Part 14 (1/2)

”You will have no place a us for mere promises, Ryku”

”That is not my hope You askedloudly for so s, and the bear does well to listen”

Chabano irowl, but thereafter was silent as Ryku explained what the First Speaker wished and what he was pro the Ichiribu did not swear to serve the God-Men,” Chabano said at last

Ryku wished the spies' oaths devoured by lionfish, but aloud said only, ”Then can they not swear new oaths? If they are wise enough to be your spies, they h to know that the God-Men mean the Kwanyi no harm”

”I myself do not know that,” Chabano said ”Or do you say I lack wisdoed that alh to be his last He shrugged instead

Chabano laughed It was laughter that drowned out the rain and even warred against the thunder ”I do not know much about the God-Men,” he said at last

”But you will tell me more, true?”

Ryku nodded

”I rejoice And my spies swore oaths to me, so they will obey even if it aids the God-Men Did you not know that?”

Ryku confessed ignorance

”Then you have as much to learn about the Kwanyi as I have about the God-Men

Perhaps ue when next we meet”

Ryku was ready to swear potent oaths to do so when he realized that he was about to swear to the darkness Chabano had vanished, as silently as a cobra for all that hebear

TEN

The verdant hills on the western shore of the Lake of Death had long since sed the sun Nowthe stars A wind blew froentle for now, but with a hint of strength to cohest hill on the island, Conan stood on one side of the dance-dru on the other side Both wore no uards, leather braces on their ankles and wrists, and looks of grim determination

At least Aondo had donned such a look Conan had merely allowed his face to assurie the Gods theive you half an excuse,” a woo in a distant land She had intended it as praise, being one who doubted the Gods' very existence

Conan's own beliefs did not go that far Hethe priests said about the Gods, and waited for the Gods to speak for theood cause to rely on his own skill and strength

He took on a hthearted expression and studied Aondo Theas slow as a mired ox was deceptive

Conan had seen too much of Aondo's swiftness in their previous contests Also, Aondo knew the art of the drum-dance from boyhood, while Conan's life-and now Valeria's, curse the wo it within a fewmore to learn about Aondo Conan turned his attention to the druh circle a good twenty paces across The drualley or the roof of a teht, the drumhead had the russet hue of well-tanned oxhide, but a sheen as of tiny scales hinted of soe beasts this part of the jungle seemed to harbor, the Cimmerian refused to let this unsettle hiht until he had won life and freedom for himself and Valeria, he did not much care if it was made of the hide of creatures from the moon!

Froanko stepped forward Conan though he saaya and Valeria somewhere in the circle, but the croas too thick for him to be certain It seemed that everyone who could walk or be carried had contrived to be here tonight, frousted, and the torches flared, their s serpentlike about Conan He s he had encountered in the Black Kingdoer, were apart even from their kinsfolk nearer the coast

Time to learn more about them when he had won He raised his arnal that he was ready Aondo did the saht, a dru dru ;away But it was the ritual signal for the dancers to take their place

Conan found the notched tiripped the edge of the drule leap

The drualleys in all the fleets of the world sounding the stroke at once It seemed to Conan that the flames of the torches themselves froze for a moment Certainly he could read surprise on every face including Aondo's

The Ichiribu champion at least had the wits not to atte, and only then leaped into the center of the dru rolled out across the hilltop until it was lost in the darkness over the lake Conan rode the dru his knees, for now the art see oneself on a shi+p's deck, easier than standing on the back of a horse He did not expect it to remain that easy

Wobeku watched with a sober eye as the two dancers began the serious work of the night He doubted that Aondo's greater experience would outweigh his natural arrogance Nothing could keep hiainst this Conan, that would be folly

So much the better The more Aondo owed to Wobeku, the more pliant a tool in the hands of Chabano's spy the warrior would be The her his place when the other tribe at last ruled the lands about the Lake of Death

Wobeku patted the pouch at his belt It seeht contain a spoon and eating gourd, a bone needle and sinew for arments, or a few strips of sun-dried s, to deceive the casual searcher Below theun and a fish-skin pouch of darts for it

The bloas not the man-tall weapon of the tribes of the forests to the south Its range was less than half that of a good spear-throw But it would not need range tonight, when its victi

Nor would it need to do more than pierce her bare skin for the poison to do its work The art of keeping cobra venom potent in the air was known only to the God-Men, and the darts were part of their gifts to Chabano A s that Wobeku had only three darts Was the spell for preserving the veno about, or were the God-Men ic as was their custom? Yet when one dart would do the work, three should be a, and cobras were not so rare on the island that anyone would suspect more than ill fortune, until it was too late Too late for both Wobeku's prey and her bond-mate on the dance-drum

The breeze now held a chill hint of yetin spite of this So was Aondo, and the sweat of boththeir footing to be even less certain

More than Aondo's sas ht to remain on his feet At unpredictable intervals, the Ichiribu warrior would fling himself down on his knees, or even on his belly, then slap the druestures gave the drumhead whole new kinds of movement, also unpredictable

Conan himself foreswore such tricks He learned swiftly that nohis footing as long as he was prepared for it, at least, which s ready to be either loose or rigid, as the dru the Cimmerian had done before But it called on skills that he had honed for a good few years, until they were as keen as the edge of his broadsword From the yarn of these skills, he could weave victory