The Vanishing Tower - Michael Moorcock, ebook, CALIBRE SFF 1970s, Temp 2
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BOOK ONEThe Torment of the Last Lord.. . and then did Elric leave Jharkorin pursuit of a certain sorcerer whohad, so Elric claimed, caused himsome inconvenience ...—The Chronicle of the Black SwordCHAPTER ONEPale Prince on a Moonlit ShoreIn the sky, a cold moon, cloaked in clouds,sent down faint light that fell upon a sullen sea wherea ship lay at anchor off an uninhabited coast.From the ship a boat was being lowered. It swayed inits harness. Two figures, swathed in long capes, watchedthe seamen lowering the boat while they, themselves,tried to calm horses which stamped their hooves onthe unstable deck and snorted and rolled their eyes.The shorter figure clung hard to his horse's bridleand grumbled."Why should this be necessary? Why could not wehave disembarked at Trepesaz? Or at least some fish-ing harbour boasting an inn, however lowly. . . .""Because, friend Moonglum, I wish our arrival inLormyr to be secret. If Theleb K'aarna knew of mycoming—as he soon would if we went to Trepesaz —then he would fly again and the chase would beginafresh. Would you welcome that?"Moonglum shrugged. "I still feel that your pursuitof this sorcerer is no more than a surrogate for realactivity. You seek him because you do not wish to seekyour proper destiny. ..."Elric turned his bone-white face in the moonlightand regarded Moonglum with crimson, moody eyes."And what of it? You need not accompany me if youdo not wish to. ..."Again Moonglum shrugged his shoulders. "Aye. Iknow. Perhaps I stay with you for the same reasonsthat you pursue the sorcerer of Pan Tang." He grinned."So that's enough of debate, eh, Lord Elric?""Debate achieves nothing," Elric agreed. He pattedhis horse's nose as more seamen, clad in colourfulTarkeshite silks, came forward to take the horses andhoist them down to the waiting boat.Struggling, whinnying through the bags muffling theirheads, the horses were lowered, their hooves thuddingon the bottom of the boat as if they would stave it in.Then Elric and Moonglum, their bundles on theirbacks, swung down the ropes and jumped into the rock-ing craft. The sailors pushed off from the ship with theiroars and then, bodies bending, began to row for theshore.The late autumn air was cold. Moonglum shivered ashe stared towards the bleak cliffs ahead. "Winter isnear and I'd rather be domiciled at some friendly tavernthan roaming abroad. When this business is done withthe sorcerer, what say we head for Jadmar or one of theother big Vilmirian cities and see what mood thewarmer clime puts us in?"But Elric did not reply. His strange eyes stared intothe darkness and they seemed to be peering into thedepths of his own soul and not liking what they saw.Moonglum sighed and pursed his lips. He huddleddeeper in his cloak and rubbed his hands to warmthem. He was used to his friend's sudden lapses ofsilence, but familiarity did not make him enjoy themany better. From somewhere on the shore a nightbirdshrieked and a small animal squealed. The sailorsgrunted as they pulled on their oars.The moon came out from behind the clouds and itshone on Elric's grim, white face, made his crimsoneyes seem to glow like the coals of hell, revealed thebarren cliffs of the shore.The sailors shipped their oars as the boat's bottomground on shingle. The horses, smelling land, snortedand moved their hooves. Elric and Moonglum rose tosteady them.Two seamen leaped into the cold water and broughtthe boat up higher. Another patted the neck of Elric'shorse and did not look directly at the albino as hespoke. "The captain said you would pay me when wereached the Lormyrian shore, my lord."Elric grunted and reached under his cloak. He drewout a jewel that shone brightly through the darkness ofthe night. The sailor gasped and stretched out his handto take it. "Xiombarg's blood, I have never seen so finea gem!"Elric began to lead the horse into the shallows andMoonglum hastily followed him, cursing under hisbreath and shaking his head from side to side.Laughing among themselves, the sailors shoved theboat back into deeper water.As Elric and Moonglum mounted their horses andthe boat pulled through the darkness towards the ship,Moonglum said: "That jewel was worth a hundredtimes the cost of our passage!""What of it?" Elric fitted his feet in his stirrups andmade his horse walk towards a part of the cliff whichwas less steep than the rest. He stood up in his stirrupsfor a moment to adjust his cloak and settle himselfmore firmly in his saddle. "There is a path here, by thelook of it. Much overgrown.""I would point out," Moonglum said bitterly, "thatif it were left to you, Lord Elric, we should have nomeans of livelihood at all. If I had not taken the pre-caution of retaining some of the profits made from thesale of that trireme we captured and auctioned inDhakos, we should be paupers now.""Aye," returned Elric carelessly, and he spurred hishorse up the path that led to the top of the cliff.In frustration Moonglum shook his head, but he fol-lowed the albino.By dawn they were riding over the undulating land-scape of small hills and valleys that made up the ter-rain of Lormyr's most northerly peninsula."Since Theleb K'aarna must needs live off rich pa-trons," Elric explained as they rode, "he will almostcertainly go to the capital, Iosaz, where King Montanrules. He will seek service with some noble, perhapsKing Montan himself.""And how soon shall we see the capital, Lord Elric?"Moonglum looked up at the clouds."It is several days' ride, Master Moonglum."Moonglum sighed. The sky bore signs of snow andthe tent he carried rolled behind his saddle was of thinsilk, suitable for the hotter lands of the East and West.He thanked his gods that he wore a thick quiltedjerkin beneath his breastplate and that before he hadleft the ship he had pulled on a pair of woollen breeksto go beneath the gaudier breeks of red silk that werehis outer wear. His conical cap of fur, iron and leatherhad earflaps which were now drawn tightly and se-cured by a thong beneath his chin and his heavy deer-skin cape was drawn closely around his shoulders.Elric, for his part, seemed not to notice the chillweather. His own cape flapped behind him. He worebreeks of deep blue silk, a high collared shirt of blacksilk, a steel breastplate lacquered a gleaming black, likehis helmet, and embossed with patterns of delicatesilverwork. Behind his saddle were deep panniers andacross this was a bow and a quiver of arrows. At hisside swung the huge runesword Stormbringer, thesource of his strength and his misery, and on his righthip was a long dirk, presented him by Queen Yishanaof Jharkor.Moonglum bore a similar bow and quiver. On eachhip was a sword, one short and straight, the other longand curved, after the fashion of the men of Elwher, hishomeland. Both blades were in scabbards of beautifullyworked Ilmioran leather, embellished with stitching ofscarlet and gold thread.Together the pair looked, to those who had not heardof them, like free travelling mercenaries who had beenmore successful than most in their chosen careers.Their horses bore them tirelessly through the country-side. These were tall Shazarian steeds, known all overthe Young Kingdoms for their stamina and intelligence.After several weeks cooped up in the hold of the Tarke-shite ship they were glad to be moving again.Now small villages—squat houses of stone andthatch—came in sight, but Elric and Moonglum werecareful to avoid them.Lormyr was one of the oldest of the Young Kingdomsand much of the world's history had been made there.Even the Melniboneans had heard the tales of Lormyr'shero of ancient times, Aubec of Malador of the provinceof Klant, who was said to have carved new lands fromthe stuff of Chaos that had once existed at the World'sEdge. But Lormyr had long since declined from herpeak of power (though still a major nation of the South-west) and had mellowed into a nation that was at oncepicturesque and cultured. Elric and Moonglum passedpleasant farmsteads, well-nurtured fields, vineyards andorchards in which the golden-leaved trees were sur-rounded by time-worn, moss-grown walls. A sweet landand a peaceful land in contrast to the rawer, bustlingNorth-western nations of Jharkor, Tarkesh and Dhari-jor which they had left behind.Moonglum gazed around him as they slowed theirhorses to a trot. "Theleb K'aarna could work much mis-chief here, Elric. I am reminded of the peaceful hillsand plains of Elwher, my own land."Elric nodded. "Lormyr's years of turbulence endedwhen she cast off Melnibone's shackles and was first toproclaim herself a free nation. I have a liking for thisrestful landscape. It soothes me. Now we have anotherreason for finding the sorcerer before he begins to stirhis brew of corruption."Moonglum smiled quietly. "Be careful, my lord, foryou are once again succumbing to those soft emotionsyou so despise. . . ."Elric straightened his back. "Come. Let's make hastefor Iosaz.""The sooner we reach a city with a decent tavernand a warm fire, the better." Moonglum drew his capetighter about his thin body."Then pray that the sorcerer's soul is soon sent toLimbo, Master Moonglum, for then I'll be content tosit before the fire all winter long if it suits you."And Elric made his horse break into a sudden gallopas grey evening closed over the tranquil hills.CHAPTER TWOWhite Face Staring Through...
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