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Venus, v. 1, issue 1, June 1944
Page 22
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-22- "The Sun-disc," her said, "The symbol of the Almighty, and the sign of His Four Great Forces. They are my shield, and Hedi is my sword." He flung his blade high. "I am ready!" The green eyes darkened flestingly and Atla laughed. A point lost, a point gained. The circled cross was under his feet, his sword was in his hand, and somewhere by the sea Hedi waited for him. He laughed again, and whirled the glinting blade. FROM BEYOND the new-gashed circle, beyond the ring of waiting creatures, beyond the fires and the darkling trees, came a moaning rush of wind. No leaf stirred, no flame bent aside. yet the clearing was suddenly full of a roaring surge of force that walled Atla in a vortex of blackness. No further than the circle it came, but the sense of its being, the sound of its mighty spiral rushing shutting him in, dazed and shook him. Everything was blotted from his sight; everything but Beudag's wild, passionate face and burning eyes set against spinning blackness. The ground dropped suddenly from under him, leaving him hanging giddly over an unimaginable abyss. Though Atla knew it for a trap set for his mind, though he saw the cross and circle still outlined against the void, he was assailed by a nauseous fear. His head spun, his knees were water-weak. Emptiness above and below, walled in by a howling cyclone... Atla grasped his sword and shouted defiance. Blazing green eyes stared into his, stared and deepened and grew, spreading wider and wider until they were great bottomless lakes. His mind was caught, his mazed sight went probing deeper and deeper into an eldrich world. Labyrinths vistas opened before him, queer twisting places shrouded in a leaf-green mist. Shapes of nightmare, beast and man like centaurs, but without beauty. Crawling things with the eyes of madmen, creatures hoofed and horred and laughing, winged forms with taloned paws and cruel, beaked faces, and the breasts of lovely women. Up from the green depths they flapped and crawled and pranced, finding a bridge within Atla's mind to cross the barrier of the circle. Chilled and sick in every muscle. his breath ragged in his throat. Atla swung his blade against them. They came in a surging. endless horde, filling the bounds of the green horizon. They chuckled and mouthed and pawed at him. and their stench choked him like a heavy smoke. He stood alone in a swarming, yeasty mass, and there was no clean human thing in the universe. Moist warm bodies hugged his legs, so that he was bogged as in mire. The horned and laughing creatures capered and sang, a high wordless shrilling that beat against his soul like lashes on raw flesh. Great brazon pinions beat the air above his head, blinding him, crushing his eardrums with their thunder; Taloned paws rent his flesh, hideous faces shrieked demoniac rage against him. Again and again the blade of his mighty broadsword sheered through bone and feather, through flesh and viscera But the things came on, spawning up out of the mad green depths, endless, invincible. "Hedi," he moaned. "Hedi..." One more blow of his heavy arm against a full-breasted demon who tore at his eyes with her beak... then he must fall, down and down.. into horror and obscenity. Perhaps Hedi would know that his last thought was of her. THE FOUL things before him wavered suddenly and blurred. A mist had come between them, something nebulous and thin as a
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-22- "The Sun-disc," her said, "The symbol of the Almighty, and the sign of His Four Great Forces. They are my shield, and Hedi is my sword." He flung his blade high. "I am ready!" The green eyes darkened flestingly and Atla laughed. A point lost, a point gained. The circled cross was under his feet, his sword was in his hand, and somewhere by the sea Hedi waited for him. He laughed again, and whirled the glinting blade. FROM BEYOND the new-gashed circle, beyond the ring of waiting creatures, beyond the fires and the darkling trees, came a moaning rush of wind. No leaf stirred, no flame bent aside. yet the clearing was suddenly full of a roaring surge of force that walled Atla in a vortex of blackness. No further than the circle it came, but the sense of its being, the sound of its mighty spiral rushing shutting him in, dazed and shook him. Everything was blotted from his sight; everything but Beudag's wild, passionate face and burning eyes set against spinning blackness. The ground dropped suddenly from under him, leaving him hanging giddly over an unimaginable abyss. Though Atla knew it for a trap set for his mind, though he saw the cross and circle still outlined against the void, he was assailed by a nauseous fear. His head spun, his knees were water-weak. Emptiness above and below, walled in by a howling cyclone... Atla grasped his sword and shouted defiance. Blazing green eyes stared into his, stared and deepened and grew, spreading wider and wider until they were great bottomless lakes. His mind was caught, his mazed sight went probing deeper and deeper into an eldrich world. Labyrinths vistas opened before him, queer twisting places shrouded in a leaf-green mist. Shapes of nightmare, beast and man like centaurs, but without beauty. Crawling things with the eyes of madmen, creatures hoofed and horred and laughing, winged forms with taloned paws and cruel, beaked faces, and the breasts of lovely women. Up from the green depths they flapped and crawled and pranced, finding a bridge within Atla's mind to cross the barrier of the circle. Chilled and sick in every muscle. his breath ragged in his throat. Atla swung his blade against them. They came in a surging. endless horde, filling the bounds of the green horizon. They chuckled and mouthed and pawed at him. and their stench choked him like a heavy smoke. He stood alone in a swarming, yeasty mass, and there was no clean human thing in the universe. Moist warm bodies hugged his legs, so that he was bogged as in mire. The horned and laughing creatures capered and sang, a high wordless shrilling that beat against his soul like lashes on raw flesh. Great brazon pinions beat the air above his head, blinding him, crushing his eardrums with their thunder; Taloned paws rent his flesh, hideous faces shrieked demoniac rage against him. Again and again the blade of his mighty broadsword sheered through bone and feather, through flesh and viscera But the things came on, spawning up out of the mad green depths, endless, invincible. "Hedi," he moaned. "Hedi..." One more blow of his heavy arm against a full-breasted demon who tore at his eyes with her beak... then he must fall, down and down.. into horror and obscenity. Perhaps Hedi would know that his last thought was of her. THE FOUL things before him wavered suddenly and blurred. A mist had come between them, something nebulous and thin as a
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