approaching him, she held out his cloak. He took it, and, to
her surprise, draped it around her shoulders, wrapping her in
it.
"You need it more than I. It is
cold."
Bane turned
away, and the thunder of the demon steed's hooves outside heralded its arrival. She
followed him out to where Orris snorted fire and pawed the ground.
The icy wind stung her face, probing the cloak for a way in, and
she was glad of its warmth. She gazed around, shocked by the vista
that greeted her. The grass that covered the hillside was yellow
and brittle, and the wind had stripped it away in places, leaving
bare, dead soil. A stand of dying trees lashed naked branches in
the unnatural wind. In the few hours that had passed since the
accident with Dorel, the Overworld's demise had leapt
ahead.
She turned to Bane, who gazed at
the destruction. He glanced at her. "I will set it right."
Bane lifted
her onto the demon steed,
then mounted behind her. She leant against him, and his arms slid
around her waist and held her, to her amazement. A gush of joy
washed through her, and she marvelled at the change in him,
wondering what had caused it.
Chapter Five
The Purge
Ellese eyed Bane,
wondering what it was about him that appeared different, apart from
his pallor and the shadows under his eyes. He looked exhausted, and
stood close to Mirra. She noted the bloodstains on the girl's
robe.
"What happened?"
Mirra grinned, looking immensely
happy and just a little smug. "Bane will be purged."
"I meant, what happened to
you?"
"Oh!" Mirra looked down at
herself. "I am fine! Dorel tried to kill Bane, but I stopped her,
and then he saved me."
"Indeed."
Ellese's eyes flicked back to
the Demon Lord, who leant against the wall, studying the floor.
Mirra's abbreviated explanation did little to satisfy her
curiosity, but it could wait. The main thing was that Bane was
back,
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