Then he thrust her from him, reluctantly, an effort which must have cost him much will.

"Later, later," he said. "We must from here," he said. "There are matters to attend to. There are others to join, agents of our house."

"Master!" she protested.

"In the first camp," he said, "you and other slaves will be put in cages. I will have you drawn forth from your cage. I will have you brought to me and chained to a stake in my tent."

"And how shall I live till then?" she asked.

"On water," he said, "and a handful of slave gruel."

"Yes, my master," she breathed.

He then stepped from her, releasing a coil or two of the leash, permitting it to slacken.

"Are you prepared to be led forth?" he asked.

She looked down, wildly, in consternation, at the shreds of her robe on the floor, and at the hood, and the veil.

"I am unclothed," she said.

Surely something might be arranged from the remnants of the robe, or from pieces cut from the hood!

Indeed, even the veil, a large one, might be wrapped about her body!

"You have your collar," he said.

"Master!" she protested.

"Certainly you do not think I would deny my house this triumph," he said.

She straightened herself, as the leash went taut, between the ring on the leash collar and his fist.

"Yes, Master," she said, answering his earlier question, "I am prepared to be led forth!"

He then turned about and strode toward the door. She hurried to follow him.

"Master!" she said.

He stopped, and turned about.

"Should I try to place a downcast expression on my face, Master?" she inquired.

"You may do as you will," he said, irritatedly.

"Doubtless you should treat me in your house, publicly, as a despised slave."

"I suppose so," he said, "at least for a time."

"They need not know I am your love slave," she said. "I am your love slave, am I not?"

"Yes," he said.

"Am I subject to the whip?" she asked.

"Certainly," he said. "You are a slave."

"Am I to be whipped in your house?" she asked.

"It will undoubtedly be expected, upon occasion," he said. "You were, after all, once the Lady Constanzia of Besnit."

"And who will whip me?" she asked.

"Whoever wishes to do so," he said. "Even other slaves. I advise you, thusly, to try to be quite pleasing, to everyone."

"Yes, Master," she said, trembling.

He turned about, and took a step toward the door.

"Master!" she said.

He turned to face her.

"You will whip me sometimes, will you not," she asked, "that I may know that I am a slave, and that you are truly my master?"

He did not respond.

"Can you not understand?" she said. "I love you, truly love you, helplessly! With slave helplessness! As a slave her master! And I am a slave, and you are my master! I want rea.s.surance. I want proof, in my deepest heart, that you can do with me what you ant and that you will, that I am your slave, that you own me!"

"Be in no doubt as to the matter," he said.

"I would be convinced!" she said.

"On the practical level?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"I see," he said.

"Perhaps I will displease you!" she said.

"Then you will find yourself punished quickly enough," he said.

"Could you punish me?" she asked.

"Test me," he said.

"You could!" she said. "You could:"

"And would," he said.

"Yes, Master!" she said, happily.

But I did not think she would wish to displease him. And, too, once she had felt the whip, once it had made it clear to her what she was, once it had confirmed her bondage upon her, once it had imprinted upon her an understanding of what could be done to her, I did not think it likely that she would be eager to feel it soon again, even lightly, even in the hands of a beloved master, one to whom she had surrendered everything, one to whom she belonged, totally. The whip, as a tool, is a quite effective implement. It serves to keep us well in line. Free women may make men miserable, and even attempt to destroy them, but slaves may not do so.

It is ours, rather, to strive to be pleasing to our masters.

"In my house," he said, "it will be I who will first tie you to the whipping ring, who will give you your first public lashing."

"Thank you, Master," she said. "It is your whip which I would feel first, before all others."

It is not that unusual, incidentally, to whip a new slave, upon her first being introduced into a house. To be sure, the custom apparently varies from city to city. In any event, given the background and interactions of the Lady Constanzia of Besnit and the House of William, in Harfax, I did not think that they would wish to wait long before seeing the lash laid to herwell laid-to the back of the new slave.

"Master!" she cried. "Look!"

"What?" he said. "The girl in the shadows, the creature with her?"

"It Janice!" she wept, joyfully.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Please let me go to her, just for a moment, please, my beloved master!" But the leash restrained her.

"Oh!" she wept, in misery, held, helpless to approach me. But then he advanced toward me, letting her hurry before him. The pit master, near me, threw his cloak over his head, and turned away, that his features not be seen.

Constanzia knelt before me, I kneeling, too. "It is he, Janice!" she said. "I am a slave! I am his slave! I am happy! I am so happy! I love you, Janice!"

She bent toward me, joyfully. I took her in my arms and kissed her. "I am happy for you!" I said. "I love you, too!"

She then lowered her head to kiss the feet of the depth warden, near me. "Thank you, Master," she wept. "Thank you for everything!"

He kept the folds of his hood drawn carefully about his face.

Then in a moment she was drawn to her feet by the leash, and pulled away. She looked over her shoulder, drawn toward the portal. "I love you!" she said. "I love you!" I called. Then the slave girl, naked and bound, on her leash, was taken from the chamber.

I heard the noises of a small crowd outside, and much jeering. Some had gathered, it seemed, to witness the procession of the Lady Constanzia to the docks. I supposed that several of these people would accompany her to the docks, and that, indeed, she might have to run something of a gantlet until her arrival there, perhaps being abused, switched, and spit upon. So much, at least, it seemed, would be owed to the house of William, in Harfax. To be sure, her master would doubtless to some extent protect her, seeing to it that the crowd did not exceed the proprieties customary to such occasions, for example, that they not be permitted to mutilate her or break her limbs. And soon, of course, or sooner or later, she should be relatively safe, being chained and hooded, and inserted into a cage basket, perhaps with other slaves, having arrived at the docks.

Shortly after Henry, of the house of William, in Harfax, had exited with a slave, the door to the side opened and the clerk came through. The pit master went forward then, and, near the clerk's table, conferred with the clerk. Some papers were signed, a copy being retained by the clerk, and one by the pit master.

The clerk then turned toward the portal. "Bring forth the free woman,"

he called. The two court guards then entered, conducting, between them, a woman in the robes of concealment, fully veiled. She was, however, barefoot. Her ankles were trim. I wondered if she were pretty The pit master turned to the two pit guards, by the portal leading to the outer hall, that leading thence to the outside, and, with a gesture, summoned them forward. He also beckoned that I should approach. I quickly rose to my feet and hurried forward, then kneeling near him. I noted impatience in the manner, and contempt in the eyes, of the woman in the robes of concealment as I approached. I knew myself despised by her. I did not meet her eyes.

"This is the Lady Ilene of Venna," said the clerk.

The pit master lowered his head, his features shielded within the dark hood.

"Where am I?" she asked, angrily. "What am I doing here?"

The pit master went behind her and, one by one, pulled her hands behind her. There were two clicks.

"I am braceleted!" she exclaimed, angrily. "How dare you put me in such things! Remove them, immediately!"

The pit master was then again before her. He looked down her feet.

"One slipper," said he, not turning from the free woman, but addressing himself to the clerk, "was used to convince her house that she was in our keeping. The other is in a distant city, where negotiations may be conducted, the authenticity of our negotiators attested to by the possession of the second slipper. It was not thought that, under the circ.u.mstances, she required hose."

Bonds are seldom placed over clothing. The free woman, the Lady Ilene of Venna, was under detention, rather obviously as a ransom prisoner, as had been the Lady Constanzia of Besnit, now the slave Constanzia, owned by Henry, of the house of William, in Harfax. Accordingly, her hose had been removed, that her ankles might now from the Gorean point of view be the more appropriately crossed and tied, or shackled. Such things are in part cultural, and in part practical.

I considered her, what I could see of her.

She certainly did have trim ankles. They would look well, crossed and corded together, tightly, or shackled.

I wondered, again, if she were pretty.

Doubtless the guards, too, were curious about that.

The woman tried to pull her feet back, a little, more beneath her robes.

"Who is this misshapen lout?" she asked. "What is he doing here? Why does he conceal his features?"

"You are in the presence of a warden of our city, Lady," said the clerk. "It is in his keeping that you will find yourself until your disposition is clear."

"My disposition?" she asked.

"Yes, Lady," said the clerk.

"What are you doing!" she cried.

"He is leashing you," said the clerk.

"Never!" she cried.

There was a click. She was leashed. "Take it off!" she cried.

"What?" asked one of the pit guards, one who had had his eye on her.

"What?" she asked.

"Yes, 'what'," he said. "Your veil? Your hood? Your clothing?"

She shrank back. "Monster," she said.

The pit master gestured to me and I rose, and came forward, and then again knelt, this time before the free woman, putting my head to the tiles before her.

"Forgive me, Lady," I said. I then rose up and grasped the leash.

"I will not be led by a s.l.u.t of a slave!" she said.