Conan the Champion Part 4

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. "Some-thing 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 pa.s.sage 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- 68.69.

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.1'

"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 crea-tures 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, malevo-lent beings, fanged and clawed and flapping bat-wings *f glittering light. They attacked him and he slashed at tinn with his sword, but it pa.s.sed through them harm-lessly. 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, d.a.m.n you!" Conan bellowed.

"They pa.s.s 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 pa.s.sing 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.

71.Six.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 stag-gering 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 pa.s.sed, 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, 70.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 hesita-tion, "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 identi-cal, 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 pa.s.sed 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?"

72.73.

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 bear-able 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."

"It seems that we have time. We'll find your sub-stances, if they are to be found here. Can you get us back to the real world?"

"Yes, through gates such as this one. The time must be right, and--""Good," Conan said, dismissing inessentials. "Are there people here?" He gazed up at something that flew overhead on membranous wings. It took no notice of them.

"Of a sort. I have seen them in spirit-trance. They are not true men such as you and I, though. They--"

"How long until you know where we should look for Alcuina?" Conan asked abruptly.

The old man looked about. "I see some of the plants I need right here. Doubtless the others will be nearby. Then I must build a fire, perform certain ceremonies and chants--"

"Wake me when you know something." Conan dropped his helmet, stripped off his corselet, and flung himself on the ground. Soon he was deep in sleep.

Rerin shook his head in wonderment. Even in slum-ber the Cimmerian's hand still rested lightly upon his sword hilt.

Conan awoke when the old man touched his shoul-der. Rerin jerked back as he exploded to his feet, sword in fist. "It is only me, Conan. I have found a direction where we may look for Alcuina. It is not a definite location, but at least we'll not be wandering about tost."

"Good," Conan said. He sheathed his blade and began to don his armor. "At least it is not too cold here."

Indeed, it was like a mild spring day in the North, just cool enough to know that winter had not wholly departed. Conan folded his cloak and tossed it over one shoulder. His life had taken him to many strange places, ft was a consequence of being an adventurer. This was another strange place, and he could make his way anywhere.

74"Let us go find her," he said.

For some time Alcuina thought she was mad. One moment she had been sitting in her bower, quietly talking with old Rerin. The next the log wall began to melt and flow, and a pack of nightmare demons entered in a burst of light, laying their .loathsome hands upon her. She had thought that she called her men in her usual commanding voice, only later realizing that she had been screaming. As she was borne out she heard a bellowing voice that she was sure belonged to Conan. Then there had been a period of scattered impressions, of sounds and sights and concepts so confused that now she was utterly disoriented.

What was this place? For a moment she was afraid to breathe; the air appeared thick, as if it had turned to water. Giving in to the inevitable, she took a deep breath, then shuddered with relief. It was like any other air. Perhaps something had gone wrong with her vision. But then she realized that things nearby were perfectly clear. She could have wished otherwise, for now she saw clearly the nature of her captors.

Before, their outline had been unstable. Now she saw that they were gaunt creatures, vaguely man-shaped but formed as obscene parodies of humankind. No two were quite alike, but bird-beaked faces mocked her. Beaks fringed with stubby tentacles flapped and clacked with obscene laughter. Their eyes were huge, bulging, and lidless, each with two slit irises and pupils. The hands that gripped were many-fingered and their gray skins coa.r.s.e and pebbly, chafing her fair skin. Their smell was, if anything, worse than their aspect. They had set her upon the ground and seemed .to be confer- 75.ring among themselves. Their att.i.tude was watchful, but they did not seem threatening just now.

She sat up and examined her surroundings. The turf beneath her felt strange. The gra.s.s was blue-green, very short and springy. She had never seen such gra.s.s. Some of the trees nearby looked familiar, others had feathery fronds and ringed trunks. Colorful birds flew overhead in panicked flight, pursued by a reptilian thing on mem-branous wings. Whatever this place was, it was not her familiar Northland. The air was cool, but not bitterly cold like the land from which she had been abducted.

The creatures, deep in their deliberations, ignored her. Their voices croaked and clicked, and multijointed hands gestured excitedly. Something in their furtive aspect told her that this was alien territory to them as well, and that they sought not to draw attention. She wondered who or what they were afraid of. She knew better than to a.s.sume that the enemy of her enemy was her friend.

That this was some machination of lilma on behalf of Totila she had no doubt. What it would lead to was another matter. She knew that she was on her own. None of her people could have followed them here. How could they? She fought off a wave of hopeless-ness. She was a queen, and she would not act like a terrified kitchen-girl. Her first priority was escape from these unthinkable creatures.

In the distance, over the trees, she could see hazy mountains. She thought she could descry a hulking shape on the side of one of the nearer mountains, like some unthinkably huge hall. If so, it must be inhabited by giants such as had erected the wall surrounding her own hall. That did not look like a good direction in which to flee.

77.76She was resolved upon flight, and the present seemed to be as good a time as any. Her captors were preoccu-pied with their own bickering, and their fearful att.i.tude was such that they might be more solicitous of their own safety than zealous in their pursuit of her. Surrepti-tiously, she gathered her legs beneath her.

As the bickering ascended to a crescendo, she sprang to her feet and ran. Behind her rose loud hoots of consternation, but she did not look back. She had spot-ted the nearest patch of dense forest, and she headed straight for it. Sounds of pursuit grew closer, and some-thing tugged at her fur robe. Shrugging out of her garment, she increased her pace and heard a disap-pointed screech from behind. Now she could run even faster. She took her fur-trimmed gown in both hands and pulled its hem above her knees as she ran, wishing there was some way for her to strip it off, too. Unfortu-nately it took the help of a maid just to lace her into the garment.

Then she was among the trees, winding her way among the densest of them in hopes that the demons chasing her would find the terrain bewildering. So far they had shown little sign of intelligence. She darted between the tree trunks as lightly as a barren doe, and the sounds behind her grew frantic as the demons crashed through the undergrowth.

The woods were dark and mysterious, but she limited herself to one fear at a time. The sounds of pursuit grew fainter, but she did not slack her pace, although her lungs burned with the effort. She leaped a small stream in which the water flowed with an odd slowness.

At last, panting raggedly, she collapsed in a heap beneath a busy plant with dense, fleshy leaves. She crawled under it as far as she could go, trying not tobreathe too loudly. She was almost certain that she was far enough ahead of the pursuit that she had not been seen taking cover. With every nerve stretched to the snapping point, she listened for the demons. Once she thought she heard shuffling sounds nearby, then nothing but the noises that apparently were common in this forest, not much different from the woodland sounds she was used to.

Something lumbered by on big, soft feet, jarring her from a half slumber. She wondered how long she had been semiconscious. The light was dimming, and she wondered at this since she had been wide awake when she hid. Perhaps it was the shock catching up with her. She still felt oddly drowsy and lethargic. A bunch of the flowers of the plant she had taken refuge under hung before her face, giving off a heavy perfume. Idly she tried to brush the blossoms aside and found that she could not move her hand. With growing horror she felt her body pinioned by rootlike growths that trailed from the branches of the plant above her. Eyes wide, she realized that the ground beneath the bush was carpeted with the bones of animals.

Trying to make little sound, she struggled for her life. Gradually the roots yielded. They had sent out fine, hairlike rootlets, which penetrated her clothing. The rootlets stung as they pulled away from her flesh. She thanked Ymir that the pa.s.sing beast had awakened her before the evil plant had had a chance to kill her.

One by one the roots tore away from her as she Aagged herself with her hands toward the open. With a flinging wrench, the roots binding her legs ripped loose. QojckJy she scrambled out from under the bush and lay, pBKing and exhausted, upon the ground.

The darkness increased rapidly even as the fumes 79.78from the plant cleared from her head. A pearly, ambient light remained after the last of the sunlight was gone. What kind of place was this? She had been afraid of the demons. It had occurred to her to fear the beasts or people of this place. She had not expected that she would have to fear the plants as well. For the first time the extent of her isolation and danger was borne in upon her. Never had she been so lost and alone. She shivered upon the ground and not entirely from the cold. Where could she go from here? She was utterly exhausted, yet she dared not sleep, as much as she yearned for it.

Shakily she got to her feet and examined herself. Her fine, fur-trimmed gown was in rags where the roots had torn away, exposing far more flesh than a well-bom northern lady was accustomed to display. Her fair skin was covered with welts where the rootlets had been pulled from her. It was a good thing, she reflected, that the weather here was so mild.

The light grew stronger as the moon rose over the trees. It looked much like the moon she was used to, but it appeared much larger, and its color was greenish. She had never traveled far from her home, but she was fairly certain that people saw the same moon in all lands.

She could neither smell nor hear the demons any-where nearby, and direction seemed to be purely a matter of convenience, so she decided to go downhill. There were many clear pathways in the forest. She chose one that descended alongside one of the slow-flowing streams. There was little sound in the forest except for the occasional splash of a fish leaping in the stream.

She had been walking by it for some time before she realized that something was odd about the stream. She stepped closer to the water and squinted at it. Unsure of her sight in the dimness, she found a light-colored leaf and tossed it in. She had been correct. The stream flowed uphill. None of the widely-traveled people she had spoken with had ever mentioned this happening in the far places of the world.

In a half trance she staggered on for some time, until she wandered from the path and walked into a tree. The shock of hitting the unyielding trunk jolted her into wakefulness. It was plain that she must rest, but where could she do it safely? She came to an open glade that had no vegetation except the short, springy gra.s.s. She went to its center, as far as she could get from any large plants, and lay down. She was so numb from fatigue that she was unaware of the chill air or anything else. Gratefully she allowed sleep's black wings to enfold her.

She awoke stiff and sore. Her body was bruised and scratched, and she was chilled to the bone, but she was rested and clearheaded. A night such as she had spent would have killed or at least seriously weakened a highborn woman of the more civilized parts of the world, but in the frozen North even the queens were hard as steel.

She looked around her and gasped when she saw that a middling-sized tree stood near her. It had not been there when she had lain down to sleep, and now it was only a few paces from her. It stood upon a ma.s.s of tsogled roots, and she now saw that the roots were moving with almost imperceptible slowness. Long, Aorny, vinelike growths hung from its branches, and she had little doubt of their purpose.

She rose hastily and walked away from the menacing ree Now, in daylight, she saw that she was at the foot 80.81.

of a mountain. Upon its slopes towered the great structure she had seen when she was still in the hands of the demons. That seemed impossible, for at that time it had appeared to be many leagues away, and she could have covered only a fraction of that distance in her flight. Could it be a similar hall on another mountain? And yet she had been sure that there were no mountains nearby when she made her escape. It was another mys-tery, but she put it from her mind. In any case she had no intention of going near that stronghold. It looked ominous, and she did not want to encounter the folk who might live in such a place.

The rising sun, which at least appeared to be normal, gradually warmed her. She was very hungry, but what did she dare eat? In a place where plants walked and ate living victims, how was she to know which things were poisonous? She had no weapons for hunting and no skill at trapping, no hooks, line, or net for fishing. She could endure much privation, but if she did not eat today, she would weaken, making it harder for her to find food, making her easier prey.

A lengthy, tiring trek brought her to level ground below the mountain when she heard a great commotion behind her. As she crossed a wide clearing she cursed her carelessness. She should have skirted it, keeping close to the tree line. The trees might be dangerous, but at least they seemed to be unable to catch moving prey. She broke into a run, striving to reach the tree line straight ahead, when she looked back to see a panicked beast break into the clearing. It was the size of a horse and had lyre-curved horns. Its hide was dappled white and brown. It ran straight for her but she could tell by its rolling eyes that it did not see her. She knew a hunted animal when she saw one.

She had not reached the far trees when the hunters entered the glade. Flight was now out of the question; she turned to face them. They appeared to be men, and the animals they rode seemed to be horses, but she could not be sure. The riders were clothed in fantastic costumes of leather and cloth and metal, in many col-ors. Masks of fanciful design hid their faces. The mounts were likewise caparisoned gaily in bards of silken cloth, and their heads were adorned with horns and antlers and other outlandish ornamentation, clearly artificial. Little of the beasts was visible but for their hooves, which looked like true horse hooves except for their bright colors.

One of the riders drew a short bow, and an arrow flew from it to plunge feather-deep into the fleeing beast's side. It staggered on a few more steps, then collapsed almost at Alcuina's feet. The riders rode up to her and reined in. Their speech sounded like the twitter-mg of birds, and one of them seemed to address her.

She shook her head. "I do not understand you."

They seemed taken aback. The one who had ad-dressed her wore a hawk-mask covered with feathers, nd now he lifted it from his head, like a helmet. His features were elfin and his hair like spun silver. His eyes were featureless silver b.a.l.l.s and his skin pale as "Are you from the world of men?" he asked. His ~ : revealed small, even teeth.

**What other world is there?" she asked.laughed pitched masks.

They all seemed to find this highly amusing and uproariously, the sound of their laughter high-and warbling. Now the others removed their and they were so much alike that they might 83.82.have been siblings. Some appeared to be women, but in their heavy, fanciful costumes s.e.x was difficult to judge.

A group of dwarfish figures emerged from the tree line, but die riders paid them no attention. The dwarfs ignored her as well and set about cutting up the dead beast with great efficiency.

"What kind of person are you?" asked the one who had spoken before.

"I am Alcuina, queen of the Cambres," she an-swered. They found this amusing as well.

"What are Cambres?" asked another.

"They are my people, my nation. I do not know what place this is, nor how I arrived here, but I must return home. I crave the boon of your hospitality until I may find a way to return." She had no idea who these people were, but their horses and rich clothing sug-gested that they were n.o.bles. The tradition of hospital-ity between persons of high birth was observed every-where that she had ever heard of, so she presumed that it would be so here as well.