Players of Gor (41 page)

First, Flaminius, it seemed, who was to have received the messages from the Lady Yanina, had apparently intended to deliver them not to the Sardar, but to some party in Ar.

Secondly, I did not think it likely that messages which were to be transmitted to the Priest-Kings, or among their agents, would be likely to be in a Kaissa cipher. Such ciphers seemed too

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intrinsically, or idiosyncratically, Gorean for Priest-Kings. Priest-Kings, as far as I knew, were not familiar with, and did not play, what Goreans often speak of simply as "the Game." this suggested to me then that the messages might be transmissions of sort which might occur among the agents of Kurii.

I recalled one message from Kurii or their agents, to Samos of Port Kar, which had been written on a scytale, disguised as a girl's hair ribbon. The girl who had originally worn it to his house, a blond-haired, blue-eyed Earth girl, was now one of his slaves. She had been named "Linda."

I recalled another message, too, which we had intercepted, a well-disguised but simple substitution cipher. It had been recorded in the ordering of a string of slave beads. It had been carried, too, in its way, by a slave. She had been a poetess, and a lovely, curvaceous wench, one obviously born for the collar. I think she, too, had been of Earth origin, though little of that had remained in her when I saw her. As I recall, her name was "Dina." At that time, at least, she had been owned by Clitus Vitellius, a warrior of Ar.

The nature of the messages, then, in a native-type Gorean cipher, suggested to me that there might be some sort of linkage between Kurii, and their agents, and Brundisium and Ar. This would be natural enough, I supposed, because close relations reputedly existed between the two cities. This would make travel and communication between them practical in a world where strangers are often regarded with suspicion, indeed, a world on which the same word is generally used for both "stranger" and "enemy." Kurii, then, I suspected, must control Brundisium, or be influential there. It might be an outpost for them or a base of operations for them, perhaps, as, I gathered, Corcyrus had been, in the recent past. The Lady Yanina had been of the household of the Ubar of Brundisium, a fellow named Belnar. This suggested that he himself, as she seemed to be in his employ, might well be in league with Kurii.

The keying materials for the messages, I suspected, would lie in the palace in Brundisium, perhaps even in the private chambers of her Ubar himself, Belnar. I myself was not in hiding from Priest-Kings, presumably to remain under cover until Samos had resolved certain matters with the Sardar, or until some now developments might be forthcoming. I was not now pleased with Priest-Kings. I did not now, any longer, really consider myself as being of their party. AT best I had, even in the past, served them or not, as my inclinations prompted. I was perhaps less of a pledged adherent in their wars than a free sword, a mercenary of

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sorts, one who accepted one cause or another, as it might please him to do so.

Still, I recognized that it was the power of Priest-Kings which, in its way, protected both Gor and Earth from the onslaught of lurking Kurii, concealed in their steel worlds, hidden among the orbiting stones and mountains, the small worlds and moons, of the asteroid belt. There was some point, then, in my being at least somewhat well disposed toward their cause. If Brundisium were in league with Kurii, I did not suppose it would do Samos any harm to learn of it. Yes, upon reflection, it now seemed quite likely that Brundisium was in league with Kurii, that there was some sort of connection between the palace at Brundisium and the subtleties and machinations of the denizens of the steel worlds. More importantly, I was curious to know the content of those secret messages. Their keys might well lie in the private chambers of Belnar. Pe4haps I could pay them a visit. It might be difficult, of course, to gain access to the palace. But perhaps it could be somehow arranged.

We were now less than five hundred pasangs from Brundisium. I must soon, in the performances, I feared, h ood the Lady Yanina, or perhaps, better, sell the wench to someone bound in another direction, and replace her altogether with another girl, presumably a slave, whom I might purchase somewhere, a girl it would be safer to take into Brundisium, one not from that city, one to whom the city would be unfamiliar and strange, one in which she could not even find her way around, on I which she would find herself, absolutely, only another slave.

"You are not really a roustabout, or a vagabond, are you?" asked the player.

"I am a member of the troupe of Boots Tarsk-Bit, actor, promoter and entrepreneur," I said.

"So, too, am I," said the player.

"I thought so," I said.

"We shall leave it at that, then," said the player.

"Yes," I said.

We stood up. It was now near supper. It was being prepared tonight by Rowena and Lady Yanina, in her sack. It amused me that she should be used to perform the labors of a slave. I could see Boots returning now, from a nearby village, to which he had gone to purchase some food and advertise our show. Behind him, barefoot and naked, bent under the burden of his purchases, which were strapped to her back, her legs filthy to her thighs with dust from the road, came one of his girls, Lady Telitsia. I could also see the insolent Bina approaching. She was coming

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from the stream, bearing on her shoulders a yoke, from which swung two buckets.

"I see that you are a bearer of burdens," I said.

She cast a scornful glance at the player. "Yes," she said to me. "I am a slave." She then continued on her way to the cooking fire where Rowena and the Lady Yanina were busying themselves. Rowena had been appointed first girl in the camp. We had also made it clear to the Lady Yanina that she, even though she was a free woman, must obey Rowena in all things, she, by our decision, having been placed in power over her. The least waywardness in behavior while under the commands of Rowena, or hesitancy in obeying her orders, or insolence shown towards her, we had assured her would constitute an occasion for discipline, and severe discipline, precisely as though she herself might be naught but a mere slave.

"Thank you for the games," I said. We had played five games this afternoon. To be sure, four of them had not taken very long.

"You are very welcome," he said.

"May I not pay you for them?" I ask3ed.

"No," he said.

"Surely you can use the coins," I said.

"We are both members of the troupe of Boots Tarsk-Bit," he said.

"True," I smiled.

"Actor, promoter and entrepreneur," he added.

"Yes," I said.

Boots was now, his girl, Lady Telitsia, behind him, quite near the camp. Doubtless she would be pleased to be soon relieved of her burdens. Bina was near the cooking fire. She had brought water for the kettles. Lady Yanina, kneeling before a pan of water, under the supervision of Rowena, who was tending the fire, was washing and scraping garden vegetables, mostly onion, turnips and suls. These would alter be used in a stew.

"Your Kaissa," I said, "is the finest of anyone with whom I have played."

"You have probably not played with skilled players," he said.

"I have sometimes played with members of the caste of players," I said.

He said nothing.

"I think," I said, "that you could play in the same tournaments as Scormus of Ar."

"Upon occasion," he said, "I have done so."

"I had thought you might have," I said.

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"You have a very active mind," he said.

"Perhaps you might even, upon occasion, beat him," I said.

"I do not think that is very likely," he said.

"Nor do I," I said.

"Do not speak to me of Scormus of Ar," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Scormus of Ar is a traitor to his city," he said.

"How is that?" I asked.

"He failed his city," he said, "and was disgraced."

"In what way did this occur?" I asked.

"He lost in the great tournament, in 10,125 Contasta Ar," he said, "to Centius, of Cos."

"Centius is a fine player," I said. The tournament he referred to was doubtless the one held at the Sardar Fair, in En'Kara of that year. It had occurred five years ago. It was now 10,130 C.A., Contasta Ar, from the Founding of Ar. In the chronology of Port Kar, it was now Year Eleven, of the Sovereignty of the Council of Captains. I had been fortunate enough to have been able to witness that game. In it Centius of Cos, one of Gor's finest players, indeed, perhaps her finest player, had, for the first time, introduced the defense which came subsequently to be known as the Telnus Defense. Telnus was the home city of Centius of Cos. it is also the capital of that island ubarate.

"That makes no difference," said the player.

"I would think it would make a great deal of difference," I said.

"No," he said, bitterly. "It does not."

"Do you know Scormus of Ar?" I asked.

"No," he said, angrily, "I do not know him."

"I think that is true," I said. "I think you do not know him."

"I do not think we need bother playing again," he said.

"As you wish," I said.

"Are you still here?" asked Bina, come from the side of the cooking fire. She carried a pan of water. It was that in which the Lady Yanina had been washing the vegetables. The water was now rather dirty, and in it there floated numerous scrapings from various vegetables. Presumably she was on her way to empty it, outside the camp.

"Obviously," he said, looking down upon her.

"I thought I told you to go away," she said.

"I did not do so," he said.

"Are you being insolent?" she asked.

"I am a free man," he said. Insolence, if I choose, is my prerogative."

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"Well, I, too, can be insolent, if it pleases me," she said.

"An insolent female slave?" I inquired.

"I am not speaking to you," she said. Boots, by now, had returned to the camp.; I was certain that the girl did not realize this. I saw that Boots, who had been sorting through his purchases, from the village, now looked up, in surprise. Lady Telitsia, now unburdened and relieved of the carrying straps, their marks still on her body, lay in the shade near the wheel of his wagon, gasping. It had been a long trek back to the camp from the village and the burdens under which she must struggle, bearing them for her master, had been quite heavy.

"I do not want you in camp," said Bina to the player. "I told you to go away. Having you about makes us sick! You are too ugly. None of us want you here. Go away! You repulse all of us! Go away!"

"You speak boldly to a free man," he said. The player, too, I think, did not realize that Boots had returned to the camp. I could see him from where I stood. He was back, between two wagons, at the side of his.

"You are a monstrosity," she said. "Go away!"

"You are insolent," he observed.

"Yes," she said, "I am insolent!"

"I would not advise you to speak generally in this way to free men," I said.

For a moment she turned pale, but then, as I made no move to correct her behavior, perhaps stripping her and throwing her to her belly, kicking her, thrusting her face into the dirt, or tying her to an elevated, spinning wagon wheel, she turned, again, boldly, to the player. Boots, of course, unbeknownst to either of them, was observing all this.

"Yes," she said to him, "I am insolent! I am insolent to you! I may be insolent to you with impunity, for you are not a man! You are too weak to punish me! You are only a beast, a monster, a cringing, wretched, pathetic, ignoble, spineless, monster! You are not a man at all! You are only some kind of monster, some kind of monstrosity, some kind of contemptible weakling!"

I wondered if she thought she was speaking to a man of Earth, and not a Gorean male.

"Weakling!" she cried. "Weakling!"

She was very small, looking up at him. I considered her angry, curvaceous little form. How inappropriate seemed her anger, given the smallness, the softness, of her body. How absurd it seemed that the little animal should so boldly address itself to the larger, st4ronger brute. On what artifices, on what

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weaknesses, did it count? How bravely tiny animals may conduct themselves in the presence of caged larls! But how stupid are larls who will lock themselves in cages, being told to do so. But what if the larl should free itself?

"Weakling!" she cried.

Did she not know she was a female? Did she not know she wore a collar?

"Weakling!" she cried.

How the little animals would scurry if the larl emerged from its cage! Did she not know how easy it would be for her to be stripped and returned to her place in nature, at his feet? Did she in her heart fear the larl might one day say, "The joke is finished. It is enough." Or did she long for that day?

"Weakling!" she screamed.

The player regarded her, not speaking.

"Go away!" she screamed. "Go away!"