"Thelinde's Song " by Roger Zelazny (1965) Originally appeared in Fantastic, June 1965. Plot: A young woman of the were-folk (who worship the Moon Goddess in a coven), magical beings who can transform themselves using cloaks, sings an old song taught to her by a frog-thing in a cave. The song names Jelerak which brings the girl to the sorcerer's attention. Milden, the girl's mother cautions her not to speak the name that begins with a J, then takes Thelinde to a pool where she can create a magic mirror that shows the past. The vision of the past shows Jelerak about to sacrifice a virgin in a terrible rite of the Old Gods. He is stopped by a handsome man in green elf boots, Dilvish. Jelerak turns Dilvish into a stone statue while his soul is sent to Hell. While in Hell Dilvish meets up with the being who will become Black, his steel horse. The spell wears off and Dilvish and Black are free in time to face Lylish, Colonel of the West, who is invading the land. Dilvish and his men fight Lylish and only Dilvish and Black survive to warn Dilfar (as described in "Passage to Dilfar"). The vision ends there for a servant of the Dark One (Jelerak) comes to take Thelinde. Milden defeats it by directing a single beam of moonlight against it. Monsters: Servant of the Dark One - one of Jelerak's demons which we get to see much more of in The Changing Land. History: Zelazny's tale got the cover of fantastic, June 1965. It shows Jelerak about to sacrifice a virgin in an evil rite. This scene was shown to Thelinde by her mother in a magic mirror.
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