Norman, John - Gor 23 - Renegades of Gor.txt

Norman, John - Gor 23 - Renegades of Gor.txt Page 31

by Renegades of Gor [lit]

  “It is another assault,” I said. Almost simultaneously there were raised

  thousands of cheers.

  “There are your friends, the Cosians,” I said to Lady Publia.

  “They are not my friends!” she said.

  If there was a response from the walls, it was hard to make it out.

  (pg.244) “But yet you were preparing yourself quite carefully, hoping to be

  permitted to belong to one as a slave.”

  “Liar!” she cried. I saw her small fingers move, but she did not dare to clench

  her fists. The fingers moved helplessly, but the palms remained facing upward,

  exposed.

  “You were bearing much gold,” I said, “which, foolishly, you thought to offer to

  Cosians, that they might spare you and keep you as a slave. But that was stupid.

  For they would take the gold and then do what they wanted with you, putting you

  to the sword or not, as they pleased.”

  She cried out in anger.

  “But if your thoughts in this matter had been correct,” I said, “it might have

  been too bad, might it not, for many of the other women of Ar’s Station, women

  less fortunate, less rich, than you, who lacked the means wherewith to purchase

  their lives?”

  “That could not be my concern,” she said, angrily.

  “But I assure you, Lady Publia,” I said, “the pertinent determinations in such

  matters, when the women are stripped and stood against a wall, are not made on

  the basis of gold.”

  “I suppose not,” she said, bitterly.

  “Why, too,” I asked, “did you, a wealthy woman, of the Merchants, choose to wear

  artful rags, as though you might be a simple low-caste maid?”

  She was silent.

  “There are two reasons,” I said. “The first is that you feared that the high

  castes and the richer castes, such as the Merchants, might be less likely to be

  spared by the enemy, that they might be the subject of more resentment, perhaps

  because of envy, or perhaps that they would be particularly sought out for

  vengeance, on the supposition that they, presumably the more powerful castes in

  the city, might be most responsible for the prolongation of the siege. You, on

  the other hand, by your disguise, so to speak, might hope to escape such a fate.

  Cosians would see you, you hoped, not in terms of politics, but merely in terms

  of loot. The second reason is more interesting. You wanted to be seen in terms

  of something well worth hunting and capturing. Thus the artful rages, apparently

  so inadvertently but excitingly, displaying your calves. You did not wish to be

  brought down with a (pg.245) quarrel at a distance but to find yourself at close

  quarters with captors. Then you would surrender to them.”

  “No!” she cried.

  “It is for such a reason,” I said, “that your rags were designed to be removed

  swiftly, so easily and gracefully, and on your knees.”

  “No!” she said. “No!”

  “Lie quietly,” I said. “And most interestingly, and objectionably,” I said, “you

  had not had your hair shorn.”

  Lady Publia did not respond.

  “To be sure,” I said, “you wished to give the impression that you had done so.

  That was the purpose of the cloth you wore about your head. It was intended to

  make it seem as though you, perhaps in understandable vanity or embarrassment,

  wished to conceal shortly cropped hair. certainly I, at first, assumed your hair

  had been shorn.”

  “I, too,” said Lady Claudia.

  “Do you recall,” I asked Lady Claudia, “that I earlier suggested that there

  might be a reason, other than reasons of your sort, for not having her hair

  cropped?”

  “Yes,” Lady Claudia.

  “Do you now suspect such a reason?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Yes,” I said. “With such hair, such lovely hair,” I said, toying with it,

  behind Lady Publia’s back, “she would be more likely to be spared.”

  Lady Publia tensed, angrily.

  “Let other women have their hair shorn,” I said, “donating it to the defense of

  their city. Not she. It, like the artful rags, their length, their ease of

  removal, and such, had its clever, calculated part to play in her plan. She

  would thus, retaining her hair, it enhancing her beauty, if captured, stand out

  like a paga slave among mill sluts. If selections were to be made, it then seems

  that surely she would be among the first chosen, not for the sword, but for the

  chain.”

  Lady Publia’s small fingers moved wildly, angrily, but she dared not close her

  hands. The palms remained up, exposed.

  “There are the trumpets again,” said Lady Claudia.

  “It is the recall,” I said.

  “Nut they will come again, will they not?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said, “and, if necessary, again, and again.”

  (pg.246) I looked down at Lady Publia.

  “Does it seem fair to you,” I asked Lady Claudia, “that Lady Publia should have

  such an advantage over the other women of Ar’s Station?”

  “I do not know,” said Lady Claudia.

  “It does not seem fair to me,” I said. “When you were going through our friend’s

  pouches over there, did you find any small knives, such as a hook knife or a

  shaving knife?”

  I had a belt knife myself, which was sheathed on the sword belt, to the right,

  but at the moment I preferred something lighter-bladed, smaller and sharper, if

  it were available.

  “One fellow had a shaving knife,” said Lady Claudia.

  “Bring it to me,” I said.

  “What do you want if for?” said Lady Publia, anxiously. In a moment Lady Claudia

  had returned with the implement.

  “What are you going to do!” cried Lady Publia.

  “Hold still,” I said.

  “No!” she wept. “no!”

  In a few moments I discarded the small knife, throwing it to the side. Lady

  Publia was lying in the straw, bawling. She clutched her head wildly, in dismay,

  in disbelief.

  “Kneel,” I said, “facing me.”

  Weeping, Lady Publia obeyed, her hands still on her head.

  “Now,” I said, “if Cosians come on you, you will be on the same footing as the

  other women of Ar’s Station.”

  Tears filled her eyes.

  I had left her enough hair so that I could get my hand in it, in the scrub of

  it, so that I might use it as the guard had earlier the hair of Lady Claudia, to

  control her. Too, thusly, it as now of a convenient length for a Cosian to seize

  it, should that eventually occur. It was of about the same length as that of

  Lady Claudia.

  Lady Publia, half hysterical, kept her hands on her head. This lifted her

  breasts nicely. Then, seeing my eyes on her, she wept and put down her head,

  kneeling low, her hands still over her head.

&n
bsp; “Prisoner,” said I, harshly, “on all fours.”

  She assumed this position.

  “Go to the place where you put the clothing,” I said to Lady Claudia, “by the

  rope, the leash and collar, and wait there.”

  (pg.247) Lady Claudia hurried to the place.

  I then stood up and looked down at Lady Publia.

  “Lift your head, prisoner,” I said.

  She did so.

  “Lift up one end of the rope,” I said to Lady Claudia.

  She did so.

  I them, abruptly, seized Lady Publia by the scrub of her dark hair and pulled

  her, she crying out, half crawling, half being dragged, over to where Lady

  Claudia waited. It was precisely so that the guard, earlier, had treated Lady

  Claudia.

  “Kneel here,” I said to Lady Publia, indicating the same spot where Lady Claudia

  had knelt, “up, off your heels, your arms at your sides.”

  Frightened, Lady Publia complied.

  It was exactly in such a position that Lady Claudia had been knelt by the guard.

  I then took the free end of the rope from Lady Claudia’s hand and, exactly as

  she had been tied, with the many coils, beginning near her waist, began to bind

  Lady Publia.

  “What are you doing?” moaned Lady Publia.

  “Put on her clothing,” I said to Lady Claudia. “Hurry.” The most recent assault

  force, the third of the morning, had been recalled. This meant a lull. At such a

  time men could be freed from the walls. Too, it was now late morning.

  “What does she think she is doing!” demanded Lady Publia, outraged. “oh!”

  “As I recall,” I said to Lady Publia, “you recommended that the ropes be made

  tight.”

  “Oh!” she said. Then suddenly, again. “Oh!” Then, “please,” she begged, “do not

  make them so tight!” Then, Oh! Oh!” she said.

  Then she was trussed.

  “Your calves and ankles,” I said to Lady Claudia, “are as attractive as hers.”

  Lady Claudia flushed with pleasure at my compliment. Then she said, delightedly,

  touching the garment. “I have not worn clothes in days!” I smiled to myself. I

  thought she might as well enjoy clothes, while she was permitted them.

  “Now put on the veil, and wrap the cloth about your head, quickly,” I said, “as

  she had them.”

  (pg.248) “What it the meaning of this outrage!” demanded Lady Publia, squirming

  in the ropes.

  “That is very good,” I said to Lady Claudia. She, like Lady Publia, had dark

  brown eyes. If one did not know Lady Publia personally, or if one did not know

  her all that well, I did not think there would be any difficulty in Lady

  Claudia’s being taken for her.

  “What is this all about?” asked Lady Publia.

  “Go to the fellows over there by the wall,” I said, “and cut free one of their

  tunics. I need some cloth.”

  Lady Claudia did so, using a belt knife, taken from one of the guards.

  “What is this all about?” said Lady Publia, again, insistently, angrily.

  I then put the collar about her neck. Its leash was already attached. She then

  knelt there, as had Lady Claudia, leashed and collared.

  “I do not understand!” said Lady Publia, angrily.

  I stood up, and looked down at her. She was on her kneed, bound. She trembled.

  Women understand that position.

  In a moment Lady Claudia had rejoined me, carrying a good bit of cloth.

  “Release me,” demanded Lady Publia.

  “You are going to help us leave the citadel,” I told her.

  “Never!” she said.

  “I have a plan,” I said.

  “Doubtless you think she can pass herself off as me,” she said, scornfully.

  “I think so,” I said.

  At that moment there was a great impact somewhere, perhaps a hundred feet away.

  Lady Publia, bound at our feet, winced. There was a noise as the leash ring

  moved on the collar ring.

  “It is the artillery,” said Lady Claudia, shivering. “It has begun again!”

  “She is pretty,” I said. “Perhaps Cosians might spare her.”

  “I think so,” said Lady Claudia.

  “Why do you speak so explicitly of Cosians?” asked Lady Publia suddenly,

  apprehensively. “Am I not beautiful?”

  “Yes,” I said. “you are.”

  “Then would not anyone spare me?” she asked.

  (pg.249) “Perhaps not just anyone,” I said.

  “You understand, do you not, Lady Publia,” I said, “that there are many ways,

  behavioral and psychological, in which one can determine whether or not a

  woman’s bondage is meretricious?”

  “Yes,” she said, frightened.

  “Even so,” I said, “one might be found who might not choose to spare you.”

  “What are you waiting here for?” asked Lady Publia, frightened. “Why do you not

  run? Why do you not flee?”

  “We are waiting for a caller,” I said.

  “Who?” she asked, apprehensively.

  “Surely you have not forgotten,” I said. “He was to have been along in a few

  Ehn. I expect him in a bit, the assaults now having abated.”

  “If she is to be me,” said Lady Publia, suddenly, frightened, looking at Lady

  Claudia, wearing her former rags, veil and scarf, “what then is to be my role in

  this farce?”

  While we had been talking I had taken the cloth with Lady Claudia had brought

  from the side earlier, that which she had cut from the tunic of one of the

  guards, and had been tearing it here and there, and working with it.

  “Can you not guess?” I asked.

  “No!” she cried. “No!”

  “Perhaps,” I said. I was now wadding one of the pieces of cloth into tight ball.

  “Are you not a Cosian?” she asked.

  “No,” I said.

  “What is your city?” she asked, frightened.

  “Port Kar,” I said.

  She suddenly turned white.

  “Glory to Port Kar,” I said.

  “Mercy!” she cried.

  “Glory to Port Kar,” I said, regarding her, evenly.

  “Glory to Port Kar!” she cried, desperately, fervently.

  “Three time,” I said.

  “Glory to Port Kar,” she cried, thrice.

  I then thrust the small ball of tightly rolled cloth into her mouth, where,

  instantly, as it was actually a rather large piece of material, it expanded.

  “Those may be the last word you ever speak,” I said.

  (pg.250) She looked at me wildly, tears in her eyes, squirming, shaking her

  head, protesting, making tiny noises, but I then secured the wadding tightly in

  her mouth, with two rolled strips of cloth, pulled back tightly between her

  teeth, and tied in back of her neck.

  “When the executioner arrives,” I said, “who do you think he is going to find,

  waiting for him?
”

  She turned white, squirming, shaking her head.

  “You were not really very pleasing,” I said. “Perhaps you would like to be more

  pleasing now?”

  She nodded, desperately, tears bursting from her eyes.

  “Hold her leash, close to the collar,” I said to Lady Claudia, who was

  white-faced, too.

  This would keep Lady Publia from plunging her head to the floor, at our feet.

  She threw her head back, in misery.

  But I pulled it forward, by the hair, and covered it, with a large piece of

  cloth from the guard’s tunic. I then, with a knife, and a cord of rolled cloth,

  put through holes in the bottom of the cloth, made it into a rough hood, and

  tied it on her, fastening it behind the back of her neck.

  “Perhaps if you had been more pleasing,” I suggested.

  She then began hysterically, piteously, to squirm and moan.

  I rose to my feet. I gestured to Lady Claudia to release the leash. It seemed

  she could hardly open her fingers but she did so. Lady Publia, as I had

  expected, as soon as the leash was released, put her head, secured in the

  darkness of the crude hood, wildly, piteously down, searching, groping, for my

  feet, to press her covered, parted lips and stopped mouth against them. Then I

  took the leash back between her legs, crossed her ankles, and bound them

  together with it. She was thus, having herself assumed this position, now, at my

  convenience, fastened helplessly down, bent over, on her knees. I stood up. I

  looked down at her. Yes, it was also a position of obeisance.

  “See if anyone is coming,” I said to Lady Claudia.

  She hurried, distraught, to the cell door.

  In a moment she had returned.

  “Doubtless he will be along presently,” I said.

  Lady Claudia looked down, horrified, at our helpless warder.

  (pg.251) I crouched down by the prisoner. “The spear, as I understand it,” I

  said, trying to recall the words of our warder earlier to Lady Claudia, “is a

  solid piece of polished metal, very long, and less than a hort in width. It is

  tapered to a point, and fits in a mount.”

  Lady Publia, squirmed on her knees hysterically. She uttered tiny, wild,

  protesting noises.

  Lady Claudia looked at me wildly, over the veil. There were tears in her own

  eyes.

  At that moment there was a hideous impact some forty feet or fifty feet from us

 

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