The Slithering Shadow
()
About this ebook
Read more from Robert E. Howard
Dead Men Tell No Tales - 60+ Pirate Novels, Treasure-Hunt Tales & Sea Adventure Classics: Blackbeard, Captain Blood, Facing the Flag, Treasure Island, The Gold-Bug, Captain Singleton, Swords of Red Brotherhood, Under the Waves, The Ways of the Buccaneers... Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Christmas Library: 250+ Essential Christmas Novels, Poems, Carols, Short Stories...by 100+ Authors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Conan Saga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Start Conan the Barbarian Super Pack Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Complete Works of Robert E. Howard (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian: The Complete Weird Tales Omnibus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cthulhu Mythos MEGAPACK®: 40 Modern and Classic Lovecraftian Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Red Nails: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tales of Cthulhu Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Adventures of Solomon Kane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Weird Fiction MEGAPACK ®: 25 Stories from Weird Tales Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Horror Megapack: 25 Classic and Modern Horror Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Occult Detective Megapack: 29 Classic Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Robert E. Howard Western Super Pack Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Adventure MEGAPACK ®: 25 Classic Adventure Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Greatest Christmas Stories: 120+ Authors, 250+ Magical Christmas Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadow Kingdoms: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Vol. 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wildside Book of Fantasy: 20 Great Tales of Fantasy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Slithering Shadow
Related ebooks
The Pool Of The Black One - Conan the Barbarian Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRed Shadows: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSolomon Kane: The Collection: (Bauer Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadows in the Moonlight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hour of the Dragon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond the Black River: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Vol. 7 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Tales of Solomon Kane (A Collection of Short Stories) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Red Nails: A Conan the Barbarian Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSword and Sorcery Adventure: Winter's Cold Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTides of War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRed Nails Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hour of the Dragon: A Conan the Barbarian Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kellory the Warlock Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConan: Sword of Skelos Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Way Out West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadows in Zamboula Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSavage Dragon: A New Beginning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath Be Damned #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost (Land of the Lost Book 1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDungeons and Dayjobs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pulp! Fantasy: Estia the Isle of Giants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lohvian Cycle I [The eleventh Dray Prescot omnibus] Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sleeping Tyrant Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Phoenix on the Sword Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winged Men Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Second Kothar the Barbarian MEGAPACK®: 2 Sword and Sorcery Novels Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Valley of the Worm: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Vol. 5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrince Raynor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5StoryHack Action & Adventure, Issue Three: StoryHack Action & Adventure, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Action & Adventure Fiction For You
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Summary: by Rebecca Yarros - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrime and Punishment Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Outlawed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wool: Book One of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5White Trash Warlock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn German! Lerne Englisch! ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND: In German and English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Darkness That Comes Before Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Serpent: A Novel from the NUMA files Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Italian! Impara l'Inglese! ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND: In Italian and English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Huckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dust: Book Three of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Billy Summers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Three Fates Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hour of the Assassin: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: by V.E. Schwab - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The King Must Die: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5River God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Most Dangerous Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shift: Book Two of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of the World Running Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swamp Story: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Labyrinth of the Spirits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Postman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leave the World Behind: A Read with Jenna Pick Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for The Slithering Shadow
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Slithering Shadow - Robert E. Howard
Start Publishing Presents:
The Slithering Shadow
Robert E. Howard
Start Publishing LLC
Copyright © 2015 by Start Publishing LLC
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
First Start Publishing eBook edition July 2015
Start Publishing is a registered trademark of Start Publishing LLC
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 13: 978-1-68146-395-7
Chapter I
The desert shimmered in the heat waves. Conan the Cimmerian stared out over the aching desolation and involuntarily drew the back of his powerful hand over his blackened lips. He stood like a bronze image in the sand, apparently impervious to the murderous sun, though his only garment was a silk loin-cloth, girdled by a wide gold-buckled belt from which hung a saber and a broad-bladed poniard. On his clean-cut limbs were evidences of scarcely healed wounds.
At his feet rested a girl, one white arm clasping his knee, against which her blond head drooped. Her white skin contrasted with his hard bronzed limbs; her short silken tunic, lownecked and sleeveless, girdled at the waist, emphasized rather than concealed her lithe figure.
Conan shook his head, blinking. The sun’s glare half blinded him. He lifted a small canteen from his belt and shook it, scowling at the faint splashing within.
The girl moved wearily, whimpering.
Oh, Conan, we shall die here! I am so thirsty!
The Cimmerian growled wordlessly, glaring truculently at the surrounding waste, with outthrust jaw, and blue eyes smoldering savagely from under his black tousled mane, as if the desert were a tangible enemy.
He stooped and put the canteen to the girl’s lips.
Drink till I tell you to stop, Natala,
he commanded.
She drank with little panting gasps, and he did not check her. Only when the canteen was empty did she realize that he had deliberately allowed her to drink all their water supply, little enough that it was.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Oh, Conan,
she wailed, wringing her hands, why did you let me drink it all? I did not know—now there is none for you!
Hush,
he growled. Don’t waste your strength in weeping.
Straightening, he threw the canteen from him.
Why did you do that?
she whispered.
He did not reply, standing motionless and immobile, his fingers closing slowly about the hilt of his saber. He was not looking at the girl; his fierce eyes seemed to plumb the mysterious purple hazes of the distance.
Endowed with all the barbarian’s ferocious love of life and instinct to live, Conan the Cimmerian yet knew that he had reached the end of his trail. He had not come to the limits of his endurance, but he knew another day under the merciless sun in those waterless wastes would bring him down. As for the girl, she had suffered enough. Better a quick painless sword-stroke than the lingering agony that faced him. Her thirst was temporarily quenched; it was a false mercy to let her suffer until delirium and death brought relief. Slowly he slid the saber from its sheath.
He halted suddenly, stiffening. Far out on the desert to the south, something glimmered through the heat waves.
At first he thought it was a phantom, one of the mirages which had mocked and maddened him in that accursed desert. Shading his sun-dazzled eyes, he made out spires and minarets, and gleaming walls. He watched it grimly, waiting for it to fade and vanish. Natala had ceased to sob; she struggled to her knees and followed his gaze.
Is it a city, Conan?
she whispered, too fearful to hope. Or is it but a shadow?
The Cimmerian did not reply for a space. He closed and opened his eyes several times; he