Two men, Solomon Kane and Gaston l'Armon, arrive at a foreboding tavern in the Black Forest, known for its sinister reputation. The tavern's host, a grim figure, serves them food and wine but reveals little about himself. The atmosphere is tense, and Kane, wary of their surroundings, suggests they secure their room for safety. They explore the tavern, discovering a locked room containing a skeleton shackled to the floor, which Kane believes belonged to a previous victim of the host. Gaston, dismissive of Kane's concerns, frees the skeleton's leg from its chain, mocking the dead. This act triggers a confrontation when Gaston turns on Kane, revealing himself as a notorious bandit. Just as Gaston prepares to kill Kane, the tavern host unexpectedly appears and kills Gaston with a blade, revealing his own madness and thirst for vengeance against all men due to his past imprisonment and suffering. The host, now fixated on Kane, reveals his belief that the skeleton of a sorcerer he had shackled is seeking revenge. As he rants about his insanity and the skeleton's supposed power, he becomes increasingly erratic. In a moment of distraction, he falls backward into darkness, and the door slams shut, leaving Kane in darkness. Kane hears a horrific scream from the secret room, accompanied by the rattling of bones. Lighting a candle, he discovers the host dead, with the skeleton's finger bones embedded in his neck, indicating that Gaston's curse of vengeance has been fulfilled. The story concludes with Kane reflecting on the grim fate of both men, caught in a web of supernatural retribution.
By Robert E. Howard · First published 1931 · Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Adventure