Demonata #5: Blood Beast by Darren Shan

Author:Darren Shan [Shan, Darren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

51

COMING CLEAN

“You know about the Demonata,” Dervish begins. “You’ve seen them at work. You know of

their powers, their magic, how destructive they are. You know that some, like Lord Loss, can cross

between their universe and ours.”

“Does this have anything to do with him?” I croak.

“No. He doesn’t need the cave, and from what I know of him he isn’t interested in it.” Dervish

stops for a moment, thinking about the best way to proceed. “Lord Loss is an exception. Most

demons can’t cross readily between universes. If they could, this world would be awash with the

Demonata and humans would be their playthings and slaves.

“Many demons hunger for that. They spend a large portion of their time trying to open windows

between the two universes. They find weak points where crossing is easier and work on them,

assisted by power-crazed mages on this side. The Disciples try to stop them. We look for focal

points, prevent crossings where we can, deal with the aftermath when we can’t.”

“Like in Slawter,” I nod. “You explained all that to me before. But what about the cave?”

Dervish puffs his cheeks up, then blows out air. “More than a millennium and a half ago, the

Demonata invaded. Normally they cross singly or in small groups. The demons hate each other

almost as much as they hate humans—infighting is rife. But in this case thousands banded together

to launch an all-out assault. They set out to create a large, permanent opening—a tunnel instead of a

temporary window. The cave was the focus for their attempt.

“They were helped by a twisted druid. Our world was more magical then. Magic is an energy

and like any form of energy it can ebb and flow over the course of time. Back then it flowed

strongly through this world. There were many more magicians and mages than there are now,

though they called themselves druids and priestesses. It’s a source of debate as to why there’s so

little magic in the world these days. I guess—”

“You’re rambling.”

Dervish grins sheepishly. “Sorry. Keeping it simple, the Demonata tried to open a tunnel

through the cave. They nearly succeeded. From what we know, many did cross over, but only lesser

demons. The tunnel was shattered before the masters could cross and the cave entrance was later

filled in and hidden from the world, so nobody could make an attempt there again.

“Since that time a watch has been kept on this area. There’s always been a watcher here—even

before the Disciples were formed—monitoring the situation, making sure the cave isn’t reopened.

I’m the latest in a long line of watchmen. That’s why I don’t wander the world like most Disciples. I

get away to deal with other matters occasionally but the cave is my main priority.”

“But you said you didn’t know where it was. How could you keep people away from it if you

didn’t know its location?”

“Powerful spells were cast when the cave was filled in. As watcher, I would have known

instantly if anyone tried to gain access. The spells would have led me straight to the cave.”

“Then why didn’t you come as soon as we started digging?” I frown.

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