They were being pursued by another hostile fleet.
Well, the situation could be no worse. The expedition already was
doomed. No man that had embarked upon it would return across that
dreary ice cap. How I wished that I might face Zat Arras with my
longsword for just an instant before I died! It was he who had
caused our failure.
As I watched the oncoming ten I saw their pursuers race swiftly
into sight. It was another great fleet; for a moment I could not
believe my eyes, but finally I was forced to admit that the most
fatal calamity had overtaken the expedition, for the fleet I saw
was none other than the fleet of the First Born, that should have
been safely bottled up in Omean. What a series of misfortunes and
disasters! What awful fate hovered over me, that I should have been
so terribly thwarted at every angle of my search for my lost love!
Could it be possible that the curse of Issus was upon me! That
there was, indeed, some malign divinity in that hideous carcass!
I would not believe it, and, throwing back my shoulders, I ran to
the deck below to join my men in repelling boarders from one of
the thern craft that had grappled us broadside. In the wild lust
of hand-to-hand combat my old dauntless hopefulness returned. And
as thern after thern went down beneath my blade, I could almost feel
that we should win success in the end, even from apparent failure.
Pages:
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291