Demonkin Read online

  Demonkin

  Book 4 of Demonstone Chronicles

  by

  Richard S. Tuttle

  Copyright © 2007 by Richard S. Tuttle.

  All rights reserved.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious.

  Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  Our story so far…

  In Knights of Alcea the kingdom was awakened from its peaceful slumber when the Alceans discovered a growing rebellion, a rebellion unlike any other. Mysterious priests swore allegiance to Balmak, a previously unknown god, and were spreading seeds of discontent throughout Alcea. As the danger grew, the Knights of Alcea were drawn back into the king's service, and they soon discovered that the rebellion was tied to other ominous events. Elves attacking human villages, and humans attacking dwarves were events unheard of since the forming of Alcea, and together with the rebellion, they seemed designed to bring Alcea to the brink of disaster. Yet, the picture was still not clear enough for Alexander Tork. While all of the problems put together might bring chaos to Alcea, he knew that there had to be more to the sinister plot. Eventually it was discovered that a massive army from an unknown land across the waters was waiting for Alcea to be weakened before attacking.

  The Knights of Alcea destroyed the Temples of Balmak and ensured that no division would exist between the races of the kingdom, but they knew that their actions were not enough to ensure that the attack by foreign forces would be stopped. King Arik set out to reorganize and bolster the forces of Alcea to meet the coming invasion, but that was not enough for Alexander Tork. During the course of battles against the mysterious priests, Alex stole a Zaran ship, the Remora. He pressed the king for permission to go to the unknown land to determine the weakness of the enemy. King Arik, believing that Alex would go regardless of permission, finally gave his blessing, but he limited the party to only five of the Knights of Alcea.

  In Final Voyage of the Remora, Alex enlisted the aid of three Alcea Rangers and three elves of Glendor to join with the five Knights of Alcea. He hired a captain and crew and set out across the ocean with only a rough chart to guide them into the unknown. The journey was troublesome from the beginning. Two Zaran spies had managed to get themselves included in the crew, and the enemy was waiting for their arrival. Driven by strange dreams, Alex unwittingly outmaneuvered the Zarans and landed in the Endless Swamp. The landing turned out to be fortuitous as the Knights of Alcea made many important contacts including Haditha, a water witch, Sidney Mercado, a merchant, and Morro, an elven thief. Prince Rigal also made contact with the Dielderal elves and discovered that the Federation held them as slaves. To ensure the Federation's control over the Dielderal, all elven children were taken out of the Elfwoods and kept in reeducation centers in the major cities of the Federation.

  Volume two of the Demonstone Chronicles ended with the destruction of the Zaran invasion fleet. It also ended the chances for our heroes to return home to Alcea. Captain Gomery, Haditha, and two sailors were not rescued along with the others. While Captain Gomery and Haditha made it to safety, Loman and Tyroma were never found. The rest of the heroes, knowing that each day of delay would buy Alcea more time to prepare for war, vowed to continue to wage covert actions against the Zarans, but they had been confined to the lost city of Aranak, which is deep under the sands of the desert.

  In Council of War, the Alceans in Zara split up. Garth and Kalina were joined by Tedi, Natia, and Morro as they journeyed to the major cities of the Federation to learn more about their enemy. Karl Gree led the rest of the Alceans in an attempt to reach the safety of Tyronia, but his plans are foiled by the Federation as they blocked Sebastian Pass and sent thousands of troops to hunt the Alceans. With nowhere else to turn, Karl led the group into the Forest of Death, and they were eventually captured by Zaroccans soldiers and held as spies.

  Garth and his party earned the appreciation of the Rhodans by saving three of their women from the Federation army, but those actions demanded a retreat to the safety of Tyronia. As the nation of Tyronia fell to the Federation, Garth led his people to the horse countries on unicorns, but not before substituting Clint for a traitorous Tyronian general. While Clint was sent to Despair as a representative of Tyronia, Garth found himself involved in a struggle to free Karl's group and establish a Council of War to fight the Federation in Zara. To gain the support of the horse countries, Garth must find twenty thousand fighters to stand against the Federation. In a frenzied tour of the continent, Garth united the elves, dwarves, and humans of various countries into a strange alliance to battle the Federation. Only time will tell if the alliance will hold, and if it can affect the outcome of the devastating war soon to embroil two continents.

  Prologue

  The forest was dark and foreboding. The tall, ancient trees rose like huge pillars to blot out the sun and cast a deathly gloom over the forest floor, but the inhabitants of the woods would have it no other way. It was a paradise for the demons that dwelt in the expansive area known as Balmaka, and there was no finer retreat in the entire Universe of Helva. Scores of demons relaxed in the forest as time sped by. Occasionally a squabble would erupt between two rivals over some trivial matter, but such entertainment was usually short-lived. For the most part, the existence of the demons had been boring since the imprisonment of Alutar over a thousand years ago. For a while after the defeat of their master, the demons continued their duties, but the enthusiasm did not last long. Eventually, the majority of the demons accepted a life of leisure rather than traveling between the Universes sowing discord and mayhem. So it was that the demons were unprepared for the destruction of the Universes.

  As the Dark One collapsed the Universes, the ground rumbled, and giant trees splintered and fell. Demons were sent sprawling across the forest floor in Balmaka as shouts of confusion ripped through the area. A loud crack split the air as the ground separated, and a long crevice appeared in the forest floor. A geyser of molten lava shot upward, and the demons scrambled away. The ancient trees in the vicinity of the geyser ignited and flames raced upward towards the canopy. The crevice widened, and lava began to flow out of it as large pieces of land sunk into the quickly-forming molten pool. Within minutes the pool of lava spread outward to create a molten lake. The burning trees dropped into the lake and disappeared.

  The demons in the forest were stunned by the upheaval as they crowded around the new molten lake and wondered what had just happened. It was obvious to them that something significant had just occurred, but they did not know what was going on, so they looked expectantly as three demons flew into the new clearing and landed near the shoreline of the lake.

  “It is the Collapse of the Universes,” announced D'Cavan, one of the new arrivals. “Our Master must be free at last.” A fourth arrival landed as D'Cavan continued, “Soon all of you will have to account for your idleness.”

  The new arrival pushed his way through the crowd of demons and stood before D'Cavan.

  “Your words are partially true,” stated D'Artim. “The upheaval was the collapse of the seven Universes, but our master is not yet free.”

  “How can that be?” questioned D'Cavan.

  “Alutar was not in one of the seven collapsed Universes,” explained D'Artim. “Still, there will be an accounting of our wastefulness over the last millennium. I fear our master will not be pleased by our idleness.”

  “D'Lycind and I have not been idle,” retorted D'Cavan. “We have been working hard to pit the dwarves and elves against one another.”

  “And I have been faithful as well,” added D'Wycaram. “I have been driving away the followers of the gods from their temples in the human world.”

  “The deeds of you three have been noted,” declared D'Artim, “but
there are many here who will bear the disfavor of Alutar.”

  “Who are you to speak with authority?” scowled one of the idle demons.

  “I have spoken with the master,” stated D'Artim, “and he is not pleased.”

  “Praise Alutar!” shouted one of the idle demons.

  “Praise our master!” shouted another, but most of the demons looked worried.

  The demons knew that they had forsaken their duties, and while they cherished the return of their master, they also feared his arrival.

  “You have spoken to Alutar?” asked D'Cavan. “Why is he not free? What did he say?”

  “The Ancient Prophecy has begun,” declared D'Artim. “The Dark One has been anointed, and Alutar has been promised freedom within one year, but our master is not a trusting one. He has ordered me to prepare for his return, and it will take all of our efforts to accomplish what he desires. The time for idleness is over. Those who please me will also please our master. I do not need to remind any of you what happens to those who displease Alutar.”

  D'Cavan stared at D'Artim. The demon recognized a push for power when he saw one, and he had a decision to make. He could fight D'Artim for power, or he could support him. Looking around, D'Cavan saw that many of the other demons had similar thoughts. He quickly made up his mind.

  “I stand with you, D'Artim,” D'Cavan announced. “Tell me how to please our master.”

  “I also am eager to serve faithfully,” declared D'Lycind.

  “And I,” agreed D'Wycaram. “Tell us what is required.”

  D'Artim smiled thinly as the other demons were forced to accept his rule. The only three who could possibly have raised an objection to his rule had just sworn allegiance.

  “If promises are kept,” explained the head demon, “Alutar will be with us in one year, but our master expects to be cheated by the Dark One. As no one can best the Great Demon, Alutar has made alternate plans unknown to the Dark One, but they too are subject to outside interference. What is required of us is to prepare for yet another alternate path for the return of our lord.”

  As D'Artim spoke, a black cloud spread through the sky and the sun dimmed until it could no longer be seen. The demons stared upward in confusion.

  “There is our lord,” D'Artim announced as he pointed upward. “If his plan works, he will rejoin us here in twenty year's time.”

  “And if his plan fails?” asked D'Cavan.

  “Then our plan must succeed,” answered D'Artim. “I will need the help of everyone here, and even that will not be enough.”

  “Not enough?” frowned D'Wycaram. “What plan could possibly require more than all of the demons?”

  “One that brings the entire world to war,” smiled D'Artim. “The screams of misery and despair must issue from a million mouths at the same time.”

  “Any one of us could start a war,” D'Lycind said. “There is something that you are not telling us.”

  “There is much that I have not explained yet.” D'Artim nodded. “While you might be able to possess a ruler and cause him to attack his neighbor, Alutar is demanding much more from us. We will bring every nation and every race into the coming conflict regardless of who the rulers are.”

  “Inconceivable,” objected D'Lycind. “There are not enough of us to accomplish that. Our ways are through deceit and possession, and those ways take a great deal of time. If a ruler is overthrown, we must start over.”

  “Or we must utilize creatures who can work more openly,” smiled D'Artim.

  “Others cannot be trusted to remain faithful to our lord,” objected D'Wycaram. “They may be coerced by the other side.”

  “Unless they are bound to Alutar,” declared D’Artim with a thin smile.

  The demons looked blankly at one another, but a deep frown creased the face of D'Cavan.

  “Demonkin?” D'Cavan asked with concern. “They are not dependable. They go insane with days of creation. They are nothing more than playthings.”

  “These will be dependable,” declared D'Artim. “Alutar has gifted me with the spell needed to create a race of demonkin that will be practically indestructible and yet bound to their duty. These demonkin will infiltrate the human world and spur them into a worldwide war regardless of who the rulers are. They will be able to go places that we cannot and accomplish acts that we can only accomplish through a surrogate.”

  “Such as?” asked D'Cavan.

  “Such as securing young elf women from the reeducation centers of the Federation,” answered D'Artim.

  “Elf women?” asked D'Lycind. “Why elves?”

  “It is what the spell requires,” shrugged D'Artim.

  “Well,” mused D'Cavan, “we have plenty of time to dwell upon that problem. Twenty years may be like nothing to us, but it is a long time to elves and humans.”

  “We have no time at all,” retorted D'Artim. “The plan that I discussed with our master needs to be started immediately. If the Ancient Prophecy unfolds as he suspects, strong nations will evolve on both continents. We need to start putting people in place immediately. We have a new religion to create.”

  “A new religion?” questioned D'Wycaram. “What are you talking about?”

  “Our demonkin will be priests of this new religion,” explained D'Artim. “It is the religion that will move the people regardless of the rulers.”

  “And who will the people worship?” asked D'Cavan. “We cannot have them pray to Alutar, or we will alert our enemies, and we dare not give any of the gods the power that such worship entails.”

  “They will worship Alutar,” replied D'Artim, “but he will not be called such. We shall use another name for our lord, and the people will worship him. He shall be known as Balmak in memory of this place.”

  “What of Balmaka?” asked D'Lycind. “If the Universes are collapsed, this forest is no longer ours alone. I flew over human cities on my way here.”

  “And ogres,” added D'Wycaram. “They are already swarming the woods east of here.”

  “That is something we can address immediately,” replied D'Artim. “Ogres are easily swayed, and we can use them to keep the humans out. Let us turn Balmaka into a forest of death that the humans will fear to enter. D'Cavan will accompany me to get our first elven females while the rest of you secure our Forest of Death.”

  Chapter 1

  Claws of Alutar

  Garth Shado and Baron Stikman walked through the corridors of the castle in Herinak, the capital of Korocca. Their discussion was centered on the best use of the Occan lancers during the coming war, but a familiar voice distracted Garth. With a silent hand motion to suspend the conversation, Garth turned and walked out onto one of the balconies overlooking the city. The baron nodded and followed. On the balcony Kalina was discussing magic with Sigfrid, the Royal Sorcerer of Korocca. The two mages were so engrossed in their discussion, that they did not notice the two men entering the balcony.

  “I do not think we have the power necessary to fight whatever is in the Forest of Death,” stated Kalina. “That forest is not simply enchanted by a mage. There is a far greater power involved.”

  “But that is the only way that we will get troops to the cities of the Federation,” argued Sigfrid. “If we cannot gain passage through the Forest of Death, Occan lancers will not be involved in the coming war.”

  “There is truth in that statement,” interjected Baron Stikman. “I have just been discussing that very point with Garth.”

  The two mages turned with surprise at having company, but Kalina shook her head.

  “The way to the Federation cities is through the Sands of Eternity,” Kalina insisted.

  “How?” questioned Sigfrid.

  “I do not know,” sighed Kalina, “but I am sure of it. You must trust me on this.”

  “Trust her,” stated Garth Shado. “She was told by the Mage that our path must traverse the desert.”

  “The Mage?” scoffed Sigfrid. “You seek to win an argument with fairy tales? If the M
age ever did exist, it was so long ago that no one remembers.”

  “Need I remind you that fairies do exist?” retorted Kalina.

  Garth smiled at his wife's reply and walked to the railing to gaze upon the city below.

  “Even if I grant you the thought that the Mage might still exist,” countered Sigfrid, “surely he would not give counsel to the likes of you and me. Such a supreme being would only associate with the world's greatest masters. I am sorry, Kalina, but I cannot advise the king to follow a path based upon such statements as you are offering me.”

  Kalina was about to offer a retort to the Royal Sorcerer when she heard the sharp intake of Garth's breath. She turned away from Sigfrid and glanced down towards the city.

  “K'san,” spat Garth.

  Kalina scanned the crowd in the square below until she spotted the large black priest. Two black-cloaked mages flanked K'san.

  “What is the matter?” Baron Stikman asked as he sensed the concern in Garth's voice.

  “The tall black man below is a demonkin,” answered Garth.

  “And the two men flanking him are mages,” added Kalina. “How did they get here?”

  “And what do they want?” mused Garth. “Surely, they cannot expect to find followers of Balmak up here in Korocca.”

  “Demonkin?” questioned Sigfrid. “Is such a thing possible? I thought those possessed by demons were nothing more than babbling fools.”

  Just then K'san looked up and saw the four people looking down on him. His lips curled upward as he spoke quickly to the men next to him.

  “Not these ones,” replied Kalina. “They have been created to further Alutar's desires. Raise some shields!”

  The words were barely out of Kalina's mouth when a bolt of lightning smashed down on the balcony. A brilliant flash outlined the transparent shield that Kalina had erected, and Baron Stikman swore as he shielded his eyes against the blinding flare.

  “I have a shield up now,” declared Sigfrid. “You can drop yours, Kalina.”