Part 26 (2/2)
”There, there,” he said. ”I should have thought of it before.”
”We must have a wedding feast, tonight!”
”Of course! But meantime, I ought to see Conan-”
”Oh, let that wait! Besides, you are dirty and tired. Eat, drink, and rest first, before your face these fearful men!”
Amalric's better judgment told him that he ought to go to Conan at once. But he was apprehensive about the meeting. While he was sure that Asltia harbored some nefarious plan against him, he had no definite charge to bring against the! wizard. In the end, he allowed Lissa to persuade him. What with eating and drinking and was.h.i.+ng and love-making and sleeping, the afternoon slipped away. The sun was low when Amalric set out for the palace.
King Sak.u.mbe's palace was a large compound-like all the rest of Tombalku, of dun-colored mud brick-just off the central plaza.
Sak.u.mbe's bodyguards, knowing Amalric, quickly pa.s.sed him into the interior, where thin sheets of beaten gold covered the brick walls and dazzlingly reflected the ruddy glare of the setting sun. He crossed a wide courtyard swarming with the lung's wives and children and entered the king's private apartment.
He found the two kings of Tombalku, the white and the black, sprawled on mounds of cus.h.i.+ons on a large Bakhariot rug, which in turn covered a mosaic floor. In front of each was a pile of golden coins from many lands, and at the elbow of each stood a large winecup. A slave stood ready with a pitcher to refill each cup.
Both men were bloodshot of eye. Evidently, they had been drinking heavily for many hours. A pair of dice lay on the rug between them.
Amalric bowed formally. ”My lords-”
Conan looked blearily up; he wore a bejeweled turban like that which Zehbeh had worn. ”Amalric! Flop down on a cus.h.i.+on and take a few throws with us. ”Your luck can't be any worse than mine tonight!”
”My lord, I really cannot afford-”
”Oh, to h.e.l.l with that! Here's a stake for you.” Conan scooped a fistful of coins from his pile and slammed it down on the rug. As Amalric lowered himself to the floor, Conan, as if struck by a sudden thought, looked sharply at Sak.u.mbe.
”I'll tell you, brother King,” he said. ”Well make one threw each. If I win, you'll order the army to march against the king of Kush.”
”And if I win?” said Sak.u.mbe.
Then they don't, as you prefer.”
Sak.u.mbe shook his head with a chuckle. ”No, brother King, I am not caught so easily. When we are ready, then we shall march, and no sooner.”
Conan struck the rug with his fist ”What in h.e.l.l's the matter with you, Sak.u.mbe? You're not the man you were in the old days. Then you were ready for any adventure; now, all you care about is your food, wine, and women. What's changed you?”
Sak.u.mbe hiccupped. ”In the old days, brother King, I wanted to be a king, with many men to obey my commands and plenty of wine, women, and food. Now I have these things. Why should I risk them in unnecessary adventures?”
”But we must extend our boundaries to the Western Ocean, to gain control of the trade routes that come up from the coast. You know as well as I that Tombalku's wealth derives from control of trade routes.”
”And when we have conquered the king of Kush and reached the sea, what then?”
”Why, then we should turn our armies eastward, to bring the Ghanata tribes under our rule and stop their raiding.”
”And then, no doubt, you'll want to strike north or south, and so on forever. Tell me, man, suppose we conquered every nation within a thousand miles of Tombalku and possessed wealth greater than that of the kings of Stygia. What should we do then?”
Conan yawned and stretched. ”Why, enjoy life, I suppose: deck ourselves in gold, hunt and feast all day, and drink and wench all night. In between times, we could tell each other lies about our adventures.”
Sak.u.mbe laughed again. ”If that is all you want, why, we are doing just those things now! If you want more gold, or food, or drink, or women, ask me and you shall have it.”
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