Part 27 (1/2)
”'Tis not quite as you irizzled veteran chuckled ”There are tenthe land noill be afarmers I shall fetch Julia from the city, and ive hi sons
Conan frowned at Narus ”And do you, too, intend to become a farmer?”
”I've no love of dirt,” the hollow-facedthe dice fro them idly, ”butConan, wizards I did not mind so much, and those men who looked like a snake had been at their mothers were no worse than a horde of blood-drunk Picts, but this God you found us has had my heart in my mouth more than I can remember since the Battle of Black River, when I was a fresh youth without need of shaving For a time I seek a quiet city, with buxom wenches to bounce on a bed and,” he rattled the dice in cupped hands, rolled the lads with ,” Karela laughed ”Do you intend to gain any of their coin Eh, Cirumbled under his breath
As Conan opened hisin the breeze down slope ”Cro his scrawny neck for bringing her here,” he growled The others scrambled to their feet to follow him down the mountainside
When Conan reached the girl and the old man, he saw they were not alone Julia knelt beside Taurianus, tearing strips fro from a dozen rents in the Ophirean's hauberk The man's hair was matted with dirt and blood, and a bubble of scarlet appeared at his lips with each labored breath
Boros flung up his hands as soon as he saw Conan ”Do not blath I thought it best to co and protect her as best I could She said she orried about Machaon”
”About all of the here Can you not help him?”
The Cimmerian needed no close examination of Taurianus' wounds to see the round about him was already blackened with his blood ”So the nobles lost,” he said quietly Aon the victorious side would not have crawled away to die
The Ophirean's eyes fluttered open ”We caught the Eagle,” he rasped, and continued with frequent pauses to struggle for breath ”We left our caht Then we took hiiant flame-cleft the sky-and the white-haired devil-shouted the Gods-ith them Some cried-it was the Staff-of Avanrakash Panic seized us-by the throat We fled-and his warriors cut us down Enjoy your ti-every mercenary-he catches”
Suddenly he lurched up onto one elbow and stretched out a clawed hand toward Conan ”I am a better man-than you!” Blood welled in his mouth, and he fell back Once he jerked, then was still, dull eyes staring at the sky
”A giant flame,” Narus said softly ”You are a s even you do not ed off the words irritably He cared not ore the crown of Ophir, except insofar as it affected his prospects With Iskandrian at Valentius' side-perhaps, he thought, it was ti as Moranthes II-there would be no chance to gather ather ”'Twill be Argos for me,” he said
”You!” Machaon snapped abruptly, and Julia jumped ”Did I not tell you to remain in Ianthe? Must I fetch a switch for you here and now? The life of a poor farmer's wife is hard, and shedie because you did not feed it when I told you?”
”You have no right to threaten irl burst out
”You cannot” Her words trailed off, and she sat back on her heels
”Wife? Did you say wife?” Taking a deep breath, she said earnestly, ”Machaon, I will care for your pig as if it were o so far as that,” Machaon laughed His face sobered as he turned to Conan ”A long road we've traveled together, Ci And as I've no desire to let Iskandrian ruuts with a stake, I'll take my leave noish to be far from Ianthe before this day is done”
”And I,” Narus added ”'Tis Tarantia for me, for they do say the nobles of Aquilonia are free with their coin and love to gamble”
”Fare you well,” Conan told theet there before me”