Part 61 (1/2)

”Peace!” the ghostly tones reverberated through the great shadowy cavern ”Your destiny is one with Aquilonia Gigantic happenings are for in the web and the womb of Fate, and a blood-mad sorcerer shall not stand in the path of io Set coiled about the world like a python about its prey All ht him I drove hiia men still worshi+p hiht his worshi+ppers and his votaries and his acolytes Hold out your sword”

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Wondering, Conan did so, and on the great blade, close to the heavy silver guard, the ancient traced with a bony finger a strange sylowed like white fire in the shadows And on the instant crypt, to froolden-doeness of his drea his sword in his hand And his hair prickled at the nape of his neck, for on the broad blade was carven a symbol the outline of a phoenix And he remembered that on the toht to be a siure, carven of stone Noondered if it had been but a stone figure, and his skin crawled at the strangeness of it all

Then as he stood, a stealthy sound in the corridor outside brought hian to don his array wolf at bayCHAPTER 5What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie?

I, as born in a naked land and bred in the open sky

The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing;

Rush in and die, dogs I was a h the silence which shrouded the corridor of the royal palace stole twenty furtive figures Their stealthy feet, bare or cased in soft leather, made no sound either on thick carpet or barethe halls gleaed ax

”Easy all!” hissed Ascalante ”Stop that cursed loud breathing, whoever it is! The officer of the night-guard has removed most of the sentries from these halls and made the rest drunk, but we uard!”

They crowded back behind a cluster of carven pillars, and al by at a lanced at the officer as leading them away frouard passed the hiding-places of the conspirators, he was seen to wipe the sweat fro, and this betrayal of a king did not colorious extravagance which had put him in debt to thepoliticians

The guardsmen clanked by and disappeared up the corridor

”Good!” grinned Ascalante ”Conan sleeps unguarded Haste! If they catch us killing him, we're undone but few ”

”Aye, haste!” cried Rinaldo, his blue eyesabove his head ”My blade is thirsty! I hear the gathering of the vultures! On!”

They hurried down the corridor with reckless speed and stopped before a gilded door which bore the royal dragon symbol of Aquilonia

”Gromel!” snapped Ascalante ”Break iant drew a deep breath and launched his roaned and bent at the i of bolts and a rending crash of wood, the door splintered and burst inward

”In!” roared Ascalante, on fire with the spirit of the deed

”In!” yelled Rinaldo ”Death to the tyrant!”

They stopped short Conan faced them, not a naked man roused mazed and unarmed out of deep sleep to be butchered like a sheep, but a barbarian wide-awake and at bay, partly ar sword in his hand

For an instant the tableau held the four rebel noblemen in the broken door, and the horde of wild hairy faces crowding behind the-eyed giant standing sword in hand in the hted chamber In that instant Ascalante beheld, on a small table near the royal couch, the silver scepter and the slender gold circlet which was the crown of Aquilonia, and the sight ues!” yelled the outlaw ”He is one to twenty and he has no helmet!”

True; there had been lack of time to don the heavy plumed casque, or to lace in place the side- plates of the cuirass, nor was there now tireat shi+eld from the wall Still, Conan was better protected than any of his foes except Volmana and Grolared, puzzled as to their identity Ascalante he did not know; he could not see through the closed vizors of the armored conspirators, and Rinaldo had pulled his slouch cap down above his eyes But there was no ti to the roof, the killers flooded into the roo bull, head doord low for the diseerish strength went into the arreat blade flashed through the air and crashed on the Bossonian's helether and Groripping the broken hilt

”Gro in amazement, as the shattered helmet disclosed the shattered head; then the rest of the pack were upon hi his ribs between breastplate and backplate, a sword-edge flashed before his eyes He flung aside the dagger-wielder with his left arm, and smashed his broken hilt like a cestus into the swordsman's temple The man's brains spattered in his face