Part 17 (1/2)
he said ”And fairest of all the city-states of northern Khirai was purple-towered Paikang Hosts of glittering warriors shi+elded us froen to the south The lands were rich and the crops always plentiful I dwelt in the palace in Paikang surrounded by all the splendor and culture of our ancient civilization
”Then caht his hordes swept up fro blaze Our arulfed by earthquakes, devoured by ue Our sword arm ithered, and his hellhoundswas sacked in fury and blood, in thunderous fires and unnamable atrocities I, my fahknows of us, or he would surely have wiped us out by now Kang Lou-dze,a village several miles from here No hunters ever coht is hopeless We are but a handful, to face ht and thousands of well-ar to poverty by his taxes and extortions, long for the bygone days of serenity, freedoiven the chance But the iron heels of Yah Chieng's generals press upon their necks His swordser the streets of the cities like conquerors, hips in their hands
”So it has been for a score of years, and our hope dwindles It would die bat for the prophecy, in which we have put all our faith during these years of terror”
Conan had listened silently, but curiosity now pros lie crowded in my mind But this prophecy? What of it?”
”My wife, the e powers
She knew the calls of birds, and I have often seen die wild beasts of the jungle nuzzling her hands When disaster struck, one of Yah Chieng's marauders found his way to her chamber and struck her dohile she prayed to our Gods I was too late to save her, but as I stood with dripping blade over the body of her murderer, she beckoned to me from the floor where she lay in her blood, and whispered into rief-stricken ear:
” 'My days are ended Flee swiftly to save our family Hide yourselves and wait Despair not For there will come' froreat and noble heart In his wrath he will crush the fiend like a snake under his heel He will be ain his own land, and he will s thunderbolt The Gods are with hiain-'
”In that instant her mouth filled with a rush of blood, and she died
Stricken as I was, I could not stay I gathered er ones through a secret passage
”Through all these years we have waited for the white war lord We have listened for ru ar But onlynomads have come from the Great Desert, and our hope has dwindled with the years
”Except for a troop ofcaptured last year, you are the first man hite skin and round eyes to co all this ti and a conqueror You are alone, without armies or followers, and you wear the habit of the noin to despair for the fate ofthe floor, he boo of the dom of the West, fair Aquilonia Conquered it led its tyrant on the throne with th has won lers Do I not fit your prophecy?”
The old er and incredulous at the sa? Then the part I did not tell you is also true-for my beloved wife said that this would occur within twenty years of our defeat The Gods be praised! We shall have a feast of prayer and thanksgiving tonight Tomorroe are at your cousty ”Not so hotly, my friend! Even I, who have had my share of follies, am not so rash as to rush into the maw of this scoundrel with only a score of men The Gods help those who use their wits We must lay our plans carefully”
Then his voice was drowned by the joyful shouts of the crowd that had gathered outside the hut, su Lou-dze With sudden sobriety he accepted the humble adoration of these folk, whose sole hope of salvation he represented
The high council of the Khitan village of outcasts was in session The atmosphere inside the bamboo hut was rife with tension Conan lolled on the floor mats, a beaker of wine in his hand, while his sharp blue eyes scrutinized his new allies The air was thick with the lotus-scented smoke of water pipes
”It will be no easy task to win entrance to the fiend's castle,” said one tall, slant-eyed ured by a scar across his brow ”His cursed swordsht, and there are his own unearthly powers in the bargain The people have no arhtforward attack on the heavily-fortified citadel is out of the question with our scant force”
”You are right, Leng Chi,” said the aged Kang Hsiu ”Stealth and trickery pave the road to success And I know of only one way that ive his annual feast in celebration of the conquest of Pailcang The climax of this feast is always the Dance of the Lions, perfor caters to the people's taste for spectacle and tradition It is the only tiates are opened and the public is ade courtyard But how this can avail us I cannot fatho Conan with us, and he is pale of skin and round of eye We cannot possibly disguise hi all men Of course, we could carry hih voice broke into the conversation ”None of that,in a coffin, indeed! But this Lion Dance gives me an idea I have heard of it froreat dresses made for two men, with a lion's head? At the end of the feast, I can slip into the castle Then I shall be ondress You have none here, and it would take too long toour way,” replied the old ravely ”In Shaulun, a day's journey hence, there is a teaoes to the dance every year with their lion dress We will make it worth their while to let us borrow it As for the rest, you speak true You will havethe latter part of the feast, for Yah Chieng often plies the rabble ine, and there arises such confusion and shouting that his swordsmen have to chase everybody out with naked swords Perhaps this tie
”The swordsmen of the usurper would be surprised to meet sober men with forbidden swords in their hands Aye, I think we could pro an unusually lively feast!”
”Not yet,” said Leng Chi ”Howhas his Two Hundred at instant call, besides his regular troops Soht come over to us, did they knoas afoot But-”
”And we have but a few bits of armor,” said another headman ”The troops of the usurper will be scaled and plated like the crayfish of Lake Ho”
As the ees could put in the field were suain Then Conan spoke:
”The other day, Lord Kang, you said so about a troop of Westernlast year What is this?”