Part 58 (1/2)
322
Miscellanea323
The Phoenix on the Sword
(First submitted draft)
The Phoenix on the Sword
(First sub's pyre!”
”Atdies!”
The speaker was tall, dark and lean; a scar near his mouth added to his already sinister aspect
His hearers nodded, their eyes grim One of these was a short, fat, richly dressed man, with a weak petulant old-chased arb of a jester, whose unruly yellow hair fell wildly above fla blue eyes The last was a dith a cruel aristocratic face, whose abnorely with his stunted figure
The first speaker glanced unconsciously at the close-barred doors and velvet-hung s, and ser and the Flame I trust you of course
Still it is better that there be assurance of a sort for us all I note tre some of you”
”That is all very well for you to say, Ascalante,” broke in the fat man petulantly ”You are an outlaw, anyith a price on your head you have all to gain and nothing to lose, whereas we ”
” Have ain,” answered the outlaw imperturbably ”You called me out of my desert fastnesses far to the south to aid you in overthrowing a king well, I have made the plans, set the snare, baited the trap and stand ready to take the prey but IWill you swear?”
”Enough of this futile talk!” cried the arb ”Aye, ill swear this dawn and
324tonight ill dance down a king! 'Oh, the chant of the chariots, and the whir of the wings of the vultures ' ”
”Save your songs for another tiers, not rhy's pyre!” cried thehither a candle! I shall be first to swear the oath”
A slave whose dusky skin revealed his Stygian blood, brought a long taper and Rinaldo pricked his orist, bringing blood The others followed his exahted candle in the center, they allowed the drops of blood to trickle upon the flame While it hissed and flickered, they repeated:
”I, Ascalante, a landless man, swear to the deed avowed and silence covenanted, by steel and flame and blood, and the Oath unbreakable”
”And I, Rinaldo, first minstrel of Aquilonia!” exclaimed the poet
”And I, Volmana, count of Karaban,” said the dwarf
”And I, Groion of Aquilonia,” ruhtful heir to Aquilonia's throne,” quavered the fatblood-drops
”So fades the life of our enearding them with carefully veiled conteard even this vow otherwise than cynically, but he knew that Dion, whom he trusted least, was superstitious There was no reason to overlook any safe-guard, no ht
”Tomorrow,” said Ascalante abruptly, ” I mean today, for it is da Count Trocero of Poitain, seneschal of the king, rides to Nehthand oodly nuuard With the exception of the few squads of this regi the Pictish frontier thanks to the increasing activities of the barbarians along the western border Once Conan is dead the people will rise and welcoe hiainst theion ready to defend the new dynasty or rather the old dynasty restored”