"The Blood of Bel-Hissar!"
Conan rides his black steed away from the fallen city of Makkalet, through the Hyrkanian plains and on to the deserts and mountains. Suddenly Conan hears the screams of a woman, and rushes to investigate. He finds a girl in the clutches of a warrior, and Conan quickly jumps to fend off the attacker.
Almost immediately, the girl warns of riders approaching, raiders from Prince Yezdigerd's Aghrapurian army. Conan and the unknown warrior decide to put their differences aside for the moment, and make a run for it. Soon they come to a castle in the hills, where the Raiders dare not enter.
The fortress, a haven for cut-throats and thieves, is Bab-El-Shaithan, and ruled by Skol-Abdhur, who also possesses the Blood-Jewel of Bel-Hissar. With this jewel, he is able to retain control over his band of thieves.
However, there is not one among them who would not slit his throat for a chance to own the jewel, and when it is stolen, Conan soon finds himself involved in a plot of murder and deceit surrounding the missing stone.