lilma looked, but could see nothing. He shrugged. "Many are born to destiny, yet die before they have any chance to fulfill it."
In the image that floated before mem, the wizard looked up, seeming to stare straight at them. He pointed a finger toward them, and the black-haired man followed the gesture. The warrior snatched a spear from its place against the palisade and cast it upward. The weapon seemed to soar straight at lilma, then the vantage-point shifted and they lost sight of the two.
lilma smiled frostily. "The foolish Rerin has learned to keep watch for my familiars."
"We shall take them," the demon said. "The queen, the wizard, and the warrior."
"The wizard you must kill," lilma said. "The warrior"he made a dismissive gesture with his hand "you may do with as you like. But the queen you must deliver to me unharmed. Her mind, of course, may be slightly damaged by the experiences she shall undergo, but my king is interested primarily in her body, her pedigree, and her ability to produce strong heirs."
"None of those things shall be damaged," the demon promised. "This shall take time to arrange. I shall contact you in the spirit-trance when I have her for you. At that time you must come to the place whence you came here and perform as you have this day. Then shall I deliver her to you, in accordance with the pact between us."
"Be it so," said lilma.
At his gesture the flames were extinguished, and he found himself once more within the beehive-shaped hut of stone. Before him lay the cold ashes of his fire, and outside he could hear the cawing of two magpies.
Conan stood at his guard-post, brooding over the Bony plain. He did not like this place. He liked his companions well enough, and he could not fault Alcuina is an employer, but the ancient stone lines and circles depressed his spirits. The massive posts with their stone feels could never have been the work of men, he was e. The stones were too great to lift by any means he cook) imagine. They squatted in brutish silence, and he «as sure they were haunted by the spirits of the build-as. The old man Rerin agreed with him in this, but .Me in inn insisted that they needed the wall while they ere in so weakened a condition, with so many ene-es all about.
Tie snow fell gently, but Conan, perched above the ik. had had a small shelter built to protect the man on f. k had no sides to restrict his vision, but a thatched ' bqx off the worst of the snow or rain.
iiiiLd at the sound of someone ascending the r. He wondered which of his friends, sleepless this coming up to while away an hour in tale-Great was his surprise to see Alcuina herself.
"Good evening, my lady," he said, sheathing his sword.
"You are a nervous man to draw your weapon even at one coming from within the garth," she said.
"I have not arrived at my present age by assuming a man was my friend merely from the direction of his approach. What's more, many an officer has given me extra duty for not challenging him while on guard, even though I knew him as my own commander. It was a lesson I was slow to learn, but it may be the only sensible one the southern armies use."
"It is rare that I even find one of my sentries awake when I come upon them this late. How do your southern officers deal with sleeping sentries?"
"It depends. Some hang them. Others are content with a mere flogging. I would not recommend that you employ such means. Northern warriors are not like southern soldiers."
"I could not sleep tonight," Alcuina said. She stood by Conan and leaned upon the palisade, looking out over the vista that so disturbed the Cimmerian. "I went to Rerin's hut, but he is abed. You are the only other one wakeful in the garth."
"What disturbs your sleep?" Conan asked, not without a gentle malice. "The feast was a good one, I saw that you put away your share of the ale, the snores within are no louder than usual, the livestock are back in their sheds, and no dead men have come calling"
"Do not mock me!" She turned on him. "I feel uneasy tonight." She looked back out over the plain. "I feel that something out there is stirring. I know now that this is not a good place for us to live. I should have trusted to a timber wall such as we always used."
"Too late to be worrying about that," Conan said
uneasily. He did not like this talk of things stirring in the outer darkness. The fight with the dead had been bad enough. Now that it was past, he hoped there would be no more supernatural doings. An open sally by Totila was what he wanted. He had no unease about an honest fight with real men and real weapons, no matter how bad the odds. "We must make the best of it here until spring. Let me take some men into the hills, then I'll find you a good defensive position in the upland."
"Spring may be too late." Alcuina shivered, but not from the cold. "Perhaps I'll be forced into alliance with Odoac after all."
It occurred to Conan that her sleeplessness might be occasioned by lack of suitable male companionship. Surely she would not be out in the middle of a winter ght talking with Siggeir or any of the other men who, Cooan complacently realized, did not share in his abun-dmce of the qualities women find attractive in a man. Be was about to test this thought when he was inter-aped by the arrival of Rerin. The old man came pacing up the ladder just as Conan had stepped closer ( tie queen.
"I had thought you abed," said Alcuina as she hast-
' aepped away from Conan.
As did I," said Conan sourly.
An evil dream woke me," Rerin said. "I doubt not i is up to some mischief. I came to find whether ry had seen aught. I did not expect to find you has become a popular gathering place," Conan we've not seen those accursed magpies in so why think you that lilma is busy this
"For one thing," Rerin said impatiently, "we've not seen his magpies in many days, young man. Does that not make you suspicious?"
Conan shook his head. "The less I see of wizards," he said pointedly, "the happier I am. The same goes for their familiars. I have seen worse creatures than magpies lurking about magic-mongers, but these birds are bad enough."
"I felt it too, Rerin," said Alcuina, ignoring Conan. "Strange shapes move through my sleeping hours."
"Speaking of which," Conan broke in, "I wonder where my relief is? I feel the need of a few sleeping hours, with or without strange shapes." .
"Come, Rerin," Alcuina said disgustedly, "let us retire to my bower where we may confer without annoying this great warrior." The two descended the ladder and left Conan, arms folded, and sunk in gloom.
After all, he thought, brooding, there were plenty of other women hereabout. Because of the recent increase in mortality, there was a large supply of grieving wid-ows, many who had let him know in no uncertain terms how desperately they were in need of consoling. He had yielded to some of their blandishments, but it was Alcuina who intrigued him.
Small though her kingdom was, she ruled it well, with the good of her people in mind. That was a rare thing in Conan's experience. Her warriors were intensely loyal to her, even though she was not a war-chieftain, and that was even rarer. More to the point, he found her beautiful, and he was frustrated by her seeming indifference to him. Certainly a queen could have no intention of permanent attachment to a penniless adventurer, but surely she owed herself a little pleasurable dalliance. And who better to dally with than Conan? It was hard on a warrior's pride.
He saw a small point of light coming his way from the hall. Had she reconsidered? But then the light be-came a burning faggot borne by Ataulf, his relief. The man made his way up the ladder, yawning and scratching. Beneath the little roof, he tossed his brand into the smoking brazier. "Any sign of foes without?" he asked sleepily.
"You would know if there had been," Conan said shortly. "What took you so long to get here? I've been freezing my"
"Peace, Conan. I am not late. It always feels that way on night sentry. Go find your bed."
Conan grumbled as he descended to the yard. He would show that stuck-up, queenly wench. He wondered which of the women who had been casting longing gazes his way to try first. No, they would all be asleep now, and in no mood for amusement. What he needed wa
s a good fight. No, what he really needed was some sleep. He went into the hall and stumbled among the snoring heaps on the floor. He found his place and was beginning to unbuckle his cuirass when the screams began from behind the arras at the end of the hall.
"Crom's bones, what does a man have to do to get a night's sleep in this place?" He ripped out his sword and dashed for the arras. The glowing coals in the hearth illumined that end of the hall. With no patience for such niceties as formal entrance, he slashed the arras from top to bottom with his sword and leaped through.
Brilliant, unnatural light filled the chamber. Dazzled,
Conan could make out only shifting forms. Screaming came from the midst of animallike growls.
"Alcuina!" he shouted, sword held out before him and eyes squinted against the light. "Where are you?" A loud chanting rose among the other sounds. Behind Conan the hall stirred, but nobody joined him. "Alcuina!" Still no answer.
Gradually the light faded. The screams and the ani-mal growls faded away, but the chanting continued. At last Conan could see. The queen's chamber was utterly wrecked, its furnishings splintered and claw-slashed. The logs that formed its rear wall appeared to have been burned through. Beyond the gaping hole footprints led away through the falling snow.
He looked to the source of the chanting and saw Rerin, his staff held stiffly before him in both hands, eyes tightly shut as he wailed out his chant. A nimbus of blue light surrounded the old man, pulsing and throb-bing to his litany.
"Cease that bawling, old man!" Conan shouted. "Where is Alcuina?"
Rerin's eyes sprang open and his chant broke off. The nimbus faded as he stared wildly about. "The demons came! They came and tried to carry us both off! I cast a protective spell. It saved me, but I could not save Alcuina." His hands trembled as he clenched them in rage and humiliation.
"Then what good are you?" Conan demanded.
He crossed to the gaping hole in the logs, noting that the ends of the logs were blackened; but instead of being charred, they looked as if they had melted. He shook his head. "Wood should not melt." He kept his words steady and offhand, as befitted a warrior; but inwardly he was repelled at the unnatural sight.
"And demons should not bear off queens," Rerin said. "But it has happened. We must pursue." Terrified, gaping faces peered in through the ruined OB.
"Arm yourselves!" Conan ordered. "We're going to gel Alcuina back." Some moved with less alacrity than ey might have had it been human enemies they faced. Conan pointed to a stableman. "You! Saddle some horses, quickly."
"Do not bother," said Rerin. "The beasts will never go near those creatures, nor even follow on their tracks. We must pursue on foot, and we have little time."
Conan pushed his way back into the hall and found his cloak and his helmet. Donning both, he returned to the queen's chamber and grabbed the old wizard by the arm. "Let's go, magician. The trail grows cold."
Out through the ragged hole Conan strode into the snowy night. The footprints in the snow were not quite human, but neither were they those of any beast he knew. He turned at a shout from the sentry. "Something crosses the plain! They go toward the great stone circle."
With the wizard in tow, Conan followed the prints to the base of the stone wall. Through the ancient stone another passage had been melted. His hair rose on the back of his neck, but his urge to rescue Alcuina was stronger. He turned to the mob of people behind him. "We must go get the queen!" he shouted. "Who goes with me?" Siggeir and a few of the hardier souls came forward. "Then curse the rest of you for nithings!" he said. "Come on!"
Out through the unnatural tunnel they went. Snow drifted into the tracks, but the men would remain visi-
ble for some time yet. They held torches aloft and shouted to encourage themselves and each other.
"I spend much time tracking this woman over the same ground," Conan muttered. "What did they look like?"
"Their shape was unclear," said the old man. "Such creatures are not intended to exist in this world, and they cannot hold any form here for long. I think they were man-sized, and almost man-shaped. More than that I could not tell."
"Why did they take her, and why did they want you?" The great stone circle loomed in the distance, and there was an unaccustomed glow about it.
"I can only guess," protested Rerin.
"Guess, then," Conan urged. "It was not for your beauty they wanted you."
"It must be some machination of lilma. Totila wants Alcuina, and I am her only protection from lilma's sorcery.'
"Cursed poor protection, if you ask me," Conan growled. "I want to meet this Totila. A man who is already stronger than his enemies and has plenty of warriors and still would rather use wizardry has lived too long."
As they reached the circle of stone they could see a crowd of odd creatures huddled near a gatelike stone trilithon. Uncanny streaks of light arced between the standing stones and whirlpools of flamelike light filled the entire circle. Borne overhead by the pack of creatures was Alcuina.
"There she is," he said, pointing with his sword. "We must go take her back!" The men behind him stared with fear-widened eyes, and none came forward.
Rerin shook loose from Oman's grasp and gathered
hn shaken dignity about him like a robe. "I shall lead." he said, chin high and only slightly quivering. "Follow me."
With his staff held rigidly before him, the old man flcpped within the circle. The lights whirled about him, tat none touched him. Conan followed close behind, heart pounding. The light formed into small, malevolent beings, fanged and clawed and flapping bat-wings f glittering light. They attacked him and he slashed at tinn with his sword, but it passed through them harmlessly. They circled around him, laughing maniacally.
"Do not waste your strength," the old man said. "They are phantoms of your own mind."
"Then give me something I can cut, damn you!" Conan bellowed.
"They pass through!" said Rerin in a quavering voke.
Conan squinted into the shifting light. Something like daylight gleamed through the gateway formed by the posts and lintel of the trilithon. The things and their burden were passing beneath the lintel.
At the gateway the old man halted. "We dare go no farther," he said. "Beyond is the spirit land."
"By Crom, I'll not return to the hall without her, and neither shall you!" With the wizard's robe knotted in one fist and his sword gripped in the other, Conan strode into another world.
Che Shifting Land
as Conan leaped through the gate he felt a shattering sense of disorientation. For moments that could not be measured in time, he felt suspended in a yawning gulf, with a sickening sensation of falling endlessly in some void between worlds. Such thought as he could muster he devoted to keeping his grip on his sword and upon Rerin.
Abruptly, the transition was over, and he was staggering upon solid ground. His grip on the old man's clothes broke and he whirled, sword outstretched, ready to be set upon by enemies. His dizziness passed, and still there was no attack.
"Alcuina!" he bellowed, but there was no answer.
Raging, he stormed about, seeking any sign of the demons that had borne her off. There were no tracks such as the demons should have made, either. He hoped that the wizard might have some answers for the things that perplexed him. Rerin sat dazed upon the ground,
and the Cimmerian studied his surroundings as he went to the old man.
Instead of the black, snowy night they had left be-hind, it was an oddly dim day here. Conan helped the old man to his feet and said with unaccustomed hesitation, "I'm sorry I was so rough with you, old man. I thought that, with haste, we might save the queen."
"Quite understandable," said Rerin, brushing off his robe. "I do not suppose any more followed us?"
Conan scanned the gateway. The trilithon was identical, but instead of standing in the northern plain it stood a little mountain glade. Nothing was visible through its doorway but more of the glade. "Not one," Conan reported. "I am not surprised
. They were brave men to come as far as they did. It is easier to find a new ruler than to enter a demon land."
"And yet you come," said Rerin.
"I want her back," Conan said.
"And you are braver than most men."
"That may be," Conan agreed. "But I was as fright-coed as any."
"It takes a hero to ignore fear in the service of his bege. She did well when she hired you."
"Then it is time for me to earn my pay," Conan barked, weary of talk. "They were only paces before us when they passed through this gate. Why are they not hoe now?"
"The spirit land does not obey the same rules as our own world. They may not have emerged in the same piace as we. It is fortunate that you and I came across m the same place."
"That remains to be seen," Conan said. He looked round at their surroundings. "What manner of land is this?"
If this was truly a spirit land it seemed to be common enough. They stood in a glade cupped in rolling hills. The light of the blue sky was slightly different than it should have been, its blue deeper and the bowl of the sky seeming somehow closer, and there was a haze around them, as if they were under water. Unclear things floated in the haze, but none seemed to be threatening so far.
"It's like the sea," Conan said, "as you see it through the crystal eye-shields worn by the black pearl divers of Rush."
"We have been fortunate, if I may use such a word," Rerin said. "I think we may be in the Shifting Land. The spirit world is really many lands, as is the world of men. I have been to some of these lands in spirit-trance, although never in body. Some of those lands would drive you mad instantly. This is one of the more bearable ones. We came through a gate in the northern part of the world of men, and this place somewhat corre-sponds to that part of the world. Had we entered through the land of Rush you mentioned, we might have come out into a hideous jungle, but there are far worse places even than that in the spirit land."
"Is there some way we may find Alcuina?" Conan asked, cleaving to the subject.
"There may be, but it will require time. And a number of magical substances, plants and minerals for the most part. Let us hope that they exist in this evil place."
The Conan Compendium Page 467
