"I wish that I might see this king," mused Xaltotun, glancing toward a silvery mirror which formed one of the panels of the wall. This mirror cast no reflection, but Xaltotun's expression showed that he understood its purpose, and Orastes nodded with the pride a good craftsman takes in the recognition of his accomplishments by a master of his craft.
"I will try to show him to you," he said. And seating himself before the mirror, he gazed hypnotically into its depths, where presently a dim shadow began to take shape.
It was uncanny, but those watching knew it was no more than the reflected image of Orastes' thought, embodied in that mirror as a wizard's thoughts are embodied in a magic crystal. It floated hazily, then leaped into startling clarity -- a tall man, mightily shouldered and deep of chest, with a massive corded neck and heavily muscled limbs. He was clad in silk and velvet, with the royal lions of Aquilonia worked in gold upon his rich jupon, and the crown of Aquilonia shone on his square-cut black mane; but the great sword at his side seemed more natural to him than the regal accouterments. His brow was low and broad, his eyes a volcanic blue that smoldered as if with some inner fire. His dark, scarred, almost sinister face was that of a fighting-man, and his velvet garments could not conceal the hard, dangerous lines of his limbs.
"That man is no Hyborian!" exclaimed Xaltotun.
"No; he is a Cimmerian, one of those wild tribesmen who dwell in the gray hills of the north."
"I fought his ancestors of old," muttered Xaltotun. "Not even the kings of Acheron could conquer them..."
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| King Conan - Hour of the Dragon #1. Cover art by Jose Villarubia. |
This week we begin our coverage of Robert E. Howard's only novel, The Hour of the Dragon! (Read it on
Project Gutenberg!) We made it halfway through the story, one episode of The Cromcast couldn't contain all of the awesome within this story! Many familiar themes lie within - resurrected sorcerers, a plot to overthrow the king, large battles, a dungeon escape, and some dungeon crawls and prison rescues with a bit of a different slant! We think that any Conan movie that follows up on the 1982 film needs to be based on this story! Let us know what you think, and join us in two weeks for the exciting conclusion of The Hour of the Dragon!
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Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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