Still reeling from his encounter with Sabia, Conan stumbles through the jungle and is found by Neth-At and his men. Neth-At tells Conan that the prisoner escaped in the confusion, and Conan suspects that he has found his doom for betraying Toroa. The two men come across an abandoned Stygian village, and Conan realizes that they have deserted their homes to go to the House of Damballah, a holy site nearby. Suddenly, Neth-At sees a man in the jungle and gives chase. When they attempt to cross a stream, Neth-At shoots an arrow at the form, and Conan glimpses a woman struck through the heart with an arrow. Without warning, Neth-At is dragged underneath and killed by some vicious creature as Conan can only watch. He then hears shouts and follows the sounds, only to magically freeze again, hidde