«We have forgotten it for good reason, mortal. The balance has tipped to such an extent in our favour that it is no longer adjustable. We triumph! »
Elric used this pause to collect himself. Sensing his renewed strength, Stormbringer responded with a confident purr.
The dukes also sensed it and glanced at one another.
Arioch's beautiful face seemed to flare with anger and his pseudo-body glided down the steps towards Elric, his fellow dukes following.
Elric's steed backed away a few paces.
A blot of living fire seemed to appear in Arioch's hand and it shot towards the albino. He felt cold pain in his chest and he staggered in the saddle.
«Your body is unimportant, Elric. But think of a similar blow to your soul! » Arioch screamed, the facade of patience dropping from him.
Elric flung back his head and laughed. Arioch had betrayed himself. If he had remained calm he would have had a greater advantage, but now he showed himself perturbed, whatever he had said to the contrary.
«Arioch - you aided me in the past. You will regret that! »
«There's still time to undo my folly, upstart mortal! » Another bolt came streaking towards him but Elric passed Stormbringer before it and observed, in relief, that it deflected the unholy weapon.
But, against such might, they were surely doomed, unless they could invoke some supernatural aid. But Elric dared not risk summoning his runesword's brothers. Not yet. He must think of some other means.
As he retreated towards the searing bolts, Moonglum behind him whispering almost impotent charms, he thought of the vulture-lions he had sent back to Chaos. Perhaps he could recall them-for a different purpose.
The spell was fresh in his mind, requiring a slightly changed mental state and scarcely changed wording.
Calmly, working mechanically to deflect the bolts of the dukes whose features had changed hideously to retain their previous beauty but take on an increasingly malevolent appearance, he uttered the spell.
«Creatures! Matik of Melnibone made thee
From stuff of unformed madness!
Thou wouldst live, then aid me now,
Come hither, or Matik's brew again shall be!»
From out of the rolling darks of the plaza, the beaked beasts appeared, prowling.
Elric yelled at the dukes. «Mortal weapons cannot harm you! But these are beasts of your own plane-sample their ferocity.» He ordered the vulture-lions upon the dukes.
Obviously put out by this. Arioch and his fellows backed towards the steps again, calling their own commands to the giant animals, but the things advanced, gathering speed.
Elric saw Arioch shout, rave and then his body seemed to split asunder and rise in a new, less recognisable shape as the beasts attacked. All was suddenly ragged colour, sound and disordered matter.
Behind the embattled demons, Elric saw Jagreen Lern running back into his palace. Hoping that the creatures he had summoned would hold the dukes, Elric rode his horse around the boiling mass and galloped up the steps.
Through the doors the two men rode, catching a glimpse of the terrified theocrat running before them.
«Your allies were not so strong as you believed, Jagreen Lern! » Elric yelled as he bore down upon his enemy. «Why, you foolish latecomer, did you think your knowledge notched that of a Melnibonean! »
Jagreen Lern began to climb a winding staircase, labouring up the steps, too afraid even to look back.
Elric laughed again and pulled his horse to a stop, watching the running man:
«Dukes! Dukes! » sobbed Jagreen Lern as he climbed. «Do not desert me now! »
Moonglum whispered. «Surely those creatures will not defeat the aristocracy of hell?»
Elric shook his head. «I do not expect them to, but if I finish Jagreen Lern, at least it could put an end to his conquests and demon-summoning.» He spurred the Nihrain steed up the steps after the theocrat who heard him coming and flung himself into a room. Elric heard a bar fall and bolts squeal.
When he reached the door it fell in at a blow of his sword and he was in a small chamber. Jagreen Lern had disappeared. Dismounting, Elric went to a small door in the farthest corner of the room and again demolished it A narrow stair led upwards, obviously into a tower.
Now he could take his vengeance, he thought, as he reached yet another door at the top of the stair and-drew back his sword to smite it. The blow fell, but the door held.
«Curse the thing, it is protected by charms! » he swore.
He was just about to aim another blow, when he heard Moonglum's urgent calling from below.
«Elric! Elric - they've defeated the creatures. They are returning to the palace.»
He would have to leave Jagreen Lern for the meantime. He sprang down the steps, into the chamber and out on to the stair. In the hall he saw the flowing shapes of the unholy trinity. Half-way up the stair, Moonglum was quaking.
«Stormbringer, » said Elric, »it is time to summon your brothers.»
The sword twisted in his hand, as if in assent
Elric began to chant the mind-torturing, throat-torturing rune that Sepiriz had taught him.
Stormbringer moaned a counterpoint chorus to the dirge as the battle-worn dukes assumed different shapes and began to rise menacingly towards Elric.
Then, in the air all about him, he saw shapes appear, shadowy shapes half on his own plane, half on the plane of Chaos. He saw them stir and suddenly it seemed as if the air was filled with a million swords, each a twin to Stormbringer!
Acting on instinct, Elric released his grip on his blade and flung it towards the rest. It hung in the air before them and they seemed to acknowledge it «Lead them, Stormbringer Lead them against the dukes-or your master perishes and you'll not drink another human soul again! »
The sea of swords rustled and a dreadful moaning emanated from them. The dukes flung themselves upwards towards the albino and he recoiled before the evil hatred that poured from the twisting shapes.
Glancing down he saw Moonglum slumped in his saddle and did not know if he had perished or fainted.
Then the swords rushed upon the reaching dukes and Elric's head swam with the sight of a million blades plunging into the stuff of their beings.
The unholy noise of the battle filled his ears, the dreadful sight of the toiling conflict clouded his vision. Without Stormbringer's vitality he felt weak and limp. He felt his knees shake and crumple and he could do nothing to aid the black sword's brothers as they clashed with the Dukes of Hell.
He collapsed, aware that if he witnessed such horror much longer he would become totally insane. Thankfully, he felt his mind go blank and then, at last, he was unconscious, unable to know which would win.
Five
His body itched. His arms and bade ached. His wrists pounded with agony. Elric opened his eyes.
Immediately opposite him, spreadeagled in chains against the wall he saw Moonglum. Dull flame nickered in the centre of the place and he felt pain cm his naked knee, looked down and saw Jagreen Lern.
The Theocrat spat at him.
«So, » Elric said horrowly. «I failed. You triumph after all.»
Jagreen Lern did not look triumphant Rage still burned in his eyes.
«Oh, how shall I punish you, » he said.
«Punish me? Then-?» Elric's heartbeat increased.
«Your final spell succeeded, » the Theocrat said dully, turning away to contemplate the brazier. «Both your allies and mine vanished and all my attempts to contact the dukes have proved fruitless. You achieved your threat-or your minions did-you sent them back to Chaos forever! »
«My sword-what of that?»
The Theocrat smiled bitterly. «That's my only pleasure. Your sword vanished with its brothers. You are weak and helpless now, Elric. You are mine to maim and torture until the end of my life.»
Elric was dumbfounded by the news. Part of him rejoiced that the dukes had been beaten. Part of him lamented the loss of his sword. As Jagreen Ler
n had emphasised, without the blade he was less than half a man, for his albinoism weakened him. Already his eye-sight was dimmer and he felt no response in his limbs.
Jagreen Lern looked up at him.
«Enjoy the comparatively painless days left you, Elric, but I leave you to anticipate what I have in store for you. I must away and instruct my men in the final preparations for the war-fleet soon to sail against the South. I won't waste time with crude torture now, for all the while I shall be scheming the most exquisite tortures conceivable. You shall take long years to die. I swear! »
He left the cell and as the door slammed he heard Jagreen Lern instructing the guard.
«Keep the brazier at full blast. Let them sweat like damned souls in hell. Feed them enough to keep them alive once every three days. They will soon be crying for water. Give them only sufficient to sustain their lives. They deserve far worse than this and they'll get their desserts when my mind has had time to work on the problem.»
A day later, the real agony began. Their bodies gave out the last of their sweat Their tongues were swollen in their heads and all the time as they groaned in their torment, they were aware that this terrible torture would be nothing compared to what they might expect Elric's weakened body would not respond to his desperate struggling and at length his mind dulled, the agony became constant and familiar, and time was non-existent
Finally, through a pain-thick daze, he recognised a voice. The hate-filled voice of Jagreen Lern.
Others were in the chamber. He felt their hands seize him and his body was suddenly light as he was borne, moaning from the cell.
Though he heard disjointed phrases he could make no sense of Jagreen Lern's words.
He was taken to a dark place that rolled about, hurting his scorched chest
Later, he heard Moonglum's voice and strained to hear the words.
«Elric! What's happening? We're aboard a ship at sea, I'd swear»
But Elric mumbled disinterestedly. Gradually his deficient body was weakening, faster than would a normal man's. He thought of Zarozinia, whom he would never see again. He knew he would not live to know whether Law or Chaos finally won, or even if the Southlands would stand against the theocrat.
And these problems were fading in his mind again.
Then the food started to come and the water and it revived turn somewhat At some stage, he opened his eyes and stared upwards into the thinly smiling face of Jagreen Lern.
«Thank the gods, » said the Theocrat «I feared we'd lost you. You're a delicate case to be sure, my friend. You must stay alive longer than this. To begin my entertainment, I have arranged for you to sail on my own flagship. We are now crossing the Dragon Sea, our fleet well-protected by charms against the monsters roaming these parts.» He frowned. «Thanks to you, we haven't the same call for the charms which would have borne us safely through the Chaos-torn waters. They are almost normal for the moment. But that will soon be changed.»
Elric's old spirit returned for a moment and he glared at his enemy, too weak to voice the loathing he felt.
Jagreen Lern laughed softly and stirred Eric's gaunt white head with the the of his boot «I think I can brew a drug which will give you a little more vitality.»
The food was foul-tasting and had to be forced between Eric's mumbling lips, but after a while he was able to sit up and observe the huddled body of Moonglum. Evidently the little man had totally succumbed to his torture. To his surprise, Elric discovered he was unfettered and he crawled the agonising distance between himself and the Eastlander, shaking Moonglum's shoulder. He groaned but did not respond.
A Shaft of dim light appeared and Elric looked up to see not the hatch-cover had been prised aside and Jagreen Lern stared down at him.
«I see the brew had its effect. Come, Elric, smell the invigorating sea and fed the warm sun on your body. We are not many miles from the coasts of Argimiliar and our scout-ships report quite a sizeable fleet sailing hence.»
Elric cursed. «By Arioch, I hope they send you all to the bottom! »
Jagreen Lern pursed his lips mockingly. «By whom? Arioch? Do you not remember what ensued in my own palace? Arioch cannot be invoked. Not by you-not by me. Your stinking spells saw to that.»
He turned to an invisible lieutenant «Bind him and bring him on deck. You know what to do with him.»
Two warriors dropped into the hold and grasped the still weak Elric, tying his arms and legs and manhandling him on to the deck. He gasped as the sun's glare struck his eyes.
«Prop him up so he may see all, » Jagreen Lern ordered.
The warriors obeyed and Elric was lifted to a sending position, seeing Jagreen Lern's huge, black flagship with its silken deck canopies flapping in a steady westerly breeze, its three banks of straining oarsmen and its tall ebony mast bearing a sail of dark red.
Beyond the ship's rails, Elric saw a massive fleet surging in the flagship's wake. As well as the vessels of Pan Tang and Dharijor there were many from Jharkor, Shazar and Tarkesh but on every scarlet sail the Merman blazon of Pan Tang was painted.
Depression filled Elric, for he knew that the Southlands, however strong, could not notch a fleet like this. «We have been at sea for only three days, » said Jagreen Lern, »but thanks to a witch-wind, we're almost at our destination. A scout ship has recently reported that the Lormyrian navy, hearing rumours of our superior sea-power, is sailing to join with us. A wise move of King Montan - for the moment, at any rate. I’ll make use of him for the time being and, when his usefulness is over, I’ll have him killed for the treacherous turncoat he is.»
«Why do you tell me all this?» Elric whispered, his teeth gritted against the pain that came with any slight movement of his face or body.
«Because I want you to witness for yourself the defeat of the South. I want you to know that what you sought to avert will come to pass. After we have subdued the South and sucked her of her treasures, we'll vanquish the Isle of tee Purple Towns and press forward to sack Vilmir and Ilmion. That will be an easy matter don't you agree?»
When Elric did not reply, Jagreen Lern gestured impatiently to his men.
«Tie him to the mast so that he may get a good view of the battle. I’ll put a protective charm around his body, for I do not want him to be killed by a stray arrow and cheat me of my full vengeance.»
Elric was borne up and roped to the mast, but he was scarcely aware of it, for his head lolled on his right shoulder, only semi-conscious.
The massive fleet plunged onwards, certain of victory.
By mid-afternoon Elric was aroused from his stupor by the shout of the helmsman. «Sad to the south-east! Lormyrian fleet approaches.»
With impotent anger, Elric saw the fifty two-masted ships, their sails bright against the sombre scarlet of Jagreen Lern's vessels, come into line with the others.
Lormyr, though a smaller power than Argimiliar, had a larger navy. Elric judged that King Mootan's treachery had cost the south more than a quarter of its strength.
Now he knew there was absolutely no hope for the south and that Jagreen Lern's certainty of victory was well-founded.
Night fell and the huge fleet lay at anchor. A guard came to feed Elric a mushy porridge containing another dose of the revitalising drug. As he revived, his anger increased, and Jagreen Lern paused by the mast on two occasions, taunting him savagely.
«Soon after dawn we shall meet the southern fleet, » Jagreen Lern smiled, »and by noon what is left of it will float as bloody driftwood behind us as we press on to establish our reign over those nations who so foolishly relied on their seapower as defence.»
Elric remembered how he had warned the Icings of the Southlands that this was likely to happen if they stood alone against the theocrat. But he wished that he had been wrong. With the defeat of the south, the conquest of the east seemed bound to follow and, when Jagreen Lern ruled the world, Chaos would dominate and the earth revert to the sniff from which it had been formed millions of years before.
&nbs
p; All through that moonless night he brooded, pulling his thoughts together, summoning all his strength for a plan that was, as yet, only a shadow in the back of his mind.
Six
The rattle of anchors woke him.
Shaking in the light of the watery sun. he saw the southern fleet on the horizon, riding gracefully in hollow pomp towards the ships of Jagreen Lern.
Either, he thought, the southern kings were very brave or else they did not understand the strength of their enemies.
Beneath him, on Jagreen Lern's foredeck, a great catapult rested, and slaves had already filled its cup with a large hall of flaming pitch. Normally. Elric knew, such catapults were an encumbrance, since when they reached that size they were difficult to rewind and gave lighter war-machines the advantage. Yet obviously Jagreen Lern's engineers were not fools. Elric noted extra mechanisms on the big catapult and realised they were equipped to rewind rapidly.
The wind had dropped and five hundred pairs of muscles alone strove to row Jagreen Lern's galley along. On the deck, in disciplined order, his warriors took their posts beside the great boarding platforms that would drop down on to opponent ships and grapple them at the same time as they formed a bridge between the vessels.
Elric was forced to admit that Jagreen Lern had used foreright. He had not relied wholly on supernatural aid. His ships were the best equipped he had ever seen.
The southern fleet, Elric decided, was doomed. To fight Jagreen Lern was not bravery-it was insanity.
But Jagreen Lern had made one mistake. He had, in his gnawing desire for vengeance, ensured that Elric's vitality was restored for a few hours and this vitality extended to his mind as well as his body.
Stormbringer had vanished. With the sword he was, among men, all but invincible. Without it, he was helpless. These were facts. Therefore he must somehow regain the blade. But how? It had returned to the plane of Chaos with its brothers, presumably drawn back there by the overwhelming force of the rest.
He must contact it
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