Conan quickly tosses the body into the pool and watches as it shrinks into a the size of a doll. He ambushes the creature and kills it, but barely has time to catch his breath before more creatures approach, each carrying an unconscious crew member. He spies a black creature carrying Sancha to the pool courtyard. Sancha's scream tears Conan away and he races up a ledge for a better view.Realization dawns on Conan when he recalls seeing one of the figures place something on the shelf as they left. He finds the pool, but can see to the bottom and the boy is not there. After a few moments, Conan races down to the pool, only stopping to observe shelves with dolls stacked on them. Conan ducks away to avoid being seen, and when he looks back the creatures are filing out, but the boy is not present. Then, the boy is thrust entirely into the pool. One of the creatures begins to play a mute sound on a set of pipes, which causes the boy to begin a convoluted, twitching dance. In the center of the pool, the youngest sailor on the Wastrel crouched in terror, having wandered too far and snatched by one of the black men. When he reaches the balcony, which overlooks several separated courtyards, he sees a cluster of the giant, black, naked figures crouched around a pool in one of the courts. He enters the courtyard and chooses a tower to climb. Curious, he follows and finds a green fortress. After a brief but savage battle, Conan kills Zaporavo, but as he cleans his blade sees an unnaturally tall black form carrying a white figure race through the trees. Conan had seen Zaporavo enter the woods, Conan followed intending on challenging the captain as leader, something he was unable to do in public.After a short time, Sancha comes across the body of Zaporavo, a gaping hole in his chest, and screams for Conan in terror. Conan secretly follows, and a curious Sancha comes after. Eventually they do find an island, and while the men gorge themselves on fruit from the island, Zaporavo goes alone into the forest. He seems to be withdrawn and sends the ship deeper into uncharted territory, looking for an island mentioned in the Book of Skelos. Over time Conan becomes a popular and influential leader of the crew, and attracts the attentions of Sancha, who has been growing tired of Zaporavo. Conan talks his way into a position on the boat, and quickly gains the acceptance of the crew after he lays out a sailor who tried to confront him. He is confronted by the captain, Zaporavo, and admits to fleeing the outlaw encampment Tortage in the Baracha Islands. Conan climbs aboard the pirate vessel the Wastrel, awakening a lady, Sancha, who is lounging on the deck.Conan makes himself the captain of a pirate vessel and travels to a remote island with a mysterious pool that has powers of transmutation.

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