Through the guidance of those who had learned their way about the immense dwelling, returning to the chamber of slaves was not as long a journey as the original search had been. The chamber itself was dimly lit, no more than a hand of torches illuminating the erect forms of the guard I had placed about the enclosure of he called High Seat. The portly male, within his enclosure, slept as soundly upon the metal flooring as any of the slaves longer tenanted within the chamber, unaware of those who stood and regarded him. Once I had seen that he was as I had left him, I looked again about the chamber, for surely did it seem to contain a greater number of males than it had the darkness previous.
“Indeed have we added to their number, Jalav,” said Palar, she who was war leader to the Hunda. Her voice, held low, nevertheless contained a chuckle, possibly due to fond memory. “It was discovered that a large number of males had been taken captive, yet had they been left bound where taken. When gathering up these captives, disposition was a considerable problem till this chamber was recalled. When approached by those with captives to be quartered, we who remained here were unreluctant to accept charge of them.”
“How many hind of sleep have you had, Palar?” I asked, continuing to look about. “There shall undoubtedly be battle before darkness comes again.”
“I have never yet fallen asleep in the midst of battle, Jalav,” she replied with a laugh, her voice truly unconcerned. “With so many males available for use, I could not deny my warriors—nor myself. My clan sisters and I believe that one should never enter battle with unused males left behind.”
“So that one may find the glory of death as a warrior without regret for that which was left undone,” I nodded, my attention elsewhere. “The Hosta believe the same, Palar. What of those four males yonder, they who earlier wore black cloth about their loins? They lie within their enclosure as though felled by blows to the head. Were they used, or merely stripped?”
“Were it possible to point to those who were most used, it would likely be they,” said Palar, a warm laziness having entered her tone. “In the absence of the sthuvad drug a warrior must make do, yet those four needed naught of encouragement. They fought at being taken upon their backs, as though they were temple slaves set to warrior pleasure, so they shouted, yet were they unable to halt the desires of their bodies. I know not how many warriors tasted of them before they were returned to their enclosure and allowed to sleep.”
I nodded silently at Palar’s words, piqued that I had forgotten to disallow the use of the Sigurri. They were sure to be displeased over the matter, perhaps even so far as to seek vengeance upon the journey south, yet was the thing done past recalling. Should their desire for vengeance prove too great, they would learn that no more than one of them was necessary to act as guide, and that that one need not be hale and free. I looked again upon their sleeping forms, seeing how their great muscled bodies sprawled in the chains they wore, exhausted, taken, spent, then turned from them to more pressing matters.
“The new light will soon be upon us,” said I to Palar, anod toward the portly male, he called High Seat. “Remove yon male from the comfort of his rest and bring him behind me. His presence will soon be required.”
“At once, Jalav,” said Palar, and then did she gesture to those who stood as guard about the enclosure. With that small chore seen to I left the chamber to seek the others of my war leaders, they who had been sent ahead to arrange matters according to my instructions. Each means of entry was to be guarded, and well, for the conviction had come to me that the males of the city, knowing naught of what they faced, would attempt attack upon the dwelling we held, in an effort to reclaim it. I knew not whether the attack would come before their attempt at parley or during it, yet was I convinced that such an attack would come. Quickly did I see that each set of guards about an entry had had a runner assigned to them, one warrior who would not draw her weapon at an attack, instead taking herself quickly off to draw additional warriors from those stationed in the center of the dwelling. Not all additional warriors would race to the defense of a single entry, for wisest would the males be should they attack a second and perhaps third and fourth point after the initial attack, which would be designed to draw all defenders to the first point. The great majority of my warriors were to be found in the center of the dwelling, most taking their ease upon the floor cloth, some helping themselves to provender which had been found and brought to them, all filled with satisfaction at the thought of further battle. Should the males attack as I believed they would, they would soon learn the folly of facing Midanna warriors.
With all inspections satisfactorily seen to, I then made my way to the large front entrance of the dwelling, that by which I, myself, had entered. All torches had been removed from the walls of the area immediately about the entrance, as had been done with the other entries, yet was I easily able to see the large number of warriors who stood about in readiness. The air from without brought a fresh, dewy smell to raise one from the depths of stale city air and the confinement of dwellings, a small breeze from the still-dark skies wafting about in an attempt to stir the hair of those hidden from it by encircling walls. My spirit rose in protest over the need to remain longer within a city of males who cared naught for freedom, yet was there a task to be completed before the untamed forests might again be mine.
“Jalav, all has been seen to,” came the voice of Rogon, her form coming out of the darkness to stand by my side. “Those who had guarded the gates from within now guard them from without, bows in their hands and arrows knocked, their positions difficult to make out even for a warrior. Should the males attempt to flee to fetch the aid of others, none of their number will survive the attempt.”
“Well done,” said I, moving the closer to the opening which was the entrance to the dwelling. Once there, I was able to stare out at the darkness surrounding us, a darkness filled with more than the stirrings of the feathered children of the wild. The grass, I knew, was damp and chill with the touch of dew; perhaps it was this discomfort which kept the males who lay within the darkness from remaining still and unobserved. Even as I watched, a patch of shadow lifted briefly before lowering to stillness once more, a gleam of metal momentarily exposed by the movement. Did they think us deaf and blind, that we would be unaware of their presence?
“Their arrival about this dwelling was immediately noted,” said Rogon, her eyes seeing what mine had seen. “How is it possible for ones such as they to hunt the forests? Such absence of skill should have seen them dead from lack of sustenance long ago.”
“There are those who hunt for them,” said I, closing my eyes to the breeze which caressed my face. “These are undoubtedly males who know naught save the ways of a city, naught of that which is necessary to survive beyond these walls. They are males, Rogon; how might they be a match to warriors?”
“How, indeed,” said Rogon, scorn heavy in her voice. Our sisters had moved through their ranks both going to and coming from those at the gates, and they none the wiser; how was a warrior to consider them with anything other than scorn? Had their numbers been fewer, the confrontation I anticipated would have been totally unnecessary.