Young Thongor
Page 24
And thus it was that doom came down upon the house of Athmar Phong and he was never again seen by the eyes of men.
13
A New Day Dawns
The morning breeze blew fresh and clean from the great Gulf of Patanga, and the tang of the wet salt sea was upon it. They drew deep lungfuls of cold, fresh air with hearty zest after the stench of the burning house and the reeking slime of the subterranean passage. It was good to be alive, and free, watching the sun come up over the shoulder of the world. All things looked pure and clean and new in the clear, strong light, and the horrors of the night were over and done. Thongor drank deep of cold red wine and stretched out his weary legs with a grunt of satisfaction.
They had found the secret door in the pits, the door that led to the branching ways of the subterranean network of tunnels beneath the city, and for a time they had followed the yellow Yan Hu characters that marked the way back to the Temple of Seven Gods. But Thongor had not survived this long in the Land of Peril—as the Scarlet Edda named all these realms of the devil-haunted Southlands—without evolving a strong and canny sense of survival. Why return empty-handed to the gaunt, scheming priest? He would pay nothing for a task undone—and Kaman Thuu would not be very happy to learn the black mirror was now destroyed for all time. Instead, the barbarian recalled what the priest had said about Shan Yom glyphs with which side tunnels were blazoned in scarlet, glowing pigment. Hence he and Ald Turmis had taken this route, and come out in an empty alleyway beside the seafront where tall ships rode at anchor, waiting on the morning tide.
The two youths were filthy, hungry and exhausted from the trials of their night in the house of hell. But it would have been unlike Thongor to have come forth empty-handed from the wizard’s house; so he had lingered for a moment in one of the lower chambers to snatch up a gem-covered ornament or two with which he and Ald Turmis had purchased themselves a hearty breakfast in the quayside tavern called The Sailor’s Haven.
Across the rooftops of the city, a pillar of oily black smoke stood against the pure morning skies. Blue and scarlet flames flickered through it strangely. The house of Athmar Phong was burnt to ashes and all his terrible sorceries were dust, aye, and the loathsome, mewling hybrids of his blasphemous experiments in life-making had gone to rest at last and were freed forever from the torment of living. But still the rubble burned.
“Where now?” Thongor grunted to his companion.
Ald Turmis emptied the last drop of wine from their third bottle and sat back with a sigh of repletion. “The gods know, friend,” he said. “But one thing at least is certain: it would be unhealthy for the two of us to remain here in Zangabal for long. Kaman Thuu has long arms and many cunning fingers. And he will not like this night’s black business, you may set a wager on that!”
“I know,” Thongor grunted lazily. “I have a mind to see the gates of Zangabal close shut behind my back, and to strike out for another city. I have good reasons for avoiding Shembis, where I am not enamoured of the Sark, Arzang Pome. What about this Thurdis, the Dragon City across the Gulf, of which you spoke earlier?”
“Well, why not?” said Ald Turmis. “Phal Thurid, Sark of Thurdis, arms himself for conquest and I have heard he enlists a mighty host of warriors. Surely there is a place among his warriors for your mighty broadsword, and my rapier. Shall we try our fortunes in the ranks of the mercenaries? There is a merchant galley flies the Dragon of Thurdis at the ninth quay. They sail with the early morning tide, and if you have any gold left after purchasing this magnificent feast of which I can eat not a single bite more, perhaps we can buy passage to Thurdis. Shall we go together for a while, Thongor, and see what Fate has in store for us?”
Thongor stretched lazily, like a great cat. His black cloak was slung about his bare, bronze shoulders, and a gold coin or two still nested in the pocket-pouch of his warrior’s harness. He ached to shake the dust of Zangabal from his heels, and to feel the gulf-wind blow fresh and clean in his face, and to explore the winding ways of a new city for a time.
“Well, why not?” he growled, and it was decided.
And thus were the feet of Thongor set upon the path that would lead him in the fullness of time to a destiny stranger and more glorious than that of other men…
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
LIN CARTER (1930-1988) was one of the most prolific proponents of sword & sorcery, and his work in promoting and expanding Robert E. Howard’s “Conan” series helped introduce the genre to countless millions of fans. He is also the creator not only of Thongor, his own best-selling fantasy hero, but of numerous other series which have delighted legions of fans over the decades. His “Green Star,” “Terra Magicka,” “World’s End,” and “Callisto” books have long proved themselves popular favorites. Wildside Press has reprinted many of Carter’s best-known works in recent years.
ROBERT M. PRICE (born July 7, 1954) has written a significant amount of articles and short fiction. He edited and wrote regularly for the excellent Crypt of Cthulhu magazine and also edits and writes for the extensive Chaosium, Inc. Mythos books, inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft and arguably the most exhaustive compilation of Mythos related fiction published anywhere in the (known) universe. His critical, thoroughly researched articles, mainly on Mythos fiction, have appeared regularly since 1981. His is also the author of a book-length study on Lin Carter’s fiction.
ADRIAN COLE (born July 22, 1949) has had 21 fantasy novels published, beginning with The Dream Lords trilogy in 1975. Other such works include the Omaran Saga, the Star Requiem books and more recently, from Cosmos Press, Storm Over Atlantis. He has also had two young adult novels published, Moorstones and The Sleep of Giants, set on Dartmoor and in the South West of England, his home.
Wildside Press has recently published Oblivion Hand, the first volume in a trilogy of books about the dark fantasy character, the Voidal. One of the stories from that book, First Make Them Mad was runner up for the British Fantasy Award.
Table of Contents
ALSO BY LIN CARTER
YOUNG THONGOR
DEDICATION
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
FOREWORD
INTRO TO LEMURIA
LEMURIA
DIOMBAR’S SONG OF THE LAST BATTLE
INTRO TO BLACK HAWK OF VALKARTH
BLACK HAWK OF VALKARTH
INTRO TO THE CITY IN THE JEWEL
THE CITY IN THE JEWEL
INTRO TO DEMON OF THE SNOWS
DEMON OF THE SNOWS
INTRO TO THE CREATURE IN THE CRYPT
THE CREATURE IN THE CRYPT
INTRO TO MIND LORDS OF LEMURIA
MIND LORDS OF LEMURIA
INTRO TO SILVER SHADOWS
SILVER SHADOWS
INTRO TO KEEPER OF THE EMERALD FLAME
KEEPER OF THE EMERALD FLAME
INTRO TO BLACK MOONLIGHT
BLACK MOONLIGHT
INTRO TO THIEVES OF ZANGABAL
THIEVES OF ZANGABAL
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS