Sailor on the Seas of Fate - Michael Moorcock [6]
Elric nodded and rose. "This captain—what is his name?"
"He has none he will reveal to us," said Erekosë. Together they emerged onto the deck. The mist was if anything thicker and of the same deathly whiteness, no longer tinted by the sun's rays. It was hard to see to the far ends of the ship and for all that they were evidently moving rapidly, there was no hint of a wind. Yet it was warmer than Elric might have expected. He followed Erekosë forward to the cabin set under the deck on which one of the ship's twin wheels stood, tended by a tall man in sea-coat and leggings of quilted deerskin who was so still as to resemble a statue. The red-haired steersman did not look around or down as they advanced toward the cabin, but Elric caught a glimpse of his face.
The door seemed built of some kind of smooth metal possessing a sheen almost like the healthy coat of an animal. It was reddish-brown and the most colorful thing Elric had so far seen on the ship. Erekosë knocked softly upon the door. "Captain," he said. "Elric is here."
"Enter," said a voice at once melodious and distant.
The door opened. Rosy light flooded out, half-blinding Elric as he walked in. As his eyes adapted, he could see a very tall, pale-clad man standing upon a richly hued carpet in the middle of the cabin. Elric heard the door close and realized that Erekosë had not accompanied him inside.
"Are you refreshed, Elric?" said the captain.
"I am, sir, thanks to your wine."
The captain's features were no more human than were Elric's. They were at once finer and more powerful than those of the Melnibonéan, yet bore a slight resemblance in that the eyes were inclined to taper, as did the face, toward the chin. The captain's long hair fell to his shoulders in red-gold waves and was kept back from his brow by a circlet of blue jade. His body was clad in buff-colored tunic and hose and there were sandals of silver and silver-thread laced to his calves. Apart from his clothing, he was twin to the steersman Elric had recently seen.
"Will you have more wine?"
The captain moved toward a chest on the far side of the cabin, near the porthole, which was closed.
"Thank you," said Elric. And now he realized why the eyes had not focused on him. The captain was blind.
For all that his movements were deft and assured, it was obvious that he could not see at all. He poured the wine from a silver jug into a silver cup and began to cross toward Elric, holding the cup out before him. Elric stepped forward and accepted it.
"I am grateful for your decision to join us," said the captain. "I am much relieved, sir."
"You are courteous," said Elric, "though I must add that my decision was not difficult to make. I had nowhere else to go."
"I understand that. It is why we put into shore when and where we did. You will find that all your companions were in a similar position before they, too, came aboard."
"You appear to have considerable knowledge of the movements of many men," said Elric. He held the wine untasted in his left hand.
"Many," agreed the captain, "on many worlds. I understand that you are a person of culture, sir, so you will be aware of something of the nature of the sea upon which my ship sails."
"I think so."
"She sails between the worlds, for the most part—between the planes of a variety of aspects of the same world, to be a little more exact." The captain hesitated, turning his blind face away from Elric. "Please know that I do not deliberately mystify you. There are some things I do not understand and other things which I may not completely reveal. It is a trust I have and I hope you feel you can respect it."
"I have no reason as yet to do otherwise," replied the albino. And he took a sip of the wine.
"I find myself with a fine company," said the captain. "I hope that you continue to think it worthwhile honoring my trust when we reach our destination."
"And what is that, Captain?"
"An island indigenous to these waters."
"That must be a rarity."
"Indeed,