Leading Elric to an antechamber, Moonglum stopped outside, running his fingers through his thick, red hair. «He is therein. Would you care to interview him alone? I'd rather not set eyes on him again! »

«Very well, » Elric opened the door, wondering how this spy would be changed. Sitting at the plain wooden table, was the remains of a man. It looked up. As Moonglum had warned him-it had been altered.

Elric felt pity for the man, but he was not nauseated or horrified like Moonglum, for in his sorcery-working he had seen far worse creatures. It was as if the whole of one side of the spy's body had become at one stage viscous, had flowed, and men coiled in a random shape. Side of head, shoulder, arm, torso, leg, all were replaced by streamers of flesh like rat's tails, lumps of matter like swollen boils, weirdly mottled. The spy spread his good band and some of the streamer seemed to jerk and wave in unison.

Elric spoke quietly. «What magic wrought his drastic change?»

A kind of Chuckle came from the lopsided face. «I entered the Realm of Chaos, lord. And Chaos did this, it changed me as you see. The boundaries are being extended. I did not know it. I was inside before I realised what had happened. The area of Chaos is being widened! » He leant forward, his shaking voice almost screaming. «With it sail the massed fleets of Jagreen Lern-great waves of warships, squadrons of invasion craft, thousands of transports, shun mounting great war engines, fire-ships-ships of all kinds, bearing a multitude of standards-the kings of the south left live have sworn loyally to Jagreen Lern and he has used all their resources and his own to marshal this sea-horde! As he sails, he extends the area of Chaos, so whereas his sailing is dower than normal, when he reaches us here-Chaos will be with him. I saw such ships not could be of no earthly contriving-the size of castles-each one seeming to be a dazzling combination of all colours! »

«So he has managed to bring more supernatural allies to his standard, » Elric roused. «Those are the Ships of Hell, Sepiriz mentioned...»

«Aye-and even if we beat the natural craft, » the messenger said, hysterically, «we could not beat born the ships of Chaos and the stuff of Chaos which boils around them and did to me what you observe! It boils, it warps, it changes constantly. That is all I know, save that Jagreen Lern and unhuman allies are unharmed by it as I was harmed. When his change began to take place in my body, I fled to the Dragon Up of Melnibone, which seems to have withstood the process and is the only safe land in all the waters of the world. My body-healed-swiftly, and I chanced another sailing to bring me here.»

«You were courageous, » Elric said hollowly. «You will be well rewarded, I promise.»

«I want only one reward, my lord.»

«What is that?»

«Death. I can no longer live with the horror of my body burrowing the horror in my brains! »

«I will see to it, » Elric promised. He remained brooding for a few seconds before nodding farewell to the spy and leaving the room.

Moonglum met him outside.

«It looks blade for us, Elric.» he said softly.

Elric sighed. «Aye-perhaps I should have gone to seek the Chaos Shield first.»

«What's that?»

Elric explained all Sepiriz had told him.

«We could do with such a defence, » Moonglum agreed. «But there it is - the priority is tomorrow's sailing. Your captains await you in the conference chamber.»

«I will see them in a short while, » Elric promised. «First I wish to go to my own room to collect my thoughts. Tell them I’ll join them when that's done.»

When he reached his room, Elric locked the door behind him, still thinking of the spy's information. He knew that without supernatural aid no ordinary fleet, no matter bow large or how courageously manned, could possibly withstand Jagreen Lern. And the fact was that he had only a comparatively small Beet, no supernatural entities for allies, no means of combatting the disrupting chaotic forces. If only he had the Chaos Shield beside him now... But it was useless to regret a decision of the kind he'd made. If he sought the shield now, he couldn't fight the battle in any case.

For weeks he had consulted the grimoires that, in the form of scrolls, tablets, books and sheets of precious metals engraved with ancient symbols, littered his room. The Elementals had helped him in the past, but, so disrupted were they by Chaos, that they were weak for the most part.

He unstrapped his hell-sword and filing it on the bed of tumbled silks and furs. Wryly he thought back to earlier times when he had given in to despair and how those incidents which had engendered the mood seemed merely gay escapades in comparison to the task which now weighed on his mind. Though weary, he chose not to draw Stormbringer's stolen energy into himself, for the feeling that was so dose to ecstasy was leavened by the guilt-the guilt which had possessed him since a child when he had first realised that the expression on his remote father's face had not been one of love, but of disappointment that he should have spawned a deficient weakling-a pale albino, good for nothing, without the aid of drugs or sorcery.

Elric sighed and went to the window to stare oat over the low hills and beyond them to the sea. He spoke aloud, perhaps subconsciously, hoping that the release of the words would relieve some of the tension within him.

«I do not care for this responsibility, » he said. «When I fought the Dead God he spoke of both gods and men as shadow-things, playing puppet-parts before the true history of Earth began and men found their fate in their own hands. Then Sepiriz tells me I must turn against Chaos and help destroy the whole nature of the world I know or history might never begin again, and Fate's great purpose would be thwarted. Therefore I am the one who must be split and tempered to fulfill my destiny-I must know no peace of mind, must fight men and gods and the stuff of Chaos without surcease, must bring about the death of this age so that, in some far dawn-age, men who know little of sorcery or the Lords of the Higher Worlds, may move about a world where the major forces of Chaos can no longer enter, where justice may actually exist as a reality, and not as a mere concept in the minds of philosophers.»

He rubbed his red eyes with his fingers.

«So fate makes Elric a martyr that Law might rule the world. It gives him a sword of ugly evil that destroys friends and enemies alike and sucks their soul-stuff out to feed him the strength he needs. It binds me to evil and to Chaos, in order that I may destroy evil and Chaos-but it does not make me some senseless dolt easily convinced and a willing sacrifice. No, it makes me Elric of Melnibone and floods me with a mighty misery...»

«My lord speaks aloud to himself-and his thoughts are gloomy. Speak them to me, instead, so that I might help you bear them, Elric.»

Recognising the soft voice, but astonished nonetheless. Ellie turned quickly towards the source and saw his wife, Zarozinia standing there, her arms outstretched and a look of deep sympathy upon her young face.

He took a step towards her before stopping and saying angrily: «When did you come here? Why? I told you to remain in your father's palace at Karlaak until this business is done, if ever.»

«If ever...» She repeated, dropping her arms to her sides with a little shrug. Though scarcely more than a girl, with her full red lips and long black hair, she bore herself as it princess must and seemed more than her age.

«Ask not that question, » he said cynically. «It is not one we ask ourselves here. But answer mine: How did you come here and why?» He knew what her reply would be, but he spoke only to emphasise his anger which in turn was a result of his horror that she should have come so dose to danger, danger which he had already rescued her from once.