Vagabonds of Gor (63 page)

"Yes," said a fellow, brandishing his knife, "let us take him to the captain!"

The lad turned pale.

The lad was thrust and shoved toward Labienus who roused himself from his thoughts to turn and face us.

"It is a rencer we put before you," said a man.

"A spy!" said another.

"Caught by Tarl!" said another.

"His appearance suggests that of a hunter and killer," said another.

"It is a lad," I said.

Labienus turned his head toward us. The eyes were a mass of disfigured scar tissue.

"What is your name, lad?" asked Labienus.

"Ho-Tenrik," he said, proudly.

"Is that significant?" I asked. I thought it meet to inquire for his way of announcing this suggested that it might be of some importance. 'Ho', incidentally, in Gorean, is a common prefix indicating a lineage. It is sometimes used, and sometimes not. In this context it would presumably indicate that the young man was the son, or descendant, natural or adopted, of a fellow named 'Tenrik'. I might have translated the name, I suppose, as "Tenrikson" but I have preferred to retain the original Gorean, supplemented by this note.

"I am the son of Tenrik," he said, "brother to Tamrun." The men looked at one another. I saw that that name meant little to them.

"Nephew then," said he, "to Tamrun."

"I understand," I said.

Labienus, I noted, appeared to recall the name. I had once mentioned it to him, long ago.

"Do you come from the village of Tamrun?" I asked.

"No," he said.

"But from one in its vicinity?"

"Yes," he said.

"You are a long way from home," I said.

"We hunt the men of Ar," he said.

"Kill him," said a man.

"Who is Tamrun?" asked a fellow.

"Tamrun is a high leader in the rence," I said, "something of a legend, a strategist and statesman of sorts, much like Ho-Hak, of the tidal marshes, one of the few fellows who can organize and summon a number of villages at one time."

"Then he was involved in the attacks?" asked a man.

"I would suppose so," I said.

"Yes!" said the lad, proudly. "And so, too, was I, and the men of my village."

I did not think these eager asseverations on the part of the lad, under the circumstances, were necessary.

"A sweet vengeance," said a man, "to have a nephew of this Tamrun in our power."

"I do not fear torture!" said the lad.

He was indeed a brave lad. I myself have always entertained a healthy dislike of torture, even, one might say, to the point of having a distinct aversion to it.

"Why did you attack us?" asked Labienus.

"You are our enemies," said the lad. "You invaded our country."

"We pursued Cosians!" said a man.

"There are few Cosians in the delta," said the lad.

"His perceptions would certainly seem warranted, from his point of view," I said. "Too, he knew there was no retreating Cosian force in the delta, and he might well suppose you knew this, as well. Too, one of their villages was burned, unfortunately, which would naturally be taken as an act of war. If you kick a larl you can not very well blame it for taking notice of the fact."

"Do you take his part?" asked a man.

"What would you have thought, if you were of the rence?" I asked.

"We knew you were our enemies," said the lad, "even before you came into our country."

"How would you know that?" I asked.

"Our friends, the Cosians, warned us," he said.

"And you believed them?" I asked.

"Your behavior proved them right," he said.

"No!" said a fellow.

"But so it must have seemed," said I, "to those of the rence."

The men looked at one another, angrily.

"Kill him," snarled a fellow.

"I am not afraid to die," said the youth. But his lip trembled, a little.

One of the men put his knife under his chin. "You hunt the men of Ar, do you?" he asked.

"Yes," said the lad, lifting his chin a bit, that the blade not be entered deeply into it.

"But you are ours, and bound," said another.

"The hunter, it seems," said a fellow, "has been hunted."

"And taken," said another.

"I was not taken by you!" said the lad.

The fellow tensed, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

"But you could have been," I said.

"Perhaps," said the youth.

This concession was not only warranted, in my opinion, but seemed one of the first judicious responses we had had from the youth.

"There must be others about," said one of the men.

"Yes," said another.

"Let us strip this one and use him as bait, bound and gagged, to lure the others in," suggested a fellow.

"Then we can kill them all," said a man.

"We do not have time," said another. "Let us dismember him, and hang his limbs from the branches of a tree, as a warning."

The lad turned justifiably pale at these somewhat ominous recommendations. I was pleased I was not he.

"Captain?" asked one of the men.

"I am thinking," said Labienus. "I must think."

"Check with the pickets," I said to a man. "See if any others are about."

He left the group.

I glanced at Ina. She was on her knees, where she belonged. Her knees were clenched closely together, as I think she was frightened. I did not reprimand her for this, however.

"Look at the sky, lad," recommended a fellow.

It was very beautiful now, in the late afternoon.

The youth swallowed, hard.

The fellow I had sent out returned in a few Ehn. "There is no sign of others about," he said.

"Too bad," said one of the men. "It might be nice to finish more than one of these wretches."

"Put all thoughts of rescue out of your mind, lad," said the fellow who had recommended that he avail himself of the opportunity to regard the sky.

"I have thought," said Labienus. We turned to regard him.

Then, he turned, facing the tree again, beside which he stood. He put his hands out, touching it. He seemed quiet, mild-mannered. We were puzzled at his quiescence. Then, suddenly, in an instant, his face contorted with rage, uttering an animal-like cry, he tore at the tree, gouging the wood, tearing bark from it, scattering it about. For an instant he seemed a rabid sleen.

"Aii!" cried the lad.

And so, too, similarly, did we, who knew something of the power of Labienus and his strange practices, react. We, certainly I, and I think, all of us, were horrified. Even we who had been with Labienus these last several days had not understood what he could do. The effect on the innocent lad, he come perforce a captured stranger amongst us, was clearly visible. He was white-faced, shaken. So, too, I think, were we.

Then, strangely calm, but with those gray, ruined, hook-like hands, like iron claws before him, wood clinging here and there to them, Labienus turned his white, sightless eyes toward us.

"Captain?" asked one of the men.

"I have a knife here, Captain," said one of the men. "Shall I strip the prisoner?" Prisoners on Gor are often stripped. There are various reasons for this. For example, in this fashion they are forced to stand out, easily to be recognized as prisoners or slaves; they are helped to understand that they are now in the power of others and it makes it difficult for them to conceal weapons. To be sure, much depends on context. Some Gorean workmen, for example, work nude, or scantily clad. Nudity, too, is not that uncommon in the gyms, the exercise yards and the baths.

"No," said Labienus. "Do not remove his clothing."

"My thanks, captain," said the lad, respectfully, gratefully. I suppose he was appreciative of this not only for his own sake, but, too, because of certain delicacies of honor involved, these having to do with his family and its importance in the marsh.

Labienus turned those frightful, dreadful sightless eyes upon the youth.

"Captain?" asked the youth. Labienus did not speak.

"I am your prisoner, captain," said the youth, uncertainly.

"We do not take prisoners," said Labienus. "Ah!" cried a fellow, lifting his knife.

Ina uttered a small cry of fear and misery. The lad turned white.

"Free him," said Labienus. "Captain?" said a man.

"Free him," said Labienus.

The youth's hands were cut free.

"We do not take prisoners," said Labienus to the youth. "You are free to go."

"I do not understand," said the lad. He rubbed his wrists. I had made the bonds almost slave girl tight.

"On behalf of Gnieus Lelius, regent in Ar, and the high council of Ar," said Labienus, "I, as their envoy de facto in the delta, express their regret for the misunderstandings between our states and peoples, and in particular for that resulting in a cruel and unprovoked attack upon an innocent village. There is little to be said in excuse of such an incident but if blood can repay blood, then I think the accounts on that matter are well considered closed."

The youth was speechless. I, too, was rather taken aback by this act of statesmanship. I had hoped for something along these lines, but I had not dared to hope for anything this humbling to Ar, and yet in its way, so grand.

"Those of Cos," said Labienus, "may be your friends or they may not. I do not know. You must make your own judgments on that. One thing, however, I do know, those of Ar are not your enemies."

Labienus then put out his arm, which was taken in hand by Plenius, who then conducted him to a place in the camp.

"You are free to go," I said to the lad.

"He will bring others after us," said a man.

"We will be gone by then," I said.

"You do not speak like those of Ar," said the lad.

"I am from Port Kar," I said.

"The rence," said the lad, "has no quarrel with Port Kar."

"Nor Port Kar with the rence," I said.

"How is it you are with them?" he asked.

"I sought to be of assistance to them," I said. "They are, after all, at war with Cos, as is Port Kar, if not the rence."

"Beware of Cosians," he said. "They, and their hirelings, infest the edges of the delta."