The Worm Ouroboros by Eric Rücker Eddison (e book reader online .TXT) 📖
- Author: Eric Rücker Eddison
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“They had forth the great map o’ the world, of this Demonland, to
study their business. I was by, pouring the wine, and I heard their
disputations. ‘Tis a wondrous map wrought in crystal and bronze, most
artificial, with waters a-glistering and mountains standing
substantial to the touch. My Lord points with’s sword. ‘Here,’ a
saith, ‘standeth Corinius, by all sure tellings, and budgeth not from
Krothering. And, by the Gods, ‘a saith, ‘tis a wise disposition. For,
mark, if we go by Gashterndale, as go we must to come at him, he
striketh down on us as hammer on anvil. And if we will pass by toward
the head of Thunderfirth,’ and here a pointeth it out with’s sword,
‘down a cometh on our flank; and every-gate the land’s slope serveth
his turn and fighteth against us.”
“I mind me o’ those words,” said the young man, “‘cause my Lord
Brandoch Daha laughed and said, ‘Are we grown so strange by our
travels, our own land fighteth o’ the opposite party? Let me study it
again.’
“I filled his cup. Dear Gods, but I’d fill him a bowl of mine own
heart’s blood if he required it of me, after our times together,
father. But more o’ that anon. The stoutest gentleman and captain
without peer.
“But Lord Spitfire, that was this while vaunting up and down the
chamber, cried out and said, ”Twere folly to travel his road prepared
us. Take him o’ that side he looketh least to see us: south through
the mountains, and upon him in his rear up from Mardardale.’
“‘Ah,’ saith my Lord, ‘and be pressed back into Murkdale Hags if we
miss of our first spring. ‘Tis too perilous. ‘Tis worse than
Gashterndale.’
“So went it: a nay for every yea, and nought to please ‘em. Till i’
the end my Lord Brandoch Daha, that had been long time busy with the
map, said: ‘Now that y’ have threshed the whole stack and found not
the needle, I will show you my rede, ‘cause ye shall not say I
counselled you rashly.’
“So they bade him say his rede. And he said unto my Lord, ‘Thou and
our main power shall go by Switchwater Way. And let the whole land’s
face blaze your coming before you. Ye shall lie tomorrow night in some
good fighting-stead whither it shall not be to his vantage to move
against you: haply in the old shielings above Wrenthwaite, or at any
likely spot afore the road dippeth south into Gashterndale. But at
point of day strike camp and go by Gashterndale and so up on to the
Side to do battle with him. So shall all fall out even as his own
hopes and expectations do desire it. But I,’ saith my Lord Brandoch
Daha, ‘with seven hundred chosen horse, will have fared by then clean
along the mountain ridge from Transdale even to Erngate End; so as
when he turneth all his battle northward down the Side to whelm you,
there shall hang above the security of his flank and rear that which
he ne’er dreamed on. If he support my charging of his flank at
unawares, with you in front to cope him, and he with so small an
advantage upon us in strength of men: if he stand that, why then,
goodnight! the Witches are our masters in arms, and we may off cap to
‘em and strive no more to right us.’
“So said my Lord Brandoch Daha. But all called him daft to think on’t.
Carry an army a-horseback in so small time ‘cross such curst ground?
It might not be. ‘Well,’ quoth he, ‘sith you count it not possible, so
much the more shall he. Cautious counsels never will serve us this
tide. Give me but my pick of man and horse to the number of seven
hundred, and I’ll so set this masque you shall not desire a better
master of the revels.’
“So i’ the end he had his way. And past midnight they were at it, I
wis, planning and studying.
“At dawn was the whole army marshalled in the meadows below Moonmere,
and my Lord spake among them and told us he was minded to march into
the west country and exterminate the Witches out of Demonland; and he
bade any man that deemed he had now his fill of furious war and deemed
it a sweeter thing to go home to his own place, say forth his mind
without fear, and he would let him go, yea, and give him good gifts
thereto, seeing that all had done manful service; but he would have no
man in this enterprise who went not to it with his whole heart and
mind.”
The damosel said, “I wis there was not a man would take that offer.”
“There went up,” said the soldier, “such a shout, with such a
stamping, and such a clashing together of weapons, the land shook
with’t, and the echoes rolled in the high corries of the Scarf like
thunder, of them shouting ‘Krothering!’ ‘Juss!’ ‘Brandoch Daha!’ ‘Lead
us to Krothering!’ Without more ado was the stuff packed up, and ere
noon was the whole army gotten over the Stile. While we halted for
daymeal hard by Blackwood in Amadardale, came my Lord Brandoch Daha
a-riding among the ranks for to take his pick of seven hundred of our
ablest horse. Nor a would not commit this to his officer, but himself
called on each lad by name whenso he saw a likely one, and speered
would a ride with him. I trow he gat never a nay to that speering. My
heart was a-cold lest he’d o’erlook me, watching him ride by asjaunty
as a king. But a reined in’s horse and saith, ‘Arnod, ‘tis a bonny
horse thou ridest. Could he carry thee to a swine-hunt down from
Erngate End i’ the morning?’ I saluted him and said, ‘Not so far only,
Lord, but to burning Hell so thou but lead us.’ ‘Come on,’ saith he.
”Tis a better gate I shall lead thee: to Krothering hall ere
eventide.’”
“So now was our strength sundered, and the main army made ready to
march westward down Switchwater Way; with the Lord Zigg to lead the
horse, and the Lord Volle and my Lord’s self and his brother the Lord
Spitfire faring in the midst amongst ‘em all. And with them yonder
outland traitor, Lord Gro; but I do think him more a stick of
sugar-paste than a man of war. And many gentlemen of worth went with them:
Gismor Gleam of Justdale, Astar of Rettray, and Bremery of Shaws, and
many more men of mark. But there abode with my Lord Brandoch Daha,
Arnund of By, and Tharmrod of Kenarvey, Kamerar of Stropardon, Emeron
Galt, Hesper Golthring of Elmerstead, Styrkmir of Blackwood, Melchar
of Strufey, Quazz’s three sons from Dalney, and Stypmar of Failze:
fierce and choleric young gentlemen, after his own heart, methinks;
great horsemen, not very forecasting of future things afar off but
entertainers of fortune by the day; too rash to govern an army, but
best of all to obey and follow him in so glorious an enterprise.
“Ere we parted, came my Lord to speak with my Lord Brandoch Daha. And
my Lord looked into the lift that was all dark cloud and wind; and
quoth he, ‘Fail not at the tryst, cousin. ‘Tis thy word, that thou and
I be finger and thumb; and never more surely than tomorrow shall this
be seen.’
“‘O friend of my heart, content thee,’ answereth my Lord Brandoch
Daha. ‘Didst ever know me neglect my guests? And have I not bidden you
to breakfast with me tomorrow morn in Krothering meads?’
“Now we of the seven hundred turned leftward at the watersmeet up
Transdale into the mountains. And now came ill weather upon us, the
worst that ever I knew. ‘Tis soft enow and little road enow in
Transdale, as thou knowest, father, and weary work it was with every
deer-track turned a watercourse and underfoot all slush and mire, and
nought for a man to see save white mist and rain above and about him,
and soppy bent and water under’s horsehooves. Little there was to
tell us we were won at last to the top of the pass, and ‘twere not the
cloud blew thicker and the wind wilder about us. Every man was wet to
the breech, and bare a pint o’ water in’s two shoes.
“Whiles we were halted on the Saddle my Lord Brandoch Daha rested not
at all, but gave his horse to his man to hold and himself fared back
and forth among us. And for every man he had a jest or a merry look,
so as ‘twas meat and drink but to hear or to behold him. But a little
while only would he suffer us to halt; then right we turned, up along
the ridge, where the way was yet worse than in the dale had been, with
rocks and pits hidden in the heather, and slithery slabs of granite.
By my faith, I think no horse that was not born and bred to’t might
cross such country, wet or fine; he should be foundered or should
break his legs and his rider’s neck ere he should be gotten two hours’
journey along those ridges; but we that rode with my Lord Brandoch
Daha to Krothering Side were ten hours riding so, besides our halts to
water our horses and longer halts to feed ‘em, and the last part o’
the way through murk night, and all the way i’ the wind’s teeth with
rain blown on the wind like spray, and hail at whiles. And when the
rain was done, the wind veered to the northwest and blew the ridges
dry. And then the little bits of rotten granite blew in our faces like
hailstones on the wind. There was no shelter, not o’ the lee side of
the rocks, but everywhere the storm-wind baffled and buffeted us, and
clapped his wings among the crags like thunder. Dear Heaven, weary we
were and like to drop, cold to the marrow, nigh blinded man and horse,
yet with a dreadful industry pressed on. And my Lord Brandoch Daha was
now in the van now in the rear-guard, cheering men’s hearts who marked
with what blithe countenance himself did suffer the same hardships as
his meanest trooper: like to one riding at ease to some great wedding-feast; crying, ‘What, lads, merrily on! These fen-toads of the Druima
shall learn too late what way our mountain ponies do go like stags
upon the mountain.’
“When it began to be morning we came to our last halt, and there was
our seven hundred horse hid in the corrie under the tall cliffs of
Erngate End. I warrant you we went carefully about it, so as no prying
swine of Witchland looking up from below should aspy a glimpse of man
or horse o’ the skyline. His highness first set his sentinels and let
call the muster, and saw that every man had his morning meal and every
horse his feed. Then he took his stand behind a crag of rock whence he
could overlook the land below. He had me by him to do his errands. In
the first light we looked down westward over the mountain’s edge and
saw Krothering and the arms of the sea, not so dark but we might
behold their fleet at anchor in Aurwath roads, and their camp like a
batch of beehives so as a man might think to cast a stone into’t below
us. That was the first time I’d e’er gone to the wars with him. Faith,
he’s a
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