Conan lethal consignment, p.3
Conan: Lethal Consignment, page 3
Conan stood for a moment, frozen with indecision as Leonidos returned his attention to the creature, swinging at it. It staggered back a step and shrieked again, but there was less rage to it now. The beast sounded bewildered, as though it didn’t understand what was happening to it.
“Go!” Leonidos repeated.
Conan’s indecision broke. He ran up to the bow of the ship and, in one smooth motion, dove out and into the water beyond. He swam beneath the surface until his lungs demanded air. When he came up with a gasp, he found he was about thirty yards from the ship, which was now entirely engulfed. He could no longer see Leonidos or the creature, but he could hear the beast’s screams, growing higher and more panicked in the still night air.
The young Cimmerian trod water for a time, mesmerized by the flames. Still the cries continued.
Finally satisfied that his task was finished, he turned toward the nearest river bank and began to swim. Reaching the shore, he climbed onto dry land and sat down. He watched the burning ship drift past into the dark and didn’t move again until the creature’s cries had finally died. Only then did he get up and begin to walk.
Toward what destination, he knew not.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shaun Hamill grew up in Arlington, Texas, subsisting mainly on a steady diet of genre fiction and comic books. He received his BA in English from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2008, and his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2016. His debut novel, A Cosmology of Monsters, was published by Pantheon Books in 2019, and his second, The Dissonance, will be published in 2024, also by Pantheon. His fiction has appeared in Carve magazine and Tor Nightfire’s anthology Come Join Us By the Fire 2. His nonfiction has appeared at CrimeReads and Tor Nightfire. He lives and works in North Texas.
COMING NEXT MONTH
TERROR FROM THE ABYSS
A CONAN ADVENTURE
BY HENRY HERZ
Sailing together on the Tigress, Conan and Bêlit hijack and plunder a ship. Victorious but with a damaged ship to show for it, the pirates return to their secret island haven. They arrive to find their village under attack, not by men, but hideous things—part men, part aquatic creatures.
Powerful but ungainly, these bloodthirsty frog-men are faster and even more formidable in the water. Conan, Bêlit and her crew watch helplessly as the abominations abscond with the women of their village. Unable to give chase due to their damaged ship, Conan and Bêlit swear vengeance on these monstrosities.
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Shaun Hamill, Conan: Lethal Consignment
