Demon's Law is the second book in the Tales of the Bard trilogy, following on from Magician's Law. There was a great deal to continue with too. We had left The King's brother Kutor in the wilderness, having been instructed to prepare for war and take the throne, with Owen, Weapon Master, and Tien tZo, his slave/companion, heading to join him.
Paedur was last seen on the Blessed Isle, home of the Culai, following the destruction of the last of the First Race and having saved the world from destruction several times over.
This book begins with a brief prelude from 'Life of Paedur, the Bard'. In much the same way that Frank Herbert used quotes from future history books to lend an epic feeling to his Dune series, so does Michael Scott, often citing Tien tZo as the author. When the story actually begins we have another of those tantalising snippets of legend, explaining the history of the Silent Wood, the domain of Mannam, God of the Dead. While many legends include an access point to their Lands of the Dead, this particlur one was once a normal part of the world.
Paedur crosses the gorge into the Silent Wood and within three pages is already in a fight. A warrior woman attacks him, but after defeat seems to accept him fairly readily as a friend. She is the last of the Katan, a sisterhood of elite warriors who died during the Battle of the Sand Plain some five hundred years earlier. That battle was the deciding factor in the war between Churon One Lord and the Shemmatae. They are disturbed during their meet and greet by one of the denizens of the Silent Wood, a Peist. Something like a giant worm, it chases and kills the dead who inhabit the Silent Wood for sport. The woman, who wishes to be known only as Katani, explains that although those 'killed' in the Silent Wood wake again, they retained their wounds, and waking after being crushed to a pulp by the Peist would be an unappealing prospect.
They flee and cross the river Naman, the river containing all the blood spilt across the world. Here we learn the reason for Paedur coming to visit death, he intends to demand that Mannam restore his companions, Cliona and Tuan, who died on the Culai Isle.
The pair encounter another fantastic creature, one of the Frai-Forde, the Star Lorn. Incredibly fast and almost impossible to defeat, Paedur finally discovers how to defeat it from a story of Katani's from when one attacked the Katan Warriors during her lifetime. He also manages to convince her to tell him the true story of the Sand Plain, realising that she was the last Katan to die that day, and she explains that they had supported Churon because he seemed to be honorable, but that they had begun to doubt him. After they defended Churon to the death, she was the last one still alive, and overheard him say that at least he wouldn't have to poison them. She was killed whilst trying to reach him. However, she holds onto the hope of at last revenging her sisters, for she knows that Churon is the friend of Mannam and dwells with him in the City of the Dead.
When they apporach Mannam's city the guards have been stood down for them, and a Bainte, one of Mannam's winged messengers of death, meets them. They are not allowed to enter until even the dirt fromm their feet has been removed, and Paedur wonders at the precaution. When they arrive into the presence of death, it is explained that Death is afraid. Churon has defected, and is working with the New Religion, he is trying to usurp Death's place, and several assassinations have been attempted. Paedur and Katani promise to help, and several other Gods are called to assist.
The meeting consists of Buiva, God of War, Maurug the Destroyer, and the Nameless God of Madness, these being the ones who have influence in Mannam's Kingdom. They decide on a plan, that Paedur, Katani and Buiva will kidnap Churon. Paedur speaks to Churon's dead wife, learning another side to the tale of the One Lord, and incidently hearing more than he should have about what happens to the dead after leaving Mannam's kingdom.
They head to the Mire, a town on the edge of the Silent Wood, and attract the attention of Churon by killing one of his captains in a sordid inn. The scene is well described and repellent, and the impression is definitely one of a place that is not wholesome. Kidnapping Churon is relatively easy, given that he is in the midst of his own army, with some brief fighting, and they begin to trek back to the city.
After making camp, Paedur typically begins trying to extract lore from Buiva, and learns how some of the Gods did not come into existence the way the elemental ones did. Buiva was once a man, leader of the elite troops of the Culai, and when they decided to destroy mankind, he rebelled. He led the resistance against them and strangely died peacefully one night. His name was already a war-cry, now it became a prayer, and Buiva became a God. He cautions Paedur, the Bard is already famous, already a legend, does he want to end up the same way?
Churon's allies the Torc Alta, products of the Culai who are bestial and carnivorous, and his magician, Praetens, are pursuing them and the Bard kills several of them before convincing them to stop. The Torc Alta promise to hunt him down eventually, which is entirely possible given they can track a person's aura across plains.
When they arrive back at the city of the dead, Churon makes allegations against Mannam, claiming that he has been taking live humans into the Silent Wood to hunt for amusement. Churon says that he had no choice but to flee when he realised that Mannam was trying to trick him into taking on the role of God, freeing Mannam to be judged as dead and move on. Mannam himself was tricked into it and his form has been withered and twisted by the position.
Buiva becomes enraged and calls the other Gods to judge Mannam. His defence is that he is embittered by the twisted body he wears as death, and that he was bored, that humans are the playthings of the Gods and he is entitled to do as he pleases. They sentence Mannam to roam the world until the Old Faith is gone. While obviously useful to the plot, it obviously isn't a particularly sensible judgement, to let loose an ex-God on the world who wants their destruction, but such is the way of these things.
After the judgement, a new God appears in the Pantheon, Churon, Lord of the Dead. Churon now considers it unlikely that he will become as twisted as Mannam, because he had lived fully in the World of Men before he died. He explains that he cannot bring back Paedur's companions, that they died in a place outside death's sphere, and that Paedur must return to the World of Men to aid Kutor and the Pantheon. Katani is given life again to accompany him, and to assuage Churon's guilt over the events at the Sand Plain.
Meanwhile Owen and Tien tZo have been delayed by the cataclysm that swept the plane after Paedur's adventures on the Blessed Isle, and only now do they find Kutor. When they arrive Kutor and Keshian are suitably skeptical that one of the Band of Kloor has returned to the Faith, and Owen proves his identity as the Weapon Master by snapping a fired crossbolt mid-air. They accept him after seeing that he carries the mark of the Bard on his dagger.
The four of them discuss Kutor's campaign, and Owen cautions Kutor that to be a King, he must begin living like one, and surround himself only with those he trusts. Owen is quickly instated as the commander, replacing a relieved Keshian, and he begins to plan the campaign.
While visiting a nearby village they learn that there is a bandit, Cormac, demanding tribute from the people. Unsurprisingly, when they return to the Culai fortress they have appropriated there is a message, Cormac demands rent on it. He is apparently a Gallowglas, huge warriors who are part Chopt, and wield swords the length of a man's heightl, and so are some of his men. He commands a thousand men in total, but Owen is sure that the humans would be there under duress, probably with families in hostage. The only thing to do is defeat Cormac and steal his legion.
To that end, Owen and Tien tZo, along with a number of volunteers, sneak into Cormac's camp in the night to wreak havoc. They manage to kill a number of the Gallowglas, set fire to the camp, and stampede the horses. The following day Owen arrives at the disarrayed camp and challenges Cormac to a duel. Kutor and Keshian are unimpressed, thinking Owen quite mad for taking on a Gallowglas alone, but they accept that it is the only way, otherwise they will be wiped out by him before they begin. The night before the fight Owen and Tien tZo kill the remaining Gallowglas. The fight itself is interesting but quick, as are most of Owen's fights, and it goes to show why he's called the Weapon Master. Of course Owen wins, confessing to Kutor that the reason for the fight had been that they needed a ready-made army.
All this activity is not going unnoticed in the Capital, and the King is demanding information from his advisors. Geillard is served by Fodla, his Captain of the Guard, a legendary female warrior, Salier, his magician and catamite, and Barthus, Hierophant of the New Religion. They are well informed, knowing that Owen is free of the Iron Band, and in the West, that Kutor is preparing to rebel, and that Cormac is dead.
Fodla is the most well described of this group, and although we are given a scene from Salier's point of view, it illustrates Fodla, not Salier. She has a Spartan room, she is intimidating and intelligent, she is a big, strong woman. Several anecdotes through the novel display her public image, as stories of her prowess have spread wide. Perhaps the most amusing was that she killed a would-be armored assassin in her chambers while naked with nothing more than a silver hand mirror. Owen's snide comment on this was a definite laugh-out-loud moment.
Men are sent to investigate what Kutor is doing, and they are killed by Owen and Tien in an ambush. It is now that Owen realises that killing is not as easy as it once was, and Tien is awed by the change in his master. The imperial response is to send more men, and the first battle of the war is fought outside the Culai fortress. Although victorious, Owen is still concerned. He knows that the terrain and traps won the battle for them, and something more must be done to win the war.
Owen decides that he and Tien must go to the capital under cover, and they must kill Geillard, Fodla, Salier and Barthus. No one expects them to survive this or be particularly successful, and Keshian is concerned that the army won't follow his leadership after Owen leaves. They make Keshian a hero amongst the troops with a faked assassination attempt before they leave the army in his hands.
Tien enters the capital disguised as an Andam, a Priest of a bizarre sect of the Old Faith that studies in a swamp, who often become infected with a disease that wastes teh flesh and splits the skin, and so wear grey cloth wrapping their features. While waiting at the gate, another Andam strikes up a conversation and quickly realises Tien is no Priest. He uses his power to make Tien tell him the truth about his mission, but then helps him get through the gate into the city.
Tien decides that the best place to start is outside the main Temple, where he communes with one of his ancestors for advice. As he returns to reality he is accosted by guards of the New Religion and tells them he is converting, that Trialos has spoken to him. They take him to Barthus, who decides that Tien should be sent to Salier to see if he can be put to use.
Owen goes immediately to a mercenary bar, and proves his skills in a short knife fight in order to get a job arranged through the owner. The job is to assassinate Kutor, and thus he meets both Salier and Geillard to discuss the arrangements. While returning to Salier's room, Owen is warned to never touch Salier, that he is protected by powerful spells that turn the attack back on the attacker. Upon entering the room, he sees Tien tZo, and cries out a warning just as Tien throws a spike into Salier's eye.
The story proves to be untrue, as Salier is dead and Tien is fine, but they are now stuck in the room with soldiers appearing in the corridor. Fodla arrives and tells them that the is no way out, the defences around the room preclude exiting as well as entering.
While the soldiers shoot into the room using a seige crossbow, Salier rises again, clearly not dead, and begins to threaten them. Just as he is summoning his magic, one of the giant crossbolts rips through the door, and the flying debirs throws Salier across the room and into fire. He begins screaming and staggers out the door, setting fire to any of the soldiers who are nearby. I don't know if Michael Scott has a very black sort of humour or if that's just my take on it, but his style of writing here and in similar places strikes me as quite darkly humorous.
Owen and Tien are about to take advantage of the disctraction to try and kill Fodla when they hear the voice of the Bard behind them. They have wished for his presence often during their adventures in this book, and it made me feel quite relieved to have him show up just then, which is no doubt exactly what Michael Scott intended. Cliche perhaps, but you know those literary tricks always work.
Paedur enter the corridor and Salier turns, trying to attack him with magic. Fodla is the only one left in the corridor and drives her sword into it, which promptly melts as Salier strikes her down. Katani wants Salier destroyed before Fodla is burned to death, and Paedur calls on the Pantheon, easily dispatching the creature.
They move the charred Fodla into the room with them and she asks for death, which Owen is about to give her, when the the Bard heals her instead. She immediately decides that if he is a healer, he must be good, and transfers her allegiance to them. There are introductions all round and they begin to make new plans. Fodla will take the troops loyal to her and go with Owen and Tien to join Kutor's army. Katani and Paedur will continue with the original plan, and try to kill Barthus and Geillard.
The palace is sealed, but Paedur remembers a way in from his time at court. A brothel with an underground passage to the court. They go to the brothel and kill everyone except the woman who runs it, who Katani threatens to eat, and they are quickly told where to find the tunnel. Even though Katani is a fairly serious character, she is often used to good comic effect, particularly when it comes to killing people. Katani is to guard the brothel while Paedur goes to find Geillard.
Barthus is brokering a deal between Libellius, Death God of the New Religion, and Geillard. That Libellius will walk through Kutor's army killing and Geillard will later provide human bodies for the Gods to inhabit. Libellius disappears just before the arrival of Paedur. Barthus taunts the Bard, saying that Libellius will soon have taken Kutor, and then attacks him, but is quickly defeated, and we again have someone falling into a fire. Paedur leaves Geillard, deciding to try and stop Libellius. He makes it back to the brothel and instructs Katani to kill him, knowing he cannot make it to the battlefield in time without the help of Churon. Moments after he arrives in the Silent Wood, Katani appears, explaining that she allowed the next visitor to the brothel to kill her too.
Libelliius has been killing as he walks through Kutor's army, and Kutor's allies are ranged around him in useless defence when Paedur and Katani are restored in front of Libellius. Libellius retaliates by animating the bodies of the dead soldiers to attack Kutor's group. Paedur and Libellius fight, but the Bard is aware that the quai attacking his friends will soon overwhelm them.
He impales himself onto Libellius' sword while plunging his hook into the God. They fall and vanish together, the animated corpses collapsing.
The army enters the city, Geillard has fled to the north and left Kutor unchallenged and even though there was no battle, the allies are weary. They will bury their dead and devise something to honour the Bard.
'Honour the dead,' Paedur says, appearing intact, 'there is much yet to be done.'