Conan the Barbarian 19

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-18; next appearance in CB-20).

Minor Characters

 * Fafnir (Previous appearance CB-18; next appearance in CB-20).
 * Yezdigerd (Previous appearance CB-18; next appearance in CB-20).
 * Balthaz (First appearance; next appearance in CB-20). Captain in the Turanian armies.
 * Kharam-Akkad (First appearance; next appearance in CB-20). High priest of Makkalet.
 * Melissandra (First appearance; next appearance in CB-20). Queen of Makkalet. Name revealed in CB-20. Also calls herself Caissa.
 * Eannatum (First appearance; next appearance in CB-20). King of Makkalet. Named revealed in CB-21.

Location

 * The Vilayet Sea and Makkalet.

Time Frame

 * A few days.

Synopsis
It doesn't take long for Conan to rub the crew of Prince Yezdigerd's ship the wrong way, and he soon gets involved in a brawl with a short-tempered soldier named Balthaz. Prince Yezdigerd, impressed by Conan, tells the barbarian his plan to invade Makkalet. Yezdigerd's ship meets with the Turanian fleet and joins with the assault on the city. The high priest of Makkalet, Kharam-Akkad, has some secret plans to save the city, and to that end is subtly taking control of the city from its weak king. As Balthaz leads Yezdigerd's troops into the city, Kharam unleashes his secret weapon, nine giant undead warriors! They slaughter the Taranian troops but Balthaz and Fafnir escape by climbing the walls toward the priest. Fafnir is felled by an arrow and Conan risks his life to reach his companion, but, other than pulling the arrow free, realizes he can do nothing. He does, however, notice that one of the giants seems to be a focal point for the other eight, so he climbs back down into the fray. He doesn't see Fafnir groggily roll over and fall from the wall into the ocean. Conan confronts the central zombie, caving its head in with his mace, and is satisfied to see all of the other giants crumble as well. The monsters dissove, as does the magical amulet that Kharam was using to control the undead, and the Taranian forces take the eastern wall.

Reprinted

 * Conan Saga #6
 * Essential Conan
 * The Chronicles of Conan Volume Three: The Monster of the Monoliths and Other Stories