Chosen of Mida

2 Bellinard—and a city is captured

Eager discussions sped away the balance of that fey and half of the next. When mid-fey brought the beginnings of Mida’s tears, falling slowly at first and then more and more heavily, it was clear to all that the time to strike was at hand. The rains would drive all city folk within their dwellings, leaving no others save those males in leather and metal to bar our way. We awaited the fall of darkness beneath the trees of the forest, pleased by the touch of Mida’s tears yet also thoroughly chilled by them. The warmth of the fey had fled with the brightness of Mida’s light, bringing discomfort home in silence to warriors and discomfort loudly and bitterly protested to the males. The captives, of course, knew naught of what was afoot, and took the gags placed in their mouths and additional leather upon their bodies as punishment for having reviled their captors. No more than two hands of warriors were left to guard the males, those warriors miserable at being left behind, and yet the duty was a very necessary one. Should any of the males succeed in escaping his bonds, many Midanna lives would undoubtedly be lost.

Perhaps two hind past the fall of darkness I led the Midanna from the forest, afoot, across an open expanse, and to the walls of the city. The walls of Bellinard contained two gates, one through which males and their slave-females entered the city, and the other, a goodly distance away, through which no others save the males in leather and metal rode. This second gate, beside the immense dwelling called the palace of the High Seat, was of special interest to me, and yet those who entered through the first gate must needs face the greater hazard of traversing the entire city before reaching the dwelling of the High Seat. The groups of armed males making their rounds throughout the city must be seen to before our descent upon the palace, therefore must a portion of our strength enter the first gate; I felt it needful that I lead them through the city ways, and yet I wished to be beside those who entered so near the main objective of our attack. Rilas had laughed at my quandary, suggesting that I pray to Mida to be allowed to exist in two places at the same moment, and yet the matter was not amusing. How is a war leader to lead if she must be in some place other than before her warriors?

Of necessity, the matter was decided by need rather than desire. It was my desire to “accompany those at the second gate, yet was it needful that I lead the way through the city. Tilim, war leader of the Happa, and Rogon, war leader off the Hirga, were chosen to accompany me with five hands of warriors from each of their clans, a large enough force to do that which must be done, and yet small enough to move undetected. The other war leaders disliked having to wait at the farther gate, and yet, as I stood in the downpour beside the darkened city wall, seeing them and their warriors slip away into the darkness to seek the place of the second gate, I felt they would obey me and make no attempt to take the glory of victory before our arrival. They well knew my personal reasons for wishing the city to be ours, and knew also that I would have their hearts should they disclose our presence before the proper moment. Mida would be greatly angered at such foolish behavior, yet I and my sword stood a good deal closer to them.

With the departure of those making for the second gate, I directed the throwing of climbing leather to the metal points atop the wall the balance of us stood beside. Fully five hands of warriors threw the weighted, knotted leather, and yet no more than three lines had to be cast a second time. With all lines secure the warriors scaled the wall quickly yet carefully, for the tears of Mida, however welcome, made the ascent slippery and treacherous. I, myself, waited with the others, sunk in a foul humor yet unable to do aught for it. I had fully intended to accompany those warriors who scaled the wall and faced the males who guarded the gate, yet had there been firm protests from Tilim and Rogon. What would become of our attack should the sole warrior with knowledge of the city and its ways fall prey to some foolish mishap in the wetness, they asked. Jalav might lead nine clans, twenty hands of warriors and more to each clan, yet was she forbidden to lead a mere five hands of warriors to take the males beyond the gate. The two who spoke so did not shrink back from my expression at being told such a thing, yet surely was it a near thing. I spoke no words of my own, recognizing the wisdom of their council even while I reviled the need for such care, and the matter was decided. I stood, the safety of a slave-female forced upon me, foul-humored yet unarguing, awaiting the time my sword might drink of enemy blood with none to deny me.

Few sounds were to be heard through the thickness of the wall and gate, yet even had they not been there, the silence would surely have remained near complete. The warriors ascending the wall had been warned to walk upon feet of clouds as they slew the gate guards with swords of swiftness and silence, and this they did. Within moments of their dropping within the wall, the sound came of the gate bar being drawn back, and then the gate itself, ponderous in its movement yet not impossible, opened to admit us. I, astand where the gate halves met, was first within, yet little was left to be done where the males were concerned.

Beside the gate, to either side of it, stood two small dwellings wherein the males of the gate, males of leather and metal, took their rest the while they remained to guard the gate. As I had thought would be the case, the entire number of males had been found within these dwellings, sheltering themselves from damp discomfort rather than keeping watch for intruders. My warriors had sent them to an eternal watch in Mida’s chains, their bloody, lifeless bodies giving full testimony to the destination they had already reached. I complimented the warriors upon their doing, designated those who would keep watch from the shadows for the approach of other males, then led the rest to the first of the city’s ways.

The city lay in deep darkness, allowing the warriors who prowled behind me no sight of the tall, close, strangely decorated dwellings which lined the ways we trod. With the number of armed males the city boasted, my force was none too large, and yet to move stealthily with so many in one’s wake would surely have proved impossible to any save Midanna. From shadow to shadow did we move, seeking to avoid rousing those males who, though armed, were not of the set of leather and metal. To rouse them would have been more than foolish, for their numbers were considerably greater than ours, great enough to cause our defeat should their appearance cause us delay in facing those others who were indeed of the leather and metal ilk. We, as one with the shadows we moved through, avoiding those few sheltered torches upon dwellings remaining lit in the downpour, moved on through the city ways, grateful that the usual stink seemed washed away beneath the tears of Mida, the slime covering the stones of those ways gone from beneath our feet. They who followed disliked the ways we trod, yet I, who knew them from another time, felt savage pleasure at the manner of my return. Once before had I been taken through these ways, bound in leather, stumbling to the snarling push of males, forced to the darkness beneath the dwelling of the High Seat, chained there and left to rot till it was their pleasure to release me—to the further chains of slavery. Aye, there was much pleasure in Jalav at her return, much pleasure and much anticipation.

There was no battle as we moved through the city ways, for battle necessitates face-to-face, blade-to-blade encounters. Slaughter there was aplenty, of each set of males in leather and metal which we came upon, they knowing naught of our presence till our daggers sank into their throats. I find such slaughter distasteful, even of males such as those, and yet was this slaughter necessary to our purpose. We moved between the dwellings, across the broad expanse at city’s center which no longer held tents of many colors, beyond further dwellings to the broad, stoned way which led past solitary dwellings, flowing through shadow and rain and approaching each set of males about these solitary dwellings and doing for them that which must be done. It was necessary to leave no living enemy behind us, yet was I greatly pleased when we had approached the immense dwelling of the High Seat as closely as possible and the necessity for slaughter was left behind.

Or so I thought. Long reckid passed with no sign of our sisters without the second gate, yet was it easily seen, even through Mida’s tears, that the males to either side of the gate sat comfortably within their small dwellings. We lay belly down in the wringing grass, our hair and coverings soaked through, our bodies chilling quickly due to lack of motion, I, at least, more aware of the wounds I had received the fey previous than I had been to begin with. To wait further reckid would do little good, therefore did I send warriors toward those males who paced on all sides of the immense dwelling, and then myself led others toward the gate. Once these males were done and the balance of our sisters within the city, we would take ourselves a dwelling called palace.

The foolishness of males is great indeed. Those within the small dwellings wore their contrivances of leather and metal, yet their head coverings had been removed to provide them with greater comfort. Their comfort lasted little beyond our entrance, yet was the battle brisk enough to drive away the chill. He whom I faced was able to draw the sword he wore, yet for what reason he wore a weapon I am at a loss to explain. The male knew naught of the proper wielding of a blade, shown clearly by the manner in which he came at me. It took no more than two strokes to down him, one to block his thrust, one to cleave him from crown to chin, and then were the gate dwellings no longer tenanted by any save Midanna.

“These males are a sorry lot, Jalav,” said Tilim, who had accompanied me with others of her Happa. Large was this Tilim, nearly as large as I, with hair and eyes of a crisp brown. “Those by the large dwelling came arunning when we struck here, seeing naught of the Hirga who awaited them in the grass till the ability of seeing was beyond them. Should the balance of these city folk be the same, we shall find the need to battle one another to retain memory of sword skill.”

“It is said the best of them stand guard within the High Seat’s dwelling,” I replied, finding it unbelievable and yet totally believable that not a single male had cried out an alarm. To wish to run directly to battle is clearly understandable, yet to fail to give the alert to those whom one calls sister—or brother, as these were males—is an action fit for no other than a male. For what other reason does one post a guard than to give warning of strangers? Of what use is a guard, if not to shout a warning before taking joyously to battle? It had been clear to me for some time that males are beyond all reason, yet each time the matter was proven anew, I found it difficult believing that any could act so.

Quickly, then, was the gate opened to the balance of our warriors, yet even so their numbers disallowed as rapid an entry. As quickly as they entered did they ghost toward the dwelling of the High Seat, moving in and with the shadows of the darkness, disappearing from sight and sensing after no more than three paces. Our main force would attack from all entries to the dwelling, a second force remaining without, in the darkness, to see to any attackers attempting our rear. I felt more than impatient at the passage of time required to admit all of my warriors, yet did I stand with those who had taken the small dwellings with me and force myself to calm. A warrior in haste is a warrior soon slain, a war leader in haste a war leader without judgment.

Despite impatiences, time does indeed pass. With all of my warriors at last within, I saw the gate bar replaced before taking my small force toward the place of the High Seat. Memories of the past are oft-times dangerous to dwell upon when engaged in actions of the present, and yet how might I have forgotten my capture in that place, the leather and chain I had been bound with when marched through its halls, the hunger and pain I had been filled with, the filth I had been covered with. Those city folk about in the halls had stepped from the path of my warriors and myself, their noses wrinkled against the stench of the dungeons upon us, their faces clearly showing how superior they thought themselves to be to mere savages. I trotted gently and quietly through the rain-soaked grass to the pebbled way before the wide stone stairs, once again surrounded by those who were considered savages, yet this time with a sword in my hand. I would not dwell longer upon the past, would not allow the bitterness and hatred to take me; the present promised a great deal of sweetness, and I had come to take payment of the promise.

At the base of the wide stone steps did I halt to send the advance signal about the circle of warriors which had been formed, paused a moment for the signal to make its way toward those who could not see me, then began to mount the wetly glistening steps. The stone of the dwelling, I knew, was the smoothest of pinks, yet little of the color was to be seen in the flickering of the high torches upon the walls. Again I marveled that no alarm arose from the dwelling we approached so closely, that none had seen the lack of guardsmen in their accustomed places, and yet a question occurred which made the situation blindingly clear in the manner in which these males thought. Who was there about that city for the males to fear? Who would brave their walls and dare their wrath, that they must be constantly alert? Surely was it sublime wisdom that the Midanna had enemy clans to keep them ever alert, ever vigilant against attack, well versed in the doings of battle. Easily might it be seen that behind the walls of males lies stagnation, a state Midanna would not allow themselves to fall to.

The oversized entrance to the dwelling now stood before me, warm, beckoning candlelight spilling out into the dampness of the dark. Within was I able to see the blue of the silk hangings upon the walls, the blue of the floor cloth called carpet, the wood of small platforms and seats, the candleholders of silver, the trinkets, the small weaponry, the vastness. Easily and quietly did I enter within, a large number of warriors behind me, none shouting their battle cry nor rampaging about, for what reason is there to give undue warning to an enemy? There would indeed be screaming and shouting and battling aplenty before the darkness came to an end, yet then, at the very beginning, no one of my warriors, at whichever entrance, voiced an unnecessary cry.

“Jalav, in which direction shall we go?” whispered Tilim, afrown at the hall we stood in which swept away left, right and ahead. Large indeed was the dwelling, which contained many males behind many doors.

“We shall go in all directions,” said I, attempting in vain to place what little I had seen of the dwelling in its proper place. “This entire keep must be ours, therefore are you to search each corner of it, leaving no enemy behind you to cause mischief. I, myself, shall see to the level above this one.”

Agreement came from the war leaders about me, their faces showing eagerness to get on with the thing, their hands straying restlessly to the hilts of weapons, their eyes roving the emptiness about us with the eyes of their warriors, all seeking to get on with searching out those they might meet with blades. In each direction, left, right and ahead, did I dispatch them, and then, with eager warriors crowding my heels, did I turn to the stairs which led to the next level of the dwelling.

Well did I know, from my time in Ranistard, that the High Seat of that city kept his own private quarters upon the second level of his dwelling, away from those others who served him and bowed to him, guarded by the swords of males in leather and metal. Mida willing, the High Seat of Bellinard did the same, for it was my intention to capture the male rather than slay him, to give him the justice he gave to others rather than allow him the escape of death. The smooth stone of the steps cooled the bottoms of my feet after the warmth of the blue floor covering I had stood upon, yet the high, warm excitement within me was untouched by an equal cooling. Soon, soon would that place of males be mine as it was destined to be, soon would they learn the danger in taking captive a war leader of the Midanna.

Little was to be seen when we had reached the top of the steps, and that little was easily and quickly attended to. A wide corridor stretched away before us directly ahead, showing the doors to many rooms to either side of the area. In the midst of the corridor was a round, high wooden platform, similar to the sort found in the palace of the High Seat of Ranistard, about which knelt three slave-females set to the task of seeing to the needs of the guests of the High Seat. So quietly had my warriors and myself mounted the steps that they knew naught of our presence till we were upon them, the points of swords to their throats to insure their silence. Wildly and fearfully did they look upon us, their eyes wide, their skin pale, their scantily clad bodies frozen in mid tremble lest they move wrongly and precipitate the points of those swords into their throats. One, a light-haired wench of full figure and pretty face, found the threat too great for her senses to allow. Her light eyes rolled up as her body slumped to the floor cloth, and then there were but two who remained to be questioned.

“Which of these rooms contain males with weapons, girl?” I asked very softly, looking down upon the darker haired of the two slaves. She, slender of body within the short blue slave-covering, stared up at me with great fear and trembling upon her, then forced words from a dry and tightened throat.

“Do not slay us, Mistress!” she quavered, her voice held low through effort, her eyes widened yet further. “We are poor, miserable slaves, ignorant of the goings-on about us! I beg you, do not slay us!”

“What ails them, Jalav?” asked a voice at my elbow as I frowned in displeasure at the slave. A glance showed me the pale-haired Hitta warrior who had stood with me against the Silla, she who had been spoken of as Ilvin by others. This Ilvin was known as an excellent warrior among the clans, yet was she ignorant of the ways of city folk.

“See the metal bands about their throats,” said I to Ilvin, nodding toward the females who knelt before us. “These females are slaves among slaves, preferring a life of dishonor and abuse to the swift death refusal to serve would bring them. They are bound to give pleasure to any male who seeks their use, for they have no worth other than that.” Then did I return my gaze to the dark-haired slave-female, and show her something of my impatience. “What life you retain is of little interest to me, girl. I seek the lives of the males of this place, and will have an answer to the question I have put to you. Speak quickly and truthfully, lest I grow angry at your lack of aid and allow you to share their fate. ”

“I will speak, Mistress, I will speak!” choked the slave, squirming her body about somewhat before recalling that she knelt at the feet of those who had no interest in her use. “Four masters are in residence in these rooms as guests, yet are they now in the apartments of the Blessed One, sharing a meal and diversion. Should you spare my life I will serve you, Mistress, as loyally as I now serve the High Seat!”

“I have no use for a slave,” said I, gesturing my warriors to the doors along the corridors, intent upon testing the truthfulness of the words the slave had spoken. With all in position my warriors burst within at the same moment, yet emptiness greeted their efforts, no males appearing before their drawn swords. A rapid examination of each of the rooms showed no more than the four spoken of to contain belongings and other evidence of occupation, and soon were my warriors returned to the center of the corridor, to assist in seeing to the slave females. Wisest is to leave no living enemy behind one’s back, yet slaves are far from the honor of being considered enemies to warriors. The three females, after being briefly questioned as to the whereabouts of the High Seat, were placed within a room, their wrists and ankles bound in leather, their voices silenced by the presence of cloth in their mouths. Then were we able to leave the corridor of rooms return to the steps of smoothened stone, and turn left, toward the area described to us as that belonging to the High Seat.

This left-hand corridor took us a distance from the steps, yet were we, when turning a corner, at last rewarded with the sight of males in leather and metal, astand before large carved double doors draped in blue silk. Two hands of males were there before us, more than eight paces from the corner we turned, and yet, rather than give the alarm, all but two of the males advanced toward us with grins upon their faces, slowly drawing their weapons. The warriors in my wake murmured in astonishment, failing to understand this foolish lack of proper defense, yet the actions of the males were scarcely a surprise to one familiar with their ways. They saw before them no more than lowly females, prancing about in little clothing, carrying the weapons of males. Surely would these males before us soon teach us the error of our presumptions, taking our swords and then taking their pick among us for their pleasure. That they thought in such a manner was clearly to be seen upon their faces and in their eyes, yet those obvious desires were not meant to be satisfied.

A number of my warriors stepped out from the others, a number sufficient, with myself, to match the number of the males. This the males found vastly amusing, and yet, when their swords crossed ours, the amusement was not long in duration. Large were these males, appearing larger yet in the leather and metal protection they wore, yet they, though somewhat abler with their weapons than those of the small dwellings beside the gate, knew vastly less of the use of a sword than warriors. One does not when facing an opponent, keep one’s guard down till the very last instant, and yet such was the doing of him whom I faced. Filled full with confidence was this male, his eyes moving about my body rather than seeking the movement of my sword, his grin comprising every insult ever offered me in the lands of males. Anger touched me, and grim pleasure as well, and then the sword that had so long been withheld from my grip flamed toward him, impelled equally by the anger and pleasure combined. Startled, the male lost his grin as his weapon flew up in defense, yet his movements proved too slow to prolong his life. A feint at his face raised his sword, a slash at his legs lowered it, and then was my point deep within his throat, above the piece of leather set there to guard it, spilling out his life blood upon the blue floor cloth beneath our feet. No more than a gurgle came from the male as he staggered then collapsed, no more than the sounds from the other males as they joined him by ones and twos. Scant moments passed before all were done so, and then did I turn from this mockery of battle to see the remaining two, before the large double doors, also asprawl upon the floor cloth, one with a dagger in his eye, the other wearing it in his throat. Their positions upon the floor cloth said they had begun to turn toward the double doors when the daggers caught them, thrown by warriors who had not been engaged with swords. It seemed the males had at last been prepared to sound a warning; a pity for them the thought had come too late.

Leaving the dead where they had fallen, we advanced to the large double doors. Deeply carved were these doors, bearing likenesses of males and females and kand and nilnod and all manner of creatures. From within came faint sounds, mainly comprised of laughter above the rhythmic noises I had once heard produced by males with strange devices in their hands. One device was tapped on by fingers, two others were put to one’s lips, and it was now no wonder that naught had been heard within the room of the scuffle produced in the corridor by our arrival. The two males at the threshold had been about to push within the chamber; now we, after leaving four of our number to see to our backs, completed the action for them.

Easily did the doors push aside, bringing to view an unexpected sight. Where the balance of the dwelling seemed nearly stark with no more than silks upon the walls, cloths upon the floors, and platforms stood here and there, the chamber we looked upon was more than cluttered. Blue silk hung everywhere in vast amounts about the large chamber, dim in the edge of the glow from countless numbers of candles in silver holders circling the center of the chamber. Deep-piled and incredibly soft was the blue floor cloth beneath our feet, platforms large and small standing in many places upon it, slaves both male and female astand beside and about them, in the shadows, poised ever ready to be commanded to their tasks. Upon these platforms were metal eating boards, golden and bedecked with many-colored glittering stones, tall pots called goblets astand beside them, also of golden metal and cluttered with stones. Four large, carved seats of wood covered with many-colored silks were filled by four males asprawl in them, goblets held in their fists, laughter flushing their faces, naked slave-females in the laps of three. Perhaps seven paces from these males, facing them and looking down upon them, was the fat, bloated creature males called High Seat and Blessed One. Gross was this male in his draping of blue silk, light-haired and light-eyed and thick in the lips, skin of the apparent softness of a city slave-woman. The seat he sat upon was of the sort called throne, seemingly made of golden metal picked out in glittering stones, wide enough for his massive girth, draped in blue silk, astand upon a platform which raised the seat above the level of the others in the chamber. Two naked slave females waved feather fans to cool the male, two others held metal platters with provender for his selection, yet he, like the others of the males, had eyes for naught save that which occurred in the center of the chamber.

A hand of slave males, naked save for the bands of metal about their broad necks, lay flat upon the floor cloth, each male attended by a slave female. The females, though clothed in brief blue slave coverings, had had their wrists closed in chain behind them and their eyes tightly enclosed in folds of cloth, and in such a manner were they attending to the males, upon their knees beside them, lips and tongues caressing the bodies of the males. Each male was clearly deep in his need, their bodies glistening with sweat, their fists clenched in pain, their faces strained with jaws clamped tight and gritted teeth showing. Had the females been able to see them they would not have been as unconcerned as they appeared, laughing lightly as they caressed the males, murmuring insolently and then laughing further, twisting their bodies about to entice the males. That city folk are beyond reason is known to all, and yet was I unable to fathom the reasons for their behavior till one of the four males spoke.

“At them, wenches, at them with a will!” he called with a laugh, pausing briefly to drink from his goblet. “They are chained tight for this punishment you inflict, therefore may you do as you wish without fear of reprisal. At them again, else face punishment of your own!”

At these words the females again applied themselves to the males, happily, laughingly, ignorant of the fact that the males were in no manner chained as they had been told. My warriors and I stood in the shadows produced by the blaze of candles in the center of the chamber, made silent witnesses to the doings of city males which was considered by them as amusement. I, myself, considered the matter low and vile, on a par with the doings of all city males, and yet, before I might step forward out of the dimness and halt the farce, he who was called High Seat raised one round and delicate hand and gestured to the male slaves flat upon the floor cloth.

Immediately was it evident that the males had been commanded to await such a signal before they might attend to their needs. Almost as one did they rise from the floor cloth to sitting reach for the foolish slave females who knelt beside them, and then began to teach them the stupidity in believing the words of males. Three of the females screamed out their shock as the brief, blue slave coverings were torn from them, baring their flesh to the males they thought themselves safe from. The remaining two, thrown immediately beneath the males they had tended, choked and shrilled in pain and fear as they were brutally entered before having their coverings torn away. They writhed helplessly upon the floor cloth, their wrists tight behind them, their bodies in the possession of those they thought they punished. Another, begging and pleading, was forced to her back, and then another and another, and then all of the females were in the possession of males, their mewling and wheedling and sudden attempts to give pleasure to those they had laughed at sufficient to bring illness to the strongest of warriors. The males in their seats howled laughter at the sudden predicament of the poor, foolish slave females, yet the matter was hardly one for laughter. How low one must be to take amusement from the distress of slaves!

Of a sudden, I had no further desire to stand among shadows, therefore I advanced into the candlelight, my warriors coming forward with me. The sudden light gleamed off my sword where the blood of males failed to cover its brightness, and gasps and screams and a silence of sorts came when those slaves standing about and the males of noise devices spied us. Last of all to see us were the males in silk-covered seats, those four who sat as guests and the fifth who sat as leader to them, and quickly did frowns replace the amusement they had felt.

“Who are you?” demanded the rounded male, he who was called High Seat. “How dare you enter my apartments without leave? Guards! Attend me immediately! Guards!”

“To call for the dead is idle,” said I, moving forward more fully into the light. The male slaves continued to use the females at my feet, their doing more desperation than pleasure. “Do you fail to recall the look of Jalav, male, she who was once declared slave by you? Did you find her so commonplace, then, that she has slipped entirely from your memory?”

“You!” said the male, taken aback by my appearance, now clear to his sight. The pale skin of him turned paler still, the narrow, lazing blue of his eyes clearly to be seen, the shrinking back in his seat most obvious of all. Well did this male now recall the sight of Jalav, she who stood before him with head held high and sword grasped tightly in fist.

“No,” he whispered, widened eyes most piteously pleading. “I am High Seat of Bellinard and cannot be harmed! Guards! Guards!”

“Blessed One, my sword is yours!” spoke out one of the four males who sat as guest at the gathering, causing me to turn to him as he pushed the cringing slave-female from his lap and struggled erect. Red of face was this male, portly in the manner of he called High Seat, yet not of such immense proportions. The sword he spoke of was dragged clumsily from its scabbard as he advanced upon me, his steps unevenly slow, his eyes unusually bright. “I shall disarm this one for you,” said he, “and close her in slave chains at your feet. The wench will provide sport for us all.”

“As will the others,” said one of the remaining three, he without a slave female of his own. He rose to his feet, gesturing his companions with him, drew his blade as all three stood together, then led the eager attack upon the warriors who had accompanied me.

“Take them all!” screamed the bloated male upon the raised seat to my right, his voice filled with relief and insane anger. “Take them and chain them and you may have your pick of them, and then shall they be beaten and used and sold as—No!”

The final scream of the male was very high-pitched, as though it had come from the throat of a woman, causing the fourth male, he who advanced upon me, to whirl around in an ungainly manner. The sight which met his eyes was that which had caused the High Seat such distress, the sight of the spitting of the three males who had attacked my warriors. One took a sword through the chest, one through the belly, and one through the throat, each having faced no more than a single warrior. These males were poor stuff, less even than the males of leather and metal we had met in the corridor, their slaying providing more disgust than satisfaction to my warriors. The fourth male, he who now held his sword in a trembling hand, stared in disbelief as his companions fell slowly to the floor cloth, their blood pooled beneath them, then tore his gaze from the sight to turn again to me. A pallor had come to his skin as the trembling had come to his body, and the fear he felt stared nakedly from his eyes.

“I am Jalav, war leader of these Midanna,” said I, my voice soft as I held his gaze. “Do you propose to face me as those others faced my warriors?”

Abruptly the male started, as though only then remembering the sword in his fist, his eyes darting to it in terror before his hand flung it from him and his head shook in violent negation.

The male had no stomach to face me, a wise decision for one of his undoubted lack of skill.

“Should it then be your decision to retain your miserable life,” said I, “remove your covering and go to your belly upon the cloth before me. To stand erect and proud is a privilege reserved for those who prefer death to dishonor.”

Had the male been possessed of some vestige of pride, surely would he then have shown a sign of it. My command struck him to the core of his being, and yet, with no hesitation worthy of the name, he began to claw at his covering, removing it with indecent haste. When once he stood bare before me he also hastened to lower himself to the cloth, yet was the gesture of attempted concealment unnecessary. My warriors eyed the unclothed male slaves with considerably more interest than one would expect to find for a male such as the portly one, yet the portly male appeared unaware of the fact. He trembled as he lay stretched out upon the cloth before me, as though he expected the kiss of a blade—or the touch of a hand—to intrude upon his shame, yet were there other, more pressing matters than the shaming of a male to attend to. I then returned my gaze to the male I had come for, he who was called High Seat.

“No!” screamed that male, a rope of spittle dripping down the vastness of his chins, his body again attempting to shrink back in the seat. That rescue would not be forthcoming was beyond belief to him, an impossibility impossible to comprehend. It was obviously necessary to prove to the male that his position was no longer as it had been.

“Take that one and place him in chains,” said I gesturing toward the massive male as I spoke to my warriors, then did I nudge the one upon the floor cloth with my toes. “Also, bind this one with leather so that he may not follow and beg to be used. We have not the time for such frivolity.”

The male at my feet turned deep crimson as my warriors laughed, perhaps touched with shame that such a thing might be suggested, perhaps touched with shame that a secret truth had been spoken. A moan of sorts escaped from him, yet was it nearly covered by the screams and pleadings and threatenings produced by him called High Seat as my warriors advanced upon him. The massive male cringed within his seat, holding to one arm of it, attempting to resist the will of warriors who had little patience with the foolishness of males. Chains there were aplenty about the chamber, obviously having been taken from the slaves therein, and the placing of them upon the male, ungently and with little care for his comfort, brought outrage to cover his fear.

“You will all be foully punished for this!” he screamed, struggling in the loops of chain, rising at the urging of pain brought him when he attempted resistance. “I will see you more cruelly treated than the lowest of slaves, worked till you drop, beaten till you bleed, used till you scream—No!”

His declamation ended rather abruptly, due to the cuffing he received from a warrior beside him, a Hersa with less patience than most.

“Silence, male!” she commanded, striking the obese captive with the back of her hand, her orange covering dull in the low lighting. “We may find amusement in male prattle at other times, yet now have little interest in it. Should you fail to keep silent, you will quickly find punishment. ”

Gasps sounded about the chamber, clear indications of the shock touching the slaves who stood fearfully about, hoping to escape notice. These slaves, male and female alike, would not have dared to speak so to those who had enslaved them, a sure sign that they were indeed slaves. To fall slave may happen to any; to remain slave, and conduct oneself in a slavish way, may be accomplished only by one who knows naught of true freedom.

“We must leave here and rejoin the others,” said I to my warriors, some of whom led the High Seat in chains, others of whom had already bound the portly male upon the floor cloth in leather. Of the male slaves who had been allowed the use of female slaves, all save one had withdrawn in fear, lest they be struck down by females with swords for attempting the use of females in chains. This last male, though in possession of a moaning female lost to his thrusts, nevertheless regarded me with unwavering gaze, a faint smile touching him when our eyes met. His hands stroked the body of the female he used, causing her to writhe helplessly, bringing her to a higher pitch of frenzied need. My warriors murmured approval of the display, pleased with the strength and ability of the male, their grins telling him of the interest they felt. His hips thrust hard at the female, drawing a cry of pleasure from her, and then his smile widened to a grin of confidence.

“It would be my honor to give you similar pleasure, Mistress,” he said to me, his deep voice husky. “Should I be allowed to live, I would serve you well indeed. A body such as yours must have deep needs not easily satisfied. Take me as your personal slave and allow me to serve your pleasure.”

Again the slaves about the chamber gasped, the females fearfully for they now realized how small their value would be to female conquerors, the males in anger that another of their number had so quickly claimed the place in the sleeping leather of the leader of the invading warriors. Those males now stepped forward, their voices raised in protestations of their own ability, setting my warriors to chuckling, for never had they seen males so eager to serve. I, to my surprise, felt some faint stirring within me due to the sight of the male who continued his use of the slave beneath him, yet even had my need been great, another need was greater still.

“Before the pleasures of the body come the pleasures of battle,” said I, more to my warriors than to the slaves. “When this dwelling is completely ours, then may we dally and sport. Which of you would remain here in sport with males the while we others join our sisters with swords in our fists?”

“Not I!” shouted my warriors in many voices, all stepping forward with laughter and eagerness, some with swords raised high, causing the male slaves who had come forward to back quickly with the cringing females. He in possession of the female upon the floor cloth no longer wore a grin of confidence, and my laughter narrowed his eyes.

“Do not tire yourself completely, slave,” said I to him, the amusement I felt strange after so long an absence. “My warriors will return for you all, of that you may be sure, and then will your ability to give pleasure be put to the test. Do not remove the leather from this portly male, for soon he will be a slave just as you are. Remain in this chamber once we have gone, else your lives may be lost through accident.”

The silence of fear greeted my words, therefore did I signal my warriors to follow and quit the chamber, returning to the corridor where we had met the males in leather and metal. He called High Seat, forced by his chains in the hands of warriors to accompany us, stared with horror upon the blood-covered bodies of his males as we passed them, his voice stilled more completely by the sight than by the cuffing he had received. We had a distance to go, however, therefore did I pay him no further heed.

When we had at last reached the stairs we had ascended and again descended to the lower level, we found ourselves quickly embroiled in the sort of battle we had not earlier encountered. Many males seemed to have appeared from nowhere, some clad in no more than the cloth covering of males of the cities, the swords in their hands unmatched by empty scabbards at their sides. No more than the swords had the males snatched, it seemed, and these they wielded grimly against the warriors before them. Some few Midanna lay motionless upon the red-stained floor cloth, yet many more males lay so, mute evidence of the skill of warriors. The sounds of battle seemed to come from all about the dwelling, the clash of metal, the screams of pain, the war cries, the curses, all blending with the swiftly moving shadows cast by the candles upon the walls. Leaving half of my warriors to see that the High Seat did not find rescue by his males, I led the others forward to add our swords to the melee.

Truly must hind have passed in the taking of the dwelling. No sooner did we clear an area of defending males and begin to move forward into other areas, than additional males appeared before us, as eager to test our blades as those left lifeless behind us. No scrap of blue silk hanging upon the walls was left unspattered by blood, no shred of floor cloth beneath our feet retained its once-pure color. On and on we fought, through corridors and within chambers large and small, about platforms of wood and bright metal, beside carven figures of males, before the eyes of fear-filled slaves. At last fewer males appeared before us, then fewer still, and then so few we were able to take captives rather than slay them out of hand. This last set the High Seat again to frothing, for much had he hoped to be freed by his males, and such had they truly attempted to accomplish. It was not until all battle was done and the dwelling was ours that I learned that by far the greatest number of males had stood before my set, their desperation prompting them to attempt the freeing of the High Seat in order to rally those males whose courage flagged at thought of facing Midanna warriors. That their leader had been captured was a heavy blow to their confidence, one they were unable to overcome.

With no further males attempting to engage us, we were able to advance more quickly through the corridors. Not long after we had taken captives of our own, we came upon a chamber guarded by Hunda and Homma warriors, a large number of males bound tight with leather within the chamber. To that number did we add the captives we had taken, my warriors making no attempt to mark them for future recognition. The abilities of a male to give pleasure cannot be known from the manner in which he holds a sword, nor even from how well made he appears. There would be adequate opportunity to choose among the best of the males when once all battle was done.

We then continued our advance, yet not without purpose. Mida and Sigurr had demanded that the city be taken, yet was it necessary to bear in mind that the freeing of captured Sigurri was also demanded of me. The Sigurri males had been declared slave therefore were they likely to be found in that place where my Hosta warriors and I had been held, a large chamber containing metal enclosures, chains and whips, and males of leather and metal who took great pleasure in the indignities they served up to captives. Should the Sigurri not be found within the confines of the chamber, the pleasure received from questioning those selfsame males of leather and metal would then be mine.

The vastness of the dwelling at last forced me to the need for questioning the High Seat upon the whereabouts of the chamber I sought. A silence had fallen upon the dwelling, one lacking the sounds of battle no matter the number of lifeless forms we passed, one enhancing the sound of the labored breathing of the obese male we kept to our pace. The male found great difficulty in moving himself about at any pace above that of one aged or infirm, yet had the presence of chains upon him given him little choice in the matter. I paused before a large rendering of a forest glade which hung upon a wall of pink stone, unsure as to whether the rendering seemed familiar, and then turned to the male.

“I seek the chamber in which slaves are kept,” said I, looking down upon the panting male where he stood among my warriors. “As this dwelling is reportedly yours, you shall inform us of the proper direction.”

“Shall I indeed,” wheezed the male, looking upon me with a great deal of his former arrogance returned. His covering hung sweat-soaked and blood-smeared upon him, his limbs trembled with fatigue, his skin retained much of the pallor brought about by having been in the midst of many scenes of battle, and yet the light eyes of him regarded me as though I were the one enchained.

“You feel you need not do so?” said I, curious as to what had wrought the change in him. “Do you forget your position among us?”

“On the contrary, I have only recently begun to understand my position among you,” said he, straightening in his chains. “It is now clear that I have considerable value to you savages, a value I need not comprehend to utilize. Had it been your desire to slay me, the deed would already have been done; I need not fear reprisal of such a sort for refusing to aid you.”

The smirk he sent was gratingly offensive, just as it was meant to be. The male had sought for safety in his predicament and believed he had discovered it, and yet his understanding was not as deep as true wisdom would have made it.

“You are correct in your belief that I do not wish you slain,” said I with a nod to the two warriors nearest the male. They immediately stood the closer to him, removing his smirk and replacing it with a frown. “I, however, am able to command obedience from those about me with less than the promise of death. Extend his hand to me.”

The male fought my warriors as best he might, yet was the effort useless. For too many kalod had he done no more than gesture slaves to him with his own strength, an activity ill-suited to the enhancement of such strength. Against his struggles was his soft, delicate hand extended to me, and then was my dagger in my fist and advancing toward him.

“A male may live a considerable time with a finger removed,” said I, touching him gently with the cold, sharp edge of the blade. “How many fingers will I find it necessary to remove, I wonder, before you speak the words I have commanded?”

“You would not maim me so!” he whispered, his fear and trembling having returned in greater measure, his light eyes widened nearly to bursting. “You are females, and no females may be so savagely brutal!”

“We are warriors of the Midanna,” said I, allowing the edge of my blade to part his flesh enough for blood to flow. “Your well-being means naught to me, male, the use I have for you the sole reason for your continued existence. Such use may be had even should you be fingerless, and once fled, my forbearance will not return.”

“I will obey!” he whispered, his frantic gaze seeing clearly that I spoke the truth. “Do not harm me further, I will obey you!”

“Obey, then,” said I, making no attempt to remove the dagger.

“You must take the first turning to the right,” the male babbled, his gaze now firmly locked to the blade at his flesh. “Pass three crossing corridors, and then turn to the left. At the end of that corridor, on the right, is the place you seek.”

“It had best be so,” said I, at last taking the dagger from his hand. A faint smear of blood lay upon the edge of the sharpened metal, therefore did I first wipe it clean upon the covering of the male before returning it to my leg bands. The male shuddered at the action, his expression showing illness, unaware of the disgust to be seen upon the faces of my warriors. Further comment was unnecessary, therefore did we continue on.

Faint recognition at last came to me when the final turn was negotiated, putting us within the corridor which led to the chamber of slaves. So vast was the dwelling that surely must I have been taken there by another route the instance previous, rendering what few memories I had of the walk worthless to the present time. Our ranks had swelled since I had paused to question the captive male, for other warriors, wandering through the corridors in search of what battle there was to be found, happily joined our search. Their hopes for further battle were dashed, however, when we entered the chamber to find it already taken. The slaves in their metal enclosures, of course, were as yet undisturbed, yet the same could not be said of those who guarded them. Some few lay sprawled upon the stones of the floor, yet by far the greater number lay bound in leather, taken by the Midanna warriors who ranged about the chamber, curiously inspecting the devices the walls and enclosures held. All whirled to face us as we entered, their swords flashing from their scabbards, then grins of welcome replaced the smiles of pending battle they had worn, and swords were put up once again.

“Jalav, you are welcome indeed!” called Rogon, the Hirga war leader who had traversed the city ways with me. Not so tall as others was this Rogon, whose dark red hair fell past her thighs, yet her bright dark eyes had seen the end of all warriors who had sought to take her position as war leader. Quick and eager was her blade, as the blade of a war leader should be, and she grinned quite well as we came up to her. “Before returning to this place I have had messengers from those of our sisters about the dwelling,” said she. “All battle appears to be ended and the dwelling ours, yet none knew where to reach you with this word. I now see you were in search of the least of the males of this dwelling, and have found him.”

“Indeed,” I laughed, turning to gaze upon the High Seat as Rogon did, seeing the flush of anger upon his cheeks at her words. “Indeed did I go in search of this male, and now he is mine. As it is not yet time that he be put to use, I shall keep him here, out from under foot.”

I directed my warriors to place the male within an enclosure which was to be heavily guarded at all times, then turned my back upon his pleading protests and began a tour of the chamber with Rogon. As it had been when last I had been there, many of the enclosures contained females, a large number of them entirely unclothed. These females, down to the last of them, wept and trembled within the confines of the metal, cringing fearfully back when my gaze fell upon them. The cause of such great fear continued to elude me, for what warrior would be so low as to offer harm to so poor a thing as a city slave-woman? The males within the enclosures, all chained close to prevent attempts at escape, eyed me quite differently, for males find great pleasure in the sight of Jalav, They spoke no word concerning their position, yet their eyes moved about me hungrily, their tongues slowly wet their lips, their bodies stirred with a clank of chain, and their hands circled the obdurate metal refusing them freedom. Male slaves found little opportunity to see to their needs, yet would they find themselves well occupied when once my warriors found the time for pleasure. The slaves were well made, and sure to be deemed of interest.

One enclosure, containing four males, was of great interest to the war leader Jalav. Large were the males, two light-haired and light-eyed, one red-haired and light eyed, the fourth dark-haired yet not so dark as those of the villages I had so recently encountered. Broad of chest were the males, their arms well-muscled, their waists slim, their bodies deeply tanned, their stare direct and filled with interest, the heavy chains upon their wrists and ankles seeming lighter by cause of the unconcern of those who wore them. I examined them as overtly and with as little attention as I had examined the others, yet notwithstanding the fact that I had never seen them before, I knew them at once. All four wore black cloths wrapped about their loins, and all four showed, seemingly impressed within the flesh of their left shoulders, the stroke which stood for the male god Sigurr. The stroke, called letter by males, was one of those taught me by Lialt during our journey to Sigurr’s Peak. Black was the stroke upon the bodies of the males, the color of Sigurr, the color of agony well remembered. I turned from the males as their eyes burned into me, denying my hand the wish to reach for my sword hilt. Captives were the males and captives would they remain the while, for other matters needed attending to. When once all else had been seen to, Sigurr’s males might then be released. In the interim, they would not stray.

“See our fine collection of captives, war leader,” said Rogon, nodding to the bound males we now approached. “My warriors were anxious indeed to return to them, for soon their use will be ours.”

The warriors standing guard about the captives laughed softly at Rogon’s words, yet the captives themselves failed to share the amusement. The males pulled at the leather which bound them, attempting to break free, yet those bound by Midanna rarely find escape easily accomplished. And then I saw those I had never thought to see again, and I stopped to stare with a great delight filling me.

“We know not why the female failed to be enclosed with the others,” said Rogon, following my gaze to the two I stared upon. “She crept about behind these males, attempting to be one of them yet refusing to take sword in hand, and we knew not what was to be done with her. She is undoubtedly slave to him she lies beside.”

“I am slave to no man, you bare-breasted hussy!” snapped the female Karil, struggling uselessly in her bonds. She it was who had greeted my warriors and myself when first we had been brought to that chamber, she it was who had attempted to lure males into my purchase as slave, she it was who had brought me shame and pain when I had refused to acknowledge myself slave to her and the male she lay beside. He was the male called Bariose, the one who saw to male slaves as Karil saw to female. It had been his hand which held the lash when it had struck me with fire, and this the male recalled when his gaze met mine. Large was the male, and well used to the ordering about of other males and slaves, and yet that which he saw within my eyes caused him to lay totally unmoving in his bonds.

“There is now a thing to be done with the female,” said I, looking upon the indignation of her called Karil without expression. “And the male as well. Unbind their ankles and bring them before me.”

“At once, war leader,” acknowledged Rogon, gesturing warriors to my bidding as I turned and walked toward the center of the chamber. I knew not whether Mida would care for my taking revenge at that time, and yet, with all battle done, what better time might be found?

In no more than a moment were the male and female, freed of their ankle bonds, brought before me. I stood at the center of the large chamber, surrounded by the enclosures of slaves and the lines of warriors of the Midanna, and looked upon the darkhaired male and female with distaste.

“When last we met our positions were not quite the same,” I informed them, folding my arms beneath my life sign. “It was then your choice to accord me the treatment of a slave, denying me the right to stand before you with sword in hand, winning freedom or death in accordance with what skill I possessed. You, in turn, may be accorded the same treatment, for the choice has now become mine, and yet I shall not do so. I offer you the right to face me with swords—should you have the courage to do so.”

I looked upon the male Bariose as I spoke, knowing him the more likely of the two to accept my challenge. He returned my gaze directly enough, and yet his sneer of contempt, when it came, rang falsely.

“You think me backward enough to believe I would face only you?” he asked, pulling at the leather upon his wrists as he looked about him. “These others would cut me down when I bested you, giving me no opportunity to declare my victory.”

“True victory need not be declared,” said I above the angry mutter of the warriors within hearing, disallowing them the opportunity to take insult. “We are not like you, male, not like the folk of cities and villages. The concept of honor is well known to us, therefore would freedom be yours were you to best me. This, I believe, you know full well. Perhaps it would be best to have you face me against your will, then would you find it unnecessary to concern yourself with the matter of backwardness. Would such an arrangement be more to your liking?”

The male stood and gazed upon me, his eyes hard upon the sword at my hip, his skin touched with pallor, his tongue seeking to wet the dryness of his lips. I had recognized the insult for the attempted ruse it was, and now the male stood stripped of it—and dignity as well. His dark eyes, filled with a mixture of fear and fury, rose again to my face as his head shook in negation.

“No, curse you, such an arrangement would not be to my liking,” he rasped, torn from the need to speak such words. “I have seen the manner in which these others fight, and know you stand above them. I have no wish to die.”

“You would prefer to live as a slave then,” said I, showing all of the contempt I felt at such a notion. At his curt, wordless nod I, too, nodded. “May you never forget that the choice was given you. As you have now become a slave, you may reap the fruits of a slave. Immediately. ”

Curtly did I command my warriors to take the male to a wall, remove his covering, and close his wrists in the cuffs upon the wall. His struggles were great, for well did he know what lay in store for him, yet his struggles, like mine when I had been done so, were useless. His wrists were closed in unyielding metal, his bare body pressed hard against the cool of the wall stone, and then was a large warrior behind him, a lash in her hands. As the lash was shaken out in preparation for use, I turned my attention to the female Karil.

“And you?” I inquired, pulling the female’s eyes from the struggling form of Bariose. “Do you also feel you would be wrongly done should you take sword in hand and face me?”

“Face you?” the female snorted, tossing her head in disdain. “I am not such a fool as Bariose. I am a lady, and unconcerned with swords and suchlike nonsense. You will not do me as you do Bariose, for any will tell you I am cousin to the High Seat, much like a sister to him. When he returns with fighting men at his back, he will pay well for my immediate release—unharmed, of course. Should I be harmed, my value will prove much less. That should be clear enough even to savages such as you. Should you wish my value to remain intact, I must not be harmed.”

The female stood with a smirk well upon her, her dark hair somewhat disarranged, her long, city-female covering dirtied and worn, yet her self-concept of value entirely intact. Strange were these city folk and their concepts of value, for what may be of greater value than a truly made sword in one’s fist and a clan-sister to guard one’s back? Of what value may be a useless, smirking female who delights in the debasement and insult of others?

“You speak of the return of the High Seat,” said I, again folding my arms. “You believe he has escaped to gather males to him so that he might return?”

“Certainly,” said she, again tossing her head. “He would not have fallen to a female rabble with the best swordsmen in the Guard to protect him. It would be wisest if you were gone upon his return, for his temper is such that he may have all of you slain rather than taken as slave. He is a man of great—”

The words of the female ended abruptly, for I had turned to gaze upon the enclosure which held the High Seat, drawing her gaze with mine. It was clear the female Karil had not seen our arrival, she having been placed upon the stones of the floor at the far wall of the chamber, yet now was she completely aware of the true state of affairs. Her head shook slowly in distant negation as she looked upon the bedraggled figure of the once-mighty High Seat, and her voice, so confident a moment earlier, was no longer filled with scorn.

“No,” she whispered, her head still ashake, and then did she jump and shudder when a scream of pain was forced from the male Bariose, he who was now under the lash he had so often wielded. “No, it cannot be,” said this Karil, turning wide-eyed to stare upon me. “You cannot have taken him! You are savages! Savages!”

“We are warriors of the Midanna,” I informed her, feeling something of anger beginning within me. “Savage” had I been called by the slave-guards of that city, “savage” was I to each of these useless, honorless folk of cities and villages. I had long since wearied of the term, yet this Karil saw naught of my anger.

“Warrior!” she spat, beside herself with fury. “Savages have your actions shown you to be, and savages will you remain! I am a high lady, far beyond the comprehension of such as you, far beyond your ability to degrade me! Slay me if you will, yet I refuse to declare myself slave!”

“Excellent,” said I, anod in seeming approval of her words. “It is true, I am told, that males much prefer to teach a female her slavery themselves. That you refuse to declare yourself slave should make you of greater interest to males. Remove her covering. ”

Two of my warriors, widely agrin, caught the female as she attempted to flee, removed the leather from her wrists, and then began the removal of the city slave-woman covering. The female Karil howled and fought, rendering the removal of her covering difficult, therefore did one of the warriors, a Hulna by the gold of her clan colors, produce her dagger from its bands and deftly slit the covering from neck to waist. A deeper howl came from the female as the balance of the covering was torn from her, and then she stood, bare to the eyes of all, in the midst of cloth puddled at her feet. The females this Karil had done in a like manner were undoubtedly numberless, and yet her attempts to keep herself from the eyes of others, and the frenzied weeping and howling, seemed to indicate she felt herself unjustly done. With arms held before her and body bent forward, her head swung this way and that, her eyes searching for an avenue of escape, they finding no more than the laughter of warriors, the appraisal of males. I examined the female in silence a moment, then frowned in mock disapproval.

“The presentation seems amiss,” I mused, considering the woman with head to one side. “There is that lacking which I cannot— Ah, now do I have it! The heat. One cannot see her heat. ”

“No!” whispered the female in horror, her widened eyes immediately coming to me upon hearing my words. “You cannot— It would be bestial—I am not—I cannot be done so! I am a high lady, not for the likes of slave handlers and positionless men! There are none about here worthy of me, not to speak of slaves!”

“She undoubtedly means she is a virgin and cold,” called one of the male slaves, causing the others to laugh coarsely and raucously, bringing a deep stain of red to the female’s body. “Put her in this cage with me, wench, and I will soon have her hot and hopping—and opened to her teeth.”

Again the male slaves laughed, as much at the words of the large, well-made male as at the appalled, disbelieving expression upon the face of the female. She called Karil stared upon the heavily chained male who wished her use, seeing the broadness of his chest, the strength in his arms, the desire of his body, and quickly did she attempt to back from him. She, however, had forgotten the puddle about her feet, and took no more than two steps before stumbling upon the cloth, her arms flailing for balance, a muffled shriek of dismay torn from her lips. The Hulna warrior shot out a hand and caught the female’s arm, keeping her from sprawling upon the stone of the floor, yet had the males been well-pleased by the motions of the female’s body. Nearly as well-endowed as a warrior was she, soft and rounded and overripe for giving service.

“We must see what heat there is to be found in that one,” said I to the two warriors beside the female, speaking so that the slaves might hear me. “Stand her before each of the enclosures of the males, near enough so that they might touch her easily, allowing them all the opportunity of raising her heat. Should Mida intervene and allow so low a thing to be brought about, do not allow her relief till she kneels before the male who asked her use and begs to serve him. Should she do this, you may then throw her to him.”

The female Karil was able to do no more than scream as she was taken by the arms toward the first of the enclosures, yet the males moved about in their chains, eager to have their hands upon the haughty female, eager to have her leap to their touch. Thoughtfully I stood and watched a moment, more to be sure that my warriors kept their weapons—and themselves—from the reach of the males than to witness the female’s deep humiliation and fear at the first touch upon her body, then did I turn from the foolishness and pay it no further heed. There were many things yet to be done, perhaps too many things, and though they all must be seen to, I knew not how I, myself, might see to them all.

“War leader, the male is no longer aware of his punishment,” said Rogon, indicating Bariose where he hung insensible in the wall cuffs. “Is there reason to continue the lashing?”

I looked upon the male, the blood flowing from the torn flesh of his back, my warrior with the bloodied lash in her hands standing before him, and shook my head.

“No,” said I, perhaps sounding more weary than was proper for a war leader. “Take him down, place him in chains, then find an enclosure to hold him. He is no longer of interest to me.”

“Jalav, perhaps you would do well to have your wounds tended,” said Rogon in a soft voice, her dark eyes concerned. “Your shoulder has bled heavily, and should you fall victim to the illnesses wounds may bring, we would be leaderless.”

That Rogon had mentioned my wounds was a clear indication that I had indeed sounded more weary than I had intended. All those warriors who had accompanied me were wounded, some so far that they now sat with their backs upon the pink stone of the walls, their eyes closed, their wounds given over to the tending of sisters of their clans. That I had not felt the wounds at the time I had received them meant naught; they had long since made their presence fully known, most especially that in my left shoulder. And yet, how might I have had them tended, save that I saw to the matter myself? The Hosta were elsewhere, captives to males, and Jalav stood alone among strangers. Distant kin they were, and obedient to my word—yet nevertheless strangers.

“The wounds must wait,” said I, straightening somewhat though I, too, spoke softly. “You undoubtedly have the right of it, Rogon, yet there are many matters remaining which must be seen to first. When this dwelling has been secured, then shall I find opportunity to rest and restore my strength. Have the male removed from the wall cuffs, then send to me runners who have learned their way about this place.”

“At once, war leader,” said she, a sigh of resignation upon her. “Remain here, and I shall have the runners attend you.”

With such words did she take herself off, to see to Bariose and send the runners, yet the runners came bearing a large seat, one of wood and leather with softness beneath the leather, into which I was urged. Little liking had I for seating myself within a device of city folk, yet my strength had ebbed and there was much to do. When once I had sent runners to all war leaders scattered about the dwelling, telling them to assign guards about all entrances before bringing the balance of their sets and clans to the room of enclosures, I then allowed myself the luxury of rest.

Save for the laughter of male slaves, there was little sound to be heard in the large chamber. My warriors, of course, ever alert in hostile regions, spoke only those words which were necessary to what tasks had been set to their hands. The captives taken after battle, males of leather and metal bound upon the stones of the floor, had no wish to draw the attention of warriors to themselves. The female slaves, cowering in their enclosures, wept silently as their masters had taught them to do. The sole cause of what sound there was was the female Karil, she who had been taken before the male slaves to be touched and heated. I had not meant to waste valuable planning time personally observing the punishment I had decreed for her, and yet, once noticed, the doings about her drew me strongly. Much shame had been given me through the actions of this Karil, and much would I have preferred facing her with swords, yet city slave-women were taught solely the manner in which to give insult, naught of the manner which allows satisfaction for insult. With city folk it was necessary for warriors to seek satisfaction by other means, means without dignity and honor.

In the absence of a knowledge of honor, the female Karil had apparently made the decision to attempt to retain something of dignity throughout the ordeal she had been condemned to. The warriors who held her had not immediately thrust her against the lines of metal through which the chained arms of the males reached, most likely to afford the female a false sense of safety. They had held her to the extreme reach of the males, each warrior agrasp upon one arm and a handful of hair of the female, thrusting her gently forward so that no more than the fingertips of the males were able to touch her. In such a manner had they taken her past each enclosure of males, leading her to believe no more would be done than that which had already been done, perhaps a number of times as they had returned to the first enclosure, yet surely no more.

Now, again before the first enclosure, the female Karil had regained some shadow of her former arrogance. Her flesh had felt the touch of males, yet she, it seemed, had not fallen prey to their touch. She had feared she would be made to beg her use, yet this final degradation, it seemed, would not be forced upon her. Had she true knowledge of males and females, her understanding would have encompassed the fact that the extreme fear she had felt had allowed the feeling of no other sensation, most especially not of desire, yet this thought had not occurred to her. I realized she must truly be as innocent and untouched as the male slave had suggested, and quickly recalled a thing I had forgotten. Though the female Karil had commanded the males in leather and metal to the task of heating the female slaves in her charge, she had not remained within the chamber of display to see the matter done. It was clear the female had quite a lesson before her, yet the sight of the female, stubbornness in the set of her body against the grasp of my warriors, fury in the sharpness of her glances, insolence in the set of her full lips, all spoke of a lesson completely unexpected.

As the two warriors beside the female again thrust her forward, something of surprise was visible upon the features of the city woman. As she had passed the enclosures once before, she well knew the distance she must maintain to remain beyond the easy reach of the males, and yet, to her frowning inspection, the distance seemed incorrect. Petulantly, snappishly, she spoke to the warriors in whose grasp she stood, yet they, with small knowing smiles, made no answer. Instead they merely watched as the arms of the first male, clasped tight in chains, reached through the lines of metal, all fingers of both hands now able to stroke and fondle the female’s breasts. The male grinned wide as the female gasped in shock, she attempting to back from the touch, yet finding herself unable to do so.

“No!” came the female’s voice, raised shrill and loud as she struggled against those who held her. “Do not allow him to touch me so! He is a slave! A slave!”

“And you are free?” inquired the male whose hands were upon her, his grin turned to laughter. “Run from me, then, high lady. Take your body beyond my reach.” The female, stabbed by the ridicule, attempted to do so, yet was her struggle in vain. “Your excellent flesh remains within my grasp, high lady,” laughed the male. “It would be pleasant to have you within this cage, so that I might teach a high lady the writhings of a slave. See how well your flesh accepts my touch.”

The female whimpered, more than aware of the tightness of her flesh where the hands of the male touched and stroked, also perhaps aware of a new sensation within her body, a burning and need never before encountered. Another male of the same enclosure thrust his arms through the lines of metal with a laugh and a rattle of chain, awaiting his turn at the female, his eyes already upon her. When, after another moment or two, the female was forced against his eager palms, his low exclamation of pleasure mingled with the sob torn from her. The female Karil had indeed begun to writhe, slowly and incompletely, to be sure yet most definitely a beginning toward heat. Her sense of humiliation seemed to be extreme, and yet she had only begun to learn of that which she had so easily and unthinkingly subjected others to. Among city folk, those most eager to do others in a certain manner are often those who have never been done so themselves. Surely this is a necessary state, for how may one treat others with such unconcern, save they be ignorant themselves of the consequences of their actions? And yet city folk are not like warriors, neither in their manner of doings nor in their thoughts; I moved about in the seat of wood and leather, overly aware of those differences. Would there be greater difficulty upon the new fey than I had anticipated, due solely to my having misread these city folk? Would my journey south to the city of the Sigurri be delayed by cause of this? I knew not, and could do no more than await the happenings of the new fey to know the wisdom or foolishness of my plans.

The female Karil was taken past each of the slave males, after which was she returned to the place from which her journey had twice begun. Lost in thought of plans for the new fey, I knew naught of her return till her scream rang out, bringing much laughter to the slave males within their enclosures. Again had the female been thrust closer to the males, enough so that her womanhood was now within reach, and quickly did the first male accept the offer of her previously forbidden softness. The chains upon his wrists clanged as the female threw herself about in the grip of my warriors, her movement attempting to dislodge the hand between her thighs and the other upon her leg. Her head thrown back, her screams were filled equally with desperation and fear. The male had penetrated her to no more than a small degree, yet she, never having known even so slight a penetration, seemed wildly fearful.

“For shame!” laughed the male, looking down upon the writhing female beneath his hands. “Surely this can be no high lady before me, whose body flows with moisture at the smallest of touches. Surely this is no more than a slave wench, a hot, lusty, helpless female slave sent, to her shame, to serve the needs of men. Your baubles are lovely, little slave. Bring them nearer so that I may examine them more closely.”

“No!” wailed the female, beside herself with mortification. “I am not a slave! You lie! You are the slave, and you may not touch me so!”

“Do I lie, wench?” asked the male, penetrating her a bit further. “Is this body I touch dry and unresponsive? Are those pointed breasts I see soft and unexcited? Do you seek to escape that which merely begins to enter you—or to impale yourself upon it?”

Choking and shuddering, caught up in bodily excitement as never before, the female found herself incapable of so much as denying the male’s words. How well I knew the sensations brought by the touch of a male, the weakness, the burning, the impossible need to be taken in his arms and used fiercely again and again. It had ever been part of a warrior to desire the use of a male, yet had Mida caused me to feel, during my capture by the male Ceralt, a need so great it had been well-nigh crippling. The least touch of his hand upon my body, the sound of his voice, the mere fact of his presence, the smallest of glances from him, even no more than the thought of him—any of those had made me his upon the instant, filled with shame so great it knew no bounds, yet undeniably, unarguably his helpless slave. Much had the male gloried in such power over me, often using me for his pleasure, at times denying me an end to the agony of need as punishment, through it all taking the decision of which would be done as his alone. Now, after having known the touch of Sigurr the foul, the unnatural need no longer burned within me. No need of any sort for males burned within me, save the need to meet and best them with swords. Males were fools, and blood enemies to Midanna, and wished naught from warriors save their use; much use would they have from this Midanna, yet no more than sword-use.

As the female Karil writhed to the touch of yet another male, I rose from my seat to pace the cool stones of the chamber’s floor. The pain of my wounds was not to be acknowledged, yet the throbbing ache of my shoulder had grown despite the lessening of the flow of blood. The thrust had been a cowardly one, from well to the side the while my sword and attention had been engaged with the male directly before me, yet had the male who had done me so ended with my sword in his vitals. The other wounds were mere scratches, beneath the notice of one who had known them many times before, yet the greatest intruded upon my awareness, already stiffening the arm and hand with weakness and pain. There would indeed by much difficulty for me should it continue so to the time of departure upon the journey to the south

“That wound should be seen to, wench,” came the voice of a male, intruding upon my thoughts. “I have seen men die from the blackening sickness, which comes from lack of care of such as that.”

Slowly did I turn to regard the male, he who had spoken. In some manner it came as no surprise that it was a Sigurri male, one of the four who stood enchained within their enclosure. The others stood to the far side of the enclosure, their hands upon the lines of metal, their eyes upon the female Karil as she moaned and screamed, their voices raised in laughter and encouragement of him who now toyed with her. This male before me was the red-haired one, his light eyes regarding me soberly, his large left fist about a line of metal, the strength of his broad body disregarding the chains fastened upon him. I felt annoyance that he would speak to me so, as though I were city slave-woman, notwithstanding the fact that the fates of Midanna and Sigurri were entwined.

“I am Jalav,” said I, speaking coldly, disallowing the reach of my right hand to my left arm to rub at the pain. “Jalav is war leader to all the clans of Midanna, therefore is she no stranger to wounds. She has no need of the council of males, male, least of all of those who stand in chains.”

“The same council was given you by your own, wench,” said he, his deep voice calm, taking no note of the balance of my words. “Should you continue to disregard the advice of those about you, you will soon find yourself in the arms of Sigurr, which would be the greatest of wastes. That body of yours was made to give pleasure to living men first, before becoming the eternal property of the dark god. Should you fail to—”

His words broke off as though cut through by my sword, which was poised at his throat between the lines of metal. So great was my rage that nearly did I open his throat, allowing his warm, bright blood to spurt and flow to the flagstoned floor. To say that I would be the eternal property of Sigurr, to serve him forever in the abominations I had once already been made to endure, was to bring the insanity of unbridled rage upon me. Sooner would I see my soul lost forever in the limitless dark, to spread and fade and be no more, than to again face the touch of the dark god.

“You are mistaken, male,” I rasped when I was again able to speak, my point having remained at his throat. “Never will I be the property of the dark god, never will I serve his desires. Should you ever speak so again, your life is forfeit. On this you have my word,”

The male stood unmoving, no fear to be seen in the light eyes of him, yet was he not so foolish as to tempt my anger with further words. Easily did he see that the fury had not gone from me, and well did he know that my vow was not an idle one. He stood unmoving and in silence till my point was withdrawn and I had begun to turn from him, resheathing my sword, then did his hand rise to the place my blade had rested. A small drop of blood gleamed there, yet was one drop far superior to a greater flow.

Rogon had spied my pacing and had begun to approach me, yet was she still three paces distant when the balance of our sisters arrived. They appeared at the chamber’s entrance and walked within in small groups, the silence of the hunt well upon them, yet jubilation upon them as well. Well did they know themselves the victors of the fey, these sister Midanna, and well did this knowledge show in the breadth of their stride and the manner in which their heads were held high. Among them walked their war leaders, filled with pride for the warriors they led, filled with pleasure from the deed they had done. Long would the doing live in the memory of Midanna, long would the story be told about the fires of the home tents. The walled city of males was theirs, said their joy, and would remain so till they saw fit to release it.

“Greetings, Jalav,” called Tilim, her words echoed by those about her, her steps bringing her quickly to me. “The guardposts have been set as you directed, and all is secure. Each chamber in this dwelling has been searched, and each male found either captured or put to the sword. Our victory is complete. ”

“Not quite yet,” said I, stilling the murmurs of pleasure about me. “This dwelling and the city is ours, yet they may be lost to us upon the new light when those in the balance of the city arise to find themselves invaded. Their battle skill is naught when compared to ours, yet our numbers are far too few to challenge them. Victory would be far less sweet were there no more than a handful of us remaining to joy in it.”

“What, then, shall we do?” demanded another, one Gidon, war leader to the Homma. “Are we to go from dwelling to dwelling, like Sarra trash, and slay them in their sleep? Sooner would I face alone two hands and more of armed males than so dishonor my blade!”

She stood with head held high, golden-haired and green-eyed, amid the growls of agreement of those within hearing. Her gaze was locked to mine, daring me to speak such loathsome commands, and my anger, despite the pain I felt, could not be withheld.

“I would know what prompts the war leader of the Homma to believe I would demand such a deed of her,” said I, stepping past Tilim to face the Homma more directly. “Should the war leader Gidon feel that Jalav must be likened to the Sarra, it would be best that she speak more clearly. ”

I stood before the Homma, my hands at my sides, yet was the desire to draw my blade great indeed. When a captive among the males, it had been necessary that I swallow a great many insults; now that I again rode free, a sword at my side, there were none who might insult me with impunity. This the Homma saw, and my anger as well, and a note of confusion and doubt entered her eyes.

“I—do not know what caused me to speak so,” she frowned, her voice now disturbed. “It is known by all Midanna that the war leader Jalav is naught if not honorable. I do not fear you, Jalav, and will face you with swords if you wish, yet it was not my intention to give you insult.”

“Then I shall take no insult,” said I, feeling my strength drain away with my anger. “We shall not seek out the males of this city, for they are sure to seek us out come the new light. It is for this that we must prepare, with rest and provender, and guardposts fully alert. There is sure to be further battle then, yet is it my hope that no more than a small amount of Midanna blood will be spilled. I shall inspect the guardposts, and then we may speak further of what plans I have formulated.”

“A moment, war leader,” called Rogon from behind me, halting us all as the others prepared to follow me to the door. I turned to face her, and she stood herself before me to look up into my eyes. “These plans you have formulated for the new light,” said she. “Do they require that our leader be in full health and strength, able to do that which is required of her?”

I made no immediate answer to her words, for her meaning was clear in the anger and impatience in her eyes, yet the others were not aware of the exchange which had gone on between us earlier.

“Of what do you speak, Rogon?” asked Tilim, a frown upon her. “Surely does it seem as though you feel Jalav will be unable to stand with us come the new light.”

“Should she continue on so, there is little doubt,” said Rogon, folding her arms beneath her life sign. “Her wound has already taken a great toll in strength, yet she will not have it tended and rest. Have we come so far, spending the lives of our sisters, to see our efforts come to naught due to lack of judgment?”

“My judgment is as clear as it has ever been,” said I above the murmurs of disturbance from the others, standing myself the straighter. “I am hardly an unblooded warrior, new to battle and the wounds it brings. When I feel that rest is required I shall take it. For now there are too many other things which must be seen to.

“Things which have already been seen to by your war leaders,” said Rogon, in no whit abashed. “Do you doubt their ability, that you must inspect the guardposts which they have already inspected? As there are plans which must be discussed, why may they not be discussed as your wound is seen to? Do you mistrust the intentions of those you lead?”

Rogon’s eyes refused to leave mine, her sharpened gaze saying she knew full well what consternation her words had bred in me. How might I say I doubted the abilities of those war leaders about me when it was not so? How might I say I mistrusted their aid when it was not so?

“I have ever inspected guardposts with my own eyes,” said I at last, rather lamely, somehow feeling the child among warriors. “Never has it been proper to allow others to do the thing for me.”

“It is now proper, Jalav,” said Tilim, her voice soft with understanding as her hand went to my unharmed right shoulder. “Never before have you had other war leaders among those whom you led. And though there be no other Hosta among us, still must your wound be seen to. Come. We shall find a place you may take your rest, and there you may speak of your plans for the new fey.”

They all gazed upon me in silence, these warriors and war leaders, Rogon and Tilim and Gidon and the rest, all awaiting my word upon the matter. I had had no disagreement from them at the time of battle, yet battle was now over and they were war leaders in their own right. Were I to deny their council at such a time, a disastrous rift might well begin to grow between us.

“Very well,” said I with a nod, looking about among them. “I will seek the rest you council for I find I do, indeed, have need of it. I will, however, refrain from demanding a similar complete rest for the balance of you, for there are many males about ripe for the taking. Use them with restraint, however, for the new fey will require alertness as well as an easing of need.”

The laughter and shouts of approval from the many warriors about the chamber brought smiles to the lips of the war leaders about me. They, too, I saw, would seek out males for their use before taking to their sleeping leather, yet first was it necessary to attend to matters of import. All nine war leaders would accompany me, therefore was it necessary that they designate those who would stand for them the while they sat in council with me. As I stood alone awaiting the completion of this task, a warrior of the Hulna approached me.

“Your pardon, war leader,” said she, stopping before me. “As you are soon to depart the chamber, we thought it best to ask your wishes in regard to the slave female. She has already been taken past each of the males.”

Filled with surprise, I followed the gaze of the Hulna to the female Karil, she who had apparently slipped completely from my mind. The poor wretch now lay crumpled upon the stones of the chamber before an enclosure of males, a warrior standing above her, the males in the enclosure laughing as they looked down upon her. Her body writhed upon the flags as though she lay in the grip of a great need, yet no more than weeping came to break her silence.

“She was given the opportunity to beg the use of the mate designated by you,” said the Hulna, “yet she refuses to do so. Her need has nearly consumed her, but she seems to fear the male. How might one feel fear for a male?”

I looked upon the Hulna as she gazed in scorn upon the female Karil, understanding that this warrior, undoubtedly like many others, had no knowledge of males save as sthuvad to their clans. I knew not which would be the greater punishment for the female Karil, to be allowed to go unused, or to be forced to the use of the male, yet did I know which was the more necessary. For the sake of my warriors, then, the female Karil would be thoroughly done.

“Have the male I had designated removed from the enclosure he shares with others and placed within an unoccupied enclosure,” I directed. “Leave the female as she is till this has been done.”

“At once, war leader,” said the Hulna, gesturing two others to her as she strode to the enclosure. They, with swords drawn to keep the balance of the males within, removed the male I had indicated and conducted him to an enclosure not yet in use, his chains arattle as he moved, his anger clear even though his obedience was immediate. The male disliked the points of swords in warrior hands, yet was wiser than to attempt the defiance of them. His anger would undoubtedly mean greater ill for the female Karil, yet had she paved such a path for others many times with her actions. She had cared little for the anger of males when it was others who would bear the weight of it; now would she learn the consequences of such actions.

With the male enclosed as I had ordered, I indicated that the female was now to be taken to him. She cried out as the hands of warriors pulled her to her feet, struggled as they dragged her toward what awaited her, yet I had little pity for her struggles. Others had been denied even so much as the right to struggle, yet had the female been totally uncaring. Now was she being done as she had done others, a state many would benefit from. To know that one will be done as one does others would undoubtedly change the actions of many a city folk. My war leaders, their task seen to, began to rejoin me, then curiously followed as I moved the closer to the enclosure the female had been thrust within.

“Do not leave me in here!” screamed the female, scrambling to her feet from the thrust which had sent her to the floor of the enclosure, turning immediately and running to pound upon the now closed door. Her bare, round body quivered with the fear she felt, a sight not lost to the male who awaited her. He, who had been forced to the far side of the enclosure so that the female might be put within, grinned as he looked upon her and slowly began to advance.

“You shall not be merely left, my pretty,” said he, advancing more slowly than his chains accounted for. “I have given my word to have you hot and hopping, and so shall I do.”

“Oh, no!” screamed the female, turning to stare upon the male with widened eyes, her back pressed painfully to the lines of metal. The male paused to remove the rag about his loins, baring his excitement, and nearly did the female faint at the sight. “No, do not touch me,” whispered the female, edging toward the corner of the enclosure. “I cannot bear the thought that I will be— No! I will give you anything, every silver piece I own, if only you will leave me untouched! I am wealthy beyond your imaginings, and it will all be yours! All!”

“Very well,” said the male with a laugh, halting perhaps two paces from her. “I will accept your offer. Go now and fetch the silver pieces for me.”

“I cannot!” whispered the female, eyes widened once again. “Those savages and their swords—I cannot!”

“Exactly,” nodded the male, his tone dry. “What wealth you possess is now bared before me, already mine to do with as I please. For endless feyd has it been my wish to see you brought so low, you who see yourself so far above those you humiliate and sell. Come and kneel before me, wench, and prepare yourself for the due which has been overlong in coming to you.”

The female screamed, undeniably a refusal, and sought to claw her way from the enclosure through the lines of metal. The male growled his anger and strode to her, his step hampered by the chain stretched between his ankles, yet in no more than a moment was his fist in her hair, pulling her toward him. Well did she struggle and beat at his chest, crying out in pain when his fist tightened within her hair, yet was she easily drawn from the corner of the enclosure to its center. Once there her struggles abruptly ceased, no doubt in an effort to ease the pain the male brought with his grip, yet an easing of pain was not to be her lot.

“Your body pleases me, wench,” said he, looking down upon the female he held so cruelly. She, fear so strong upon her that the smell was plain, held to the chain between his brawny wrists and did no more than whimper. “Are you not pleased that I find you of interest?” he asked.

“Yes, yes I am pleased!” she cried in pain, her head undoubtedly ringing from the shake the male had given it. “I beg you, release me, I cannot bear the pain!”

“Please forgive me, high lady!” the male exclaimed, releasing her at once as though bound to do her bidding. “I had not realized you were in such discomfort. I must, of course, immediately make amends.”

Those warriors about me laughed aloud, covering the cry of dismay coming from the female Karil as the male, an arm about her waist, sat himself upon the enclosure floor, drawing her down with him and to his lap. Again did she cry out, in more than dismay, struggling to take her bare flesh from his, yet the male took her wrists behind her and held them so with one hand, the other reaching toward her body. The chain which linked his wrists disallowed the matter to be easily seen to, therefore did he bend the female backward, over the width of his thigh, arched like the curve of a bow, in order to have free run of her body. The shock of being done so froze the female briefly, yet was she quickly brought from shock when the hand of the male sought and found her heat.

“Ah, now has your comfort been restored, high lady,” said the male, paying no mind to the gasping, gurgling sounds produced by the female. “And yet, it now seems another discomfort is upon you. Your soft, slender body writhes beneath my hand, as though requiring immediate attention. Surely this is so?”

“No, no!” cried the female, indeed writhing well to the slow, rhythmic stroking of the male. “I do not wish to be taken and used! I shall die if you continue to touch me so, I shall die!”

“There will be no death for you, lady wench,” laughed the male, continuing his ministrations. “Nor will there be surcease from your need, not till I have deemed you sufficiently punished. Scream if you will, and beg if you wish, yet all will be to no avail. ”

The male then lowered his lips to her upthrust breasts, drawing the scream he had spoken of, yet was he deaf to that and those following, just as he had vowed. His kisses and caresses continued only a short time, however, before the female indeed began to beg her use. Had she been sent to him cold it would not have been done so quickly, yet she had been sent to him well heated by the touches of the other males. He, however, ignored her pleas for two hands of reckid and more, only then admitting himself unable to continue so, as the strain of his body clearly showed. Quickly, then, was the female put to her back, her legs spread wide, and he had presented himself to her womanhood. Her writhing slowed as fear again possessed her, yet was the fear too late in coming. Of no consequence was the female to that male, therefore did he enter her with a single, savage thrust, causing her to throw her head back with a wild scream of pain, finding less and more than the satisfaction she had craved. Her weeping began in earnest as the male began to satisfy himself fully, and then did I turn and walk from the enclosure.

“Such foolish clamoring,” muttered Rogon at my side, shaking her head in scorn. “City slave women are truly low, to feel such fear of males. I, myself, have had many males, yet never would I act so even had I had none.”

“Do you truly believe so?” said I, halting to look down upon the war leader of the Hirga, and then to the others about me. “Do all of you truly believe so?”

“Indeed,” nodded Tilim, and “Surely!” laughed Gidon, and in such various manners did each of them show their agreement. I looked about me in silence, and then did I nod.

“Very well,” said I. “Which of you, then, would be first to have her weapons and clan covering taken, and then be thrust so within an enclosure with such a male. Perhaps you, Rogon?”

“Jalav, I—know not what to say,” stumbled this excellent war leader, she who was known for the thirst of her blade in battle. “For what reason would my weapons be taken from me? For what reason could the male not also be armed?”

“For the reason that without weapons you could not best him,” said I, seeing the sober regard in all of their eyes, feeling even more of the throb of my wound. “The accursed strength of males will ever best that of a warrior, no matter how bravely she stands in battle, no matter how high her skill with a sword. Never forget the sight you have seen, never forget that you, too, will be done so should you allow a male to cozen you from your weapons. Do not allow yourselves to be captured by them. Death—the final death—would be much the easier—”

I found myself unable to continue for a great dizziness and weakness had come upon me, of a sudden, dancing my thoughts about. To allow a male to approach too near was the greatest of follies, for how was a warrior to forget his arms, once he was put beyond her reach? And even should he not be put beyond her reach, how was she to find agreement with him, when he sought naught save service and use? A warrior must be free else she withers and dies, yet males must be served and obeyed by their females, disallowing what need they may have to ride free. Warriors had been given no more than the use of males, and in such a doing had Mida been exceedingly wise.

“Jalav, we must find a place where you may take your rest,” said Tilim, her voice grave, her arm about me in support, I saw, as vision returned. “Nearly were you upon the flags.”

“And quickly,” agreed Rogon, who also assisted in my support.

“Have any of you come upon a chamber which would serve? There is naught save slave chambers hereabouts, bare even to sleeping leather.”

“Perhaps the chamber of him called High Seat,” said Ilvin from among the warriors about us, she of the pale hair and Hitta covering. “As the male was purportedly the highest, would his chamber not be best? And yet it seems a considerable distance from here to the steps we must use to the level above.”

“There are steps but two short corridors from here,” said a warrior, a Harra by the brown of her clan covering. “Is it possible they may be of use?”

“We shall see,” said Tilim, Rogon silently anod. I spoke no word in agreement nor in demurral, for in truth I was able to do neither. I knew full well that Tilim and Rogon strove to keep me from the flags, yet little sensation came to me of their support, no more than the light touch of the cool flagstones beneath my feet to add to it. As quickly as was possible did we depart the chamber of slaves, the cries of the female Karil somewhat muffled from behind, the hastening of warriors sent ahead preceding us. Of no thing was I aware save the throbbing of my life sign where it hung between my breasts, that life sign touched by Mida and the dark god Sigurr. Deeply did it throb, with a hum more felt than heard, occurring in a lack of notice by any save me. Quickly did my surroundings grow dim about me, yet was I able, through great effort, to remain conscious till we had reached our destination. Once there, before the wide portals, but two paces short of the chamber itself, the dimness changed to the black of Sigurr, and then was Jalav swallowed up.