The Worm Ouroboros by Eric Rücker Eddison (e book reader online .TXT) 📖
- Author: Eric Rücker Eddison
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it for us. The tarn was frozen and ‘twas tricky work diving and most
villanous cold. It is small marvel thou’rt a lucky man in thine
undertakings, O Juss, when thou hast such an art to draw thy friends
to second thee.”
“I thought thou’dst not leave me,” said Juss.
“Thought?” cried Brandoch Daha. “Didst ever dream I’d suffer thee to
do thy foolishness alone? Nay, I’ll come first to the enchanted lake
with thee, and let be Carcë i’ the meantime. Howbeit I’ll do it
‘gainst the stream of my resolution quite.”
Now was but six days more of preparation, and on the second day of
April was all ready in Lookinghaven for the sailing of that mighty
armament: fifty and nine ships of war and five ships of burthen and
thrice two thousand fighting men.
Lady Mevrian sat on her milk-white mare overlooking the harbour where
the ships all orderly rode at anchor, shadowy gray against the
sun-bright shimmer of the sea, with here and there a splash of colour,
crimson or blue or grass-green, from their painted hulls or a beam of
the sun glancing from their golden masts or figureheads. Gro stood at
her bridle-rein. The Galing road, winding down from Havershaw Tongue,
ran close below them and so along the sea-shore to the quays at
Lookinghaven. Along that road the hard earth rang with the tramp of
armed men and the tramp of horses, and the light west wind wafted to Gro
and Mevrian on their grassy hill snatches of deep-voiced battle-chants
or the galloping notes of trumpet and pipe and the drum that sets men’s
hearts a-throb.
In the van rode the Lord Zigg, four trumpeters walking before him in
gold and purple. His armour from chin to toe shone with silver,
andjewels blazed on his gorget and baidrick and the hilt of his long
straight sword. He rode a black stallion savage-eyed with ears laid
back and a tail that swept the earth. A great company of horse
followed him, and half as many tall spearmen, in russet leatherjerkins
plated with brass and silver. “These,” said Mevrian, “be of Kelialand
and the shore-steads of Arrowfirth, and his own vassalage from
Rammerick and Amadardale. That is Hesper Golthring rideth a little
behind him on his right hand; he loveth two things in this world, a
good horse and a swift ship. He on the left, he o’ the helm of dull
silver set with raven’s wings, so long of the leg thou’dst say if he
rode a little horse he might straddle and walk it: Styrkmir of
Blackwood. He is of our kin; not yet twenty years old, yet since
Krothering Side accounted one of our ablest.”
So she showed him all as they rode by, Peridor of Sule, captain of the
Mealanders, and his nephew Stypmar. Fendor of Shalgreth with Emeron
Galt his young brother that was newly healed from the great wound
Corinius gave him at Krothering Side; these leading the shepherds and
herdsmen from the great heaths north of Switchwater, who will hold by
the stirrup and so with their light bucklers and little brown swords
go into battle with the horsemen full gallop against the enemy.
Bremery in his ram’s-horn helm of gold and broidered surcoat of
scarlet velvet, leading the dalesmen from Onwardlithe and
Tivarandardale. Trentmar of Scorradale with the northeastern levies
from Byland and the Strands and Breakingdale. Astar of Rettray, lean
and lithe bony-faced, gallant-eyed, white of skin, with bright red
hair and beard, riding his lovely roan at the head of two companies of
spearmen with huge iron-studded shields: men from about Drepaby and
the southeastern dales, landed men and home-men of Lord Goldry
Bluszco. Then the island dwellers from the west, with old Quazz of
Dalney riding in the place of honour, noble to look on with his snowy
beard and shining armour, but younger men their true leaders in war:
Melchar of Strufey, great-chested, fierce-eyed, with thick brown
curling hair, horsed on a plunging chestnut, his byrny bright with
gold, a rich mantle of creamy silk brocade flung about his ample
shoulders, and Tharmrod on his little black mare with silver byrny and
bats-winged helm, he that held Kenarvey in fee for Lord Brandoch Daha,
keen and ready like an arrow drawn to the barbs. And after them the
Westmark men, with Arnund of By their captain. And after them, four
hundred horse, not to be surpassed for beauty or ordered array by any
in that great army, and young Kamerar riding at their head, burly as a
giant, straight as a lance, apparelled like a king, bearing on his
mighty spear the pennon of the Lord of Krothering.
“Look well on these,” said Mevrian as they passed by. “Our own men of
the Side and Thunderfirth and Stropardon. Thou may’st search the wide
world and not find their like for speed and fire and all warlike
goodliness and readiness to the word of command. Thou look’st sad, my
lord.”
“Madam,” said Lord Gro, “to the ear of one that useth, as I use, to
consider the vanity of all high earthly pomps, the music of these
powers and glories hath a deep underdrone of sadness. Kings and
governors that do exult in strength and beauty and lustihood and rich
apparel, showing themselves for awhile upon the stage of the world and
open dominion of high heaven, what are they but the gilded summer fly
that decayeth with the dying day?”
“My brother and the rest must not stay for us,” said the lady. “They
meant to go aboard as soon as the army should be come down to the
harbour, for their ships be to sail out first down the firth. Is it
determined indeed that thou goest with them on this journey?”
“I had so determined, madam,” answered he. She was beginning to move
down towards the road and the harbour, but Gro put a hand on the rein
and stopped her. “Dear lady,” he said, “these three nights together I
have dreamed a dream: a strange dream, and all the particulars thereof
betokening heavy anxiety, increase of peril, and savage mischief;
promising some terrible issue. Methinks if I go on this journey thou
shalt see my face no more.”
“O fie, my lord,” cried she, reaching him her hand, “give never a
thought to such fond imaginings. ‘Twas the moon but glancing in thine
eye. Or if not, stay with us here and cheat Fate.”
Gro kissed her hand, and kept it in his. “My Lady Mevrian,” he said,
“Fate will not be cheated, cog we never so wisely. I do think there be
not many extant that in a noble way fear the face of death less than
myself. I’ll go o’ this journey. There is but one thing should turn me
back.”
“And ‘tis?” said she, for he fell silent on a sudden.
He paused, looking down at her gloved hand resting in his. “A man
becometh hoarse and dumb,” said he, “if a wolf hath the advantage
first to eye him. Didst thou procure thee a wolf to dumb me when I
would tell thee? But I did once; enough to let thee know. O Mevrian,
dost thou remember Neverdale?”
He looked up at her. But Mevrian sat with head erect, like her
Patroness divine, with sweet cool lips set firm and steady eyes fixed
on the haven and the riding ships. Gently she drew her hand from
Gro’s, and he strove not to retain it. She eased forward the reins.
Gro mounted and followed her. They rode quietly down to the road and
so southward side by side to the harbour. Ere they came within earshot
of the quay, Mevrian spake and said, “Thou’lt not think me graceless
nor forgetful, my lord. All that is mine, O ask it, and I’ll give it
thee with both hands. But ask me not that I have not to give, or if I
gave should give but false gold. For that’s a thing not good for thee
nor me, nor I would not do it to an enemy, far less to thee my
friend.”
Now was the army all gotten ashipboard, and farewells said to Volle
and those who should abide at home with him. The ships rowed out into
the firth all orderly, their silken sails unfurled, and that great
armament sailed southward into the open seas under a clear sky. All
the way the wind favoured them, and they made a swift passage, so that
on the thirtieth morning from their sailing out of Lookinghaven they
sighted the long gray cliff-line of Impland the More dim in the low
blown spray of the sea, and sailed through the Straits of Melikaphkhaz
in column ahead, for scarce might two ships pass abreast through that
narrow way. Black precipices shut in the straits on either hand, and
the sea-birds in their thousands whitened every little ledge of those
cliffs like snow. Great flights of them rose and circled overhead as
the ships sped by, and the air was full of their plaints. And right
and left, as of young whales blowing, columns of white spray shot up
continually from the surface of the sea. For these were the stately-winged gannets fishing that sea-strait. By threes and fours they flew,
each following other in ordered line, many mast-heights high; and ever
and anon one checked in her flight as if a bolt had smitten her, and
swooped head-foremost with wings half-spread, like a broadbarbed dart
of dazzling whiteness, till at a few feet above the surface she
clapped close her wings and cleft the water with a noise as of a great
stone cast into the sea. Then in a moment up she bobbed, white and
spruce with her prey in her gullet; rode the waves a minute to rest
and consider; then with great sweeping wing-strokes up again to resume
her flight.
After a mile or two the narrows opened and the cliffs grew lower, and
the fleet sped past the red reefs of Uaimnaz and the lofty stacks of
Pashnemarthra white with sea-gulls on to the blue solitude of the
Didornian Sea. All day they sailed southeast with a failing wind. The
coastline of Melikaphkhaz fell away astern, paled in the mists of
distance, and was lost to sight, until only the square cloven outline
of the Pashnemarthran islands broke the level horizon of the sea. Then
these too sank out of sight, and the ships rowed on south-eastward in
a dead calm. The sun stooped to the western waves, entering his bath
of blood-red fire. He sank, and all the ways were darkened. All night
they rowed gently on under the strange southern stars, and the broken
waters of that sea at every oar-stroke were like fire burning. Then
out of the sea to eastward came the day-star, ushering the dawn,
brighter than all night’s stars, tracing a little path of gold along
the waters. Then dawn, filling the low eastern skies with a fleet of
tiny cockle-shells of bright gold fire; then the great face of the sun
ablaze. And with the going up of the sun a light wind sprang up,
bellying their sails on the starboard tack; so that ere day declined
the sea-cliffs of Muelva hung white above the spray-mist on their
larboard bow. They beached the ships on a white shell-strand behind a
headland that sheltered it from the east and north. Here the barrier
of cliffs stood back a little from the shore, giving place for a
fertile dell of green pasture, and woods clustering at the foot of the
cliffs, and a little spring of water in the midst.
So for that night they slept on board, and next day made their camp,
discharging the ships
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