Part 3 (1/2)

”Cohed wildly, speaking Zamorian with a barbarous accent

The Kezankian, weak fro upon a small court He stumbled across the court while behind him Conan faced his tormentors in the doorhere in the confined space their very nuhed and cursed the behind thecurses Conan's sciue of a cobra, and a Za, tripped over hiures that jale themselves, Conan turned and ran across the yard toward a wall over which the Kezankian had already disappeared

Sheathing his weapons, Conan leaped and caught the coping, swung hi street outside

Then soainst his head, and limply he toppled frolow of a taper in his face roused Conan He sat up, blinking and cursing, and groped for his sword Then the light was blown out and a voice spoke in the darkness:

”Be at ease, Conan of Cimmeria I am your friend”

”Who in Crom's name are you?” deround nearby, and he stealthily gathered his legs under hi He was in the street at the foot of the wall from which he had fallen, and the other ht

”Your friend,” repeated the other in a soft Iranistanian accent ”Call me Sassan”

Conan rose, sci toward hiht, but before he could strike he saw that it was his own knife, hilt first

”You're as suspicious as a starving wolf, Conan,” laughed Sassan ”But save your steel for your enemies”

”Where are they?” Conan took the knife

”Gone Into the mountains, on the trail of the bloodstained God”

Conan started and caught Sassan's khilat in an iron grip and glared into the ht

”damn you, what know you of the bloodstained God?” Conan's knife touched the Iranistani's side below his ribs

”I know this,” said Sassan ”You ca thieves who stole froreater than Yildiz's hoard I, too, cah a hole in the wall, when you burst into the roo tortured How did you knoas they who stole your map?”

”I didn't,” ood idea to interfere If I had known they were the ht how much do you know?”

”This much Hidden in the mountains near here is an ancient teo back to Pre-Cataclysree as to whether it is Grondarian or was built by the unknown pre-human folk who ruled the Hyrkanians just after the Cataclysion to all outsiders, but a Nemedian named Ostorio did find the teolden idol crusted with red jewels, which he called the bloodstained God He could not bring it aith hi to return Although he got safely away, he was stabbed by soave the rimly The house behind him was dark and still

”The map was stolen,” said Sassan ”By whorowled Conan ”Later I learned the thieves were Zyras, a Corinthian, and Arshak, a disinherited Turanian prince So and told theht, I traced the in this alley I was blundering about looking for a clue when I stunorance!” said Sassan ”The Kezankian was Rustum, a spy of the Kezankian chieftain Keraspa They lured hi hih the mountains You know the rest”

”All except what happened when I climbed the wall”

”Somebody threw a stool at you and hit your head When you fell outside the wall they paid you noyou in your ht him I know not Soon they returned, saddled up, and rode likethe dead where they fell I canized you”

”Then the man in the red turban was Arshak,” uised as a Turanian-the rowled Conan