Still, it counted for something that Mishrak wanted men to think Khadjar had been honored and sent on a mission of trust. Perhaps Khadjar really had gone to Aquilonia—while Mishrak carefully removed all of his and Houma's allies from power, if not from the world. Perhaps promotion would keep Khadjar loyal hereafter, so that his gifts need not be lost to Turan.
Nothing certain anywhere, but that was no surprise. The world seldom was, at the best of times.
No, one thing was certain.
"Raihna, a bed doesn't feel quite the same without you in it."
"How long do you expect that to last, Cimmerian?"
"Oh, as much as another ten days—"
She aimed a mock-buffet at his head, then bent from her saddle and kissed him with no mockery at all.
"Whatever you seek, may you find it," she said. She put spurs to her mount and whirled away up the road toward her caravan.
Conan sat until Raihna was altogether out of sight. Then he turned his own mount's head the other way and spurred it to a canter. It would never do for the new High Captain of mercenaries to think that Conan the Cimmerian would neglect his men as soon as Khadjar's eye was no longer upon him!
_____________________________
CONAN THE VALIANT
by
Roland Green
TOR
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK NEW YORK
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
CONAN THE VALIANT
Copyright © 1988 by Conan Properties, Inc.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A TOR Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
49 West 24 Street
New York, NY 10010
Cover art by Ken Kelly
ISBN: 0-812- 50082-2 Can. ISBN: 0-812-50083-0
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 88-50472
First edition: October 1988
First mass market edition: August 1989
Printed in the United States of America 0987654321