The Eternal Champion

'Erekose!'

The names did not matter. I knew it now. Only the fact mattered. The fact that I was a creature incapable of dying. A creature eternal. Doomed to have many shapes, to be called many names, but to be for ever battling…

And perhaps I had been wrong. Perhaps I was not truly human, but only assumed the characteristics of a human being if I were caught in a human body.

It seemed to me that I howled in misery then. What was I? What was I? If I was not a man…?

The voice was still calling, but I refused to heed it. How I wished I had not heeded it before, as I lay in my comfortable bed, in the comfortable identity of John Daker…

I awoke and I was sweating. I had found out nothing more about myself and the mystery of my origin. It seemed I had only succeeded in confusing myself further.

It was still night, but I dared not fall asleep again.

I peered through the darkness. I looked at the curtains pulled across the windows, the white coverlet of the bed, my wife beside me…

I began to scream.

'EREKOSE-EREKOSE-EREKOSE…'

'I am John Daker!' I screamed. 'Look-I am John Daker!'

'EREKOSE…'

'I know nothing of this name, Erekose. My name is Elric, Prince of Melnibone. Elric the Kinslayer. I am known by many names…'

Many names-many names-many names…

How was it possible to possess dozens of identities all at the same time. To move from period to period at random. To move away from the Earth itself, out to where the cold stars glared?

There was a rushing noise and now I plunged through dark airless places, down, down, down. And there was nothing in the universe but drifting gas. No gravity, no colour, no air, no intelligence save my own-and perhaps, somewhere, one another…

Again I screamed.

And I refused to let myself know further.

Whatever the doom upon me, I thought next morning, I would never understand it. And it was probably for the best.

I went on deck and there was Ermizhad, standing in the same place at the rail, as if she had not moved all night. The sky had cleared somewhat and sunlight pushed thick beams through the clouds, the rays slanting down on the choppy sea so that the world seemed half dark, half light.

A moody day.

We stood for a while in silence, leaning out over the rail, watching the surf slide by, watching the oars smash into the waters in monotonous rhythm.

Again, she was the first to speak.

'What do they plan to do with me?' she asked quietly.

'You will be a hostage against the eventuality of your brother, Prince Arjavh, ever attacking Necranal,' I told her. It was only half the truth. There were other ways of using her against her brother, but there was no point in detailing them. 'You will be safe-King Rigenos will not be able to bargain if you are harmed.'

She sighed.

'Why did not you and the other Eldren women flee when our fleets put in to Paphanaal?' I asked. This had puzzled me for some time.

'The Eldren do not flee,' she said. 'They do not flee from cities that they build themselves.'

'They fled to the Mountains of Sorrow some centuries ago,' I pointed out.

'No.' She shook her head. 'They were driven there. That is the difference.'

'That is a difference,' I agreed.

'Who speaks of difference?' A new, harsher voice broke in. It was King Rigenos. He had come silently out of his cabin and stood behind us, feet apart on the swaying deck. He did not look at Ermizhad but stared directly at me. He did not look well.

'Greetings, sire,' I said. 'We were discussing the meaning of words.'

'You've become uncommon friendly with the Eldren bitch,' he sneered. What was it about a man who had shown himself kind and brave in many ways that, when the Eldren were concerned, he became an uncouth barbarian?

'Sire,' I said, for I could no longer be polite. 'Sire, you speak of one who, though our enemy, is of noble blood.'

Again he sneered. 'Noble blood! The vile stuff which flows in their polluted veins cannot be termed thus! Beware, Erekose! I realise that you are not altogether versed in our ways or our knowledge, that your memory is hazy-but remember that the Eldren wanton has a tongue of liquid gold which can beguile you to your doom and ours. Pay no heed to her!'

It was the most direct and most portentious speech he had made thus far.

'Sire…' I said.

'She'll weave such a spell that you'll be a fawning dog at her mercy and no good to any of us. I tell, you, Erekose, beware. Gods! I've half a mind to give her to the rowers and let them have their way with her before she's thrown over the side!'

'You placed her under my protection, my lord king,' I said angrily. 'And I am sworn to protect her against all dangers!'

'Fool! I have warned you. I do not want to lose your friendship, Erekose-and more, I do not want to lose our War Champion. If she shows further signs of enchanting you, I shall sky her. None shall stop me!'

'I am doing your work, king,' I said, 'at your request. But remember you this-I am Erekose. I have been many other Champions. What I do is for the human race. I have taken no oath of loyalty to you or to any other king. I am Erekose, the War Champion-Champion of Humanity-not Rigenos's Champion!'

His eyes narrowed. 'Is this treachery, Erekose?' It was almost as if he hoped it was.

'No, King Rigenos. Disagreement with a single representative of humanity does not constitute treachery to mankind.'

He said nothing, but just stood there, seeming to hate me as much as he hated the Eldren girl. His breathing was heavy and rasped in his throat.

'Give me no reason to regret my summoning of thee, dead Erekose,' he said at length and turned away, going back into his cabin.

'I think it would be for the best if we discontinued our conversation,' said Ermizhad quietly.

'Dead Erekose, eh?' I said and then grinned. 'If I'm dead, then I'm strangely prone to emotion for a corpse.' I made light of our dispute, yet events had taken a turn which caused me to fear that he would not, among other things, allow me the hand of lolinda-for he still did not know that we were betrothed.

She looked at me strangely and moved her hand as if to comfort me.

'Perhaps I am dead,' I said. 'Have you seen any creatures like me on the Ghost Worlds?'

She shook her head. 'Not really.'

'So the Ghost Worlds do exist?' I said. Really, I had been speaking rhetorically.

'Of course they exist!' She laughed. 'You are the greatest sceptic I have ever met!'

'Tell me about them, Ermizhad.'

'What is there to tell?' She shook her head. 'And if you do not believe what you have heard already, then there's little point if I tell you more that you will not believe, is there?'

I shrugged. 'I suppose not.' I felt she was being unduly secretive, but I did not press the matter.

'Answer one thing,' I said. 'Would the mystery of my existence be found on the Ghost Worlds?'

She smiled sympathetically. 'How could I answer that, Erekose?'

'I don't know-I thought the Eldren knew more of-of sorcery…'

'Now you are showing yourself to be as superstitious as your fellows,' she said. 'You do not believe…'

'Madam,' I said, 'I do not know what I should believe. The logic of this world-both human and Eldren-is, I am afraid, a mystery to me.'

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN NECRANAL AGAIN

Although the king refrained from further outbursts against either myself or Ermizhad, it could not really be said that he warmed to me again, though he grew more relaxed as the shores of Necralala drew closer.

And eventually Noonos was sighted and we left the better part of the fleet there to refit and reprovision and sailed back up the River Droonaa to come again to Necranal.

The news of our great sea victory was already in Necranal. Indeed it had been amplified and it seemed that I had sunk some score of ships and destroyed their crews single-handed!