Conan the Barbarian 121

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-120; next appearance in CB-122).

Minor Characters

 * Prem (First and only appearance to date). Princess of Mreead-Za.
 * Atreah (First appearance; next appearance in CB-122). Prince of Mreead-Za
 * Pragma (First and only appearance to date). King of Mreead-Za.

Locations

 * Khorshemish, Koth
 * Mreead-Za

Time Frame

 * Several weeks

Synopsis
Conan is enjoying the company of some escorts in Korshemish when he sees a small gang of bandits assailing a woman and her hulking, deformed companion. Conan rushes to their aid, but finds the woman, Prem, and her mute and simple, yet strong brother Atreah can handle the thieves, especially after she summons a group of pegasi and their riders to appear. Prem invites Conan to fly with them, and although hesitant, he acquiesces, and the group flies upward through the clouds to the floating city of Mreead-Za, an Arabian-like city of flying carpets and spinnerets where Prem is princess. They land and greet Prem's father, King Pragma, and Prem tells her father that she desires to keep Conan. Before Conan can even react, Pragma's magic renders him unconscious, and he awakens with no memory except that his name is Kalna-Faker and he is engaged to Prem. Prem gives him a tour of the city to "refresh" his memory, telling him how their stone-age ancestors were raised to the clouds by a goddess. Conan is accepted by the citizens, but his bloodthirsty barbarian nature occasionally slips through in sparring sessions. One evening, the city is silent, and Prem takes Conan to a chamber where Atreah is bound to a table. Prem explains that Atreah's deformity marked him as a sacrifice, and he had already escaped once. A wind appears and in the blink of an eye, Atreah is gone. Conan demands to know what happened, and is told to seek Atreah down the road of black jade. He leaps upon a pegasus flies away, finding himself at a volcano. He makes his way inside and sees giant flying bug-like creatures and the face of the goddess in the lava. She taunts him, and he sees one of the bugs carrying Atreah. Conan attacks but the goddess herself emerges from the lake of fire, bestial and tentacled. Conan manages to stab her in the heard and she falls back into the lava dying as Conan's memory comes rushing back. He takes Atreah back to the flying city, but finds everyone has devolved back to their cave-man state, and the city itself is crumbling. Conan manages o get back to the ground as the pegasus disintegrates, and he and Atreah, the only survivors, walk silently together.

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 15 - The Corridor of Mullah-Kajar and Other Stories