eBook by Tim Waggoner
Cover by E. M. Gist
From Titan Books, Heroic Signatures & Conan Properties International LLC
Spoilers! Spoilers!
The eastern desert of Shem.
Conan and some sellswords are guarding a Turanian trading caravan, a decoy to lure Zuagir raiders into a trap.
Almost all of the mercenaries perish at the hands of the Zuagirs.
Conan,
Solfrid (a female Vanir from Vanaheim),
Endrigo (a Kothian) and
Danor (a Shemite-Stygian) are the only four who survive the raid.
Conan wants to go back to Ashaka (caravan city of the Turanians) to claim the rest of his remuneration for guarding the bogus caravan.
Conan's camel detects the scent of an oasis with doum palm trees.
Near the water hole, Conan and Co. find a possible hidden treasure cache... marked by a vulture's head (the sigil of the demon: "The Lord of Silence").
Later, vulture headed eyeless mist creatures attack. Conan, Solfrid and Endrigo get scratched, but Danor swallows one of scavenger things and dies.
The Lord of Silence takes over Danor's body and tries to kill Conan. Conan destroys Danor's body.
Solfrid shoves Endrigo into the miasma monsters, he kills himself so has not to be taken over, Conan beheads Endrigo's body.
We learn that three copper coins were stolen from the cache... by Solfrid.
Conan returns the coins to the cache.
The next day, one of the camels (who had run away) mysteriously returns to pick up Conan.
What I did like:
Ishtar, Ymir and Crom mentioned.
Vendhyans mentioned.
Wolf of Winter and Bone Mother mentioned.
I give it a 9/10. Tim Waggoner (Conan: Spawn of the Serpent God) is back in the Cimmerian saddle! A fun ride that starts as a wagon tale and ends up in supernatural territory. Now we need to see stories by Tim in The Savage Sword of Conan magazine!
Oh, and TITAN BOOKS, don't forget, we still need a Heroic Legends Series version of Scott Oden's CONAN: THE DAY OF THE LION (with CONAN: UNCONQUERED as a free bonus)!