Elric: The Stealer of Souls
- Автор: Муркок Майкл
- Серия: Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melnibone #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Фэнтези
Электронная книга - «Elric: The Stealer of Souls». Краткое содержание книги:
–from the Foreword by Alan Moore, creator of V for Vendetta
Huge columns rose above them, hewn ages before from the living rock, giant statues and wide balconies, many-tiered. Windows a hundred feet high and sweeping steps cut into the face of the chasm. The Ten drove their yellow chariots through a mighty gate and into the caverns of Nihrain, carved to their entire extent with strange symbols and stranger murals. Here slaves, wakened from a sleep of centuries to tend their masters, ran forward. Even these did not fully bear resemblance to the men that Elric knew.
Sepiriz gave the reins to a slave as Elric and Dyvim Slorm dismounted, staring about them in awe.
He said: "Now-to my own chambers and there I'll inform you of what you wish to know-and what you must do."
Led by Sepiriz, the kinsmen stalked impatiently through galleries and into a large chamber full of dark sculpture. A number of fires burned behind this hall, in big grates. Sepiriz folded his great body in a chair and bade them sit in two similar chairs, carved from solid blocks of ebony. When they were all seated before one of the fires, Sepiriz took a long breath, staring around the hall, perhaps remembering its earlier history. Somewhat angered by this show of casualness, Elric said impatiently: "Forgive me, Sepiriz-but you promised to pass on your message to us."
"Yes," Sepiriz said, "but so much do I have to tell you that I must pause one moment to collect my thoughts." He settled himself in the chair before continuing.
"We know where your wife is," he said at last, "and know also that she is safe. She will not be harmed since she is to be bargained for something which you possess."
"Then tell me the whole story," Elric demanded bleakly.
"We were friendly with your ancestors, Elric. And we were friendly with those they superseded, the ones who forged that blade you bear."
Elric was interested in spite of his anxiety. For years he had attempted to rid himself of the runesword, but had never succeeded. All his efforts had failed and he still needed to carry it, although drugs now gave him most of his strength.
"Would you be rid of your sword, Elric?" Sepiriz said.
"Aye-it's well known."
"Then listen to this tale.
"We know for whom and for what the blade-and its twin-were forged. They were made for a special purpose and for special men. Only Melniboneans may carry them, and of those only the blood of the royal line."
"There is no hint of any special purpose for the swords in Melnibonean history or legend," Elric said leaning forward.
"Some secrets are best kept fully guarded," Sepiriz said calmly.
"Those blades were forged to destroy a group of very powerful beings. Among them are the Dead Gods."
"The Dead Gods-but, by their very name, you must know that they perished long ages ago."
"They 'perished' as you say. In human terms they are dead. But they chose to die, chose to rid themselves of material shape and hurled their lifestuff into the blackness of eternity, for in those days they were full of fear."
Elric had no real conception of what Sepiriz described but he accepted what the Nihrainian said and listened on.
"One of them has returned," Sepiriz said.
"Why?"
"To get, at any cost, two things which endanger him and his fellow gods-wherever they may be they can still be harmed by these things."
"They are…?"
"They have the earthly appearance of two swords, runecarved and sorcerous-Mournblade and Stormbringer."
"This!" Elric touched his blade. "Why should the gods fear this?
And the other went to limbo with my cousin Yyrkoon whom I killed many years ago. It is lost."
"That is not true. We recovered it-that was part of Fate's purpose for us. We have it here in Nihrain. The blades were forged for your ancestors who drove the Dead Gods away by means of them. They were made by other unhuman smiths who were also enemies of the Dead Gods. These smiths were compelled to combat evil with evil, although they, themselves, were not pledged to Chaos, but to Law. They forged the swords for several reasons-ridding the world of the Dead Gods was but one!"
"The other reasons?"
"Those you shall learn in times to come-for our relationship will not be ended until the whole destiny has been worked out. We are obliged not to reveal the other reasons until the proper time. You have a dangerous destiny, Elric, and I do not envy it."
"But what is the message you have?" Elric said impatiently.
"Due to the disturbance created by Jagreen Lern, one of the Dead Gods has been enabled to return to Earth, as I told you. He has gathered acolytes about him. They kidnapped your wife."
Elric felt a mood of deep despair creep over him. Must he defy such power as this?
"Why…?" he whispered.
"Darnizhaan is aware that Zarozinia is important to you. He wishes to barter her for the two swords. We, in this matter, are merely messengers. We must give up the sword we keep, at the request of you or Dyvim Slorm, for they rightfully belong to any of the royal line. Darnizhaan's terms are simple. He will dispatch Zarozinia to limbo unless you give him the blades which threaten his existence. Her death, it would not be death as we know it, would be unpleasant and eternal."
"And if I agreed to do that, what would happen?"
"All the Dead Gods would return. Only the power of the swords keeps them from doing so now!"
"And what would happen if the Dead Gods came back?"
"Even without the Dead Gods, Chaos threatens to conquer the planet, but with them it would be utterly invincible, its effect immediate. Evil would sweep the world. Chaos would plunge this Earth into a stinking inferno of terror and destruction. You have already had a taste of what is happening, and Darnizhaan has only been back for a short time."
"You mean the defeat of Yishana's armies and the conquest by Sarosto and Jagreen Lern?"
"Exactly. Jagreen Lern has a pact with Chaos-all the Lords of Chaos, not merely the Dead Gods-for Chaos fears Fate's plan for Earth's future and would attempt to tamper with it by gaining domina-tion of our planet. The Lords of Chaos are strong enough without the help of the Dead Gods. Darnizhaan must be destroyed."
"I have an impossible choice, Sepiriz. If I give up Stormbringer I can probably survive on herbs and the like. But if I do give it up for Zarozinia, then Chaos will be unleashed to its full extent and I will have a monstrous crime upon my conscience."
"The choice is yours alone to make."
Elric deliberated but could think of no way of solving the problem.
"Bring the other blade," he said at last.
Sepiriz rejoined them a while later, with a scabbarded sword that seemed little different from Stormbringer.
"So, Elric-is the prophecy explained?" he asked, still keeping hold of Mournblade.
"Aye-here is the twin of that I bear. But the last part-where are we to go?"
"I will tell you in a moment. Though the Dead Gods, and the powers of Chaos, are aware that we possess the sister blade, they do not know whom we really serve. Fate, as I told you, is our master, and Fate has wrought a fabric for this Earth which would be hard to alter. But it could be altered and we are entrusted to see that Fate is not cheated. You are about to undergo a test. How you fare in it, what your decision is, will decide what we must tell you upon your return to Nihrain."
"You wish me to return here?"
"Yes."
"Give me Mournblade," Elric said quickly.
Sepiriz handed him the sword and Elric stood there with one twin blade in each hand, as if weighing something between them.
Both blades seemed to moan in recognition and the powers swam through his body so that he seemed to be built of steel-hard fire.
"I remember now that I hold them both that their powers are greater than I realize. There is one quality they possess when paired, a quality we may be able to use against this Dead God." He frowned.