Elric to Rescue Tanelorn - Michael Moorcock [110]
Then Stormbringer began to murmur and, either warned by the sword or by some sixth sense of his own, Elric wheeled to his right. Another archway had appeared there and from this there began to shine a light as deep red as the other was blue. Where the two met was a purple of fantastic richness and Elric stared at this, experiencing a similar hypnotic pull as he had felt when climbing the ramp. Again his mind was stronger, and he forced himself to enter the red arch. At once another arch appeared to his left, sending a beam of green light to merge with the red, and another to his left brought yellow light, one ahead brought mauve until he seemed trapped within the criss-cross of beams. He slashed at them with Stormbringer, and the black radiance reduced the beams for a moment to streamers of light, which re-formed again. Elric continued to move forward.
Now, looming through the confusion of colour, a shape appeared and Elric thought it was that of a man.
Man it was in shape—but not in size it seemed. Yet, when it drew closer, it was no giant—less than Elric’s height. Still it gave the impression of vast proportions, rather as if it were a giant and Elric had grown to its size.
It blundered towards Elric and went through him. It was not that the man was intangible—it was Elric who felt the ghost. The creature’s mass seemed of incredible density. The creature was turning, its huge hands reaching out, its face a mocking grimace. Elric struck at it with Stormbringer and was astonished as the runesword was halted, making no impression on the creature’s bulk.
Yet when it grasped Elric, its hands went through him. Elric backed away, grinning now in relief. Then he saw with some terror that the light was gleaming through him. He had been right—he was the ghost!
The creature reached out for him again, grabbed him again, failed to hold him.
Elric, conscious that he was in no physical danger from the monster, yet also highly conscious that his sanity was about to be permanently impaired, turned and fled.
Quite suddenly he was in a hall, the walls of which were of the same unstable, shifting colours as the rest of the place. But sitting on a stool in the centre of the hall, holding in his hands some tiny creatures that seemed to be running about on his palm, was a small figure who looked up at Elric and grinned merrily.
“Welcome, King of Melniboné. And how fares the last ruler of my favourite earthly race?”
The figure was dressed in shimmering motley. On his head was a tall, spiked crown—a travesty of and a comment upon the crowns of the mighty. His face was angular and his mouth wide.
“Greetings, Lord Balo,” Elric made a mock bow. “Strange hospitality you offer in your welcome.”
“Ahaha—it did not amuse you, eh? Men are so much harder to please than gods—you would not think it, would you?”
“Men’s pleasures are rarely so elaborate. Where is Queen Yishana?”
“Allow me my pleasure also, mortal. Here she is, I think.” Balo plucked at one of the tiny creatures on his palm. Elric stepped forward and saw that Yishana was indeed there, as were many of the lost soldiers. Balo looked up at him and winked. “They are so much easier to handle in this size.”
“I do not doubt it, though I wonder if it is not we who are larger rather than they who are smaller…”
“You are astute, mortal. But can you guess how this came to be?”
“Your creature back there—your pits and colours and archways—somehow they warp—what?”
“Mass, King Elric. But you would not understand such concepts. Even the Lords of Melniboné, most godlike and intelligent of mortals, only learned how to manipulate the elements in ritual invocation and spell, but never understood what they manipulated—that is where the Lords of the Higher Worlds score, whatever their differences.”
“But I survived without need for spells. I survived by disciplining my mind!”
“That helped, for certain—but you forget your greatest asset—that disturbing blade there. You use it in your petty problems to aid you, and you never realize that it is like making use of a mighty war