by John Norman
“It seems likely to me, thus,” said Menicius, “that such forces might bring wealth and barbarian agents, perhaps, with no Gorean allegiances, to our world, laboring in their behalf. Too, of course, they might recruit native Goreans for their purposes. How, except for such power, could a barbarian woman, such as Sheila, the former Tatrix of Corcyrus, come to power in a city such as Corcyrus? I suspect, also, that the true motivation of the attack on the mines of Argentum was not to fill the coffers of Corcyrus, already a prosperous city, but to supplement the economic resources of these other foes. They intend, perhaps, failing success in outward aggression, to subvert our world, city by city, or to form a league of cities, that may become dominant among our states. This might be accomplished, presumably, within the weapon laws and technological limitations imposed upon Gorean humans by Priest-Kings, for whatever might be their purposes.”
Men looked at Sheila. She put her head down, trembling.
“Preposterous though those ideas may sound,” said Menicius, “there is some plausibility to them. Too, further evidence comes from two sources. Outside of Corcyrus, in a great field, have been found burned grass and three large, deep, geometrically spaced depressions, as though something of great heat and weight, perhaps some giant, heated steel insect or fiery mechanical bird, had alighted there. Too, within the palace itself, in a subterranean chamber, we found the smells, the spoor and traces of some large, unknown beast which, apparently, perhaps from time to time, resided there. It had apparently removed itself from those premises, however, well before the downfall of the city.”
Ligurious was looking at the tiles. He did not look up. “Ligurious?” asked Claudius.
“I know nothing of these things,” said Ligurious, shrugging.
“Shall we see whose garments these are?” inquired Menicius, lifting the delicate undergarments of Earth clutched in his fist.
“Yes, yes,” said various men in the room.
“Please, no, Master!” wept Sheila. Then she lowered her head, cringing, for she had spoken without permission. The soldier behind her looked to Hassan, who nodded. He then cuffed her to her side from behind with the back of his hand and then ordered her again to her knees, to which position she struggled in her chains. Menicius, meanwhile, had thrown the garments, in a silken, fluttering wad, to one of the sleen masters who thrust them beneath the snout of the beast. In a moment it was moving swiftly about the room its nose to the floor, and then, suddenly, taking the scent, lunged murderously, claws slipping on the tiles, toward Sheila. Inches from her body, the chain on its collar jerked taut, it was held back. She screamed but could not withdraw, held mercilessly, immobilely, on her knees, in place, by the soldier behind her.
“The identification is made,” said Claudius, and, with a wave of his hand, signaled the sleen keeper to divert and pacify his beast. A word was whispered. The sleen, suddenly in the superbness of its training, drew back. It seemed, suddenly calm. Its tail no longer lashed back and forth. Its tongue, from the heat of its activity, lolled forth from its mouth, dripping saliva to the tiles. I could see, too, the imprint of its paws, in dampness, on the tiles. The sleen tends to sweat largely through its mouth and the leathery paws of its feet. It fell upon the meat which it was thrown.
Sheila, released by the soldier, struggled to remain upright. She sobbed, then, gasping, shuddering, her head back, half in shock. I was pleased that it had been she and not I who had been the object of this second identification. I felt sorry for her. I saw that she now, like I, was only a slave. Not only are there masters on Gor, but there are sleen. We strive to be pleasing. We do what we are told.
“May I speak, Master?” asked Sheila of Hassan.
“Be silent!” said Ligurious.
“You may speak,” said Hassan to his slave.
“I confess all,” she said. “I was the true Tatrix of Corcyrus! The woman next to me is innocent. She was brought to Gor as an unwitting dupe, one selected to serve as proxy for me in case our plans should go awry. She had no true power, save a pittance which we, for our purposes, were sometimes pleased to accord to her. What crimes there are here are mine, or those of the free woman I once was. It will not be necessary, therefore, to impale us both. I alone am she whom you seek. I was captured in Ar by Hassan, of Kasra, who is now my master. The reward of fifteen hundred gold pieces is thus rightfully his. I am prepared now to be turned over, as a slave, to Claudius, the Ubar of Argentum, and the high council of Argentum, to face their justice.”
“Fool!” cried Ligurious. “Fool!” He struggled in his manacles. They held him well.
I regarded Sheila wildly, almost disbelievingly. She had acknowledged her identity. I was now an exonerated slave, at least of her crimes, if not of mine, those of pettiness, of pride, of selfishness and cruelty, crimes for which a woman on Gor can be regarded as fittingly enslaved.
“You have me naked and in chains now before you, I who was once Sheila, the Tatrix of Corcyrus, your enemy,” she said. “I am now yours to do with as you please.”
“Fool!” cried Ligurious.
“What of the speculations of Menicius,” inquired Claudius, “those having to do with affairs of worlds, of the business of Priest-Kings and others?”
“They are sound, Master,” she said.
“Be silent!” said Ligurious.
“Speak,” said Claudius.
“Hold, Claudius,” cautioned a man. “Consider whether or not it is proper for mere mortals to inquire into such matters.”
“Such thoughts are surely to be reserved for the second or third knowledge,” said another man.
“I am a man,” said another. “I repudiate the distinctions between knowledges. Knowledge is one. It is only knowers who are many.”
“We are not Initiates,” said another man. “Our status, prestige and livelihood do not depend on the perpetuation of ignorance and the propagation of superstition.”
“Heresy!” cried a fellow.
“I shall inquire into truth as I please,” said another. “I am a free man.”
“It is our world, too,” said a fellow.
“Surely it is permissible to inquire into such matters,” said another, “if we do so with circumspection and respect.”
“I think,” said Claudius, “in these matters both our fears and our noble, belligerent vanities are out of place. Gods, for example, I trust, do not have need of the silver of Argentum, nor do they have need of fiery ships for plying the long, dark roads between worlds. Gods, I trust, do not leave spoor in subterranean chambers nor deep wounds in remote turfs. These things of which we speak, I think, are things which can eat and bleed.”
“We do not speak, then, of Priest-Kings,” said a man, relieved.
“Who knows the nature of Priest-Kings?” asked a man. “Some say they have no form,” said a man, “only that they exist.”
“Some say that they have no matter,” said a man, “except that they are real.”
“Surely they are like us,” said a man, “only grander and more powerful.”
“Let us not waste time in idle speculations,” said a man.
“Speak,” said Claudius to Sheila.
“There are two worlds involved, Master,” she said, “Gor, and the world called Earth.”
“Lying slave!” said a man. “Earth is mythical! It is only in stories. It does not exist.”
“Forgive me, Master,” she said, “but Earth is real, I assure you. I am from Earth, and so, too, is the slave to my right.”
The man looked at me, closely.
“Yes, Master,” I whispered, frightened.
“That Earth is real is in the second knowledge,” said one of the men, a fellow wearing the yellow of the Builders, a high caste.
“I was taught that, too,” said the fellow with him, also in the yellow of the Builders. “Do you think it is really true?”
“I suppose so,” said the first man. The classical knowledge distinctions on Gor tend to follow caste lines, the first knowledge b
eing regarded as appropriate for the lower castes and the second knowledge for the higher castes. That there is a third knowledge, that of Priest-Kings, is also a common belief. The distinctions, however, between knowledge tend to be somewhat imperfect and artificial. For example, the second knowledge, while required of the higher castes and not of the lower castes, is not prohibited to the lower castes. It is not a body of secret or jealously guarded truths, for example. Gorean libraries, like the tables of Kaissa tournaments, tend to be open to men of all castes.
“Gor, and the world called Earth,” she said, “are prizes in a struggle of titantic forces, the forces of those whom you call Priest-Kings and of those whom you think of as others, or whom we might think of as Beasts.”
“And what is the nature of these Beasts?” asked Claudius.
“I have never seen one,” she said.
“Ligurious?” asked Claudius.
“I choose not to speak,” he said, sullenly.
“Continue,” said Claudius to Sheila.
“Both Priest-Kings and Beasts possess powerful weaponry and are masters of space travel,” she said. “Intermittently, it is my understanding, for generations, they have been involved in combat. Probes and skirmishes are frequent. As yet, outright force has been unable to prevail. In many respects Priest-Kings seem to be tolerant and defensive creatures. For example, they permit native beasts on Gor, marooned beasts, and such, provided such obey their laws, particularly with respect to weaponry and technology. And never have they pursued the beasts to their steel lairs in space, pursuing temporary advantages in these perennial conflicts. The beasts, it is my surmise, having hitherto failed to win Gor by overt conquest, attempt now to obtain power on this world by specific and detailed subversions, mixing in, and influencing, the politics and affairs of cities. Indeed, in this way, perhaps they, too, hope to prepare the way for an eventual full-scale invasion, one which could then be supplied and supported by a number of strategically located cities, or leagues of cities. I know little more, specifically, in these matters than my own role. By means of the wealth of beasts and the influence of Ligurious, the first minister of Corcyrus, I was brought to power in Corcyrus. There, supported by the influence and wealth of beasts, and abetted by Ligurious, I ruled. I grew soon fond of the throne. Testing my power I found it real. I was exhilarated. I became ambitious to expand the sphere of Corcyrus’s influence and, in particular, to obtain, if possible, for my own wealth, the mines of Argentum. In these things I exceeded my authority. Ligurious, against his better judgment, at least initially, pleaded my case with beasts and protected me from them, convincing them to accept my proposals. Ligurious was smitten with me. I seduced him to my projects. I played with his feelings. I toyed with his emotions. I exploited his sentiments. I made him dance like a puppet to my will. I deprived him of his leadership and manhood.”
I looked at Ligurious. His face was dark with anger as he looked down at Sheila, now another man’s slave.
“These projects, to be sure, were dangerous,” she said. “Too, I was a valued agent. Thus, through Ligurious, an order was placed with the beasts, that a double might be obtained for me. The girl selected was the collared slave to my right, now the slave, as I understand it, of Miles of Argentum. She was brought to Gor and taught that she was Sheila, the Tatrix of Corcyrus. She came to accept this identity. Some knew me as the Tatrix. Some knew her as the Tatrix. That there were actually two women involved was a carefully guarded secret, known only to a handful of trusted followers. We miscalculated seriously in at least one matter. We did not think that Ar would honor its treaty commitments with Argentum, that it would risk all-out war with the Cosian Alliance, in which Corcyrus was implicated. As it turned out, of course, Ar did support Argentum and, as it also turned out, we were not supported by Cos. Defeated in war and in the face of an uprising, too, within our own city, Ligurious and I, with some others, fled. The slave on my right, she who was brought to Gor as my double, was left behind on the throne, to be captured and, in my place, bear the wrath of the enemy. As you know, she escaped. A vast, intense and lengthy search was undertaken to recover her. In this search, as you know, as well, both of us were eventually apprehended. Now both of us, she who was the Tatrix and she who was her double, now both no more than slaves, kneel stripped before you, helpless in your chains.” She put down her head.
“Speak further,” said Claudius.
The slave lifted her head. “You may put me under tortures, Master,” she said, “but, woe, I know little more than I have spoken. The beasts keep us much in ignorance so that, if captured, we can reveal little of their strategies and plans. What details there are beyond those I have given you would, I fear, be meaningless or trivial to you, such things as descriptions of the appearances of agents on Earth, where I was first contacted, and such.”
“As beasts may be allied with men,” said Claudius, “so, too, I suppose, might men be allied with Priest-Kings.”
“Yes, Master,” she whispered.
“Are there not, then, on Gor, places where such men may be found?” asked Claudius.
“There are several, doubtless, Master,” she said.
“Name one such place,” said Claudius.
She turned white. She looked to Hassan, her master. His eyes forbade hesitation. Neither mercy nor lenience were to be shown to her.
“The house of Samos, in Port Kar,” she whispered.
Claudius looked to Menicius.
“That rumor too, I have heard,” he said.
Claudius then regarded Ligurious.
“I choose not to comment on these matters,” he said, straightening himself. He seemed very strong. He was the sort of man, it seemed to me, who might serve as master to the slave in almost any woman. Many times, I knew, I had felt the helpless desire and fear of a slave in his presence. Sheila did not meet his eyes. No longer was she a Tatrix. She was now naught but a stripped and chained slave.
“Tortures, doubtless,” said Menicius, “might be brought to bear upon your resolve.”
“True,” said Ligurious, “but only at the cost of sacrificing the honor of Argentum.”
Claudius looked at Ligurious.
“Claudius?” asked Menicius.
“Ligurious, it is true,” said Claudius, “came to us a free man, of his own will. He has been guaranteed immunity in Argentum, and has been guaranteed a safe conduct from her walls.”
“He has sought to misdirect our inquiries and has distorted and misrepresented evidence,” said a man.
“Perjurious abominations he has uttered!” cried a man.
“Impale him!” cried another.
“Impale him!” cried yet another. Men rose to their feet, shaking their fists.
“Impale him!” cried several.
Ligurious smiled. The victory was his. What a small thing would be his impalement compared to the stain on the escutcheon of Argentum. His freedom was guaranteed.
“Remove the former first minister of Corcyrus from our presence,” said Claudius, “lest I be tempted to betray the pledge of my city. Let his shackles be removed only in his own quarters, to which he is to be closely confined.”
Two soldiers seized Ligurious by the arms.
“We have matters to inquire into,” said Claudius to Ligurious, “and resolutions to be made. It is possible we may have need of you for further testimony, asseverations germane to our proceedings. In any event, your presence will be retained for our pleasure until our deliberations have been concluded. Then, and then only, will the pledge of Argentum be honored.”
“Such a reservation is fully in accord with our original arrangements,” said Ligurious loftily. “I abide by your decision as willingly as I must also abide by it, perforce.”
“Postpone the deliberations a thousand years!” cried a man.
“That is not the way of Argentum,” smiled Claudius.
At a gesture from Claudius, Ligurious was conducted from the room.
“Do you object, Menicius, my friend
?” asked Claudius.
“I had not realized the guarantees extended by Argentum,” said Menicius. “You have, of course, under the circumstances, no choice.”
“I feel sorry for him in a way,” said Claudius, looking after Ligurious. “He is a strong man, ruthless and powerful, proud and strong, but he permitted himself to be the dupe of a female, to be wound about the finger of a woman.”
Claudius then pointed to Sheila. “Bring that slave forward,” he said.
With a whimper Sheila was dragged to her feet, pulled forward and, with a rattle of chain, thrown to her knees before Claudius.
“This woman,” said Claudius, pointing to Sheila, “has been proved by evidence and testimony, both written and oral, to be the former Tatrix of Corcyrus. Indeed, this fact has been acknowledged, ultimately, even in her own admission.”
He looked down at Sheila. “Who captured you and brought you here, Slave?” he asked.
“Hassan, of Kasra, Master,” she said.
“The reward, then,” said Claudius, “clearly belongs to Hassan, of Kasra. Let it be brought!”
An officer left the room. Hassan came forward, about the tables, to stand near the kneeling slave. In a few moments the officer had returned. He carried a heavy, bulging sack over his shoulder which he lowered gently, heavily, to the floor before the table. It must have weighed between ninety and one hundred pounds.
“In this sack,” said Claudius, “carefully counted, but assure yourself of the matter, are fifteen hundred pieces of gold, stamped staters of Argentum, certified by the mint of the Ubar.”
Hassan looked down at Sheila.
“Shall scales be brought?” asked Claudius. “We will take no offense. If any discrepancy be found, perhaps the result of some inadvertence, we shall see that it is made good.”
“No,” said Hassan. “Weights and balances, the chains and pans, need not be fetched forth.”
“Accept then the reward,” said Claudius. “You have well earned it.”