Part 20 (1/2)
Striving to look as if he owned every inch, of the caves, Conan strolled away at a leisurely pace, never looking back
When he was around the first turning in the corridor, Conan picked up his pace considerably He had escaped from the carnal clutches of the witch, but he still had to find his friends He began to run, planning to put a goodly distance between himself and the witch as soon as possible
He had been at the sprint but for a few led nest of sticky webbing He tried to back away fro threads, but he could neither escape nor break free of theled, the more enmeshed he becath of the fibers He was still try fruitlessly to break free when he saw a cyclops standing next to a giant worht
”I-I-I a-agle against the grip of the
Next to Deek, Wikkell nodded as if in agreement but said, ”I understand your reluctance Still, somehow, this one is at the root of all this Both my master and your mistress-”
”E-e-ex-m-m-master a-and m-m-mistess,” Deek broke in and corrected
”Yes, yes, to be sure Our ex-master and mistress seemed to think this man was of some import As we have seen, he certainly is resourceful He has ed to escape from both wizard and witch on his own, no small task”
”B-b-but c-can e t-t-trust hiainst us Certainly he has no more love for Rey and Chunthathan do we And we do have so to offer, do we not?”
”Y-y-yes”
”Then let us go and speak with him”
In the wizard's chambers, Rey questioned Elashi+ He had a pair of his Cyclopes holding her tightly as he stood sharpening a so whettednoises in the quiet rooainst a nearby wall, manacled to the rock
While the chains and wrist clamps were covered with thick scales of red-brown rust flakes, the iron had lost none of its core strength
Rey finished working on the knife He touched the edge with one thumb; apparently it was done to his satisfaction He ht, and waved the knife gently back and forth as he drew nearer to the desert worips on both of Elashi+'s arms; unfortunately for Rey, both of the wos ree, Elashi+ runted, expelling ratulatory noises from Tull and Lalo for Elashi+'s action
It was but a short diversion, however, and the effect of Elashi+'s resistance did nothing to improve Rey's mood
”Hold her feet!” the wizard ordered when his breath had returned
Though Elashi+ kicked and struggled, it was but aFirripped now at the upper arm and ankle, Elashi+ found herself held stretched horizonally between her two captors ah and Catch Him”
Rey moved in and inserted the sharpened blade under Elashi+'s belt A single jerk of his wrist sliced the leather strap, and the belt fell away The wizard ripped it with one hand, cutting thethe ss all the way to her underclothes
Two more passes with the knife and Elashi+ lay stretched between the cyclopes naked save for her boots The wizard stepped between her spread legs and laid the flat of the blade knife upon her belly
”Ready to tell me where Conan is?”
”Rot in the deepest hell!” Elashi+ said Her voice quivered, but she tried to keep her face ie down He started to press the edge into her flesh
”Wait!” Lalo yelled ”I shall tell you!”
”Lalo! Say nothing!” Elashi+ said The wizard turned away frorin looked pained, and his insult when it came eak: ”Wicked fool, spare her and I shall tell you Conan's location”
”I spare no one But I can make her death quick”
Lalo nodded ”Very well Conan hides in a srotto some distance away Tull here has used it for his residence for soed to stare at Lalo with aht this due to Lalo's treachery
”Explain to me the location and you shall live until my cyclopes return with the barbarian”
Tull and Elashi+ caught on to Lalo's ploy
Tull said, ”Tell hi, you traitor!”
”I hate you!” Elashi+ said
Ever-san to tell the wizard how to get to Tull's grotto
Seely satisfied, the wizard had Elashi+ chained next to the two men She drew her tattered clothes about her as best she could and settled down upon the rocky floor, shaking from nervous reaction
Rey swept out of the chamber to instruct his thralls in the retrieval of Conan It was only when the wizard appeared to be well out of earshot that the three captives spoke to each other, and then in quiet whispers
”Why did you tell hirotto?” Tull asked ”When lasthim-”
”-some monster had captured the aard oaf,” Lalo finished ”Aye, and since the flying creature did not come from Rey, then we may be almost certain it was dispatched by the witch We could have hardly told him that, now could we? 'Conan? Why, the witch has him' That would have sealed our dooht,” Elashi+ whispered ”At least this e have purchased a bit more ti I could not allow hih Lalo's smile was perpetual with him, it seerinned at him in return ”I thank you for that”
”Even as stupid and worthless as you are, you have more uses alive than dead,” Lalo said Fro compliment, and Elashi+ shook her head froet on ument from either of the others on that point ”What e do when Rey discovers that Conan is not where we said he would be?” Elashi+ asked
”Try to deceive him further,” Lalo whispered
”'Gone? Well, yes, of course He said that if we did not o to the waterfall where first he met Tull' And after that, mayhap we can send him yet elsewhere”
”He is certain to catch on after a time or two It is a decidedly risky plan,” Tull said
”Better than no plan at all,” Elashi+ observed ”Besides, what have we to lose now?”
Another point no one wished to speak to or think overly about not while chained to a cold wall in the chambers of an evil wizard
Twenty-three