Conan the Barbarian 153

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-152; next appearance in CB-154).

Minor Characters

 * Alahambra (First appearance; next appearance in CB-154).
 * Raskos B'Quen (First appearance; next appearance in CB-154).

Locations

 * Cimmeria
 * Syterna

Time Frame

 * Two days

Synopsis
After losing his horse crossing a perilous rope bridge, Conan walks into the market town of Syterna in time to see a local lord "honor" a woman by allowing her to spend the evening with him. The lady refuses and when his soldiers brush Conan aside in order to get to her, Conan gets involved. The two fight off the nobleman's soldiers until the town guard shows up and they find themselves captured. That night in the prison cell, the woman uses a ring to blast a hole in the wall and the two steal horses and escape the town. They make camp several hours outside of town but are attacked by a group of men riding giant insects, apparently sent on a mage's instructions. The woman, who is named Alahambra, takes off her cloak to reveal giant wings and takes to the air to fight the men. Conan holds his own on the ground and manages to pull a man from his mount. He hops on the back of the insect and grabs Alahambra just as she is rendered unconscious by a blow to the head. They spiral out of control and crash into a river and stay under long enough for their pursuers to give up chase. Alahambra explains she is from a race of bird people from the floating city of Akah Ma'at, a city in constant warfare with the bat-people of Ur-Zannarah. The development of a baton-like energy weapon turned the tide, but the traitor Thaltar stole it and plunged to the surface. Alahambra has been sent to find it, the last in a long line of failed missions to retrieve the baton. Conan and Alahambra are unaware they are being magically spied upon by the current possessor of the baton. Following the general direction of where the insect riders came, they find a looming castle in the mountains, and upon entering, the bodies of bird-men. They are confronted by the mage Raskos B'Quen, who bears the baton, and sends his men to slay the two. Conan and Alahambra fight the men off, but Alahambra is brought down by an arrow while Conan is distracted by a three-headed dinosaur. He finally slays the creature but Raskos slips away as Alahambra lays dying...

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 20 - Night of the Wolf and Other Stories