There was complete silence for a very brief time, then normal conversation began again and one of the men rose and came toward us, a big grin on his face as he looked at me.
“Tammad, I expected you before this,” he said, pausing near us to study me. “Though I believe I see the reason for your delay. Sarella wenda.”
I smiled pleasantly at the man who had called me an unusually beautiful woman, and Tammad grinned back at him. “She is adequate, Garrad,” he said fondly “How has the time passed for you?”
“All too quickly” the man called Garrad answered with a rueful smile. “There are many more things requiring a denday’s time than he has the time to give them. As you well know. Come and seat yourself, and share the drishnak.”
He turned and led the way back toward his place among the cushions, not far from the silken back wall of the pavilion. A group of men sat there, grins on their faces and welcome in their minds, but Tammad stopped in the middle of the fur-covered floor to grin at a man on the far right. The man stared back without expression, but furious hate was strong within him. A really beautiful woman sat near him, long silky blond hair falling past her waist, a definite green tinge to her lovely blue eyes.
“Aldana, Rommar,” Tammad said in a casual drawl. “I see you are again accompanied by your rella wenda. She is even more tempting than I had remembered, and you are generous to share the sight of her.”
“No more generous than you, Tammad,” Rommar answered, almost in a growl. “A wenda such as yours is rare indeed, and I would know how you came by her.”
“She took a fancy to my furs and followed me” Tammad grinned broadly “Was I to see her walking the roads unprotected? I shall keep her for the time, and perhaps she may one day suit me.”
Rommar outwardly controlled himself at that, but the banter made his mind seethe even more furiously. It was obvious now that I was supposed to be a counter to the other man’s rella wenda, and I was forced to admire Tammad’s thought processes. He must have had that eventuality in mind as far back as our first meeting on Central, accepting me as the help he needed, knowing how easily I would fit in. Sadayin l’lenda, brainy indeed.
Rommar leaned back slightly pulling his wenda to him. The girl looked at him with an adoring but cowed gaze, then curled up tightly against his chest.
“So you fail to suit him, eh, wenda?” Rommar said to me. “My Nalar would not dare to fail to suit me. She is just as I wish her to be.”
“That is easily seen, l’lenda,” I answered with an easy nod. “Perhaps it is more difficult suiting one such as Tammad.”
Every man in the pavilion roared with laughter, but Rommar didn’t see any humor in the comment. He scowled at me, strong anger filling his mind, but Tammad’s pleasure came to me even more strongly. He reached out and stroked my hair, then led the way to where Garrad was waiting.
“A rare wenda indeed.” Garrad grinned as Tammad lowered himself to the cushions. “She has almost the sound of l’lenda to her. I, too, would know how you came by her.”
“She was gifted to me by her father,” Tammad answered, pulling me down, not next to him, but into his lap. “He found her pride too great for so slight a form, and asked only that she be taught moderation and obedience. Do you now heed my words, Terril. I am flattered by your exalted opinion of me, yet did you come too close to insult with Rommar. Have you need of another lesson in the consequences of insult?”
“I spoke very carefully so as not to give insult.” I told him, and grinned up into his half-amused eyes. “Had I intended insult, I should have added that Tammad does not use fear to see himself suited. No true l’lenda would.”
Tammad wearily rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other l’lendaa around us guffawed. Garrad was vastly amused, and he clapped Tammad on the shoulder.
“She is well named, my friend,” he said with a huge grin. “I have no doubt but that your sword has often needed honing since the acquisition of her. Have you yet worn out a switch?”
“Not through lack of effort,” Tammad answered dryly, giving me a stern look. “Should Terril wish me to again make the attempt, she need but speak in such a fashion once more. The laws of the Ratanan forbid the use of weapons, yet say nothing of the use of a switch.”
“Does Tammad truly seek to make me fear the switch?” I asked innocently, running a finger over his chest. “I had not thought he had need of such.”
“All men have need of aid with wendaa.” Tammad grinned. “And should you continue to do as you now do, you may be sure that I shall take you in this very place, in spite of the amusement of my brothers. This, too, would be fitting punishment for your pride.”
I snatched my finger away from his chest as the men laughed again, wondering if he was really telling the truth. That he was easily aroused by me I already knew, but would he really—right there in front of everybody—I took a shaky breath and decided not to try to find out.
Tammad was given drishnak by an ordinary serving wenda, and the evening wore on. When large platters of meat chunks were passed among the l’lenda, I tried to take a chunk and got my hand slapped. Tammad chose one for me instead, but I didn’t make a fuss about it—I was too hungry and too busy studying the men in the pavilion.
All the men in Garrad’s group had their attention on Tammad so they were easy to read, as was the group around Rommar, who were constantly taking turns glancing our way but the uncommitted dendayy who ranged themselves with neither side were another matter entirely. They were trying hard for neutrality, but most of them tended to lean more toward Rommar, and that wasn’t good. It hadn’t been hard to see that Rommar was leader of the opposition.
I stayed in Tammad’s lap, facing away from everyone else and holding him around with my eyes closed, but I wasn’t trying to snuggle or hide. I was preparing reports on the uncommitted dendayy, pinpointing what I could of them so as to make identification easier, too. It wouldn’t have helped much to try to describe the large, blond l’lendaa, and I didn’t know their names.
I finished what I could of the preliminary reports, coming back to awareness of my surroundings to find that Tammad and his friends had had more of the drishnak than the meat chunks. Their minds were as blurry as their laughter, and when one looked at me it was with a good deal more heat than previously, I made the mistake of trying to get out of Tammad’s lap, and was pulled back firmly and smacked hard on the bottom for not having first asked permission. Tammad’s emotional control was still good, but it was a lot sloppier than it had been because of the drishnak. I had no trouble telling that he was on the verge of being thoroughly angry with me again, so I stayed where I was to avoid more unpleasantness. I couldn’t count on his judgment in the sort of condition he had gotten himself into.
Before very much longer, every l’lenda in the pavilion was limp. One or two of them still had the strength to hold onto a goblet, but I doubt if they knew what they were holding onto. The girl Nalar was nearly crushed beneath Rommar’s arm, but she was making no attempt to get away from him, and I could understand that. My own owner had opted for holding me down on his lap in an obvious and potentially painful way. If I tried to move before he was completely out cold, I would definitely and embarrassingly regret it.
I had just about decided to try prying the fistful of my caldin out of Tammad’s hand, when the l’lendaa who had been left outside began filing into the pavilion. They were chuckling and talking quietly to each other, but separated once they were inside to go to their various dendayy. One of Tammad’s men got me loose with a single pull, then he and two others lifted Tammad and began carrying him out. I found out why the standard retinue was five in number when one of the far gone dendayy tried to resist being carried out. I turned my back on the battle and followed Tammad’s body.