Part 15 (1/2)
Conan found hi Gotarza, ept the field with blows that would have felled s and flashed too fast for the eye to follow, but the Iranistani was not behind him
Blood from a cut on the forehead ran down the side of Gotarza's face; blood from another flesh wound in Conan's shoulder crimsoned the front of his mail But still the blades whirled and clashed, neither finding an opening in the other's guard
Then the roar of battle rose in pitch to screaht to ran for the road to the Stair
The panic push drove Conan into a corps-ti-corps with Gotarza Breast to breast they strained and wrestled Conan, opening hisblack beard He spat it out and roared:
”What in hell is going on, you palace-bred lap dog?”
”The real owners of Yanaidar have come back,” shouted Gotarza ”Look, swine!”
Conan risked a glance Fro, soulless eyes and like jaarmed, to fasten upon any man they met, wherever a clawed but in to tear him apart and devour hith of maniacal terror, but their corpselike skins seemed almost impervious to weapons Where one fell, three others leaped to take its place
The ghouls of Yanaidar!” gasped Gotarza ”We must flee Smite me not in the back till in clear, and I'll hold my hand from you We can settle our own score later”
The rush of fugitives bowled the two off their feet Conan felt human feet on his back With a tremendous effort he forced hi out with fists and elbows to clear enough space to breathe
The rout flowed out northward along the road to the Stair, Yezether but forgetting their three-cornered battle in the face of this subhuled with the warriors Along the flanks of the rout swar over any person who became momentarily separated froes of the crowd by the buffeting of the fugitives, cahouls He had lost his sword but gripped two by the throat, one with each hand, while a third clung to his legs and a fourth circled around, trying to reach his throat with its jaws
A swipe of Conan's knife cut one ghoul in half; a second took off the head of another Gotarza hurled the others fro with claws and fangs For an instant they almost pulled him down He was dimly aware that Gotarza had pulled one off hi on it with a sticklike snapping of ribs Conan broke his knife on another and crushed the skull of a third with the hilt
Then he was running on again with the rest They poured through the gate in the cyclopean wall, down the Stair, down the rahouls pursued the down ate, the ghouls fell back, scurrying along the road and into the orchards to fall snarling upon the bodies over which little knots of their own kind already snapped and fought
In the canyon,down upon the rock heedless of the proxiainst boulders and crags Most ounded All were blood-spattered, disheveled, and bloodshot of eye, in ragged garments and hacked and dented armor Many had lost their weapons Of the hundreds of warriors who had gathered for the battle in Yanaidar in the dawn, less than half eed from the city For a tiroans of the wounded, the ripping of gares, and the occasional clink of weapons on the rock as they , and cli most of the time since the previous afternoon, Conan was one of the first on his feet
He yawned and stretched, winced at the sting of his wounds, and stalked about, caring for his owntheirs, he could find only three including Antar
Tubal he found, but not Codrus
On the other side of the canyon, Balash, sitting with his leg swathed in bandages, ordered his Kushafis in a weak voice Gotarza collected his guardsmen The Yezmites, who had suffered the heaviest losses, wandered about like lost sheep, staring fearfully at the other gathering groups
”I slew Zahak with h officer to rally them”
Conan strode over to where Balash lay ”How are you doing, old wolf?”
”Well enough, though I cannot walk unaided So the old legends are true after all! Every so often, the ghouls issue from chambers under Yanaidar to devour any men so rash as to have taken up residence there” He shuddered ”I do not think anybody will soon try to rebuild the city again”
”Conan!” called Gotarza ”We have things to discuss”
”I'rowled Conan To Tubal he said: ”Gather the men into formation, with those least wounded and best armed on the outside”
Then he strode over the rock-littered canyon floor to a point halfway between his group and Gotarza's The latter ca:
”I still have orders to fetch you and Balash back to Anshan, dead or alive”