Ubara of Gor Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen: Terminal Beach

Brinn met us on the beach where we stood in a line formation by the sand dunes in the misty drizzle. Yishana's standard of a snarling female larl stood next to a white flag signifying parlay. She wore a long gown but remained unveiled as was her usual style. Beside her stood Tijani, Kerim Shah and Simon, with the Askaris lining out to her left and right. The girls from the Larl knelt in a separate line at a right angle to her right flank with the exception of Naomi and myself who knelt either side of Yishana. The most prominent position though was reserved for Cassandra. Yishana had built a raised platform three steps high on which Cassandra stood. She was dressed in the tattered gowns that she had been permitted to keep but her face was as unveiled as Yishana’s. Her hands were secured before her body in slave bracelets, and a chain from the bracelets ran to an iron ring set at the base of the platform. She stood proud, her hair blowing in the chill salt wind as Brinn marched his men from the cove sheltering the Waverider. At a distance of twenty yards he signalled for his grim spearmen to line up facing us. They all wore scarlet tunics, carried heavy shields, wore steel helmets and carried spears. For a while the two ranks faced one another before Brinn passed his crested war helm to one of his men and marched forward to confront us.

“Brinn of the Sardar,” Yishana greeted him. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

“One moment, Lady,” said Brinn with no trace of emotion in his voice. He then without warning turned on the ball of his left foot and punched Simon hard in the face. Simon went down like a sack of potatoes, and instantly the shields of all the Askaris locked into place with their spear tips raised and pointing above the rims. In response there was a cry of 'shield wall' from Brinn’s line and every shield there locked into place too with spear tips protruding through the gaps.

“I have not come here to talk,” said Brinn simply. “You will give me my sister, Cassandra, and my slave, Emma, or this beach will be strewn with your bodies by the time the sun sets.”

“Master, please, just listen to her,” I cried out, realising this was about to turn into a blood bath. Brinn turned to regard me without speaking. “Please, trust my instincts here. Just listen to her, Master.”

Brinn nodded and turned his attention back to Yishana. “Talk then, woman, but know I am not renowned for my patience.”

Yishana gazed down at Simon who was having some difficulty in getting back to his feet on his own. Eventually Tijani sighed and pulled him up. Blood streamed down Simon’s face from his nose.

“Why did you do that?” asked Yishana as she gazed up at Brinn. Brinn towered above her, but the Ubara of the Black Coast showed no sign of being intimidated by his superior size.

“His face offends me, Lady,” said Brinn simply.

“It’s okay,” said Simon as he tried to staunch the bleeding. “I deserve it. Tell your men to lower their spears. Brinn had the right.”

Yishana nodded to Tijani who in turn barked an order. The Askaris relaxed their line. Brinn didn’t have to give an order himself. The men behind him returned to rest automatically as was expected of them.

“Satisfied now?” enquired Yishana. She was aware that Brinn was gazing at the swell of her breasts beneath the silken gown that she kept tightly belted. She smiled, knowing the effect she had on men. They would desire her, but they would still have to negotiate with her.

“It takes a lot to satisfy me, Lady,” said Brinn. “Your time is limited so say what you wish to say.”

“There are three things you should know before I begin. First, know that I did not set out to capture your sister. She was a passenger on board a ship I attacked for reasons that did not concern her. No slight was intended towards your House. Secondly, since her capture she has been treated with dignity. Her virginity remains intact, she has been permitted to retain her robes and gowns and she has been treated in accordance with the rules of a free captive and not that of an enslaved woman. I might add that this is down to the intervention of the man whose nose you may have just broken.”

“Brinn,” began Simon, “I have ensured Cassandra’s safety throughout…”

“Be quiet,” said Brinn without looking at him.

“Thirdly,” Yishana continued, “I am prepared to return both the Lady Cassandra and the silk slave Emma to you.”

“Good. Our business here is done then. Do not cross my path in the future and I will have no reason to kill you.”

“There is of course one condition,” said Yishana with a smile.

Brinn stared at her for a time. There was silence save for the sound of the wind and the squawking of gulls high on their cliff-top nests. And then he asked, “Why are you not veiled, woman?”

“Why are you not veiled, Brinn?”

“I am a man.”

“And I am the living avatar of a Goddess.” Yishana stood her ground without any sign of nerves. Seeing her like that, her men did likewise. Brinn knew that the Askaris would fight to the death, or near enough. He could see it in their expressions.

“What is this condition? You want money?”

“Of course not. I am the avatar of a Goddess. I do not concern myself with such things.”

“Then what? I told you I am not known for my patience.”

“I wish the aid of you and your men in a blood vendetta.”

Brinn sighed. “I have heard of your animosity with Cos. It does not concern me.”

“And yet your sympathies lie with Port Kar, yes? You are friends with Samos of Port Kar? He has loaned you a ship and crew? Everyone knows that.”

“What of it?”

“Your honour would not be hurt if you helped me against Cos. They are not your allies.”

“They are not my enemies either. The Ubar may be an overweight imbecile but he has done me no harm.”

“There is a man, an admiral in the navy of Cos who has done me great harm. He saw to it that my mother and father were killed in a palace coup. He saw to it that as a child I had to flee the great halls in which I’d lived as a young girl. He stole my birthright. I have sworn to bring him down.”

“Well then, why not ask your Goddess to smite him?” suggested Brinn with a goading smile.

“The Goddess does not intervene in mortal affairs,” said Yishana. “She expects us to resolve our own vendettas.”

“How convenient. If you are proposing that I sail my ship into Cosian waters and attack their navy, then the answer is no. I stand a better chance of fighting your men here on the beach than taking on the naval might of Cos.”

“You do not need to sail to Cos to find Captain Matias Thiago Alejandra of Telnus, Third Sword to the city and Sea Admiral of the Second Fleet of Cos. He has sailed out into the waters of the equatorial Thassa in his flagship looking for me. He hunts me even now. For the past few weeks we have enjoyed a dance of sorts as I stay just close enough that he does not give up, but always I elude him. He expects to find the Larl on its own. He will not be expecting a warship of Port Kar to be waiting beside me.” Yishana smiled. “Help me take that flagship and the women are yours. I will give you Emma tonight as a token of good faith, and I will ensure that Cassandra has a degree of comfort until the Cosian warship is aflame and she is returned safely to you.”

“You are asking a high price, woman.”

“The sister of Brinn of the Sardar surely is worth a high price?” suggested Yishana. “For a woman of such pedigree I say the price is a bargain. Well?”

“You ask much and tell me little of your vendetta or of the man I am expected to fight to the death. Now you expect me to decide without even thinking?”

“I will tell you everything you need or want to know. Dine with me tonight on the Larl. Be my guest, Brinn of the cold, dark north. Bring some armed men if you fear to be alone with me.”

“I hardly fear you, Lady.”

“Good. I would not ask the aid of a man who would fear me. I will see you tonight then. I think our alliance will be a good one.”

I knew Yishana well enough by now to know she had taken a liking to Brinn, though the feeling was a little more complicated on Brinn's side. I think Brinn was confused for he had never met a woman like Yishana in all his years of high adventure for the Priest Kings. He found it hard to reconcile her apparent confidence with her obvious physical weakness for she was to him just a woman. He could not understand how she could think she might be his equal. He found her lack of a veil disconcerting, and he did not understand how her Askaris seemed to worship her and how she could command a raiding ship. Added to that was the distraction of Yishana’s beauty. Brinn’s reaction to seeing a beautiful woman was to want her in his furs. But with Yishana that wasn’t an option.

Brinn arrived alongside the Larl in a rowing boat just before sunset and to my delight Chloe was with him. I waved as she climbed up the ladder on the side of the Larl and was hoisted up on deck by a number of Askaris. Brinn nodded to me in a rather subdued greeting as he followed.

“This is your friend? This is the Chloe you have spoken about before?” asked Yishana once they were both aboard the ship.

“It is Mistress. We have known each other for many years.”

“Speak to her if you wish, Emma. I will escort your former Master and show him the Larl of the Thassa for a while. We will return shortly to dine in my cabin.” Yishana walked away with Brinn following, leaving us to catch up after so many months apart.

“Hey you,” I said with a smile. “I like your new hair style. It really suits you.” Chloe's hair was longer now, sleeker, and she seemed more confident in herself.

“Hey you back, slave girl,” said Chloe as she hugged me. “How are you?”

“Better than I was in Port Kar actually. It hasn’t been too bad here on the Larl. Yishana isn’t exactly your typical free woman. Can you believe she’s never called me a slut, not even once?”

“Wow. Are you sure she’s Gorean?”

“Definitely Gorean. You’re looking good, Chloe, but what’s with the dodgy Taharian accent?” I held her at arms length and took a good look at her. She looked healthy, happy even, but there was something weird about the way she now spoke. She’d never had a Taharian accent before even though a casual observer might assume she was Taharian.

“Oh yes, that…” Chloe smiled. “I started doing it several months ago. We have a Taharian trainer on the estate these days. He’s been teaching us a lot of things and a while back we decided to have a Taharian theme for one of the banquets. Well, you know Brinn always enjoyed his time working in the Tahari. I put the accent on a bit to add to the flavour of the night and the men really liked it. I liked the way they liked it, if you know what I mean…”

“Slut,” I said with a smile.

“Says the girl who’s wearing… just what the hell are you wearing now, Emma?” With an amused look she took hold of the little flap of cloth hanging between my thighs and flipped it up a few inches. “I’m practically dressed in gowns and robes compared to you.” Chloe wore a far more modest slave tunic – it was practical and hard wearing, perfect for life on the deck of Brinn’s ship.

“Yes, well, we all wear this,” I said. “It took a bit of getting used to.”

“It’s nothing more than a strip of white cloth wrapped around your hips with the ends trailing between your thighs and ass!” Chloe turned me around and saw that my ass cheeks were exposed either side of the dangling cloth. “Can you get any more naked without actually being naked? It’s basically a scarf!”

“I am aware…” I sighed. I might perhaps have blushed if all the other girls on the Larl weren’t dressed exactly the same way. “The, uh, men seem to approve.”

“I bet they do. Does it come off easily?”

“A bit too easily.” I placed my hand on the slip knot. “All you have to do is pull this. And, well, the loose flap of fabric here is hardly a barrier to a man's hand anyway.”

“Love the black coast beads too,” said Chloe as she played with them.

“Thanks. I may be back in a slave tunic soon though if Yishana makes good on her deal with Brinn.”

“Hmm, in that case I guess there’s something you need to know, Emma,” Chloe nibbled her lower lip. “There's no easy way of saying this, but... while you’ve been gone I’ve been made first girl on the estate.”

“Congratulations,” I said. “You're a great choice. Someone had to stand in for me. I'm glad it was you.”

“Yes, the thing is, Brinn is going to talk to you about it…”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you see he’s planning on keeping things that way…”

“What?” I couldn’t believe I was hearing this. “What did I do wrong? It’s not my fault Simon stole me from him!”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that. Brinn has just decided that he wants you to spend more time with his children now. He feels that’s more important, and you can't do that if you’re first girl and having to be in charge of all the girls. Don’t think of it as a demotion. You’re the mother of his children.”

When Chloe put it like that I guess I would prefer to spend my time with Jacinta and Marik.

“Hang on. Does that mean I have to call you Mistress?”

“I was going to ease that bit in gently…” said Chloe as she wavered a little. “But yeah, for appearances sake. In public anyway. I don't care in private. But a first girl has to be THE first girl otherwise her authority is undermined.”

“Oh fuck-fuckity-fuck, “ I said. “That will take some getting used to on the estate.”

“You’ll be my favourite, you know that, “ said Chloe. “I’ll give you really easy chores.”

“Chores?! What happened to me spending time with my children?”

“More time with your children. More time, Emma, but not all your time. Brinn says it’s good for discipline. It’s his idea. You know what he's like.”

“I’m going to kill him one of these days.”

“This isn’t going to hurt our friendship is it?” asked Chloe with a worried look in her eyes. “I really can’t do this if it hurts our friendship.”

“Tell me something that will make it sound better.”

“If I wasn’t first girl Brinn would make Shannon first girl.”

“Well when you put it like that…” I liked Shannon, but she wasn't first girl material.

“I have such a way with words,” said Chloe brightly.

“And how is Shannon? She used to have it really bad for Simon as I recall.”

“Yes, and she heard how Simon took you from Brinn and it kind of broke her heart because she really did want his collar. But she’s caught the eye of a guardsman, so she’s happy in the furs now.”

“She doesn’t hate me because Simon took me instead of her?”

“Well, you’re not going to be her number one favourite, but she knows these things happen. Men choose who they want in the end. Are you going to show me around the ship?”

“It’s a ship, Chloe. They all look the same.” It’s true. Goreans have very few varieties of sailing ships. They’re basically round ships or ram ships, and both Yishana and Brinn’s ships were ram ships. “How are Marik and Jacinta doing?”

“Growing up quickly. They both miss their mother. Marik kept saying he was going to find and rescue you when he got older.”

I laughed and something made my eyes tear up at the thought of my heroic son coming to find me as an adult. “Well, hopefully that won’t be necessary now. Is Jacinta holding up?”

“She’s a proper little Ubara. I’m not sure I should tell you this but she has sworn a blood vengeance against Cassandra’s thug. The one who beat you bloody in the great hall that night. She says she's going to have him killed when her brother is old enough to do it.”

“I’ll talk to her about that. Its really good to see you again, Chloe. Let’s make sure nothing ever separates us again.”

“Fingers crossed,” said Chloe.

We walked to the port side rail and leaned over the side to stare at some flying fish that splashed in and out of the aquamarine water. I had one other thing on my mind of course. “So who has Brinn been sleeping with in my absence?”

“Oh no,” said Chloe, “I’m not even going anywhere near that subject with you. I know what you’re like, Emma, you’re as territorial as a cat. You practically mark your scent on him.”

“I’ll find out eventually…” I said with an evil grin. “All the names. All the girls. I assume he used you quite a bit?”

“Yes, but you don’t have to worry on that score. I'm not stalking your Master.”

“Hmm, and that means someone else on the estate has caught your eye?”

“I’m not going there either,” said Chloe with a flush of colour to her cheeks. “I don’t want you messing things up with your less than tactful interventions. You're about as subtle as a tharlarion charge.”

“Rubbish. I’m the queen of discretion. Come on, who is it?”

“He’s one of Brinn’s captains, and that’s all I’m saying on the matter. He’s beginning to notice me, and…”

“I bet he likes your Taharian accent? That’s why you've kept it, yes?”

Chloe laughed and nodded. “He’s really hot, Emma. I feel like I’m sixteen when I’m near him. Really... hot...” she said the last two words in a slow drawn out way.

Later Chloe and I knelt in Yishana's opulent cabin and served a variety of fresh spiced dishes in small silver pans while Yishana explained a little of her story to Brinn.

“My memories as a young girl are sparse,” said Yishana as she reclined indolently on her soft divan. “I remember I lived in a great house in Telnus as part of the rich Valconni family of Cos. I remember playing in wide sprawling gardens and running through endless corridors and great halls. My parents were wealthy and prominent in Cosian society, close to the court of the Ubar. It was a great house. One of the houses that could create or destroy Ubars and I suppose that was their downfall for they had made powerful enemies. It was a night of the long knives. I remember crying – I was very small, maybe four years old, and I have a memory of raging flames consuming the solid timbers, beams and furnishings. The palace was burning. I remember seeing a dead body and a man standing over it stabbing the body through the chest repeatedly until he saw my small form standing, watching, looking terrified beside a tapestry. I remember him snarling at me, probably to drive me away. I remember running some more. I never saw my parents die, which is a merciful thing I suppose. All of this is public knowledge. The downfall of my house is a matter of public record. Most of what I know I had to learn myself from Kerim Shah many years later when I was fully grown. They beheaded my father in his library. He loved books and scrolls. He wrote poetry in his spare time. They cut off his head and used it as a ball. They were going to enslave my mother but she took poison to spare herself from a life of bondage. I am so proud of her. They found her body lying on a divan much like this one. She was only partially dressed, for the men had come during the night, but she had not been violated.”

“I am sorry for your loss,” said Brinn, and I could tell he was speaking the truth. “I know nothing of your family, but I understand loss.”

“Kerim Shah was a scholar in the service of my house. He was my tutor it seems, though the lessons are not part of my scant memories. He witnessed the death of my father and, being unable to save him, he did the next best thing and saved me. There was a passageway out of the house, through cellars and tunnels and out onto a private mooring at the base of a cliff overlooking the sea. He rowed my small body away from the burning house, away from the men with their swords and their violence. It was not safe for me in Telnus; not safe for me anywhere in Cos as I was the last of my house. Kerim Shah dressed me in peasant rags and, pretending to be my father, got us both passage on a ship heading south. I remember the passage across the Thassa. That I do remember. I was terrified. But Kerim Shah kept me safe. Well, as safe as he could. There is no safety from the winter storms that rage across the Thassa without warning. Several days outside Schendi the ship was driven on to the rocks. The hull broke apart and we fell to the tender mercy of the Thassa. Kerim Shah kept me alive. He was a powerful swimmer in those days. We made it to land. Only a couple of others did too. They tried to rob what little we had, but Kerim Shah had some knowledge of sorcery. He slew them with his magic, smearing their pulped intestines in a violent and vivid spray cone of red particles that coated the vegetation for ten yards in every direction with a gesture of his right hand.”

Brinn looked astonished. “You actually witnessed this?”

“Yes. It is a memory I shall never forget. It was a powerful enchantment. He has never been capable of it again. His magics grow weaker as time goes by, but once he was a sorcerer of great power. He could uproot trees and make them fly at his enemies.”

Brinn and I exchanged glances. This was hard for Brinn to believe but there was no doubting that Yishana believed she had indeed seen this happen. There was no such thing as magic. I was sure of that, but Kerim Shah obviously had some secrets to his name. I was beginning to formulate a theory, but I had no way of speaking to Brinn in private to relate my thoughts.

“I remember days of hunger as we plunged through the sodden rain forest, lost, bewildered. What little food we found was meagre for the local animals avoid man unless they consider man to be prey. Our first dinner was courtesy of Kerim’s magic, but after that he marshalled his power as a rare commodity. I remember the gnawing hunger in my belly and crying piteously for something to eat. There were roots and berries of course. Kerim guessed which ones were edible when they looked similar enough to northern plants he was familiar with. One day we came across a village. Kerim told me to be quiet for he knew we would not be greeted as welcome visitors. We observed the villagers celebrating some special astronomical event.”

Yishana lapsed into silence and gazed for a time at Brinn in the soft lantern light of the cabin. Brinn noticed the look and smiled as he reached in turn for the heavy jug. “More wine?” he suggested.

“More wine,” said Yishana with a nod. She yawned and stretched her arms as she lay on the divan. Brinn regarded her now with the familiar look he always had when he was becoming aroused. He poured the rich scented wine into deep goblets and handed one to Yishana. “If nothing else your wine is splendid.”

“Mmm, I keep the best for the Larl. It is probably Cosian wine of fine vintage.”

“Since coming into my fortune I have a good wine cellar,” admitted Brinn. “This matches it.”

“Are we allies, Brinn of the cold hard north? Can we trust one another?”

“No.” Brinn sipped his wine “A woman can never be my ally. It is not in my nature. We have a business arrangement that is all. I am paying the ransom for my sister and my slave because I believe it less costly than the alternative. You should not trust me. You are a beautiful woman and it is in my nature to desire beautiful women.”

Yishana laughed softly. “You seem a very honest man.”

“Honest enough to warn you not to play games with me, woman.”

“So, you think helping me fight a ship of Cos is marginally safer than fighting my men?”

“I do, yes.” He raised his goblet. “You are an unknown quantity, and frankly I am wondering if you are in some fashion insane, but I recognise the warrior spirit in your Askaris. I would lose many good men fighting them.”

“Mmm.” Yishana propped her head on one elbow and as she did the silken sleeve slid down her forearm. Brinn gazed at the bronzed flesh made even darker in the lantern light.

“You are showing too much skin,” said Brinn. “It is dangerous around men like me. Cover yourself.”

“How kind. You have my best interests at heart,” said Yishana with a smile as she lowered her arm and smoothed the sleeve back in place.

“No, I do not. Ordinarily if you displayed that much skin I would have you on your back now and I would be removing that expensive silk gown from your body. You would then find yourself perhaps on your belly as I tied your wrists with binding fibre.”

“I am in my ship. I am in my cabin. I feel rather safe.” As she said that she snuggled down on the divan and looked at him like a content cat might.

“That wouldn’t stop me. Ask Emma if you don’t believe me.”

I nodded as Yishana looked to me for confirmation. I assumed that constituted permission to speak, so I quickly added:

“The Master can be ruthless with women, Mistress.”

Yishana smiled at that and directed her languid gaze back at Brinn. “And I can be a hellcat when I am angered. Beware.”

“It would not be difficult to remove your claws,” said Brinn. “I have experience in such matters.”

“Hiss,” said Yishana playfully as she made a gently swiping motion with one hand, which personally I thought was a little bit too provocative with a man like Brinn. I had seen Yishana lapse into this drug addled state many times before, and I knew it was because of the powdered roots she put in her goblet to give the wine a potent euphoric effect. It was times like this that she would tease Simon in her bed.

“I do not understand how you command this ship,” said Brinn.

“I am the living avatar of the Goddess, Nakeisha wind-rider. The Askaris worship her, and therefore me.”

“And they believe that, why?” asked Brinn. His eyes didn't stray from the sight of Yishana's slim form in the soft silken gown. Free women tend to favour heavy thick fabrics of multiple layers which serve to hide the feminine contours of their bodies, but what Yishana wore tonight was softer, more shapely, and it was no doubt giving Brinn an erection where he sat.

“The tribe we discovered had a legend that their Goddess would one day send them a white skinned avatar on the night of a solar eclipse. They were gathered together because that night happened to be a solar eclipse.”

“And that's it? You simply turned up at the right time with white skin and they now worship you?” Brinn seemed incredulous. “They are easily impressed, woman.”

“You understand nothing of the dark interior. Even Kerim Shah was sceptical at first, understanding the coincidence as being just that, but the tribal priests assured him that if I were indeed the chosen avatar I would have the power to commune with the Goddess. I was told to call upon Nakeisha to prove I was indeed their holy avatar. To Kerim Shah’s amazement, and I suppose mine as a child, I lifted my arms up as I was told and called out to the sky, not really understanding what I was doing, and within a minute or two, several hundred jungle birds began circling overhead in a spiralling funnel centred on me. They swooped and soared and landed on my outstretched arms to pay homage. It seems the legend was true.”

“What deceit is this?” said Brinn.

“It is not a deceit. Why, Emma has seen me summon a vast flock of birds on board the Larl when we were becalmed for a week, and then the Goddess sent the trade wind to fill our sails. Is that not so, Emma?'

“Well, yes... yes I did...” I couldn't say what I wanted to say, that I believed this to be a ruse engineered by Kerim Shah and that I had some inkling how he was doing it. But I honestly believed that Yishana had no clue that this was all Kerim Shah's doing, that he had somehow stage managed her Goddess position and maintained her authority in front of the men for his own good.

“From that day on I was accorded the status of a divine avatar of these people, and Kerim Shah of course was appointed my right hand. We lived in comparative luxury amongst the tribes, but as I grew older I learned of my heritage and my thoughts eventually became consumed by vengeance. Vengeance against Cos for what that island had done to my family. I declared a blood crusade against Cos and Captain Matias Thiago Alejandra in particular because I learned that it had been he who had orchestrated the political court coup and arranged for my family to be butchered in their marble halls. Kerim Shah advised me against this course of action, but nevertheless I had the Larl of the Thassa built and I recruited, through rigorous contests, the greatest warriors of my tribal realm to sail with me on the high seas. Vengeance will be mine for that night of fire and steel.”

Yishana stirred on her fur strewn divan as she concluded that part of her tale. Many cups of wine had been drunk by both Brinn and herself. Pans of ka-la-na wine had even been set out for Chloe and myself to enjoy and I for one was feeling quite mellow. Yishana's cabin is really quite comfortable, decorated with the finest examples of her plundered treasure and strewn with soft cushions and softer lamps, and the scent of fresh spices in the air. I lay during this conversation at the foot of Yishana's divan as I was still her property until she chose to give me away. Chloe lay curled close to Brinn and from time to time he stroked her hair and her shoulders. She smiled each time he did and often turned her head to kiss his hand in appreciation.

“What is your plan then, Lady?” asked Brinn as he poured some more of the rich liquor.

“In a sense I am the bait. I hold the beloved of Captain Matias and it is I who have offended him. He will come for me wherever I run to. I know these waters well. I shall lure him to an area of the Thassa that is sandwiched within an archipelago known to the sailors of the equator as the Pontarr. There you will lie in wait. He will pursue me and you will cut his line of retreat. There will be shoals of rocks to either side. He will have no choice but to stand and fight. Whichever of our ships he chooses to face, it will mean turning his back on the other.”

“And if he doesn't pursue you into the Pontarr archipelago?”

“He will. Have you never pursued a woman because she has teased you mercilessly and all you can think about is throwing her to her belly and collaring her?” said Yishana with a smile as she stretched herself on the divan once again, the silk of her gown shimmering in the soft lantern light. “Have you never desired a woman so much that you throw caution to the winds?”

“If you continue acting like this Lady, there will be consequences.” Brinn gazed at her with unbridled lust now.

This was getting a little too close to the knuckle for my liking. I rose to my knees, lifted a silver tray of sweet meats and said, “would the Master care for something to eat?”

“Not now, Emma,” said Brinn without even looking at me.

“Imagine you are Matias of Telnus,” said Yishana as she rose to her knees on the divan, the soft silk of her gown in no way hiding the curves of her bosom. “Imagine I have teased you. Imagine I have disrespected you. How far would you go, what risks would you take to place these wrists in your cold steel.” With a languid motion she crossed her wrists before Brinn and tilted her head.

“Enough!” Brinn rose to his feet. “What is the meaning of this?! Have you any idea what you are doing?!”

“She is intoxicated, Master, but not because of the wine,” I quickly said, rising to move towards Brinn before he might actually do something rash. “She mixes certain mimosa root herbs with her wine. They have a narcotic effect. A powerful effect.”

“She crossed her wrists in front of a warrior!”

“Please, Master. She doesn't know what she's doing.” I glanced back at Yishana and saw a familiar glazed look in her eyes. The drugs were making her feel euphoric. And as I had observed lately, when her will was weakened by drugs, certain feelings that had been rudely awakened in her body when she had been trapped in the guise of the slave-girl Mina, they would come to the fore without her realising. She had not been the same since she had served Tijani in a collar and chain after her prank had gone so horribly wrong. I had heard her talk in her sleep, say things that no free woman should ever say, moan softly, and yes, even cross her wrists in her sleep. Free women should not ever sample what it is like to be a slave, not even in carefully controlled situations. As the saying goes, they run the risk of being spoilt for freedom.

Brinn pushed me aside and before I could say anything else he stepped forward and took hold of Yishana's silken gown. With a violent tear he tore it down the middle, pulling it down her body to her belted waist. Yishana's ripe breasts and upper body were now naked in the lantern light, open to his touch. Swiftly Brinn followed up and placed his left hand on her mouth, expecting a scream that would alert the Askaris, but to his surprise she did not scream. He pushed her down onto the furs on the divan, and she did not resist. She just looked up at him with a smile that suggested she was in some far away land.

“Does she even know what I'm doing?” snarled Brinn as he gazed down at her luscious half naked body.

“Yes, but she probably doesn't care. I have seen this before, Master. The Mimosa is running through her blood stream now.”

Brinn pulled the rest of her gown away from her body and then he just stood there, his hand having left her mouth, and he watched as she stirred pleasurably in the furs.

“Master... this really isn't a good idea...”

“Men follow and obey this woman?” He stared in disbelief.

“She's not like this when it comes to war, Master. She is only like this at night when she is lonely.”

“Lonely?” Brinn turned to look at me and I realised with a start I had said the wrong thing. I had given a secret away.

“Please Master, I shouldn't have said that.”

“Lonely for what?”

“She is a woman, Master. Women are often lonely. She has always been discouraged by Kerim Shah from taking men to her cabin. He has always feared what she might feel.”

“Is she white silk?”

“Please Master, this is difficult for me...”

“Never mind.” Brinn reached between her legs, and while Yishana moaned softly, he made the determination himself. “No, she is not white silk. So she has known men.”

“Only very, very recently, Master.” I looked down at her. Brinn's touch had aroused her nipples. There was no hiding that fact from Brinn. Her skin was flushed too from the touch.

“Under what circumstances?”

“Please, Master. I would be whipped for telling you.”

“She belongs in a collar.”

“Master, what would the Askaris do to Cassandra if you did anything to Yishana?”

“They should see their so called Goddess as she is now!” he snarled.

“But then what might happen to Cassandra, and myself if the Askaris were no longer following Yishana's command? One of the men would then take charge in place of her, and your arrangement would no longer be valid. You would have to fight to take us. Many of your men would die. Is she really worth it?”

“Another time then.” Brinn picked up a set of furs and threw it over Yishana's body. “But I will not forget what I have seen here tonight.” He turned and headed to the cabin door, signalling for Chloe to follow. “Tell your Goddess, Emma, when she is capable of understanding anything at all, that I will sail to the Pontarr tomorrow at dawn. I will wait there in this archipelago maze for her to lure the Cosian flagship into the waiting trap. Let us see this finished and then we can go home.”

It was dark with very little moonlight that night, so I heard rather than saw Brinn depart back to the Waverider in his rowing boat. I heard the splash of oars and the low murmur of voices between him and Chloe through the cabin porthole. I stood there smelling the salt air, hearing the sound of the waves lapping against the timber hull of the Larl as Yishana lay prone on her fur strewn divan, blissfully cradled in the succulent folds of the mimosa root. The Yishana of old would never have taken mimosa root on a night when she was discussing battle plans with a man. She would have been intent on sending positive signals that she was a woman to be reckoned with. But of late Yishana had grown careless, erratic. It was obvious to me that her brief experience as the supposed slave-girl, Mina, had affected her deeply. She was turning more and more to drugs during the night, drugs to calm her and help her sleep. Oblivious as she was to the dreams that followed, I was generally a silent witness to the sounds she would make. She was coming apart at the seams, and yes I was worried for her. Tomorrow morning of course all this would be beyond me as I would be given back to Brinn as a downpayment for his help. Come the morning I would be rowed across to the Waverider and delivered as a package. This would be my last night on the Larl, and in some ways I would miss it. I gazed down at the languid form of Yishana. Her left leg and her left arm had both fallen out from under the furs. She was dreaming while still awake – a common symptom of the mimosa root. As Mistresses go, she had been good to me. By Gorean standards my slavery in her collar had been more than just bearable. I crossed the cabin floor, accidentally knocking over a wine goblet. The residue stained the timbers beneath my feet but I paid it no heed. Some other slave could clean up after me tomorrow. I pulled the layers of furs aside just enough to be able to slide onto the divan beside Yishana. I smelled the caramel butter scent of her skin, and the fresh, clean hair. I spooned myself next to her, feeling comfort from touching my skin to another person's body, but I felt no particular stirrings inside of me. Yishana was a woman and these days I found it hard to derive pleasure from being with a woman. I knew that long ago it had been my preference. I dimly remembered that as a young man I had only lusted after women, but slowly in this body those desires had slipped away. Perhaps my body with all its complex hormones had finally conquered my mind? I don’t know. I felt a comfort of sorts in being with Yishana, but no passion. I kissed her bare shoulder and felt nothing between my thighs. I wished it was otherwise. It is strange to be keenly aware of an absence of something and yet be unable to recall what that something once felt like.

I was restless tonight, and for some reason unable to sleep. I moved my hand down my body, caressing myself, playing with the large nipples on my breasts. I thought of things that I knew would arouse me. Men’s hands upon my body, forcing me down, mastering me. I began to grow hot. I pictured Brinn turning me on to my stomach as I tried to resist. I imagined being penetrated, being taken against my will. I slid my hands between my thighs and began to stroke myself with my fingers, bringing myself to a pleasurable if not perfect orgasm.

I lay there on the divan trembling for a while, feeling a little more content. My body had been designed by the Kurii to crave sex – regular sex and to protest strongly if it didn’t get it. It would be my curse for the remainder of my life. I could never be some chaste free woman who hid herself from male company. I needed sex if I didn’t want to turn bitter and miserable, and on Gor that could only be accomplished through slavery.

I touched Yishana on her left thigh and imagined what it might feel like to feel a slave brand there. She very nearly had one. That would have been the end for her of course. There would have been no coming back from a brand.

I drifted in and out of sleep as the night progressed. At some point I heard Yishana’s voice whisper beside me, “are you awake, Emma?” and I murmured a sleepy sounding yes.

“When did Brinn leave?” she asked. The Mimosa had probably worn off.

“A long time ago, Mistress. He is back on the Waverider now. He has promised to help you in the morning.”

“I knew he would.” She snuggled close to me and put her face close to my breasts. “I shall miss lying with you. I wish I didn’t have to give you up.”

I said nothing.

“But I gave you my word, and the word of Yishana is sacrosanct. You will see your children again.”

True, she had kept her word, and I appreciated that, but I'll always wonder how much of that was because of her oath to me on board the Larl when I was the only one who could save her from the collar and brand, and how much of it was strategy to buy Brinn's aid in her coming battle with the Cosian admiral. Had there been no reason to negotiate with Brinn would she still have kept her word and given me to him? I really don't know. I like to believe in people and believe the best in them so I will say to this dying day that Yishana, for all her faults, kept her word. But I truly don't know for sure.

“Brinn is very handsome,” she said quietly. “And strong.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Did he… do anything…” I think Yishana was beginning to realise that she had at some point passed out from the drugs and she was beginning to worry because there was a part of last night that she couldn’t remember.

“No, Mistress. He respects you too much.”

“Oh.” Yishana almost sounded disappointed. “Emma, I’m naked. I don’t remember undressing.”

“I did it for you, Mistress. I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. It was after Brinn left.”

Yishana lapsed into silence for a while. But then maybe five minutes later she asked, “what is he like with a woman?”

“Uncompromising, Mistress. You need to be careful when you are with him. He would enslave you if he had the chance.” Yishana said nothing again, but I felt her body tense and her thighs press against mine in response. “What is Mistress thinking?” I asked after a while.

“You don’t want to know, Emma.”

Come the morning Yishana seemed a different person. I served her breakfast for the last time and she gave me twenty minutes in which I could say goodbye to the other girls on board the Larl. It was a surprisingly emotional moment to kiss each one in turn and wish them fortune and happiness for the future. A rowing boat took me across the choppy water towards the Waverider where I saw Brinn and Chloe waiting for me on deck. I was lifted up by a pair of hands and passed on to another pair of hands on board the ship. When I finally emerged on deck it was to find myself on my knees looking up at Brinn.

“Welcome home, Emma,” he said with a smile.

And then he dragged me straight to his cabin for sex.

We lay together in the furs later that morning after I had enjoyed several exceptional orgasms. Brinn was happy too, and he told me tales of what Marik and Jacinta had been up to before he had left to find Cassandra. “They’re growing fast. You’ve missed much this last year and a half. It will be good for them to see their mother again.”

“It’s all I want right now,” I replied. “Just to hold them again and to hear their voices.”

The Waverider had set sail within minutes of me coming aboard and so by now we were on our way towards the Pontarr archipelago in which we would lay our trap, because Brinn wanted to study the geography. Meanwhile the Larl as bait would soon make itself known to the Cosian flagship once it had picked up the Lady Saffia. We would join her at the Bastion shortly, as Brinn wished to see the hostage for himself.

“You were with Yishana when the drugs wore off?” asked Brinn as I lay cradled with my face close to his chest.

“Yes. She couldn’t remember much of the night. Or at least she pretended that was the case. Sometimes I think she remembers more than she lets on.”

“I own you again, Emma. Yishana has given you to me. You no longer have an excuse not to answer my questions truthfully. Tell me about your former Mistress. Is she sincere about what she says?”

“Yes, I believe she is. I believe she honestly does think she is the Avatar of her Goddess. She is part of the delusion itself. She is innocent of deceit.”

“You think it is a deceit?”

“Of course. Kerim Shah is behind it all. He stage manages her divinity.”

“He can wield magic?”

“There is no such thing as magic, Brinn, just science that we don’t understand. However Kerim Shah manages this, it is science dressed up as magic.”

“But it could be magic. There are sorcerers on Gor. Everyone knows that. Anango for example…”

“You are sweetly naïve at times, Brinn. You work for Priest Kings. You must understand that advanced science exists on Gor.”

“But possibly magic too.”

“No, no magic. What I fear is that Kerim Shah may be an agent of The Kurii, but if so his intentions remain mysterious. I just don’t see the hand of the steel worlds in what he has Yishana doing. It just doesn’t feel like something they might do.” I cradled myself in Brinn's arms and sighed as he played with my nipples. “You shouldn't do that if you have to get up soon. It makes me very horny.”

“I know.” Brinn kissed me and then stroked the brand on my thigh. I felt a shiver full of tingles as he did so. It was his way of reminding me that I was a slave and his property. I felt owned. I felt protected. I felt aroused.

“Don't ever leave me alone again, Master. Please. The last couple of years have been horrible. I'm your slave.” I turned onto my belly and gazed up at him, resting my chin on his thigh. “The danger I might face at your side is preferable to the danger I've suffered alone. Please take me with you next time. I can carry your possessions, make camp, cook, clean for you and keep you warm at night.”

“Tempting,” said Brinn.

“I mean it, Master. There was a time, several times in fact, when I thought I'd never see you again.” I kissed his thigh. “I'm yours. You know I'm yours. Please don't abandon me.”

“Emma, you know I still work in the service of Priest Kings. Sometimes I have to go away.”

“Then take me with you. The truth is I'm scared when I'm not with you. I try to be brave but I just don't know what to do. Gor is a savage world and it terrifies me when I'm alone. Please.”

“I will not make any promises, slave girl. We shall see. That is all I can say.”

I nodded and rested my cheek against his thigh. “You have no idea how a slave can feel in her collar. I am so dependent on you in so many ways.”

“Good. That is how it should be Emma.”

“When I thought you were dead I was so angry with you for taking the risks you do without any thought of the consequences for me. When you go away I am so scared that you might not come back.”

“I have made arrangements for you should anything happen to me again, Emma. You will not be separated from your children again. Papers have been drawn up.”

“I wish we could just go home now. Turn this ship around and sail back to the Sardar.”

“That is impossible. Yishana has Cassandra. I must fulfil my part of the contract in order for her to be free.”

I knew there was no point arguing on that score. “So you will raise swords against Cos?”

“I will raise swords against Cos.”

“Even if you win, Cos will not forget this. You will be their enemy from that day on.”

“The Sardar mountains are a long way from the military might of Cos and it is said that even their navy cannot travel well across the landmass of central Gor. We will be quite safe.”

“Safe...” I said the word in a mocking tone. “When have we ever really been safe...”