Conan the Barbarian 182

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-181; next appearance in CB-183).

Minor Characters

 * Tetra (Previous appearance in CB-181; next appearance in ??
 * Maddoc II (Previous appearance in CB-181; next appearance in ??
 * Jahli (First appearance); page boy.
 * Anneka (First appearance); Servant
 * Shappur (Previous appearance in CB-181; next appearance in ??
 * Imhotep (Previous appearance in CB-179; next appearance in ??

Locations

 * Koth
 * City-State of El Shah Madoc

Time Frame

 * Two days

Synopsis
Conan stomps through his grand abode in El Shah Madoc looking for his boots and the page boy, Jahli, who was tasked with cleaning them. Upon finding Jahli hiding under a table after not finding boot wax, Conan berates him and tells him real men clean their boots with whatever is available. Conan then informs the boy that he will ride with the men today, overjoying the terrified page, who runs into his mother in his excitement. Anneka complains to Conan, who tells her to join him as well. After disciplining Anneka's father, Shapur, who mocks Conan's lordly status, the group rides out on patrol. Meanwhile, King Maddoc II is visited by Tetra, who kills his guards and concubines to make a point - she wants Conan dead, and wants Maddoc's help. On the fields, Conan inspects his "army", and realizes they are prisoners and the dregs of society and Maddoc intends for him to fail in his task of sweeping the vicinity of Kushite cultists called the M'Gal. Conan and Jahli encounter some M'Gal scouts while on patrol themselves and Conan swiftly kills them and sends Jahil back to the safety of the city. Conan returns to camp and has the officers loyal to Maddoc arrested. He then gathers some of the freed murderers and Shapur to his tent, explaining that Maddoc sent them here to die and he proposes a new pact with them to take the fight to Maddoc, but a Kushite prisoner has been captured and demands to see the leader of the army. It turns out the M'Gal had heard rumors that Amra, the Lion, was the head of the army and out of respect their leader, Kollos, offers to let Conan walk away from the battlefield. Conan refuses, cementing the men's loyalty to him and just before dawn the Kushites invade the camp, which has been emptied. Kollos spies the Kothians fleeing on a nearby hill and gives chase with his men, but it proves to be a trap as Conan's hidden men light fire to the grounds the Kushites are on. The Kothians attack the surprised army, but they are slowly overwhelmed by the savage Kushites until suddenly Kollos fearfully calls for a retreat and flees with his men. THe Kothians begin to celebrate but Conan wonder what made the Kushites flee, but that question is swiftly answered when he sees the demon Imhotep circling in the sky.

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 24 - Blood Dawn and Other Stories