As for the Half World- How can I describe a place that has no single matching criterion with what I have known? How can I speak of things for which no words have been invented? One tells of things unknown in terms of things which are known. Here there is no relationship by which to link; all is irrelevant. All I can hope to do is tell how matters affected my human senses, how events influenced my human emotions, knowing that there are two falsehoods involved - the falsehood I saw and felt, and the falsehood that I tell.
I have discussed this matter with Jedson, and he agrees with me that the difficulty is insuperable, yet some things may be said with a partial element of truth - truth of a sort, with respect to how the Half World impinged on me.
There is one striking difference between the real world and the Half World. In the real world there are natural laws which persist through changes of custom and culture; in the Half World only custom has any degree of persistence, and of natural law there is none. Imagine, if you please, a condition in which the head of a state might repeal the law of gravitation and have his decree really effective - a place where King Canute could order back the sea and have the waves obey him. A place where up' and down' were matters of opinion, and directions might read as readily in days or colours as in miles. And yet it was not a meaningless anarchy, for they were constrained to obey their customs as unavoidably as we comply with the rules of natural phenomena.
We made a sharp turn to the left in the formless greyness that surrounded us in order to survey the years for a sabbat meeting. It was Amanda's intention to face the Old One with the matter directly rather than to search aimlessly through ever changing mazes of the Half World for a being hard to identify at best.
Royce picked Out the sabbat, though I could see nothing until we let the ground come up to meet us and proceeded on foot. Then there was light and form. Ahead of us, perhaps a quarter of a mile away, was an eminence surmounted by a great throne which glowed red through the murky air. I could not make out clearly the thing seated there, but I knew it was himself' - our ancient enemy.
We were no longer alone. Life - sentient, evil undeadness - boiled around us and fogged the air and crept out of the ground. The ground itself twitched and pulsated as we walked over it. Faceless things sniffed and nibbled at our heels. We were aware of unseen presences about us in the fog-shot gloom: beings that squeaked, grunted, and sniggered; voices that were slobbering whimpers, that sucked and retched and bleated.
They seemed vaguely disturbed by our presence - Heaven knows that I was terrified by them! - for I could hear them flopping and shuffling out of our path, then closing cautiously in behind, as they bleated warnings to one another.
A shape floundered into our path and stopped, a shape with a great bloated head and moist, limber arms. Back!' it wheezed. Go back! Candidates for witchhood apply on the lower level.' It did not speak English, but the words were clear.
Royce smashed it in the face and we stamped over it, its chalky bones crunching underfoot. It pulled itself together again, whining its submission, then scurried out in front of us and thereafter gave us escort right up to the great throne.
That's the only way to treat these beings,' Joe whispered in my ear. Kick em in the teeth first, and they'll respect you.' There was a clearing before the throne which was crowded with black witches, black magicians, demons in every foul guise, and lesser unclean things. On the left side the cauldron boiled. On the right some of the company were partaking of the witches' feast. I turned my head away from that. Directly before the throne, as custom calls for, the witches' dance was being performed for the amusement of the Goat. Some dozens of men and women, young and old, comely and hideous, cavorted and leaped in impossible acrobatic adagio.
The dance ceased and they gave way uncertainly before us as we pressed up to the throne. What's this? What's this?' came a husky, phlegm-filled voice. It's my little sweetheart! Come up and sit beside me, my sweet! Have you come at last to sign my compact?'
Jedson grasped my arm; I checked my tongue.
I'll stay where I am,' answered Amanda in a voice crisp with contempt. As for your compact, you know better.'
Then why are you here? And why such odd companions.' He looked down at us from the vantage of his throne, slapped hairy thigh and laughed immoderately. Royce stirred and muttered; his grandfather's head chattered in wrath. Seraphhi spat.
Jedson and Amanda put their heads together for a moment, then she answered, By the treaty with Adam, I claim the right to examine.
He chuckled, and the little devils around him covered their ears. You claim privileges here? With no compact?'
Your customs,' she answered sharply.
Ah yes, the customs! Since you invoke them, so let it be. And whom would you examine?'
I do not know his name. He is one of your demons who has taken improper liberties outside your sphere.'
One of my demons, and you know not his name? I have seven million demons, my pretty. Will you examine them one by one, or all together?' His sarcasm was almost the match of her contempt.
All together.'
Never let it be said that I would not oblige a guest. If you will go forward - let me see - exactly five months and three days, you will find my gentlemen drawn up for inspection.'
I do not recollect how we got there. There was a great, brown plain, and no sky. Drawn up in military order for review by their evil lord were all the fiends of the Half World, legion on legion, wave after wave. The Old One was attended by his cabinet; Jedson pointed them out to me - Lucifugй, the prime minister; Sataniacha, field marshal; Beelzebub and Leviathan, wing commanders; Ashtoreth, Abaddon, Mammon, Theutus, Asmodeus, and Incubus, the Fallen Thrones. The seventy princes each commanded a division, and each remained with his command, leaving only the dukes and the thrones to attend their lord, Satan Mekratrig.
He himself still appeared as the Goat, but his staff took every detestable shape they fancied. Asmodeus sported three heads, each evil and each different, rising out of the hind quarters of a swollen dragon. Mammon resembled, very roughly, a particularly repulsive tarantula. Ashtoreth I cannot describe at all. Only the Incubus affected a semblance of human form, as the only vessel adequate to display his lecherousness.
The Goat glanced our way. Be quick about it,' he demanded. We are not here for your amusement.'
Amanda ignored him, but led us towards the leading squadron. Come back!' he bellowed. And indeed we were back; our steps had led us no place. You ignore the custom. Hostages first!'
Amanda bit her lip. Admitted,' she retorted, and consulted briefly with Royce and Jedson. I caught Royce's answer to some argument.
Since I am to go,' he said, it is best that I choose my companion, for reasons that are sufficient to me. My grandfather advises me to take the youngest. That one, of course, is Fraser.'
What's this?' I said when my name was mentioned. I had been rather pointedly left out of all the discussions, but this was surely my business.
Royce wants you to go with him to smell out Ditworth,' explained Jedson.
And leave Amanda here with these fiends? I don't like it.'
I can look out for myself, Archie,' she said quietly. If Dr Worthington wants you, you can help me most by going with him.'
What is this hostage stuff?'
Having demanded the right of examination,' she explained, you must bring back Ditworth - or the hostages are forfeit.'
Jedson spoke up before I could protest. Don't be a hero, son. This is serious. You can serve us all best by going. If you two don't come back, you can bet that they'll have a fight on their hands before they claim their forfeit!'