Part 10 (1/2)
He led the way into a room filled with marble statuary, and pointed to a tall column, one of several which served a purpose more of ornament to set off the statues, than of utility And then he halted and stared
”It's gone!” he cried
”It never was there!” snorted Dionus
”By Mitra, it was!” swore the guardsman ”Coiled about the pillar just above those carven leaves It's so shadowy up there near the ceiling I couldn't tell much about it but it was there”
”You're drunk,” snapped Deh for abut a snake could climb that smooth pillar”
”A Cimmerian could,” muttered one of the led Kallian, tied the cable about the pillar, crossed the corridor and hid in the room where the stair is How then, could he have re us ever since Arus found the body No, I tell you Conan didn't commit the murder I believe the real murderer killed Kallian to secure whatever was in the Bowl, and is hiding now in some secret nook in the Temple If we can't find him, we'll have to put the blame on the barbarian, to satisfy Justice, but where is Promero?”
They had returned to the silent body in the corridor Dionus bellowed threateningly for61Promero, and the clerk came suddenly fro and his face hite
”What now, man?” exclaimed Demetrio irritably
”I found a symbol on the bottolyphic, but a syian sorcerer, Kalanthes' deadly foe! He found it in sorisly cavern below the haunted pyramids! The Gods of old ti sleeps and their worshi+ppers locked theht break their slureed caused hi so upon us ”
”You gibbering fool!” roared Dionus disgustedly, striking him heavily across the mouth
Dionus was a materialist, with scant patience for eery speculations
”Well, De else to do than to arrest this barbarian ”
The Ci toward the door of a chamber that adjoined the roo s
So dark shadow!”
”Bah!” snorted Posthu!” Promero's voice shrilled and cracked with hysterical excite caus and killed Kallian Publico! It hid from you where no human could hide, and now it is in that room! Mitra defend us from the powers of Darkness! I tell you it was one of Set's children in that grisly Bowl!” He caught Dionus' sleeve with claw-like fingers ”You ain!”
The prefect shook hiht of hurasping Pro wretch forcibly toward the door, outside of which he paused and hurled him into the room so violently the clerk fell and lay half-stunned
”Enough of this,” growled Dionus, eyeing the silent Cian to burn bluely, and a tension crackled in the air, when an interruption62ca a slender, richly dressed figure
”I saw hiuard, looking for commendation Instead he received curses that lifted his hair
”Release that gentle fool!” swore the prefect ”Don't you know Aztrias Petanius, the nephew of the city's governor?”
The abashed guard fell away and the foppish young nobleman brushed his eood Dionus,” he lisped affectedly ”All in line of duty, I knoas returning fro to rid my brain of the wine fumes What have we here?
By Mitra, is it murder?”
”Murder it is, h Deo to the stake for it”
”A vicious looking brute,” uilt? I have never seen such a villainous countenance before”
”Yes, you have, you scented dog,” snarled the Cioblet for you Revels, eh? Bah! You aiting in the shadows for oblet I would not have revealed your nas that you saw me climb the wall after the watchman made the last round, so that they'll know I didn't have time to kill this fat swine before Arus entered and found the body”