Eyes of flame stared at the Black Sword and then at Elric. Brows of flame furrowed and Checkalakh halted.
"Thou art no ordinary beggar, 'tis true! "
"I am Elric of Melnibone and I bear the Black Sword. Lord Arioch is my master-a more powerful entity than you, Lord Checkalakh."
Something akin to misery passed across the god's fiery countenance. "Aye-there are many more powerful than me, Elric of Melnibone."
Elric wiped sweat from his face. He drew in great gulps of burning air. "Then why-why not combine your strength with mine. Together we can tear down the portal and take vengeance on those who have conspired to bring us together."
Checkalakh shook his head and little tongues of fire fell from it. "The portal will only open when I am dead. So it was decreed when Lord Donblas of Law imprisoned me here. Even if we were successful in destroying the portal-it would result in my death. Therefore, most powerful of mortals, I must fight thee and eat thee."
And again Elric began to run, desperately seeking the portal, knowing that the only light he could hope to find in the labyrinth came from the Burning God
himself. Even if he were to defeat the god, he would still be trapped in the complex maze.
And then he saw it. He was back at the place where he had been thrown through the membrane.
"It is only possible to enter my prison through the portal, not leave it! " called Checkalakh.
"I'm aware of that! " Elric took a firmer grip on Stormbringer and turned to face the thing of flame.
Even as his sword swung back and forth, parrying every attempt of the Burning God's to seize him, Elric felt sympathy for the creature. He had come in answer to the summonings of mortals and he had been imprisoned for his pains.
But Elric's clothes had begun to smoulder now and even though Stormbringer supplied him with energy every time it struck Checkalakh the heat itself was beginning to overwhelm him. He sweated no more. Instead his skin felt dry and about to split. Blisters were forming on his white hands. Soon he would be able to hold the blade no longer.
"Arioch! " he breathed. "Though this creature be a fellow Lord of Chaos, aid me to defeat him! "
But Arioch lent him no extra strength. He had already learned from his patron demon that greater things were being planned on and above the Earth and that Arioch had little time for even the most favourite of his mortal charges.
Yet, from habit, still Elric murmured Arioch's name as he swept the sword so that it struck first Checkalakh's burning hands and then his burning shoulder and more of the god's energy entered him.
It seemed to Elric that even Stormbringer was beginning to burn and the pain in his blistered hands grew so great that it was at last the only sensation of which he was aware. He staggered back against the iridescent membrane and felt its fleshlike texture on his back. The ends of his long hair were beginning to smoke and large areas of his clothes had completely charred.
Was Checkalakh failing, though? The flames burned
less brightly and there was an expression of resignation beginning to form on the face of fire.
Elric drew on his pain as his only source of strength and he made the pain take the sword and bring it back over his head and he made the pain bring Stormbringer down in a massive blow aimed at the god's head.
And even as the blow descended the fire began to die. Then Stormbringer had struck and Elric yelled as an enormous wave of energy poured into his body and knocked him backwards so that the sword fell from his hand and he felt that his flesh could not contain what it now held. He rolled, moaning, on the floor and he kicked at the air, raising his twisted, blistered hands to the roof as if in supplication to some being who had the power to stop what was happening to him. There were no tears in his eyes, for it seemed that even his blood had begun to boil out of him.
"Arioch! Save me! " He was shuddering, screaming. "Arioch! Stop this thing happening to me! "
He was full of the energy of a god and the mortal frame was not meant to contain so much force. "Aaaah! Take it from me! "
He became aware of a calm, beautiful face looking down upon him as he writhed. He saw a tall manmuch taller than himself-and he knew that this was no mortal at all, but a god.
"It is over! " said a pure, sweet voice. And, though the creature did not move, soft hands seemed to caress him and the pain began to diminish and the voice continued to speak.
"Long centuries ago, I, Lord Donblas the Justice Maker, came to Nadsokor to free it from the grip of Chaos. But I came too late. Evil brought more evil, as evil will, and I could not interfere too much with the affairs of mortals, for we of Law have sworn to let mankind make its own destiny if that is possible. Yet the Cosmic Balance swings now like the pendulum of a clock with a broken spring and terrible forces are at work on the Earth. Thou, Elric, art a servant of Chaos -yet thou hast served Law more than once. It has been
said that the destiny of mankind rests within thee and that may be true. Thus, I aid thee-though I do so against mine own oath...."
And Elric closed his eyes and felt at peace for the first time that he remembered.
The pain had gone, but great energy still filled him. When he opened his eyes again there was no beautiful face looking down on him and the scintillating membrane which had covered the archway had disappeared. Nearby Stormbringer lay and he sprang up and seized the sword, returning it to his scabbard. He noticed that the blisters had left his hands and that even his clothes were no longer charred.
Had he dreamed it all-or most of it?
He shook his head. He was free. He was strong. He had his sword with him. Now he would return to the hall of King Urish and take his vengeance both on Nadsokor's ruler and Theleb K'aarna.
He heard a footfall and withdrew into the shadows. Light filtered into the tunnel from gaps in the roof and it was plain that at this point it was close to the surface. A figure appeared and he recognised it at once.
"Moonglum! "
The little Eastlander grinned in relief and sheathed his swords. "I came here to aid you if I could, but I see you need no aid from me! "
"Not here. The Burning God is no more. I'll tell you of that later. What became of you?"
"When I realized we were in a trap I ran for the door, deciding it would be best if one of us were free and I knew it was you they wanted. But then I saw the door opening and realized they had been waiting there all along." Moonglum wrinkled his nose and dusted at the rags he still wore. "Thus I came to find myself lying at the bottom of one of those heaps of garbage littered about Urish's hall. I dived into it and stayed there, listening to what passed. As soon as I could, I found this tunnel; planning to help you however I could."
"And where are Urish and Theleb K'aarna now?"
"It appears that they go to make good Theleb K'aarna's bargain with Urish. Urish was not altogether happy with the plan to lure you here for he fears your power-"
"He has reason to! Now! "
"Aye. Well, it seems that Urish had heard what we had heard, that the caravan for Tanelorn was on its way back to that city. Urish has knowledge of Tanelorn -though not much, I gather-and fosters an unreasoning hatred for the place, perhaps because it is the opposite of what Nadsokor is."
"They plan to attack Rackhir's caravan?"
"Aye-and Theleb K'aarna is to summon creatures from Hell to ensure that their attack is successful. Rackhir has no sorcery to speak of, I believe, "
"He served Chaos once, but no more-those who dwell in Tanelorn can have no supernatural masters."
"I gathered as much from the conversation."
"When do they make this attack?"
"They have gone already-almost as soon as they had dealt with you. Urish is impatient."