Part 23 (1/2)
The burning eyes of Muntha.s.sem Khan blazed into his. The skull-like face chuckled with a ghastly imitation of mirth.
”The Heart protects, in very truth-but only him who knows how to invoke its power!” the satrap gloated, chuckling as the Cimmerian strove to summon strength into his iron limbs again. Conan set his jaw and fought grimly, savagely against the tide of chill and fetid darkness that poured in black rays from the demonic crystal and slowly blurred his mind. Strength drained from his limbs as wine from a slashed wineskin; he sank to his knees, then slumped at the foot of the dais. He felt his consciousness shrink to a tiny, lone point of light lost in a vast abyss of roaring darkness; the last spark of will wavered like a candle-flame in a gale. Hopeless, yet with the fierce, indominable determination of his savage breed, he fought on...
7. Heart and Hand
A woman screamed. Startled, Muntha.s.sem Khan jerked at the unexpected sound. His attention flickered away from Conan-his focus broke-and in that brief instant the slim white form of a nude girl with dark flas.h.i.+ng eyes and a black torrent of foaming curls ran on swift feet across the pave from the shadow of a column to the side of the helpless Cimmerian.
Through the roaring haze, Conan gaped at her. Hildico?
Swift as thought, she knelt by his side. One white hand dipped into his pouch and emerged, clutching the Heart of Tammuz. She sprang lithely to her feet and hurled the counter-talisman at Muntha.s.sem Khan.
It caught him full between the eyes with an audible thud. Eyes filming, he sank bonelessly into the cus.h.i.+oned embrace of his black throne. The Hand of Nergal slid from nerveless fingers to clank against the marble step.
In the instant the talisman fell from the satrap's grip, the spell that bound Atalis and Prince Than in webs of scarlet agony snapped. Pale, shaken, exhausted, they were whole. And Conan's mighty strength poured back into his sprawled body. Cursing, he leapt to his feet. One hand caught Hildico's rounded shoulder and spun her away, out of danger, while with his other he s.n.a.t.c.hed up his sword from the marble pave.
Poised, he was ready to strike.
But he stopped, blinking with astonishment. At either side of the satrap's body lay the two talismans. And from both arose weird shapes of force.
From the Hand of Nergal, a darkly s.h.i.+mmering web of evil radiance spread-a glow of darkness, like the sheen of polished ebony. The foetor of the Pit was its unholy breath, and the bone-deep chill of interstellar s.p.a.ce was its blighting touch. Before its subtle advance, the orange glare of the torches faded. It grew larger, fringed with writhing tentacles of radiant blackness.
But a nimbus of golden glory strengthened about the Heart of Tammuz and rose, forming a cloud of dazzling amber fire. The warmth of a thousand honey-hearted springs flowed from it, negating the arctic chill, and shafts of rich gold light cleaved the inky web of Nergal. The two cosmic forces met and fought. From this battle of the G.o.ds, Conan retreated with reluctant steps, joining his shaken comrades. He stood with them, staring with awe at the unimaginable conflict. Trembling, the nude form of Hildico shrank into the shelter of his arm.
”How did you get here, girl?” he demanded. She smiled wanly, with frightened eyes.
”I awoke, recovering from my swoon, and came into the Master's chamber, Ending it empty. But within the Master's crystal of seers.h.i.+p I saw your simulacra enter the satrap's hall and watched as he awoke and faced you. I, I followed-and finding you in his power, chanced all on a try for the Heart...”
”Lucky for all that you did,” Conan acknowledged grimly. Atalis clutched his arm.
”Look!
The golden fog of Tammuz was now a giant, flas.h.i.+ng figure of intolerable light, dimly manlike in configuration but huge as those Colossi hewn from the stone cliffs of Shem by age-forgotten hands.
The dark shape of Nergal, too, had swelled into giant proportions. It was now a vast, ebon thing, brutal, hulking, misshapen, more like to some stupendous ape than manlike. In the foggy hump that was its brutlelike head, slitted eyes of malignant fire blazed like emerald stars.
The two forces came together with a thunderous, shattering roar like colliding worlds. The very walls shook at the fury of their meeting.
Some half-forgotten sense within their flesh told the four that t.i.tanic cosmic forces strove and fought. The air was filled with the bitter stench of ozone. Foot-long sparks of electric fire crackled and snapped through the roiling fury as the golden G.o.d and the shadowy demon came together.
Shafts of unendurable brilliance tore through the clotted, struggling shadow-form. Bolts of blazing glory ripped it into shreds of drifting darkness. For a moment the dark web enshrouded, and dimmed, the golden flas.h.i.+ng shape -but for a moment, only. Another roar of earth-shattering thunder, and the black one dissolved before the embrace of intolerable brightness. Then it was gone. And for a moment the figure of light towered above the dais, consuming it like a funeral pyre-then it, too, was gone.
Silence reigned in the thunder-riven hall of Muntha.s.sem Khan. Upon the blasted dais, both talismans had vanished -whether reduced to atoms by the fury of the cosmic forces that had been released here, or transported to some far place to await the next awakening of the beings they symbolized and contained, none could say.
And the body upon the dais? Naught of it was left, save for a handful of ashes.
”The heart is always stronger than the hand,” Atalis said softly, in the ringing silence.
Conan reined the great black steed with a rough but masterly hand. It trembled, eager to be off, hooves ringing on the cobbles. He grinned, his barbaric blood thrilling to the might of the superb mare. A vast cloak of crimson silk belled from his broad shoulders, and his coat of silvered iron mesh mail glittered in the morning light.
”You are determined, then, to leave us, Conan?” asked Prince Than, resplendent in his robes as new satrap of Yaralet
”Aye! The Satrap's Guard is a tame place, and I hunger for this new war King Yildiz is mounting against the hill tribes. A week of inaction, and I've had a bellyfull of peace! So fare you well, Than, Atalis!”