Part 8 (1/2)
”You need not fear,” Sarissa said in a dead voice ”When you destroyed the great roup-soul of my race dwelled in that ancient artifact You, in your barbarian igno-rance, snorance!” snorted Conan ”If I had known that was the way to slay you all, I would have destroyed the thing at the first opportunity It need not have hap-pened, woman If you had shown Alcuina kindness, if you had not tried to use me for your entertainment, ould be on our way home, and you would have your brother and your castle and your accursed amusements” Conan was not one to waste ht their misfortunes upon themselves
”It is true, what she says,” confirone from her”
”Let me return to the castle, so I may perish with my people,” said Sarissa
”Very well,” said Conan, sheathing his sword ”I have no further use for you” He paid her no an to walk, slowly and dejectedly, back toward her castle
When she was gone, Alcuina turned to Rerin ”And now, old friend, have you soical bonds?”
Rerin bent forward and studied the cords that bound Alcuina's wrists and ankles ”Have you tried a knife?” he asked
”I never thought of that,” said Conan He drew his dagger and slid it across the bonds, which parted easily
”Never thought of it!” Alcuina screa scarlet that flooded to her breasts In her anger she seeotten her nudity for the mo-ment ”You deliberately left me like that so you could handle me at will and do as you liked in the castle!”
”There is much to be said,” Conan assured her, ”for a queen who is immobilized when there is warrior's work to be done”
”You fool! What would I have done if they had killed you while I was helpless! Did you think of that?”
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”1 aed affairs as well as you have so far”
”Look!” said Rerin, anxious to forestall as about to erupt into civil war between queen and warrior
They looked to where he was pointing The castle, which had been so solid, was beginning towavery, as if all within it had grown soft, shrunken, and diminished
”It is like a jellyfish cast upon the seashore,” said Conan, scratching his beard-stubbled chin
”Their ether,” Rerinwere you in that castle?”
”It must have been some three or four days,” Conan said, puzzled
”No,” protested Alcuina ”It was nine or ten days at least”
”And yet I spent only a single night out here since Conan ascended the wall Even tie here in the demon land”
”We must find our way home, and that swiftly,” insisted Alcuina ”This place terrifies me, and I a to theet a fire started I shall be back soon with game” With that he darted off into the underbrush
Rerin sat by Alcuina when the fire was crackling She wore his cloak as a tearb ”What think you now of your cha from an old tale I have never seen a warrior like hioverned that 1 wonder whether he serves me or his ohi to sit beside you in the hall, and none of the neighbor kings suits you You could do worse than this Cido your war-host you need fear no eneht work for a while,” Alcuina said, ”but so I would probably kill hiians, his rotund bulk swathed in rich winter furs, stood blowing on his hands Behind him stood a band of his picked warriors, and beside hireat stag that the huntsmen were to drive past theht
”The stag co's nephew
”I can hear that, you young fool,” said Odoac
He picked up his heavy javelin andhad the first cast, and after him each warrior in order of rank
With a cloud of erupting snow the splendid beast broke fro from its mouth in exhaustion and panic Behind it the hunts noble hunters
As it lurunt, cast his spear The cast was 134
powerful but far wide of theantlers of the beast, and the beast halted, startled by the unfae, the stag turned to face the hunters With its head lowered, it began to trot toward the's nephew, young Leovigild, stepped forward as his arm flashed back He took three paces and cast his javelin It sped unerringly to the stag, slipped below the antlers and beside the head, and pierced the juncture of chest and neck With its neck artery cut and its heart pierced, the great ani , and the others clapped hi the superb cast Then they all fell silent as the king strode up to his nephew, rage upon his face With a powerful buffet of his open palround
”You insolent young puppy! I would have had him if you had not jostled my arm! Do you think your for-wardness has escapedjust as you would like to take my throne!”
The warriors remained silent at this outburst They all knew that no , and that he had ive hi h the ravages of age and overindulgence
”You are unjust, ild The youth's face was pale with ainst his uncle ”I cast because it was my turn, and all men kno loyally I have always served you”
”See that it remains so, puppy,” said Odoac with 136
137unbearable contempt ”It will be many years before Ymir takes me into his hall and youwhirled and stalked off He would have liked to kill his nephew, as he had killed all other rivals, some of thenated heir, and Leovigild, hismale of the royal line Had he slain the boy,- his nobles would have felt free to rid the in his place As an infant and a boy, the lad had been no threat Now that he had reachedwould have to be done about hiild to stand, but he shook off their helping hands ”I should not have allowed such a blow, even fro,” he said, fearful that he had lost respect in the eyes of the warriors
”What could you have done,” said a grizzled noble- the fate of yourIt cannot be er” Mollified, he walked back to the hall in the , Odoac dismissed all from the hall save his noblest warriors and cha-horns filled, they waited to hear their reat throne, Odoac looked around at theaze halted for aman stared back, un-afraid He was handso his firm jaw His eyes were clear and blue, in contrast to Odoac's th, and fine looks as much as he feared his a to Leovigild for advice and approval
”My warriors,” the king began, ”it is tidoians have been menaced by two enemy peoples: Queen Alcuina and her Cambres, and Totila and his Tor to hide his fear of Totila with a mask of con-tempt If the truth was known, he secretly envied the way Totila, a mere bandit-chieftain, had built his war-band into a powerful kingdodoether with murder and treachery ”Of course, I would have destroyed both of theo had it not been for their accursed wizards, Rerin and lilma
”Let it not be said that I am an unreasonable e With her lands and people annexed to mine, neither of us need have feared any eneerly accept, like lared around him and pounded on the arm of the throne with his fist ”No, she did not! She behaved as if I, King Odoac of the Thungians, were so whose forebears can be traced back to Father Y cal on
”I have borne this hu as any man could be asked The time has now coone, Alcuina disappeared under uncanny circumstances” A murmur of conversation broke out at 138