nak; for beyond
the wide court slept a dark abyss, and into the abyss there poured a
white cascade of marble stairways, and widened out below into
terraces and balconies with fair white statues on them, and
descended again in a wide stairway, and came to lower terraces in
the dark, where swart uncertain shapes went to and fro. All these
were the dreams of Gaznak, and issued from his mind, and, becoming
gleaming marble, passed over the edge of the abyss as the musicians
played. And all the while out of the mind of Gaznak, lulled by that
strange music, went spires and pinnacles beautiful and slender, ever
ascending skywards. And the marble dreams moved slow in time to the
music. When the bells tolled and the musicians played their dirge,
ugly gargoyles came out suddenly all over the spires and pinnacles,
and great shadows passed swiftly down the steps and terraces, and
there was hurried whispering in the abyss.

When Leothric stepped from the black door, Gaznak opened his eyes.
He looked neither to left nor right, but stood up at once facing
Leothric.

Then the magicians played a deathspell on their strings, and there
arose a humming along the blade of Sacnoth as he turned the spell
aside. When Leothric dropped not down, and they heard the humming of
Sacnoth, the magicians arose and fled, all wailing, as they went,
upon their strings.

Then Gaznak drew out screaming from its sheath the sword that was
the mightiest in the world except for Sacnoth, and slowly walked
towards Leothric; and he smiled as he walked, although his own
dreams had foretold his doom. And when Leothric and Gaznak came
together, each looked at each, and neither spoke a word; but they
smote both at once, and their swords met, and each sword knew the
other and from whence he came. And whenever the sword of Gaznak
smote on the blade of Sacnoth it rebounded gleaming, as hail from
off slated roofs; but whenever it fell upon the armour of Leothric,
it stripped it off in sheets. And upon Gaznak's armour Sacnoth fell
oft and furiously, but ever he came back snarling, leaving no mark
behind, and as Gaznak fought he held his left hand hovering close
over his head. Presently Leothric smote fair and fiercely at his
enemy's neck, but Gaznak, clutching his own head by the hair, lifted
it high aloft, and Sacnoth went cleaving through an empty space.
Then Gaznak replaced his head upon his neck, and all the while
fought nimbly with his sword; and again an