“War leader, I do not take your meaning,” said she, the satisfaction no longer in her eyes. A deal of unease and wariness had quickly replaced it, and her left hand had closed about the hilt of her sword.
“My meaning is this, warrior,” said I, a glance showing me Chaldrin’s close, amused attention to the conversation. “Should it be your wish to take mount and return to your sisters, we shall speak no more of your accompanying me, nor shall I allow memory of this exchange to remain with me. Should it be your decision to remain, however, your punishment will be to serve this male beside me, obeying his every command, till my word releases you from the confinement. I shall not intercede in his treatment of you, nor shall I allow the Summa to do so. You will be his to do with as he wishes, and in such a manner will learn some small part of that which Mida wished to spare you. The decision is yours, and may be thought upon no longer than the time you require to join us upon the journey we now begin.”
I then led my kan past a silently stunned Hitta warrior, expecting no further words from her and receiving none. Beyond the entrance to the caves was the sweetly rising light of Mida, gloriously fresh in its rebirth, a golden backdrop to the songs of greeting trilled through the air by the feathered children of the wild. My spirit soared in response to the promise of freedom opened before me, and I vaulted happily to the back of my kan and rode in the track of Wedin and Dotil, who had already gone ahead over the gray of the rock underfoot. In no more than a moment was Chaldrin beside me again, his eyes upon the greens and browns before us, colors which grew warmer with each breath we took and each stride which brought us closer to it.
“You believe, then, that to be my woman would be a terrible punishment,” came abruptly from the male. No tone at all had the voice of Chaldrin had, and I turned my head toward him in lack of understanding.
“To be a slave-woman to any male is great punishment for any Midanna,” I said, searching that part of his face which I was able to see, seeking some sign of the unexplained hurt which I felt rather than saw or heard. “I have need of the aid of a brother, and as Chaldrin did not deny the bond, I had thought I might call upon him to assist me. Should it not be his wish to give such assistance, I will seek another to see to Ilvin. Again it was not my intention to give insult.”
A moment passed in silence and then Chaldrin’s eyes were again upon me. “I am unused to your ways, wench, and therefore have difficulty in understanding what moves you,” said he groping about for the phrases he wished. “It was my assistance you sought when you told the girl she must serve me? Another man would do as well for your purposes, and yet you chose me?”
“Indeed,” said I, refraining from pointing out that I had just said the same. “Though the matter hardly calls for sword use, I had not thought you would object.”
“I do not object,” said he, amused and puzzled at once. “As for the matter requiring no sword use, such remains to be seen. Perhaps you forget that the wench and I exchanged several words. I would ask further, however, concerning another point made by you. You wenches are all of you called Midanna, and none of the Midanna wish to be-women-to men? You, yourself, feel the same?”
“Most certainly,” said I with a shrug. “Each Midanna knows well the fact that males are unable to see to themselves, therefore do they take females to see to their needs. Midanna are warriors, not city slave-women, therefore do we shun the company of males. Had I had any doubt upon the point, it would have been well seen to during my time with Ceralt and his Belsayah. Much did he strive to make Jalav a slave-woman, yet were his efforts in vain, as they were destined to be. Jalav is Mida’s, and none may deny the will of the goddess.”
“I recall our discussion upon the matter of the notice of the gods,” said he, thoughtfully. “For a man to defy the gods is futile, yet must one admire such a man for his attempt.” Silence descended briefly as we left the bare, stoned area for the beginnings of the forests, and then a chuckle came from Chaldrin. “You believe the wench Ilvin will accept your punishment,” said he, returning to our earlier converse. “Should she truly do so foolish a thing, what am I to do with her? You cannot mean that she be given hurt or pain, yet do you intend punishment for her. Of what is the punishment to consist?”
“It must consist of a knowledge of that which obedience would have spared her,” said I, keeping watch all about for the presence of hunting children of the wild. “I do indeed believe Ilvin will accept the punishment, for she continues to believe herself chosen to accompany me. It may well be that Mida sent her behind me so that I might more easily find the presence of the Summa, yet was it the track of another which I followed to where they were held. Ilvin must be made to know her error, therefore must you be unyielding with her, seeing that she serves you as though she were a female slave in your former domain. Should she disobey or displease you, you may punish her without giving her true harm and may, of course, use her as you please.”
“I am also to use her?” said Chaldrin surprised and amused. “It will be difficult to force myself to such a thing, yet will I attempt to make the effort. During the words we exchanged, the wench made comment upon the sole activity a man might be usefully put to, and then suggested that I might well be inadequate even for that purpose.”
“She will discover her error,” said I with a sharing of amusement, looking to Chaldrin briefly before returning my gaze to where we rode. “For a warrior’s sleeping leather, the male Chaldrin may be deemed—adequate.”
“It seems a fortunate thing that my sword word was given in support of you, wench,” said he, a dryness to his tone as his gaze left me at last. “Had it not been, I might well have been tempted to defy the gods by taking a length of leather to their chosen.”
“Chaldrin had best save his length of leather till Jalav bears shielded weapons,” said I, truly amused by his faint annoyance. “He will then have no need to call upon the aid of the gods.”
A gentle heel in the side of my kan sent it forward, leaving no more than the trail of soft laughter to accompany Chaldrin where he rode. Though the male did not merit true insult, it gave me pleasure to serve him some portion of the annoyance he had caused me during my time in the Caverns of the Doomed. Also would his annoyance bring a sharper lesson to Ilvin, who now foolishly thought herself untouchable by males by cause of the presence of her weapons. Too many were the males in those lands, and Ilvin no more than a warrior; were she to attempt true battle against them, she would not live to grow to the skill of a war leader.
No more than a few reckid passed before I sighted the Summa, and less than another hand brought Chaldrin to our set. We four rode through the forests in silence for a time, and then did Wedin ask after Mida and the Silla and my time among the males. The tale truly began with the theft of Mida’s Crystal and therefore did I begin it there, speaking also of the Silla and the manner in which they had attempted to trade their Crystal for males to serve them. The Summa fell to fury upon hearing of such sacrilege, yet was the action not unexpected by those who knew the Silla. I continued on, through my time in Bellinard and Ranistard, through the pain of the device which spoke to the strangers, through the capture of the Hosta and Silla, arriving at last at the words which had come to us from the deep blackness of the device. The strangers had presented themselves as distant kin to use, yet were they known to Mida as evil ones, beings who would take and enslave our entire world. Enemies were they to Mida, and to Sigurr as well, therefore would the Midanna and Sigurri stand together in battle against them.
“This word was given me when I visited Mida in her realm upon this world,” said I to Summa warriors who seemed much taken aback by my narrative. “I was given into the capture of Belsayah Riders, males who are led by Ceralt and his brother Lialt, and it was these males who were used by Mida to bring me to her presence. Telion, a male of Ranistard, also accompanies them, for those of Ranistard have not yet declared themselves willing to stand against the coming strangers as Ceralt and his males have. There will be little need for these others with our warriors and the Sigurri present, yet are they likely to attempt joining our ranks. Mida willing, that will not be till victory has already been granted us.”