Beyond the Black River

by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard

"Beyond the Black River" by Robert E. Howard is a short story first published in May–June 1935. Set in the fictional Hyborian Age, it follows Conan the Cimmerian as he battles a savage Pictish tribe led by the wizard Zogar Sag in the unsettled wilderness beyond the Black River. When a frontier fort faces overwhelming assault, Conan and a young settler named Balthus must warn defenseless colonists before they're slaughtered in a massive raid that threatens to reclaim an entire province.