The Sleeping Sorceress Read Online Free Page B

divine
Hallowed on an ancient shrine,
When kind swore service unto kind.

    “Fileet, fair feathered queen of flight
Remember now that fateful night
And help your brother in his plight.”

    There was more to the Summoning than the words of the invocation. There were the abstract thoughts in the head, the visual images which had to be retained in the mind the whole time, the emotions felt, the memories made sharp and true. Without everything being exactly right, the invocation would prove useless.
    Centuries before, the Sorcerer Kings of Melniboné had struck this bargain with Fileet, Lady of the Birds: that any bird that settled in Imrryr’s walls should be protected, that no bird would be shot by any of the Melnibonéan blood. This bargain had been kept and dreaming Imrryr had become a haven for all species of bird and at one time they had cloaked her towers in plumage.
    Now Elric chanted his verses, recalling that bargain and begging Fileet to remember her part of it.

    “Brothers and sisters of the sky
Hear my voice where’er ye fly
And bring me aid from kingdoms high . . .”

    Not for the first time had he called upon the elementals and those akin to them. But lately he had summoned Haaashaastaak, Lord of the Lizards, in his fight against Theleb K’aarna and still earlier he had made use of the services of the wind elementals—the sylphs, the sharnahs and the h’Haarshanns—and the earth elementals.
    Yet, Fileet was fickle.
    And now that Imrryr was no more than quaking ruins, she could even choose to forget that ancient pact.
    “Fileet . . .”
    He was weak from the invoking. He would not have the strength to battle Theleb K’aarna even if he found the opportunity.
    “Fileet . . .”
    And then the air was stirring and a huge shadow fell across the chimerae bearing Elric and Moonglum northward.
    Elric’s voice faltered as he looked up. But he smiled and said:
    “I thank you, Fileet.”
    For the sky was black with birds. There were eagles and robins and rooks and starlings and wrens and kites and crows and hawks and peacocks and flamingoes and pigeons and parrots and doves and magpies and ravens and owls. Their plumage flashed like steel and the air was full of their cries.
    The Oonai raised its snake’s head and hissed, its long tongue curling out between its front fangs, its coiled tail lashing. One of the chimerae not carrying Elric or Moonglum changed its shape into that of a gigantic condor and flapped up towards the vast array of birds.
    But they were not deceived.
    The chimera disappeared, submerged by birds. There was a frightful screaming and then something black and piglike spiraled to earth, blood and entrails streaming in its wake.
    Another chimera—the last not bearing a burden—assumed its dragon shape, almost completely identical to those which Elric had once mastered as ruler of Melniboné, but larger and with not quite the same grace as Flamefang and the others.
    There was a sickening smell of burning flesh and feathers as the flaming venom fell upon Elric’s allies.
    But now more and more birds were filling the air, shrieking and whistling and cawing and hooting, a million wings fluttering, and once again the Oonai was hidden from sight, once again a muffled scream sounded, once again a mangled, piglike corpse plummeted ground-wards.
    The birds divided into two masses, turning their attention to the chimerae bearing Elric and Moonglum. They sped down like two gigantic arrowheads, led, each group, by ten huge golden eagles which dived at the flashing eyes of the Oonai.
    As the birds attacked, the chimerae were forced to change shape. Instantly Elric felt himself fall free. His body was numb and he fell like a stone, remembering only to keep his grip on Stormbringer, and as he fell he cursed at the irony. He had been saved from the beasts of Chaos only to hurtle to his death on the snow-covered ground below.
    But then his cloak was caught from above and he hung swaying in the air. Looking up