Part 6 (2/2)
”I survived all the perils and thereby learned to keep others alive as well,” Raihna concluded ”After that it was a simple matter to win my own band It was not so simple to win it a reputation”
”Is that why you're here?”
She nodded ”King Eloikas had a fair selection of goods to bring houard it His steould not ive the steward a civil answer The Border Kingdom has a reputation as a place of hard rocks and still harderto rew up poor in Bossonia A land such as this holds few terrors for o, 'sto warn the captain-general of our corowled under his breath The unknown captain-general ht not be the only one they had warned And there was the s
The Cimmerian rose and turned away Before her men he would uphold Raihna's authority with the last drop of his blood and the last stroke of his sword Alone with her, he had to ask a few blunt questions, the Gods grant withoutat hihts of seriousbarn Raihna had pulled off her tunic, and above the waist she wore only the dressing over the cut on her ribs
As Conan watched, she kicked off her boots, then pushed the riding breeches down those long legs The breeches were a arment than a tavern dancer's silks, but somehow they came off as swiftly
”You are as fair as ever,” Conan said
Raihna ue to wiser words, Cis in a year Or spare your words and speak to me without them”
She held out her arms The invitation could not be denied, nor did Conan refuse it
It was long before they slept, and when they did, it was the kind of sleep that is near-kin to death They did not hear thunder without lightning roll through the hills Nor did they hear, closer to hand, the soft but insistent call of pipes
Aybas heard the thunder He also heard the cry of the Star Brothers'
pet Where he was, a deadat the very foot of the dam
It was a cry unlike any he had ever heard, even from a creature that seemed able to , whistlingnote beneath the whistle and the moan It was a sound that no human ears should have heard, a sound fro out to the world of ue had words, but which Aybas feared he
That fear took away much of his pleasure at the news that Princess Chienna and her captors were safely away from their pursuers He did not know if the babe was also captive, but froed not That made the news even better Or did, until the thunder rolled and the beast cried
It was some consolation for his own fear that the Star Brothers seemed quite as fearful Perhaps it was not only Aybas who harbored thoughts of evil reaching out fro to feed that hunger, an evil perhaps soon to slip past all restraint
Aybas spoke more sharply than usual when he addressed the Star Brother who seemed to have the most command of himself ”What is this? Is your pet sick?”
”It is in fear,” the other replied Aybas did not even bother to turn away before estures of aversion Whatever could put the wizards' pet in fear was so no man in his senses should not also fear
Thunder rued But the creature beyond the wallthe dark sky, Aybas saw lightning flash beyond a distant peak that bore a rounded bare su a skull
It was natural thunder, the Gods be praised! Aybas stopped his gestures before the wizards noticed them and took offense Then he saw that they were too busy jabbering a a drus!
Aybas slipped away and crossed the valley floor toward the village
Halfway across, he sao figures half-hidden in a stand of spiceberry bush The next flash of lightning showed hiered hands lifted in prayer Beside her rose the familiar massive bulk of Thyrin, her father
Prayer, or soht be interested to know that Wylla could be doing that which they had forbidden This ratitude for saving her