Writer Fred Van Lente leads the way for the world's most famous barbarian! Conan and the former slave girl Natala wander the desert as the only survivors of a vast army. Finally they arrive dying of thirst to the unwelcoming and desolate city of Xuthal, where a mysterious horror lurks in the shadows threatening to take any who step within the city! As the inhabitants sleep under the spell of the Black Lotus, Conan and Natala must escape if they wish to live!