"Demon of the Snows" by Lin Carter (1980)

Originally appeared in Years' Best Fantasy #6 edited by Lin Carter for DAW Books 1980.

Plot: Thongor comes to Jomsgard Pass where travellers must pay a toll to cross into the Southlands. But the young teenage barbarian finds the door open and everyone inside slain. The only survivor is a young girl named Ylala, a slave paid in tribute to the cruel master of the gate, Barak Redwolf. They explore the castle, finding a dead wizard named Zoran Zar, who was tortured to death for the secret of making gold. He died with a laugh on his lips. The duo leave the keep and return to Ylala's people, only to find them slain as well. They track the demon of the snows back to Zoran Zar's tower where the path ends at a well in which a terrible monster lives. The wizard had trapped it there with magic but the gold-hungry redwolf had released it mistakenly. Using oil and hot coals, the two wound the creature before sealing it back up. They leave to journey to the south.

Monsters:

The Demon of the Snows - a sightless worm with a gaping mouth, it crushes its victims like a giant hand. The creature is so cold that its breath frosts Thongor's eye lashes.

History: A re-write of the Conan tale "Lair of the Ice-Worm" (1969). The only real difference is that the girl lives. The story starts well with Thongor and Ylala exploring the castle filled with dead. You aren't sure if she is a monster masquerading as an innocent girl. Carter says it was intended for Ted White's Fantastic but the magazine folded before it could see print.

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