“I am Jalav, war leader of these Midanna,” said I, my voice soft as I held his gaze. “Do you propose to face me as those others faced my warriors?”
Abruptly the male started, as though only then remembering the sword in his fist, his eyes darting to it in terror before his hand flung it from him and his head shook in violent negation.
The male had no stomach to face me, a wise decision for one of his undoubted lack of skill.
“Should it then be your decision to retain your miserable life,” said I, “remove your covering and go to your belly upon the cloth before me. To stand erect and proud is a privilege reserved for those who prefer death to dishonor.”
Had the male been possessed of some vestige of pride, surely would he then have shown a sign of it. My command struck him to the core of his being, and yet, with no hesitation worthy of the name, he began to claw at his covering, removing it with indecent haste. When once he stood bare before me he also hastened to lower himself to the cloth, yet was the gesture of attempted concealment unnecessary. My warriors eyed the unclothed male slaves with considerably more interest than one would expect to find for a male such as the portly one, yet the portly male appeared unaware of the fact. He trembled as he lay stretched out upon the cloth before me, as though he expected the kiss of a blade—or the touch of a hand—to intrude upon his shame, yet were there other, more pressing matters than the shaming of a male to attend to. I then returned my gaze to the male I had come for, he who was called High Seat.
“No!” screamed that male, a rope of spittle dripping down the vastness of his chins, his body again attempting to shrink back in the seat. That rescue would not be forthcoming was beyond belief to him, an impossibility impossible to comprehend. It was obviously necessary to prove to the male that his position was no longer as it had been.
“Take that one and place him in chains,” said I gesturing toward the massive male as I spoke to my warriors, then did I nudge the one upon the floor cloth with my toes. “Also, bind this one with leather so that he may not follow and beg to be used. We have not the time for such frivolity.”
The male at my feet turned deep crimson as my warriors laughed, perhaps touched with shame that such a thing might be suggested, perhaps touched with shame that a secret truth had been spoken. A moan of sorts escaped from him, yet was it nearly covered by the screams and pleadings and threatenings produced by him called High Seat as my warriors advanced upon him. The massive male cringed within his seat, holding to one arm of it, attempting to resist the will of warriors who had little patience with the foolishness of males. Chains there were aplenty about the chamber, obviously having been taken from the slaves therein, and the placing of them upon the male, ungently and with little care for his comfort, brought outrage to cover his fear.
“You will all be foully punished for this!” he screamed, struggling in the loops of chain, rising at the urging of pain brought him when he attempted resistance. “I will see you more cruelly treated than the lowest of slaves, worked till you drop, beaten till you bleed, used till you scream—No!”
His declamation ended rather abruptly, due to the cuffing he received from a warrior beside him, a Hersa with less patience than most.
“Silence, male!” she commanded, striking the obese captive with the back of her hand, her orange covering dull in the low lighting. “We may find amusement in male prattle at other times, yet now have little interest in it. Should you fail to keep silent, you will quickly find punishment. ”
Gasps sounded about the chamber, clear indications of the shock touching the slaves who stood fearfully about, hoping to escape notice. These slaves, male and female alike, would not have dared to speak so to those who had enslaved them, a sure sign that they were indeed slaves. To fall slave may happen to any; to remain slave, and conduct oneself in a slavish way, may be accomplished only by one who knows naught of true freedom.
“We must leave here and rejoin the others,” said I to my warriors, some of whom led the High Seat in chains, others of whom had already bound the portly male upon the floor cloth in leather. Of the male slaves who had been allowed the use of female slaves, all save one had withdrawn in fear, lest they be struck down by females with swords for attempting the use of females in chains. This last male, though in possession of a moaning female lost to his thrusts, nevertheless regarded me with unwavering gaze, a faint smile touching him when our eyes met. His hands stroked the body of the female he used, causing her to writhe helplessly, bringing her to a higher pitch of frenzied need. My warriors murmured approval of the display, pleased with the strength and ability of the male, their grins telling him of the interest they felt. His hips thrust hard at the female, drawing a cry of pleasure from her, and then his smile widened to a grin of confidence.
“It would be my honor to give you similar pleasure, Mistress,” he said to me, his deep voice husky. “Should I be allowed to live, I would serve you well indeed. A body such as yours must have deep needs not easily satisfied. Take me as your personal slave and allow me to serve your pleasure.”
Again the slaves about the chamber gasped, the females fearfully for they now realized how small their value would be to female conquerors, the males in anger that another of their number had so quickly claimed the place in the sleeping leather of the leader of the invading warriors. Those males now stepped forward, their voices raised in protestations of their own ability, setting my warriors to chuckling, for never had they seen males so eager to serve. I, to my surprise, felt some faint stirring within me due to the sight of the male who continued his use of the slave beneath him, yet even had my need been great, another need was greater still.
“Before the pleasures of the body come the pleasures of battle,” said I, more to my warriors than to the slaves. “When this dwelling is completely ours, then may we dally and sport. Which of you would remain here in sport with males the while we others join our sisters with swords in our fists?”
“Not I!” shouted my warriors in many voices, all stepping forward with laughter and eagerness, some with swords raised high, causing the male slaves who had come forward to back quickly with the cringing females. He in possession of the female upon the floor cloth no longer wore a grin of confidence, and my laughter narrowed his eyes.
“Do not tire yourself completely, slave,” said I to him, the amusement I felt strange after so long an absence. “My warriors will return for you all, of that you may be sure, and then will your ability to give pleasure be put to the test. Do not remove the leather from this portly male, for soon he will be a slave just as you are. Remain in this chamber once we have gone, else your lives may be lost through accident.”
The silence of fear greeted my words, therefore did I signal my warriors to follow and quit the chamber, returning to the corridor where we had met the males in leather and metal. He called High Seat, forced by his chains in the hands of warriors to accompany us, stared with horror upon the blood-covered bodies of his males as we passed them, his voice stilled more completely by the sight than by the cuffing he had received. We had a distance to go, however, therefore did I pay him no further heed.
When we had at last reached the stairs we had ascended and again descended to the lower level, we found ourselves quickly embroiled in the sort of battle we had not earlier encountered. Many males seemed to have appeared from nowhere, some clad in no more than the cloth covering of males of the cities, the swords in their hands unmatched by empty scabbards at their sides. No more than the swords had the males snatched, it seemed, and these they wielded grimly against the warriors before them. Some few Midanna lay motionless upon the red-stained floor cloth, yet many more males lay so, mute evidence of the skill of warriors. The sounds of battle seemed to come from all about the dwelling, the clash of metal, the screams of pain, the war cries, the curses, all blending with the swiftly moving shadows cast by the candles upon the walls. Leaving half of my warriors to see that the High Seat did not find rescue by his males, I led the others forward to add our swords to the melee.