The supposedly dead man was rushing upon him, eyes blazing with indisputable life, his short sword gleaming in his hand. Conan cursed amazedly, but wasted no time in conjecture. He met the hurtling attacker with a slashing cut of his saber that sheared through flesh and bone. The fellow’s head thudded on the flags; the body staggered drunkenly, an arch of blood jetting from the severed jugular; then it fell heavily.
Conan glared down, swearing softly.
`This fellow is no deader now than he was a few minutes agone. Into what madhouse have we strayed?’
Natala, who had covered her eyes with her hands at the sight, peeked between her fingers and shook with fear.
`Oh, Conan, will the people of the city not kill us, because of this?’
`Well,’ he growled, `this creature would have killed us if I hadn’t lopped off his head.’
He glanced at the archways that gaped blankly from the green walls above them. He saw no hint of movement, heard no sound.
`I don’t think any one saw us,’ he muttered. `I’ll hide the evidence-‘
He lifted the limp carcass by its swordbelt with one hand, and grasping the head by its long hair in the other, he half carried, half dragged the ghastly remains over to the well.
`Since we can’t drink this water,’ he gritted vindictively, `I’ll see that nobody else enjoys drinking it. Curse such a well, anyway!’ He heaved the body over the curb and let it drop, tossing the head after it. A dull splash sounded far beneath.
`There’s blood on the stones,’ whispered Natala.
`There’ll be more unless I find water soon,’ growled the Cimmerian, his short store of patience about exhausted. The girl had almost forgotten her thirst and hunger in her fear, but not Conan.
`We’ll go into one of these doors,’ he said. `Surely we’ll find people after awhile.’
`Oh, Conan!’ she wailed, snuggling up as close to him as she could. `I’m afraid! This is a city of ghosts and dead men! Let us go back into the desert! Better to die there, than to face these terrors!’
`We’ll go into the desert when they throw us off the walls,’ he snarled. `There’s water somewhere in this city, and I’ll find it, if I have to kill every man in it.’
`But what if they come to life again?’ she whispered.
`Then I’ll keep killing them until they stay dead!’ he snapped. `Come on! That doorway is as good as another! Stay behind me, but don’t run unless I tell you to.’
She murmured a faint assent and followed him so closely that she stepped on his heels, to his irritation. Dusk had fallen, filling the strange city with purple shadows. They entered the open doorway, and found themselves in a wide chamber, the walls of which were hung with velvet tapestries, worked in curious designs. Floor, walls and ceiling were of the green glassy stone, the walls decorated with gold frieze-work. Furs and satin cushions littered the floor. Several doorways let into other rooms. They passed through, and traversed several chambers, counterparts of the first. They saw no one, but the Cimmerian grunted suspiciously.
`Some one was here not long ago. This couch is still warm from contact with a human body. That silk cushion bears the imprint of some one’s hips. Then there’s a faint scent of perfume lingering in the air.’
A weird unreal atmosphere hung over all. Traversing this dim silent palace was like an opium dream. Some of the chambers were unlighted, and these they avoided. Others were bathed in a soft weird light that seemed to emanate from jewels set in the walls in fantastic designs. Suddenly, as they passed into one of these illumined chambers, Natala cried out and clutched her companion’s arm. With a curse he wheeled, glaring for an enemy, bewildered because he saw none.
`What’s the matter?’ he snarled. `If you ever grab my swordarm again, I’ll skin you. Do you want me to get my throat cut? What were you yelling about?’
`Look there,’ she quavered, pointing.
Conan grunted. On a table of polished ebony stood golden vessels, apparently containing food and drink. The room was unoccupied.
`Well, whoever this feast is prepared for,’ he growled, `he’ll have to look elsewhere tonight.’
`Dare we eat it, Conan?’ ventured the girl nervously. `The people might come upon us, and-‘
`Lir an mannanan mac lira’ he swore, grabbing her by the nape of her neck and thrusting her into a gilded chair at the end of the table with no great ceremony. `We starve and you make objections! Eat!’
He took the chair at the other end, and seizing a jade goblet, emptied it at a gulp. It contained a crimson wine-like liquor of a peculiar tang, unfamiliar to him, but it was like nectar to his parched gullet. His thirst allayed, he attacked the food before him with rare gusto. It too was strange to him: exotic fruits and unknown meats. The vessels were of exquisite workmanship, and there were golden knives and forks as well. These Conan ignored, grasping the meat-joints in his fingers and tearing them with his strong teeth. The Cimmerian’s table manners were rather wolfish at any time. His civilized companion ate more daintily, but just as ravenously. It occurred to Conan that the food might be poisoned, but the thought did not lessen his appetite; he preferred to die of poisoning rather than starvation.
His hunger satisfied, he leaned back with a deep sigh of relief. That there were humans in that silent city was evidenced by the fresh food, and perhaps every dark corner concealed a lurking enemy. But he felt no apprehension on that score, having a large confidence in his own fighting ability. He began to feel sleepy, and considered the idea of stretching himself on a near-by couch for a nap.
Not so Natala. She was no longer hungry and thirsty, but she felt no desire to sleep. Her lovely eyes were very wide indeed as she timidly glanced at the doorways, boundaries of the unknown. The silence and mystery of the strange place preyed on her. The chamber seemed larger, the table longer than she had first noticed, and she realized that she was farther from her grim protector than she wished to be. Rising quickly, she went around the table and seated herself on his knee, glancing nervously at the arched doorways. Some were lighted and some were not, and it was at the unlighted ones she gazed longest.
`We have eaten, drunk and rested,’ she urged. `Let us leave this place, Conan. It’s evil. I can feel it.’
`Well, we haven’t been harmed so far,’ he began, when a soft but sinister rustling brought him about. Thrusting the girl off his knee he rose with the quick ease of a panther, drawing his saber, facing the doorway from which the sound had seemed to come. It was not repeated, and he stole forward noiselessly, Natala following with her heart in her mouth. She knew he suspected peril. His outthrust head was sunk between his giant shoulders, he glided forward in a half crouch, like a stalking tiger. He made no more noise than a tiger would have made.
At the doorway he halted, Natala peering fearfully from behind him. There was no light in the room, but it was partially illuminated by the radiance behind them, which streamed across it into yet another chamber. And in this chamber a man lay on a raised dais. The soft light bathed him, and they saw he was a counterpart of the man Conan had killed before the outer gate, except that his garments were richer, and ornamented with jewels which twinkled in the uncanny light. Was he dead, or merely sleeping? Again came that faint sinister sound, as if some one had thrust aside a hanging. Conan drew back, drawing the clinging Natala with him. He clapped his hand over her mouth just in time to check her shriek.
From where they now stood, they could no longer see the dais, but they could see the shadow it cast on the wall behind it. And now another shadow moved across the wall: a huge shapeless black blot. Conan felt his hair prickle curiously as he watched. Distorted though it might be, he felt that he had never seen a man or beast which cast such a shadow. He was consumed with curiosity, but some instinct held him frozen in his tracks. He heard Natala’s quick panting gasps as she stared with dilated eyes. No other sound disturbed the tense stillness. The great shadow engulfed that of the dais. For a long instant only its black bulk was thrown on the smooth wall. Then slowly it receded, and once more the dais was etched darkly against the wall. But the sleeper was no longer upon it.
An hysterical gurgle rose in Natala’s throat, and Conan gave her an admonitory shake. He was aware of an iciness in his own veins. Human foes he did not fear; anything understandable, however grisly, caused no tremors in his broad breast. But this was beyond his ken.