"There will be no iron between a keeper and his kept woman," I said, "unless it be by his will, such as a collar for her, or shackles or the bars of a cell." "I will do as I please," she said."A keeper must always have access to his kept woman," I said. "I will do as I please," she said.
I listened to her door shut. I listened, carefully. Then I heard the iron bolt slid shut.
I sat cross-legged, behind the small table in the kitchen. Then I rose up and went to the storage box and took out some bread and dried meat. I chewed on it for a time. Then finishing it, I wiped my mouth. I then walked through the house to the stairs and climbed them.
She screamed, suddenly, clutching clothing about her. I stood in the threshold, the door awry, hanging off its hinges. The bold with its brackets was splintered from the heavy wood.She backed away, holding the clothing about her. "Don't hurt me," she said. "I would have opened the door!" I strode to her and stood before her."I would have opened the door," she said."A slave might be slain for such a lie." I said.
She did not meet my eyes. "You should knock," she said, "before entering a lady's bedroom."I tore away the clothing she held before her, casting it aside. She wore then only a light Gorean slip, white, which came high on her thighs. "I am not fully dressed!" she said. I took her and threw her on her belly on the couch. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked. "Strip you," I told her.From the back I ripped apart the white slip until she lay upon it. "Get out of my bedroom," she sobbed. "Be pleased that I do not this night made you earn your keep," I said.
"For the night," I told her, "this is not your bedroom." I seized her by the hair and pulled her, naked beside me, down the stairs. Before the first slave kennel, that farthest to the left as you face them, I stopped.With my left hand I flung up the sturdy, barred gate. I put the startled Miss Henderson on her hands and knees before the small opening. Then, with left hand in her hair, and my right hand on her left thigh, I thrust her bodily into the kennel. "This is your bedroom for the night, " I told her. I then threw down the iron gate. She turned about, clutching the bars. I turned the key in the lock, fastening her within.
"There will be no iron between a keeper and his kept woman," I said. "Unless it be by his will, such as a collar, or shackles for her, or the bars a cell." I then walked over to the wall. I held the key up where she could see it. "A keeper must alwaqyus have access to his kept woman, " I said. I then hung the key on a peg, where she might from time to time look upon it, as it might please her.
"Jason," she said. "I am going out," I told her.
"Let me out," she begged." I am uncomfortable. the kennel is of cement, the bars of steel." "Have a pleasant night," I said. "I am uncomfortable," she said. "I am cold!"
"I wager," I said, "you will be far more uncomfortable and cold in the morning. "Jason!" she cried, "Jason!"
But I had gone out. "You beast!" I heard her cry. "I hate you. I hate you!"
I locked the door from the outside and left.
13. The Topaz
I returned to the house near the fifth Ahn. I had slept some at the tavern of Cleanthes. I frequented various taverns in Victoria. There were several in the city. There were attractions, so to speak, in each. My favorite on the whole I believe, remained the tavern of Tasdron. It was in that tavern that the former Peggy Baxter, now a branded, encollared Gorean slave girl, served her master's customers.
I had lit a small tharlarion-oil lamp in the hall. I had fetched down from the bedrom near the top of the stairs a robe. I looked down on the girl who knelt in the small kennel, holding the bars. Her flesh looked lovely behind the bars."Take your hands from the bars," I said. She knelt back in the kennel, and I unlocked the gate and thrust it up. I put the key to the side. She crawled out, on her hands and knees and I threw her the robe. She stood up, belting it about her. "It is my short robe, " she said, "not my long robe.".
"Yes," I said. It came up high on her thighs. "It is suitable, doubtless," she said, "for a kept woman." "Yes, "I said. "I am cold and hungry," she said. "there is some food in the kitchen," I said. "I left some of the bread and dried meat. There is some money there too. You could go to the market. Did you sleep?" "No," she said.
"I must go to the hiring yard," I said. "You stink of the paga taverns," she said.
I turned from her and put my pouch to the side, I did not normally carry it to the wharves.
"Were the girl's pretty?" she asked. "I suppose so," I said. "Some of them." "Did you have a good time?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. I went to a bucket of water in the corner of the room and uncovering it, and using a bowl, dipped out water which I then used for washing my hands and feet.
"Did anything unusual happen at the tavern?" she asked. "There are some guardsmen from Ar's Station in Victoria." I said."What are they doing here?" she asked.
"Have you heard of the topaz?" I asked. "Yes," she said. "I heard people in the market speaking of it." "It is a pledge symbol," I said, "apparently used among pirates on the river when combining for massive assaults. "The men of Ar's Station are searching for the topaz?" she asked. "Yes," I said.
"They fear that their post will be subject to attack?" "Yes," I said, drying my face with a towel. "and if Ar's Station should be destroyed, the eastern river, between Tafa and Lara would lie much as the mercy of the raiders."
The guardsmen had not found the topaz, according to Jason's knowledge, however he had been stopped along with others outside the tavern of Cleanthes. Later they searched all in the tavern, save those whom they remembered from outside as having been previously examined.If the topaz should reach the stronghold of Policrates, the way would be clear for the uniting of the raider forces of both the east and west.
"Then Port Cost would be next?" she asked. "That is speculation," I said putting aside the towel. "Did the guardsmen of Ar's Station find the topaz?" she asked. "Not to my knowledge," I said. "They stoppedme, and others outside the tavern of Cleanthes. Later they searched all in the tavern, save those whom they remembered from outside, as having been previously examined." "You were not searched a second time then?" she asked. "No," I said. "It was the same men who were conducting the search."
"I the topaz should reach the stronghold of Policrates," she said, "the way would be clear for the uniting of the raider forces of both the east and wast."
"It has perhaps already reached the stronghold of Policrates," I said.
"Surely routes to such a citadel have been invested," she said. "They cannot be adequately invested without considerable forces. I do not think a careful courier would have difficulty reaching the citadel."
"What hope, then, is to apprehend the courier before he can reach the citadel," I said. "A slim hope," she said. "I agree," I said. "I would not wish to be who caries the topaz," she said. "Nor I," I said smiling.
"You kenneled me last night," she said. "That is not unknown to me," I said. "I will no longer try to keep a door locked between us," she said. "That is advisable, "I said.
She came than and stood near me. I restrained myself from seizing her in my arms and throwing her to the floor of the hall. "Jason," she said. "Yes," I said. She drew her robe down, slighty from her shoulders. "I am ready to earn my keep," she said. "You speak like a slave girl," I scorned her. "Slave girls do not earn their keep," she said. "They do what they are told." "If you were a slave girl, would you do what you were told?" I asked. "Of course," she said. "I would have to."