The Warrior Enchained

6

Two more ship days went by before we reached Rimilia, but they weren’t pleasant ones—at least not for me. When I tried to continue working on Garth, the barbarian got so annoyed he banished me to my cabin. He wanted to work on Garth himself, and didn’t enjoy having me there to counter his nonsense. He and Garth spent hours at a time sitting and talking, sometimes one of them engaging in a monologue, sometimes the other doing it. I had no real idea what they were talking about, but the longer it went on, the straighter Garth stood, the more he squared his shoulders, the higher he held his head. Not all of it could have been heap-big-male propaganda, they had to have been discussing Tammad’s plans for him as well; whatever it was, it seemed to bolster and encourage him, filling him out the way a month’s worth of good meals will fill out a starving man’s body. Garth had obviously been starving for something, but it hadn’t been for food.

Being kept in a cabin had been boring in the extreme, but nothing I’d said or done had succeeded in getting the barbarian to change his mind. The three trippers had taken to dancing for their men friends any time the l’lendaa had wanted them to, and dance time was the sole exception made to my incarceration. I was told to watch carefully so that I might learn, an order that almost made me bare my teeth. I retaliated by closing my eyes tight when the girls danced, pretending I didn’t know what they were doing because I couldn’t see them. Tammad grew annoyed when he discovered what I was doing, but Garth’s amusement kept him from punishing me. Garth had regained his equilibrium but on a higher plane, so high that nothing I said seemed to disturb him. His new attitudes bothered me, equally as much as the way he began looking at me.

When landing time finally came around, the transport’s common area seemed to be filled with more long faces than happy ones. I, myself, was furious over the fact that the barbarian had refused to return my own clothes to me, insisting that I continue to wear the imad and caldin he had given me. He, on the other hand, was none too pleased himself after two sleep periods and a number of fun breaks when he failed to make me share my emotions while he used me. I’d had to use every ounce of control I possess, but I wasn’t a Prime for nothing. I’d kept him from entering my mind the way he entered my body, and his l’lendaa had taken to staying as far away from him as the cramped quarters permitted. He had stalked around the common area like a wild beast looking for a victim, keeping himself from snarling only through extreme effort of will. I’d half expected him to complain to me, but he hadn’t been that foolish.

Unlike me, the three trippers had been given their clothes back in preparation for letting them go. Two of them stood with five of the l’lendaa, talking quietly and shyly, their minds filled with sadness and regret, but firm in their decision to continue on their way. They were still somewhat awed by the big male warriors, and knew better than to believe that the fun would continue past the trip. L’lendaa may be good in bed and good for a woman’s ego, but living with them on a full-time basis is another matter entirely.

The third tripper stood off to one side of the group by herself, her head down, her mind filled with hopeless tears that never reached her eyes. She was the one Tammad had singled out twice, but Tammad hadn’t been the only one with his eye on her. The sixth l’lenda, a tall, husky blond named Hannas—but not the same Hannas I had once met-had taken an immediate liking to her, which apparently was mutual. Hannas and his cabin-mate Dirral bad shared her use, but it had been Hannas who she had spent each sleep-period with, falling asleep next to him and waking up in his arms. I had overheard Hannas telling Tammad about it, and that’s where Hannas was right then, talking to Tammad and stating certain facts. What those facts were I didn’t know, but Hannas was determined and Tammad was unsure. In spite of being unsure, Tammad nodded to Hannas, then clapped him on the back. The two of them were agreed on something, even if the agreement wasn’t totally wholehearted on Tammad’s part.

The men were wearing their swords again, and the steward had disappeared permanently.

“Well, it looks like we’re there,” Garth muttered in my ear as the engines faded from a noticeable throb to nothing. “Shouldn’t we be standing by the exit port, eagerly awaiting our first view of the promised land?”

“Maybe it’s promised to you,” I muttered back, “but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a broken promise. If you’re all that nervous, why did you come?”

“If there was nothing to be nervous about, I wouldn’t have come,” he countered, flickering an annoyed glance in my direction. “And from now on stay out of my mind. I don’t like being constantly poked and pried at.”

I stared at him for a second then looked away, more hurt than I would have admitted. Garth’s nervousness was obvious to anyone with eyes, empath or not. I hadn’t probed him because I hadn’t had to, but it would have been a waste of time saying so. Most people don’t think about being probed, but once one of them gets the idea in his head, he decides he’s under constant observation.

“Look, I didn’t mean that,” he apologized almost immediately. “I am nervous, and I’m sure everyone can see it. If poking around in my emotions does anything for you, feel free to indulge at any time.”

His tone of voice was trying for lighthearted, but the rest of him wasn’t making it. At another time he might have had my sympathy, but right then I had my own problems.

“I have better ways of wasting my time than bothering with emotional infants.” I shot back. “If you think I’d spend any time on you, you flatter yourself.”

“I can see I asked for that,” he sighed, surprising me by not being angry. Then he squeezed my arm gently. “Don’t worry, Terry. Things will work out well for both of us. Tammad won’t let it happen any other way.”

“You sound as though you think he’s a god or something,” I snorted, pulling my arm loose from his easy grip. “I hate to disillusion you, but he isn’t even a civilized, rational man. He’s nothing but a barbarian, and you’ll be sorry you ever involved yourself with him.”

“That’s possible,” he agreed, “but I’m betting it doesn’t happen that way. I’m betting everything goes the way it’s supposed to and everyone lives happily ever after.”

“I can’t afford to bet,” I whispered, watching as everyone began moving toward the corridor that led to the exit port. “I can’t afford to bet on fairy tales coming true because I can’t afford to lose. If you can, good luck to you.”

Garth was about to say something else, but the words were lost when Tammad came over to join us.

“It is now time to disembark,” he said, standing in front of me but looking at Garth. “Do not feel hesitant or uneasy, brother. You enter our world as one who is needed, not as one who must prove his worth. Your worth will prove itself many times over.”

“It’s strange, but I don’t have to force myself to believe that,” Garth answered with a smile. “I believe I can feel posterity waiting for me, and I’m anxious to get started. After you.”

Garth gestured toward the corridor, and Tammad, with a grin, preceded him out of the common area—with his hand wrapped around my arm. Garth had been invited to join the general departure, but Terrillian wasn’t good enough to be invited; she was nothing more than a wenda, to be taken wherever her owner decided he wanted her to go. I was angry enough to beat at the barbarian with one fist and use words I had seldom used before, but Tammad couldn’t have cared less. He ignored me the way someone else would ignore a recalcitrant child, and willy-nilly I soon found myself down off the ramp and onto thick green grass. The transport had landed not far from the embassy, in an open field that held more than four dozen camtahh about a quarter of a mile away. Planetary time was past middle of the afternoon, but it was still easy to see that the day had been a beautiful one. Small insects hummed and buzzed in the warmth, and birds happily soared around the soft breeze that whispered of evening to come. The six l’lendaa stood around the three female trippers, and as we came up to them, one of the men pointed toward the embassy.

“It is there where you will find assistance in returning to your people,” he said, looking the women over in a final sort of way. “Should you ever wish to return to us, have word sent to our city and we will come for you. As you are not women of our world, we have been told the choice must be yours.”

The l’lenda made it plain how little he liked that idea, which got two of the women flustered all over again. They’d been feeling a small amount of regret over leaving, but the relief the concept brought them far outweighed the regret. The third woman wasn’t allowing herself to feel anything, but the forced numbness was an ineffective shield against her pain. Once she was out of sight of the men, she would let herself cry forever.

One final round of good-byes was said, and then the women, carrying their luggage, started off for the embassy—or at least two of them did. When the third tried to leave with them, she found a large, immovable hand on her shoulder.

“You go in the wrong direction, wenda,” Hannas told her, looking down at her bowed head. “The camtahh of my people lie in the opposite direction.”

The girl, her head still down, wanted to answer in words, but the burning in her throat refused to allow that. She shook her head, a defeated, miserable gesture, filled with the knowledge that fairy tales never come true. If she went with him even her memories would probably be lost. I felt sick to my stomach from the vast helplessness welling out of her, but the steel fingers on my arm kept me from turning away and moving out of range. I swallowed down the urge to try the shield again, but didn’t know how long I’d be able to resist the temptation. Concentrating on how everyone’s hair moved gently in the breeze wasn’t enough of a distraction.

“Woman, you are not faced with a request,” Hannas persisted, his voice and expression turning stern. “The others may go or stay as they wish, but you will not be given that choice. I find I desire you, and have decided to take you with me when I return to my people. Had I brought my bands with me, you would not have been left this long in doubt.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the girl whispered, raising wildly confused eyes to his face. “There was nobody to stop you from doing whatever you pleased on the transport, but we’re on a planet now. You can’t just decide to take me with you whether I want to or not. It’s against the law.”

“Should you speak of Amalgamation law,” Tammad put in, drawing her eyes to him, “you err in thinking of Rimilia as an Amalgamation planet. The laws of Rimilia hold sway here, and all those who visit the planet must abide by them. Hannas may take any woman he wishes, so long as she is not the belonging of another. Are you the belonging of another?”

“But, that’s crazy!” the girl blurted, shaking her head as she ignored Tammad’s question. “Sure, I’d like to go with him but what if it doesn’t work out? I don’t know anything about him, and he—he knows even less about me. What if he decides he doesn’t want me after all?”

The girl’s voice was quivering, true fear staring out of her eyes, but it was Hannas rather than Tammad who answered her question. He took her gently by the arms and turned her to face him, then smoothed back her short blond hair.

“In time we will know all there is to know of one another,” he told her softly, staring down into her widened eyes. “At the moment, you need only know that I am a man who desires you and will have you. Will you walk with me to my camtah, wenda, or must I carry you?”

“You wouldn’t carry me,” she whispered, still wide-eyed with shock. Even after everything she’d said about being asked, she still failed to realize that the attitude carried over into everything l’lendaa did. Men were given the option of refusal as men were able to back up that refusal with a sword; women couldn’t, therefore the option was never offered them,

Hannas sighed, knowing when words were useless, then bent and threw her up on his shoulder, making her drop her suitcase. The girl, suddenly frightened, squawked and struggled, causing the other two women, who had stopped to watch, to pale and back away. They’d been told they were being released, but with men like those a woman can never be sure. The other l’lendaa laughed as they watched Hannas striding away toward the tents in the distance, a squirming, protesting bundle of girl over his shoulder, then a couple of them turned to look speculatively toward the other two women. The women, having learned what was good for them, turned and began running toward the embassy, stumbling and breaking stride every time their suitcases threw them off pace. They were filled with pure panic, and it didn’t ease much when they saw the ground cars filled with people coming from the embassy. The ground cars were going in the wrong direction, and the women were smart enough to know that the people in them might not be able to do any more than they could—which was just about what their friend had accomplished. They moved as fast as they could toward the embassy, refraining from looking back in case they saw something they really didn’t want to see.

“That must be your welcoming committee,” Garth observed to Tammad, watching the ground cars get closer. “Quite a turnout for a world with no more than a single embassy.”

“They have reason to be concerned over my health and doings,” Tammad murmured back, the dryness in his voice like sandpaper. “I had no doubt they would greet its, yet their numbers have grown since my departure. Perhaps I will find the discussions to come of interest after all.”

Neither one of them had anything to add to that, so we all stood in silence as we waited for the two ground cars to reach us. I squinted against the lowering sun, trying to make out who the cars contained, unconsciously breathing deep of the fresh, clean air around us. If nothing else can be said for Rimilia, at least the quality of its air is superior.

The first ground car stopped within five feet of us, the second stopping just behind it, and by then I knew who some of the passengers were. The first car, driven by Denny Ambler, who was resident diplomat at the embassy, contained three other diplomats and Murdock McKenzie, head of the XenoDiplomacy Bureau on Central. I stirred uncomfortably in Tammad’s grip as I watched Murdock struggle his way out of the car, forcing his twisted body to move the way he wanted it to. Murdock had his mind under its usual tight control, but I hadn’t missed his reaction when he saw the way Tammad was holding me. He realized immediately that something was wrong between us, and his regret and relief were mired exactly half and half. Considering the fact that he was the one who had given Tammad a transport to use, his reaction was rather unexpected. I couldn’t help getting the feeling that Murdock was playing with inner wheels again, probing deep in an attempt to make things turn out the way he wanted them to. He and Tammad were very much alike, but Murdock had been playing the game a good deal longer than the barbarian. If experience counted for anything, Murdock would not be the loser in any showdown between them.

The second ground car held two more members of the XD Bureau, but it also held a surprise. Aside from the very beautiful, dark-haired woman who was helped .out to the grass by one of the diplomats, the fourth passenger turned out to be Lenham Phillips, a fellow member of my XenoMediation Bureau and a fellow empath. Len wasn’t bad for an empath below Prime grade, but he looked nervous and not too pleased about being where he was. I remembered the last time I’d seen Len, at the real he’d tried trapping me into completing, and hoped his displeasure would grow considerably greater before it was eased. It was the least he deserved.

“Ah, Tammad, I see you’ve found her,” Murdock said when he was finally standing in front of us. “Terrillian, my dear, you seem tired.”

“Sick and tired is more like it,” I muttered, glancing briefly at Tammad. “Murdock, will you please be so kind as to tell this—this—beast to release my arm? I think the circulation has stopped.”

Murdock kept silent as a folding chair was placed behind him, then he began lowering his thin, twisted body into it. No sweat appeared on his forehead below the hairline of his neat, gray hair, but I was more than close enough to feel how near a thing it was. Bending that way was endlessly painful for him, but his legs weren’t able to support him for more than a short while. I slid quickly into his mind and eased as much of the pain as I could, but wasn’t quite as deft as I’d hoped I could be. His hard, gray eyes snapped to me as he settled himself, but it was impossible telling whether he was grateful or furious. His mind was discipline incarnate, more rigidly controlled even than Tammad’s, and the first hint I had was when he smiled his narrow, tight-lipped smile at me.

“My dear Terrillian, I’m sure Tammad realizes that there is very little need to hold you so closely beside him,” be said in his sleek, even way. “Where on this world might you run to where he could not follow? Perhaps you have misbehaved again, and he seeks to punish you. Has our Prime been disobedient, my friend?”

The hard, gray eyes turned to Tammad, who smiled faintly before answering.

“It is indeed as the Murdock McKenzie suggests,” be said, smiling. “The woman is forever disobedient, yet we have now returned to my world where her disobedience will be seen to. Your assistance was invaluable in my quest, and you have my thanks.”

“Which is no small thing,” Murdock nodded, the wintry smile warming not at all when the barbarian’s hand left my arm. I rubbed at the fingermarks left in my flesh, pleased that Murdock was doing so well. If matters continued in that same vein, I would be free in no time.

“I see others have joined you here,” Tammad observed, looking around to those who stood a distance away from the conversation. One of those was Denny, who stood looking off toward the line of tents Hannas was making his way toward, very obviously not meeting Tammad’s eye. Something had happened to the friendship between Denny and the barbarian, but I couldn’t imagine what it could be.

“Others you will be interested in,” Murdock agreed, toying with the cane he held. “I thought about the difficulty you had with Terrillian here, added the possibility that you might fail to find her again, and took the liberty of making a few arrangements which should please you. Reven, bring the others over here.”

The man Reven, who had been standing beside Murdock’s chair, nodded once then turned toward Len and the darkhaired woman. His gesture brought the two of them toward him, and in a minute they had joined the group.

“Tammad, I would like you to meet Lenham Phillips, a very capable empath,” Murdock purred, watching as Len and Tammad exchanged nods. “Lenham has been told how important your work is to the Amalgamation, and will prove to be considerably more reliable than a stubborn young girl. Despite the fact that he is not quite as large as you and your men, it should not prove difficult disguising him as one of your people. His blond hair and blue eyes are, of course, assets in this situation.”

“I see.” Tammad nodded, looking Len over as his mind began to hum. Len picked up the hum with a frown, recognizing the calculation in Tammad’s thoughts but not knowing bow deep it went. It would be awhile before he learned the barbarian well enough to probe him.

“Our other newcomer should also take your fancy,” Murdock continued, watching Tammad’s approval of Len with approval of his own. “I would like to present Gaynor King, a most accomplished young women. Gaynor is on loan to us from Central’s Professional Friendship Bureau, which was established to provide companions for Amalgamation heads of state when they visit Central. She does not normally work off-planet, but Rathmore Hellman saw fit to make an exception in this case. She will, of course, return to Central when Lenham does.”

Tammad’s eyes were already on Gaynor King, openly rating her and obviously liking what he saw. From twenty feet away she was a very attractive woman; from five feet away she was startlingly beautiful. Her glossy black hair was short but beautifully styled, setting off her smooth, pale complexion and green eyes. She was two or three inches taller than I, and even Tammad wouldn’t have called her underfleshed. Her build was slender but very round, emphasizing her large breasts and curvy hips. The very stylish, electric-blue day suit she wore showed well-molded, attractive legs, a point the barbarian was careful not to miss. Gay King posed in front of him, breathing desirability in and out as if it were air, her mind cool and very nearly bored. She was used to being looked at by men, and seemed to be somewhat in contempt of them—an attitude which didn’t show in her face.

“This woman is more than acceptable,” Tammad murmured, apparently not noticing that I had slowly drifted closer to Murdock’s chair on the left. Len and Gay King stood to Murdock’s right, and only Len’s mind had registered my movement. “I ask you to convey my thanks to the Rathmore Hellman, also assuring him off my satisfaction. I will be sure to seek for a fitting return gift.”

“That is generous of you but quite unnecessary,” Murdock said with the same narrow-faced, wintry smile he always showed. “You have so far attained our highest expectations, and deserve whatever we might provide in return. Do your plans yet extend beyond those we discussed before your recent journey?”

“Only in small part,” Tammad answered, speaking to Murdock as though they stood eye to eye, equal to equal. “Unification of the twenty-five cities has already begun, and our requirements before the building of the complex will be given you as soon as they are compiled. It is now necessary to consider a manner of contacting the out-lying peoples, those our cities cannot speak for. Such a thing has never before been done.”

“I am confident you will see to the matter as ably as you have already seen to previous difficulties,” Murdock assured him, beginning to lever himself out of the chair. I gave him the same non-physical assistance I had earlier, felt his brief flash of gratitude, then stepped behind him. “I must leave Rimilia soon to see to Bureau matters on Central, but I will return as soon as I may. Would your companion there care to share my transport to Central? There is room for him as well as for the two women who recently passed us going to the embassy.”

Murdock’s eyes had gone to Garth, but there had been no curiosity or demands in his tone of voice. He very much wanted to know where Garth fit in, but he knew better than to demand information from Tammad.

“My companion has agreed to accompany me to my city,” Tammad answered smoothly, sounding as though the visit couldn’t be more casual—but not thinking the same. “It has occurred to me to wonder bow off-wonders will be treated among my people, and my friend will assist me in determining the truth of the matter. Should there be difficulty ahead of us, it would be wise to know of it as soon as possible.”

“Wise, indeed,” Murdock nodded, his suspicious nature considerably mollified. He wasn’t dismissing the question of Garth, but he wasn’t considering it a priority any longer. “I will be sure to send word to you when I return, to learn the results of your experiment. As always, you have my good wishes.”

Murdock nodded in farewell, undoubtedly adding his wintry smile, then turned slowly to be facing his ground car again. His hand came toward my arm as I turned with him, to guide me to his car, I thought, but another hand reached his shoulder before his hand reached my arm.

“Perhaps the Murdock McKenzie has forgotten,” Tammad’s voice came softly from right behind us. “The wenda he takes with him is mine.”

A sense of frustrated annoyance flashed briefly in Murdock’s mind, a fitting companion to the concern I, myself, felt. We both turned halfway back to the barbarian, but only Murdock was able to smile.

“My friend, I must ask your indulgence,” he said, leaning on his cane. “You now have no real need of Terrillian, while Central has a sudden urgency which only her talents might see to. Rathmore has asked me to bring her with me when I return—and would count her presence as the gift you mentioned earlier.”

“A gift which I was told was unnecessary,” Tammad countered, his voice still soft and overly mild, his light eyes calm but determined. “Yet, even that has no bearing. One does not tell another what gift to give, nor does one seek to deny a bargain already struck. Are you prepared to return the value given by me for the possession of this woman?”

“No!” Murdock said immediately. “No, I do not wish to return what was paid for her. I’m sure you are well aware of the fact that I cannot return what was paid for her. Is there no compromise we might find, a temporary loan, so to speak? You would find us very grateful, a state not without its benefits.”

“The gratitude of the Murdock McKenzie is a thing to covet,” Tammad allowed with a sober nod which encouraged Murdock to the point of returning his smile. “However,” the barbarian added, and suddenly his big hand was wrapped around my left wrist, “in this instance I must decline the honor. A woman belongs with him who has chosen and banded her, him to whom she was given. Is there any here who will challenge me for possession of this woman?”

His voice was loud enough to reach everyone in Murdock’s party, and every man there heard him. Almost as one they stared at Tammad, appalled at the size of him, at the musculature showing beneath his tanned skin, at the confidence fairly oozing from every inch of his giant body. Very quickly their eyes left him again, their minds trembling with the fear that Tammad might decide he’d been challenged, their bodies tense, their movements jerky. The only exception to that general reaction was Denny, who looked away to hide the amusement he felt. It suddenly came to me that Denny was hiding his friendship with the barbarian, keeping it a secret between just the two of them. Tammad had a secret ally among the strangers he dealt with, a valuable asset any way you looked at it.

“I see there are no challenges,” Tammad said after a minute, taking his eyes away from the rest of the men to bring them back to Murdock. “I will return to my people now, to continue the plans already begun. I wish the Murdock McKenzie a safe journey home.”

“Wait!” I cried as he began to turn away, my wrist still held in his hand. Murdock was furiously silent, his fist clenched in frustrated rage, his mind seething in impotence. There was nothing he could do to stop the barbarian, and I was desperate.

“Yes?” Tammad inquired, turning back to me to raise one eyebrow. “There is something you wish to say?”

“Yes,” I agreed with a grim nod, wishing my voice wouldn’t quaver. “If you want a challenge for possession of me, you’ve got one. I don’t want to go with you.”

He blinked at me in silence for a moment, his mind groping for meaning, and then he said, “The challenge comes from you? From a wenda?”

At that the five l’lendaa still with him began laughing, roaring out their amusement at the thought. A woman challenging a denday like Tammad was the biggest joke they’d ever heard.

“Yes, it comes from me,” I ground out over the laughter, clenching my teeth at the ridicule. “Are you too good to accept a challenge from me?”

“In what way would you see to such a challenge?” he asked, his tone soft and reasonable and free of the ridicule his men showed. His mind was under rigid control, biding whatever traces of amusement or annoyance he might be feeling, carefully centering on nothing more than our conversation. “How might I face you, hama, without exposing you to either danger or embarrassment? As I care for you, I would not have you exposed to either thing.”

“You don’t care for me!” I choked, suddenly losing control to such an extent that I tried pulling my wrist loose. “You only want to use me the way you use everyone else! And I don’t care how I face you, just as long as I have a chance to get free! One way or another I’ve got to be free of you!”

I was trembling so strongly with the emotions I felt that my whole body shook, sending echoes of the tremors through my mind. I stared at the barbarian wildly, more determined than I had ever been, and slowly, resolutely, he nodded his head.

“Very well,” he sighed, drawing me forward a good five feet before letting my wrist go. “As your need is so strong, I may do nothing other than see to it. I will face you with daggers.”

Daggers! I felt numb as he turned away from me, leaving me rooted to the spot. He planned on playing fair, I could see that in his mind, but I knew nothing of daggers, not to speak of fighting with them! I didn’t even want to touch one of the things, but there was nothing else I could do.

The barbarian spoke quietly to his men for a minute, took the dagger one of them proferred, then turned back to me. I watched him come closer, my eyes glued to the weapon in his hand, and then he was right in front of me, closing my fingers around the hilt of the blade he had brought.

“You are now armed,” he said, drawing the dagger he wore in the back of his swordbelt. “As am I. We may now begin.”

He took a step away from me and went into a slight crouch, his arms held ready in front of him, his weight balanced on both feet. The lowering sun gleamed off the blade in his fist, a blade that suddenly seemed completely a part of him. I stood in the thick grass where I’d been put, feeling the breeze stir my hair, tightening my fingers around the dagger I’d been given. He towered over me, he was a trained warrior, and he undoubtedly didn’t even need the weapon he held, but maybe I could still—

“Hai!” he cried, suddenly jumping at me, the dagger raised high and coming down at me. I screamed and stumbled back away from him, the grass tangling my bare feet, the dagger I’d had falling from my grasp as I frantically tried to get away from the wild man coming at me. I tripped and fell, plunging headlong into the grass, quickly burying my head in my arms as I screamed again. I was trembling violently, panic ready to come flooding out of me, already beginning to cry. He was going to hurt me, I knew he was going to hurt me, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

“Hama, are you all right?” he demanded, his hands, not his dagger coming to my arms. Gently he turned me over, rolling me toward him, and through my tears and terror I could see and feel his anger. “The thing has proven itself as foolish as I knew it to be,” be snapped, his anger growing higher the longer he looked at me. “Your challenge has been met and answered, and I will now return to my people—with my wenda! On your feet, woman!”

Roughly, he pulled me erect, then turned and headed toward the line of camtahh in the distance. Garth moving off with him on his right. I stumbled along behind him, still crying, still too overwhelmed to protest in words. I turned my head, back to look pleadingly at Murdock, sobbing as the tears rolled down my cheeks, but there was nothing Murdock could do and he knew it. And yet he took a step after us, as though intent on following, his mind in such a whirling frenzy that he barely registered the increasing pain he felt from being erect so long. He took another step, raised his cane off the ground—and was caught just in time by two of the XD men before he crumpled to the ground. The two men hurried him toward the ground car, so intent on getting him back to the embassy that they totally ignored Tammad’s l’lendaa. The l’lendaa, two escorting Len and two escorting Gay King, firmly urged their charges after Tammad and me; the fifth, after retrieving his dagger from where I’d dropped it, calmly brought up the rear. None of them looked back, and Tammad didn’t either.

By the time we reached the camtahh and the people waiting for us, I was exhausted. I’d been dragged the entire distance by one wrist, refused a slower pace, refused a rest break of any sort. I was gasping from the lack of air in my lungs and stumbling from the weakness in my limbs, but Tammad had refused to notice my difficulty and Garth had decided not to mention it. I hadn’t mentioned it either, but only because I’d known that mentioning it would have wasted what little breath I had. I was being punished, and I didn’t have to wonder for what. The more Tammad thought about what had happened, the angrier he got.

“Aldana, denday, aldana!”

“Welcome home!” came from all around us, a cacophony of greeting in every mind and on every pair of lips. The men came forward with the women right behind them, and it wasn’t difficult seeing that the group was the same which had accompanied Tammad to the Ratanan, the Great Meeting. Fifty warriors, more than half of them with women, still trailed after their leader, following where he took them, asking no questions.

“We have heard something of the happenings on your journey, Tammad.” Faddan grinned, limping closer with everyone else. There was still a bandage around his thigh covering the wound he had gotten during the fight with the savages at the Ratanan, but that didn’t mean he was going to allow himself to be left behind when Tammad decided there were places to go and things to do. Faddan was a true l’lenda, contemptuous of wounds and unwilling to allow them to slow him down.

“Aye,” Loddar laughed, with Kerman chuckling at his side. “Hannas was somewhat preoccupied with other matters, yet he paused briefly to speak with us. Should you need to go in search of Terril again, I would be pleased to accompany you.”

“And I!” agreed Loddar and Kerman together, the others around them laughing further agreement. I wiped at the sweat covering my forehead and face and tried to collapse onto the grass where we’d stopped, but one jerk on my wrist and I was standing straight again. Or as straight as I could manage after a quarter-mile run.

“There will be no further searches for Terril,” my tormentor said, looking at me with grim satisfaction. “She will remain with him to whom she belongs, and no further disobedience will be tolerated. Has my pavillion been erected?”

“It stands there, denday,” Loddar answered, indicating a place in the middle of the other tents. All of the l’lendaa were examining me with their eyes, understanding that Tammad’s anger wasn’t for them. They were curious about what I’d done, but they weren’t about to ask their leader for details, not when he was in such a touchy mood.

“Good,” Tammad said, and then we were off again, heading for the pavilion that was the denday’s tent during the Ratanan. If they hadn’t come straight from the Ratanan, Tammad’s camtah would have been just like everyone else’s.

If I’d bad to go a step farther than the pavilion, I probably would have fallen down dead. As soon as we were through the tent flaps and my wrist was finally released, I fell straight down to the furred carpeting covering the floor and didn’t move. The hanging that divided the pavilion in two was stretched across the width of it, but even if sleeping furs were arranged and waiting behind that hanging, I couldn’t have gotten to them. I let my eyes close as I concentrated on gulping in as much air as possible, paying no attention whatsoever to anyone else in the pavillion.

“I think it’ll be a while before she makes any more trouble,” Garth’s voice came, his attention clearly on me. “What were your men talking about when they came to meet us?”

“They merely discussed the journey recently completed,” Tammad answered, a sudden thoughtfulness to his voice. “Amid this woman’s distractions, I had forgotten you are unable to speak our language. The l’lendaa who accompanied me were given your tongue at the embassy, before our departure, by use of that termed ‘learning machine’. A pity I cannot have you acquire our tongue as easily.”

“I think that would create more problems than it would solve,” Garth agreed with a sigh. “It looks like I’ll be acquiring your language the old-fashioned way.”

“There are enough of those about us to see to the matter,” Tammad said, moving around the pavilion. “Until your lessons have begun you may have an interpreter, perhaps even this female here. After they have begun, there will be no speech for you other than in the language you are attempting to learn. In such a way will your comprehension be sooner in the coming.”

“Ouch,” Garth said wryly, the prospect less than appealing to him. “If I don’t learn, I don’t talk to anyone but myself. I don’t think I’m going to be enjoying the next few weeks.”

“I have no doubt that you will learn quickly,” Tammad chuckled, finally ceasing his wandering. “Take your ease here while I see to the quartering of our other guests, and also to the preparation of a meal. We will retire early this darkness, for we leave early on the morrow.”

Garth grunted his thanks and Tammad left, too wrapped up in his newly made plans to think about me any longer. I rolled over onto my back and opened my eyes to stare at the tent ceiling, still too played out to think of anything but how miserable I felt.

“Your face is dirty,” Garth observed from the spot he’d chosen to sit down on, a few feet to my right. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Prime with a dirty face before.”

“Don’t speak to me,” I muttered, still staring up at the ceiling. “Not even to ask the time of day.”

“Why not?” he countered, stirring where he sat. “Are you afraid I’ll tell you what a stupid, infantile thing you did? Well, you’re too late because that’s exactly what I am telling you.”

“It’s none of your business what I do!” I snapped, jerking my head around to glare at him. “At least I tried, which is more than I can say for the rest of you big, brave men!”

“Oh, sure you tried,” he snorted sarcastically. “You tried to make Tammad look like a damned fool and nearly succeeded! The only reason he faced you like that was because he cares for you and doesn’t want to see you unhappy. Haven’t you any idea what it means for a warrior to face an untrained woman half his size? Whatever he does, he looks and feels like an idiot! If he had any sense, he would have put you over his knee again and whacked you till you howled!”

His light eyes were furious with me, his voice harder with determination than I’d ever heard it before. I tried to keep the tears from welling out of my eyes again, but it was a lost cause. I was too tired to have the control I needed, and hurting too much inside to try for it. I rolled away from him and curled up, resting my cheek against the fur floor covering, letting the tears come any damned way they wanted to. It was quiet for a minute or two, then Garth was sitting right behind me.

“Your wrist is bruised,” he said in a much quieter voice. “I’m not surprised, but I honestly don’t think he did it on purpose. Terry, why don’t you try meeting him half way? If you give him a chance to make you happy, I know he can do it.”

Happy. The tears increased to sobs, making it very difficult to speak. I let it go on for a short while, then managed to force the words out.

“I need an honest answer from you, Garth,” I husked, turning to my back again to look up at him. “Will you give me an honest answer?”

“If I can,” he agreed quietly, looking down at me. “What’s your question?”

“If a woman you loved challenged you with weapons, would you agree to face her?” I demanded. “According to what you said you would be more likely to grow angry and punish her for trying to make you hurt her. But if a woman you needed desperately for other purposes tried the same thing, wouldn’t you be even more likely to agree against your better judgment just to make her happy, just to coddle her into a good enough mood to do what you needed her to do? Even if it made you look foolish?”

“I see what you’re leading up to, but you’re wrong,” he answered immediately, his expression concerned. “Tammad did punish you for getting him involved in that fiasco—even I had trouble keeping up with him, and I wasn’t being dragged along by one wrist.”

“Sure he punished me.” I nodded, closing my eyes again. “After he realized he’d made a tactical mistake. There isn’t another woman on this world he would have taken that from, not the way his mind works. He doesn’t want anything from me but my talent, and everything he does makes me more and more convinced of it.”

I couldn’t see Garth’s face, but that doesn’t mean his emotions were closed off, too. He felt a pang of guilty realization when I said my piece, privately agreeing with my conclusions but not about to say so out loud. He wanted to believe Tammad’s reasons for kidnapping me were noble and romantic, not mercenary and emotionless, but things weren’t working out well for him. Well, he wasn’t the only one they weren’t working out for.

“Do you know what it’s like being wanted for nothing more than what you can do?” I asked, watching the colors appear and disappear against my closed eyelids. “It’s like a slap or a kick, but a lot less honest. It makes you want to run and run from wherever you happen to be and never go back. I thought he wanted me and I was the happiest woman in the universe. Then I found out he just wanted to use roe and something broke inside. I swore I wouldn’t help him and I’ll keep that vow. Why won’t he let me go?”

“Perhaps because he no longer cares to press the matter of your assistance, yet still desires you,” Tammad’s voice came instead of Garth’s, startling me. His calm was as deep as it had ever been, and I hadn’t been aware of his return. “It is now no more than your own fears and misconceptions which keep you from me, hama. I will not long allow such a state to continue.”

“You’re just being stubborn!” I cried, twisting around in the fur to look at him where he stood by the pavilion entrance. “Anyone with any sense could see that it was over between us! I can never again believe anything you say, and nothing will change that! It won’t get any better just because you want it to!”

“Perhaps you are mistaken,” he said, grinning faintly as he folded those massive arms across his chest. “Am I not denday, and is my word not law? It remains to be seen what my will is able to accomplish. At the moment my will concerns you, and I have returned to assign you your duties.”

“What duties?” I frowned, narrowing my eyes at him. “How many times do I have to say I won’t work for you?”

“You will work if it should be your wish to eat,” he came back dryly, staring down at me. “When last you were upon my world, your meals were earned with your talent. As you no longer care to exercise that talent, other duties have been found for you. You will assist the other women in the preparation of our provender, hopefully learning that which requires no great talent—merely some manner of intelligence and diligent effort.”

“And if it doesn’t happen to be my desire to eat?” I shot back, feeling his ridicule as strongly as the throb in my right wrist. “If I tell you to go to hell with your jobs and your meals, what then?”

“Do you need to ask?” he said softly, crouching down in front of me to stare at me more closely. “In one manner or another you will obey me, wenda, do not believe otherwise. Do you rise to your feet and follow me now, else we shall see the strength of your will—compared to the strength of my arm.”

The look of determination in his blue eyes was steady and solid, as steady as the calm still possessing his mind. He had undoubtedly decided to bore me to death with menial chores, and then simply wait for me to beg him to change his mind and let me do things his way. Well, if that was what he was up to, he had along wait ahead of him.

“As long as I have to be here, one job is as bad as another.” I shrugged, then forced myself to my feet. “If it’s cooking you want, then you’ve got it. As long as I don’t have to share the meal with you.”

The flash of anger was too strong for him to cover up entirely, but his expression never changed—as though I couldn’t tell he was angry if it didn’t show in his face. He had a habit of behaving that way sometimes, acting as though he believed I couldn’t tell what he was feeling if there were no external signs of it. He knew better than that, of course, but only intellectually. Emotionally he was just as badly prepared to cope with an empath as any other untalented person.

“There is one other thing before we go,” he said, reaching to his swordbelt without getting out of his crouch. “On this world, wendaa are banded, and you have too long gone without my bands. Stand as you are.”

I looked down to see him holding two of the small-linked, bronze-colored chains his people called wenda hands, and as I watched he closed first one and then the other on my ankles. The chains weren’t locked but they didn’t have to be. It took the strength of a man to get them open again, the sort of strength no woman could exert. I stiffened as he closed them on me, but didn’t bother trying to protest. His satisfaction was a palpable thing, so strong I could see it in his eyes when he stood straight again.

“Should you be wondering, you will not be banded further this time,” he informed me, looking down at me as he folded his arms again. “Should you wish the third, fourth and fifth bands, you will discover you must earn them, as any other wenda roust. When I find myself pleased with you, I will consider banding you further.”

“That goes without saying,” I nodded, “but you haven’t told me what I must do to be banded less. That’s the part I’m interested in.”

The great mass of satisfaction he’d been feeling was suddenly punctured, causing an explosion of frustration to light his mind. Isis eyes darkened with the thunder of his anger, and his hands came to my arms so fast and hard that I gasped.

“I am pleased to see you feel free to find amusement at my expense,” he growled, lifting me off the floor toward him. “Did you find less pleasure in my company, you would undoubtedly feel less pleasure in taunting me so, for you would fear my wrath. Though my wishes are of little concern to you, wenda, I suggest you consider my wrath. There are those who deem it a thing to be avoided at all costs.”

“Tammad, don’t let her get you angry,” Garth urged, suddenly right beside the barbarian. My eyes wide and staring, I wasn’t up to saying anything yet, but Garth took care of that lack. “Don’t you see she’s doing it on purpose, to force you into turning her loose? If she doesn’t know what to say to people to get them to do as she wishes, no one does! If you really don’t want her, let he go now, but if you do—then fight for her!”

The barbarian stared at me another long minute, his mind shifting through emotional sets and responses so quickly I blinked, then he put me down again and nodded his head.

“It is as the Garth R’Hem Solohr says,” he agreed, the calm flowing back over him so completely it was as if he stood under a falls of the stuff. “To win the wenda of his choice, a man must sometimes do battle with the wenda herself. This woman’s weapons are not mine, yet I will not refuse to wield them. I will not fall to anger again.”

“Good.” Garth smiled, clapping him gently on the shoulder. “If she won’t believe what you say, make her believe what you do. Words can be argued against; actions can’t.”

“And it is more than time for those actions to begin.” The barbarian nodded, wrapping his hand around my arm. “Come, wenda. Your work awaits you.”

It’s more than tiring to be dragged around all over the place, but that was still the way I was taken out of the pavilion and over to the large fire half-a-dozen of the women were working at. Startled, the women stopped what they were doing when Tammad came up to them, but he raised a hand to gesture them back to calm.

“As you wendaa labor to provide for those without women,” he said to them in their own language, “I bring you another pair of hands to assist in your efforts. You will find her unskilled in even the simplest of chores, yet must she be taught to do as other wendaa do—for she has no other value. School her in the hardest of labors—so that she may prove her worth as a woman.”

His bland gaze shifted to me as the women giggled, pleased to be given the chance to help their denday discipline his wenda, but I didn’t react to his speech or to the women’s amusement, at least not the way he expected me to.

“I have no worth,” I informed him with the same calm be showed to me. “I am worthless and ignorant, useless in all things a l’lenda might find of interest. No one other than a fool would retain ownership of me under such circumstances.”

The women’s amusement disappeared in abrupt shock, but the anger I was expecting from Tammad—and already half cringed away from—never materialized. His calm remained unruffled with no effort on his part, and even slightly amused.

“It is a l’lenda’s place to say what worth a woman may have,” he informed me in turn, the ghost of a grin on his face. “Your helplessness in the furs is some small asset, yet do I demand to see more. Work hard and learn well, wenda, and think upon how you might add to my pleasure in the furs. I will not accept refusal from you in either area.”

He chucked me under the chin and then turned and strode away, off to see to more important matters than the doings of women. I stuck my tongue out at his retreating back, making a face at the same time, then turned around to find all six of the women staring at me.

“Terril, have you lost your wits?” one of them hissed at me, looking around quickly to see if any of the l’lendaa had noticed what I’d done. “That Tammad punishes you is clear to all, yet there are worse punishments than being made to do that which you so clearly dislike. That be found amusement rather than anger in your words was your good fortune; it would not be the same were he to learn of insolence shown toward his authority.”

“Your denday is well aware of my feelings toward him,” I told her. “The sooner I am free of his bands, the sooner will life hold meaning again. I will give him no pleasure that is not forced from me, and will obey him no more than I must.”

“A great deal of pleasure must then be forced from you in the furs,” purred another, a tall slinky blond who would have given a lot to take my place. “Helplessness in a man’s arms comes from the wenda herself, brought about by her feelings for the l’lenda. Should she be the sort to allow a man her soul, her words to the contrary are a fool’s boasting.”

“I cannot help that over which I have no control!” I snapped at her, feeling the women’s renewed amusement in the red on my cheeks. “Should you one day find yourself in that beast’s arms, speak to me then of helplessness and a fool’s boasting!”

“Let us not argue over such matters,” the first woman said, overriding the flush of anger on the second woman’s cheeks. “Is it not the same for all of us, no matter which l’lenda holds us? Is there one among us who is able to deny their least demand? Is there one among us who would have it other than as it is?” The other women looked at one another and laughed, shaking their heads, and the first woman smiled at me. “Terril, we do not know you, yet do we know of the desire Tammad feels for you, for our l’lendaa have spoken of it. Do not seek to deny him, for such an action would be futile. Join us, and learn from us, and soon the happiness of obedience will be yours as it is ours.”

The others murmured their agreement to what the first had said, their minds confirming the words, and I had to hide the sickness I felt. I could never be conditioned the way they were even if I wanted to be; I was too used to freedom, and they didn’t know it well enough to judge what was best. We could speak to each other of needs and desires, but each spoke of something the other was incapable of comprehending.

“I thank you for your offer of assistance and will do my best to learn from you,” I told all the women, looking down from the first one’s smile. “Should you fail to teach me some aspect of your way of life, the failure will not be yours.”

“Nor will be the punishment,” said the first woman briskly, putting her hand to my chin to raise my face to hers. “Therefore let us begin now, that the punishment may be longer in the coming. I am Bisah, and I will concern myself with your instruction.”

They all went back to tending the large animal they were about to put over the fire, and Bisah kept me right beside her, explaining what she and the others were doing. The small breeze that ruffled the air could barely be felt beside the blaze of the fire, but none of the women complained about the sweat covering them. They worked quickly and efficiently, seasoning the skinned animal, burying vegetables under the fire, mixing a basting oil, and the like, ignoring everything but what their hands were concerned with. My attention kept drifting from Bisah’s voice to the end of the lovely day around us, my eyes finding it impossible to search out the sight of the embassy with all the camtahh standing around. The mere sight of it would have helped, letting me know there was more than barbarians on that world, but even that comfort was denied me.

Bisah didn’t notice how far my attention had strayed, but the second woman, the one I had argued with, had formed a near-instant dislike for me and was not above trying to make trouble for me. Her burst of triumph brought my attention to her, and I found her just turning around from the fire, apparently looking for a l’lenda to complain to. I could feel the whininess and helplessness she was preparing to use while she told about my disobedience to Tammad’s orders, and a deep anger welled to the surface in my mind. Without stopping to think about it I hurled a bolt of hesitation at her, cutting off her words more effectively than with a gag, then added a good dose of fear to the hesitation. I heard a gasp from her as her mind seized the fear and built on it, adding personal slants to the general emotion I had given her. It was impossible for me to know what framework her mind built, but the speed with which she turned back to the fire showed she was probably picturing herself being punished right along with me, for some reason only she herself would know. Her pale face and wide-eyed look turned in my direction, but her mind said she wasn’t really seeing me. I watched her trembling hands go back to what they’d been doing with some small sense of wonder of my own; I’d never really thought of using my abilities in just that way before, and hadn’t realized how much could be accomplished. If I hadn’t been angry, I would not have tried it even then. It was obvious I’d have to think about what else might be done along the same lines.

In a very short while, the prepared animal was placed on the spit over the fire by four of the women. It took four of them to lift the thing, but the spit was arranged to be turned by two, an opposing handle on each side of the rod. Bisah chose the youngest of the other five females to turn the handle on the far side, and unsurprisingly designated me for the near side.

“It will undoubtedly be difficult for you at first, Terril,” she said, “yet it is the sort of action which will draw the anger from you. Also, consider the ache which comes to your back and arms, and know it as the punishment given you by Tammad. When you at last find full approval in his eyes, you will no longer need to concern yourself with aches. You will again be his rella wenda, concerned only with pleasure.”

Her smile and nod of friendliness were genuine, but I had the sudden suspicion that she worked more in Tammad’s cause than in mine. As far as she knew I was nothing more than her denday’s rella wenda—the local equivalent of a fancy lady—but she felt no resentment over that arrangement. If Tammad wanted a rella wenda instead of a working wenda, he had earned the right to have one—or so his people believed. If I got away with having to do no more than keep his body satisfied, that was my good fortune and no more than a by-product. The important part was Tammad’s pleasure, and as long as that was assured, everything else was fine. I grabbed my handle and began turning it, surprising the girl on the other end, making sure nothing of my thoughts showed on my face where Bisah could see them. I wasn’t anyone’s fancy lady, least of all a barbarian’s, and nothing they could do to me would change that. I might be tired of living in the shadow of being a Prime, but I wasn’t about to exchange that for living in the shadow of a man.

Once Bisah was satisfied that the animal was being turned at the proper rate, she and the other four unoccupied women went about their business elsewhere. The young girl and I turned the spit and turned it, watching the animal rotate slowly over the fire—until I discovered it was getting harder and harder to turn the thing. My arms and shoulder and back were beginning to protest my efforts a lot sooner than I’d thought they would, and I began to wonder how long I was expected to keep that up. It would be quite a while before the animal was done, but I was sure to be done considerably sooner.

“Your face is dirty and you’re sweating,” a voice came suddenly from behind me, startling me, “but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look better. How long has it been, Terry?”

“Not long enough,” I answered, glancing over my shoulder at Len, who stood to my left and somewhat behind me. “And I didn’t know there was a law against having a dirty face. From the number of people who have mentioned it to me, I’m assuming the Peacemen have already been called. I’ll just have to plead ignorance.”

“The same old Terry,” Len said, stepping forward to where we could see each other without my having to turn my head. The jacket to his leisure suit was gone, leaving him in trousers and shirt with his shirtsleeves rolled part way up his forearms against the heat. His face was expressionless but his mind was angry, something he didn’t try to hide. “If I didn’t find such pleasure in looking at you, Terry, I would probably never come within sight of you again. You flaunt your untouchability and take advantage of it by hurting people and then walking away. The practice doesn’t make for a very pleasant personality.”

“You should talk!” I huffed, examining his tall, blond-haired and blue-eyed good looks with displeasure. “Was it me who tried to trap someone into completing an illegal real? Was I the one who took advantage of trust and friendship? Was I the one who . . . .”

“You were the one who refused to have me in any way but on my knees!” he snapped, interrupting my tirade with a strong flash of anger and resentment. “Did you expect me to crawl to you, begging your favor, the way the rest of them did? I wasn’t raised to that any more than you were, Terry, and if you wanted no part of me you had business saying so! Leading me on just to torture me was lousy—and no different from what I tried to do to you in return.”

“Why, I never led you on!” I sputtered, so filled with outrage at the accusation that I let go of the spit handle, forgetting about it until it hit my arm on the return arc. “I treated you no different from the way I treated the rest of the men I knew, and probably a bit better because of the bond we shared! You have no right saying I led you on!”

“You really believe “that.” He frowned, staring at me as his mind probed toward mine. I allowed the probe to go as deep as it was able, then thrust it from me when he’d seen I wasn’t trying to hide anything. He winced somewhat from the strength of my thrust, but his anger had cooled to a considerable degree.

“I believe it because it happens to be the truth,” I informed him, holding myself as straight as the spit-turning allowed. “Any belief you had to the contrary was your own doing, born of an overactive imagination. I have never asked a man to crawl to me for my favor, and I never will. All I ask is the same courtesy in return, an attitude some men find unreasonable.”

“But I don’t happen to be one of those,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what made me believe I was right about you, but it wouldn’t have happened if we were allowed to be awakened all the time. I’ll offer my apologies if you’re willing to accept them—or I’ll just walk away if you’re not. I wronged you and I’m sorry—and I’d like to make it up to you if I can.”

I stared at him as I turned the spit, seeing the sober expression he wore, feeling the truth of the words he’d uttered. Len and I had been the victims of a misunderstanding, and prolonging the argument would have accomplished nothing.

“On this world, there’s very little choice in places to walk to,” I said, glancing at him before returning my attention to the animal on the spit. “There’s no sense in holding grudges over past happenings, but you’ll forgive me if I fail to offer you renewed brotherly love. I find myself somewhat down on men these days.”

“I can feel that,” he said, the soberness of his tone tinged with curiosity rather than personal affront. “I was told I’d be taking your place here, but things didn’t work out that way. What was that business with challenges and owning all about?”

“It’s a long story,” I answered, deciding to use both hands on the spit to see if it helped. “Suffice it to say that your new employer still has hopes of having his very own Prime to see to his needs, both political and physical. The Prime in question doesn’t agree.”

“I see,” Len murmured, his thoughts suddenly blurred in the only way he could shield them. “I can’t say I blame him, but doesn’t he know he can’t get away with it? I’ve never seen Murdock McKenzie so furiously out of control; he’ll do something, and it won’t be a mere gesture.”

“Out of control or not, there’s a limit to what anyone can do,” I muttered, turning the spit harder as my anger grew. “They need Tammad to get what they want, and Tammad couldn’t be more aware of it. And if I were you, I’d try for a more effective shield or do something about my reactions. If you think I can’t tell you’d like to have me in the same position, you’re out of your mind. Men!”

The scorn in my voice didn’t half match what was in my mind, and Len didn’t miss either. His mental eyes considered my emotions calmly and from a distance for a moment, then a faint grin lit his handsome face.

“Terry, I really am sorry about the misunderstanding we had, but we’re now in the middle of a new misunderstanding that’s no one’s fault but yours. You’ve discovered that I’d like to have complete, undisputed possession of you and you blame me for it, but that’s only because you’re a woman. A man sees nothing wrong in wanting a desirable woman, and refrains from taking her only because of legal and social restrictions. If Tammad has found a way around those restrictions, more power to him. And the same to me.”

“You’re disgusting!” I snapped, shaking my head to get the sweat-soaked hair out of my eyes. “Just like the rest of the barbarians on this world! No matter what you think, you have no right doing anything to me against my will!”

“Right is viewed differently by different people.” He shrugged, his grin widening. “I can tell from your thoughts that you’ve been taught a lesson about how some men decide what their rights are on their own. I’m looking forward to seeing Gay King learn that same lesson, and from a master.”

“What’s the matter, Len, did she refuse you too?” I pounced immediately, getting a good deal of satisfaction from the thought. “It’s a shame but more power to her.”

“Stop feeling so smug,” he laughed, really amused. “Gay is a stunningly beautiful woman, as attractive to men as you are, and I nearly fell all over myself when we were first introduced. I could have been ready for her any time, but she kept me at arm’s length and I didn’t think it wise pursuing the matter with Murdock McKenzie there. And then I was awakened.”

“And you found out she was too shy and sensitive to be touched,” I summed up, wiping the sweat off my forehead with my arm. I was just about ready to drop—but not in front of Len.

“Hardly too shy and sensitive.” He laughed again, folding his arms. “Gay doesn’t think much of men, and she enjoys using her body to turn them into sweating, trembling puppets. In a way she’s the same sort of spoiled brat you are, and needs someone who can’t be complained about to the Peacemen. I don’t think she’ll enjoy her visit here—or, if she gets lucky, it’ll be the best time she’s ever had.”

I stared at him, seeing the casual satisfaction in his mind, realizing he understood the situation he was in and intended taking advantage of it. Len had had the same sort of upbringing I’d had, and somehow it had prepared him for the sort of life Tammad offered, a life where men were free to do whatever they pleased to women. On Central, Len could have had almost any woman he wanted, but with the one provision that she also wanted him. On Rimilia that provision no longer applied, and I shuddered with the feeling of defenselessness that rolled over me. Wasn’t I a person, too? Didn’t I have the right to refuse any man I didn’t want?

“Don’t feel that way, Terry,” he said very softly, sending me a touch of gentleness as I discovered that my eyes had left him to study the ground at my bare feet. “I know you’re not in a very comfortable position, but don’t you see that I’m in the same position on Central? On our own world, desirable women can have any man they want, whenever they want them, and the men have no way of complaining if they’re made to suffer. Here it’s the other way around and the women have no recourse, but I don’t see many of them suffering. They enjoy being used a lot more than men enjoy not being used.”

“I don’t come from this world,” I whispered, refusing to meet his eyes. “It isn’t fair forcing me to live their way.”

“Of course it isn’t fair,” he agreed, still gently. “But it also isn’t unfair. It just is. It’s my turn to be accommodated, your turn to be taken advantage of. If I struggled through it on Central, you can do the same here.”

I was about to say I didn’t want to struggle through anything, but was interrupted by the appearance of Gay King. She still wore the stylish leisure suit she’d had on earlier, but it looked considerably more wilted than it should have. She dabbed at the light sheen of sweat on her brow, then her finger flicked imperiously in my direction.

“You there, how much longer until our food is ready?” she asked, her voice too lazy to be considered demanding. She knew who I was, but she wasn’t the type to be impressed.

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” I informed her, trying again to stand straighter. “Maybe you’ll be told when it becomes your turn at the spit.”

“Don’t be silly,” she sneered, moving her eyes around the camp in obvious disapproval. “I wasn’t brought here to turn spits. I’ll leave that to those of you who are more obviously suited to it.”

Fury rose in me at her insolence, and I was just about to snap an answer, but once again I was interrupted. Tammad appeared out of nowhere beside the woman, and looked down at the cooking animal.

“I see the krayea is barely begun,” he observed, needing no more than a glance to tell how far along the animal was. “As there is considerable time left before we may eat, I believe I will look more closely at the newest gift given me by the Amalgamation. Come to my pavilion with me, woman.”

He was looking down at Gay King, rating her again with his eyes and liking what he was seeing. Gay was well aware of his inspection, but wasn’t terribly impressed by it.

“I can’t possibly join you until I have something to eat,” she stated, still looking around at the camp. “And while you’re at it, see if you can find something light and cold in the way of wine. There are certain standards due my position, and I see no reason to disregard them.”

“Perhaps you mistake what position is yours,” Tammad answered with his usual calm, then his fist was suddenly in Gay’s short black hair, causing her to pale and gasp with shock. “It is your position to obey my will, my position to command you. It seems necessary to teach this truth to each female of your worlds, and I grow weary of it. My pavilion is this way.”

He turned Gay around by the fistful of hair he held, and led her stumbling toward his camtah. The woman was considerably deflated by what was being done to her, but I could see she wasn’t the sort to stay deflated long. As angry as I was—at both of them—when the idea came I didn’t hesitate an instant. I sent a strong sense of disinterest at Gay, trying to make the emotion soak down into her mind, hoping it would surface again and again during the hours to come. If it worked, I wouldn’t give much for the pleasure either of them would feel, not having to work around an obstacle like that. Tammad was a beast, but he preferred honest response from the woman he used.

“That was a dirty trick,” Len said, most of his amusement gone as he turned back to look at me. “I can understand why you did it, but I don’t particularly approve—or understand how you did it. I was under the impression we weren’t able to—hey, let go of that handle!”

Startled by the sudden sharpness of his words, I looked down at the handle I held to see the blood Len had already seen. As if on cue; I also suddenly felt the sharp stab of pain in my hands, where the blood was coming from, a pain I had only been partially aware of earlier. I stared at the blood very briefly, then continued to turn the spit as I’d been doing.

“Aside from my talent, I’m not worth much on this world,” I told Len, feeling the incredulity be felt that I refused to stop what I was doing. “If I have to be here, I’ll pull my own weight. I was given a job and I’ll do it.”

“You stubborn—!” He choked, staring at me in bright anger. “You’re not trying to do a job, you’re trying to punish everyone for having given it to you by hurting yourself! Get away from that handle and let someone else take over!”

“No!” I spat, holding the handle tighter even against the burning, blazing pain I felt. “Think of it any way you like, but leave me alone!”

“The hell I will!” he snarled, looking around angrily until he saw Loddar, one of Tammad’s l’lendaa. He gestured to Loddar, calling him over, then switched to Rimilian speech when the man reached him.

“You must call Tammad at once,” he told the frowning l’lenda. “This woman is injuring herself, yet refuses to leave the spit.”

“It is unnecessary to call Tammad,” Loddar answered, pulling me away from the spit by one arm and gesturing toward a woman not far from us. The woman hurried over to take my place, first wiping my blood off the handle with her caldin, and the thing was done no matter how hard I struggled against Loddar’s fingers.

“I am much of a fool,” Len said, looking into Loddar’s eyes and undoubtedly feeling the faint contempt Loddar was keeping from his face. “I have been considering myself a free man, yet I am not even free enough to stop a woman from hurting herself. If I were in your position, I would be feeling the contempt you do a good deal more strongly.”

“Freedom is not an easy thing,” Loddar told him, his smile filled with understanding. “For some, it is necessary to grow into the state, and it is Tammad’s will that we assist you. If you are willing.”

“I am more than willing.” Len grinned, bolstered by the lack of critical judgment from the l’lenda. “Now what are we to do with this woman?”

“We will see to her,” Loddar said, turning from Len to take my hands in his. I tried to close my hands to keep them from being looked at, but the pain was too great and I was too wild with rage to use pain control. Len reached over and held my wrists while Loddar pried my fingers open, then my brother empath waited while the l’lenda finished his examination.

“The injury is not serious,” Loddar finally pronounced, raising his eyes to mine with a good deal of disapproval. “Her hands are not the hands of a woman well used to hard labor, and should not have been subjected to such overuse. They will heal quickly, yet Tammad will not be pleased.”

“You are mistaken,” I told Loddar, my resentment of his treatment of me clear in every word I spoke. “I was ordered to see to the krayea by no one other than your denday, and that is what I shall do till he recalls my presence and commands differently. Release me so that I may return to my work!”

“Woman, you speak foolishly,” Loddar said, shaking his large, shaggy blond head at me. “It was not Tammad’s intention to see you harmed, therefore is it unnecessary to see his pleasure interrupted to keep you from it. Should you wish a greater portion of his attention, I suggest you labor toward that end when in his furs. For now you will come with me.”

He let go of my hands to take my arm again, and then he, too, was dragging me in the direction he wanted me to go. I was so furious I was nearly speechless, and Len’s very obvious amusement as he followed us didn’t help at all. I seriously considered telling Loddar he was an idiot for thinking I cared who Tammad took to his furs, but finally decided I’d be wasting my breath. At least I knew I didn’t care anything about that big barbarian, and one day I’d prove it.

Loddar dragged me to a tent not far from Tammad’s pavilion, pushed me down on the edge of the verandah, then began rummaging through a sack of his things lying on the ground beside the verandah. I sat there wincing at the brightness of the setting sun, cradling my aching hands against me, ignoring Len where he stood staring down at me, and most of all wishing I were somewhere else. My hair was stringy with sweat, my shoulders, back and arms ached, my hands hurt with a stabbing pain, and I was beginning to hate everyone around me. I was vaguely aware of Garth coming over to Len to find out what was going on as Loddar turned to me with a silk-lined leather pouch of the salve he intended putting on my hands, and that’s when I became aware of what was going on in Tammad’s pavilion.

Many people have remarked, usually nervously, how empaths almost seem able to read minds as well as emotions. They point out the interpreting we do as an excellent example of the contention, asking how it’s possible for an empath to know people’s intentions and actions merely from knowing what emotions they’re experiencing. During the period when

I was still answering the contention, I usually cited the example of gestures among untalented people. If an untalented person saw someone else taste something and then grimace, did it take telepathy to know that the second person had disliked what he’d tasted? If that same untalented person saw a third person rubbing his hands together and grinning, did it take telepathy to know the third person was anticipating something extremely pleasant? Emotions are gestures of the mind, each nuance reflecting and defining a different action or reaction. A trained empath can usually tell what’s going on between two people even if he or she can’t see them, and Tammad’s pavilion was much too close to where I was sitting.

“Give me your hands, Terril,” Loddar directed, crouching down in front of me with the leather pouch. “This salve will heal the sores upon your palms, so that you will be able to use your bands come the new sun.”

His mind, like every other l’lenda’s, was prepared to accept nothing but obedience, but I wasn’t about to just sit there and become an uninvited guest at Tammad’s party.

“I cannot stay here,” I said, looking up at his dark outline-form where he crouched in front of the sun. “Should you wish to see to my hands, you may follow me to another place, farther away, where my thoughts may be my own.”

I began to get to my feet to leave there, but Loddar’s hand was suddenly on my shoulder, pushing me back down.

“I have no need to follow you,” he said, shaking his head. “Perhaps Terril has forgotten that the darayse of her land do not dwell in ours. Give me your hand, wenda, for Tammad would wish me to see to your injury.”

“I don’t care what Tammad would want!” I snapped, pushing at his hand, not caring that he didn’t understand the language I’d switched to. “Get out of my way, you bully, and leave me alone!”

“I do not know the words you speak, wenda,” he answered, with a frown, “yet do I feel that were I to know them, I would not care for them. I have shown you the patience due from a man toward another man’s wenda, yet does my patience grow exceedingly thin. Do you now obey me, else shall I see my will done in another manner.”

“And what of my will?” I demanded, not having been able to budge his hand an inch. “Is my will nothing, a mere scream in the wind, a candle in the forest’s darkness? Am I of so little value and worth that my will means nothing?”

He frowned at my question, confusion muddling his thoughts, and for an instant I thought he was going to answer me, but abruptly the intention was rejected. He shook his bead with a sigh, let go of my shoulder, then pushed me flat on my back.

“Though there are not the words, a man does what he must,” be muttered, reaching to his swordbelt, and then his hands were at my ankles, chaining them together with a bronze-colored clip that held to one link of each of the ankle bands I wore. I yelled incoherently and tried to struggle free, but he ignored my struggles and pulled me upright again to take my right wrist and tie it to the metal upright of his tent’s verandah with a piece of leather. My left wrist was added to the upright just below my right one, and then the salve touched my palms, soothing the pain and hurt as if by magic. Loddar smoothed the salve all over with two fingers, checked to make sure I couldn’t pull loose from the upright, then stood straight and walked away, wiping his hand on his haddin. He had already tagged me as a settled problem in his mind, but the problem wasn’t settled as far as I was concerned. I pulled at the leather without doing any good, but I had to get out of there!

“I admire efficiency of effort, don’t you?” Len’s voice came, filled with amusement. I turned my head to see that he was talking to Garth, who stood next to him looking down at me. “Why do the job and leave the woman free to ruin it, thereby requiring that it be done again? Tie her up before starting, and you only have to do it once.”

“I think I like that,” Garth said, beginning a slow grin as he stared at me. “Yes, I definitely like that.”

“Will one of you please get me out of this?” I said to them, gritting my teeth against their amusement. “You’ve had your fun by now or at least you should have, so why not try being adult?”

“Are you asking us to go against the wishes of one of our hosts, Terry?” Len asked, stepping closer with Garth right beside him. “I don’t think that would make us very good guests.”

“Not to mention the fact that I’d hate getting that monster mad at me,” Garth put in in a drawl. “He’s almost as big as

Tammad, and might even top him by a few pounds. He may be older than I am, but I doubt if he’s any slower.”

“Garth, Len, please!” I whispered, suddenly frightened by what I saw in their minds. They were having fun teasing me, but neither one saw the teasing as a prelude to untying me. They were going to leave me like that, and their minds were firm with the decision.

“What’s the matter, Terry, don’t you like the show?” Len asked very softly, his blue eyes bright even in the near-evening dimness. “You’ve got a front-row seat, and you should be a big enough girl to appreciate it. Why walk out when it’s just getting good?”

“What are you talking about?” Garth asked him as I closed my eyes and pulled futilely at the leather which held me, forced to the sight by his words, against my will. “I don’t see any show going on.”

“Ah, but Terry and I do,” Len chuckled in answer. “Tammad has Gay King in his pavilion, and he’s beginning to teach her what men are all about.”

“That big brunette?” Garth laughed in disbelief—but still in delight. “How do you know?”

“Aside from the fact that I saw him take her in there, their emotions are so clear and strong I might as well be inside and watching,” Len told him. “And I’m sure Terry’s getting it even more clearly than I am—aren’t you, Terry?”

I tried to ignore big question, knowing he was only trying to direct my attention, but my try failed while his didn’t. I tried to get my feet under me and failed again, accomplishing nothing more than scrabbling around against the upright.

“I wish I could tell what was going on,” Garth said, sounding frustrated. “I’ve seen ones like that brunette before, and no matter how sexy they look, they’re usually cold as ice.”

“This one’s due for some warming,” Len laughed, and then there were small scuffling sounds. “Sit down and make Yourself comfortable, and listen to this.”

Another set of scuffling sounds came while Len rapidly rechecked his data, and by the time Garth was settled, Len was ready.

“As I said, Tammad took Gay to his tent,” Len began with a good deal of relish. “What I didn’t say was that he took her there dragged along by the hair. The woman was slightly shocked at being treated like that, but she didn’t start out at the top of her profession. She’s had her share of less-than-usual requests, so by the time she was inside and turned loose, she was back to her old attitudes.”

“Which can be seen in her eyes, if you know enough to look for them,” Garth put in.

“Exactly,” Len agreed. “She started giving Tammad some speech she had used so often she’d memorized it, but Tammad cut her off right in the beginning with some sort of order, most probably to keep quiet and get out of her clothes. She cut off the speech feeling very put out and began to get out of her clothes, but the speed her mind was running at probably made her move too fast. Tammad spoke again, an addition to his first order rather than a new one, and her mind closed down with outrage, but she obeyed. The appreciation in Tammad’s mind said she moved very slowly, showing him just what he wanted. After that she started posing.”

“I can see it,” Garth said with a low whistle, his voice growing husky. “I can also feel it.”

“You just think you can,” Len told him with a strained chuckle. “You ought to feel what it’s like through Tammad’s mind. The man was looking at every part of her, examining each individual line, anticipating what touching her would be like but in no hurry to get on with it. He knew he’d have all the time he’d want or need, and he wasn’t about to ruin it by hurrying.”

“I wonder what they use here in place of flesh and blood,” Garth said, decidedly more uncomfortable. “I don’t know how long I’d be able to hold myself back.”

“Gay didn’t think Tammad would last long at all,” Len breathed harder. “She was trying to force him into using her and getting it over with so she could start manipulating him, but her simple, savage little plans haven’t worked out. She’s still posing, he still hasn’t touched her, and she’s thinking about starting to get desperate.”

“Why desperate?” Garth asked. “She can’t be feeling embarrassed?”

“Not embarrassed,” Len laughed, perking up a little. “She’s beginning to react to the posing herself in spite of the fact that she’s done it so often. The posing is usually her own idea, started when she wants to start it, lasting as long as she cares to let it This time Tammad picked up on it at once and began directing her. She’s been moving according to his directions, holding each pose as long as he wants it held, doing everything to someone else’s taste rather than her own. It’s making her feel=oh, oh, look out!”

“What?” Garth demanded as I cringed. “What’s happening?”

“He’s got her close enough to touch,” Len said hoarsely, and then he groaned. “Lord, but her skin is soft! I’ve never felt a woman that soft, but he’s not impressed! He’s reacting, but it’s still well within his control!”

“Do you mean you can actually feel her skin like that?” Garth demanded. “That’s got to be more than just emotions.”

“I can tell from what she feels like to him,” Len explained, getting a better grip on himself. “The level of pleasure a man feels corresponds to previous levels set by tactile sensation. I know what a woman would have to feel like to feel like that to me, and I’ve never felt a woman that soft.”

“Maybe you’re not looking at it from the proper angle,” Garth said, a comment I didn’t understand any more than Len did, but before Len could question him Garth added, “Never mind. What are they doing now?”

“He’s touching her,” Len said, and the double, first-band, second-hand narrative made me shiver against the upright. I could feel his hands on her, feel the calm she was seeing and not understanding, feel her confusion and distress as her body began reacting to being touched like that. She was used to being in control of the men who used her, used to watching their panting, sweating and moaning without being more than surface—involved herself. Gay King was already beyond being surface involved, and she was beginning to be frightened.

“He’s touching her while he makes her hold a pose,” Len said, and the words sent a flash of intense heat through the two men beside me. “He’s not showing her a damned thing more than interest, but his hands are starting to stir the fires in her. He won’t let her move out of the pose no matter what she says, and it’s making her feel—I don’t know how to describe it.”

I shivered again, but made sure my eyes stayed closed. Len didn’t know how to describe Gay’s feelings, but I knew exactly how she felt. She found herself in the possession of a man who would not accept refusal of any kind from her, a man who would take what he wanted, and she was discovering that her body was reacting to him automatically and beyond her control. Her body was getting her ready for his invasion, a protection she needed with a man like that. Her mind hadn’t recognized what she was faced with, but her body had.

“He’s got her,” Len said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. “She really wants him now, but he’s still taking his time and intends to continue taking it. In another minute she’ll be yelling.”

“Or begging,” Garth said, his voice and mind strange. “Never in my entire life have I had a woman beg me. Have you?”

“No,” Len answered, and then I jumped when his hand touched my leg just above the knee. My struggling and fighting had pushed the caldin up onto my thighs, but I hadn’t realized it till then. My eyes flew open to see Len staring at me, and Garth was staring too.

“No, I’ve never had a woman beg me,” Len said, “but I know the woman I’d like to start the practice with. And you’re close to being ready, aren’t you, Terry?”

“Don’t,” I whispered, trying to edge away closer to the upright I was tied to. Their eyes were terrible, and their minds wanted me. They both stared at me hungrily, their bodies aching and demanding, their thoughts overfilled with a scene they wanted to be a part of. “Don’t,” I repeated in the same whisper. “Please, you can’t.”

“I’ve never felt the pull this badly before,” Garth said, sliding away from Len along the ground and closer to me. “I find I’m having trouble keeping my hands off you, Terry. Why should that be?”

“It’s because there’s nothing to stop you,” Len said, answering the question for me as I trembled against the upright. “She’s sitting there tied to a post, her ankles chained together, on a planet where men make the choice. She can scream and cry and plead, but she can’t order you away from her and expect to be backed up by the laws of this society. She’s helpless and you know it.”

“Yes,” Garth breathed, raising his hand to the side of my imad, where it gaped open. His fingers and palm slid inside, decisively, touching my breast as he had never even touched my arm before. I whimpered and threw my head back, straining at the leather on my wrists, so close to projecting my frenzy that I was stiff with the effort of holding it in. Len touched my thigh and Garth touched my breast, and Tammad held another woman in his arms, a woman who kissed him and writhed against him, offering everything she could give, begging him to take it. He touched her deep and laughed at the way she cried, then ordered her to pleasure his body. The weeping woman hurried to obey, desperate to please him to the point of using her. She knew he was going to use her, knew it without doubt, but didn’t know how long it would be before he decided he’d toyed with her enough. I could see the decision in his mind, the decision that he would use her, the curiosity over how good she would be, and nearly screamed out loud. She had no right being there, just as Len and Garth had no right being near me!

“Get away from me!” I spat at the two men touching me, startling part of the rut out of their minds. “I’m not helpless, and you have no damned right touching me! I don’t belong on this world and neither do you, and I won’t be treated as if I do belong here! Get away from me, do you hear, get away from me!”

My tirade reached to them the way begging wouldn’t have, shadowing their minds and making them draw back. They sat and stared wordlessly at me for a moment, the same bitterness in some strange way filling both of them, and then Len rose to his feet.

“I still can’t escape the conditioning,” he muttered, running a weary hand through his blond hair. “But neither can you, friend. What say we take a walk together and see if there are any spare body parts to be found around here. I think we’re both missing a couple.”

“At one time I would have disagreed with that comment,” Garth sighed, also rising to his feet. “Right now I can see it would be a waste of breath. Let’s go that way.”

They rounded the side of the camtah and walked away from the glowing red ball of the setting sun, heading toward the already deepening shadows. I wanted to call them back and demand that they untie me, but I could see from their minds that they would not come back under any circumstances. They felt ashamed and self-betrayed, just as though they hadn’t done the right thing by leaving me alone. I heard a sobbing scream come from Tammad’s pavilion at the same moment I felt it, knowing that Gay had been foolish enough to try demanding release from Tammad. As punishment he bad started her all over again from the posing, and the scream had come the first time he’d touched her. I knew if I tried to stand any more of that I’d go insane, as every minute that passed made it worse. Slowly, fearfully, I let the shield in my mind shut them out, then rested my head against the upright below my wrists and closed my eyes. I was very much afraid to be behind that shield, but I was too tired to struggle any longer with Tammad and his play time. I hated that beast, hated him with good reason; sitting behind my shield, very much afraid, I began listing all my good reasons.

I awoke with a start, realizing I had fallen asleep, wondering how it was possible to fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position. My back and neck ached more than they had earlier, and I stirred in discomfort, only then realizing how numb my wrists had grown. The entire situation was outrageous, but what else might one expect on that planet?

“Your awakening is precisely on time,” Tammad’s voice came, and I jumped to realize how close he was. He stood over me in what had become full darkness, partially illuminated by a nearby campfire. Only part of his expression was visible, but seeing that part made me wonder why I hadn’t noticed his approach. The barbarian was controlling his anger with a great deal of difficulty, something rare for him, and then I remembered about the shield. I wasn’t sure I really ought to drop it, and once it was gone I regretted its loss. Fury and frustration blazed from him so strongly I winced, something he noticed when he crouched in front of me.

“Why are you so angry?” I asked, drawing back as much as I could. “And why do I have to be awake?”

“The bulk of my anger is not your concern,” he answered, making no effort to control himself. “A part of it, however, is very much your concern. Why was it necessary for you to be tied so?”

“Since it was Loddar’s idea, why don’t you ask him?” I came back, but faintly. I couldn’t see where what I had done had been so wrong, but I didn’t want that entire mass of anger aimed at me.

“I have already done so,” he said, keeping those eyes directly on me. “I would now hear how you view the matter.”

“I don’t see how there can be more than one way of viewing it,” I sniffed, raising my chin higher. “I told Loddar I didn’t care to spend my time in this particular location, but he couldn’t have cared less. It wouldn’t have done him any harm to let me go elsewhere, but he couldn’t be bothered with the wishes of a mere wenda. I’ve come to expect nothing else from l’lendaa.”

“I see.” He nodded, continuing to stare at me. “Loddar failed to grant you your whim, therefore was he at fault.”

“Hardly a whim,” I corrected sharply, though why I wasted good insult is a mystery. “I believe I’ve told you before that I don’t enjoy being part of an orgy, even a part no one realizes is there. This camtah is much too close to your pavilion—or hadn’t you understood that?”

“The thought occurred to me when first I left my camtah,” he said, a strange tightening touching his mind. “Had I not stopped here to find you asleep, surely would I have thought—”

“Thought what?” I asked, frowning at him. His feelings had changed focus again, but they were so muddied and mixed that I couldn’t separate them.

“The matter need not be discussed,” he said, closing the subject. “We need discuss only one thing, which is the matter of your behavior. Should I ever again find you bound due to lack of obedience, there will be immediate punishment for you—no matter the reason for the disobedience. I will have food sent to you, and you are to finish all you are given.”

Abruptly he stood straight again, and then he was gone, striding off into the darkness, taking his anger and touchy temper farther away than right under my mental nose. I started to protest that he hadn’t untied me, but he was out of sight—and hailing range—before I could put the thought into words. I pulled at the leather again in frustration, hurting my wrists in the process, but the gesture was as futile as the cursing I did under my breath.

No more than fifteen minutes passed before two large figures moved out of the darkness toward me, one of them carrying something. It wasn’t difficult telling they were Loddar and Kennan, two l’lendaa I knew better than I cared to. Kennan had claimed Loddar’s oldest daughter, but that hadn’t stopped him from giving me a hard time when I’d been on the planet the last time. Loddar was hardly a very young man, but as Garth had observed, he was a considerable distance from being feeble. He was l’lenda, and being l’lenda meant being something special.

“How are your hands, wenda?” Loddar asked as he came up to me, Kerman by his side. “The salve should have already brought you considerable relief.”

“My relief would be greater were you to be so kind as to untie my wrists and ankles,” I answered, peering up at his shadow form. “Should the task not be beyond you, I would count it a great favor.”

Keeping the asperity out of my tone was impossible, equally as impossible as missing the flash of annoyance in Loddar and the flash of amusement in Kennan.

“Again her tongue has sharpened to match a sword’s edge,” Kerman chuckled, then gestured with the bowl he held. “Had I known this, it would not have been necessary to have her meal cut small. It would have been possible for her to eat it as it was.”

“Were she mine, the sharpness would be quickly dulled,” Loddar growled, even more annoyed that Kerman found the situation funny. “And what of Tammad? Should he return here and hear her speak so, will his humor be improved?”

“It is difficult to see how it might be darkened,” Kerman winced inwardly, probably matching the feeling with a grimace. “Should the off-worlders bring forth another gift, it will undoubtedly provoke war between their people and ours. How is it possible for a wenda to behave so?”

“I have heard all off-worlder wendaa are of the same sort,” Loddar sighed, stepping onto the verandah before sitting down. “To invite a man’s interest, to beg his touch, and then to find distraction when taken in his arms—it is little wonder off-worlders are darayse, with wendaa such as those.”

“It is fortunate that Terril, at least, is able to give Tammad satisfaction,” Kennan said, crouching down in front of me with the bowl he held. “She will require whatever strength she possesses this darkness, therefore would I see this krayea within her. I shall remove the leather from her so that she may....”

“No,” Loddar interrupted, from where be sat, less than a foot from me. “Even were her hands to already have healed, I would not allow her free of the leather before Tammad returns for her. Should we encourage her disrespect by allowing her her will, we ourselves would pay through an increase in Tammad’s fury.”

“Such an increase could mean no less than blood spilled,” Kennan muttered, reaching out to brush the disarranged hair from my face. “It is as Loddar says, Terril. You must obey completely and in silence, else shall we all pay dearly. You are not unfamiliar with the denday’s anger.”

“Would that I were unfamiliar with your denday,” I came back, tossing my head against what his hand had done. “Also, please accept the same thought for yourself.”

“A mannerly response,” be replied with a grin, the firelight touching half his face. “Now, should we achieve silence, you may even prove acceptable. Here.”

His words preceded his dipping his fingers into the bowl be held, coming up with a small chunk of meat, and thrusting it into my mouth. I was so outraged I didn’t know what to do, and for obvious reasons couldn’t say much.

“Ah, silence at last,” Loddar chuckled, finally pulled out of his bad mood by the furious sounds I was trying to make round the bite of krayea. “Should the squeakings also be seen to, I foresee great possibilities for the darkness.”

“You cannot treat me so!” I garbled around the mouthful, trying to get rid of it by chewing and swallowing. Kerman’s mind was alert and his body ready, showing he was prepared to return the bite to me if I should try spitting it out. It was bad enough having his fingers on it once; if he’d touched it again after it had been in my mouth to force it on me a second time, I probably would have thrown up.

“A pity Tammad allowed you to travel from him,” Loddar observed, staring at me. “To permit a wenda to forget the obedience due l’lendaa brings naught save difficulty—for both. We treat you in accordance with Tammad’s wishes, for it is he to whom you belong. Must you be taught this in another way, wenda?”

I returned his stare without saying anything, feeling the sort of calm in him I recognized easily. Most of Tammad’s l’lendaa had it, the feeling of calm unmuddied by frustration and denial; they denied themselves nothing, and frustration could always be seen to by a sword or switch, depending on who was trying to frustrate them. I hated that emotion, always finding it a blank wall to pound on, something without gaps I might touch it by. My wrists hurt and my legs were cramped, and I couldn’t have emulated that calm through anything less than a threat to my life.

“I hate you,” I told him as evenly as I could manage, including Kennan in the statement. “I hate each of you, but most do I hate him to whom I belong.”

“Ah, wenda, your unhappiness distresses me,” Loddar sighed, putting a gentle hand to my face. “I know not why this unhappiness should have come upon you, but you must trust Tammad to see to it. He will not long allow it to continue.”

Kerman put another piece of krayea in my mouth, ending the conversation, but that didn’t matter. Saying that Tammad himself was the cause of my unhappiness would not have done anything to change the situation.

Kennan continued feeding me until all of the krayea and vegetables were gone, then he bid Loddar good night and walked away into the darkness. Loddar continued to sit where he was, his mind distracted and far away, both of us waiting for the return of my owner. Thought of Tammad brought anger and bitterness again, but curiosity soon pushed the other emotions aside. What had Loddar and Kennan said about Tammad’s dissatisfaction with Gay King? That she had drawn his interest, begged to be taken—and then had lost interest herself? I couldn’t understand what would have made her act that way, not after being flooded with the frenziedness of her emotions—until I remembered what I had done.

I’d been the one to plant disinterest in her mind, and it had surfaced at just the right time.

I stirred against the upright and laughed softly, picturing what it must have been like for the barbarian. He’d gotten her wild and had made her serve him, forcing her to feel an intense need for him—but once he allowed himself to feel the same need, she suddenly became turned off, untouched by need and even by interest. I could imagine her yawning into his desire, her body cool and unresponsive, a flesh doll to be used by a male who had grown bored with doing it to himself. I laughed again at the height of frustration he must have felt, a frustration he couldn’t possibly have been used to.

And then I stopped laughing and stirred again, remembering how angry he had been—and how he’d suspected that what had happened had been through my doing. If I hadn’t been asleep when he’d come storming out of his pavilion the thought made me shiver, even if it was unfinished. He wouldn’t have been likely to see the humor in the situation, and he would have taken his frustration out on me.

But his frustration would still be taken out on me. Loddar and Kennan and the other l’lendaa couldn’t wait until Tammad got around to using me—after all, didn’t they all know how easily the barbarian got whatever he wanted from me? I sat straighter at the upright and raised my chin, knowing how wrong they were. Tammad hadn’t gotten what he’d wanted from me, not for some time, and I had no intentions of changing that. If that made life difficult for his l’lendaa, it was just too bad. I hadn’t sought them out, and I wasn’t holding them prisoner.

After another few minutes Loddar stirred and got to his feet, recognizing Tammad’s figure coming toward us. There weren’t too many people still walking around the camp, but Tammad would have been hard to miss even in a crowd. His mind was still bent out of shape by the fury of the emotions he had experienced, but a good deal of his usual calm was back, at least on the surface.

“Loddar, you need not have remained awake,” he said as he came up to us, only glancing at me. “The woman is safe in the midst of our camp, and would not have been able to stray of her own accord.”

“It was no inconvenience, denday,” Loddar assured him with warmth. “I remained only to inform you that your wishes have been seen to.”

“And perhaps to speak of why the woman was left bound?” Tammad said, folding his arms as be switched his stare to me. “It would be foolish to overlook any insult given you, Loddar. Others would not be as charitable.”

“There was no insult, Tammad,” Loddar replied, his tone remaining warm. “You have told us Terril is an off-worlder wenda, and therefore is her manner more understandable. Not excusable, you understand; merely understandable. She has been left bound to teach her that proper words are not enough. Obedience and respect go deeper than mere words.”

“She must indeed be made to feel these things,” the barbarian agreed, giving approval to Loddar’s actions. “Only in obedience will she find happiness.”

Loddar grunted to complete the agreement, but I didn’t say a word. I could feel their surprise at my silence, but I just didn’t care. I was tired of wasting my breath protesting fantasies.

“I will take her now,” Tammad said, unfolding his arms as he stepped nearer to me. “I wish you a good rest, Loddar.”

“I will not return the sentiment, denday,” Loddar chuckled, turning toward his camtah. “Had I brought my wenda with me, I, too, would find little interest in rest.”

Tammad grinned as Loddar disappeared into his camtah, the dying flames of the fire turning the grin into something ghastly. I waited patiently until the leather was removed from my wrists and the clip taken from my ankle bands, but being untied didn’t mean I was free. Tammad crouched and lifted me in his arms, then headed toward his pavilion.

“If you’d give me a minute, I’d be able to walk,” I said, feeling more annoyed than I cared to show. “Or are you afraid you’d lose me in the dark if you gave me the chance to run?”

“Should you run, you will find yourself no match for those who follow,” he answered, undisturbed by my comment. “It pleases me to carry you, therefore do I do so.”

To hell with what pleases you, I thought, looking at his face. His eyes were straight ahead, watching where we were going, paying no attention to me where I lay against his chest. I hurt just about all over, but that was nothing unusual on that planet. Then I found that I wanted to put my head against his shoulder, and had to sharply bring myself up short. It would be easy to give in and let him have everything he wanted, but living with myself afterward would be considerably harder.

The pavilion was only dimly lit when we entered, but dim is considerably brighter than darkness. The barbarian let the thin fold of material fall closed behind him, then headed for the drape which usually closed off sleeping furs from view. Behind the drape the sleeping furs were all arranged, and in another moment I was put down on the smaller set. Tammad paused in his crouch to examine my hands, then stood straight to open his swordbelt.

“Do not attempt .to remove your clothing yourself,” he said, putting his sword and dagger on the far side of his furs. “It was foolish of you to overuse your hands so, and you are not to do so again. Do you understand?”

“Certainly.” I looked away from him toward the wall bisected by the drape. “Anything you say.”

“You have no intentions of arguing?” he asked, his mind suspicious. “Are you not prepared to make your injury the result of my actions?”

“Would it do me any good?” I asked in turn, still staring at the soft material of the pavilion wall. “If it won’t, why should I bother?”

“I see,” he said, the suspicion disappearing as his mind solved the problem. “You attempt to burden me with silent guilt, that which cannot be argued against. I have heard of such a thing from various men of your worlds, when they spoke of the doings of their wendaa. It is not a thing done by wendaa of this world, for they know it would avail them naught. Continue with the practice if it pleases you.”

His unconcern—true, not feigned—was enough to set my teeth on edge with its callousness. He didn’t care one way or the other whether I blamed him for something, as long as he didn’t blame himself. He accepted the consequences of what he did without feeling guilt, no matter what those consequences were. I clenched my fists gently over the grease Loddar had put on my palms, feeling more upset with everything that happened. There was no reaching that barbarian on any level I was used to, and I was running out of ideas.

“Now we may see to your clothing,” the barbarian said, bringing his hands and attention to my imad. I knew from the way he stressed the word “your” that his haddin must be gone, but didn’t turn my head to look. I didn’t care that he was slowly opening the imad ties before moving on to the caldin sash; I would not give him what he wanted.

“Lie back and raise your hips,” he directed after pulling the imad off over my head and tossing it away. I did as he said and had the caldin taken as well, then had a quizzical expression sent toward me. “Why do you gaze at me so strangely?” he asked, reaching out to smooth my hair. “Your silence is strange as well, and quite different from your usual manner.”

“Why bother asking?” I shrugged from my place in the furs, ignoring the big hand that touched my hair so gently. “Silent accusation doesn’t bother you—remember?”

“I do indeed,” he nodded, looking down at me. “Yet do I feel your silence as one demanding answers to questions as yet unasked. Should you wish the answers, you cannot leave them unasked.”

“I don’t have any questions,” I began, shaking my head, then changed my mind. “No, as a matter of fact I do have one. Are these the furs you put her on?”

“Ah, now do I begin to see.” He grinned. “The reason for your coldness and lack of interest is the previous presence of another wenda, one who threatens your position by my side. Should you wish to take her from my thoughts, wends, coldness is not the manner in which this might be done.”

“She’s welcome to her place in your thoughts,” I answered. “She can even have whatever my relation to you is supposed to be. All I want to know is whether or not she used these furs—because if she did, I won’t sleep in them. I may have nothing on this planet to call my own, but I’d rather have less than nothing than use anything she used first!”

He blinked down at my anger in confusion, finding my response different from the one he had expected. He was used to having women fight to get at him, not fight to get away from him. And the fact that all I was interested in was the furs really threw him. He stared at me thoughtfully for a minute or two, then reached out for a strand of my hair.

“The black-haired wenda was used in the front of the pavilion, without furs,” he said, keeping those blue eyes directly on me. “You now know where she was used; do you also wish to know how she was used?”

“That I already know,” I said, lying back down and turning my face from him. “As fond as you seem to be of posing, you should have been an artist.”

“It continually amazes me how little may be kept from you,” he said, and I could hear the amusement back in his voice. “Perhaps I should require this posing of you as well, to compare the delights offered by you both.”

“I offer nothing,” I rasped, turning on my side to be farther away from his amusement. “And I also leave the posing to professionals. Competition of that sort has never interested me.”

“It would not be unpleasant to compare my gifts from your Amalgamation,” he murmured, putting a hand on my side to stroke my hip. “The Gaynor King knows much of that which interests a man, yet you, too, strove to please before you returned to your people. Do you fear you will now be less pleasing than she?”

“You’re absolutely right,” I nodded against my arm, trying to ignore the hand that had moved to my thigh. “I’m way out of her league and couldn’t possibly hope to come anywhere near her expertise. Where she’s a professional, I’m a rank amateur.”

“And yet not unskilled in denying a man,” he said, annoyance suddenly flaring in his mind. “I see you have now taken to agreeing with my words in such a way that argument is as impossible as true agreement. And I now also understand Loddar’s comment upon words and the lack of true obedience behind them. There is as yet no true obedience within you—but there will be.”

His hand came to my right arm to push my shoulders back down to the furs, but his leg kept my hips turned to the left, as they had been. I looked up into the anger in his light eyes, feeling his determination, suddenly remembering he wasn’t a man who could be controlled. He shifted slightly to put his hands to either side of my head in the furs, and stared down directly into my eyes.

“Pose,” he ordered, a flat-voiced command that totally rejected refusal. He was so close above me I could almost feel his body heat, making it impossible to look away from his stare.

“I—I—don’t know how,” I whispered, feeling a weakness roll over my resolve. “Please don’t force me to . . . . ”

“Silence,” he said, knowing it was unnecessary to raise his voice. “This darkness I will have naught save obedience from you, naught save absolute and complete deference to my will. Begin now.”

Wide-eyed, I shrunk down into the furs as far as I could, trying to avoid something he would not let me avoid. I struggled a long time against obeying him, but only on the inside; outside I did everything he demanded, everything he commanded. The positions he ordered me into increased the ache in my tired muscles, but he refused to let me protest. He sat very close to my straining body, his mind throbbing with pleasure, his eyes bright and hard and possessive. The further I went, the more I cringed away from his thoughts, knowing what sight of me was doing to him—and fearing it. His need was usually intense, but that night it was a raging river, threatening to overflow its banks at any time. I trembled as he stared at me, drinking me in, feeling his body’s demands grow stronger and stronger—and then he touched me. I was so frightened of the flood awaiting me I should have screamed, but the sudden explosion of pain-need brought by the touch hit me so hard I gasped and moaned at the same time, disbelieving what was happening. The barbarian laughed softly and moved even closer to me then, knowing he had me completely. He proved the fact to me too long after that, making sure I knew it in every part of me, making sure I was able to deny him nothing. He took whatever be wanted, demanded and was obeyed, filled his cup of pleasure to the top and overflowing. It was a very long time before we slept, but my eventual dreams were filled with tears.