Part 20 (2/2)

She ignored the bluff co her poise swiftly

'My lover is a - a young Turanian soldier To spite ht he snatched up a sword and came at me to slay me in his roes seized ht me to this - as that?'

Conan had already moved Soundlessly as a shadow he drew her behind the nearest hut, beneath the straggling pals both had heard grew louder until voices were distinguishable A group of negroes, so the road froirl clutched Conan's arainst his

Now they could understand the gutturals of the black men

'Our brothers have already assembled at the pit,' said one 'We have had no luck I hope they have enough for us'

'Aram promised us a man,'

'Ararunted yet another 'Many a man we have taken froiven hiood silk, by Set!'

The blacks shuffled past, bare splay feet scuffing up the dust, and their voices dwindled down the road

'Well for us those corpses are lying behind these huts,' muttered Conan 'If they look in Araone'

'Yes, let us hasten!' begged the girl, al soroes rowled Conan, as he led the way toward the city, paralleling the road but keeping behind the huts and straggling trees 'Why don't the citizens clean out these black dogs?'

'They are valuable slaves,' ht revolt if they were denied the flesh for which they lust The people of Zaht, and all are careful to re unforeseen happens, as it did tothey catch, but they seldoers The people of Zah the city

'Such ers to the blacks He would not dare atteust, and a moment later led his co a street, with still, unlighted houses on each side Slinking in the shadoas not congenial to his nature

'Where do you want to go?' he asked The girl did not seem to object to his arm about her waist

'To my house, to rouse my servants,' she answered 'To bid them search for my lover I do not wish the city - the priests -anyone - to know of hisfuture Perhaps we can drive this madness from him if we can find him'

'If we find him?' ruht scouring the streets for a lunatic?'

She cast a quick glance into his face, and properly interpreted the gleam in his blue eyes Any woman could have known that he would follow her wherever she led - for a while, at least But being a woe of that fact

'Please,' she began with a hint of tears in her voice, 'I have no one else to ask for help - you have been kind-'

'All right!' he grunted 'All right! What's the young reprobate's nairl I have danced often before the satrap, Jungir Khan, and his mistress Nafertari, and before all the lords and royal ladies of Zamboula Totrasmek desired me, and because I repulsed hiainst Alafdhal I asked a love potion of Totrasaveto mix with my lover's wine, and he swore that when Alafdhal drank it, he would love rantsecretly withs came about as I have told you Curse Totrasht his arm convulsively and both stopped short They had cohted, for the hour was late They were passing an alley, and in its , ht the weird glealy His skin crawled, not with fear of the sword in the estion of his posture and silence They suggested irl aside and drew his sword

'Don't kill hied 'In the na - overpower hi his sword in his right hand and clenching his left into a mallet-like fist

He took a wary step toward the alley - and with a horriblehis sword, rising on his toes as he put all the power of his body behind the blows Sparks flashed blue as Conan parried the blade, and the next instant thebuffet of Conan's left fist

The girl ran forward

'Oh, he is not - he is not-'

Conan bent swiftly, turned the ers over hi at the nose, but anybody's likely to do that, after a clout on the jaw He'll coht In the meantime I'll tie his wrists with his sword-belt - so Nohere do you want me to take hiure, seized the bound hands and scanned the her head as if in baffled disappointiant Ci breast Her dark eyes, like wet black jewels in the starlight, gazed up into his

'You are a man! Help me! Totrasmek must die! Slay hirunted

'Nay!' The slender ar as pliant steel, were around his corded neck Her supple body throbbed against his 'The Hyrkanians have no love for Totrasrel, who rules men by fear and superstition I worshi+p Set, and the Turanians bow to Erlik, but Totrasmek sacrifices to Hanuman the accursed! The Turanian lords fear his black arts and his power over the hybrid population, and they hate hiht, they would not seek his slayer very closely'

'And what of his -man,' she answered 'To risk your life is part of your profession'

'For a price,' he ad on tiptoe, to gaze into his eyes

The nearness of her vibrant body drove -a flah his veins The perfume of her breath mounted to his brain But as his arure she avoided the: 'Wait! First serve me in this matter'

'Name your price' He spoke with some difficulty

'Pick upthe tall form easily to his broad shoulder At the ir Khan's palace with equal ease The girl murmured an endearment to the unconscious man, and there was no hypocrisy in her attitude She obviously loved Alafdhal sincerely Whatever business arrange on her relationshi+p with Alafdhal Wos thanthe street, while the Cimmerian strode easily after her, in no way discomforted by his li under arches, but saw nothing suspicious Doubtless the irl turned down a narrow side street, and presently knocked cautiously at an arched door

Almost instantly a wicket opened in the upper panel, and a black face glanced out She bent close to the opening, whispering swiftly Bolts creaked in their sockets, and the door opened A giant black low of a copper lalance showed Conan the man was not from Darfar His teeth were unfiled and his kinky hair was cropped close to his skull He was froave the li officer laid on a velvet divan He showed no signs of returning consciousness The blow that had rendered hiht have felled an ox Zabibi bent over hi Then she straightened and beckoned the Cimmerian

The door closed softly, the locks clicked behind thelow of the laht of the street Zabibi took Conan's hand Her own hand trembled a little

'You will not fail ainst the stars

'Then follow me to Hanuman's shrine, and the Gods havethe silent streets they moved like phantoirl was thinking of her lover lying senseless on the divan under the copper la with fear of what lay ahead of them in the de only of the wo so supplely beside him The perfume of her scented hair was in his nostrils, the sensuous aura of her presence filled his brain and left roohts

Once they heard the clank of brass-shod feet, and drew into the shadows of a gloo past There were fifteen of them; they marched in close formation, pikes at the ready, and the rear on their backs, to protect the menace of the black man-eaters was a threat even to armed men