Demon Lord by T C Southwell Read Free Book Online

uncertain, so she
did not dwell on it. Instead she watched the men split up into
ragged squadrons and march off, heading in different directions as
if the army was disbanding. She grew thirstier as the sun moved
across the sky, and was glad that the tree to which she was bound
at least offered some shade. By sunset, only a few hundred men
remained in the meadow, camped on the far side, well away from the
big tent, its lone attendant and solitary occupant.
    As darkness fell, a cool wind
sprang up from the east, and its chill touch made her shiver. A
furtive shape flitted through the deepening shadows towards her,
and she peered at it, unsure of what new peril it offered. She made
out a ragged, unwashed soldier, and relaxed, sensing no threat in
him. He shifted uneasily as he stood before her, darting fearful
glances over his shoulder.
    "I didn't have anything to do
with the beating, healer," he said. "You healed me, so I reckon I
owe you."
    Mirra recognised the man whose
leg she had healed, and hope surged within her. She managed a weak
smile, her mouth too dry to speak. He pulled a water skin from his
coat and held it to her lips. The cool liquid slid down her burning
throat, bringing blessed relief. Although her healing power would
block the pain of wounds, it did not prevent the pangs of thirst
and hunger. She made the most of his kindness and drained the water
skin.
    When it was finished, she licked
the last cool drops from her lips and smiled at him again. "Thank
you. You are a kind man."
    He shrugged, tucking the water
skin away. "One good turn deserves another."
    "The goddess will bless those
who help a healer."
    "Reckon I'm beyond
redemption."
    Mirra shook her head. "All can
be saved if they repent."
    The man grunted at her pious
words and slipped away into the darkness before she could ask him
to release her. She dozed for a while, drooping in the ropes, but
jerked awake at the sound of soft footfalls. Another soldier crept
towards her in the moonlight, a swarthy man with a scarred face and
rusty, dented armour. He stopped before her, eyes darting, as his
comrade had done.
    "Healer, I've a pain, will you
help?"
    "Of course. Touch me."
    The soldier laid a hand on her
arm, and her power flowed into him. It found the cause of his pain,
a malignant tumour in his stomach, and healed it in a few moments.
The pain faded, making him sigh and smile with relief. He pulled
some bread from his pouch and tore it into chunks, which he fed to
her before he crept away. Much later, a drizzle woke her again,
soaking her torn robe and chilling her to the bone. For the rest of
the night she shivered, and the rope cut into her arms as it
swelled with the moisture.
    When morning came, a warm,
welcome sun edged free of the pink clouds and touched her with its
glorious power, banishing the chill. The black-clad man visited
her, and surveyed her bedraggled state with evident satisfaction.
She lifted her eyes to gaze at him, struck afresh by the purity of
his sun-gilded features.
    "Do the bonds hurt, witch?"
    "No."
    "They damn well should."
Scowling, he stepped closer and tested their tautness. His touch
forced her to share his pain, and her healing power flowed, but
again was repulsed. He found the ropes tight and glared at her.
"Why is it that nothing hurts you, and my father orders me to kill
you?"
    "I do not know."
    "I have killed healers before
with the fire. They die like anyone else."
    Sorrow blossomed within her.
"Why did you kill them?"
    "I felt like it! Do not question
me!" He glowered at her with brilliant eyes. "I shall find a way to
make you suffer before you die, and when I do, you will rue the day
you were born, witch."
    Mirra watched him march away,
sadness settling on her like a dark shroud. There was no reason to
kill healers. They only helped those in need, and never harmed
anyone or anything. She had done nothing to deserve his hatred or
his attempts at torturing her, and it made no sense. Even an
invading army needed help