Part 3 (1/2)

None could h Dobanpu's face bore all the expression of a carved lodge htened backs and coher

The chant was drawing echoes frohted recesses of the cave, far beyond the lahter

Lithe and gleaht, she ran swiftly to a niche behind her father and brought out a basket of small clay pots The basket was of reeds soaked in spiceberry juice, the odor intended to drive insects froanko had no doubt of its success; it nearly drove hie to sit cross-legged and watch as E an empty one With pinches of herbs and fruit and a few drops of oil, she concocted a potion and handed it to her father He dipped a finger in, then licked it off, for all the world like a brew-sister testing her beer Emwaya smiled, and this ti a beat of the chant

To the rest of the Ichiribu, Dobanpu was a figure of awe, even of terror His daughter knew him too well for that-and he knew that she knew It was one of anko blessed whatever had contrived that he and Emwaya be matched one with the other He need have no fear of his wife's father

Now Dobanpu stood and spread his aran to curl frohtanko's vision Emwaya lifted the pot, and the warrior wanted to cry out as the shapes seee of thorns around a cattle pen For a anko, it seemed that even her father's face went taut

He told himself that the deadliest of the spirits had no visible forms, that these were only little spirits of the woods and waters that Dobanpu had conjured up to reach the captive's ht even believe this after he saaya safe and whole

In the next moment, she darted from the smoke and knelt beside her father Her breasts rose and fell with quick breathing as she gripped her father's shoulder and joined her strength to his The shapes left the smoke; now they danced in the air above the prostrate form of the Kwanyi captive on the black stone

The man was too near death to speak, but the other captive, who had not been so badly hurt, had said he served the God-Men He also said that the God-Men had learned so that put even their servants in fear He had not said much of this without some persuasion, but the Ichiribu had men and wohter could be saved for tireater need

Thunder burst in the cave The smoke vanished in a brief scream of wind For a last ht the urge to claw at it He held his breath that he rew tight

The sanko had to breathe So did the shapes The warrior watched theripped one hand with the other so hecaptive sat upright and began to speak

With no voice of his own left, he spoke in the spirit-tongue, which Seyganko did not yet understand Whatever the spirits were saying had Dobanpu's face twisting in horror, for all that he fought for self-command Emwaya's eyes ide, and her hand on her father's shoulder gripped so tight that her nails scored his flesh and her knuckles were pallid

Thunder caazed up at the ceiling of the cave because he could no longer bear to look at the captive He saw a drop of water fall, to raise a puff of dust from the cave floor Another drop followed it, then several more, then a steady stream

No spirits were in that thunder It was not the rainy season, but seldohts pass about the Lake of Death without rain

Seyganko resisted the urge to leap forward and stand in the rain streah the smoke hole

It was as well that he did Dobanpu's as not done yet Indeed, Seyganko could have stalked and slain a wild pig in the time the Spirit-Speaker needed to finish with the captive

The warrior knehen the end cah The captive turned slowly toward Dobanpu He took a single faltering step forward, then two surer ones before leaping at Dobanpu as would a leopard on its prey

He never coe, but E herself before her father She anko was barely on his feet before she and the dying, vengeance-driven Kwanyi grappled

It was a short grapple, for all that the Kwanyi had in life been half again Eth He could not feel pain, but he could be knocked down Eripped one ar for a handhold in her hair,when Seyganko brought his club down on the Kwanyi's already battered head The last spirit-given life fled, and the spirits followed

Thunder rolled again as they leaped fro the rain

Seyganko sahat s and the head of a snake, or so even -and was just in time to help her catch her father as he fell, to all appearances as lifeless as the Kwanyi

They laid Dobanpu on a bed of rushes; a raised part of the cave floor kept hi puddle of rainwater Ened to Seyganko that he should leave theanko desperately wished to ask why, but the answer came in the same moment as the question In the Kwanyi warrior, there had been no coht heal Dobanpu and save his knowledge for his people Seyganko's duties now lay a the warriors, to lead them if need be, or at least to keep theanko turned back to make sure that the Kwanyi warrior was dead, or to bind hiestures of aversion, or even to flee wildly to the open air

The Kwanyi warrior was gone Only the outline of his body in the ; it was as if he had becolanced up fro When I knoill tell you was in that shrug, and also the pride he kneell

I will coht he saw her sone at all Leaving Emwaya there hat had stolen away the Kwanyi's body was harder than leaving her in the face of a hungry leopard

He also knew that a warrior who courts a Spirit-Speaker's daughterpeace with his wo hiht

Then he reached full wakefulness and knew that the root arht He shi+fted and looked up fro the finely turned leg, to the shi+rt bound as a loincloth about well-rounded hips, and onward to the rest of Valeria

She left off prodding hied ”If you think I woke you up for-”

Conan was terip that ankle and see if Valeria's loincloth survived a turound He set the teer over her new garb and looked as ready as ever to repay such a rough jest with steel

Now and for some days to come, Conan had more need of a trustworthy comrade at his back than a woman in his arms ”You woke me because it's dawn and tiht have been a nod

”Any visitors?”

”None I could not face myself, Cimmerian”

”Ah, so you did not slay the seven warriors You only drained them of their poith a woman's-”

The toe jabbed hard into his ribs, and for a moment, Conan was ready to roll clear of a doard slash of her sword Then the hand left the sword-hilt, her h She sat down and began co from her hair

”I've killed men for lesser jests, Conan Remember that”

”Oh, I shall But if you kill men for small jests, then I may as well die for the bull as for the calf”

SheIn a few more moments, she had done asher hair off short at the neck

”As you say, best ere on the h I would not refuse some water-” ”We'll stop at the first clear streaourds to be had, we can hollow out a few and fill them, too But for noe'd do better away fro followed?”

”I've no way to know, but why le's est who's not to be found where his enemies expect him”