Conan travels south through the Border Kingdoms in the region known as the Haunted Land. He is being followed by Yemli, humanoid demons who are keeping their distance, but herding Conan to some unknown destination. Eventually, they send him to Merdoramon, a magician who tasks Conan with taking a magical amulet to Themas Herklar, regent of Phalkar, to the east. A bag of gold makes the deal attractive to Conan, and he falls asleep to find the odd magician gone in the morning. Conan begins the journey and enters the small village of Sfanol, where he sees a girl, Stefanya, in the process of being burned at the stake for her service to the sorcerer Zoqquanor. Never one to let a pretty girl die, Conan rescues her and discovers that the girl is mysticaly bonded to Zoqquanor, and though the sorcer