«How does it do this?» Elric asked curiously.
«The chaotic forces, if powerful enough, can disrupt any defence made of lawful matter; no construction based on the principles of order can withstand for long the ravages of beer chaos, as we know.»
«Stormbringer has shown you not the only weapon effective against Chaos is something of Chaos-manufacture. The same can be said for the Chaos Shield. This itself is chaotic in nature and therefore there is nothing organised in it on which the random forces can act and destroy. It meets Chaos with Chaos, and so the hostile powers are subverted.»
«I see. If I had only had such a shield of late, things might have gone better for us all»
«I could not tell you of it. As I have mentioned, I am merely the servant of Fate and cannot act unless it is sanctioned by my masters. Perhaps as I have guessed they are willing to see Chaos sweep the world before it is defeated-if it is ever defeated-so that it can completely change the nature of our planet before the new cycle begins. Change it will-but whether it will be ruled in the future primarily by Law or Chaos-that is in your hands, Elric! »
«I'm becoming used to the burden my friend. How would I recognise this shield?»
«By the eight-arrowed Sign of Chaos which radiates from its boss. It is a heavy, round shield, made as a buckler for a giant. But, with the vitality you receive from that runesword there, you will have the strength to carry it, have no fear. But first you must have the courage to win it from its current holder, Mordaga is aware of the prophecy, told him by his fellow gods before they cast him forth.»
«Are you, too, aware of it?»
«I am. In our language it forms a simple rhyme:
«Four men? Who are the other three?»
«Those you will know of when the time comes for you to seek the Chaos Shield. Which will you do? Go to the Purple Towns-or will you go to find the shield?»
«I wish that I had the time to embark on a quest of that kind, but I have not. I must go to rally my men, shield or no.»
«You will be defeated.»
«We shall see, Sepiriz.»
«Very well, Elric. Since so little of your destiny is in your own hands, we should allow you to take Just one decision at times, » Sepiriz smiled sympathetically.
«Fate is kind, » Elric commented ironically. He rose from his seal «I’ll begin the Journey straightway, for there's no time to lose.»
Two
With his milk-white hair streaming behind him and his red eyes blazing with purpose, Elric lashed his stallion through the cold darkness of the night, through a disturbed land which awaited Jagreen Lern's attack in trepidation, for it could mean not only their deaths, but the drawing of their souls into the servitude of Chaos.
Already the standards of a dozen Western and Southern monarchs fluttered with Jagreen Lern's as the kings of the conquered lands chose his command rather than death-and placed their peoples under his dominance so that they became marching, blank-faced creatures with enslaved souls, their wives and children dead, tormented or feeding the bloodwashed altars of Pan Tang where the priests send up invocations to the Chaos Lords, and, ever-willing to further their power on Earth, the Lords answered with support.
And not only the entities themselves, but the stuff of their own weird cosmos was entering the Earth, so that where their power was, the land heaved like the sea, or the sea flowed like lava, mountains changed shape and trees sprouted ghastly blossoms never seen on Earth before.
Wherever Jagreen Lern conquered, the warping influence of Chaos was manifest. The very spirits of nature were tortured into becoming what they should not be-air, fire, water and earth, all became unstable, for Jagreen Lern and his allies were tampering not only with the lives and souls of men, but the very constituents of the planet itself. And there were none of sufficient power to punish them for these crimes. None.
With this knowledge within him, Elric's progress was swift and wild, as he strove to reach the Isle of the Purple Towns before his pitifully inadequate fleet sailed to do battle with Chaos.
Two days later he arrived in the port of Uhaio, at the tip of the smallest of the three Vilmirian peninsulas, and took ship at once to the Isle of the Purple Towns, where he disembarked and rode into the interior towards the ancient fortress Ma-ha-kil-agra which had withstood every siege ever made against it' and was regarded as the most impregnable construction in the whole of the lands still free from Chaos. Its name was in an older language than any known to those who lived in the current Age of the Young Kingdoms. Only Elric knew what the name signified. The fortress had been there long before the present races came to dominance, even before Elric’s ancestors had begun their conquerings. Ma-ha-kil-agra-me Fort of Evening, where long ago, a lonely race had come to die.
As he arrived in the courtyard, Moonglum, the Eastlander, came rushing from the entrance of a tower.
«Elric! We have been awaiting your arrival, for time grows scarce before we must embark against the enemy. We nave Bent out ship-borne spies to estimate the size and power of Jagreen Lern's fleet. Only four returned and all were uselessly insane. The fifth has Just come back, but -»
«But what?»
«See for yourself. He has been-altered, Elric.»
«Altered! Altered! Let me see him. Take me to him.» Elric nodded surly to the other captains who had come out to greet him. He passed them and followed behind Moonglum through the stone corridors of the fortress, lit badly by spluttering rushes.
Leading Elric to an antechamber, Moonglum stopped outside, running his fingers through his thick, red hair. «He is therein. Would you care to interview him alone? I'd rather not set eyes on him again! »
«Very well, » Elric opened the door, wondering how this spy would be changed. Sitting at the plain wooden table, was the remains of a man. It looked up. As Moonglum had warned him-it had been altered.
Elric felt pity for the man, but he was not nauseated or horrified like Moonglum, for in his sorcery-working he had seen far worse creatures. It was as if the whole of one side of the spy's body had become at one stage viscous, had flowed, and men coiled in a random shape. Side of head, shoulder, arm, torso, leg, all were replaced by streamers of flesh like rat's tails, lumps of matter like swollen boils, weirdly mottled. The spy spread his good band and some of the streamer seemed to jerk and wave in unison.
Elric spoke quietly. «What magic wrought his drastic change?»
A kind of Chuckle came from the lopsided face. «I entered the Realm of Chaos, lord. And Chaos did this, it changed me as you see. The boundaries are being extended. I did not know it. I was inside before I realised what had happened. The area of Chaos is being widened! » He leant forward, his shaking voice almost screaming. «With it sail the massed fleets of Jagreen Lern-great waves of warships, squadrons of invasion craft, thousands of transports, shun mounting great war engines, fire-ships-ships of all kinds, bearing a multitude of standards-the kings of the south left live have sworn loyally to Jagreen Lern and he has used all their resources and his own to marshal this sea-horde! As he sails, he extends the area of Chaos, so whereas his sailing is dower than normal, when he reaches us here-Chaos will be with him. I saw such ships not could be of no earthly contriving-the size of castles-each one seeming to be a dazzling combination of all colours! »
«So he has managed to bring more supernatural allies to his standard, » Elric roused. «Those are the Ships of Hell, Sepiriz mentioned...»