Masters of the Pit by Michael Moorcock

Author:Michael Moorcock [Moorcock, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781601251046
Publisher: Planet Stories
Published: 1965-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The First Masters

They came from above, their vast wings flapping noisily in the still air.

They were somewhat smaller than Hool Haji, but very like him in basic appearance, though their skins were of a much paler blue, a strange, unhealthy blue that contrasted oddly with their red, gaping mouths and their long, white tusks. Their wings spread partially from their shoulders, partially from around their hips.

They seemed more like beasts than men.

Perhaps, as the beasts had become men in the shape of the dog-folk and the cat-girl who had given us our swords, these men had become beasts. There was a strange, insensate glow in their eyes that did not seem to reflect the madness of men but the madness of the beast.

They hovered above us, their huge wings beating the air, causing a stiff wind to ruffle our hair.

“The Jihadoo!” Hool Haji gasped unbelievingly.

“What are they?” I asked, my gaze fixed on the weird creatures above.

“They are legends in Mendishar—an ancient race, similar to my own folk, who were shunned from our lands because of their dark, magical experiments.”

“Magic? I thought no one in Mendishar believed in such stuff!” I said.

“Of course not. I told you, the Jihadoo were simply a legend. But now I am no longer certain of anything.”

“Whatever you call them, they mean us ill,” Rokin the Gold growled, blinking his eyes against the glare of the Crystal Pit.

One by one the First Masters—or the Jihadoo, as Hool Haji called them—began to cluster downwards into the pit.

Horrified, I prepared to defend myself.

The first one came sweeping down uttering a shrill scream, red mouth gaping, fangs bared, claw-fingered hands extended to clutch me.

I slashed at the hand and drew blood. At least the Jihadoo were mortal, I remembered thinking as it swerved in the air and attacked me from another direction. Now others had joined the first and my comrades were as beset as myself.

I stabbed with the slim sword at the face of my first attacker and had the satisfaction of taking him in the eye and killing him.

The First Masters were plainly unprepared for armed resistance and this was why we survived the first encounters with comparative ease.

Another came at me, exposing his chest for a perfect stab into his chest.

The fairly narrow base of the pit helped us, since not too many of the Jihadoo could get at us at one time, but now we were forced to clamber on to the corpses of those we had already slain. In some ways this gave us a firmer footing as we fought.

All was a confusion of beating wings and fanged faces, glaring eyes and clutching claw-hands. I lopped another’s head off, recoiling as sticky, evil-smelling blood spurted at my face.

Then, suddenly, as I engaged yet another of the monsters, I felt my shoulders seized in a painful grip.

I tried to turn, to slash at my attacker, but even as I did so I was hauled into the air and lost my balance for a moment.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.