They set off from the Quays of Féwarim after dark. They lit the boat’s lanterns and rowed her from her moorings. Every moored ship was brightly lit up, and there was song and merrymaking throughout the harbour, and other small boats carrying Fâwiengri to and fro on visits to their neighbours, so their departure went unremarked. When they were beyond the bar of the harbour, they raised their sails, but it was a still night, and the breeze was soft, barely enough to put way on the boat.
Then Slungandi seated himself in the bows of the Aphadus and set up Brandubur. He began to beat softly on the drum and intone a rime, and behold, a light wind sprang up from the northeast and carried them away from the land.
It was a pleasant, uneventful journey for many days. They seemed always to have a following wind, and by day a thin mist sprang up that would have prevented any watcher from a distance from seeing them. Slungandi, true to his word, did the work of three crewmen, and Vidnî and Arbros were rarely called upon to assist. Slungandi took up his quarters before the mast, and came aft only when necessary. He left the roomy after quarters of the Aphadus to Vidnî and Arbros. He hardly spoke to them, and they were left to talk together.
Their first landfall was at the Cape of Returning, Kaskut Atasovegus, where Vidnî and Mirutháli had come ashore for their circuit of the western Berugwanna. Having sailed around the cape, they turned towards the east and entered the southern sea. It began to seem that their goal was not far off. Then they made landfall at the bay where Vidnî and the four Entelláka maidens had camped, where Vidnî had learnt to swim, and where she had had the frightening encounter with the Kúve Thabus. But now all seemed peaceful. It was warm and sunny, and the beach was golden. They spent a comfortable night on land. In the morning Arbros and Vidnî would have liked to remain there longer, but Slungandi seemed preoccupied and anxious. He said:
My sense tells me that the sea is safer
Than this golden bay. Groiznath is near
Hastening with hate on Hugturágis.
In your hearts hear now and heed my counsel.
If some snare take Slungandi soon,
Do your best to keep the Coldsword, Gantzor
From Groiznath’s grasp and the greedy hands
Of Prince Prámiz his proud brother.
Sporni can help dispell danger —
But at that moment a huge shadow blotted out the sunlight and the foulest stench that Arbros and Vidnî had ever encountered assailed their senses, making them clutch their faces and stagger. There was a sickening sound as of roaring and screeching mixed together. They battled with panic and horror, as, looking up, they saw the most hideous creature that could be thought of, descending to the beach between them and their boat. The head was loathsome, with a great red mouth full of large teeth, and beyond the serpentine neck the wide leathery wings were spread. The figure of a man could be glimpsed on the fell beast’s back.
They heard Slungandi cry out:
Now see how Sporni with skill can speed,
He can daunt the beast, though baleful seeming.
Struggling with fear and repulsion, they watched Slungandi march calmly towards the beast which was settling on its huge clawed feet on the sand. He was pointing with Sporni, the shard of the crystal Talyoran, and speaking words to the creature, which, to their amazement, became quiet, and, as Slungandi thrust Sporni between its eyes, dropped its head to the sand, folded the huge wings, and lay still.
But the man leapt from the creature’s back with a shout.
Drumster can daunt the docile beast
But not Groiznath! Gantzor he will get
Whether Fûbraváni falls or stands.
And with that he ran forward, raised a great club that he held, and brought it down upon Slungandi, who fell forward on the sand, stunned.
Groiznath threw aside the club and drew a long sword from his side. He lifted it over the prone figure of Slungandi, crying:
Now this cunning counterfeit, caitiff, repays
Your slavish sleights. Slay, feigned coldsword,
True Hlabulan, and take revenge!
At that moment both Vidnî and Arbros threw off their fear and ran forward. Vidnî sprang in front of Slungandi’s body, crying ‘No! You shall not strike him!’ Groiznath stepped back in momentary surprise, but at once recovered himself. He again raised the sword Daganarth, crying,
Prepare, maiden, to perish with him!
But Arbros, stooping, pulled Gantzor from its sheath on Slungandi’s back, and spinning round on one foot, swept the flat of the coldsword’s blade full against the body of Groiznath. With a stifled cry he fell stiffly, dropping Daganarth, and lay rigid: whiteness began at once to spread over him. In a few moments he resembled a fallen statue, carved from cloudy ice. Trembling, Arbros threw down the Coldsword; he suddenly recalled the ban of Dreygan and feared that at any moment he might fall into frozen death like Groiznath.
Then there came a sudden gust of air, and a wave of the terrible stench, as the monster rose up, lifting its wings. Vidnî and Arbros cowered down, but to their surprise and relief the beast beat its wings, rose into the air, and flew away inland.
As the two stood shaking all over and catching their breath, Slungandi suddenly recovered himself, lifted himself from the ground, and said:
That was a bluff blow from a boy’s hand!
And mighty mercy of a maid to show!
’Twas a daring risk of Dreygan’s ban,
You too might have fallen in frozen sleep!
Slungandi owes his soul’s life
To his shrewd shipmates. Shame he thinks it
That Hugturágis made haste for home:
I’d have ridden him out to Otset Ingos
And sped back here before the sun’s sinking.
Arbros said:
Would you truly have ridden that hateful beast to Ingos’s Isle?
And Slungandi said:
Yea, bound by the yoke of yonder tyrant
I was first to ride that roaring beast
After Kabadka brands, burning brightly,
Had tamed his temper. We rescued Prámiz,
That proud princeling, from his prison house
On a distant peak. That prince now seeks
To gain Gantzor like Groiznath here.
Not yet finished our flight! He is fierce and fell.
And Vidnî said:
‘See! Gantzor and the sword that Groiznath wielded are lying side by side on the sand, and they are as like as any two made things could be! How is that?’
Slungandi said:
That is another tale: to tell would be long!
Daganarth the fellow was forged in Hlund
In hopes that I had to hide Gantzor
From Night-lord Negobith. Now no more delay!
We should decently dig for this downfallen foe
A resting-place, rightly graven,
Sunken in sand, with stones over.
He went to the boat and returned with a spade, though they had not known it was aboard. Rapidly he began to excavate a trough above the high water mark, and with amazing ease he drew the frozen body of Groiznath up the beach and into the makeshift grave. Then the other two helped him to cover it over, piling shingle into a cairn on the top.
After that Slungandi said:
Now I bestow Sporni for safekeeping
In your faithful hands. You will find he helps
To open doors, and in dark places
Bring the Moon’s glory when your mood falters.
But unless you learn Entellári lore —
Which runes and rimes it is right to chant —
Do not search the Deep, though downward he point!
Then he took Sporni from his breast with a heavy sigh. He kissed the crystal shard and handed it to Vidnî. She took it, and at once felt a trembling within its core. She hid it away in an inner pocket of the Fáwienka tunic that she wore. Then Slungandi said:
To the boat, quickly! The beast, I deem,
Has pointed Prámiz to this place of doom.
But before they could move there were shouts as of a great multitude. Looking up, they saw men in wargear surging from every side: they must have crept from the cliffs above to surround the beach. Next, a warrior, astride a great skulldeer, rode out from an entrance to the bay concealed beyond the sea cliffs, calling out orders to his followers as he rode. They rushed forward. In a moment Vidnî and Arbros found themselves seized by the rough hands of men whose eyes glared from under metal helmets, though they said nothing.
In the midst of this great grey throng the tall warrior, dismounted from the skulldeer, was now standing face to face with Slungandi. He in turn was staring intently into the warrior’s eyes, but was pointing at them, and they heard him saying:
Fûbraváni is your foe, O Prince.
These youths but dupes that I used at need.
Of weapons witless as weaned babies.
Set them free to fare on the foamy wave.
Prince Prámiz seemed unable to wrench his gaze from Slungandi, as if the Drumster had some special strength in his eyes. Abruptly he looked around at his men and shouted a command. The ones holding Vidnî and Arbros jerked them round and marched them down the beach, then pushed them roughly towards their boat. They turned their backs, taking no further interest in them.
But the two young folk were unwilling to abandon Slungandi, though they could give him no help. keeping as much out of sight as they could, they crept up a rockfall on one side of the beach and stretched themselves on a ledge from which they might see what was going to happen.
With the armed men standing in a circle around them, Slungandi and Prámiz were speaking animatedly, and pointing at the two swords which lay between them. Arbros said:
‘It’s as if they are going to choose a sword each and fight, one against one.’
‘But Slungandi knows which sword is Gantzor, by a secret mark. And if Prámiz tries to use Gantzor, it will slay him too!’
‘Ah, but see! One of the warriors has brought a cloak. He has wrapped both swords in it. He is turning the bundle over and over. Now it is on the sand and the swords are hidden.’
‘And look, Arbros, Slungandi has taken off his right-hand gauntlet. He is throwing it to Prámiz. Prámiz is putting it on. So, if he uses Gantzor, he will be as safe from the curse as Slungandi!
‘And now Prámiz is pulling out one of the swords. Oh, let it be Daganarth!’
‘And Slungandi has the other. He’s looking carefully at it. He’s looking round. He’s seen us. He looks very sad. I think — he’s waving farewell!’
Vidnî and Arbros, in anguish, looked on as the short figure of Slungandi stood ready for combat with the tall figure in wargear. The fight began at once. But it was brief. It was as if Slungandi, master of all secrets, had no battle cunning at all. He had his sword in his left hand, the one still wearing a gauntlet. He made several thrusts at Prámiz, but they had little effect, as Prámiz skipped aside. He waited warily, and then struck a swift blow with his sword at Slungandi. Though it hardly touched him, Vidnî and Arbros watched in horror: the Drumster’s whole body became rigid, a whiteness crept over it, and he fell on to the sand like a statue of ice that would never melt, even in the bright sun of the southern sea. There was no doubt which of the two had drawn the Coldsword from beneath the mantle.
The two watchers felt tears of anger and pity at their eyes. But then a shout went up from the men at arms. Prámiz saluted them with Gantzor and sheathed it by his side, and they shouted again. He looked at Daganarth where it lay. He picked it up, stepped to the body of Slungandi, and lifted it high, ready to plunge it into his enemy’s back. There was another cheer from the men-at-arms.
Without knowing what she did, Vidnî, who already had Sporni in her hand, pointed it at Prámiz as if it were itself a sword. She cried:
Engku yógethur, ‘do not kill him!’
But it was in her head; no sound came from her throat, which was dry and tight with fear. Like someone stung by an insect, Prámiz started, glancing behind him. He dropped the sword Daganarth as if it were a cut stick he had been toying with, swung round, and strode to his skulldeer. He mounted, and the whole troop marched away, at intervals raising a great roar of acclaim for their leader.
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