Part 19 (1/2)

”Good But send a secondto Decius Our rallying point is the Chamber of the Red Fish”

”So be it, Captain Conan”

Conan thought of giving a second rallying place, outside the palace

But that would be ad doubts about the outcoun, an admission that stuck in his throat

In silence the Cimmerian stalked toward the Chamber of the Red Fish

Taking its name from the mosaic in what had once been an ornaainst a stout band

It also had a staircase, battered by the years but still fit to let a nimble man climb to the roof and look about him

Conan reached the chamber to find that half of Raihna'sthem to build barricades of stone and ancient furniture, Conan scrambled up the stairs

The horns and drums in the distance were silent now Darkness hid whatever they had been rallying, be itclouds veiled the moon more often than not He half-expected to hear the witch-thunder

Instead, he saw a pinpoint of ruby-tinted light spring to life in the darkness downhill frorew into a ball of fire, and its color changed froht Conan sahat seehty host drawn up before the palace A second look showed hihty, and indeed barely a host

Count Syzambry ell to the fore, mounted on his roan stallion and surrounded by some two-score riders Many more men stood behind the horse scanty armor and feeapons save their bows A final band of perhaps three-score had surrounded the huts and the remainder of the Palace Guard there From the way they kept their distance from the huts, it see

That was enough for Conan Syzaht command sorcery, but all it had done so far was to reveal ho men he had They were no band of beardless boys, but neither were they the predestined victors of tonight's battle

Now, if only the Guards in the barracks could strike into Syzalobe of light had turned the hue of old blood It spread so far that Conan could barelyhis hands wide apart and sorant breeze brought the Ciry hiss rose, along with clouds of smoke and stealobe of light shrank back to barely more than a pinpoint The sht bobbing at the end of it like a flower

The earth quivered San to move toward the palace as if drawn inexorably forward by soht, either, as Conan saw in the nexta furrow in the earth, an arth wide Smoke poured out of it, stones and earth flew to either side, and the quivering of the earth doubled and redoubled

Conan abandoned thoughts of rallying the Guards to surround Syza's captains now had to be keeping theirtoward the palace If thatthe palace so that it would not topple on their heads and bury them in the ruins-

One of the barracks huts did collapse, the sound lost in the rued earth Dust and smoke swirled up, and Guards poured out like ants froh, and dragging or carrying wounded comrades

Conan forced hiht in the barracks would have to ht His battle would be here, so far as a ht sorcery

The Cimmerian was three steps from the floor when the earth heaved fiercely The steps cracked So did a section of wall and several sections of roof Conan leaped as the stairs sagged under hiht hi at Raihna's feet

She had a grin for hi to hearten herself as well as herto his feet

Most of the men who'd been in the chamber when Conan climbed up were there when he caht the rest of her band with her But there wasstone pinned hiripped the nearest such stone, wrapped his massive arms around it, and heaved it clear In the last , Conan heard his own breath coht have been a trick of the night wind, the distant trill of pipes