THE SCARLET CITADEL

"The Scarlet Citadel" is the second of the chapters featuring Conan as king of Aquilonia. As such, it's impossible to place this story anywhere but late in Conan's life. According to the Lancer book series where L. Sprague de Camp added his own prologues to each story in order to better connect them, this story takes place quickly after "The Phoenix on the Sword." "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career" agrees.

Honestly, it feels like this story should take place a little after that, at least to me. Conan appears to have kind of settled into his role as king, so I could see this happening as much as a year after "Phoenix." It has to still be taking place during this civil conflict that allowed Conan to take the Aquilonian throne, though.

Conan is about 41 years old, so he's a little past his prime, but he could still kill you or me with just his pinky finger.

Interestingly, there's one chronological marker in this story that reaches back, way back, to Conan's pirate days on the Black Coast. Sneaking into Conan's cell in the citadel is a Kushite who recognizes him from long ago as "Amra, the Lion."

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"Long have I wished to meet you, Amra," the black gave Conan the name—Amra, the Lion—by which the Cimmerian had been known to the Kushites in his piratical days... "I know you from of old, since the days when I was a chief among a free people, before the Stygians took me and sold me into the north. Do you not remember the sack of Abombi, when your sea-wolves swarmed in? Before the palace of King Ajaga you slew a chief and a chief fled from you. It was my brother who died; it was I who fled. I demand of you a blood-price, Amra!"

"The Scarlet Citadel" was only the second Conan story published, hitting the pages of Weird Tales number 21 on the first day of January, 1933, only a month after Conan made his debut in "The Phoenix on the Sword." "Queen of the Black Coast," the story in which Conan would earn his pseudonym Amra, wouldn't be published for nearly two more years.

The story strikes me as a second consecutive meditation on power. The theme is a little bit murky, though. Conan has seized the power of the throne, and refuses to give it up by dishonorable means. In that way, Conan is following his own moral code and somewhat justifies having his own power, while every other ruler is a power-hungry asshole or total dipshit. Is Howard saying that power should inherently be looked upon with suspicion? Is he hinting at that age-old saying that those who desire power are the ones who should have the least of it? Is he saying that the only ones who should have power are those who are not born into it? Is he saying, rather troublingly, that power earned through might and conquering is inherently more legitimate than power gained through treachery, blood or tradition? I'm not sure.

When looking at the first Conan stories published, it makes sense that Howard would start in Conan's kingly days. What better way to present the differences between civilization and barbarism than by imagining a barbarian in the highest position in the land. What an incongruity! I wonder if he felt like he should go to the opposite end of society next, when "The Tower of the Elephant" was published just two months after "Scarlet Citadel." Take your barbarian, put him in the cushiest position a man could occupy. Then, throw him into the dregs of society. See how he likes either one.

In "The Scarlet Citadel," Conan is ripped from his throne by a sorcerer and tossed in the dungeon of the titular scarlet citadel. Making his way out of his prison, we get an absolutely excellent dungeon crawl. Seriously, this is some of Howard's most atmospheric, creative, creepy writing. Conan creeps through the cells, snuffing his torch and then blowing back into the embers to pass unnoticed.

In this dungeon gapes a hideous well which even Conan does not dare to gaze down. He knows something evil is inside it.

Misty figures and dark shadows loom above and around him. Is Conan's barbarian suspicion playing tricks on his senses? I liked to picture beings draped above him, letting him pass for one reason or another.

The horrifying plant which Conan rescues a sorcerer named Pelias from is some of Howard's best work. Emerging from the stone floor, there's a large vine which wraps around a naked man, lowly moaning but otherwise completely absent. The plant, seemingly sentient, is apparently torturing this guy with its creepy petals.

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"Now the great crimson blossom dipped and pressed its petals over the writhing lips. The limbs of the wretch twisted in anguish; the tendrils of the plant quivered as if in ecstasy, vibrating their full snaky lengths. Waves of changing hues surged over them; their color grew deeper, more venomous.

​Conan did not understand what he saw, but he knew that he looked on Horror of some kind. Man or demon, the suffering of the captive touched Conan's wayward and impulsive heart."

Conan ends up rescuing Pelias, who is a sorcerer "not entirely from the earth" and has a smarmy charm about him. It seems like Conan's really lucky to be on Pelias's good side, because there's definitely an air of danger and deceit about him. I loved spending time with the guy.

Conan's return to Aquilonia is pretty great, leading to an awesome ending, but the last few lines of the story feel pretty stock, so it kind of kneecaps itself in the end. 

The next story in the chronology is The Hour of the Dragon, AKA Conan the Conqueror, which I understand has almost the exact same plot as this one. We'll see how it goes seeing as it's Howard's only Conan novel. Whereas this story was the second Hyborian story published, Hour of the Dragon is the second-to-last. 

★★★★☆