Conan the Barbarian 86

Major Characters

 * Conan (Last appearance in CB-85; next appearance in CB-88).
 * Zula (Last appearance in CB-85; next appearance in CB-88).
 * Belit (Last appearance in CB-85; next appearance in CB-88).

Location

 * Luxur

Time Frame

 * One evening

Synopsis
From the mountains overlooking Luxur, walled capital of Stygia, Conan and Zulu surreptitiously approach, noting a seemingly unfinished pyramidal structure outside the city. Conan climbs a side wall, but is discovered by a guard, who he swiftly kills. He disguises himself in the guard's outfit, and has Zula act as his slave. They enter a tavern for information, and witness a large funerary procession pass by. A tavern wench explains to Conan that when an important citizen dies, the coffin is accompanied into the burial tomb outside the city by soldiers, priests, and slaves. Conan decides the best way to get into the palace is to disguise themselves as soldiers or priests and join the procession. Zula "liberates" the robes of some acolytes who had taunted him earlier, and, disguised, they slip into the procession's boat as it sails down the river into the tomb, warnings of some "Devourer of the Dead" ringing in Conan's head. Unfortunately, Zula is outed by his skin color just as they enter the tomb, and the two men leap fro the boat and run down a passage. They encounter a dead end with a large pool and dive in. They surface back at the river, where the guards and priests have slain the slaves and left the dead to the Devourer, a tentacled, many-mouthed, gibbering beast. The two men fruitlessly fight it, before they decided to light the boat on fire in order to kill the monster. At that moment, a cry comes from inside the coffin, and a horrified Conan realizes that Belit is inside. They break her free as the beast is engulfed in flames, and the whipping tentacles bring the stones down upon it. Conan, Zula, and Belit escape to the entrance to the tomb, and Belit reveals that she was imprisoned by King Ctesphon II because of her knowledge about Neftha - his sister!