Demon Lord IV - Lord of Shadows Read Free Page A

mages?"
    He shrugged.
"Pray."
    "To the
goddess?"
    A faint smile
curled his lips. "No. To me."
    "I do not know
if I can do that."
    "It is easy,
just speak my name and beg my aid. I will come."
    "I worship
Drayshina."
    "I did not
tell you to worship me. Pray or die. Your choice." Bane swung away
and Moved.
    The three
mages recoiled when he reappeared in their midst. Tygon turned
green and pulled out his handkerchief, pressing it to his lips in a
foppish manner that set Bane's teeth on edge. Bashir stepped
forward.
    "I cannot go
to Ishkarad. They will kill me."
    "You can and
they will not," Bane said. "I tire of this carping. Do you wish to
save your world or not?"
    Bashir gulped.
"Of course we -"
    "Then do as I
say. In my world, five of the seven blue mages died setting their
wards. Are you prepared to make the same sacrifice?"
    Bashir glanced
at Tygon, who was ashen-faced. "Yes."
    "Good. With my
help, it should not come to that. But you should be prepared to
give your lives, or you are useless to me."
    Tygon turned
away, clutching his crumpled handkerchief, and Shrea took his arm
in a comforting gesture. Bane cast him a contemptuous look, and
then turned to Bashir.
    "There is no
time to waste."
    Bashir picked
up his bundle of provisions and took Bane's proffered hand with
only a slight hesitation.
    They
reappeared in a dingy side street populated by beggars and scrawny
children, and Bashir doubled over, retching. Bane made them
invisible as he glanced around, waiting for the mage to recover.
The city's predominantly brown hue made a nasty first impression.
It appeared to have been built entirely from brown bricks, capped
with steeply slanted grey slate roofs.
    Its only claim
to beauty of any sort was the delicate iron filigree that edged the
tall roofs and the intricately designed spires that tipped them.
Litter lay strewn about the dingy alley, and the dull walls were
streaked with grimy black streaks. A fire wall surrounded the city,
but it did not seem to be as effective as Avadorn's. Grey clouds
hid the sun and hung over the dismal city like a shroud. Bashir
straightened and gulped from his flask, grimacing.
    Bane glanced
at him. "You said these people do not believe in magic, yet they
use the blue power. They too must have mages."
    "No, My Lord."
Bashir looked up at the shimmering walls of blue fire that held the
darkness at bay. "The machines that create the city walls run
entirely by themselves. They use a method of perpetual flow, and
are far too powerful for a mage to supply. These people must have
spies in our cities, or else they bought the technology from one of
our inventors."
    Bane grunted
and set off down the alley, heading for the busy street beyond, and
Bashir followed. Horse-drawn carts and wagons clattered along the
stone roads, and horseless vehicles rumbled amongst them, puffing
foul blue smoke. Bashir sweated, glancing around at the people who
walked past without seeing them.
    He cast a
puzzled look at Bane, who said, "No, they cannot see you."
    The mage
looked relieved. "Marvellous."
    "What manner
of carriages are these?"
    Bashir frowned
at a passing vehicle, wrinkling his nose. "They use a foul liquid
for fuel. That is all I know about them."
    Bane looked
around. The populace seemed predominantly middle class, their
clothes simple and dull, and their expressions listless. The women
wore scarves over their hair, and the men were all bearded. Bane
disliked the place, finding it dreary and depressing. He set off
down the street, Bashir a pace behind. Several times he narrowly
avoided collisions with the lethargic people, once stepping back
and trampling on Bashir's toes.
    "What are we
looking for, My Lord?" Bashir enquired after they had walked a fair
distance.
    "A quiet
place, an empty building, perhaps."
    "A
cellar?"
    "That would
do. A temple or church would be ideal."
    Bashir shook
his head. "These people do not believe in gods."
    "They are
fools." Bane spotted an imposing building further down the