Ruin, a series of short stories of Robert E. Howard's heroes, Conan the Barbarian, Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane, and King Kull. The book is available on Amazon in a graphic edition, a non-graphic edition and on Kindle. Here is an excerpt from another one of the Conan stories entitled:
The Well
“READY
with those grappling irons!” Conan of Cimmeria yelled from the deck of the
Tricos. “You men, prepare to board her!” He stood upon the poop, the highest
deck, where everyone could see him. He
cut a manly figure, his long black hair tied with a crimson kerchief, red silk
breeches, a white silk shirt open at the neck and chest, a colorful broad sash,
and tall leather boots. The sea pitched and rolled gently.
As the two ship scraped their sides against each
other, some of the pirate crew threw their grappling hooks, snagging the
rigging and rail of the ship alongside them. The rest of the crew, swords and
knives in their teeth, prepared to board the vessel, a merchant ship.
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Holding a rope tied to a yard overhead, Conan
sheathed his sword and swung across, landing on the deck of the other ship,
Baltar. He drew his cutlass and began battling the opposing crew. By now, some
of his men had joined him; swords flashed, men yelled out, and blood stained
the decks. Crewmen from both ships fell or were pushed overboard.
“Surrender, you men, if you want to live!” Conan
called out as he ran a man through.
Seeing the way the battle was going, the Baltar
crew surrendered.
“Where is your captain?” Conan demanded of the men
who stood weaponless before him.
The crew members exchanged wary looks until one of
them said, “Cap’n be in his quarters.”
“Get those men out of the water before they drown
or the sharks start feeding on them,” the Cimmerian ordered, his blue eyes
ablaze.
Conan thought it strange that the ship’s captain
would not be on deck to defend it; then again, Conan’s captain, a Zingaran
named Oscuro, was not seen fighting but remained on his own ship.
The Cimmerian tried the door of the captain’s
quarters. Finding it locked, he kicked it in. Standing within was the Argossean
captain, sword in hand, a desperate, determined look on his face. Behind him,
sitting on the bunk, sat a young woman with light brown hair and eyes. She wore
a look of concern, but was in no way hysterical, considering the situation.
Perhaps she was too naïve to understand her position.
“Put down your sword, Captain, I claim this ship!”
Conan said calmly, but with authority.
“Aye, the Baltar may be yours, you barbarian
pirate, but I mean to protect this woman!” The merchant captain said with as
much mastery.
Conan sought to understand the
captain's motivation for risking his life to safeguard this woman. What
was she to him?
“Guarantee our lives and promise to put us ashore
the first chance you get,” the captain said.
“You are in no position to bargain, Captain,”
Conan said.
“Would you bargain for a portion of the treasure?”
Conan was doubtful about the proposal. A man would
say anything in this position, but as the Cimmerian was not willing to blindly
accept this story of treasure, he was also not about to dismiss it.
“Where is this treasure?”
“First, you must give me your word of honor that
this girl will come to no harm,” the captain said.
“You are willing to trust the word of a barbarian
pirate?”
“At a time like this, I do not have much of a
choice. I am willing to die to protect her. Are you?” The Argossean brandished
his sword.
“You should not test me, Captain. You don’t know
me.”
“But you are a man; I can see that. Will you swear
to protect her with your life?”
“What have we here?” These words were spoken with
menace and pleasure.
Conan knew that voice. It was Oscuro, his captain.
Captain Oscuro stood in the doorway. His dark
complexion looked greasy, his dark eyes reflected danger, and his black
mustache hung down the sides of his mouth, giving him a perpetual grimace even
when he smiled and showed his crooked teeth.
“Conan, kill this man and have the woman taken to
my cabin,” Oscuro said menacingly.
Fearing for his life and the fate of the young
woman, the Argossean captain lunged at Conan with his sword. Purely by
instinct, Conan parried the captain's blade and sank his cutlass into the man,
who fell dead on the cabin floor.
Oscuro grinned wolfishly, as if he had done the
slaying. “Take her to my cabin,” he said.
Conan looked at the dead captain, then at the girl
who was now cowering on the bunk. She may have thought the Argossean captain
would save her, but with her protector dead, she feared for her fate with these
strangers. Conan wondered why that captain had thought so much of her that he
died to protect her. It had been the barbarian’s experience that no woman was
worth dying for.
Conan turned his cutlass on Oscuro, whose wicked
smile diminished only slightly.
“I said, take her to my cabin,” Oscuro reiterated.
“This ship is mine,” Conan announced. “We agreed
upon it. I spilled blood to get it.”
“By all means, take the ship; the girl is mine.”
“She goes with the ship,” Conan said, with
defiance.
“We also agreed to split the plunder evenly.”
“How do we split one woman?”
“What do you think is happening right now,
barbarian?” Oscuro said. “Plunder from this vessel is being put aboard my
ship.”
“And what do you think will happen if I drag your
corpse out on deck. Who do you think the crew will follow: me, or a dead man?”
