Renegades of Gor (10 page)

and we were brought to the keeper’s desk. We gave him what little money we had,

of course, but it was not enough to satisfy our bills. We then spent the morning

in a wheeled cage, sitting on hard benches, while men checked out. None would

redeem us. Then, at noon, as soon as the tenth hour had struck, the cage was

wheeled back, into a storage area. It was plain and cold. There, one by one,

taken from the cage, while men waited outside the area, we were stripped and

searched by two powerful free women. When they finished with one of us they did

not then permit her to return to the cage but rather forced her to stand apart,

facing a wall. In this way, one who had already been searched was prevented, and

quite simply, from receiving anything from one not yet searched. Our garments

were examined carefully, and even our bodies. This yielded them some few extra

coins. The women, I assure (pg.66) you, were thorough. Doubtless they had done

this sort of thing before.

“When we were returned to the cage we were both coinless and naked. All that was

left was ourselves. The cage was then wheeled back, by the keeper’s desk. As you

might well imagine our importunities to the guests now became more earnest. Yet

none were gentlemen. We even found ourselves looked upon, in the cage, as though

we might be slaves! At the fifteenth Ahn we were removed from the cage and knelt

down, to the side, to the left of the keeper’s desk. Our ankles were then

crossed and tied. This was done with a single length of rope. It served also,

thusly, with a minimum of knots to which we might have access, to fasten us

together.

“Your hands were left free, of course,” I said, “so that you might extend them

piteously to passers-by, guests, and such.”

“Of course,” she said, angrily.

“Continue,” I said.

“At the seventeenth Ahn,” she said, “the keeper, it seems, grew of our pleas and

protestations. Also, I think he was not too pleased with women such as we, who

had attempted to do fraud and dupery within his inn.”

“That is understandable,” I said.

“No,” she said. “We are not slaves! We are free women! We may do anything.”

“I see,” I said.

“The keeper,” she said, “is not a gentleman.”

“I am prepared to believe that,” I said.

“It is true!” she said. “Look at me, naked and chained!”

“I have been,” I assured her.

She shook the chains on her wrists, angrily.

“But he did, it seems, give you an opportunity to practice your fraud and

dupery,” I said. “Your primary problem would seem to be simply that you were

unsuccessful.”

“Perhaps,” she said, irritably.

From what I had seen of the keeper, I supposed that his main interest in these

matters would be to obtain his fees, if not in one way, then in another.

“Continue,” I said.

“There is little more to tell,” she said, angrily. “At the seventeenth Ahn,

perhaps wearying of our presence there he (pg.67) had us cleared away from the

vicinity of his desk. Five of us were taken outside somewhere, and from what you

say, I take it, chained in the court. I myself was shackled, and put here, in

the paga room, to serve at tables.”

“Why were you not taken outside?” I asked.

“I do not know,” she said.

“There are only five exposition places at the wall,” I said.

She shrugged.

“Still that would not explain why it should be you who are here, and not

another.”

“I suppose it had to be someone,” she said.

“Two women might have been chained to one ring,” I said. “Or you might have been

chained on your knees, nearby, to a sleen ring.”

“Men are lustful beasts,” she said. “They seem to enjoy looking upon women.

Doubtless I am here because I am the most beautiful.”

“But you are not,” I said.

“Oh?” she said, angrily.

“No,” I said. “She who was at the first ring and she who was at the fourth ring

were both more beautiful than you.”

“Who were they?” she asked, angrily.

“She at the first ring was the Lady Amina,” I said. “I do not know who was at

the fourth ring.”

“Was she small, and dark-haired?”

“Yes,” I said.

“That is Ramice,” she said. “She is a small, curvy slut.”

I recalled the girl at the fourth ring. She was sweetly thighed with a marvelous

love cradle, made for a man’s loving.

“I am more beautiful than both,” she said.

“You seem vain, for a free woman.,” I said.

“Not really,” she said. “I have no interest in such matters.”

“To be sure, all of the women out there,” I said, “including the Lady Amina and

the Lady Ramice, are not yet truly beautiful. They are still too rigid, too

tense, too tight, too inhibited to be truly beautiful.”

“You see!” she said, triumphantly.

“But none of them so much as you,” I said.

“Sleen!” she said.

(pg.68) “It is interesting to speculate what you women might be like, if you

became beautiful,” I said.

“Sleen, sleen!” she said.

“How did the keeper seem when he ordered you shackled and put in the paga room?”

I asked.

“Amused,” she said, angrily.

“Perhaps you had spoken up to him,” I speculated, “though you were only a debtor

slut.”

“Such is my right!” she said. “I am a free woman!”

“You dared to protest the treatment you received?” I asked.

“Of course!” she cried. “How is it that I, a free woman, should be stripped, and

searched, and put in a cage, and such!”

“Perhaps you made demands, threatened him, insulted him, that sort of thing?” I

asked.

“Perhaps,” she said.

“I can see then,” I said, “why it might have amused him to put you here, to

serve as a waitress.”

“Perhaps,” she said, angrily.

“How much do you own him?” I asked.

“A silver tarsk, five,” she said.

“That might be another reason,” I said. “That is more than is owned by any of

the other women.” The amount stated was a silver tarsk, five copper tarsks.

“Perhaps, she said, thoughtfully. “He may want to keep me where he or his men

can keep an eye on me.”

Did she really think they feared her escape, she, within the palisade, shackled

and naked?

“They might, too,” I said, “consider that your display here, if you will pardon

the expression, might enhance your chances of obtaining a redemption.”

“Yes,” she said, “that, too.”

In the morning, of course, the girls outside, at the wall, might have a better

chance. They would, by that time, I speculated, be bedraggled and piteous,

indeed. Still I did not think any of them, the Lady Temione here, or the others

outside, in these times, were likely, really, to get some fellow to redeem them.

“Would you care to order, Sir?” she asked, irritatedly.

I looked at her. Yes, I thought to myself, that was probably (pg.69) the main

reason she had been put here, that is it, not because it was an accident, the

luck in a lot of six, or even really, mainly, because she owed more than the

others, but because she had not been found pleasing by the keeper. In its way,

it was a punishment for her. Too, he had doubtless seen that she required

informing, as to her nature and status.

“I am waiting, Sir,” she said.

“Do you regard yourself as desirable?” I asked.

She tossed her head, haughtily. “You spoke of beauty earlier, and insultingly of

my putative intent to bargain with it,” she said. “Perhaps you can see.”

“That was not my question,” I said.

“Yes,” she said. “I regard myself as desirable.” She regarded me, angrily.

“Don’t you?” she said.

I said, “Proper diet and exercise, imposed under suitable disciplines, would

doubtless work wonders with you.”

“Would you care to order,” she asked.

“Have you served others?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“And you have not been disciplined?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “I am a free woman.” She looked at me, angrily. “Are you ready

to order?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Well?” she asked.

“Kneel,” I said.

“Kneel?” she asked.

“That is my first order,” I said.

She regarded me.

“Do you not know how a woman serves at table?” I asked.

“I am a free woman,” she said.

“Shall I send you to fetch a slave whip?’ I asked.

She then trembled, and knelt. But, in a moment, she had recovered herself. She

looked at me, angrily.

“You may keep your knees together,” I said, “as you are a free woman.”

Swiftly she closed them, furious. “I hate you!” she said.

“You may now lower your head, before a male,” I said.

“Never!” she said.

“Now,” I said.

(pg.70) She lowered her head, angrily. “I have never done that before,” she

said, lifting her head.

“You may now put it to the floor, the palms of your hands, too, to the floor,” I

said.

Trembling with rage she obeyed. Then she straightened up, and knelt back.

“What do you have?” I asked.

“Paga and bread are two tarsks,” she said. “Other food may be purchased from

three to five tarsks.”

“Is the paga cut?” I asked.

“One to five,” she said.

This is not that unusual at an inn. The proportions, then, would be one part

paga to five parts water. Commonly, at a paga tavern, the paga would be cut

less, or not cut at all. When wine is drunk with Gorean meals, at home,

incidentally, it is almost always diluted, mixed with water in a krater. At a

party or convivial supper the host, or elected feast master, usually determines

the proportions of water to wine. Unmixed wine, of course, may be drunk, for

example, at the parties of young men, at which might appear dancers, flute

slaves and such. Many Gorean wines, it might be mentioned, if only by way of

explanation, are very strong, often having an alcoholic content by volume of

forty to fifty percent.

“How much bread?” I asked.

“Two of four,” she said. That would be half a loaf. The bread would be in the

form of wedges. Gorean bread is most always baked in round, flat loaves. The

average loaf is cut into either four or eight wedges.

“What is the other food?” I asked.

The Ahn is late,” she said. “We have nothing but porridge left.”

“It is three?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“I do not suppose,” I said, “that if one orders the porridge, the bread and paga

comes with it?”

“No,” she said.

I had not, of course, expected any such luck, particularly after my conversation

with the keeper. To be sure, even if perhaps a bit greedy, he was not a bad

fellow. He had, for example, put the Lady Temione naked at the tables.

“Bread, paga, porridge,” I said to her.

(pg.71) “Very well,” she said.

“Very well, what?” I asked.

“Very well, Sir,” she said.

“Head to the floor before you get up,” I said.

She put her head angrily down to the floor, the palms of her hands on the floor,

and then straightened up.

“From each of your fraud sisters outside, chained to their rings,” I said. “I

had a kiss.”

“You will get no kiss from me,” she said.

I then gestured her up with a casual motion of my finger and away, that she

should hurry to the kitchen.

“Lady Temione,” I called.

She stopped.

“You may move more swiftly,” I said, “if you rise up on your toes and take short

steps.”

She cried out with rage, and stumbled, and fell. Then, rising, she hurried, as

she could, angrily toward the door of the kitchen and, in a moment, disappeared

through it. I watched it swing behind her, until it hung motionless on its

hinges. Such doors, single and double, are common in inns and taverns, as they

may be negotiated by someone whose hands are occupied, as in bearing a tray.

Most often, however, on Gor, curtains, often beaded, are used to separate open

from restricted areas in taverns, restaurants, and such. Lady Temione, I had

noted, needed discipline. The sooner she received it the better it would

probably be for her, and her lift.

In a few moments she returned through the door bearing a tray. She knelt near

the table, put the tray on the floor, unbidden performed obeisance and then, as

though submissively, put to the tray on the table, and put the paga, in a small

kantharos, and the bread on its trencher, before me. Then she put the bowl of

porridge, with a spoon, before me. She then withdrew, taking the tray, put it to

the side, on the floor, again performed obeisance, unbidden, and then knelt

back, as though in attendance. There had been something false in her

subservience.

I looked at her, narrowly. She did not meet my eyes.

I took a sip of paga, and then sopped some bread in it, and then ate it.

(pg.72) As I reached for the spoon I thought she leaned forward a little.

I took a very tiny bit of the porridge. As I had suspected it might be, it was

offensively seasoned, salted, almost to the point of inedibility.

“Is anything wrong, Sir?” she asked.

“I will count an Ehn,” I said, “that is, eighty Ihn. You have that long to make

good what you have done.”

“I?” she asked, innocently.

“1—2—3--,” I said.

“But what?” she said, alarmed.

“4—5—6--,” I said.

“My ankles are chained!” she cried.

“7—8—9--.” I said.