Fred Saberhagen Lost Swords 04 Farslayers story

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"Yes?"
"Is there any real advantage in our going out to the island? Can we not lure the creatures, and
speak to them, just as successfully from here on shore?"
"Well, it might take a trifle longer that way but yes, I suppose we can."
"Then let us do so." A handful of soldiers from the Senones Home Guard were standing by, ready to
offer armed protection during the boat trip to the island, just in case some of the Malolo forces
should be encountered on the island or on the water. But Chilperic, sniffing the air and eyeing
suspiciously the fishing boats already on the river, had decided that he would rather not trust in
the protective abilities of the Home Guard. He could of course call up the demon for protection,
but his reluctance to depend entirely upon that power continued.
"I suppose we can do it just as well from shore. And perhaps we ought to wait for Megara anyway,"
said Hissarlik vaguely, turning away from the boat he had been about to enter.
Anselm had joined them, and was now serving as stand-in magician. He began to cast a spell. Within
a quarter of an hour three or four of the underwater creatures had appeared in the water near
shore, where they paddled about looking surprised, as if wondering why they had come here. Within
an hour there were about a dozen, and these were all the mermaids that were likely to attend,
according to Hissarlik.
A couple of the creatures sat on the muddy shoreline, while the others swam about. By now they all
looked sullenly unwilling to be here.
Chilperic had to admit they were all lithe and attractive young women from the waist up. When he
was assured that no more were likely to arrive, he stood up on the bank and spoke to them,
describing the missing Sword, and promising to heal all of them of their affliction if one of them
could bring him such a weapon. Their reaction was subdued; he could not tell to what extent his
promise was believed.
So he took care, before dismissing them, and while the food from the hampers was being thrown to
them, to threaten them with his demon if none of them did bring him the Sword he sought. He let
them see the demon to convince them that it was no empty threat and this time he got the reaction
that he sought.
Chapter ELEVEN
THE mermaid named Black Pearl had attended the gathering on the northern shore, more out of
curiosity than from any compulsion by the feeble magic of Anselm Senones. She had listened to the
arrogant strange man who spoke from the bank after Anselm, but she had not been much impressed by
either his promises or his threats. At least not until the demon appeared to give a brief
demonstration of its powers. Naturally the people on the north bank wanted the Sword, but they, or
their late parents, were the same people who had sold Black Pearl into slavery, and she was not
inclined to help them get anything they wanted now. Besides, if she had known where the Sword was,
she would have taken it to Zoltan.
When the demonmaster had finished his threats and the feeble magic of Anselm had relaxed its grip,
Black Pearl had slipped away from the other mermaids, into the swift flowing depths of the Tungri.
And now she was on the south shore. Swimming and scrambling, she was struggling with great
difficulty to make headway against a roaring and shallow rush of water. With hands and fins and
tail she labored to ascend the rocky bed of a small stream.
This particular stream, much faster than the creek
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Zoltan had followed on his way to meet her, came gushing down the mountain through a narrow little
canyon in the south side of the river gorge. The mouth of this brook, where it poured into the
Tungri, was less than a kilometer from the hermit's house high on the irregular slope above. That
house was still invisible from the place where the young mermaid squirmed and struggled.
On this spring day the little stream had been augmented by melting snow in the high country, yet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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