The Worm Ouroboros by Eric Rücker Eddison (english readers txt) 📕

so that a score of her crew must be still a-baling to keep her afloat.

Of her fifty oars, half were broken or gone adrift, and many of the

ship’s company lay wounded and some slain under her thwarts.

And now was King Gaslark ware as he drew near that here was the Lord

Juss on her ruined poop a-steering, and by him Spitfire and Brandoch

Daha. Their jewelled arms and gear and rich attire were black with

most stinking soot, and it was as though admiration and grief and

anger were so locked and twined within them that none of these

passions might win forth to outward showing on their frozen

countenances.

When they were within hailing distance, Gaslark hailed them. They

answered him not, only beholding him with alien eyes. But they stopped

the ship, and Gaslark lay aboard of her and came on board and went up

on the poop and greeted them. And he said, “Well met in an ill hour.

What’s the matter?”

The Lord Juss made as if to speak, but no word came. Only he took

Gaslark by both hands and sat down with a great groan on the poop,

averting his face. Gaslark said, “O Juss, for so many a time as thou

hast borne part in my evils and succoured me, surely right requireth I

have part of thine?”

But Juss answered in a thick, strange voice all unlike himself, “Mine,

sayest thou, O Gaslark? What in the stablished world is mine, that am

thus in a moment reived of him that was mine own heartstring, my

brother, the might of mine arm, the chiefest citadel of my dominion?”

And he burst into a great passion of weeping.

King Gaslark’s rings were driven into the flesh of his fingers by the

grip of Juss’s strong hands on his. But he scarce wist of the pain,

such agony of mind was in him for the loss of his friend, and for the

bitterness and wonder that it was to behold these three great lords of

Demonland weep like frightened women, and all their ship’s company of

tried men of war weeping and wailing besides. And Gaslark saw well

that their lordly souls were unseated for a season because of some

dreadful fact, the havoc whereof his eyes most woefully beheld, while

its particulars were yet dark to him, yet with a terror in darkness

that might well make his heart to quail.

By much questioning he was at last well advertised of what had

befallen: how they the day before, in broad noon, on such a summer

sea, had heard a noise like the flapping of wings outstretched from

one edge of the sky to another, and in a moment the calm sea was

lifted up and fell again and the whole sea clashed together and

roared, yet was the ship not sunken. And there was a tumult about them

of thunder and raging waters and black night and wildfire in the

night; which presently passing away and the darkness lifting, the sea

lay solitary as far as eye might reach. “And nothing is more certain,”

said Juss, “than that this is a sending of King Gorice XII. spoken of

by the prophets as a great clerk of necromancy beyond all other this

world hath seen. And this is his vengeance for the woes we wrought for

Witchland in the Foliot Isles. Against such a peril I had provided

certain amulets made of the stone alectorian, which groweth in the

gizzard of a cock hatched on a moonless night when Saturn burneth in a

human sign and the lord of the third house is in the ascendant. These

saved us, albeit sorely buffeted, from destruction: all save Goldry

alone. He, by some cursed chance, whether he neglected to wear the

charm I gave him, or the chain of it was broken in the plunging of the

ship, or by some other means ‘twas lost: when daylight came again, we

stood but three on this poop where four had stood. More I know not.”

“O Gaslark,” said Spitfire, “our brother that is stolen from us, with

us it surely lieth to find him and set him free.”

But Juss groaned and said, “In which star of the unclimbed sky wilt

thou begin our search? Or in which of the secret streams of ocean

where the last green rays are quenched in oozy darkness?”

Gaslark was silent for a while. Then he said, “I think nought likelier

than this, that Gorice hath caught away Goldry Bluszco into Carcë,

where he holdeth him in duress. And thither must we straightway to

deliver him.”

Juss answered no word. But Gaslark seized his hand, saying, “Our

ancient love and your oft succouring of Goblinland in days gone by

make this my quarrel. Hear now my rede. As I fared from the east

through the Straits of Rinath I beheld a mighty company of forty sail,

bound eastward to the Beshtrian sea. Well it was they marked us not as

we lay under the isles of Ellien in the dusk of evening. For touching

later at Norvasp in Pixyland we learned that there sailed Laxus with

the whole Witchland fleet, being minded to work evil deeds among the

peaceful cities of the Beshtrian seaboard. And as well met were an

antelope with a devouring lion, as I and my seven ships with those

ill-doers in such strength on the high seas. But now, behold how wide

standeth the door to our wishes. Laxus and that great armament are

safe harrying eastward-ho. I make question whether at this moment more

than nine score or ten score fighting men be left in Carcë. I have

here of mine own nigh on five hundred. Never was fairer chance to take

Witchland with his claws beneath the table, and royally may we scratch

his face ere he get them forth again.” And Gaslark laughed for joy of

battle, and cried, “O Juss, smiles it not to thee, this rede of mine?”

“Gaslark,” said Lord Juss, “nobly and with that open hand and heart

that I have loved in thee from of old hast thou made this offer. Yet

not so is Witchland to be overcome, but after long days of labour

only, and laying of schemes and building of ships and gathering of

hosts answerable to the strength we bare of late against the Ghouls

when we destroyed them.”

Nor for all his urging might Gaslark move him any whit.

But Spitfire sat by his brother and spake privately to him: “Kinsman,

what ails thee? Is all high heart and swiftness to action crushed out

of Demonland, and doth but the unserviceable juiceless skin remain to

us? Thou art clean unlike that thou hast ever been, and could

Witchland behold us now well might hejudge that base fear had ta’en

hold upon us, seeing that with the odds of strength so fortunately of

our side we shrink from striking at him.”

Juss said in Spitfire’s ear, “This it is, that I do misdoubt me of the

steadfastness of the Goblins. Too like to fire among dead leaves is

the sudden flame of their valour, a poor thing to rely on if once they

be checked. So do I count it folly trusting in them for our main

strength to go up against Carcë. Also it is but a wild fancy that

Goldry hath been transported into Carcë.”

But Spitfire leaped up a-cursing, and cried out, “O Gaslark, thou wert

best fare home to Goblinland. But we will sail openly to Carcë and

crave audience of the great King, entreating him suffer us to kiss his

toe, and acknowledging him to be our King and us his ill-conditioned,

disobedient children. So may he haply restore unto us our brother,

when he hath chastised us, and haply of his mercy send us home to

Demonland, there to fawn upon Corsus or vile Corinius, or whomsoever

he shall set up in Galing for his Viceroy. For with Goldry hath all

manliness departed out of Demonland, and we be milksops that remain,

and objects of scorn and spitting.”

Now while Spitfire spake thus in wrath and sorrow of heart, the Lord

Brandoch Daha fared fore and aft on the gangway about and about, as a

caged panther fareth when feeding time is long overdue. And at whiles

he clapped hand to the hilt of his long and glittering sword and

rattled it in the scabbard. At length, standing over against Gaslark,

and eyeing him with a mocking glance, “O Gaslark,” he said, “this that

hath befallen breedeth in me a cruel perturbation which carries my

spirits outwards, stirring up a tempest in my mind and preparing my

body to melancholy, and madness itself. The cure of this is only

fighting. Wherefore if thou love me, Gaslark, out with thy sword and

ward thyself. Fight I must, or this passion will kill me quite out.

‘Tis pity to draw upon my friend, but sith we be banned from fighting

with our enemies, what choice remaineth?”

Gaslark laughed and seized him playfully by the arms, saying, “I will

not fight with thee, how prettily soe’er thou ask it, Brandoch Daha,

that savedst Goblinland from the Witches”; but straight grew grave

again and said to Juss, “O Juss, be ruled. Thou seest what temper thy

friends are in. All we be as hounds tugging against the leash to be

loosed against Carcë in this happy hour, that likely cometh not

again.”

Now when Lord Juss perceived them all against him, and hot-mouthed for

that attempt, he smiled scornfully and said, “O my brother and my

friends, what echoes and quailpipes are you become who seem to catch

wisdom by imitating her voice? But ye be mad like March hares, every

man of you, and myself too. Break ice in one place, ‘twill crack in

more. And truly I care not greatly for my life now that Goldry is gone

from me. Cast we lots, then, which of us three shall fare home to

Demonland with this our ship, that is but a lame duck since this

sending. And he on whom the lot shall fall must fare home to concert

the raising of a mighty fleet and armament to carry on our war against

the Witches.”

So spake Lord Juss, and all they who had but a short hour ago felt

themselves in such point that there was in them no hope of

convalescence nor of life, had now their spirits raised in a seeming

drunkenness, and thought only on the gladness of battle.

The lords of Demonland marked each his lot and cast it in the helm of

Gaslark, and Gaslark shook the helm, and there leapt forth the lot of

the Lord Spitfire. Right wrathful was he. So the lords of Demonland

did off their armour and their costly apparel that was black with

soot, and let cleanse it. Sixty of their fighting men that were

unscathed by the sending went aboard one of Gaslark’s ships, and the

crew of that ship manned the ship of Demonland, and Spitfire took the

steering paddle, and the Demons that were hurt lay in the hold of the

hollow ship. They brought forth a spare sail and hoisted it in place

of that that was destroyed; so in sore discontent, yet with a cheerful

countenance, the Lord Spitfire set sail for the west. And Gaslark the

king sat by the steering paddle of his fair dragon of war, and by him

the Lord Juss and the Lord Brandoch Daha, who was like a warhorse

impatient for battle. Her prow swung north and so round eastaway, and

her sail broidered with flower-de-luces smote the mast and filled to

the northwest wind, and those