«I doubt it, » Moonglum laughed. Elric sighed. «If we are not judder man we have been, we'll see Chaos unleashed on the globe and Law forever vanquished, » he said gloomily.
«And no luck for us if Law is triumphant, eh?» Sepiriz poured himself a cup of the wine, showing that he, also, must be weary with his own efforts.
«What do you mean?» Moonglum asked curiously.
Sepiriz told him that he and Elric, though fighting Chaos, were actually fitted to a world where Chaos, to a great extent, was dominant In the world they hoped for, where Law ruled, there would be no place for their like.
Moonglum looked sharply at Elric, understanding that much more of his friend's unenviable predicament.
«You said there was work for me and my sword, Sepiriz.» Elric leaned forward. «What's its nature?»
«You have no doubt already learned that Jagreen Lern has summoned the Dukes of Hell to captain his men and keep his conquered lands under control?»
«Yes.»
«You understand the import of this. Jagreen Lern has succeeded in making a sizeable breach in the Law-constructed barrier which has hitherto kept the creatures of Chaos from wholly ruling the planet He is forever widening this breach as his power increases. This explains how he could summon such a mighty assembly of Hell's nobility where, in the past it was hard to bring one to our plain. Arioch is among them...»
«Arioch! » Arioch was Elric's patron, the principle god word shipped by his ancestors. «Then I am now a total outcast unprotected either by Law or by Chaos! »
«Your only dose supernatural ally is your sword, » Sepiriz said grimly. «And, perhaps, its brothers.»
«What brothers? There is only the sister-sword Mournblade which Dyvim Slorm has! »
«Do you remember that I told you how the twin swords were actually only an earthly manifestation of their supernatural selves?» Sepiriz said calmly.
«Yes.»
«Well. I can ten you now that Stormbringer's 'real' being is related to other supernatural force' on another plane. I know how to summon them, but these relations are also creatures of Chaos and therefore, as far as you're concerned, somewhat hard to control. They could well get out of hand in some way-perhaps even turn against you. Stormbringer, as you have discovered in the past, is bound to you by ties even stronger than those which bind it to its brothers, but its brothers outnumber it and Stormbringer might not be able to protect you against them.»
«Why have I never known this?»
«You have known it, in a way. Do you remember times when you have called for help and help has come?»
«Yes. You mean that this help has been supplied by Stormbringer's brethren?»
«I do. Already they are used to coming to your help. They are not what you and I would call 'intelligent, ‘ though sentient, and are therefore not so strongly bound to Chaos as its reasoning servants. They can be controlled, to a degree, by anyone who has power such as you have over one of their brothers. If you need their help, you will need to remember a rune which I shall tell you later.»
«And what is my task?»
«To destroy the Dukes of Hell.»
«But that's impossible. They are one of the mightiest groups in the entire domain of Chaos! «
«True. But you control one of the mightiest weapons. That is your task. Already there are hints that the Demon Dukes have taken some of Jagreen Lern's power from him. The fool. He still refuses to realise not he is a puppet of Chaos and thinks he can rule over such supernatural might as the Dukes represent But it is a certainty not with these friends Jagreen Lern can defeat the Southlands with a minimum of expenditure in arms and men. Without them he could do h-but It would take more time and effort and therefore give us a slight advantage to prepare against him white he subdues the Southlands.»
Elric did not bother to ask Sepiriz how he knew of the Southerners' decision to fight Jagreen Lern alone. Sepiriz obviously had many powers as was proved by his ability to contact Brie through the seer.
«I have sworn to help the Southlands in spite of their refusal to side with us against the Theocrats» he said calmly.
«And you'll keep your oath-by destroying the Dukes if you can.»
«Destroying Arioch, and Balan and Maluk...» Elric whispered the names, fearful that even here he might invoke them.
«Arioch has always been an intractable demon, » Moonglum pointed out «Many times in the past he has refused to aid you, Elric.»
«Because, » Sepiriz said, «he already had some knowledge that you and he were to fight in the future.»
Though the wine had refreshed his body, Elric began to ache in different ways. The strain on his soul was almost at breaking point. To fight the demon-god his ancestors had worshipped for millenia... The old blood was still strong in him, the old loyalties still present.
Sepiriz rose and gripped Elric's Shoulder, staring with black eyes into the dazed and smouldering red.
«You have pledged yourself to this mission, remember.»
Elric drew himself upright, nodded vaguely. «Aye. And even had I been given this knowledge before I made the pledge, I would still have made it But…»
«What?»
«Do not place too much faith in my ability to fulfil this part, Sepiriz.» The black Nihrain said nothing.
Later he left Elric brooding and returned with a white tablet on which Old nines were engraved.
He handed it to the albino who received it wordlessly.
«Memorise the spell, » Sepiriz said softly, »And then destroy fee tablet. But remember, only use it in an extreme emergency for, as I warned you, Stormbringer's brethren may refuse to aid you.»
Elric made an effort and controlled his emotion. For a long time, long after Moonglum had gone to rest, he studied the rune, learning not only how to verbalise it but also the twists of logic which he would have to understand, and the state of mind into which he must put himself if it were to be effective.
When both he and Sepiriz were satisfied, Elric allowed a lave to take him to his sleeping chamber, but slumber came hard to him and he spent the night in restless torment until a slave came to wake him the next morning and found him fully dressed and ready to ride for Pan Tang where the Dukes of Hell were assembled.
Four
Through the stricken lands of the west rode Elric and Moonglum, astride sturdy Nihrain steeds that seemed to need no rest and contained no fear. The Nihrain horses were a special gift, for they had certain additional powers to their unnatural strength and endurance. Sepiriz had told them how, in fact, the steeds did not have full existence on the earthly plane and that their hooves did not touch the ground in the strict sense, but touched the stuff of their other plane. This gave them the ability to appear to gallop on air-or water.
Scenes of terror were everywhere to be found. At one time they saw in the distance a frightful sight, a wild and hellish mob destroying a village built around a castle. The castle itself was in flames and on the horizon a mountain gouted smoke and fire. Though the looters had human shape, they were degenerate creatures, spilling blood and drinking it with equal abandon. And directing them without joining their orgy Elric and Moonglum saw what seemed to be a corpse astride the living skeleton of a horse, bedecked in bright trappings, a naming sword in its band and a golden helm on its head.
They skirted the scene and rode fast away from it, through mists that looked and smelt like blood, over rivers dammed with death, past rustling forests that seemed to follow them, beneath skies often filled with ghastly winged shapes bearing even ghastlier burdens. At other times they met groups of warriors, many of them in the armour and trappings of the conquered nations, but depraved and obviously sold to Chaos.