Part 21 (2/2)
”I must now tell you the truth,” she said ”I am not Zabibi I auardsir Khan, satrap of Zamboula”
Conan made no comment; his scarred dark countenance was ie the truth to anyone,” she said ”We were alone when Jungir Khan went mad None knew of it but myself Had it been known that the satrap of Zamboula was a , even as Totrasmek planned, who plotted our destruction
”You see no impossible is the reward for which you hoped The satrap's o unrewarded Here is a sack of gold” She gave hi she had received from the slave
”Go, now, and when the sun is up coir Khan uard But you will take your orders from me, secretly Your first duty will be to march a squad to the shrine of Hanuman, ostensibly to search for clues of the priest's slayer; in reality to search for the Star of Khorala Itit to o now”
He nodded, still silent, and strode away The girl, watching the swing of his broad shoulders, was piqued to note that there was nothing in his bearing to show that he was in any way chagrined or abashed
When he had rounded a corner, he glanced back, and then changed his direction and quickened his pace A fewthe Horse Market
There he smote on a door until from theabove a bearded head was thrust to demand the reason for the disturbance
”A horse,” demanded Conan ”The swiftest steed you have”
”I open no gates at this tirumbled the horse trader
Conan rattled his coins
”Dog's son knave! Don't you see I'm white, and alone? Come down, before I smash your door!”
Presently, on a bay stallion, Conan was riding toward the house of Aram Baksh
He turned off the road into the alley that lay between the tavern coate He rode on to the northeast corner of the wall, then turned and rode along the north wall to halt within a few paces of the northwest angle No trees grew near the wall, but there were some low bushes To one of these he tied his horse, and was about to cli of voices beyond the corner of the wall
Drawing his foot frole and peered around it Three roves, and froroes They halted at his low call, bunching theether as he strode toward theleaht Their brutish lust shone in their ebony faces, but they knew their three cudgels could not prevail against his sword, just as he knew it
191
”Where are you going?” he challenged
”To bid our brothers put out the fire in the pit beyond the groves,” was the sullen, guttural reply ”Aram Baksh promised us a man, but he lied We found one of our brothers dead in the trap-chaht”
”I think not,” sive you a man Do you see that door?”
He pointed to a small, iron-bound portal set in the midst of the western wall
”Wait there Ara warily away until he was out of reach of a sudden bludgeon blow, he turned andhis horse he paused to ascertain that the blacks were not sneaking after hiht on it, quieting the uneasy steed with a loord He reached up, grasped the coping of the wall and drew hirounds for an instant The tavern was built in the southwest corner of the enclosure, the reardens He saw no one in the grounds The tavern was dark and silent, and he knew all the doors and ere barred and bolted
Conan knew that Aram Baksh slept in a chamber that opened into a cypress-bordered path that led to the door in the western wall Like a shadow he glided ahtly on the cha voice within
”Ara over the wall!”
Al the tavern-keeper, naked but for his shi+rt, with a dagger in his hand
He craned his neck to stare into the Cimmerian's face
”What tale is this you!”
Conan's vengeful fingers strangled the yell in his throat They went to the floor together and Conan wrenched the dagger froht, and blood spurted Ara on a ain the dagger slashed, and most of the curly beard fell to 192
the floor
Still gripping his captive's throat for a ue slit -Conan dragged him out of the dark chamber and down the cypress-shadowed path, to the iron-bound door in the outer wall With one hand he lifted the bolt and threw the door open, disclosing the three shadowy figures which waited like black vultures outside Into their eager arms Conan thrust the inn-keeper
A horrible, blood-choked scream rose from the Zamboulan's throat, but there was no response from the silent tavern The people there were used to screaht like a wild man, his distended eyes turned frantically on the Ci of the scores of wretches ed their bloody dooed his How could they recognize Ararotesquely shorn beard and unintelligible babblings? The sounds of the struggle caate, even after the clu the door behind him, Conan returned to his horse,wide to skirt the sinister belt of pallea iridescence He held it up to adold pieces clinked gently at his saddle bow, like a proreater riches to conized her as Nafertari and hiir Khan the instant I saw them,” he mused ”I knew the Star of Khorala, too There'll be a fine scene if she ever guesses that I slipped it off his finger while I was tying him with his sword-belt But they'll never catch lanced back at the shadowy pal rose to the night, vibrating with savage exultation And another sound ibbering in which no words could be distinguished
The noise followed Conan as he rode ard beneath the paling stars
193
Red Nails Red Nails I
THE SKULL ON THE CRAG
THE woman on the horse reined in her weary steed It stood with its legs wide-braced, its head drooping, as if it found even the weight of the gold-tassled, red-leather bridle too heavy The wo down froilt-worked saddle She , and turned about, hands on her hips, to survey her surroundings
They were not inviting Giant trees hemmed in the small pool where her horse had just drunk