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

very night you go ashipboard.” And he gave him an ill look, saying,

“Sith I lie tonight in Gallandus’s lodgings, I think it fit my

bodyguard should have thy chamber, my lord Duke, which, as I lately

learned, adjoineth it.”

Corsus said no word. But Gorius, his younger son, that was drunk with

wine, leaped up and said, “Corinius, in an evil hour art thou come

into this land to demand servitude of us. And thou art informed of my

father right maliciously if thou art afeared of us because of

Gallandus. ‘Tis this viper sitteth beside thee, the Goblin swabber,

told thee falsely this bad tale of us. And ‘tis pity he is still

inward with thee, for still he plotteth evil ‘gainst Witchland.”

Dekalajus thrust him aside, saying to Corinius, “Heed not my brother

though he be hasty and rude of speech; for in wine he speaketh, and

wine is another man. But most true it is, O Corinius, and this shall

the Duke my father and all we swear and confirm to thee with the

mightiest oaths thou wilt, that Gallandus sought to usurp authority

for this sake only, to betray our whole army to the enemy. And ‘twas

only therefore Corsus slew him.”

“That is a flat lie,” said Laxus.

Gro laughed lightly.

But Corinius’s sword leaped half naked from the scabbard, and he made

a stride toward Corsus and his sons. “Give me the king’s name when ye

speak to me,” he said, scowling upon them. “You sons of Corsus are not

men to make me a stalk to catch birds with or to serve your own turn.

And thou,” he said, looking fiercely on Corsus, “wert best go meekly,

and not bandy words with me. Thou fool! think’st thou I am Gallandus

come again? Thou that didst murther him shalt not murther me. Or

think’st I delivered thee out of the toils thine own folly and

thrawart ways had bound thee in, only to suffer thee lord it again

here and cast all amiss again by the unquietness of thy malice? Here

is the guard to bring you down to the ship. And well it is for thee if

I slash not off thy head.”

Now Corsus and his sons stood for a little doubting in their hearts

whether it were fitter to leap with their weapons upon Corinius,

putting their fortunes to the hazard of battle in Owlswick hall, or to

embrace necessity and go down to the ship. And this seemed to them the

better choice, to go quietly ashipboard; for there stood Corinius and

Laxus and their men, and but few to face them of Corsus’s own people,

that should be sure for his party if it came to fighting; and withal

they were not eager to have to do with Corinius, not though it had

been on more even terms. So at the last, in anger and bitterness of

heart, they submitted them to obey his will; and in that same hour

Laxus brought them to the ship, and put them across the firth to

Scaramsey.

There were they safe as a mouse in a mill. For Cadarus was skipper of

that ship, a trusted liegeman of Lord Laxus, and her crew men leal and

true to Corinius and Laxus. She lay at anchor as for that night in the

lee of the island, and with the first streak of dawn sailed down the

firth, bearing Corsus and his sons homeward from Demonland.

Wherein is shown how warlike policy and a

picture painted drew the war westward: and how

the Lord Gro went on an embassage to

Krothering Gates, and of the answer he gat there.

NOW it is to be said of Zigg that he failed not to fulfil Spitfire’s

behest, but gathered hastily an army of more than fifteen hundred

horse and foot out of the northern dales and the habitations about

Shalgreth Heath and the pasture-lands of Kelialand and Switchwater Way

and the region of Rammerick, and came in haste over the Stile. But

when Corinius knew of this faring from the west, he marched three

thousand strong to meet them above Moonmere Head, to deny them the way

to Galing. But Zigg, being yet in the upper defiles of Breakingdale,

now for the first time had advertisement of the great slaughter at

Thremnir’s Heugh, and how the forces of Spitfire and Volhe were broken

and scattered and themselves fled up into the mountains; and so

deeming it small gain with so little an army to give battle to

Corinius, he turned back without more ado and returned hastily over

the Stile whence he came. Corinius sent light forces to harry his

retreat, but being not minded as then to follow them into the west

country, let build a burg in the throat of the pass in a place of

vantage, and stationed there sufficient men to ward it, and so came

again to Owlswick.

They that were with Corinius in Demonland numbered now more than five

thousand fighting men: a great and redoubtable army. With these, the

weather being fine and open, he in a short time laid under him all

eastern Demonland, gave Galing alone. Bremery of Shaws with but

seventy men held Galing for Lord Juss against all assaults. So that

Corinius, thinking this fruit should ripen later and drop into his

hand when the rest had been gathered, resolved at winter’s end to

march with his main army into the west country, leaving a small force

to hold down the eastlands and contain Bremery in Galing. To this

determination he was led by all arguments of sound soldiership, most

happily seconding his own inclinations. For besides this of warlike

policy two scarce weaker lodestones drew him westward: first the old

cankered malice he bare in his heart against the Lord Brandoch Daha,

that made Krothering his dearest prey; and next, his own lustful

desires most outrageously burning for the Lady Mevrian. And this only

for the sight of her picture, found by him in Spitfire’s closet among

his pens and inkstands and other trinkets, which once looked on he

swore that with Heaven’s will (ay, or without if so it must be) she

should be his paramour.

So on the fourteenth day of March, of a bright frosty morn, he with

his main army marched up Breakingdale and over the Stile, by that same

road that Lord Juss fared by and Lord Brandoch Daha, that summer’s day

when they went to take counsel in Krothering before the Impland

expedition. So came the Witches down to the watersmeet and turned

aside to Many Bushes. There they found not Zigg nor his lady wife nor

any of his folk, but found the house desolate. So they robbed and

burned and went their way. And a famous castle of Juss’s they sacked

and burned in the confines of Kelialand, and another on Switchwater

Way, and a summer palace of Spitfire’s on a little hill above

Rammerick Mere. In such wise they marched victoriously down

Switchwater Way, and there was none to dispute their progress but all

fled at the approach of that great army and hid themselves in the

secret places of the mountains, avoiding death and fate.

When he was come through the straits of Gashterndale up on to

Krothering Side, Corinius let pitch his camp under Erngate End, at the

foot of the scree-strewn slopes that rise steeply to the high western

face of the mountain, where the lean embattled crags far aloft stand

like a wall against high heaven.

Corinius came to Lord Gro and said to him, “To thee will I entrust

mine embassage to this Mevrian. Thou shalt go with a flag of truce to

gain thee entry to the castle; or if they will not admit thee, then

bid her parley with thee without the wall. Then shalt thou use what

fantastic courtier’s jargon nature and thine invention shall

lightliest counsel thee, and say, ‘Corinius, by the grace of the great

King and the might of his own hand king of Demonland, sitteth as thou

well mayst see in power invincible before this castle. But he willed

me let thee know that he is not come for to make war against ladies

and damosels, and be thou of this sure, that neither to thee nor to

none of thy fortress he will nought say nor hurt. Only this honour he

proffereth thee, to wed thee in sweet marriage and make thee his queen

in Demonland.’ Whereto if she say yea, well and good, and we will go

up peaceably into Krothering and possess it and the woman. But if she

deny me this, then shalt thou say unto her right fiercely that I will

set on against the castle like a lion, and neither rest nor give over

until I have beaten it all to a ruin about her ears and slain the folk

with the edge of the sword. And that which she refuseth me to have in

peaceful love and kindness I will have of my own violent deed, that

she and her stiffnecked Demons may know that I am their king, and

master of all that is theirs, and their own bodies but chattels to

serve my pleasure.”

Gro said, “My Lord Corinius, choose I pray thee another who shall be

fitter than I to do this errand for thee;” and so for a long time most

earnestly besought him. But Corinius, the more he perceived the duty

hateful to Gro, the firmer became his resolution that none but Gro

should undertake it. So that in the end Gro perforce consented, and in

the same hour went with eleven up to the gates of Krothering, and a

white flag of truce was borne before him.

He sent his herald up to the gate to desire speech of the Lady

Mevrian. And in a while the gates were opened, and she came down

attended to meet Lord Gro in the open garden before the bridge-gate.

It was by then late afternoon, and the burning sun swam low amid

streaked level clouds incarnadine, setting aflame the waters of

Thunderfirth with the reflection of his beams. From the horizon, high

beyond the pine-clad hills of Westmark, a range of clouds reared

themselves, solid and of an iron hue; so hardedged against the vapoury

sky of sunset, that they seemed substantial mountains, not clouds:

unearthly mountains (a man might fancy) divinely raised up for

Demonland, for whom not all her ancient hills gave any longer refuge

against her enemies. Here, in Krothering gates, wintersweet and the

little purple daphne bush that blooms before the leaf breathed

fragrance abroad. Yet was it not this sweetness in the air that

troubled the Lord Gro, nor that western glory burning that dazzled his

eyes; but to look upon that lady standing in the gate, white-skinned

and dark, like the divine Huntress, tall and proud and lovely.

Mevrian, seeing him speechless, said at last, “My lord, I heard thou

hadst some errand to declare unto me. And seeing a great camp of war

gathered under Erngate End, and having heard of robbers and evildoers

rife about the land these many moons, I look not for soft speech. Take

heart, therefore, and declare plainly what ill thou meanest.”

Gro answered and said, “Tell me first if thou that speakest art in

truth the Lady Mevrian, that I may know whether to human kind I speak

or to some Goddess come down from the shining floor of heaven.”

She answered, “Of thy compliments I have nought to do. I am she thou

namest.”

“Madam,” said Lord Gro, “I would not have brought your highness this

message nor delivered it, but