Magicians of Gor (27 page)

conjectures have become even more hazardous, is commonly estimated at between

two and three million people. Itinerants, resident aliens and such would add,

say, another quarter million to these figures. It is, at any rate, clearly the

most populous city of known Gor, exceeding even Turia, in the southern

hemisphere. Slaves, incidentally, are not counted in population statistics, any

more than sleen, verr, tarsks and such. There were perhaps a quarter million

slaves in Ar, the great majority of which were female.

“Nor she, either,” said Talena.

What was going on on the platform was of great interest to me. As is probably

well known, females on Gor, like gold and (pg. 154) silver, and domestic

animals, and such, commonly count as legitimate loot. Certainly there is no

doubt about this in the case of the female slave, who is a property, a domestic

animal, to begin with. On the other hand, it should also be understood that the

free women of a conquered city, or territory, if spared, are also commonly

understood as, and ranked as, in their own minds and in that of the conquerors,

as loot. It is one thing, of course, for a fellow in a flaming city to throw a

woman against a wall and tear off her clothes and then, if her likes her, keep

her, and quite another for the women of a conquered city, levied, and in the

name of reparation, atonement, and such, to line up for their assessment.

“Yes,” said Talena, “she is chosen.” Another woman then, a blonde, was manacled,

brought down the ramp and, by me, added to the chain.

The rumor was that Cos had set the first levy on free females from Ar at only

ten thousand. If one supposes, as a conservative estimate, that there were now

some two million native citizens of Ar, and that half of them, say, are female,

then the levy on free females in Ar was thus only about one in every one

hundred. To be sure, this was merely the first levy. It was difficult to

estimate the numbers of female slaves seized by Cos, just as the number of verr

and such. There were apparently levies for such slaves but, as certain forms of

looting and taxation, they were not much publicized. Such slaves, like jewelry,

Torian rugs, silver plate, verr, and such, tended to be seized largely as a

result of house-to-house searches. More than once I had seen a begging, tearful

slave town from the arms of a beloved master, to be bound and led away on a

Cosian leash. Similarly there were numerous confiscations of slaves.

“Ludmilla, Lady of Ar,” called the scribe. “Ludmilla, Lady of Ar!”

Guardsmen looked at one another.

“No,” said Talena. “Ludmilla, Lady of Ar, had been excused, because of her

contributions to Ar, because of her service to the state.”

The two scribes, holding the copies of the master list, made appropriate

notations. The guardsmen relaxed.

I wondered if the Ludmilla in question was the woman who owned several slave

brothels on the street known as The Alley of the Slave Brothels of Ludmilla, the

street receiving its name, of course, from the fact that several of its slave

brothels were hers. They are, or were, I believe, the Chains of Gold, supposedly

the best, or at least the most expensive, and then, all cheap tarsk-bit

brothels, the Silken Cords, the Scarlet Whip, the (pg. 155) Slave Racks and the

Tunnels. I had once patronized the Tunnels. That was where, as I have mentioned,

I had met, and improved, the Earth-girl slave, Louise. I had also once resided

in the insula of Achiates, which is located on the same street.

At that point the bar for the fifteenth Ahn sounded from the Central Cylinder,

across the city.

“I am weary,” said Talena.

“Such work is trying,” said the representative of the High Council,

solicitously.

The scribes put their marking sticks away. They closed their wood-bound tablets,

tying them shut. The women yet to be assessed looked at one another. “Turn

about,” said a guardsman. “Am I to be selected or not?” asked the second woman

in the line, anxiously. “Doubtless, given your position in line,” said the

guardsmen, “you will learn tomorrow.” “I must wait?” she asked. “Yes,” he said.

“Now turn about, do not look back.” The assessments, of course, would continue

for several days. “Oh!” said she who had been the next to be assessed, then the

first in line, now, turned about, at the rear of the long line, stretching still

across the platform, down the ramp, and across the Plaza of Tarns. “Oh!” said

the woman who had spoken to the guardsman, who had been second in line, and now,

turned about, was second to last in the long line. The light cord, little more

than twine, but strong enough not to be broken by a woman’s strength, had been

knotted about her neck, and then carried forward to the woman before her, where

it was tied similarly, and thence forward again, being unwound from a long

spool. It is common to coffle women from the back of the line forward, to

minimize the temptation to bolt. I did not know if the women were to be marched

back to the Stadium of Blades or only to a rendezvous with cage wagons, to be

thence transported to the stadium’s holding areas. I did not think, at any rate,

that the Cosians would send cage wagons for them in dull daylight to the Plaza

of Tarns, in the view of a crowd. After all, these were free women of Ar, not

female slaves. An additional security in which the women were held, aside from

the coffling and guardsmen, auxiliary and regular, was the fact that they were

barefoot and clad only in the robes of penitents. In this way was their status

well marked out. More women, tonight, incidentally, and doubtless for the next

few nights, at least, would be reporting to the great theater. Thence I supposed

they would be transported to the Stadium of Tarns, as had been the first batch

of women, in their turn to be incarcerated, given the robes of penitents and

assigned their place in line.

(pg. 156) “Captain,” said Talena, “in the room of the Ubar, in the Central

Cylinder, we are planning a small supper this evening. I do hope you will honor

us with your presence.”

The Cosian regarded her.

“There will be delicacies from as far away as Bazi and Anango, she said, “and we

shall open vessels of Falarian from the private stores of the Ubar.”

“A sumptuous supper, indeed, he commented.

“Nothing pretentious,” she said, “but nice.”

“There is hunger in the city,” he said.

“Unfortunately,” said the Ubara, “there is not enough for everyone.”

“I see,” said he.

“Let them suffer for their crimes against Cos,” she said.

“Of course,” said he.

“Shall we expect you?” she asked.

“Is there to be entertainment?” he asked.

“Czehar music,” she said, “and, later, the recitation of poetry by Milo, the

famed actor, to the music of the double flute.” The instrument which is played

by the flute girls is a double flute, too, but I had little doubt that the

player involved would not be a flute girl but someone associated with one or

another of the theaters of Ar. Similarly the instrument would undoubtedly be far

superior, in both range and tone, to those likely to be at the disposal of flute

girls.

“I was referring,” said he, “ to entertainment.”

“Whatever, Captain, could you have in mind?” she asked.

“I have duties,” he said.

“Surely you do not mean ‘entertainment’ in which females might figure?” she

said.

“Is there another sort?” he asked.

“You have free woman in mind,” she asked, “perhaps lute players.”

“No,” said he. “Females, female slaves.”

“I see,” she said.

“Dancers,” he said.

“I see,” she said.

“Or perhaps such as might figure as contestants in games, or as prizes, and

such.”

“Of course,” she said.

“Perhaps Earth-girl slaves,” he suggested.

“That would not do at all,” said Talena. “They are the lowest of the low.”

“Some are rather nice,” he said.

“Perhaps we could find some girls from Turia,” she said.

(pg. 157) “Or Ar,” he said.

“Captain!” she exclaimed.

“Ubara?” he asked.

“The women of Ar,” she said, “are not suitable for such things.”

“What of the women you consigned to the chain?” he asked.

“Well,” she conceded, “such as those—“

“I assure you,” he said, “that the women of Ar, imbonded, grovel and lick and

kiss, as well as other women.”

“Undoubtedly,” she said.

“It is necessary only to put them in their place,” he said, “the place of

females. The woman of Ar, in her place, the place of a female, is as hot and

helpless, as eager and obedient, as devoted and dutiful, as any other slave.”

“Undoubtedly,” she said, angrily.

“Forgive me, Ubara,” said he, “if I have offended you. I am not a courtier, not

a diplomat. I am a soldier, a plain man, and I speak bluntly.”

“I take no offense of course,” said Talena, Ubara of Ar.

“I meant only to suggest,” said he, “that there are women in Ar who are

marvelously beautiful and exciting.”

“I understand,” she said.

“Ubara?” he said.

“I was thinking,” she said. “What you say is undoubtedly true, that there must

be some women of Ar at least, in all Ar, who are not only suitable for the

collar, but belong in it.”

“Of course,” he said.

“I can think of some entertainment in which you might be interested,” she said.

“Ubara?” he asked.

“By nightfall,” she said, “Claudia Tentia Hinrabia, of the Hinrabians, will be a

collared slave.”

“Yes,” he said.

“Would you not be curious to see her dance?” she asked.

“She is not a dancer,” he said.

“Surely she could be put through slave paces, and made to perform under a whip,”

she said.

“Of course,” he said.

“And do you men not say that any woman can dance?” she laughed.

“To one extent or another,” he said.

“And to the extent that her performance is unsatisfactory, she may be whipped,”

she said.

“Of course,” he said.

“And perhaps I myself shall reserve the judgment on that matter,” she said.

(pg. 158) “As is your prerogative, Ubara,” he said.

“I think that will be amusing,” she said, “to have the Hinrabian brought as an

entertainer to my supper party, and have her perform as a slave, before men, in

my viewing.”

“Quite amusing,” he said.

“When you return to your headquarters,” she said, “please request your

polemarkos, Myron, to also honor us with his presence.”

“Your wish,” he said, bowing, “is my command.”

“I wish to have her perform as a slave before him, as well,” she said.

“Your vengeance on the Hinrabian is profound indeed, Ubara,” he said.

She laughed.

“The performance of the Hinrabian will be reserved for late in the evening, I

gather?” he said.

“Yes,” she said. “To accompany dessert.”

“That seems fitting,” he said.

“Superbly fitting,” she laughed. “But come early. You would not wish to miss the

czehar music nor the performance of Milo.”

“You are retaining the czehar player and the actor then,” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I promised him.”

“I shall come early,” he promised, “and I do not doubt but what I shall be

accompanied by Myron, my polemarkos.”

“I shall look forward to seeing you both,” she said.

“By the way,” said he, “how will the supper be served?”

“By slave girls, of course,” she said.

“Good,” he said.

“Decorously clad,” she said. “In long, white gowns.”

“I see,” he said.

“But their arms will be bared,” she said.

“Oh, excellent,” he smiled.

“Do not fret, Captain,” she laughed. “The decorum of their attire will contrast

nicely with that of the Hinrabian.”

“Which will consist of a collar and a brand?” he asked.

“Precisely,” she said.

“Excellent,” he said.

“Let her see the contrast between herself and higher slaves,” said Talena.

“Superb,” he said.

“After I withdrew for the evening, you may, of course,” she said, “do what you

wish with the serving slaves, and the Hinrabian.”

(pg. 159) “Our thanks, Ubara,” said he, “those of myself and my polemarkos, and,

too, of course, those of our staff members, guards and accompanying officers.”

“It is nothing,” said Talena.

The captain bowed once again, and then withdrew.

In a few moments the dais, and then the platform, was cleared. The crowd had

long ago drifted away.

The long chain of women had been permitted to kneel after the last additions had

been made to it. An auxiliary guardsman had come back up the line making certain

that the women knelt with their knees widely apart. The heavy chain came to the

belly of each, and then lay over the right leg of each, as she knelt, passing

back then to the woman behind her. Their wrists, held closely together, were

before their bodies. When they were to move out they would pass through a

certain station where a Cosian slaver’s man, with a marking tape, would measure

them for their collar size. This number then would be written by another fellow,

with a grease pencil, on their left breast, for the convenience of the fitter.

The left breast is the usual place for the temporary recording of such

information, presumably because most men are right-handed. In the