Authors: John Norman
Tags: #Science Fiction, #Fiction, #General, #Fantasy, #Adventure, #Gor (Imaginary Place), #Cabot; Tarl (Fictitious Character), #Outer Space, #Nomads, #Outlaws
Kaiila were stabled there.
Directed by Tuchuks we soon made our way to the throne
room of Phanius Turmus, where, to my surprise, a banquet
was in progress. At one end of the room, on the throne of
the Ubar, a purple robe thrown over his black leather, sat
dour Kamchak of the Tuchuks, his shield and lance leaning
against the throne, an unsheathed quiva on the right arm of
the throne. At the low tables, perhaps brought from various
places in the palace, there sat many Tuchuk officers, and
even some men without rank. With them, now freed of
collars, were exuberant Tuchuk girls bedecked in the robes of
free women. All were laughing and drinking. Only Kamchak
seemed solemn. Near him, in places of honor, at a long, low
table, above the bowls of yellow and red salt, on each side,
sat many of the high men of Turia, clad in their finest robes,
their hair oiled, scented and combed for the banquet. I saw
among them Kamras, Champion of Turia, and another, on
Kamchak's right hand, a heavy, swollen, despondent man,
who could only have been Phanius Turmus himself. Behind
them stood Tuchuk guards, quivas in their right hands. At a
sign from Kamchak, as the men well knew, their throats
would be immediately cut.
Kamchak turned to them. "Eat," he said.
Before them had been placed large golden dishes heaped
with delicacies prepared by the kitchens of the Ubar, tall
precious goblets filled with Turian wines, the small bowls of
spices and sugars with their stirring spoons at hand.
The tables were served by naked Turian girls, from the
highest families of the city.
There were musicians present and they, to the best of their
ability under the circumstances, attempted to provide music
for the feast.
Sometimes one of the serving girls would be seized by an
ankle or arm and dragged screaming to the cushions among
the tables, much to the amusement of the men and the
Tuchuk girls.
"Eat," ordered Kamchak.
Obediently the captive Turians began to put food in their
mouths.
"Welcome, Commanders," said Kamchak, turning and re-
garding us, inviting us to sit down.
"I did not expect to see you in Turia," I said.
"Neither did the Turians," remarked Harold, reaching over
the shoulder of one of the high council of Turia and taking a
candled verr chop.
But Kamchak was looking away disconsolately toward the
rug before the throne, now stained with spilled beverages,
cluttered with the thrown garbage of the feast. He hardly
seemed aware of what was taking place. Though this should
have been a night of triumph for him, he did not seem
pleased.
l
"The Ubar of the Tuchuks does not appear happy,"
observed.
Kamchak turned and looked at me again.
"The city burns," I said.
"Let it burn," said Kamchak.
"It is yours," I said.
"I do not want Turin," he said.
"What is it you seek?" I asked.
"Only the blood of Saphrar," said he.
"All this," I asked, "is only to avenge Kutaituchik?" `
"To avenge Kutaituchik," said Kamchak, "I would burn a |
thousand cities." ;
"How is that?" I asked.
"He was my father," said Kamchak, and turned away.
During the meal, from time to time, messengers, from
various parts of the city, and even from the distant wagons, 0~
hours away by racing kaiila, would approach Kamchak,
speak with him and hastily depart.
More foods and wines were served, and even the high men
of Turia, at quiva point, were forced to drink heavily and ~
some began to mumble and weep, while the feasters grew, to -
the barbaric melodies of the musicians, ever more merry and,
wild. At one point three Tuchuk girls, in swirling silks,
switches in their hands, came into the room dragging a
wretched, stripped Turian girl. They had found a long piece
of rope and tied her hands behind her back and then had
wound the same rope three or four times about the girl's
waist, had-securely knotted it, and were leading her about by
it. "She was our mistress!" cried one of the Tuchuk girls;
leading the Turian girl, and struck her sharply with the -
switch, at which information the Tuchuk girls at the tables
clapped their hands with delight. Then, two or three other
groups of Tuchuk struggled in, each lending some
wretched wench who had but hours before owned them.
These girls they forced to comb their hair and wash their feet
before the tables, performing the duties of serving slaves.
Later they made some of them dance for the men. Then one
of the Tuchuk girls pointed to her ex-mistress and cried out,
"What am I offered for this slave!" and one of the men,
joining in the sport, would cry out a price, some figure in
terms of copper tarn disks. The Tuchuk girls would shriek
with delight and each joined in inciting buyers and auctioning
their mistresses. One beautiful Turian girl was thrown, weep-
ing and bound, into the arms of a leather-clad Tuchuk for
only seven copper tarn disks. At the height of such festivities,
a distraught messenger rushed to Kamchak. The Ubar of the
Tuchuks listened impassively and then arose. He gestured at
the captive Turian men. "Take them away," he said, "put
them in the Kes and chain them put them to work." Phani-
us lilrmus, Kamras and the others were dragged from the
tables by their Tuchuk guards. The feasters were now
watching Kamchak. Even the musicians were now silent.
"The feast is done," said Kamchak.
The guests and the captives, led by those who would claim
them, faded from the room.
Kamchak stood before the throne of Phanius Turmus,
the purple robe of the Ubar over one shoulder, and looked at
the overturned tables, the spilled cups, the remains of the
feast. Only he, Harold and I remained in the great throne
room.
"What is the matter?" I asked him.
"The wagons and bask are under attack," he said.
"By whom?" cried Harold.
"Paravaci," said Kamchak.
Kamchak had had his hying columns followed by some
two dozen of the wagons, mostly containing supplies. On one
of these wagons, with the top removed, were the two tarns
Harold and I had stolen from the roof of Saphrar's keep.
They had been brought for us, thinking that they might be of
use in the warfare in the city or in the transportation of
goods or men. A tarn can, incidentally, without difficulty,
carry a knotted rope of seven to ten men.
Harold and I, mounted on kaiila, rascal toward these
wagons. Thundering behind each of us was a Thousand,
which would continue on toward the main Tuchuk encamp-
meet, several Ahn away. Harold and I would take a tarn
each and he would go to the Kassars and I to the Kataii,
begging their help. I had little hope that either of these;
peoples would come to the aid of Tuchuks. Then, on the path .,
to the main Tuchuk encampment, Harold and I were each to
join our Thousand, subsequently doing what we could to
protect the bask and wagons. Kamchak would meanwhile
marshal his forces within the city, preparing to withdraw,
Kutaituchik unavenged, to ride back against the Paravaci.
I had learned to my surprise that the Ubars of the Kassars, Kataii and
Paravaci were, respectively, Conrad, Hakim-
ba and Tolnus, the very three I had first encountered with
Kamchak on the plains of Turia when first I came to the
Wagon Peoples. What I had taken to be merely a group of
four outriders had actually been a gathering of Ubars of the
Wagon Peoples. I should have known that no four comma n
warriors of the four peoples would have ridden together.
Further, the Kassars, the Kataii and the Paravaci did not
reveal their true Ubars with any greater willingness than the
Tuchuks had. Bach people, as the Tuchuks had, had its false
Ubar, its decoy to protect the true Ubar from danger or
assassination. But, Kamchak had assured me, Conrad,
Hakimba and Tolnus were indeed the true Ubars of their
peoples.
I was nearly slain by arrows when I dropped the fern
amidst the startled blacks of the Kataii, but my black jacket
with the emblem of the four bosk horns, emblem of the