Part 28 (1/2)

”Then I wish-may I enter?” Decius chose prudence over rank and turned an order into a question.

The tone of the Cimmerian's reply told him that he had chosen wisely.

”You may.”

Conan was sitting cross-legged on the floor, wearing only a loinguard.

He was rubbing oil into the various leather items of his harness. His sword, already sharpened and oiled, lay on a linen cloth beside his sleeping pallet.

”Greetings, my lord Decius,” Conan said. ”I fear that my hospitality is poor. But what I have is yours.”

Decius took that as an invitation to sit. ”Captain Conan, I will be brief. What I would most like from you is for either you or Raihna to remain behind. Both of you going into the jaws of the Pougoi-I like it not.”

”Does it matter which of us remains?” Conan asked. His tone made Decius wary; then understanding dawned. The captain-general laughed.

”I wasn't planning on courting you, Cimmerian!” Decius said. ”Nor will I be courting Mistress Raihna until I can be sure I have something to share with her besides an unknown grave in the hills.”

”Decius, I don't envy anyone the work of burying you,” Conan said.

”Your corpse might bite the grave digger.”

”I thank you,” Decius said. ”Now, a little plain speaking. Both you and Raihna are seasoned captains. We have few. To put each of you in danger imperils the king's very cause.”

”We've the best chance of winning through and bringing out the princess and the babe,” Conan said with a shrug. ”If it can be done at all, we're the best to do it. If it can't be done, does it matter how many captains the king has?”

Decius sighed. ”No. The doctors say that he will be lucky to see the first snow at best. If he loses hope of seeing his daughter again...”

Silence said the rest.

”I'd not complain about taking one of your veterans and leaving Raihna behind,” Conan said. ”But Marr says that it must be she and I, and no others.”

Decius frowned. ”Does this mean that either of you... has... is... ?”

”I'm no more a sorcerer than I'm a tavern dancer, and Raihna likewise,”

Conan said. ”What the piper sees in us... it's one of the things he doesn't speak of. What it would take to make him speak, I don't know, and I'm not going to spend time in searching for it.”

Decius wanted to curse the G.o.ds, the Pougoi, their wizards, Count Syzambry, and everything else that had brought matters to this pa.s.s. He had the sense of throwing a better man than himself into a pit of venemous serpents, with scant hope of seeing the man climb out again.

”Eh?” the Cimmerian said.

”I was thinking that there ought to be a farewell for the three of you.

Wine, meat, music, anything else you desired.”

”Don't tempt the G.o.ds,” Conan said. He stood up and stretched. His head nearly touched the roof of the tent, and his outflung hands did touch either side. ”Save the feasting for when we're safe in the palace again. But if there's any wine in the camp-?”

Decius remembered a jar of the best Nemedian vintage that he had saved for the departure of men on desperate ventures. It was buried, and probably shattered by now, beneath the ruins of the palace, along with so much of the past.

Chapter 13.

Among them, Conan, Raihna, and Marr had faced every peril that a land such as the Border Kingdom could offer. Had they provided themselves against every one of them, they would have needed a pack train for their baggage.

”We'll see about a riding mule for the princess when we come out,”