The Eternal Champion

He knew the power of my sword-knew that the touch of it could slay him if it fell on a break in his armour-but that deadly mace, wielded with the dexterity with which another would wield a sword, warded off every blow I aimed.

I fought him for half-an-hour until he showed signs of dazed weariness and my own muscles ached horribly.

And again our forces had been split! Again it was impossible to see how the battle went. For most of the time I was uncaring, oblivious to the events around me as I concentrated on breaking through Arjavh's splendid guard.

Then I saw Count Maybeda ride swiftly past me, his golden armour split, his face and arms bloody. In one red hand he carried the torn banner of Humanity and his eyes stared in fear from his wounded head.

'Flee Lord Erekose!' he screamed as he galloped past. 'Flee! The day is lost!'

I could not believe it, until the ragged remnants of my warriors began to stream past me in ignominious flight.

'Rally Humanity!' I called. 'Rally!' But they paid me no heed. Again Arjavh dropped his mace to his side.

'You are defeated,' he said.

Reluctantly I lowered my sword.

'You are a worthy foe, Prince Arjavh…'

'You are a worthy foe, Erekose. I remember our battle terms. Go in peace. Necranal will need you.'

I shook my head slowly and drew a heavy breath. 'Prepare to defend yourself, Prince Arjavh,' I said.

He shrugged, swiftly brought up the mace against the blow I aimed at him and brought it down suddenly upon my metal-gauntleted wrist. My whole arm went numb. I tried to cling to the sword, but my fingers would not respond. It dropped from my hand and hung by a thong from my wrist.

With a curse, I flung myself from my saddle straight at him, my good hand grasping at him, but he turned his horse aside and I fell, face forward, in the bloody mud of the field.

I attempted once to rise, failed and lost consciousness.

CHAPTER TWENTY A BARGAIN

WHO AM I?

You are Erekose, the Eternal Champion.

WHAT IS MY REAL NAME?

Whatever it happens to be.

WHY AM I AS I AM?

Because that is what you have always been.

WHAT IS 'ALWAYS'?

Always.

WILL I EVER KNOW PEACE?

You will sometimes know peace.

FOR HOW LONG?

For a while.

WHERE DID I COME FROM?.

You have always been.

WHERE WILL I GO?

Where you must.

FOR WHAT PURPOSE?

To fight.

TO FIGHT FOR WHAT?

To fight.

FOR WHAT?

Fight.

FOR WHAT?

***

I shivered, aware that I was no longer clad in my armour. I looked up. Arjavh stood over me.

'I wonder why he hated me then,' he was murmuring to himself. Then he realised I was awake and his expression altered. He gave a light smile. 'You're a ferocious one, Sir Champion.'

I looked into his moody, milky eyes.

'My warriors,' I said, 'what…?'

'Those that were left have fled. We released the few prisoners we had and sent them after their comrades. Those were the terms, I believe?'

I struggled up. 'Then you are going to release me?'

'I suppose so. Although…'

'Although?'

'You would be a useful bargaining prisoner.'

I took his meaning and relaxed, sinking back on to the hard bed. I thought deeply and fought the idea which came to me. But it grew too large in me. At length I said, almost against my wilclass="underline" 'Trade me for Ermizhad.'

His cool eyes showed surprise for an instant. 'You would suggest that? But Ermizhad is such a strong hostage for Humanity…'

'Damn you, Eldren. I told you to trade me for her.'

'You're a strange human, my friend. But with your permission granted, that is what I shall do. I thank you. You really do remember the old Code of War, don't you? I think you are who you say you are.'

I closed my eyes. My head ached.

He left the tent and I heard him instructing a messenger.

'Make sure the people know,' I shouted from the bed. 'The king may not agree, but the people will force his hand. I'm their hero! They'll willingly trade me for an Eldren-no matter who that Eldren is.'

Arjavh instructed the messenger accordingly. He came back into the tent.

'It puzzles me,' I said at length. He was sitting on a bench on the other side of the tent. 'It puzzles me that the Eldren have not conquered Humanity before now. With those halfling warriors I should think you'd be invincible.'

He shook his head. 'We rarely make use of our allies,' he said. 'But I was desperate. You can understand that I was prepared to go almost to any measures to rescue my sister.'

'I can,' I told him.

'We would never have invaded,' he continued, 'had it not been for her.' It was said so simply that I believed him. I had already been fairly certain of that.

I took a deep breath. 'It is hard for me,' I said. 'I am forced to fight like this, with no clear idea about the rights or the wrongs of that fighting, with no true knowledge of this world, with no opinions of those who inhabit it. Simple facts turn out to be lies-and unbelievable things turn out to be true. What are the halflings, for instance?'

Again he smiled. 'Sorcerous ghouls,' he said.

'That is what King Rigenos told me. It is no explanation.'

'What if I told you they were capable of breaking up their atomic structure at will and assembling again in another place. You would not understand me. Sorcery, you would say.'

I was surprised at the scientific nature of his explanation. 'I would understand you better,' I said slowly.

He raised his slanting eyebrows.

'You are different,' he said. 'Well, the halflings, as you have seen, are related to the Eldren. Not all the dwellers on the Ghost Worlds are our kin-some are more closely related to men, and there are other, baser, forms of life…

'The Ghost Worlds are solid enough, but exist in an alternate series of dimensions to our own. On these worlds, the halflings have no special powers-no more than we have-but here they have. We do not know why. They do not know why. On Earth different laws seem to apply for them. More than a million years ago we discovered a means of bridging the dimensions between Earth and these other worlds. We found a race akin to our own who will, at times, come to our aid if our need is especially great. This was one of those times. Sometimes, however, the bridge ceases to exist when the Ghost Worlds move into another phase of their weird orbit, so that any halflings on Earth cannot return and any of our people are in the same position if they are on the Ghost Worlds. Therefore, you will understand, it is dangerous to stay on either side overlong.'

'Is it possible,' I asked, 'that the Eldren came originally from these Ghost Worlds?'

'I suppose it is possible,' he answered. 'There are no records, though…'

'Perhaps that is why the humans hate you as aliens,' I suggested.

'That is not the reason,' he told me, 'for the Eldren occupied the Earth for ages before humankind ever came to the planet.'

'What!'

'It is true,' he said. 'I am an immortal and my grandfather was an immortal. Hex was slain during the first wars between the Eldren and Humanity. When the humans came to Earth, they had incredible weapons of terrible destructive potential. In those days we also used such weapons. The wars created such destruction that the Earth seemed like a blackened ball of mud when the wars were ended and the Eldren defeated. Such was the destruction that we swore never again to use our weapons, whether we were threatened with extermination or not. We could not assume the responsibility for destroying an entire planet.'

'You mean you still have these weapons?'