Part 55 (1/2)

As he approached he saw that the walls were coreen stone that had forue sense of fa he had never before seen, but had dreanized the sensation The walls and towers followed the plan of the ruins It was as if the cruinally were

No sound disturbed thequiet as Conan stole to the foot of the hich rose sheer frorowth On the southern reaches of the inland sea the vegetation was almost tropical He saw no one on the battleate a short distance to his left, and had no reason to suppose that it was not locked and guarded But

306he believed that the woht was somewhere beyond that wall, and the course he took was characteristically reckless

Above him vine-festooned branches reached out toward the battle a point above the parapet, he gripped a thick lith until he had gained h the air, landing cat-like on the battle there he stared down into the streets of a city

The circureen stone buildings it contained was surprizing They were three or four stories in height,a fine architectural style The streets converged like the spokes of a wheel into an octagon-shaped court in the center of the tohich gave upon a lofty edifice, which, with its do in the streets or looking out of the s, though the sun was already coht have been that of a dead and deserted city A narrow stone stair ascended the wall near him; down this he went

Houses shouldered so closely to the wall that half-way down the stair he found hith of a , and halted to peer in There were no bars, and the silk curtains were caught back with satin cords He looked into a chamber whose walls were hidden by dark velvet tapestries The floor was covered with thick rugs, and there were benches of polished ebony, and an ivory dais heaped with furs

He was about to continue his descent, when he heard the sound of so in the street below Before the unknown person could round a corner and see hi space and dropped lightly into the roo his si happened he waswas drawn aside, revealing a cushi+oned alcove frouid eyes

Conan glared at her tensely, expecting herBut she merely smothered a yaith a dainty hand, rose fro which she held with one hand

She was undoubtedly a h her skin was very dark Her square-cut hair was black as arment a wisp of silk about her supple hips

Presently she spoke, but the tongue was unfaain, stretched lithely, and without any show of fear or surprize, shi+fted to a language he did understand, a dialect of Yuetshi+ which sounded strangely archaic

307

”Are you looking for someone?” she asked, as indifferently as if the invasion of her chainable

”Who are you?” he deuidly ”I ht, I am so sleepy now

Who are you?”

”I a her narrowly He believed her attitude to be a pose, and expected her to try to escape froh a velvet rope thatnear her, she did not reach for it

”Conan,” she repeated drowsily ”You are not a Dagonian I suppose you are a mercenary

Have you cut the heads off many Yuetshi+?”

”I do not war on water rats!” he snorted

”But they are very terrible,” she murmured ”I remember when they were our slaves But they revolted and burned and slew Only the ic of Khosatral Khel has kept the with the sleepiness of her expression ”I forgot,” she ht There was shouting and fire, and people calling in vain on Khosatral” She shook her head as if to clear it ”But that can not be,” she ht I was dead Oh, to the devil with it!”

She ca Conan's hand, drew him to the dais He yielded in bewilderirl s silky lashes drooped over dusky, clouded eyes She ran her fingers through his thick black locks as if to assure herself of his reality

”It was a dream,” she yawned ”Perhaps it's all a dream I feel like a dreaotten there is sorow so sleepy when I try to think Anyway, it doesn't matter”

”What do you mean?” he asked uneasily ”You said they cliht? Who?”