Lord Tomas looked at him. “There is a Ghul confined in that bottle, Sir Kormak. I would not call it a demon in the sense that most people would understand the word.”
“It is immortal, inimical to Men and will perform acts of the greatest wickedness if freed,” said Kormak. “I would say that fits most people’s understanding of what a demon is.”
“But you and I know differently. The Ghuls were once men like us,” said Lord Tomas.
Kormak shook his head. “They were servants of the Old Ones who rebelled against them but they were not men.”
“They were mortals then, and they seized the secret of immortality from their masters.”
Kormak thought he began to understand the cause of Lord Tomas’s excitement and the direction this conversation was going to take. “We do not know that for certain,” Kormak said. “We know only what the Sage Cronas wrote.”
“But Cronas sat at the right hand of Solareon, and Solareon was the greatest wizard who ever lived.”
“All the more reason not to trifle with his work.”
“Your blade could destroy a Ghul, could it not, Sir Kormak?”
“Is that what you would have me do?”
“Eventually, yes,” said Lord Tomas.
“But first you have questions to ask of the monster,” said Kormak. “Questions concerning the nature of its immortality and how it might be achieved.”
“Exactly so,” said Lord Tomas.
“We already know how the Stealers of Flesh achieved their immortality,” said Kormak. “They take possession of the bodies of other living things and consume their life force. They are vampires of a most awful sort.”
“Yes but in the Codicils to the Deed of Solareon Cronas writes that it was not always so. That the Ghul sought the same form of immortality as the Old Ones and that something went wrong with the process. Cronas sat with his master while Solareon questioned the bound demons.”
“Then you have read works by the Sage that my teachers never did,” said Kormak.
“Your order had no monopoly on ancient knowledge, Guardian,” said Lord Tomas. “There are far more books in the world than exist even in the library at Aethelas. I have some of them on my shelves here.”
“And some of them are filled with traps set to lure men to their doom,” said Kormak.
“Spoken like a true witch-finder,” said Tarsus.
“I have had experience of such things, have you?” Kormak said.
“That is why we want you with us,” said Lord Tomas. “With your knowledge and your blade there will be no missteps. We will be able to question the demon in safety.”
“You think I will help you learn how to transform yourselves into Stealers of Flesh? That is insane,” said Kormak. He could not keep his true thoughts hidden. The words were torn from him.
“You misunderstand our intentions, Sir Kormak,” said Tarsus. “We seek no such thing.”
“Tarsus speaks the truth,” said Lord Tomas. “We seek to learn what the demon knows, that is true, but we also seek to learn what went wrong. The Ghul must possess a fantastic amount of knowledge. It may put us on the path to immortality. We can learn where they went wrong, avoid their errors and perhaps all men will be able to live forever.”
There was total compelling belief in his voice. Kormak realised to his astonishment that the nobleman meant every word he was saying. He was quite sincere, and possibly quite mad.
“I do not think that is possible,” said Kormak.
“But the Ghuls did,” said Tomas. “And they went more than halfway towards achieving it. Think of the possibilities, Sir Kormak. I mean really think of them. Think what might be achieved here.”
All of them were watching him closely and it came to him then that any refusal on his part might have fatal consequences. They would not want him free to oppose them, if he turned them down. At this moment in time, weak as he was, he was sure he could overcome a wizard and an ancient nobleman. Wesley might prove more of a problem. And then what? He would be sick and trapped in the mansion having committed murder. Kormak wondered if he should play along at least until he got his weapons back. Something of his doubts must have showed in his face, for the nobleman looked at him sidelong.
“I do not think what you wish to do is possible,” said Kormak. He knew they had seen his doubts earlier and he doubted he could convince them he had suddenly changed his mind. Perhaps, if he seemed to be convinced…
A wintery smile flickered across Lord Tomas’s face. “You may be right, Sir Kormak. You may be. But what if you are not? This could be the eve of the greatest discovery ever made by men. If you are wrong, all of our names will ring down the ages, even yours, for you will be part of this thing.”
“You intend to free a demon bound by Solareon,” said Kormak. Even if he was going to pretend to let them convince him, he was going to make them fight for it. “They were imprisoned for a reason.”
“Even Solareon interrogated them and he did that too for a reason. They have much lost knowledge. Much knowledge that men have never possessed at all.”
“And Solareon found nothing,” Kormak said. He kept his voice calm. “He learned nothing. What makes you think you can succeed when the greatest wizard in history failed?”
“Because great as he was Solareon did not possess the sum total of all wisdom. We have learned new things. We have parts of the puzzle he did not. Given time we could be greater even than Solareon. Or are you one of those men who think our ancestors were titans who could never be exceeded? I can assure you they were not. They were men just like us. Even Solareon. I have studied their works enough to know.”
“Don’t you see that if you unleash this creature it will work terrible evil on the world?”
“If we unleashed it uncontrolled, that might well be the case. But we have the means to compel it. We have your sword, a thing that Solareon did not. We have the means to end its life, a weapon that will prove inevitably fatal to the Ghul if we use it. It will obey us or it will die. And there is your answer, Sir Kormak. If we succeed, we triumph. If we fail, we will kill it and there will be one less demon free in the world. Even you cannot object to that.”
“I need time to consider,” said Kormak.”
“Promise me you will think about what I have asked,” said Lord Tomas reaching out and clutching Kormak’s arm. His grip was surprisingly strong. His eyes glittered. Kormak realised there was more than just excitement in his manner. He was afraid. Given what he was contemplating, that was only natural. “But we have kept you too long. It is late and you must retire and regain your strength. You will need it soon.”
One way or another he was right, Kormak thought.
When he heard the strange knock, Kormak rose grasped the poker and walked over to the door. He unbarred the door and was not entirely surprised to see the Lady Kathea standing there. She had a night-light in her hand.
“May I come in?” she asked. Her hair was unbound. There were traces of cosmetics on her face. The pupils of her eyes seemed very large and reflected the light she held.
“This is your home.” She took that as an assent and walked by him, close enough so that he could smell her perfume. The fabric of her long dress brushed against him as she walked. She went over to the fire and stood beside it.
“So they have asked you to help them?” she said.
“Lady?”
She turned and looked at him over her shoulder. “They have asked you to help them with the ancient prison they have found. The one with the demon in it.”
Kormak just looked at her, not sure where this was going. She spoke to fill the silence as he had known she would.
“I am curious. Will you help them? Are you tempted?”
“How do you know what your husband seeks?”
“Because he is my husband. I know what he dwells upon. I know his obsessions. I know the books of poetry he reads. I know what he dreams of. He was not the sort of man who would seek glory on a battlefield but this represents glory of another sort.”