Conan the Barbarian 168

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-167; next appearance in CB-169).

Minor Characters

 * Alahambra (Previous appearance in CB-154).
 * Villardo (First and only appearance to date). Beast-Man circus performer.
 * Barenzo (First and only appearance to date). Traveling carnival owner; dies in this issue.
 * Narq'eh (First and only appearance to date). Bat-man.

Locations

 * Nemedia

Time Frame

 * Several days.

Synopsis
Conan unsuccessfully scours the Nemedian mountains for signs of Fafnir but does stumble across a group of riders chasing his winged friend Alahambra. Although Conan intervenes, the men still manage to capture the girl and escape from Conan, though he follows. It turns out she was taken by a freak show who plans to display here along with a fur-covered "beast man" and conjoined twins. When Conan tracks the performers to a nearby town he attempts to break her free, but rather burns down the tents while the performers escape in their covered wagons. Alahambra has made friends with Villardo, the beast-man, and he saves her from the fire and brings her to one of the wagons. The two assume Conan has been killed in the fire, but he manages to get out and continues trailing the caravan. However, he is ambushed by a trio of bat-men who assume that he knows where Alahambra, who was betrothed to their king in a gesture of peace, has run to. Conan fights them off and resumes his journey. At the next village, Alahambra tells Villardo of her plans to escape as the Man-bats find a poster advertising the freak show and zero in on their target. In the tents, the carnival owner, Barenzo, is grabbed by Conan and is "convinced" to let Alahambra go. As Barenzo moves to unshackle the winged women, the Man-bats attack and kill him, although Villardo manages to pull Alahmabra's stake free so she may Conan in fighting the monsters off. A creature grabs Conan and flies high into the air to drop him, but he is caught by Alahmabra and the beasts slain. Back at the carnival, Villardo is upset his only friend is gone, but Alahambra returns to declare her love for the beast man as Conan bemusedly rides off.

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 22 - Reavers in the Borderland and Other Stories