Nomads of Gor (87 page)

        
as generous with the city's women, and the five thousand

        
most beautiful girls of Turia were branded and given to the

        
commanders of Hundreds, that they might be distributed to

        
the bravest and fiercest of their warriors; the others were

        
permitted to remain in the city or flee through the gates to

        
seek their fellow citizens beyond the walls. Additionally, of

        
course, beyond the free women, numerous slaves had fallen

        
into the hands of the warriors, and these, too, were sent to

        
the commanders of Hundreds. The most marvelous set of the

        
latter were the beauties from the Pleasure Gardens of

        
Saphrar of Turia. The girls of the Wagon Peoples, of course,

        
who had been enslaved, were freed; the others, however, save

        
for some of Ko-ro-ba on whose behalf I spoke, would change

        
their perfumed silks and their warmed, scented baths for the

        
hardships of the trek, the care of bask, and the arms of

        
warrior masters. Few it seemed to me, surprisingly perhaps,

        
much objected to leaving the luxurious delights of the gar-

        
dens of Saphrar for the freedom of the winds and prairies,

        
the dust, the smell of bask, the collar of a man who would

        
master them utterly but before whom they would stand al

        
human shes, individual, each different, each alone and mar-

        
velous and prized in the secret world of her master's wagon.

        
In the palace of Phanius Emus, on his throne, eat.

        
Kamchak, the purple of the Ubar's robes thrown casually

        
over one shoulder, over his Tuchuk leather. He did not now

        
sit dourly as before, stern and lost in thought, but attended to

        
the details of his business with good humor, stopping only

        
now and then to throw scraps of meat to his kaiila, which

    
    
was tethered behind the throne. As a matter of course

        
various goods and riches were heaped about his throne, and'

        
among them, as part of the booty, there knelt some of the

        
most beautiful of Turia's maidens, clad only in the Sirik, but

        
at his right knee, unchained and clad Kajir, there knot t

        
Aphris of Curia. ;

        
About his throne as well there stood his commanders, and

        
some leaders of Hundreds, many with their women. Beside

        
me, clad not Kajir but in the brief leather of one of the

        
Wagon Girls, though collared, stood Elizabeth Cardwell; sim

        
ilarly attired and collared, I noted, standing a bit behind

        
Harold of the Tuchuks, I saw the fiery Hereena; she was

 
perhaps the only one of all the girls of the Wagon Peoples that

 
day in Turia who was not free; she alone remained slave, and

 
would so remain until or unless it might please Harold, her

 
master, that it should be otherwise; "I rather like the look of

 
a collar on her throat," he once remarked in his wagon,

 
before ordering her to prepare food for Kamchak and

 
Aphris, and myself and Elizabeth, or Vella, as I would

 
sometimes can her. 1 gathered that the proud Hereena might

 
long be the slave of Harold of the Tuchuks.

 
As fellow after fellow, men of importance in Turia, were

 
dragged before his throne, in the Kes and chained, Kamchak

 
would say to them, "Your goods and your women are mine.

 
Who is the Master of Turia?"

 
"Kamchak of the Tuchuks," they would say, and be

 
dragged away.

  
To some he would ask, "Has Turia fallen?"

  
And they would bow their heads and say, "She has fallen."

 
At last Phanius Turmus and Kamras were pulled before

 
the throne and thrust to their knees.

 
Kamchak gestured to the riches piled about him. "Whose

 
h the wealth of Turia?" he asked.

  
"Kamchak of the Tuchuks'," said they.

 
Karuchak thrust his fist affectionately into the hair of

 
Aphris of Turia and twisted her head to him.

  
"whose are the women of Turia?" he asked.

  
"Master," said Aphris.

  
"Kamchak of the Tuchuks'," said the two men.

  
"Who," laughed Kamchak, "is Ubar of Turia?"

  
"Kamchak of the Tuchuks," said the two.

 
"Bring the Home Stone of the city," commanded

 
Kamchak, and the stone, oval and aged, carved with the

 
initial letter of the city, was brought to him.

 
He lifted the stone over his head and read fear in the eyes

 
of the two men chained before him.

 
But he did not dash the stone to the floor. Rather he arose

 
Tom his throne and placed the stone in the chained hands of

 
Phanius Turmus. "Turia lives," said he, "Ubar."

 
Tears formed in the eyes of Phanius Turmus and he held

 
the Home Stone of the city to his heart.

 
"In the morning," called Kamchak, "we return to the

 
wagons."

 
"You will spare Turia, Master?" asked Aphris, wondering,

 
knowing the hatred he had borne the city.

 
"Yes," said he, "Turia will live."

        
Aphris looked at him, not understanding.

      
I myself was startled, but would not speak. I had thought

     
that Kamchak might destroy the stone, thus breaking the

       
heart of the city, leaving it in ruins in the minds of men. It

        
was only at that time, as he held court in the palace of

      
Phanius Turmus that I realized he would permit the city its

        
freedom, and its soul. I had hitherto only understood that

      
Turians might perhaps return to the city, and that its walls

        
would be left standing. I had not understood that it would be

        
permitted to retain a Home Stone.

       
It seemed to me a strange act for a conqueror, for a

      
Tuchuk.

        
Was it only because Kamchak believed, as he had once

        
said, that the Wagon Peoples must have an enemy? or was

        
there some other reason, beyond that?

       
Suddenly there was commotion at the door and three men,

    
followed by some others, burst into the hall.

   
The first was Conrad of the Kassars, and with him were

     
Hakimba of the Kataii and a third man I did not know, but

      
who was Paravaci. Behind them were some others, among

        
whom I saw Albrecht of the Kassars, and behind him, to my

      
astonishment, clad in brief leather, not collared, was Ten

    
chika, who held a small bundle tied in cloth in her right hand.

    
Conrad, Hakimba and the Paravaci strode to the throne of

   
Kamchak, but none of them, as befitted Ubars of their peoples, knelt.

 
Conrad spoke. "The Omens have been taken," he said.

       
"They have been read well," said Hakimba.

   
"For the first time in more than a hundred years," said the

       
Paravaci, "there is a Ubar San, a One Ubar, Master of the

   
Wagons!"

  
Karnchak stood up and threw from his shoulders the

   
purple of the Turian Ubar and stood in the black leather of a

Tuchuk.

    
As one man the three Ubars raised their arms to him.

        
"Kamchak," they cried, "Ubar San!"

   
The cry was taken up by all in the room, even myself.

   
''Kamchak' Ubar San"

        
Kamchak held forth his hands and the room was quiet.

        
"Each of you," he said, "the Kassars the Kataii the Para

        
vaci have your own bask and your own wagons live so

        
but in time of war when there are those who would divide

        
us when there are those who would fight us and threaten

  
our wagons and our bask and women our plains, our land

  
then let us war together and none will stand against the

  
Wagon Peoples we may live alone but we are each of us of

  
the Wagons and that which divides us is less than that which

  
unites us we each of us know that it is wrong to slay bosk

  
and that it is right to be proud and to have courage and to

  
defend our wagons and our women we know that it is right

  
to be strong and to be free and so it is together that we will

  
be strong and we will be free. Let this be pledged."

  
The three men came to Kamchak and he and they placed

  
their hands together.

    
"It is pledged," they said. "It is pledged."

  
Then they stood back. "All hail Kamchak," they cried,

  
"Ubar San!"

  
"All hail Kamchak," rang throughout the hall, "Kamchak

  
Ubar San!"

  
It was late in the afternoon before the business of the day

  
had subsided and the great hall emptied.

  
At last only a few remained in that place, some command-

  
ers and some leaders of Hundreds, and Kamchak and Aphris.

  
Harold and I were there, too, and Hereena and Elizabeth.

  
Shortly before Albrecht and Tenchika had been there, and

  
Dina of Turia with her two Tuchuk guards, who had kept

  
her safe from harm during the fall of the city.

    
Tenchika had approached Dina of Turia.

    
"You wear no collar now," Dina had said.

  
Tenchika had dropped her head shyly. "I am free," she

  
said.