How to ensure his friend's safety and still take vengeance on Jagreen Lern was a problem. But Elric moved towards the boarding platform which he guessed the theocrat to have crossed. As he did so, three warriors leapt towards him. One of them cried:

«The albino! The reaver has escaped! »

Elric struck him down with a blow that required only a flick of his wrist. The black sword did the rest The others retreated, remembering how Elric had entered Hwamgaarl.

New energy flowed through him. For every corpse he killed, his strength increased-a stolen strength, but necessary if he was to survive and win the day for Law.

He ran, untroubled by his burden, over the boarding platform and on to the deck of the southern ship. Up ahead he saw the standard of Argimiliar and a little group of men around it, headed by King Hozel himself, his face gaunt as he stared at the knowledge of his own death. A deserved death, thought Elric grimly, but nonetheless when Hozel died it would mean another victory for Chaos.

Then he heard a shout of a different quality, thought for a moment he had been observed, but one of Hozel's men was pointing to the North sod mouthing something.

Elric looked in the direction and saw, with mixed emotions, the brave sails of the Purple Towns. They were brightly painted and gay, some even embroidered, for the only rich decoration the Sealords allowed themselves was upon their sails.

But they had arrived belatedly. Even if they had sailed with the other southern vessels it would have been unlikely not they could have turned the day against Pan Tang.

At that moment, staring around him, Jagreen Lern saw Elric and bellowed at his men who moved forward warily and reluctantly, approaching the albino in a wide semi-circle,

Elric cursed the brave Sealords who had added a further factor to his indecision,

Menacingly he swung the moaning runeblade about him, he advanced to meet the half-terrified Pan Tang warriors. They dropped back, some of them groaning as the blade touched them. The way was now dear to Jagreen Lern.

But the ships of the Purple Towns were drawing closer, almost within catapult range.

Elric looked directly into Jagreen Lern’s frightened face and snarled: «I doubt if my blade had my strength to pierce your burning armour with one blow, had one blow is all I have time for. I leave you now, theocrat, but remember not even if you conquer all the world including the unknown lands of the East, I’ll have my sword drink your black soul at length.»

With that he dropped Moonglum's unconscious body overboard and dived after it into the choppy sea.

Resuming his hold on his friend's body, he began to swim with superhuman strokes towards the leading vessel of the Sealords. Kargan's ship.

Now, behind him, Jagreen Lern and his men saw their own flagship blazing. Elric had done his work well.

That, too, would serve to divert attention from Kargan's fleet.

Trusting to the Sealords' famed seamanship he swam directly in the path of the leading galleon, shouting Kargan's name.

The ship veered slightly and he saw bearded faces at the rail, saw ropes flicker towards him and grasped one, letting them haul him upwards with his burden until he was pulled over the side.

Kargan stared at him with shocked eyes.

«Elric! We thought you dead-and now I see you have been, or worse! »

Elric spat salt-water from his mouth and said urgently:

«Turn your fleet, Kargan! Turn it back the way it has come, there is no hope of saving the Southlanders - they are doomed. We must preserve our forces for a later struggle.»

Hesitating momentarily, Kargan gave the order which was swiftly relayed to the rest of his sixty strong fleet.

As the ships turned away, Elric noted that hardly a Southern ship remained afloat. For more than a mile the water burned and the spluttering of the flaming, sinking ships was blended with the screams of the maimed and drowning.

«With the Southern seapower crushed so decisively, » Kargan said, watching the physician who was tending to Moonglum, »the lands will not last long before Pan Tang's marching hordes. Like us, the South relied too much on its ships. It has taught me that we must strengthen our land defences if we are to have any chance at all.»

«From now on well use your island as our main headquarters, » Elric said. «Well fortify the whole place and from there keep in close touch with what is happening in the south. How is my friend, physician?»

The physician looked up. «These are no battle-made wounds. He's been hurt sorely, but hell live. He should recover to perfect fitness given a month or so of rest.»

«He'll have it, » Elric promised. He gripped the runesword at his belt and wondered what other tasks lay in store for them before the last great battle between Law and Chaos was joined.

Chaos would soon rule more than half the world, in spite of the powerful blow he had dealt it in forever sentencing the Dukes of Hell to their own plane; the more power that Jagreen Lern gathered, the more the threat from Chaos would increase.

He sighed and looked Northwards.

Two days later they returned to the Isle of the Purple Towns, the fleet remaining in the largest harbour of Utkel since it was thought wise to have it at hand and not disperse it.

All that following night, Elric talked with the Sealords, ordered messengers to Vilmir and Ilmiora and, towards morning, there came a polite knock on the door of the room.

Kargan got up to open it and stared in astonishment at the tall, black-faced man who stood there.

«Sepiriz! » Elric cried. «How did you come here?»

«On horseback, » smiled the giant, «and you know the power of the Nihrain steeds. I had come to warn you. We have, at last, managed to contact the White Lords but they can do little as yet Somehow a path to their plane must be made through the barricades which Chaos has constructed against them. Jagreen Lern's ships have vomited their contents on the southern shores and his warriors swarm inland. There is nothing we can do now to stop his conquests there. Once consolidated, his Earthly power increased, he will be able to summon more and more allies from Chaos.»

Then where does my next task lie?» Elric asked softly.

«I am not sure yet. But that is not what I came for. Your blade's sojourn with its brothers has strengthened it. You may have noticed how swiftly it pours power into your body now?»

Elric nodded.

That power is evilly-gained and is evil in itself. The blade's strength will continue to increase and yours will, also. But, as Chaos-begotten power fills your being, you will have to fight, yet more strongly, to control the force within you.»

Elric sighed and grasped Sepiriz's arm.

Thanks for the warning, friend, but when I beat the Dukes of Hell, to whom I formerly pledged allegiance, I did not expect to escape with a mere scratch or a flesh-wound. Know this, Sepiriz, » he turned to the watching Sealords, «and know this all of you.»

He drew the groaning runeblade from its scabbard and held it aloft so that it shone and flared in its awful power.

This blade was forged by Chaos to conquer Chaos and not is my destiny, too. Though the world transmutes to boiling gas I shall live, now, I swear by the Balance of the Cosmos that Law shall triumph and New Age come to the Earth.»

Taken aback by this grim vow, the Sealords glanced at one another and Sepiriz smiled.

«Let us hope so, Elric, » he said. «Let us hope so.»