Read Online The Oak and the Ram - 04 by Michael Moorcock - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael Moorcock
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features which marked him as a cousin to the
Vadhagh, although many of those features were covered in black hair. There was a glimpse of an iron breastplate beneath his many furs. On his legs there were polished iron greaves with gold inlays, and he wore a polished iron helmet of similar workmanship. Beside him stood his huge double-bladed war-axe, not unlike Corum's axe, but much larger. This was Goffanon, the Sidhi Smith of Hy-Breasail, who had given Corum the Spear Bryionak and the bag of spittle which Calatin had wanted. How could Goffanon possibly have allied himself with the Fhoi Myore, let alone the Wizard Calatin? Goffanon had sworn that he would never again involve himself in the wars between mortals and the Gods of Limbo! Had he deceived Corum? Had he been in league with the Fhoi Myore and the Wizard Calatin all along? Yet, if so, why had he given Corum the Spear Bryionak which had led to the defeat of the Fhoi Myore at Caer Mahlod?
Now, as if he sensed Corum's presence, Goffanon slowly began to turn his head toward the door and Corum withdrew hastily, not sure if the Sidhi would be able to see him.
There was something strange about Goffanon's face, something dull and tragic, but Corum had not had enough time to study the expression closely enough to be able to analyze it.
With heavy heart, horrified by Goffanon's treachery (though not over-surprised by Calatin's decision to league himself with the Fhoi Myore) Corum tiptoed back to the landing, hearing Calatin say:
"We shall go with them tomorrow when they march."
And he heard Goffanon reply in a deep, distant voice: "Now begins in earnest the conquest of the West."
So the Fhoi Myore did prepare for battle and almost certainly they marched against Caer Mahlod again. And this time they had a Sidhi as an ally and there were no Sidhi weapons to thwart their ambitions.
Corum moved with greater urgency up the next stairway and had gone half-way when he turned a bend and saw a lump squatting so that it filled the whole stair and afforded him no room through which he could pass undetected. The lump did not see him, but it lifted its snout and sniffed. Its three eyes, of disparate size, had a puzzled look. Its pink, bristle-covered flesh quivered as it pushed itself into a sitting position on its five arms. Three of the arms were human, though they seemed to have belonged to a woman, a youth and an old man. One of the arms was simian, that of a gorilla, and one of the arms seemed to have been the property of some kind of large reptile. The legs which the lump now revealed were short and ended in a human foot, a cloven hoof and a dog-like paw, respectively. The lump was naked, apparently sexless, and it was unarmed. It stank of excrement and of sweat and of corrupting food. It wheezed as it altered its position.
As silently as was possible, Corum drew his sword as the three lids closed over the three mismatched eyes as the lump, seeing nothing, resettled itself to sleep again.
As the eyes closed Corum struck.
He struck through the oval mouth, through the roof of the mouth, into the brain. He knew that he could strike only once effectively before the lump made a noise which would bring other guards.
The eyes opened and instantly one closed again in a kind of obscene wink.
The others stared at the blade of the sword in astonishment, for it seemed to protrude from the thin air. The simian hand came up to touch the blade but it never completed the gesture. The hand fell limply back. The remaining eyes closed and Corum was sheathing his sword and clambering over the fat, yielding flesh as fast as he could, praying that none should find the lump's corpse before he had discovered the whereabouts of the Archdruid Amergin.
There were two Ghoolegh guards, their cutlasses at attention across their chests, at the top of this particular stair, but it was plain that they had heard nothing.
Hurriedly Corum slipped past them and mounted the next flight and there, on the
Vadhagh, although many of those features were covered in black hair. There was a glimpse of an iron breastplate beneath his many furs. On his legs there were polished iron greaves with gold inlays, and he wore a polished iron helmet of similar workmanship. Beside him stood his huge double-bladed war-axe, not unlike Corum's axe, but much larger. This was Goffanon, the Sidhi Smith of Hy-Breasail, who had given Corum the Spear Bryionak and the bag of spittle which Calatin had wanted. How could Goffanon possibly have allied himself with the Fhoi Myore, let alone the Wizard Calatin? Goffanon had sworn that he would never again involve himself in the wars between mortals and the Gods of Limbo! Had he deceived Corum? Had he been in league with the Fhoi Myore and the Wizard Calatin all along? Yet, if so, why had he given Corum the Spear Bryionak which had led to the defeat of the Fhoi Myore at Caer Mahlod?
Now, as if he sensed Corum's presence, Goffanon slowly began to turn his head toward the door and Corum withdrew hastily, not sure if the Sidhi would be able to see him.
There was something strange about Goffanon's face, something dull and tragic, but Corum had not had enough time to study the expression closely enough to be able to analyze it.
With heavy heart, horrified by Goffanon's treachery (though not over-surprised by Calatin's decision to league himself with the Fhoi Myore) Corum tiptoed back to the landing, hearing Calatin say:
"We shall go with them tomorrow when they march."
And he heard Goffanon reply in a deep, distant voice: "Now begins in earnest the conquest of the West."
So the Fhoi Myore did prepare for battle and almost certainly they marched against Caer Mahlod again. And this time they had a Sidhi as an ally and there were no Sidhi weapons to thwart their ambitions.
Corum moved with greater urgency up the next stairway and had gone half-way when he turned a bend and saw a lump squatting so that it filled the whole stair and afforded him no room through which he could pass undetected. The lump did not see him, but it lifted its snout and sniffed. Its three eyes, of disparate size, had a puzzled look. Its pink, bristle-covered flesh quivered as it pushed itself into a sitting position on its five arms. Three of the arms were human, though they seemed to have belonged to a woman, a youth and an old man. One of the arms was simian, that of a gorilla, and one of the arms seemed to have been the property of some kind of large reptile. The legs which the lump now revealed were short and ended in a human foot, a cloven hoof and a dog-like paw, respectively. The lump was naked, apparently sexless, and it was unarmed. It stank of excrement and of sweat and of corrupting food. It wheezed as it altered its position.
As silently as was possible, Corum drew his sword as the three lids closed over the three mismatched eyes as the lump, seeing nothing, resettled itself to sleep again.
As the eyes closed Corum struck.
He struck through the oval mouth, through the roof of the mouth, into the brain. He knew that he could strike only once effectively before the lump made a noise which would bring other guards.
The eyes opened and instantly one closed again in a kind of obscene wink.
The others stared at the blade of the sword in astonishment, for it seemed to protrude from the thin air. The simian hand came up to touch the blade but it never completed the gesture. The hand fell limply back. The remaining eyes closed and Corum was sheathing his sword and clambering over the fat, yielding flesh as fast as he could, praying that none should find the lump's corpse before he had discovered the whereabouts of the Archdruid Amergin.
There were two Ghoolegh guards, their cutlasses at attention across their chests, at the top of this particular stair, but it was plain that they had heard nothing.
Hurriedly Corum slipped past them and mounted the next flight and there, on the
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