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

answer to his wish. He helped Mirra
to mount Kess, and she sagged.
    They left the
flowing blueness and entered a region of uniform greyness like a
frozen, illusory snow storm. The blue nimbus around Bane
brightened, indicating the presence of the white fire in more
profusion. Kayos' pace quickened, and Bane's fatigue increased.
Just as he was about to call a halt, a wall of black stone
appeared, and Kayos headed for it. They walked beside it for some
distance before they found the Gate, which stood open, its wards
long since dead or destroyed. No light shone out of it, and the
Gate looked aged and abused, its surface covered with dust and
crazed with tiny cracks. Bane paused to study it, and Kayos waited
for him, looking impatient.
    "What happened
here?"
    "A long
story," Kayos replied. "I thought you were tired."
    "I am."
    "Then let us
find a place where you can sleep, so we may continue our journey
sooner rather than later."
    Bane shot him
an irritated look and passed through the portal, then stopped in
surprise. Stars surrounded him. The vista was unsettling,
especially since it continued under his feet, as if he stood in the
great void itself. Kayos turned to him.
    "We will go to
the mid-realm, which here is called Dayworld. The goddess who
created this domain equated darkness with evil, so Dayworld has no
night. By doing this, she created an intolerable imbalance."
    "The
Underworld has no day," Bane pointed out.
    "It does not
need day, as Eternity has no night, but the mid-realm must have all
things in equal quantity, or there is imbalance. She was young and
idealistic. She thought she could bend the rules."
    "Is that what
led to her downfall?"
    "No, it led to
chaos in Dayworld, and in the end it killed the inhabitants."
    Bane's brows
rose. "How could daylight kill people?"
    "It caused an
unrestrained growth of plants, and they gave off too much oxygen,
which at first was beneficial, but eventually the people could no
longer adapt to it. They tunnelled into the earth to try to escape
it, but in the end most of them died out."
    "Why could she
not correct her mistake?"
    "Because once
a domain is created it cannot be changed. When she left, however,
the white power died, and Dayworld could now be called
Twilightworld. A few beasts survive in it, and demons, of
course."
    Bane grimaced.
"Sounds delightful."
    "It is safe.
That is all we need." Kayos turned to Grem and Mithran, who had
dismounted and waited, gazing around at the scenery. Mirra
approached Bane and took his hand, smiling up at him in the
innocent, trusting manner that twisted his heart. She knew the
consequences of her choice, but made it anyway. Grem and Mithran
took hold of Kayos' wrists, and they vanished with a surge of
power.
    Bane ordered
the demon steeds to wait by the Gate, then followed, reappearing in
a jungle of huge trees that towered many hundreds of feet high,
their vast trunks the circumference of castles. Mirra doubled over
as her stomach rebelled after the Move, and Bane supported her,
gazing around. Most of the trees were dead, their bark peeling off
in huge sheets, home to a plethora of beetles and grubs. Some
forest giants had survived by developing leaves the size of
umbrellas to absorb the orange sky's dull luminescence.
    Ferns and
fungi ruled the forest floor, growing lushly in the detritus of the
giant trees' downfall. Bane's boots sank into a thick layer of
fecund humus, the result of the forest's aeons of flourishing.
Massive trunks blocked the view in every direction, yet Kayos set
off purposefully. Orchids and parasitic plants festooned the dead
trees, filling the air with fragrance and the eyes with their
beauty. The rich air made Bane a little light-headed, but also gave
him more energy.
    Kayos led them
to a log cabin nestled amongst the trees, its roof partially caved
in by a fallen branch, a thick layer of leaves covering it. Forcing
open the warped, rotten door, he led them into its dim confines.
Bane raised a curious brow when the