Daemon Gates Trilogy by Black Library Read Free Book Online Page A

not as good a soldier as Heinrich, he was a better leader, the type of man that men followed with­out question. 'Morgan has taken charge of the hunters, and Deverick has his own forge. Randal serves on the border, as does Heintz.' Alaric nodded. All their brothers still alive and well, then. That was more than he'd expected, given the con­stant warfare along that side of Reikland.
    'And you are here?' he asked, picking up his jacket from where it lay across one of the armchairs. 'Since when did you become a diplomat?'
    Heinrich snorted, as Alaric had expected, and he hoped his brother's disgust at the thought was enough to keep him from noticing that Alaric was now fully dressed and ready to depart. 'Father likes to have one of us here at all times,' he answered, 'to keep us visible to the elector counts and the Emperor. Deverick cannot be expected to leave his forge, nor Morgan his hunts, but he rotates Gunter, Randal, Heintz and I each month.' His face split into a broad grin. 'Just my luck that I am here when the prodigal son returns.'
    'Mine as well,' Alaric answered, knowing there was some truth to that. He and Gunter had never gotten along well,
    the oldest and the youngest, the one most honour-bound and the one least willing to follow tradition. If Gunter had been here, he would have helped Alaric recover and then sent him back to their father, in chains if necessary. He had no problem with Deverick, but no great rapport with him either, nor any with Randal. He had always gotten on well with Morgan, since they were the two most independent of the brothers, but it had been him, Heinrich and Heintz, the three youngest, who had played together as boys. Thus it was Heinrich and Heintz he would have had the best chance to slip away from, because they were the two he could most closely predict.
    'Father will be happy to see you,' Heinrich said, as if reading Alaric's thoughts. He had been pacing while they talked, and somehow he was in front of the door, those heavy arms folded across his broad chest. 'So will Mother.'
    'A family visit will have to wait,' Alaric replied smoothly, although his heart was hammering in his chest. 'I really do need to get after those men.'
    'Because of some sentimental item they stole from a friend?' Heinrich shook his head. "You'll have to do better than that, Alaric. What is it you're really after?'
    For a second, Alaric considered telling him about the daemons, the statues, the gauntlet, the mask, and the cultists: all of it. But he couldn't. It wasn't even a question of Heinrich believing him. He was actually fairly certain he could convince his brother. They knew each other well enough for Heinrich to recognise that he was telling the truth. However, that might be even worse than being thought a liar, because Heinrich was utterly loyal to their father. He would report every detail back to him as soon as possible. If their father knew what Alaric was doing, the sort of foes he had faced, and the dangers the mask repre­sented, he would do one of two things:
    Either he would send a small army to retrieve the mask, stomping about openly, destroying any chance of catching
    the thieves, who would use the confusion to slip away for good.
    Or he would order Alaric, along with his own men, to find the mask, and bring it to him at Black Rock, because he would think it could be used as a weapon.
    Alaric had never agreed with his father on much, and he had hated the man many times over the years, but he was still his father, and Alaric still loved him. No one, not even someone Alaric truly hated, deserved whatever the mask could do to them. If it was anything like the gauntlet, it would damn the wearer's soul forever. Alaric could not allow that to happen to any member of his family, not even his father.
    'I can't tell you,' he answered finally, meeting his brother's gaze. 'Please don't ask me to. Just believe me when I tell you it is important, not just to me but to all of us.'
    Heinrich studied him