Duke Elric - Michael Moorcock [21]
It was much hotter in this passage and they were all sweating, pausing several times to rest and mop their brows. The passage seemed to extend upwards for ever, turning occasionally, but never leveling out for more than a few feet. At times it narrowed to little more than a tube through which they had to squirm on their stomachs and at other times the roof disappeared into the gloom over their heads. Elric had long since given up trying to relate their position to what he had seen of the outside of the castle. From time to time small, shapeless creatures rushed towards them in shoals apparently with the intention of attacking them, but these were rarely more than an irritation and were soon all but ignored by the party as it continued its climb.
For a while they had not heard the strange voice which had greeted them upon their entering, but now it began to whisper again, its tones more urgent than before.
“Where? Where? Oh, the pain!”
They paused, trying to locate the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Grim-faced, they continued, plagued by thousands of little creatures which bit at their exposed flesh like so many gnats, yet the creatures were not insects. Elric had seen nothing like them before. They were shapeless, primitive, and all but colourless. They battered at his face as he moved; they were like a wind. Half-blinded, choked, sweating, he felt his strength leaving him. The air was so thick now, so hot, so salty, it was as if he moved through liquid. The others were as badly affected as was he; some were staggering and two men fell, to be helped up again by comrades almost as exhausted. Elric was tempted to strip off his armour, but he knew this would leave more of his flesh to the mercy of the little flying creatures.
Still they climbed and now more of the serpentine things they had seen earlier began to writhe around their feet, hampering them further, for all that Hown sang his sleeping song until he was hoarse.
“We can survive this only a little longer,” said Ashnar the Lynx, moving close to Elric. “We shall be in no condition to meet the sorcerer if we ever find him or his sister.”
Elric nodded a gloomy head. “My thoughts, too, yet what else may we do, Ashnar?”
“Nothing,” said Ashnar in a low voice. “Nothing.”
“Where? Where? Where?” The word rustled all about them. Many of the party were becoming openly nervous.
CHAPTER FIVE
They had reached the top of the passage. The querulous voice was much louder now, but it quavered more. They saw an archway and beyond the archway a lighted chamber.
“Agak's room, without doubt,” said Ashnar, taking a better grip on his sword.
“Possibly,” said Elric. He felt detached from his body. Perhaps it was the heat and the exhaustion, or his growing sense of disquiet, but something made him withdraw into himself and hesitate before entering the chamber.
The place was octagonal and each of its eight sloping sides was of a different colour and each colour changed constantly. Occasionally the walls became semi-transparent, revealing a complete view of the ruined city (or collection of cities) far below, and also a view of the twin castle to this one, still connected by tubes and wires.
It was the large pool in the centre of the chamber which attracted most of their attention. It seemed deep and was full of evil-smelling, viscous stuff. It bubbled. Shapes formed in it. Grotesque and strange, beautiful and familiar, the shapes seemed always upon the brink of taking permanent form before falling back into the stuff of the pool. And the voice was still louder and there was no question now that it came from the pool.
“WHAT? WHAT? WHO INVADES?”
Elric forced himself closer to the pool and for a moment saw his own face staring out at him before it melted.
“WHO INVADES? AH! I AM TOO WEAK!”
Elric spoke to the pool. “We are of those you would destroy,” he said. “We are those on whom you would feed.”
“AH! AGAK! AGAK! I AM SICK! WHERE ARE YOU?”
Ashnar and Brut joined Elric. The faces of the warriors