will redeem yourself in your own eyes. You are already redeemed in mine.”
“Caer Mahlod? You come from there? From Cremms-mound and the coast?”
“I am upon a quest. I seek a spear.”
‘ ‘The spear Bryionak?” Her voice now had a peculiar gasp in it. The tone was higher. And her eyes were now looking out beyond Corum as she swayed a little. ‘ ‘Bryionak and the Bull of Crinanass. Silver hand. Cremm Croich shall come. CremmCroich shall come. Cremm Croich shall come.” The voice had changed yet again to a soft chant. The lines seemed to leave her old face and a certain beauty was there now. ‘ ‘Cremm Croich shall come and he shall be called—called—called … And his name shall not be his name.”
Corum had been about to speak, but now he listened in fascination as the old seeress continued to chant. “Corum Llaw Ereint. Silver hand and scarlet robe. Corum is thy name and ye shall be slain by a brother …”
Corum had began to believe in the old woman’s powers, but now he found himself smiling. ” Slain I might be, old woman, but not by a brother. I have no brother.”
“Ye have many brothers, Prince. I see them all. Proud champions all. Great heroes.”
Corum felt his heart begin to beat faster and there was a tightness in his stomach. He said hastily:’ ‘No brothers, old woman. None.” Why did he fear what she said? What did she know that he refused to know?
‘ ‘You are afraid,” she said.’ ‘Then I see that I speak truth. But do not fear. You have only three things to fear. The first is the brother, of which I spoke. The second is a harp. And the third is beauty. Fear those three things, Corum Llaw Ereint, but nothing else.”
“Beauty? The other two are at least tangible—but why fear beauty?”
“And the third is beauty,” she said again. “Fear those three things.”
‘ ‘I’ll listen to this nonsense no more. You have my sympathy, old woman. Your ordeal has turned your mind. Go, as I said, to Caer Mahlod and there they will look after you. There you can atone for what makes you guilty, though I say that you should not feel guilt. Now I must continue my quest for the spear, Bryionak.”
‘ ‘Bryionak, Sir Champion, will be yours. But first you will make a bargain.”
“A bargain? With whom?”
“I know not. I take your advice. If I live, I will tell the folk of Caer Mahlod of what I have seen here. But you must take my advice, also, Corum Jhaelen Irsei. Do not dismiss my advice. I am Ieveen the Seeress and what I see is always true. It is only the consequences of my own actions that I cannot foresee. That is my fate.”
“And it is my fate, I think,” said Corum as he rode away from her, “to flee from truth. At least,” he added, “I think I prefer small truths to larger ones. Farewell, old woman.”
Surrounded by her frozen sons, her ravaged cloak fluttering about her old, thin body, her voice high and faint, she called once more to him:
“Fear only three things, Corum of the Silver Hand. Brother, harp and beauty.”
Corum wished that the harp had not been mentioned. The other two things he could easily dismiss for a mad woman’s ravings. But he had already heard the harp. And he already feared it.
THE FIFTH CHAPTER
THE WIZARD CALATIN
Bowed and broken by the weight of the snow, its trees without leaves, without berries, its animal inhabitants dead or fled, the forest had lost its strength.
Corum had known this forest. It was the Forest of Laahr where he had first awakened after being mutilated by Glandyth-a-Krae. Reflectively he looked at his left hand, the silver hand, and he touched his right eye, recalling the Brown Man of Laahr and the Giant of Laahr. Really the Giant of Laahr had begun all this, first by saving his life, then by … He dismissed the thoughts. On the far side of the Forest of Laahr was the westerly tip of this land and at that tip Moidel’s Mount had stood.
He shook his head as he looked at the ruined forest. There would
“Caer Mahlod? You come from there? From Cremms-mound and the coast?”
“I am upon a quest. I seek a spear.”
‘ ‘The spear Bryionak?” Her voice now had a peculiar gasp in it. The tone was higher. And her eyes were now looking out beyond Corum as she swayed a little. ‘ ‘Bryionak and the Bull of Crinanass. Silver hand. Cremm Croich shall come. CremmCroich shall come. Cremm Croich shall come.” The voice had changed yet again to a soft chant. The lines seemed to leave her old face and a certain beauty was there now. ‘ ‘Cremm Croich shall come and he shall be called—called—called … And his name shall not be his name.”
Corum had been about to speak, but now he listened in fascination as the old seeress continued to chant. “Corum Llaw Ereint. Silver hand and scarlet robe. Corum is thy name and ye shall be slain by a brother …”
Corum had began to believe in the old woman’s powers, but now he found himself smiling. ” Slain I might be, old woman, but not by a brother. I have no brother.”
“Ye have many brothers, Prince. I see them all. Proud champions all. Great heroes.”
Corum felt his heart begin to beat faster and there was a tightness in his stomach. He said hastily:’ ‘No brothers, old woman. None.” Why did he fear what she said? What did she know that he refused to know?
‘ ‘You are afraid,” she said.’ ‘Then I see that I speak truth. But do not fear. You have only three things to fear. The first is the brother, of which I spoke. The second is a harp. And the third is beauty. Fear those three things, Corum Llaw Ereint, but nothing else.”
“Beauty? The other two are at least tangible—but why fear beauty?”
“And the third is beauty,” she said again. “Fear those three things.”
‘ ‘I’ll listen to this nonsense no more. You have my sympathy, old woman. Your ordeal has turned your mind. Go, as I said, to Caer Mahlod and there they will look after you. There you can atone for what makes you guilty, though I say that you should not feel guilt. Now I must continue my quest for the spear, Bryionak.”
‘ ‘Bryionak, Sir Champion, will be yours. But first you will make a bargain.”
“A bargain? With whom?”
“I know not. I take your advice. If I live, I will tell the folk of Caer Mahlod of what I have seen here. But you must take my advice, also, Corum Jhaelen Irsei. Do not dismiss my advice. I am Ieveen the Seeress and what I see is always true. It is only the consequences of my own actions that I cannot foresee. That is my fate.”
“And it is my fate, I think,” said Corum as he rode away from her, “to flee from truth. At least,” he added, “I think I prefer small truths to larger ones. Farewell, old woman.”
Surrounded by her frozen sons, her ravaged cloak fluttering about her old, thin body, her voice high and faint, she called once more to him:
“Fear only three things, Corum of the Silver Hand. Brother, harp and beauty.”
Corum wished that the harp had not been mentioned. The other two things he could easily dismiss for a mad woman’s ravings. But he had already heard the harp. And he already feared it.
THE FIFTH CHAPTER
THE WIZARD CALATIN
Bowed and broken by the weight of the snow, its trees without leaves, without berries, its animal inhabitants dead or fled, the forest had lost its strength.
Corum had known this forest. It was the Forest of Laahr where he had first awakened after being mutilated by Glandyth-a-Krae. Reflectively he looked at his left hand, the silver hand, and he touched his right eye, recalling the Brown Man of Laahr and the Giant of Laahr. Really the Giant of Laahr had begun all this, first by saving his life, then by … He dismissed the thoughts. On the far side of the Forest of Laahr was the westerly tip of this land and at that tip Moidel’s Mount had stood.
He shook his head as he looked at the ruined forest. There would
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