Demon Lord III - Grey God Read Online Free Page A

those two have never dared to try anything like
that before, except when Mithran... when he and Bane first met. But
I would like to know what they are up to."
     
     
    A battle scene
filled Bane's head, making him writhe and flinch as a soldier
beside him died in a spray of blood and a gurgling scream, torn
apart by a creature of darkness. The heavy sword made his arms
ache, and blood ran down it in a thin stream. He raised it as a
malformed grim rushed at him, toothy jaws agape, and thrust it into
its neck, severing the jugular with a swift lunge, then yanked it
free to lop off the head of a vampire as it swooped at him. He had
no control over the scene or his actions; they were ghosts from
Grem's past, memories of the historic battle he had survived.
    The massive
conflict surged and ebbed as the dark creatures were cut down and
more rushed in to take their places. Smoke, screams and the stench
of death filled the air, blood dripped from his hands and chain
mail and ran down his face in sticky rivers. He tried to banish the
vision, making it dim and grow hazy, but it remained. Howls came
from his right, and he glanced that way, as did his foes. A
black-clad man strode from the temple, his ankle length, crimson
lined cloak flaring. Dread and loathing filled Bane's heart at the
sight of him, mixed with desperate hope. The distant stranger
gestured, and shadows poured from his hands, consuming the fleeing
dark creatures in bursts of lurid fire and dull concussions as some
of the beasts exploded in sprays of foul gore.
    Bane groaned,
wanting to free his wrists from the hands that gripped them, but he
resisted the urge.
    The creatures
of darkness surged away from the battlements, and a bolt of shadow
ploughed into some nearby, killing them with shrieks and splatters
of blood and guts. Bane reeled back, raising an arm, the heavy
sword sagging in his tired fist. Relief filled him as the dark army
turned tail and fled, trampling each other in their desperate bid
to escape the horror that had been unleashed upon them. His breath
rasped in a dry throat, and dozens of wounds ached on his arms and
chest. He glanced at the black-clad man, who strode towards the
distant forest, sending streaks of dark fire after the fleeing army
with casual flicks of his hands.
    Bane gritted
his teeth, longing for the hated vision to end, and thrust against
the hands that pinned him more powerfully. As he did so, he sensed
a tingling deep in the base of his brain, where something tore
open, and knowledge flooded out. A wall of darkness formed,
clanking into place like steel shields, swallowing the vision. It
rose swiftly, eating away at the images, thoughts and emotions he
received from Grem, mixed with flashes of memory from his father.
When the last vestige of alien thought had gone, he opened his eyes
and looked up into Grem's grinning visage. The warrior's eyes
gleamed.
    "Well, did it
work?"
    "Yes."
    Grem gave a
hoot and slid off Bane's chest; Mithran grinned and released his
legs. "I knew it would!" Grem crowed.
    Bane sat up,
rubbing his temples, and Mithran studied him, his smile fading.
"Are you all right, Son?"
    "Yes. How long
did that take?"
    "About half an
hour."
    "It seemed
shorter." He turned to Grem. "I did not realise you saw that."
    "We all did.
'Twas bloody amazing."
    Mirra came
over and sank to her knees beside Bane, shooting the two miscreants
an accusing look. "What did you do to him?"
    "We fixed
'im!" Grem cried, gulping the rest of his wine and refilling the
cup from a jug. "No more worries for you, Healer."
    Mithran nodded
and winked. "He won't be reading your mind tonight, lass."
    Mirra flushed,
then looked at Bane. "You learnt how to block it?"
    "Yes."
    "Good."
    He shot his
father an amused look. "But that does not mean I cannot read minds
anymore, only that I can do it at will now."
    Mirra gasped.
"You would not dare!"
    Bane smiled.
"You would never know."
    "I would!"
    "How?"
    "I do not
know, but I would. Do not!"
     
     
    Bane