"He picked us," Corum said. "She merely accompanies us."
"Then she is of little use to King Mabelrode-or to you. Here, then, is what I want in return for my allowing you to see the splendor of my Castle Built of Blood…"
"No," said Corum, guessing what he meant. "We cannot do that. Let us go now, I beg you, Duke Teer. You know we must make haste! King Mabelrode will not be pleased if you delay us."
"He will not be pleased with you if you delay. Simply give me the female. Keep the flesh and bones, if you desire. All I require is the blood."
"No!" screamed Rhalina in terror.
"How stupid!"
"Let us go, Duke Teer!"
"Let me have the female first!"
"No!" said Jhary and Corum in unison. And they drew their swords, whereupon Duke Teer burst into grunting laughter that was at once mocking and incredulous.
The Third Chapter
THE RIDER ON THE YELLOW HORSE
The Duke of Hell stretched as a man might stretch when awakening from a luxurious sleep. His arms grew longer, his body wider, and, within a space of seconds, he had doubled his size. He looked down on them, still laughing. "How badly you lie!"
"We do not lie!" cried Corum. "We beg you-let us be on our way."
Duke Teer frowned,. "I have no wish to earn King Mabelrode's displeasure. Yet if you truly served Chaos you would not show such silly emotions-you would give the female to me. She is useless to you, but she can be of great use to me. I exist only to build my castle, make it more elaborate, more beautiful." He began to stretch out one great hand. "Here, I will take her and then you may go your way and I'll-"
"See," called Jhary suddenly. "Our enemies! They have followed us to this plain. How stupid of them-to cross into the realm of their enemy King Mabelrode."
"What?" Duke Teer looked up. He saw the score of black flying things with their long necks and their red, jaws, the men upon their backs. "Who are they?"
"Their leader is called Corum Jhaelen Irsei," said Corum. "They are sworn enemies of Chaos and desire our deaths. Destroy them, Duke Teer, and Mabelrode will be mightily pleased with you."
Duke Teer glared upward. "Is this truth?"
"It is!" Jhary shouted.
"I believe I have heard of this mortal, Corum. Was it not he who destroyed Arioch's heart? Is he the one who lured Xiombarg to her doom?"
"He is the same!" Rhalina cried.
"My nets," muttered Duke Teer, reducing his size and hurrying back into his tower. "I will help you."
"There is enough blood in them to build a whole new hall!" Jhary yelled. He leaped for the controls and hastily passed his hands over them. They came to life and the sky ship sprang into the air.
Glandyth and his flying pack had seen them. The black beasts turned, wings sounding like thunder, and sped toward the sky ship.
But they were free of the Castle Built of Blood now and Duke Teer was engaged with his nets. He had one in each hand and he grew larger and larger, casting toward the disconcerted Earl of Krae.
Jhary's face was set. "I am going to try everything I can to hurl the sky ship from this foul dimension," he said. "It will be better to die than remain here. Duke Teer will learn soon enough that Glandyth serves Chaos and not Law. And Glandyth will tell him who we are. All the Dukes of Hell will seek us out." He removed a transparent cover and began to rearrange the crystals. "I know not what this will accomplish, but I am determined to try to find out!"
The sky ship began to oscillate throughout its length. Clinging to the rail Corum felt his entire body vibrate until he was sure he would shake to pieces. He clung to Rhalina. The ship began to dive toward a sea of violet and orange. They were flung forward, upon Jhary. The ship struck something. They passed into a liquid which stifled them. Another mighty wrench and Corum lost his grasp on Rhalina. Through the darkness he tried to find her, but she had gone. He felt his feet leave the deck of the ship. He began to drift.
He tried to call her name, but the stuff blocked his mouth. He tried to peer through it, but it stuck to his eyes.
He drifted languidly, sinking deeper and deeper. His heart began to bang against, his chest. No air entered his lungs. He knew he was dying.
And he knew Rhalina and Jhary were dying, somewhere nearby in the viscous stuff.
He was almost relieved that his quest had ended so, that his responsibility to the Cause of Law was over. He grieved for Rhalina and he grieved for Jhary, but he could not grieve for himself.
Suddenly he was falling. He saw a piece of the sky ship-a twisted rail-fall with him. He was falling through clear air but the speed of his descent still made it impossible for him to breathe.
He began to glide. He looked about him. There was blue sky on all sides-below him, above him. He spread his arms. The piece of twisted rail was still gliding with him. He looked for Rhalina. He looked for Jhary. They were nowhere in sight in all the blue vastness. There was just the piece of rail.
He called out, "Rhalina?"
There was no reply.
He was alone in a universe of blue light.
He began to feel drowsy. His eyes closed. He fought to open them but he could not. It was as if his brain refused any longer to experience further terrors.
When he awoke he was lying on something soft and very comfortable. He felt warm and he realized he was naked. He opened his eyes and saw the beams of a roof above him. He turned his head. He was in a room. Sunlight came through a window.
Was this a further illusion? The room was plainly at the top of a house, for its walls sloped. It was simply furnished. The home of a well-to-do peasant farmer, Corum thought. He looked at the varnished door with its simple metal latch. He heard a voice singing behind it.
How had he come here? It was possible that it was a trick. Jhary had warned him to beware of such visions. He drew his hands from beneath the bedsheets. On his left wrist there still remained the Hand of Kwll, six-fingered and bejeweled. He touched his face. The Eye of Rhynn, useless though it now was, still filled the socket of his right eye. On a chest in one corner all his clothes had been laid and his weapons ware stacked nearby.
Had he somehow returned to his own plane and had sanity been restored to it. Could Duke Teer have slain Glandyth and thus lifted Glandyth's spell from the land?
The room was not familiar, neither were the designs on the chest and the bedposts. This was not, he was sure, Lywm-an-Esh and it was most certainly not Bro-an-Vadhagh.
The door opened and a fat man entered. He looked amused and said something which Corum could not understand.
"Do you speak the language of Vadhagh or Mabden?" Corum asked him politely.
The fat man-not a farmer by his embroidered shirt and silk breeks-shook his head and spread his hands, speaking again in the strange language.
"Where is this place?" Corum asked him.
The fat man pointed out of the window, pointed to the floor, spoke at some length, laughed, and indicated with further gestures that Corum might like to eat. Corum nodded. He was very hungry.
Before the man left, he said, "Rhalina? Jhary?" hoping that he would recognize the names and know where the two were. The man shook his head, laughed again and closed the door behind him.
Corum got up. He felt weak but not totally weary. He pulled on his clothes, picked up the byrnie, and then laid it down again with the helm and the greaves. He went to the door and peered out. He saw a landing, varnished with the same brown varnish, a staircase leading downward. He stepped onto the landing and tried to peer below, but saw only another landing. He heard voices-a woman's voice, the laughter of the fat man. He went back into the room and looked out of the window.