Mercenaries of Gor

by Norman, John;

  “Yes,” I said.

  “It is then an old thing for you,” he said.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “You will have to forgive me,” he said. “But I found it quite astonishing, this first time.”

  “It often affects one that way, the first time,” I said.

  “I suppose so,” he said.

  The cart continued to move down the incline. I noted the sound of the narrow, metal-rimmed wheels on the stones. I watched the walls of Ar grow closer.

  21

  Within the Walls of Ar;

  Feiqa Drinks from the Wrong Basin

  “Are you come from Torcadino?” asked the man.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Thousands of you are in the city,” he said, “from Torcadino and other places.”

  I nodded. I had never, myself, seen Ar so crowded.

  “We need no more of you refugees here,” snapped a woman, a seller of suls at the Teiban Market.

  “We seek lodging in the city,” I said to the man.

  “Lodging is dear,” he said. “It is difficult to know what to tell you.” He glanced at Feiqa, who put down her head. She was kneeling behind me, to my left, my pack still on her back. She had knelt when we had stopped and begun to speak to the free person. This was appropriate, of course, for she was a slave. Her location was approximately what it had been when she had been following me, in the heeling position. “She,” he said, “you could sleep in the street, chaining her by the neck to a ring, perhaps putting her in an iron belt, but that sort of thing will not do for free folks.”

  “No,” I said.

  “You could try the southern insulae,” he said, “such as those below the Plaza of Tarns.”

  “The Anbar district?” I asked, skeptically.

  “Or those of the Metellan Quarter,” he said.

  “What about east of the Avenue of the Central Cylinder?” I asked.

  “There is the District of Trevelyan,” he said.

  “That sounds nice,” said Boabissia.

  “We would hope to survive the night,” I said.

  “You know the city?” he asked.

  “I have been here before,” I said.

  “You are two big fellows,” he said. “I doubt that anyone would bother you.”

  “If they do bother us,” said Hurtha, “it is my hope that they are carrying coins.”

  “We do not have much to steal,” I told the man.

  “You have a free female there,” he said. “Such can bring their prices in certain places.”

  “I am not afraid,” said Boabissia.

  “Brave and noble girl,” he said.

  “I can take care of myself,” said Boabissia.

  “To be sure,” he said, “her price could be lowered for stupidity.”

  “I am not stupid,” said Boabissia.

  “Forgive me,” he said. “From your remark I thought that perhaps you were.”

  Boabissia regarded him in fury.

  The fellow regarded her. It was one of those looks which, in effect, undress a woman, exposing her lineaments, careless of her will, to his view.

  “Do not look at me in that way,” she said. “I am free.”

  He continued to consider her, perhaps now as she might look trembling, suing for his favor, in chains at his feet.

  “You are not veiled,” he said.

  “I am an Alar woman,” she said.

  “No,” said Hurtha. “She is not an Alar.”

  “I have been with the wagons,” she said.

  “That is true,” said Hurtha.

  Boabissia, as I have mentioned, did not much resemble the typical Alar women. She seemed of a much different type, that of the delicious, soft women of the cities, the sort which are generally put on slave blocks. Indeed, I suspected that her origin might be urban.

  “Have you ever felt the slave whip?” he asked.

  “Of course not,” she said.

  “I see,” he said.

  “I am not afraid of you, or any man, or men,” she said.

  “A woman may be taught fear,” he said. “A woman may be taught terror.”

  “What district do you think we might try?” I asked the fellow.

  “Regardless of this free woman,” he said, “you have something of value there.” He indicated Feiqa. She put down her head, appraised.

  “What district do you think we might try?” I asked.

  “I have suggested several,” he said.

  “Ar is a large city,” I said.

  “Are you looking for decent lodging?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Are you willing to pay a silver tarsk a night?” he asked.

  “No,” I said. We could not afford that.

  “Then I do not think you will find any,” he said.

  “I thank you, Citizen,” I said, “for your time.”

  “Is it true,” he asked, “that there are considerable Cosian forces in the vicinity of Torcadino?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “They have taken the city?” he asked.

  “I do not think so,” I said.

  “But the refugees,” he said, “so many of them.”

  “They have been turned out of the city to make its defense more practical,” I said.

  “The main forces of Cos,” he said, “are said to be advancing on Ar’s Station.”

  “I doubt that,” I said.

  “That would make sense,” he said. “The Cosians want the river, and the control of its basin. That is what the trouble is all about. That is why their major move will be there. Too, it is probably no more than a raid.”

  “Ar is in danger,” I said.

  “They would never dare to meet us in pitched battle,” he said.

  “Ar is in great danger,” I said.

  “Ar is invincible,” he said.

  “The main forces of Cos are as close as Torcadino,” I said.

  “Rumors are rampant,” he said. “One does not know what to think.”

  “I trust that the regent, your high councils, your military leaders, the general staff, and such, are well informed.”

  “Doubtless,” he said.

  “Where is Marlenus?” I asked.

  “In the Voltai,” said the fellow. “On a punitive expedition against Treve.” That, too, had been my information.

  “He has been absent for months, has he not?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Does this not seem to you strange?” I asked.

  “He does as he chooses,” said the man. “He is ubar.”

  “Is the city content that he should be absent in what may be perilous times?” I asked.

  “If there were any true danger,” said the man, “he would swiftly return. He has not returned. Thus there is no true danger.”

  “You do not think there is any real danger?” I asked.

  “No,” said the man. “Any one of our lads could best a dozen Cosians.”

  “It seems to me Marlenus should return,” I said.

  The man shrugged.

  “Perhaps they have lost contact with him, in the reaches of the Voltai.”

  “Perhaps,” said the man. “But the city does not need him.”

  “The ubar is not popular?” I asked.

  “He has held power in Ar for a long time,” said the man. “Perhaps it is time for a change.”

  “Do many think so?” I asked.

  “Such voices are heard here and there,” he said, “in the taverns, the markets, the baths. Gnieus Lelius is an excellent regent. Marlenus is too bellicose. The city is sound. We are not threatened. The squabble with Cos is peripheral to our interests.”

  “Is Gnieus Lelius interested in being ubar?” I asked.

  “No,” said the fellow. “He is far too modest, too humble and unpretentious for that sort of thing. The folds of the purple cloak, the weight of the ubar’s medallion, are of no interest to him. He cares only for excellent governance, and the peace an
d prosperity of the city.”

  “But you are sure he is interested in the welfare of Ar?” I asked.

  “Of course,” said the fellow. That answer was reassuring to me. This Gnieus Lelius, if truly interested in the welfare of Ar, must act. If he had flaws as a regent presumably they might be due to his lack of information, or perhaps to a certain unwarranted optimism, or untutored innocence or naivety. Such things are not uncommon amongst idealists, so tender and thoughtful, so loving and trusting, prisoners of verbalisms, dazzled by inventions and dreams, projecting their own benevolence unto the larl and the forests, skeptical of reality, construing the world in the metaphor of the flower. What consolation is it for others if they should eventually discover that they live in a world of facts, if disillusioned they should eventually recognize their errors, living to see the harvests of their own foolishness, living to see their civilization split asunder, to see their world fall bleeding under the knives of power and reality?

  “What of Seremides, the high general?” I asked. “Might he not ascend the throne?”

  “Unthinkable,” said the man. “He is as loyal as the stones of the Central Cylinder itself.”

  “I see,” I said. My question had not been prompted, of course, merely by the obvious consideration that the ubar’s cloak might seem an attractive prize to a strong, ambitious man, but by the sober understanding that Ar was in a situation of crisis, whether she knew it or not. In such times, of course, in the light of the failures and ineffectuality of an inept civilian administration, it is not unknown for military men, seeing what must be done, simply responding to the imperatives of survival, to take power and attempt to instill the will, the discipline and order without which catastrophe cannot be diverted.

  “But surely it is not anticipated that the governance of Ar will long remain under a regency,” I said.

  “Marlenus is expected back soon,” said the man.

  “Suppose, however,” I suggested, “he does not soon return?”

  “Then there is another possibility,” he said, “an interesting one.”

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “A ubara,” he said.

  “A ubara?” I asked.

  “She who was, until forsworn, the daughter of Marlenus,” he said.

  “Oh?” I asked.

  “Talena,” he said. “Have you heard of her?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Marlenus was dissatisfied with her,” said the fellow. “It had to do with some business in the Northern forests. He swore her from him, making her no longer his daughter. For years she has lived in obscurity, sequestered in the Central Cylinder. Now, with the absence of Marlenus, and the generosity of Gnieus Lelius, she is carried publicly, once again, in the streets of Ar.”

  “I gather that that would not be in accord with the will of Marlenus,” I said.

  “Marlenus is not here,” he said.

  “Why would one think of her in the terms of a ubara?” I asked. “Sworn from Marlenus, she is no longer his daughter.”

  “I am not a scribe of the law,” he said. “I do not know.”

  “I do not think she has a Home Stone,” I said.

  “Gnieus Lelius permitted her to kiss the Home Stone,” he said. “It was done in a public ceremony. She is once again a citizeness of Ar.”

  “Gnieus Lelius seems a generous, noble fellow,” I said.

  “He is a patron of the arts,” said the fellow. “He has founded parks and museums. He has won the support of the elite in this fashion. I myself favor him for he has remitted certain classes of debts. This has considerably eased my financial burdens. The lower castes are fond of him for he frequently, at his own expense, distributes free bread and paga, and sponsors games and races. He has also declared new holidays. He has made life better and easier in Ar. He is much supported by the people.”

  “You are certain that he is concerned for the welfare of Ar?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he said.

  “Is he difficult to see?” I asked.

  “One does not simply walk up to the Central Cylinder and knock on the door,” he said.

  “I suppose not,” I said.

  “But Gnieus Lelius makes a point of being available to the people,” he said. “That is one reason he is so much loved.”

  “Commoners, then, can look upon the regent,” I asked, “other than from afar, as in state processions or at official games?”

  “Of course,” said the man.

  I was pleased to hear that. I had urgent letters for Gnieus Lelius. I must somehow manage to deliver them. I had feared it might be difficult. I did not wish to deliver these missives into the hands of a subordinate. Who could one trust? Too, I surely had no wish to attempt to cut my way through the corridors of the Central Cylinder to effect a private audience with the regent.

  Who could one trust?

  Indeed, one glimpse of the seal of the silver tarn on the letters might be less effective in procuring an audience with the regent than a rendezvous with desperate traitors.

  Five messengers before me, it seems, might well have failed to accomplish the delivery of such letters. At any rate, Dietrich of Tarnburg, when I had spoken with him in Torcadino, claimed to have received no responses to these earlier communications.

  “Can they actually speak with him?” I asked.

  “Surely,” he said.

  “When, next, do you think he might be holding public audiences?” I asked.

  “Two days from now,” said the fellow.

  “It is a court day?” I asked.

  “Better than that,” he said. “It is one of the new holidays, the Day of Generosity and Petitions.”

  “Excellent,” I said.

  “The audiences are held near the Central Cylinder, on the Avenue of the Central Cylinder,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Did you wish to speak to him about something?” asked the man.

  “I thought it might be nice,” I said, “at least to look upon him.”

  “He is a charming fellow,” said the man.

  “I am sure of it,” I said.

  “Many minor petitions are granted,” he said, “and some of the major ones. To be sure, it depends wholly, at least in the major cases, upon the justice of the petition.”

  “I understand,” I said.

  “Those wishing to present petitions must take a place on the rope,” he said.

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “Obviously the regent cannot give an audience to everyone,” he said. “Those who are granted audiences wear the Gnieus Lelius Generosity Ribbon which encircles them and is tied about the rope, actually a velvet cable, leading to the dais. This helps to keep the line straight and, as the audiences are held out of doors, controls the number of petitioners.”

  “I understand,” I said. “How does one obtain a position on the rope?” I asked.

  “Sometimes it is a nasty business,” said the man.

  “Good,” said Hurtha, approvingly.

  “I suppose it is a good idea to come early,” I said.

  “Some people are there from the fourteenth Ahn the day before,” he said.

  “I see,” I said. “Thank you, Citizen.”

  “You might try the Alley of the Slave Brothels of Ludmilla. That is behind the Avenue of Turia.”

  “What?” I said.

  “For lodging,” he said.

  “Oh,” I said.

  “Do you know where it is?” he asked.

  “I know where the Avenue of Turia is,” I said. It is named for the city in the southern hemisphere, incidentally, doubtless as a gesture of amicability on the part of Ar. Stately Tur trees, appropriately enough, line its walks. It is a broad avenue with fountains. It is well known for its exclusive shops. “It is in the vicinity of the Street of Brands.”

  “That is the one,” he said. The Street of Brands, incidentally, can be a particular street, but, generally, as in Ar, it is a district, one which has rece
ived its name from its dealings in slaves, and articles having to do with slaves. In it, commonly, are located the major slave houses of a city. To it, slavers may take their catches. In it, on a wholesale or retail basis, one may purchase slaves. Similarly one may bid upon them in public auction. The major markets are there. For example, the Curulean is there. One may also rent and board slaves there. It is there, too, in the confines of the houses, that girls are often trained superbly and thoroughly in the intimate arts of giving exquisite pleasures to masters. Too, of course, in such a district, one may purchase such articles as appropriate cosmetics for slaves, suitable simple but attractive jewelry, fit for slaves, in particular, earrings which, in Gorean eyes, so fasten a woman’s degradation helplessly upon her, appropriate perfumes, slave silk, and such. Too, it is in such a district that one will find a wide variety of other articles helpful in the identification, keeping, training, and disciplining of females, such things as collars, of the fixed and lock variety, leashes, of metal and leather, neck, wrist and ankle, ranging from simple guide thongs to stern control devices, wrist belts and ankle belts, yokes and leg-stretchers, waist-and-wrist stocks, iron belts, to prevent her penetration without the master’s permission, linked bracelets, with long chains and short chains, body chains, pleasure shackles, multicolored, silken binding cords, some cored with chain, and, of various types, for various purposes, whips.

  “My thanks,” I said. “We will try it.”

  “I wish you well,” he said.

  “I, too, wish you well,” I said.

  He then went about his business. The woman near us, sitting on a blanket on the stones, her basket of suls before her, looked up. “Do you want suls?” she asked.

  “No,” I said.

  “Be gone, then,” she said.

  “Come along,” I said to my party. I led them east on Venaticus, to the Avenue of the Central Cylinder. It was then my intention to go south on that avenue until I came to Wagon Street, taking it east to Turia. There is more than one “wagon street” in Ar, incidentally, but the one I had in mind, that which led to the Street of Brands, was the one usually called Wagon Street. The “wagon streets” are generally east-west streets. They are called that, I suppose, because they are open to wagon traffic during the day, and wide enough for two wagons to pass on them. On many streets in Ar wagon traffic is discouraged during daylight hours because of their narrowness. There is little difficulty, of course, with the avenues and boulevards. They are generally wider. Many girls, incidentally, have been on Wagon Street, being brought down it on their first trip to Ar, though perhaps they did not see much of it, their ankles chained to the central bar in the blue-and-yellow slave wagons, those delivering them, according, say, to the disk numbers on their collars, or the addresses marked on their left breasts, to the various houses on the Street of Brands.