Part 15 (1/2)

He turned off into a side passage and quickly eed into another, broader corridor, which ran parallel to the one dohich he had come, and which was at the ain turned back, down another side passage This brought hiic point A few feet farther up the corridor there was a heavy bolted door, and before it stood a bearded Nemedian in corselet and helmet, his back to Conan as he peered up the corridor in the direction of the growing tu lanterns

Conan did not hesitate Slipping the girl to the ground, he ran at the guard swiftly and silently, sword in hand Thereached hiht and lifted his pike; but before he could bring the cluht down his sword on the fellow's helmet with a force that would have felled an ox Heluard crumpled to the floor

In an instant Conan had drawn the massive bolt that barred the door--too heavy for one ordinary man to haveto hi her up uncereh the door and into the outer darkness

They had come into a narrow alley, black as pitch, walled by the side of the Tower on one hand, and the sheer stone back of a row of buildings on the other Conan, hurrying through the darkness as swiftly as he dared, felt the latter wall for doors or s, but found none

The great door clanged open behind the on breast-plates and naked swords They glared about, bellowing, unable to penetrate the darkness which their torches served to illuminate for only a few feet in any direction, and then rushed down the alley at rando in the direction opposite to that taken by Conan and Albiona

'They'll learn theirhis pace 'If we ever find a crack in this infernal wall--dalow became apparent, where the alley opened into a narrow street, and he saw dili the noise they had heard echoing down the alley

'Who goes there?' they shouted, and Conan grit his teeth at the hated Neirl 'We've got to cut our way through before the prison guards co his sword, he ran straight at the oncoe of surprise was his He could see thelow, and they could not see hi at the the with the silent fury of a wounded lion

His one chance lay in hacking through before they could gather their wits But there were half a score of them, in full mail, hard-bitten veterans of the border wars, in whom the instinct for battle could take the place of bemused wits Three of them were down before they realized that it was only onetheor of steel rose deafeningly, and sparks flew as Conan's sword crashed on basinet and hauberk He could see better than they, and in the diure was an uncertain lanced from his blade, and when he struck it ith the fury and certainty of a hurricane

But behind hi up the alley at a run, and still thewall of steel In an instant the guards would be on his back--in desperation he redoubled his strokes, flailing like a smith on an anvil, and then was suddenly aware of a diversion Out of nowhere behind the watchures and there was a sound of blows, loom, and men cried out, struck mortally fro for toward Conan, who heaved up his sword, catching a gleaht hand But the other was extended to hiently: 'This way, your Majesty! Quickly!'

With a ht up Albiona in one massive arm, and followed his unknown befriender He was not inclined to hesitate, with thirty prison guardsures he hurried down the alley, carrying the countess as if she had been a child He could tell nothing of his rescuers except that they wore dark cloaks and hoods Doubt and suspicion crossed his mind, but at least they had struck down his enemies, and he saw no better course than to follow the his doubt, the leader touched his ar Conan; we are your loyal subjects' The voice was not familiar, but the accent was Aquilonian of the central provinces

Behind the as they stuefully down the alley, seeing the vague dark ht of the distant street

But the hooded ly blank wall, and Conan saw a door gape there He muttered a curse He had traversed that alley by day, in tih it they went, and the door closed behind the, but his guides were hurrying hi Conan with a hand at either elbow It was like traversing a tunnel, and Conan felt Albiona's lithe li in his ar was faintly visible, h this they filed

After that there was a bewildering succession of di corridors, all traversed in utter silence, until at last they ehted chauess, for their devious route had confused even his primitive sense of direction

10

A Coin frouides entered the cha before hiure, masked in a black cloak with a hood This thea pale oval of a face, with cal set Albiona on her feet, but she still clung to hie one, with s and thick rich carpets on the low of bronze lamps

Conan instinctively laid a hand on his hilt There was blood on his hand, blood clotted about the mouth of his scabbard, for he had sheathed his blade without cleansing it

'Where are we?' he deer answered with a low, profound bohich the suspicious king could detect no trace of irony

'In the temple of Asura, your Majesty'

Albiona cried out faintly and clung closer to Conan, staring fearfully at the black, arched doors, as if expecting the entry of sorisly shape of darkness

'Fear not,here to harar superstition to the contrary If your monarch was sufficiently convinced of the innocence of our religion to protect us fronorant, then certainly one of his subjects need have no apprehensions'