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.The Lady died in agony of both mind and body.As she died, thedeath-elemental leaped free of all control.In the moments before its leap,its aura had stunned Ermik, and he lay so completely senseless that adeath-elemental in haste could have mistaken him for one already dead.This one was in haste, to flee the area where the Lady's magic lingeredand had much the same effect on it as a smoke-filled room on a humanbeing with delicate lungs.As it fled it screamed in triumph, and thisscream reached human ears already half-deaf with the terror of the Mist.Where panic had not reigned in the valley, it reigned now.SeventeenIt went much against Conan's instinctive suspicion of sorcery for him toclimb the slope, let alone urge his men on.But there was no other road tothe secret of the Valley of the Mists, and for the moment that road layundefended.The Cimmerian still did not lead a wild, scrambling rush up themountain.Those wounded who were coming along had time to bind theirwounds.Every surviving archer also collected as many arrows as he couldfrom the quivers of the fallen, both friend and foe.Conan himself stepped aside to speak with the prisoner, who gave hisname as Bamshir."If I leave you unbound, will you come with us as a guide?"Bamshir looked ready to spit on the ground, or perhaps in Conan's face.Then he shrugged."My life is forfeit anyhow.""Not certainly.Besides, your men may need you to lead them, and we need all the help we can find against what is loose in the valley.If that isnot the greatest enemy now, may I be gelded!"Bamshir frowned."You may well be right.""I am right.And you've been living cheek by jowl with the Lady'swizardry long enough to know that without my telling you!"After that Bamshir acceded, and Conan was even willing to give himback his eating knife.But he kept the prisoner-guide away from Bethina.Indeed, the man showed no easy mind about approaching the youngwoman, and made a gesture of aversion when he thought Conan was notlooking.Bethina seemed to be in a trance, and it was a miracle that she couldput one foot in front of another in the darkness over this ground withoutfalling.But her body seemed to work now without the guidance of a mindaltogether bound up with Omyela's.She would not be stabbing anyone until the battle of spellcasting wasover; that was plain to see.Fortunately Farad could see that for himself,and what anyone could do to guard the woman, he would do.Muhbaras's men reached the gate to the valley gasping and winded, butin fair order.He thought some might have fled, but of those who hadremained with him, all still bore their weapons.As well, seeing that theirfighting was more likely to be against hu-man foes—or humans somaddened by fear that they could not tell friend from foe.The gate opened swiftly, cranked by two menservants with the beardlessfaces of eunuchs and stark terror written all over those faces.A Maidenstood by them, keeping them at their posts as she remained at hers,although her own face told of fear commanded by brute force of will.Muhbaras did not blame any of the three.He was here for his Lady, hismen, and his honor—in that order.Khoraja was but a name that wouldhave had no power to prevent his flight but for the other three bonds thathad brought him here in this dire hour.The men filed in through the gate behind Muhbaras.Some calledbawdy greetings to the Maiden, or stared around these once-forbiddenprecincts.All lightness of heart vanished, however, as they marched down the pathand saw the far end of the cleft in the rock.There the passage from thegate gave on the valley itself, and there purple light blazed like the forge ofsome mad blacksmith of the gods.Purple light, and worse.Muhbaras saw (or at least thought he saw, andwould ask no other for their opinion) patches of sky where a blacknessthat was not the night seemed to eat the light.He could hope that this was the magic by which the Lady sought tosubdue her own creation.Hope, perhaps pray, but no more."Pair off," he shouted."Stay together, and don't let anyone get betweenyou and your mate! Any Maidens who come up, if they're armed, havethem pair off and fall into line with us.Anyone armed who is not aMaiden, disarm them.""Then what?" someone called."Send them out or keep them here?""If they won't stay, send them out.When the valley is empty, we'll takeits folk down to find water and shelter until the Lady has matters inhand."Some of the laughter that drew was bawdy, but not much of itunfriendly.So far Muhbaras still commanded his men's loyalty.Lady, for all our sakes, put things to rights before my men flee likeyour people.Even as they moved uphill, Conan kept his men reined in."Run on a slope like this, and you're likely to fall on your face.Ifsomebody doesn't skewer you before you get up, you'll roll back down andknock out what brains you have!"Farad added his mite to the profane cajoling, and the men mounted theslope in a compact formation, with archers well out to the flanks wherethey had clear shooting [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]