The Bane of the Black Sword
First sentence
In a city called Bakshaan, which was rich enough to make all other cities of the North East seem poor, in a tall-towered tavern one night, Elric, Lord of the smoking ruins of Melnibone, smiled like a shark and dryly jested with four powerful merchant princes whom, in a day or so, he intended to pauperize...
Description
From back cover of Daw paperback August 1977: High in the wintry sky climbed the dragons as Elric urged this charges westwards. Thoughts of love, of peace, of vengeance even were lost in that reckless sweeping across the glowering skies which hung over that ancient Age of the Young Kingdoms. Elric, proud and disdainful in his knowledge that even his deficient blood was the blood of the Sorcerer Kinds of Melnibone, became detached. He had no loyalties then, no friends, and if evil possessed him, then it was a pure brilliant evil, untainted by human drivings. High soared the dragons until below them was the heaving black mass, marring the landscape, the fear-driven horde of barbarians who, in their ignorance, had sought to conquer the lands beloved to Elric of Melniborne. "Ho, dragon brothers -- loose your venom -- burn, burn! And in your burning cleanse the world!"