The Shadow Kingdom

"The Shadow Kingdom" is a fantasy short story by Robert E. Howard, and the first in his Kull of Atlantis series. It was originally published in the August 1929 issue of Weird Tales and has been reprinted in several Howard collections.
In addition to being the first Kull story, "The Shadow Kingdom" is notable for introducing the Serpent People, a species that would also be featured in Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea series, and mentioned frequently in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft.
The concept of a reptilian race that can disguise themselves as humans and infiltrate society by replacing key political figures has since become a common motif in popular culture, and the subject of actual conspiracy theories.
==Synopsis==
Kull, an Atlantean renegade who seized the throne of the ancient kingdom of Valusia, is invited to attend a banquet hosted by Ka-nu, ambassador of the Picts. The Pict messenger, Brule, asks to speak in private and tells the king to go alone. Despite obvious hostility fueled by the age-old enmity between Picts and Atlanteans, Kull agrees, reasoning that Ka-nu wouldn't want to risk the alliance with Valusia.
After the banquet, Ka-nu shows Kull a bracelet with the image of a winged dragon, and tells him that on the following night, Kull would be approached by Brule, who would be wearing the bracelet. He asks Kull to lay aside tribal prejudices and trust him, also insisting that Kull should trust Brule and follow Brule's instructions. As a sign of trust, he presents Kull with a gemstone stolen from the Temple of the Serpent, proof that Kull could use to ruin Ka-nu if the latter were to betray him.
On the following night, Brule infiltrates the palace and tells Kull to change his royal clothes for something less conspicuous. He asks Kull to observe the guards, then shows him secret passages where the bodies of the same guards lay unconscious, proving that the ones they'd seen before were impostors who could somehow look identical to the men they impersonated.
Brule reminds Kull of ancient legends about the original rulers of Valusia, who were not human, but serpent-men. The magic of the serpent-men allows them to disguise their appearance, and for generations they have used this ability to impersonate kings and priests, and rule over the human population in secrecy.
Kull is surprised to see his councilor, Tu, sneaking into the king's room with a dagger and obvious intent to assassinate him. Kull beheads Tu and sees the man's head transform into the head of a serpent. The incident confirms that the creatures are planning to kill and replace Kull, as they had done with previous Valusian kings.
Following a brief encounter with a serpent-man posing as Brule, the real Brule informs Kull of the means to set men apart from the reptiles: the  bracelet with the image of the winged dragons, who are the serpent-men's enemies, and the phrase "ka nama kaa lajerama", which the creatures can't pronounce. Down in the secret corridors, Kull and Brule come across the phantom of a Valusian king dead for a thousand years, which also confirms the legend that the ghosts of those who are killed by the serpent-men become their slaves.
On the morning, after a sleepless night, a fatigued Kull is called by who he assumes to be the real Tu, to attend a meeting with the council. Brule, who accompanies him, surprises the councilors by yelling the phrase, and the violent reaction reveals that the councilors are all serpent-men. After a fierce battle, Kull and Brule manage to slay all of them. The death of the serpent-men causes the illusion around them to dissipate, showing that the chamber they're in isn't the council room.
Kull and Brule rush to the actual council room, to find the real councilors listening to a speech by a serpent-man who's taken the appearance of Kull.
Despite his wounds and exhaustion, Kull approaches his doppelgänger and slays him, to the surprise of the councilors and guards, who witness the faux Kull's head turn into a serpent's. Ka-nu joins them and explains to the stunned Valusians how they've been fooled. Kull announces his plans to hunt down and exterminate the serpents, then collapses from his wounds and lack of sleep. Ka-nu calls for the court women to tend to the king, but Brule sees that Kull will recover soon, and expresses admiration for him, proclaiming that Valusia and its allies will surely enter a new age of prosperity under such a king.
Category:Lovecraft Circle Works
Category:Robert E. Howard works
Category:Mythos-Adjacent Works