'There is wisdom in that,' Conan said, 'but I cannot rest while I know Osman is out there some place, plotting. Either he is already at the hideout or he is headed to it. If it is the former, we must catch him there and kill him. If the latter, we must be waiting there when he arrives.'
'What if he is not alone when he shows up?' Chamik asked.
'That is something to think about,' Conan conceded. 'It seems to me that he must want to take the whole treasure for himself, but he has proven too clever too many times. He may think all of you dead, leaving only me and himself alive to know where the treasure is hidden. He may think he can kill me.'
'That little rat?' Ubo said. 'He has seen you in action. Surely he knows better.'
'There are more ways of killing a man than in open fight,' Layla said. 'A poisoned arrow in the back is as deadly as any sword. A dozen hirelings can bring down the greatest warrior. But then, such men as you do not need me to lecture you upon the techniques of murder.'
'You are right about that.' Conan said. 'But something now occurs to me: Last night he led Sagobal and the man-hunters to the wizard's house to see to it that you should all be slain. Might he not have hoped that the wards of Volvolicus would kill all of them as well?'
'Aye, and many were killed, you may lay wager to that!' said Chamik.
'I wish I knew how many of them were left alive,' said
Conan, 'for now I believe that they are all we have to contend with. Sagobal wants that gold for himself, so he will not come with his guards, or risk in any way Torgut Khan's learning of its location.'
The wizards finished their conversation. The Khitain stood and faced them. 'You are all to come to Shahpur,' he announced.
The bandits looked at one another, on their faces expressions of stunned incredulity. Then they laughed.
'You are mad, old one,' said Chamik. 'We have seen all of Shahpur that we wish. Never again shall I grace that city, for I am not welcome there, and if the inhabitants there are feeling well-disposed toward me, they will merely hang me.'
'Nonetheless,' said Feng-Yoon, 'you must come to Shahpur.'
Mamos got up lazily and drew the dagger from his sash. Its ten-inch blade was curved, its edges cruelly keen. 'I think it is time to put this one from his confusion. A disordered mind is an offence to the gods.' He approached the Khitain with an evil leer, waving the knife before him. Feng-Yoon gestured and the bandit's arm jerked spastically. The knife flew from his nerveless fingers, narrowly missing Ubo, who had to scramble from its path.
'Mitra!' Mamos cried. 'What was that? Vipers have burrowed into my arm!' He nibbed the muscles that rose into knots from wrist to shoulder.
'I could have told you not to do that,' Conan said. 'But I thought you ought to learn it for yourself.' Then, to Feng-Yoon: 'Why must we go to Shahpur, Khitain? We all have excellent reasons to wish never to see the place again. Ubo is right.'
'There are matters afoot that are far more important than your petty treasure. Certain things must be accomplished in Shahpur, and you will help us bring them to fruition. Disguise will be provided you that is far more effective than the deceptive clothing you wore upon your last visit. Volvolicus will
bring you to the place where you are needed. Heed my words. I assure you that you do not wish to incur my curse.'
'By no means do we wish that,' Ubo said disgustedly. 'What is mere fabulous wealth when instead I may be of service to an outlandish wizard from Khitai?'
The irony was lost on Feng-Yoon. He turned without another word and began walking across the desert, in the direction of Shahpur.
'I am glad to have that one gone,' Chamik said when the Khitain was out of earshot. 'The sight of those eyes and that mouth makes my flesh creep. And to hear him speak makes it even worse.' He turned to Conan. 'Chief, are we truly going to do his bidding?'
'You must,' said Volvolicus. 'As my power of magic is superior to that of a street-corner mountebank, so his power is superior to mine. Even among wizards of the First Rank, Feng-Yoon is a being of awesome power. He may be even greater than Thoth-amon.'
That was a name familiar to Conan. 'Then it is true that we must not risk incurring his curse. Volvolicus, will this disguise of his truly protect us?'
'It will. He wishes you no ill, but terrible matters lie before us and he must have helpers. When you stole the treasure from the crypt, you altered the pace of certain sorcerous practices taking place there. That makes you—this is difficult to put in mundane language—but it makes you uniquely suited to go back into that crypt and further disrupt an operation that must not be allowed to come to fruition.'
Ubo gaped at him. 'Go back to that crypt?'
'Hear him out,' said Auda. 'Perhaps there is another treasure there.'
'Aye,' said Mamos, grimacing and flexing the fingers of his right hand. 'Perhaps this new wizard will summon one of the famous dragons of Khitai to fly our gold away.' He walked off muttering, looking for his dagger.
'You have no choice,' Volvolicus said. 'Neither have I.
My daughter must go as well, and you know I have no liking
for that idea.' „
'Well, if we must ride, then we must ride, said Conan. 'But we need not ride in the heat of the day. When you finish eating I want each of you to see to your horse. I will take care of Auda's myself. Then all of you get some sleep, for you'll have none tonight. We can be outside Shahpur by dawn. This wizard's ability to disguise us may be great, but I would as lief not go through that gate in the full light of day We will go in early, while the light is still uncertain.
'Your disguise will be provided by the Vendhyan mage Asoka.' Volvolicus told him. 'He is the master of illusion.'
'Khitai, now Vendhya?' said Conan. 'What means this gathering of magicians, Volvolicus?'
'It is something you do not wish to know,' the mage said. 'But all will be made clear to you upon the morrow.'
'Why not now?' Chamik said, suspicious.
'Do not ask,' Layla said, smiling. 'For I suspect that if we were to know the truth, none of us would get any sleep.'
With that, they had to be satisfied.
XIV
At grey dawn, Volvolicus called for a halt. They were still within a range of small hills just off the Shahpur road. They started when a form detached itself from a rock a mere few paces before them. He had been sitting cross-legged atop it, so still that even keen-eyed Conan had thought him a part of the boulder. He proved to be a small, round man, dressed in simple garments with a large turban upon his head. He steepled his hands before his chest and bowed deeply from the waist.
'Greetings, my friends. I am Asoka, a humble magician of Kaleekhat, in Vendhya.' As he spoke, his turban glowed faintly. 'I am here to provide you each with a new likeness, for I am accounted knowledgeable in the art of Maia, which in the Vendhyan tongue means 'illusion'.' 'I hope you are accounted more than just knowledgeable,' Conan said, 'for all our lives are in your hands.'
The Vendhyan smiled. 'Indeed, some have been so kind as to characterize me as more than knowledgeable.'
The sun was still below the horizon when they came to the great gate of Shahpur. The portal was just creaking open, and the farmers, peddlers, and caravaneers who had camped without the night before now crowded to get in. The Cimmerian and his companions waited patiently, for it would no longer be in character for them to push to the front. They led their mounts by the reins as they dawdled at the back of the crowd.
'Names and business?' asked the official at the gate. He glanced at the new arrivals and saw a little band of Turanian villagers. Volvolicus was their elder, with a long, snowy beard sweeping his breast. Conan was a sturdy, black-bearded smith. Layla was a boy of about sixteen. The others were artisans and farmers. The illusion was complete. Even the horses had become village nags, and when Conan spoke, a hearer would detect only the accents of the Turanian back-country.
'We are from the village of Uhvas,' said Volvolicus. He gave the assumed name of each of them. 'We have come t
o petition Torgut Khan for a lessening of our taxes. The harvest has been scanty this year, and there has been disease among the sheep and cattle.'
'You may petition as you wish,' said the official. 'But I might as well warn you that this is a bad time to speak to the viceroy about taxes. That will be one-quarter dinar for each man and one-quarter dinar for each horse. Three and one-half dinars in all.' Volvolicus dug around in his purse and came up with a few coins. He counted among these carefully and handed over the sum demanded. 'Next!' shouted the official.
'That was easy,' Auda said. He limped heavily, but he could walk, leaning upon Chamik's shoulder.
'I hope it is all as easy,' said Conan. 'Now we must find a stable. Auda, you will stay with the horses. I do not know what this wizard wants us to do, but if our leave-taking of this town is as hurried as it was the last time, a man with a wounded leg cannot run. But you can have the horses ready for instant action.'
'You can rely on me, Chief,' Auda said, relief in his voice.
Like the rest, he had no wish to take part in whatever the wizards had in mind. As with many towns that relied upon an extensive caravan trade, Shahpur had a district devoted to the care and sale of horses, camels, donkeys and mules. It was near the main gate and here they found a small stable that met their needs.
'I will take your money and let you have stable space,' the stableman said, looking the horses over contemptuously. 'But I do not understand why you want to waste money thus. These bone-sacks ought to be picketed out on the common.' One of the animals reared and lashed out in protest at being penned, breaking a heavy rail with one fore-hoof.
'They have some spirit in them yet,' Conan said to the gaping stableman. 'You need not deal with them. Our companion will see to their care.'
'Whatever you wish,' said the man, dropping their coins into his purse.
They went from the stable district toward the centre of the city. It was a busy, bustling place, but after the overcrowding of the festival day, it seemed half empty. For a while they wandered among the stalls, pretending to examine wares, satisfying themselves that their disguises were reliable. Nowhere did they attract the slightest suspicion.
'Think you,' Ubo said at one point, 'that this Vendhyan mage would like to throw in with us? I believe that this art of his could come in very handy for men in our line of work.'
'Ubo,' said Mamos, 'in your new guise, you have two good eyes. Can you see out of both now?'
Ubo picked up a tiny figurine of the dwarf-bodied, lion-headed god Bes, holding it close to his left eye, turning it this way and that. He closed his right eye. 'No. Blind as a stone.'
Mamos shrugged. 'Then his magic is not so great.'
'What should we be doing?' Conan asked Volvolicus.
'We must wait. I do not think anything of importance is planned for the day. Midnight is a more likely hour. In the meantime, we play the role of bumpkins visiting the great city. Gape at the splendid buildings, admire the entertainers in the market, but do not drink yourselves into insensibility.'
'The man thinks we are drunkards,' Chamik said, offended. 'We are gentlemen of the horse and the sword, but at need we can play mere workers in wood and grubbers in the earth.'
'Your condescension is a marvel to us all,' said Layla.
Conan nudged her. 'Be careful how you speak. Village boys do not show insolence toward their elders.'
'I can see that this is going to be a trial,' she sighed.
They found a shady spot in the public square and sat, keeping mainly to themselves, talking with townsmen and visitors from time to time. It was instantly evident that the populace shunned the Temple of Ahriman. There was a broad, open area before it, for people upon entering the plaza walked in a wide circle to avoid straying too close. Trees planted near the temple were withering, whereas all others in the square flourished. The façade of the temple was even more decrepit than before. The building appeared to be a thousand years old.
'Look!' said Mamos as the shadows of late afternoon stretched long across the square. Seven men rode in single file on dusty horses. In the lead was Sagobal, his face as bleak as a desert sandstorm. Behind him rode the big Aquilonian, likewise grim. The others were dangerous-looking men of various nations.
'Can that be all that is left of them?' murmured Ubo, 'Surely, we are great warriors to have reduced their numbers so!' The others chuckled quietly.
'They managed to round up a few horses,' said Layla. 'Conan, what sort of men are those? I have seen Hyrkanians ere now, but the others are strange to me.'
'That big man behind Sagobal is an Aquilonian,' Conan said, 'and he bears the marks of a pit-fighter. The next is a man of Koth. The one in the white robe is from Shem, a nation of great bowmen. The brown man who rides barefoot has the aspect of Keshan or Punt. You see how his eyes keep
sweeping the ground, even here in the city? He is a tracker. The other is a Zamoran.'
Conan studied Berytus carefully, seeing him at close range for the first time. The man looked as formidable as any opponent the Cimmerian had ever encountered. All his weapons were of the highest quality, and his minimal armour proclaimed that he depended upon his speed and skill in a fight, rather than on passive protection. His steel-and-leather-covered hands and forearms meant that he used these as primary weapons, an undoubted legacy of his pit-fighting days.
The others were specialists and probably excellent fighters. Conan had no illusions about the fighting qualities of his own men, who were more accustomed to ambush and murder than to open combat. Even with their sharply reduced numbers, these man-hunters had a decided advantage, should it come to a fight.
'They do not look so terrible,' said Mamos.
'Think you so?' said Layla. 'Last time they were nigh, you spent your time lying on your belly on the floor, cowering.'
'Layla,' Conan said warningly.
'My apologies,' she murmured without repentance.
'You know,' Ubo said idly, 'now might be a good time to eliminate them. Consider: They will have no suspicion of us, for we are but lowly villagers, beneath their notice. We could wait until they alight, walk around behind them as if we were on some other errand, and each of us plant a dagger in a back.'
'One of us would have to be very quick,' Mamos said. 'There are seven of them and only six of us. Chief, why do you not take Sagobal and the Aquilonian?' His leer was even more evil than usual.
'I forbid it!' Volvolicus said. 'We are here on business far more important than your fight with Sagobal.'
'Say you so?' said Mamos, his humour turning vicious. 'Pray tell me, wizard: Just what sort of business is more important than killing an enemy? These swine will track us until
all of us are dead, or we kill them first! Ubo is right. Why not deal with them now, when this change of appearance gives us the upper hand?'
'Peace, the lot of you,' said Conan. 'I would like to slay them all as well, but this is an enemy we know. Do you want to make enemies of the wizards? Mamos, you remember what happened when you drew steel upon the Khitain. You think he cannot kill as easily? There are things here we do not want to trifle with.'
'The chief is right,' said Chamik. 'One enemy at a time. A man really needs no more than that.'
Evening drew on, and Layla went among the stalls of the vendors, returning with bread, fruit, cheese and thin beer for their dinner. They sat and ate and waited for something to happen.
'This is weak fare,' said Mamos, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the dry food and sour beer. 'What I crave is some plump roast-fowl and strong wine! Let us go and find a tavern.'
'Is this a holiday?' Conan asked him. 'Remember, you are a poor villager, who must live on his hard-earned money. You are no longer a bandit who can make free with the earnings of others.'
'It is dark,' Mamos groused. 'Who is going to notice?' The complaining subsided and the men dozed where they sat. They attracted no attention, for in the sun-washed cities of the south, it was not unusual for those having business before th
e courts and magistrates to spend many days in waiting to be heard. In front of every public building were to be found people sitting upon benches or on the ground, simply waiting. In this case, the wait was not a lengthy one. Shortly before midnight, the Khitain came to them.
Conan stirred to wakefulness just as the moon seemed to be impaled upon the spire of a tower, the stars behind it like a huge treasure of diamonds, sapphires and rubies scattered across a curtain of black silk. From the positions of those stars, Conan knew the hour to be near midnight.
Before him stood the strange Khitain mage and the Vendhyan. There were others: a Turanian much like the local people except for his skeletal thinness, others of nations even Conan could not recognize.
'It is time,' said the Khitain. The rest snapped awake and looked upon the newcomers.
'Time for what?' asked Conan.
'Attend me,' said Feng-Yoon. He seemed to float to a sitting position and his companions did likewise, until the whole company formed a tight circle facing inward. 'Asoka, work your art.'
The Vendhyan chanted and gestured briefly, and seemingly without effect.
'Now we cannot be seen or heard,' said Feng-Yoon. 'Should any stray near, they will see nothing.'
'What if they trip over us?' Mamos asked, unimpressed.
'One who comes near will simply walk around us,' said Asoka, 'without understanding why. Just as all avoid the space before that accursed temple.'
'I thought people simply deemed it an evil-looking place,' Conan said.
'You and your men like to wallow in evil places,' Layla pointed out.
'That is the simple and understandable evil of mortal men,' Ubo explained to her. 'We enjoy that sort of evil.'
'If we may keep to the point,' Volvolicus said patiently. 'Midnight draws nigh.'
'Yes,' said Feng-Yoon. 'To business. Know, then, that the priests of that temple seek to bring the god Ahriman back into this world.'
'A moment,' said Conan. 'I have seen temples of Ahriman and Ormazd in many places. How does this one differ?'
Conan and the Manhunters Page 22
