"Please, please sirs," said Mirus, in mock protest. "Desist! This is a virgin! You will embarrass her!"
There was much laughter. This was a splendid joke, I gathered. Who, after all, cares for the feelings of a slave?
"No, woman like that," said a man, "with a collar on her neck, is a virgin!" There was more laughter.
I gathered that that was supposed to be a compliment. I glanced up at Hendow. How pleased he seemed to be to own me. How proud he seemed to be! I was afraid, but I was pleased, too, and grateful, that he was pleased with me. I wanted to be pleasing to him. He was my master.
"But she is a virgin!" laughed Mirus.
"Who cares?" called a man.
There was more laughter.
"Among our guests this evening," said Mirus, gesturing, "is one well known to you all, Tamirus," He indicated a good-natured-looking fellow, sitting to one side in green robes. This fellow lifted his hand, in good humor, to the crowd. "later," said Mirus, "when our lovely chain-daughters in attendance, Tupita, Sita and Ina, whom some of you well know, and intimately, and whom I recommend to you all, as I also do my lovely assistants, Aynur and Tula, have presented to you another chain-daughter, this lovely slut, their sister in bondage, we shall call upon Tamirus for his attestation."
There was a good-humored cheer, acknowledging which Tamirus, grinning, once more lifted his hand. The attestation, I gathered, was little more than a formality, but, I supposed, some of the fellows would want it.
I stood toward the center and about a third forward from the rear of the floor, my arm still in the grip of Hendow, my master.
"I will buy another ostrakon!" called a man. I saw Aynur and Tula glance at one another. Aynur" s bowl was no longer empty. Tula" s now held less.
"We shall reopen the sale of ostraka presently," called Mirus.
The musicians were on my left.
"Hendow," called Mirus, dramatically, "my employer, and dear friend, Hendow, are you not the master of this tavern?"
"I am," grinned Hendow.
There was laughter.
I was afraid my arm would be bruised where Hendow held it. His grip was like iron.
"And you own many women?"
"Yes," said Hendow.
"We see you have a slave in hand."
"Yes," said Hendow.
"Do you own her, as well?" asked Mirus.
"Yes," said Hendow.
"And it is your intention to keep her all for yourself?" said Mirus. "No," said Hendow, grinning.
There was a cheer.
"She is then to have the same status as your other women, and to be available to your customers, and such?" asked Mirus.
"Yes," said Hendow.
There was another cheer.
"She is then to be not a private slave, but a public slave?" inquired Mirus. "Yes!" said Hendow.
This announcement was greeted with another cheer.
"If she is a treasured private slave, noble Hendow," said Mirus, "take her swiftly to your chambers. If she is not, but is as your other women, then, noble friend, we pray you, step back from her, leaving her upon the floor before us." I felt Hendow" s hand release my arm. He stepped back. there was a cheer. I did not know where he was. I supposed he might be somewhere behind me, and to my left. I felt very much alone. To be sure, the other girls were still near me. But we were all slaves, before men.
"Come forward, come forward," said Mirus, coaxingly, beckoning to me. I came forward, in the cuffs and leashes, clutching the sheet, the girls with me. I now stood back about a third from the front edge of the dancing floor. The men could see me very well now. The musicians were now back, and to the left. "I will buy an ostrakon!" called a man.
"And I!" called another.
"And I!" said another.
I watched Mirus take tarsk bits from these men. He dropped the coins into the sack at his belt. From the distention and apparent weight of the sack I gathered he had already taken in several tarsk bits. I supposed that I should feel flattered. I clutched the sheet up higher about my neck. I wondered where Hendow was, somewhere behind me, I thought. When a fellow had paid his tarsk bit Miris would reach into the copper bowl carried by Tula and draw forth from it one of the small, glazed three inches long and an inch wide, thin, flat, brittle, glazed, baked-clay ostraka. They were oval and, along the long axis, slotted. The ostraka are lovely and fragile. A number, the same number, was written at the bottom and top of each item. I winced as Mirus snapped one of the ostraka in two, giving half to the purchaser and throwing the other half into Aynur" s bowl. "Good luck!" he said.
"What is her name?" called a man.
"Doreen," said Miris. "At least that is the name by which she is known to Borko."
I shuddered, and the men laughed, seeing my fear. I did not think the nature of Hendow" s Borko, that massive hunting sleen, was unknown to them.
I heard the snappings of ostraka.
"Bring her over here, so we can see her better, " said a man.
"And over here," said another, on the other side.
"Come, frightened urt," said Tupita. She guided me to the right, where I must stand at the edge of the floor, there, and then further to the right, and back. I then saw Hendow, my master. He was standing back, near the wall at the back of the tavern, near the threshold with the beaded curtain, that through which I had entered.
I was then moved further to the right, in a circular pattern, and I then stood at the back, right corner of the dancing floor, as one would see it from the front. I was then a moment later, conducted again to my right, and I now stood in the vicinity of what would be the front, right corner of the floor, as one would see it from the front. I was near the edge. Tupita apparently wanted me to be close to the men, that my proximity, I suppose, might stimulate them. I heard the snappings of more ostraka.
"Oh!" I cried. I was frightened. I could not pull away. "Stand as you are," said Tupita. "Yes, Mistress," I said. A man, sitting near the edge of the floor, had put out his hand and held my left ankle. he then, with his thumb, rubbed slowly below and behind the anklebone, and then, with his fingers, up, just below the calf. I shuddered at his touc. I went up an inch or two on the toes of my foot. "Look at that," called a man.
"That is no virgin," said another.
"She is a virgin," averred Mirus, snapping another ostrakon, not even looking about. "You will shortly have the attestation," he said.
"I will take another ostrakon," said the fellow who had touched me. "I, too," said another.
My ankles released, Tupita, aided by Sita, again put me toward the center of the floor, near the front, much where I had stood before.
I was trembling. I could not help how I had moved under his touch.
The men looked at me. I heard laughter. I blushed.
There was more laughter.
"In time, however," said Mirus, continuing his transactions, "we expect her to feel at least some minimal slave heat."
There was laughter.
I must have turned red, all of me that was not covered by the sheet, my face and neck, and my calves, ankles and feet. There was then more laughter. Suddenly I wished I was one of those women like leather who hated men but then in a moment I did not really want to be like that either. I was too soft, too lovely, and too feminine for that. I was not that sort of woman. I was a different sort. I was afraid then, very afraid. I sensed vaguely, in my virgin" s belly, the thought terrifying me, what men, such men, might do to me. These intimations, however, did not serve to prepare me even for what, as a matter of course, in even a few weeks, I could be forced to feel, or for what it would be to be made the helpless victim of "slave needs."
"Five!" called a man. "Five!"
"Two here!" said another.
I looked about, from face to face, and then I looked away, not daring to meet such eyes, those of masters.
How faraway seemed the library.
Incredibly, here, on this world. I was owned.
"She is lovely," said a man.
"Yes," said another.
There were sexual noises, and calls. I could not object to these. I was a slave. How powerful seemed these men. I think any of them could have broken me in pieces, like the lovely ostraka. And how fierce they seemed. How they would make a woman obey them! And how they looked upon me, with such eagerness and interest, seeing me as what I was, a slave!
I clenched my fists on the sheet. Beneath it, save for a steel collar and some beads, I was naked.