Part 5 (1/2)

The wench was sitting cross-legged in her shi+ft on her kehost, she had heard the cry from the stairs, and she saw the red stain an the poniard in his hand But she was too filled with terror on tier own account to waste any ti for her life, almost incoherent ith terror Conan did not reply; hethe edge of his poniard with a alloused thumb

At last he crossed the cha frantic pleas for ed her off the bed Thrusting lis blade back in its sheath, he tucked his squir captive ider his left arm, and strode to theLike e encircled each story, caused by the contin-lance of the -ledges Conan kicked theopen id stepped out on that narrow band If any had been near or awake, they would have witnessed the bizarre sight of a , half-naked rench under his arirl

Reaching the spot he sought, Conan halted, gripping the wall rith his free hand Inside the building rose a sudden cla that the body had at last been discovered His captive whilanced down into the muck and slime of the alleys below; he listened briefly to the clamor inside and the pleas of the wench; then he dropped her with great accuracy into a cesspool He enjoyed her kickings and flounderings and the concentrated venom of her profanity for a few seconds, and even allowed hihter Then he lifted his head, listened to the growing tu, and decided it was ti clang of led dazedly to a sitting posture About him all was silence and darkness, and for an instant he was sickened with the fear that he was blind Then he reone before, and his flesh crawled By the sense of touch he found that he was lying on a floor of evenly joined stone slabs Further groping discovered a wall of the sa in vain to orient himself That he was in so he was unable to guess He re noise, and wondered if it had been the iron door of his dungeon closing on him, or if it betokened the entrance of an executioner

At this thought he shuddered profoundly and began to feel his way along the wall Momentarily he expected to encounter the limits of his prison, but after a while he ca down a corridor He kept to the wall, fearful of pits or other traps, and was presently aware of so, but either his ears had caught a stealthy sound, or some subconscious sense warned hi on end; as surely as he lived, he felt the presence of so in the darkness in front of hiht his heart would stop when a voice hissed in a barbaric accent: 'Murilo! Is it you?'

'Conan!' Liroped in the darkness and his hands encountered a pair of great naked shoulders

'A good thing I recognized you,' grunted the barbarian 'I was about to stick you like a fattened pig'

'Where are we, in Mitra's name?'

'In the pits under the Red Priest's house; but why-'

'What is the tiht'

Murilo shook his head, trying to asse here?' demanded the Cimmerian

'I cauard at your prison-'

'They did,' growled Conan 'I broke the new jailer's head and walked out I would have been here hours agone, but I had some personal business to attend to Well, shall we hunt for Nabonidus?'

Murilo shuddered 'Conan, we are in the house of the archfiend! I ca a human enerunted uncertainly; fearless as a wounded tiger as far as human foes were concerned, he had all the superstitious dreads of the priained access to the house,' whispered Murilo, as if the darkness were full of listening ears 'In the outer gardens I found Nabonidus's dog mauled to death Within the house I came upon Joka, the servant His neck had been broken Then I saw Nabonidus hiarb At first I thought he too was dead I stole up to stab him He rose and facednobleman momentarily speechless as he relived that awful instant

'Conan,' he whispered, 'it was no man that stood before me! In body and posture it was not unlike a rinned a face of ht-like eyes glared redly; its nose was flat, with great flaring nostrils; its loose lips writhed back, disclosing huge yellow fangs, like the teeth of a dog The hands that hung from the scarlet sleeves were misshapen and likewise covered with black hair All this I saw in one glance, and then I was overcome with horror; my senses left me and I swooned'

'What then?' muttered the Cimmerian uneasily 'I recovered consciousness only a short tio; the monster must have thrown me into these pits Conan, I have suspected that Nabonidus was not wholly hu huht he takes on his true aspect'

'That's evident,' answered Conan 'Everyone knows there are men who take the form of wolves at will But why did he kill his servants?'

'Who can delve the mind of a devil?' replied Murilo 'Our present interest is in getting out of this place Huet in here?'

'Through the sewer I reckoned on the gardens being guarded The sewers connect with a tunnel that lets into these pits I thought to find so up into the house unbolted' 'Then let us escape by the way you came!' exclaimed Murilo 'To the devil with it! Once out of this snake-den, we'll take our chance with the king's guardsht frorunted the Cimmerian 'The way to the sewers is barred As I entered the tunnel an iron grille crashed down frohtning, its spear-heads would have pinned me to the floor like a worm When I tried to lift it, it wouldn't er than a rabbit squir up and down his spine He ht have known Nabonidus would not leave any entrance into his house unguarded Had Conan not possessed the steel-spring quickness of a wild thing, that falling portcullis would have skewered hi some hidden catch that released it fro

'There's but one thing to do,' said Murilo, sweating profusely 'That's to search for some other exit; doubtless they're all set with traps, but we have no other choice'

The barbarian grunted agree their way at rando occurred to Murilo

'How did you recognize me in this blackness?' he demanded 'I smelled the perfume you put on your hair, when you cao, when I was crouching in the dark and preparing to rip you open'

Murilo put a lock of his black hair to his nostrils; even so the scent was barely apparent to his civilized senses, and he realized how keen ans of the barbarian

Instinctively his hand went to his scabbard as they groped onward, and he cursed to find it elow became apparent ahead of them, and presently they caht filtered grayly Together they peered around the corner, and Murilo, leaning against his co noble liuely illumined by a radiance which seemed to ee faure, which lay face down, stirred Murilo with inexplicable andthe Cimmerian to follow hi a certain repugnance, he grasped it and turned it on its back An incredulous oath escaped hirunted explosively

'Nabonidus! The Red Priest!' ejaculated Murilo, his brain a dizzy vortex of whirling aroaned and stirred With cat-like quickness Conan bent over hiht his wrist

'Wait! Don't kill him yet-'

'Why not?' deuise, and sleeps Will you awaken hied Murilo, trying to collect his jureat blue welt on his shaven te here for hours'

'I thought you swore you saw him in beastly shape in the house above,' said Conan

'I did! Or else - he's co to! Keep back your blade, Conan; there is a ht I must have words with this priest, before we kill hiuely to his bruised temple, mumbled, and opened his eyes For an instant they were blank and eence; then life ca at the companions Whatever terrific jolt had te with its accustoain His eyes shot swiftly about him, then came back to rest on Murilo's face

'You honorat the great figure that looht a bravo, I see Was your sword not sufficient to sever the life of h of this,' i have you lain here?'

'A peculiar question to put to aconsciousness,' answered the priest 'I do not knohat tiht when I was set upon'

'Then who is it that own in the house above?' demanded Murilo

'That will be Thak,' answered Nabonidus, ruefully fingering his bruises 'Yes, that will be Thak And in !'

Conan, who corowled solanced at him whimsically

'Your bully's knife yearns for h to takeand leave the city'

'Hoas I to know that was to be granted me?' returned Murilo 'At any rate, ood company with that cutthroat,' murmured Nabonidus 'I had suspected you for some time That hy I caused that pallid court secretary to disappear Before he died he toldnobleman who bribed him to filch state secrets, which the nobleman in turn sold to rival powers Are you not ashamed of yourself, Murilo, you white-handed thief?'

'I have no more cause for shame than you, you vulture-hearted plunderer,' answered Murilo proreed, and under the guise of disinterested statesar the rich, oppress the poor, and sacrifice the whole future of the nation for your ruthless a with his snout in the trough You are a greater thief than I am This Cimmerian is the most honest man of the three of us, because he steals and ether,' agreed Nabonidus equably 'And what now? My life?'

'When I saw the ear of the secretary that had disappeared, I kneas doomed,' said Murilo abruptly, 'and I believed you would invoke the authority of the king Was I right?'

'Quite so,' answered the priest 'A court secretary is easy to do aith, but you are a bit too pro a jest about you in the '

'A jest that would have costis unaware of hed Nabonidus 'And now, since I see your companion has his knife, I fear that jest will never be told'

'You should kno to get out of these rat-dens,' said Murilo 'Suppose I agree to spare your life Will you help us to escape, and swear to keep silent about my thievery?'