Kull: Exile of Atlantis

Untitled Story (previously published as "Exile of Atlantis") The sun was setting. A last crimson glory filled the land and lay like a crown of blood on the snow sprinkled peaks. The three men who watched the death of the day breathed deep the fragrance of the early wind which stole up out of the distant forests, and then turned to a task more material. One of the men was cooking venison over a small fire and this man touching a finger to the smoking viand, tasted with the air of a connoisseur. "All ready, Kull Gor-na let us eat." The speaker was young little more than a boy. A tall, slim-waisted, broad-shouldered lad who moved with the easy grace of a leopard. Of his companions, one was an older man, a powerful, massively built hairy man, with an aggressive face. The other was a counterpart of the speaker, except for the fact that he was slightly larger taller, a thought deeper of chest and broader of shoulder. He gave the impression, even more than the first youth, of dynamic speed concealed in long, smooth muscles. "Good," said he, "I am hungry." "When were you ever otherwise?" jeered the first speaker. "When I am fighting," Kull answered seriously. The other shot a quick glance at his friend as to fathom his inmost mind; he was not always sure of his friend. "And then you are blood hungry," broke in the older man. "Am-ra, have done with your bantering and cut us food." Night began to fall; the stars blinked out. Over the shadowy hill country swept the dusk wind. Far off a tiger roared suddenly. Gor-na made an instinctive motion toward the flint pointed spear which lay beside him. Kull turned his head and a queer light flickered in his cold grey eyes. "The striped brothers hunt tonight," said he. "They worship the rising moon." Am-ra indicated the east where a red radiance was becoming evident. "Why?" asked Kull. "The moon discovers them to their prey and their enemies." "Once, many hundreds of years ago," said Gor-na, "a king tiger, pursued by hunters, called on the woman in the moon and she flung him down a vine whereby he climbed to safety and abode for many years in the moon. Since then, all the striped people worship the moon." "I don't believe it," said Kull bluntly. "Why should the striped people worship the moon for aiding one of their race who died so long ago? Many a tiger has scrambled up Death Cliff and escaped the hunters, but they do not worship that cliff. How should they know what took place so long ago?" Gor-na's brow clouded. It little becomes you, Kull, to jeer at your elders or to mock the legends of your adopted people. This tale must be true because it has been handed down from generation unto generation longer than men remember. What always was, must always be." "I don't believe it," said Kull. "These mountains always were but some day they will crumble and vanish. Some day the sea will flow over these hills " "Enough of this blasphemy!" cried Gor-na with a passion that was almost anger. "Kull, we are close friends and I bear with you because of your youth but one thing you must learn respect for tradition. You mock at the customs and ways of our people you whom that people rescued from the wilderness and gave a home and a tribe." "I was a hairless ape roaming in the woods," admitted Kull frankly and without shame. "IRobert E. Howard is the author of 'Kull: Exile of Atlantis', published 2006 under ISBN 9780345490179 and ISBN 0345490177.