Elric_ The Stealer of Souls - Michael Moorcock [109]
The time of the battle was drawing close…
Now, in the grey dawn, the two armies advanced upon each other, coming from opposite ends of a wide valley, flanked by low, wooded, hills.
The army of Pan Tang and Dharijor moved, a tide of dark metal, up the shallow valley to meet them. Elric, still unarmoured, watched as they approached, his horse stamping the turf. Dyvim Slorm, beside him, pointed and said: “Look—there are the plotters—Sarosto on the left and Jagreen Lern on the right!”
The leaders headed their army, banners of dark silk rustling above their helms. King Sarosto and his thin ally, aquiline Jagreen Lern in glowing scarlet armour that seemed to be red hot and may have been. On his helm was the Merman crest of Pan Tang, for he claimed kinship with the sea-people. Sarosto’s armour was dull, murky yellow, emblazoned with the Star of Dharijor upon which was the Cleft Sword which history said was borne by Sarosto’s ancestor Atarn the City-Builder.
Behind them, instantly observable, came the Devil Riders of Pan Tang on their six-legged reptilian mounts, bred by sorcery it was said. Swarthy and with introspective expressions on their sharp faces, they carried long, curved sabres, naked at their belts. Prowling among them came over a hundred hunting tigers, trained like dogs, with tusklike teeth and claws that could rend a man to the bone with a single sweep. Beyond the rolling army as it moved towards them, Elric could just see the tops of the mysterious cage-wagons. What weird beasts did they contain? he wondered.
Then Yishana shouted a command.
The archers’ arrows spread a rattling black cloud above them as Elric led the first wave of infantry down the hill to meet the van of the enemy army. That he should be forced to risk his life embittered him, but if he was ever to discover Zarozinia’s whereabouts he had to play out his ordered part and pray that he lived.
The main force of cavalry followed the infantry, flanking it with orders to encircle the enemy if possible. Brightly clad Imrryrians and bronze-armoured Shazaarians were to one side. Blue-armoured Tarkeshites with brilliant plumes of red, purple and white, long lances leveled, and gold-armoured Jharkorians, longswords already unscabbarded, galloped on the other side. In the centre of Elric’s advance phalanx loped Yishana’s White Leopards and the queen herself rode beneath her banner, behind the first phalanx, leading a battalion of knights.
Down they rushed towards the enemy whose own arrows rose upwards and then swept down to clash against helmets or thud into flesh.
Now the sound of war-shouts smashed through the still dawn as they streaked down the slopes and clashed.
Elric found himself confronting lean Jagreen Lern, and the snarling Theocrat met Stormbringer’s swing with a flame-red buckler which successfully protected him—proving the shield to be treated against sorcerous weapons.
Jagreen Lern’s features wrinkled into a malicious smile as he recognized Elric. “I was told you’d be here, Whiteface. I know you Elric and I know your doom!”
“Too many men appear to know my destiny better than I,” said the albino. “But perhaps if I slay you, Theocrat, I may force the secret from you before you die?”
“Oh, no! That is not my masters’ plan at all.”
“Well, mayhap ’tis mine!”
He struck again at Jagreen Lern, but again the blade was turned, screaming its anger. He felt it move in his hand, felt it throb with chagrin, for normally the hell-forged blade could slice through metal however finely tempered.
In Jagreen Lern’s gauntleted right hand was a huge war-axe which he now swung at the unprotected head of Elric’s horse. This was odd since he was in a position to strike at Elric himself. The albino jerked his steed’s head to one side, avoided the blow and drove again point first at Jagreen Lern’s midriff. The runeblade shrieked as it failed to pierce the armour. The war-axe swung again and