Shadows in the Moonlight
by Robert E. Howard (1906–1936)
- Free to read
- 50 min read
- 4 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"Shadows in the Moonlight" by Robert E. Howard is a short story first published in April 1934. This sword and sorcery tale follows Conan the Cimmerian as he flees with a woman named Olivia to a mysterious island in the Vilayet Sea. There they encounter ancient ruins with lifelike statues, a lurking creature hurling boulders, and a crew of pirates. As night falls, Olivia's disturbing dream about the statues may prove prophetic, threatening everyone on the cursed island.
- Fantasy fiction, American
- Conan (Fictitious character)
Read the opening
Chapter 1
A swift crashing of horses through the tall reeds; a heavy fall, a despairing cry. From the dying steed there staggered up its rider, a slender girl in sandals and girdled tunic. Her dark hair fell over her white shoulders, her eyes were those of a trapped animal. She did not look at the jungle of reeds that hemmed in the little clearing, nor at the blue waters that lapped the low shore behind her. Her wide-eyed gaze was fixed in agonized intensity on the horseman who pushed through the reedy screen and dismounted before her.
He was a tall man, slender, but hard as steel. From head to heel he was clad in light silvered mesh-mail that fitted his supple form like a glove. From under the dome-shaped, gold-chased helmet his brown eyes regarded her mockingly.
'Stand back!' her voice shrilled with terror. 'Touch me not, Shah Amurath, or I will throw myself into the water and drown!'
He laughed, and his laughter was like the purr of a sword sliding from a silken sheath.
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About this edition
This free edition of Shadows in the Moonlight by Robert E. Howard comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #42188, released 2013-02-24. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Short Stories, Science-Fiction & Fantasy, Adventure.
Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).
