“What if she had no other choice?”
“There are always choices,” Sorak said. “They may not be pleasant ones, but they exist. Suppose you had not been born villichi. You are also beautiful, and your family was poor. Knowing how much money you could make at a place such as the Desert Damsel, would you have chosen to work there?”
“No,” Ryana replied at once. “I would dance for you, if I knew how, but that is hardly the same thing.”
“I do not dispute that,” Sorak said. “But what might you have done, instead?”
“I would have found a job that I could do without taking off my clothes for strangers and then I would have searched for some way to improve my lot in life.”
“Even if it only paid a small fraction of what you could make by dancing in a pleasure house?”
“Even so. I would not wish to spend my days with men leering at me and offering me money to gratify their lusts.”
“Then there are other choices,” Sorak said. “Not easy ones, perhaps, and not as profitable, but choices nonetheless. I do not hold men blameless, mind you. If there was no demand for pleasure houses, then they would not exist. But at the same time, so long as there are women willing to work in such places, the attitude men have toward them will not change.”
“You mean as long as there are women who need money, it is all right for men to exploit them?”
“I never said that,” Sorak replied. “It seems to me that both men and women are exploited in such places. The women exploit the baser instincts of the men, and the men exploit the beauty of the women. But in the long run, I think the women get the worst of it.”
“I wish I’d never gone to that place,” said Ryana. “I was curious to see it, but the more I think about it, the more angry I become.”
Sorak nodded. “For a short time, before you joined me after you left the convent, I worked in a gaming house in Tyr. The Crystal Spider, you remember?”
“In the elven quarter?”
Sorak nodded. “I was hired to keep watch for cheats and cardsharps, but gaming was not their only trade. There were girls like Cricket there, as well. People went there for a good time, but there was a feeling of desperation in the air, and hunger.” He shook his head. “A lot of money changed hands in the Crystal Spider, but I don’t think it ever made anybody happy.”
They made good time the first day, without any misadventures, stopping at midday for a rest break and a meal, then continuing on until they were halfway to the oasis called Grak’s Pool. The oasis was at the midpoint of their journey from South Ledopolus to Altaruk, a distance of about one hundred miles, though the caravan had already traveled an equal distance to South Ledopolus from Balic.
The plan was for the caravan to stop at Grak’s Pool for one day, to allow the passengers and their mounts to rest, relieve the cargo kanks of their burden for a while, and take on more water. But Grak’s Pool was still another day’s journey away, and they camped that night within sight of the banks of the estuary, which the trade route followed all the way to Altaruk.
They stopped about two hours before sunset to J allow light to pitch the tents, post the watch, and light the fires before darkness fell, and as the roustabouts pursued their tasks, Kieran asked Sorak what he thought of the caravan captain’s disposition of the camp.
“He has placed us with the estuary at our rear,” said Sorak, “which I would not do with troops, but it strikes me that for a caravan, it could have advantages.”
“How so?” asked Kieran.
“Is this a test?” asked Sorak.
“Merely an informal one,” replied Kieran with amusement. “I am curious to hear your opinion.”
“Well, we are not likely to encounter an opposing army,” Sorak said. “If we did, there would be no choice but to surrender. Raiders would be the most immediate concern, and we would not be able to outrun them. We would have to stand and fight. It is doubtful there would be enough of them to push us back into the silt, which would not be their intention, in any case. They would want the cargo. By disposing us with the estuary at our rear, the captain eliminates the possibility of raiders attacking from that quarter.”
“Good,” said Kieran. “What else?”
“He has placed the cargo in the center of the camp, where it can be most easily protected, and the passengers’ tents are pitched between the cargo and the estuary, with the roustabouts and mercenaries in the front and on the flanks.”
“Why?” asked Kieran.
“I can think of two reasons,” Sorak replied. “One is that with the passengers disposed behind the cargo, they cannot get in the way in the event an attack must be repelled, and the second is that if an attack takes place and the raiders happen to break through, they will reach the cargo before they reach the passengers. Since it is cargo they will want, they will seize that and leave the passengers alone, unless any of them are foolish enough to interfere.”
“Excellent. And what of the disposition of the watch?” asked Kieran.
Sorak looked out at the placement of the guards. “Triangular,” he said. “One outpost on each flank, two at the front, to the right and left, and one at point, between them and about fifty yards advanced. It seems a practical arrangement.”
“Could you improve upon it?” Kieran asked.
“I would detail roving pickets to ride along the left and right sides of the triangle, checking with each guard outpost as they pass. And I would give them watch words, as an added precaution.”
Kieran smiled. “I have already made that suggestion to the captain,” he said, nodding. “I see we think alike. I do not think I shall regret choosing you for my second-in-command.”
“While there is still time, you may wish to reconsider that decision,” Sorak said.
Kieran glanced at him inquisitively as they walked back toward the tents, but said nothing, waiting for him go on.
“For one thing, you have no evidence of my ability, or lack of same, to handle men,” said Sorak. “For another, while I am not ungrateful, I have never stayed long in any one place. I have a wandering nature. It would seem to mean that you would want someone who offers… greater permanence.”
Kieran smiled. “You need have no concern on that account,” he said. “When it comes to the ability to handle men, the foremost quality required is character, and I am a good judge of that. After that, a man requires intelligence and thoughtful-ness. When I asked you about the disposition of the guards, you observed, then you evaluated, and you considered before giving your reply. And I have noticed that you do not have the tendency to speak without thinking. As for permanence…” He chuckled. “What is ever permanent in this world? My own appointment shall not last more than a year.”
“Only a year?” said Sorak.
“That was the term of the contract,” Kieran replied. “I insisted that it be subject to renegotiation every year, and they immediately agreed to it, which tells me they have no interest in a permanent appointment. For that matter, neither do I. But had they wanted me as a permanent commander for their house guard, they would have bargained for a much longer term. They also would never have agreed to my salary demands. I asked for one hundred thousand gold pieces a year.”
Sorak stopped and stared at him with astonishment. “One hundred thousand in gold?” he said with amazement.
Kieran chuckled. “Yes, an obscene sum, isn’t it? The terms of the contract are supposed to be secret. No soldier in the history of the world has ever been paid as much. I named the figure because I was certain they would never agree to it. Only they did, and I found that fascinating.”
“Not to detract from your abilities,” said Sorak, “but why would anyone pay such a sum?”
“That is the same question I asked myself,” said Kieran. “Why? I have a well-known reputation, true, but only part of it is due to skill. Much of it was due to nothing more than luck. Even the best swordsman can fall in battle. I was merely fortunate enough to have survived more than my share. Ironic, when one considers that at that time in my life, I would have liked nothing better than to get myself killed. However, that is another story. I had retired to an estate outside the village of Salt View, and I had wealth enough to see me through the remainder of my days in reasonable comfort. I had no wish to return to the profession of arms.”