Sailor on the Seas of Fate - Michael Moorcock [54]
In his ears now Elric heard a buzzing and gradually the buzzing formed itself in words.
"Who art thou, mortal? What right hast thee to summon me?"
"I am Elric, ruler of Melniboné. My ancestors aided thee, Nnuuurrrr'c'c."
"Aye—but long ago."
"And it is long ago that they last called on thee for thine aid!"
"True. What aid dost thou now require, Elric of Melniboné?"
"Look upon my plane. Thou wilt see that I am in danger. Canst thou abolish this danger, friend of the Insects?"
Now a filmy shape formed and could be seen as if through several layers of cloudy silk. Elric tried to keep his eyes upon it, but it kept leaving his field of vision and then returning for a few moments. He knew that he looked into another plane of the Earth.
"Canst thou help me, Nnuuurrrr'c'c?"
"Hast thou no patron of thine own species? Some Lord of Chaos who can aid thee?"
"My patron is Arioch and he is a temperamental demon at best. These days he aids me little."
"Then I must send thee allies, mortal. But call upon me no more when this is done."
"I shall not summon thee again, Nnuuurrrr'c'c."
The layers of film disappeared and with them the shape.
The noise of the battle crashed once again on Elric's consciousness and he heard with sharper clarity than before the screams of the sailors and the hissing of the reptilian savages and when he looked out from his shelter he saw that at least half the crew were dead.
As he came on deck Smiorgan ran up. "I thought you slain, Elric! What became of you?" He was plainly relieved to see his friend still lived.
"I sought aid from another plane—but it does not seem to have materialized."
"I'm thinking we're doomed and had best try to swim downstream away from here and seek a hiding place in the jungle," Smiorgan said.
"What of Duke Avan? Is he dead?"
"He lives. But those creatures are all but impervious to our weapons. This ship will sink ere long." Smiorgan lurched as the deck tilted and he reached out to grab a trailing rope, letting his long sword dangle by its wrist-thong. "They are not attacking the stern at present. We can slip into the water there...."
"I made a bargain with Duke Avan," Elric reminded the islander. "I cannot desert him."
"Then we'll all perish!"
"What's that?" Elric bent his head, listening intently.
"I hear nothing."
It was a whine which deepened in tone until it became a drone. Now Smiorgan heard it also and looked about him, seeking the source of the sound. And suddenly he gasped, pointing upward. "Is that the aid you sought?"
There was a vast cloud of them, black against the blue of the sky. Every so often the sun would flash on a dazzling color—a rich blue, green, or red. They came spiraling down toward the ship and now both sides fell silent, staring skyward.
The flying things were like huge dragonflies and the brightness and richness of their coloring was breathtaking. It was their wings which made the droning sound which now began to increase in loudness and heighten in pitch as the huge insects sped nearer.
Realizing that they were the object of the attack the reptile men stumbled backward on their long legs, trying to reach the shore before the gigantic insects were upon them.
But it was too late for flight.
The dragonflies settled on the savages until nothing could be seen of their bodies. The hissing increased and sounded almost pitiful as the insects bore their victims down to the surface and then inflicted on them whatever terrible death it was. Perhaps they stung with their tails—it was not possible for the watchers to see.
Sometimes a storklike leg would emerge from the water and thrash in the air for a moment. But soon, just as the reptiles were covered by the insect bodies, so were their cries drowned by the strange and blood-chilling humming that arose on all sides.
A sweating