The Worm Ouroboros by Eric Rücker Eddison (e book reader online .TXT) 📖
- Author: Eric Rücker Eddison
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very night you go ashipboard.” And he gave him an ill look, saying,
“Sith I lie tonight in Gallandus’s lodgings, I think it fit my
bodyguard should have thy chamber, my lord Duke, which, as I lately
learned, adjoineth it.”
Corsus said no word. But Gorius, his younger son, that was drunk with
wine, leaped up and said, “Corinius, in an evil hour art thou come
into this land to demand servitude of us. And thou art informed of my
father right maliciously if thou art afeared of us because of
Gallandus. ‘Tis this viper sitteth beside thee, the Goblin swabber,
told thee falsely this bad tale of us. And ‘tis pity he is still
inward with thee, for still he plotteth evil ‘gainst Witchland.”
Dekalajus thrust him aside, saying to Corinius, “Heed not my brother
though he be hasty and rude of speech; for in wine he speaketh, and
wine is another man. But most true it is, O Corinius, and this shall
the Duke my father and all we swear and confirm to thee with the
mightiest oaths thou wilt, that Gallandus sought to usurp authority
for this sake only, to betray our whole army to the enemy. And ‘twas
only therefore Corsus slew him.”
“That is a flat lie,” said Laxus.
Gro laughed lightly.
But Corinius’s sword leaped half naked from the scabbard, and he made
a stride toward Corsus and his sons. “Give me the king’s name when ye
speak to me,” he said, scowling upon them. “You sons of Corsus are not
men to make me a stalk to catch birds with or to serve your own turn.
And thou,” he said, looking fiercely on Corsus, “wert best go meekly,
and not bandy words with me. Thou fool! think’st thou I am Gallandus
come again? Thou that didst murther him shalt not murther me. Or
think’st I delivered thee out of the toils thine own folly and
thrawart ways had bound thee in, only to suffer thee lord it again
here and cast all amiss again by the unquietness of thy malice? Here
is the guard to bring you down to the ship. And well it is for thee if
I slash not off thy head.”
Now Corsus and his sons stood for a little doubting in their hearts
whether it were fitter to leap with their weapons upon Corinius,
putting their fortunes to the hazard of battle in Owlswick hall, or to
embrace necessity and go down to the ship. And this seemed to them the
better choice, to go quietly ashipboard; for there stood Corinius and
Laxus and their men, and but few to face them of Corsus’s own people,
that should be sure for his party if it came to fighting; and withal
they were not eager to have to do with Corinius, not though it had
been on more even terms. So at the last, in anger and bitterness of
heart, they submitted them to obey his will; and in that same hour
Laxus brought them to the ship, and put them across the firth to
Scaramsey.
There were they safe as a mouse in a mill. For Cadarus was skipper of
that ship, a trusted liegeman of Lord Laxus, and her crew men leal and
true to Corinius and Laxus. She lay at anchor as for that night in the
lee of the island, and with the first streak of dawn sailed down the
firth, bearing Corsus and his sons homeward from Demonland.
XXI THE PARLEY BEFORE KROTHERINGWherein is shown how warlike policy and a
picture painted drew the war westward: and how
the Lord Gro went on an embassage to
Krothering Gates, and of the answer he gat there.
NOW it is to be said of Zigg that he failed not to fulfil Spitfire’s
behest, but gathered hastily an army of more than fifteen hundred
horse and foot out of the northern dales and the habitations about
Shalgreth Heath and the pasture-lands of Kelialand and Switchwater Way
and the region of Rammerick, and came in haste over the Stile. But
when Corinius knew of this faring from the west, he marched three
thousand strong to meet them above Moonmere Head, to deny them the way
to Galing. But Zigg, being yet in the upper defiles of Breakingdale,
now for the first time had advertisement of the great slaughter at
Thremnir’s Heugh, and how the forces of Spitfire and Volhe were broken
and scattered and themselves fled up into the mountains; and so
deeming it small gain with so little an army to give battle to
Corinius, he turned back without more ado and returned hastily over
the Stile whence he came. Corinius sent light forces to harry his
retreat, but being not minded as then to follow them into the west
country, let build a burg in the throat of the pass in a place of
vantage, and stationed there sufficient men to ward it, and so came
again to Owlswick.
They that were with Corinius in Demonland numbered now more than five
thousand fighting men: a great and redoubtable army. With these, the
weather being fine and open, he in a short time laid under him all
eastern Demonland, gave Galing alone. Bremery of Shaws with but
seventy men held Galing for Lord Juss against all assaults. So that
Corinius, thinking this fruit should ripen later and drop into his
hand when the rest had been gathered, resolved at winter’s end to
march with his main army into the west country, leaving a small force
to hold down the eastlands and contain Bremery in Galing. To this
determination he was led by all arguments of sound soldiership, most
happily seconding his own inclinations. For besides this of warlike
policy two scarce weaker lodestones drew him westward: first the old
cankered malice he bare in his heart against the Lord Brandoch Daha,
that made Krothering his dearest prey; and next, his own lustful
desires most outrageously burning for the Lady Mevrian. And this only
for the sight of her picture, found by him in Spitfire’s closet among
his pens and inkstands and other trinkets, which once looked on he
swore that with Heaven’s will (ay, or without if so it must be) she
should be his paramour.
So on the fourteenth day of March, of a bright frosty morn, he with
his main army marched up Breakingdale and over the Stile, by that same
road that Lord Juss fared by and Lord Brandoch Daha, that summer’s day
when they went to take counsel in Krothering before the Impland
expedition. So came the Witches down to the watersmeet and turned
aside to Many Bushes. There they found not Zigg nor his lady wife nor
any of his folk, but found the house desolate. So they robbed and
burned and went their way. And a famous castle of Juss’s they sacked
and burned in the confines of Kelialand, and another on Switchwater
Way, and a summer palace of Spitfire’s on a little hill above
Rammerick Mere. In such wise they marched victoriously down
Switchwater Way, and there was none to dispute their progress but all
fled at the approach of that great army and hid themselves in the
secret places of the mountains, avoiding death and fate.
When he was come through the straits of Gashterndale up on to
Krothering Side, Corinius let pitch his camp under Erngate End, at the
foot of the scree-strewn slopes that rise steeply to the high western
face of the mountain, where the lean embattled crags far aloft stand
like a wall against high heaven.
Corinius came to Lord Gro and said to him, “To thee will I entrust
mine embassage to this Mevrian. Thou shalt go with a flag of truce to
gain thee entry to the castle; or if they will not admit thee, then
bid her parley with thee without the wall. Then shalt thou use what
fantastic courtier’s jargon nature and thine invention shall
lightliest counsel thee, and say, ‘Corinius, by the grace of the great
King and the might of his own hand king of Demonland, sitteth as thou
well mayst see in power invincible before this castle. But he willed
me let thee know that he is not come for to make war against ladies
and damosels, and be thou of this sure, that neither to thee nor to
none of thy fortress he will nought say nor hurt. Only this honour he
proffereth thee, to wed thee in sweet marriage and make thee his queen
in Demonland.’ Whereto if she say yea, well and good, and we will go
up peaceably into Krothering and possess it and the woman. But if she
deny me this, then shalt thou say unto her right fiercely that I will
set on against the castle like a lion, and neither rest nor give over
until I have beaten it all to a ruin about her ears and slain the folk
with the edge of the sword. And that which she refuseth me to have in
peaceful love and kindness I will have of my own violent deed, that
she and her stiffnecked Demons may know that I am their king, and
master of all that is theirs, and their own bodies but chattels to
serve my pleasure.”
Gro said, “My Lord Corinius, choose I pray thee another who shall be
fitter than I to do this errand for thee;” and so for a long time most
earnestly besought him. But Corinius, the more he perceived the duty
hateful to Gro, the firmer became his resolution that none but Gro
should undertake it. So that in the end Gro perforce consented, and in
the same hour went with eleven up to the gates of Krothering, and a
white flag of truce was borne before him.
He sent his herald up to the gate to desire speech of the Lady
Mevrian. And in a while the gates were opened, and she came down
attended to meet Lord Gro in the open garden before the bridge-gate.
It was by then late afternoon, and the burning sun swam low amid
streaked level clouds incarnadine, setting aflame the waters of
Thunderfirth with the reflection of his beams. From the horizon, high
beyond the pine-clad hills of Westmark, a range of clouds reared
themselves, solid and of an iron hue; so hardedged against the vapoury
sky of sunset, that they seemed substantial mountains, not clouds:
unearthly mountains (a man might fancy) divinely raised up for
Demonland, for whom not all her ancient hills gave any longer refuge
against her enemies. Here, in Krothering gates, wintersweet and the
little purple daphne bush that blooms before the leaf breathed
fragrance abroad. Yet was it not this sweetness in the air that
troubled the Lord Gro, nor that western glory burning that dazzled his
eyes; but to look upon that lady standing in the gate, white-skinned
and dark, like the divine Huntress, tall and proud and lovely.
Mevrian, seeing him speechless, said at last, “My lord, I heard thou
hadst some errand to declare unto me. And seeing a great camp of war
gathered under Erngate End, and having heard of robbers and evildoers
rife about the land these many moons, I look not for soft speech. Take
heart, therefore, and declare plainly what ill thou meanest.”
Gro answered and said, “Tell me first if thou that speakest art in
truth the Lady Mevrian, that I may know whether to human kind I speak
or to some Goddess come down from the shining floor of heaven.”
She answered, “Of thy compliments I have nought to do. I am she thou
namest.”
“Madam,” said Lord Gro, “I would not have brought your highness this
message nor delivered it, but
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