Gods of Gor: Chapter One

 

Chapter One: A Farewell to Schendi

 

Six Months Earlier

 

I winced as I felt the cold steel of the shears touch the base of my neck, just below the slave collar. “You’re cutting it too short, Master!” I wailed as I felt more of my lovely long hair fall from my shoulders. I knelt on the floor as Brinn snipped away at my blonde hair, drastically cutting it ahead of our canoe expedition up the Nyoka river from Schendi.

 

“Stop fidgeting, Emma,” said Brinn as he snipped away behind me. “Your hair grows quickly. It won’t be short for long.”

 

“Sit still, Emma and you can have this piece of baklava when you’re finished,” said Chloe as she knelt close by. There was indeed a piece of baklava on a folded palm leaf. It was hardly compensation for hacking my hair off though.

 

“But not this short! Please, Master...”

 

“Your hair is too long for the equatorial jungle. It will be wet and uncomfortable.” Brinn was cutting the back of my hair pretty much square with the nape of my neck, the ends brushing the bottom edge of my collar. I clenched my fingers in an anxious state, never having worn my hair so short before.

 

“She’ll look cute with bangs,” suggested Chloe with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

“No! No bangs!”

 

“She’s just teasing you, Emma,” said Brinn as he continued to trim and smarten the edge of my hair. “Did you make this much fuss when you had your ears pierced?”

 

“I was hysterical when I had my ears pierced! I ended up in the hole for days afterwards.” I didn’t like to remember that experience in Banu Hashim. I had suffered from acute claustrophobia ever since.

 

“And how do you feel about your pierced ears now?” asked Brinn, as he snipped away some more hair.

 

“I love them,” I said quietly knowing where this logic was leading. “You know I do. They are a part of who I am”

 

“So,” said Brinn with quiet satisfaction.

 

“Why isn’t Chloe having a haircut? Why is it just me having a haircut?!”

 

“Her skin tone means she can endure the heat better than you or me.”

 

“I’m going to be ugly!” I wailed piteously. “You’ll grow tired of me and sell me down river for some other girl with long hair!”

 

“I will if you don’t stop whining,” said Brinn.

 

“You’re making this sound like the end of the world, Emma,” said Chloe as she lay on the floor regarding us both. “It is going to be really hot and wet in the rain forests. Even I’ll be suffering. You'll find it unbearable with long hair.”

 

“How short is it?” I asked Chloe. “Please be honest!” I could feel the absence of hair past my shoulder blades. Brinn was cutting my hair into a manageable bob and I was petrified. Slave girls are only too aware that men like long hair on women. Slaves with short hair were always at a disadvantage in the pens and kennels. I could feel my block price reducing with each snip of the shears.

 

“It kind of suits you,” said Chloe as she supported her weight on one elbow. “You have a good face for it.”

 

“There,” said Brinn. “You’ll be a lot more comfortable when we enter the rain forest.” He ran his fingers through my radically shortened hair and kissed me on the top of my head. “And there isn’t enough gold in Schendi for me to want to sell you, kajira.”

 

“You’re just saying that,” I sobbed. “As soon as you see a kajira with a long mane of blonde hair at a trading post…”

 

“Will she be able to do what you can do in the furs?” asked Brinn as he kissed the base of my neck which was alarmingly free from hair.

 

“No she won’t. No one can do what I can do in the furs. You need me, Master!”

 

“Then you don’t have anything to worry about, slave girl,” said Brinn as he held a mirrored piece of glass for me to see my reflection in. I shrank back, timid, but it wasn’t as bad as I had feared. Yes, the hair was now a centre parted bob style cut, just touching the tops of my shoulders, but it didn’t make me ugly. I preferred my long hair though.

 

“Open,” said Brinn as he picked up the small piece of Baklava and moved it towards my lips. I opened my mouth and felt the sweet treat touch my tongue. “You may eat.” And so I did, savouring the sticky sweet pastry. I ran my fingers through the ends of my hair, feeling how light it was now.

 

Brinn had been making preparations for our river expedition into the jungle interior of mainland Gor, which lies east of the port of Schendi. We were going to follow the trail of Bea, my sister, and bring her home with us to Brinn's estate in the Sardar foothills. From what Mina had told me, the jungle is not necessarily an impenetrable area, though there are some such sections that qualify as dense and hard to traverse on foot. I suppose a more accurate description would be an equatorial rainforest, which seems to be the description for jungle that experiences a high annual rainfall, commonly at least one hundred inches per year. The equator of Gor sees two heavy rain periods during each day, one in the late afternoon and one late at night, commonly an ahn or so before midnight. The rains are often accompanied by violent winds ranging from 110-120 pasangs an ahn. During the winter the region experiences a dry season when rain is far less common. There are thought to be two dry seasons and two rainy seasons each year in the equatorial region.

 

The rainforest generally steams with humidity, making it difficult to light a camp fire, though at night the temperature in the rainforest drops and is more bearable. Palm trees thrive here and Mina tells me there are more than fifteen hundred types of palm trees alone, and thousands of different plants that have been catalogued by explorers to date. Some of the palm trees sprout leaves that are over twenty feet long. The fan palm, which is more than twenty feet high, spreads its leaves like an opened fan and these leaves then catch rainwater at the base of each leaf, holding up to a litre of water at a time – water that is safer to drink than the river water.

 

There are three separate ecological zones within the rainforest, differentiated by their height from the ground. One zone is the 'emergents', which is the highest level occupying a region from about one hundred and twenty-five Gorean feet to two hundred Gorean feet. It is primarily occupied by birds but there may also be some monkeys, tree urts, snakes and insects living there. Another zone is the 'canopy' which is the green cover that makes the main ceiling of the jungle. This region ranges from about sixty to one hundred and twenty-five Gorean feet. This area is occupied by colourful birds, but also animals such as snakes, monkeys, gliding urts, leaf urts, squirrels, long-tailed porcupines, lizards, sloths, arachnids and insects. The last zone is the 'ground zone' which spans from the ground, up to sixty Gorean feet. There are many birds here too, as well as animals such as tarsiers, jit monkeys, black squirrels, leaf urts, jungle varts, giani, armoured gatch, slees, ground urts, several varieties of tarsk, six varieties of anteater, twenty kinds of small, single-horned tabuk, jungle larls, jungle panthers, many smaller catlike predators, and zeders. To Mina's knowledge there are no sleen within the rainforest as the humidity doesn't agree with them.

 

I felt apprehensive about this coming expedition because we would be travelling into a barbaric region that didn't understand or follow the traditional codes and practices of Central Gor. This was the region where Mina had recruited her Askaris when she had been the Ubara of the Black Coast. Now of course she was just a collared and branded slave girl, and no man of her tribes would ever serve her again. Any authority a woman has on Gor disappears the moment a kef brand is burnt into her thigh. Mina would not be coming with us, which was a shame as she was an expert in matters concerning the jungle, but Brinn had insisted he would travel alone, with just Chloe and myself for company.  Personally, I thought this was a mistake because none of us had any experience of the equatorial region of Gor. Mina did. She knew which plants were edible and which were medicinal. She knew how to read animal trails and speak in at least one of the common native dialects. When I had pointed this out to Brinn he had shrugged his shoulders and reminded me that we would not be leaving our canoe and venturing into the interior on either side of the river route, and that we would only sail along the water way until we reached the trading post where Bea was sent.

 

“It's a straight line, Emma. Well, a curved straight line. We simply paddle up river until we reach the trading post. We will not need Mina's knowledge of the area.”  

 

Brinn can be stupidly overconfident at times, and when he is like that he will not listen to me, or to any slave who tries to offer advice.  

 

Tijani returned late in the afternoon with the slaves, Saffron and Mina in tow. They were chained together in coffle, with a chain linking the slave rings of their collars, extending for maybe two feet. Tijani was getting them used to being together, for he had confided in me that he would be keeping both girls for the foreseeable future. Their resentment at being together was slowly being eroded and more than once during our stay in Schendi I observed the two previous enemies talking quietly together. Chain sisters can develop in the most unlikely combinations of girls.

 

Saffron of course was the former Lady Saffia and Mina was the former Ubara of the Black Coast when she had been known as Yishana.

 

“Your hair is shorter,” said Saffron as she noticed me.

 

“So it is,” I said, in something of a sulk. I touched the ends of the hair again with my fingers.

 

“He obviously has no intention of selling you then,” observed Saffron as she examined it with her fingers too. “You’re worth a lot less now. Men like long hair on girls. They will pay less for you, so he can’t be thinking of selling you. I suppose this makes you least among us.”

 

I hadn’t thought about it that way. Not that I really thought Brinn would sell me, but obviously that possibility was so remote that he thought nothing of temporarily lowering my sale price to ensure my comfort as we sailed down river.

 

Wait – least among us? The arrogant little bitch! I was about to grab her hair and teach her a lesson, but a master took hold of me before I could move.

 

“Tal, Emma,” said Tijani as he pulled me into his embrace and kissed me hard on the lips. I squeezed my body against him and wriggled the way I knew he liked. When we parted I could feel a stiff erection under his breach cloth. He ruffled my short hair and laughed, seeing my new look.

 

“You look younger, Emma, if that’s possible. Brinn hacked your hair ready for the jungle?” he said as he turned me around to check the cut at the back.

 

“Yes, Master. He says I’d be too hot with long hair.” I felt his hands stroke my ass cheeks and reach between my legs, making me squeal. So he wasn’t really that interested in my hair line it seemed. “Master…” I suddenly noticed that on the coffle chain Mina had her wrists braceleted behind the small of her back. “Did Mina misbehave?”

 

“No, it’s a training tip Brinn gave me. When I take the girls out together I bracelet one of them. That way she has to rely on her chain sister for help. She can’t do much without help. It reinforces the bond between a couple of girls who share the same chain.”

 

Mina looked a little embarrassed as she stood there chained to Saffron by the collar links. It wasn’t that long ago that she owned us both. She was still coming to terms with the fact she was the same as us now – a kajira.

 

“Is it working, Master?”

 

“I think so,” said Tijani with a smile. “I plan on keeping them both. They’re quite exquisite.”

 

“Master is a lucky man to have two such beauties on his chain,” I said, nuzzling him.

 

“That I am.” Tijani picked up a piece of fruit and bit into it as he regarded Brinn. “I made some enquiries for you down by the wharf-side. There’s an excellent canoe available to give passage to a man and two slaves: well equipped, and laden with supplies. It will sail as far as the trading post if you want it to. Ask for the River Sleen. The owner seems a reasonable man.”

 

“Thank you, that is helpful,” said Brinn as he tidied away his shears and nodded for me to clean away my cut hair that littered the floor. Goodbye lovely long hair I thought to myself as I began to sweep it up into a dustpan.

 

“The boat owner has a couple of girls, so you won’t be rowing alone. Extra oars will be helpful.”

 

Brinn nodded. “You understand why I can’t take you, Tijani? The river is dangerous. I can’t ask you to accompany me. I am doing this for Emma.”

 

“Oh, I understand, Brinn. I’m quite happy to remain here in Schendi, drinking paga and using these luscious slaves while you risk your neck traversing the rapids up river. You’ll have no argument from me on that score.”

 

I think Brinn was secretly a little bit disappointed that Tijani had made no effort or shown any interest in arguing with him when he had first announced that only Chloe and myself would accompany him up the Nyoka river. I was a bit disappointed too. We would be safer with another swordsman travelling with the boat. At some point Brinn was almost certain to get into a fight. He always did. 

 

“Well, I’m happy you understand,” said Brinn. “Geralt took a lot more convincing.”

 

Tijani shrugged. “It’s the easy life for me now, Brinn. I have enough money to last me a good number of years and two luscious slaves to compete with one another for my favouritism. The last thing I want is to row up some treacherous equatorial river lined with cannibals.”

 

I wished he hadn’t mention cannibals.

 

That was our last night in the port of Schendi. Brinn and Tijani had rented a large loft space overlooking one of the city gardens that was really quite pleasant, with a large balcony on which we could sit in the mornings before the heat became too oppressive, which it usually did just a few hours past sunrise. We had stayed there for a number of days and Brinn had paid a lot of money in advance so that Tijani could live here until we returned. Goreans are a lot less private than Earth men and Brinn thought nothing of sharing the same room with Tijani. There were separate couches of course – large, heavy things, each big enough to comfortably accommodate a man and two slaves. Brinn slept beside Chloe and myself. We were both chained by our left ankles with the same length of chain that simply ran through a central ring at the foot of the couch. As first girl, Chloe would lock the ankle ring about my ankle when we were sent to the bed. Brinn would then lock the other ankle ring around her ankle. This reinforced the difference between us in a chain coffle as only the master would chain the first girl. Brinn had often shared his bed with girls other than me back at the estate, and sometimes on the same night as me, so this was nothing new, but I was a little alarmed at how well Chloe seemed to know what Brinn liked. This was possibly down to me often telling her Brinn's preferences while we gossiped about men in the old days. She had obviously put that inside knowledge to good use while I’d been away.

 

Brinn explained the arrangement going forward on our first night together. “You are my favoured slave, Emma,” he said as he stroked my short hair. “And you are the mother of my children. The nights when you do not share my couch will be rare.”

 

I listened carefully to every word and weighed and measured the implied and un-implied nuances of every sentence he spoke. Kajirae can be justifiably paranoid at times, and I was perhaps more paranoid than most. I knew what men could be like on Earth, how unfaithful they could be, how easily they could be distracted by other girls.

 

“I want you to spend your time with the children as they grow up, and so Chloe will remain as first girl on the estate. That will free you to be the mother to Marik and Jacinta. They miss you enormously.”

 

“I miss them too, Brinn,” I said with genuine tears in my eyes. Soon I would see them again. Soon I would hug them to my chest and fear ever letting them go again.

 

“Chloe has worked hard to establish herself on the estate as the first girl. It is important in order that she commands respect that she isn't challenged or undermined by the former first girl. I will expect you to obey her as all the other girls must.”

 

“Of course, Master.” I nodded. I didn't really mind. Chloe and I were good friends and I knew that the power balance would only be in public. In private we would be far more informal.

 

We were interrupted by squeals from the other couch on the far side of the room.

 

“I think that's Mina,” I whispered with a giggle.

 

“It is,” whispered Chloe as she lay with her head pressed against Brinn's shoulder blades. “Tijani must be using her now.” The cries of pleasure became deeper, louder as they did whatever they did in the semi-darkness.

 

“She's very different without the drugs,” I said. And she was. Gone was the proud, imperious avatar of the wind Goddess. Her self-confidence which had seemed unassailable had been stripped away from her as she no longer felt the divine presence induced by Kerim Shah's constant drugging of her body.

 

“That was you in the early days in the Tahari,” said Brinn as he began to fondle my breasts. I sighed with pleasure as he did so. “She opened up to me like a flower,” Brinn said to an interested Chloe. “She had only ever had sex once before me.”

 

“Mina is learning her slavery,” I whispered back. “I'm happy for her. She is her true self now that she isn't drugged any longer.”

 

“She's still a flight risk,” said Chloe thoughtfully. “She hasn't truly accepted her change in circumstances yet. I'm watching her like a tarn. I'm afraid she might do something stupid before long.”

 

Next morning, before the worst of the heat arrived, Chloe and I were laden like pack animals. There are many reasons why men take a coffle of slaves with them when they travel. Sex and companionship is the obvious reason, but we also serve in place of draft animals to carry luggage. I’m not particularly strong but even so Brinn strapped a heavy canvas backpack across my shoulders and tightened the straps under my armpits. I immediately felt the weight push me down into a stoop and had to correct my balance. He had already secured a strap like harness across my chest and shoulders made of leather and from this he tied other bags and pouches much like you might secure additional bags to the flanks of a horse. There were bedrolls placed on top of the backpacks we wore and water proof sheets to string over tree branches. I had cooking pans tied to my waist and, as if my backpack wasn’t heavy enough already, I had the ‘honour’ of having Brinn’s military shield fastened in place over it. Chloe was just as burdened down as I was.

 

“I’m not sure I can walk far like this,” I said as I felt the crushing weight of all this luggage.

 

“It’s all essential,” said Brinn as he now strapped further pouches to my thighs. This was unbearable. I watched as he slung his sword belt over Chloe’s shoulders. Wasn’t he going to carry anything himself?

 

“I really mean it… I can barely walk down our street with all of this.”

 

“You only have to carry it down to the wharf overlooking the river,” said Brinn. “It’s maybe a pasang or so.”

 

“A pasang! I’ll die!”

 

“I'll probably die before her, Master,” said Chloe. Both her hands clasped the heavy canvas straps crossing like an x over her breasts to ease the weight of the luggage.

 

“You’ll walk in front of me and I’ll use the switch on your thighs if you stop,” said Brinn. I moaned softly knowing he really would do this. “I could march 30 pasangs carrying double that weight.”

 

Well why don’t you, I thought to myself bitterly, as I watched him pour some watered down paga into a cup. At least the journey to the trade station would be by canoe. Once at the wharf there wouldn’t be any need to carry this luggage again except to make camp on the riverbank each night. I felt my shoulders drooping and my legs buckling as I stood still and so I pushed myself back upright.

 

“It’ll be easier when you’re walking,” said Brinn. “It’s when you stand still that you feel the weight.”

 

“Please buy another slave,” I suggested. “Or two. We can’t carry this much!”

 

“There won’t be room in the canoe for another couple of slaves. The man we’ll be travelling with has slaves of his own.”

 

“Well, sell them again once they carry all this to the canoe!”

 

“I’m not buying slaves just to sell them again half an hour later. You’re just not used to hard work, Emma.”

 

“I’m not used to being a pack tharlarion!” I felt my knees buckle again and I grunted and shifted the weight once more. “I’m not built for this! I’m a pleasure slave!”

 

“Isn't there a saying on your world, Emma, that which does not kill you only makes you stronger?”

 

I hated that saying.

 

“Here, sit on these,” said Brinn as he slid a small barrel against the wall and helped us perch on the edge with the wall supporting the weight of the enormous packs. It was such a relief! We looked at one another with pained expressions. Chloe’s long hair was slick with sweat from holding the weight in this equatorial heat for the last ten minutes as Brinn had buckled and secured the various fastenings around her body. The fastenings were so intricate that we couldn’t easily undo them ourselves. Many of the buckles were behind us.

 

“Mina and Saffron could carry some of this!” I suggested.

 

“They could, if they were here.” Brinn rubbed his chin. He seemed a little disappointed again. “Tijani doesn’t seem to be one for long goodbyes. He decided not to see us off. He has taken the girls out into Schendi for the day.” I could see Brinn felt a certain hurt that Tijani had chosen not to help us and say a proper goodbye. Coming so soon after the betrayal by Simon I could tell he was losing some of his faith in honourable men.

 

“Do you want some water before we go?” asked Brinn.

 

We nodded and so he poured water into a wooden bowl and held it to our lips one at a time. Chloe received water first as she was first girl. When she had drunk her fill I was allowed water too.

 

We both strained with the weight of the numerous packs as Brinn marched us down the dusty streets of Schendi. I concentrated on placing one burning leaden foot in front of me followed by another. From time to time I felt a gentle tap of the switch on my thighs – simply encouragement to keep walking. I thrust against the weight of the packs, inhaling deep lungfuls of warm air as I concentrated on just keeping on the move. Brinn was right – it was easier supporting the weight on the move but it was still agony. I really wasn't built for this. Peasant slaves are ideally suited to carrying heavy loads across their thick shoulders, but my body wasn't built for such labour. The Kurii had never imagined I might have to serve as a beast of burden.

 

“You’re doing good, Emma. You too, Chloe,” said Brinn as he walked casually behind us. He had a light day bag slung over one shoulder.

 

“Can’t you at least carry the shield?” I sobbed.

 

“It is an honour to carry the shield of your master,” said Brinn. “It means you are my favoured slave.”

 

I grunted something unintelligible as I nearly felt my knees buckle under me again. He could go fuck his ‘favoured slave’ status. What was in this pack? A collection of his favourite ornamental rocks?

 

I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see a wooden wharf jetty as I was that day in Schendi when I literally collapsed on my knees by a wooden pylon that supported the planks of wood to which various sail boats and draught canoes were tethered. My lungs were breathing hard, fit to burst and I felt incapable of standing again.

 

“I’m dying…” whimpered Chloe beside me.

 

“Well done, kajirae,” said Brinn as he poured some more water into a wooden bowl. I heard Chloe coughing as she tried to drink from it. Iron skillets clattered against the wood as I slumped forward and the various cooking utensils tethered to my waist strap bumped and slid across the floor. I gave huge heaving gasps of air as I tried to support my weight on all fours. I hadn’t hurt this much since Cassandra had crucified me in the square before selling me.

 

“Water, Emma,” said Brinn as he slid the refilled bowl towards my face. I lapped at it slowly with my tongue, my lips parched and dry from the effort of walking heavily laden in this heat. Out on the Thassa, onboard the Larl, the heat had been clean and fresh with the sea breeze, but here in Schendi the air was damp and heavy, infused with the scent of rotting vegetation and ripe spices blowing in from the land. It was a steamy, clammy heat that sucked the strength from my body and made even breathing an effort. It was not a climate conducive to carrying heavy loads.

 

I was aware that now I had crashed over on all fours I no longer had the strength to stand again while I was pinned beneath the weight of the enormous backpack, the war shield and all the various bags strapped to my upper body and thighs. I would lie here, I felt sure, until I died.

 

And then I felt Brinn begin to unbuckle the first of the pieces of luggage, beginning with his shield. Oh God, but it felt so good to lose that weight piece by glorious piece.

 

“I think it was two thirds of a pasang in the end,” explained Brinn. “Mostly moving downhill.”

 

“I feel sick. I’m going to throw up.”

 

I threw up. Brinn frowned as he saw the pool of sick spreading on the wooden planks of the jetty.

 

“Get some water from the river and wash the boards,” he said.

 

“I can’t move…” I whimpered as I felt my limbs trembling where I lay. And then I saw Brinn draw the slave switch from his belt and suddenly I discovered with a spurt of adrenaline that I could indeed move after all! “Yes, Master!” I cried, as I lifted myself just enough to crawl to the edge of the jetty with the wooden bowl. I washed my face and then proceeded to pour water over the pattern of sick that was already seeping between the boards. After three or four bowls of water I had washed it clean.

 

Once Brinn had freed Chloe of her baggage he set about looking for our canoe. “Berth thirty seven,” he mused as he looked at the numbers carved onto the pier supports. He began counting forwards until he came to the space where he could see a long river canoe bobbing in the water below.

 

“Ho there, my name is Brinn and I’m…” he paused in surprise at the canoe owner and then I heard him say, “Tijani?”

 

A familiar head popped up from the base of the canoe and peered up over the wooden wharf grinning like a hyena. It was indeed Tijani, and popping up beside him, laughing was Saffron and Mina, their faces enjoying the pained expressions from all three of us.

 

“Greetings, friend Brinn,” said Tijani with a sly wink. “As you can see I just happen to have purchased this fine canoe a day or two ago and was planning a relaxing expedition up river for sight-seeing purposes. May I introduce these two curvaceous sluts – the kajirae Mina and Saffron.” He pinched Mina on her left buttock and the former Ubara of the Black Coast let out a shocked squeal. “Alas, I am in need of paying passengers to offset some of my costs. You wouldn’t happen to know of a fine warrior with perhaps two slave girls eager to assist with paddling, who may require passage up river?”

 

“This is your canoe?” said Brinn in astonishment.

 

“Indeed it is. The River Sleen. I’ve been painting the name on the bow.” He indicated the cursive Gorean script.

 

“I told you, you couldn’t come with me,” said Brinn.

 

“But you see, friend Brinn, I’m not coming with you, as per your request. Rather you're coming with me. You have to admit that’s playing fair by your orders.”

 

“You…” Brinn grinned. “By the Priest Kings, I’m happy to see you, Tijani!” He climbed down onto the canoe that began to rock alarmingly as he embraced and hugged the black warrior. “I thought you didn’t care.”

 

“Well, I still think it is madness, but my future prosperity seems linked to your insane endeavours, so for better or worse I’ll see you to the trading post and back. Besides, my lazy girls need the exercise. I wouldn't want them to get fat ankles.”

 

“Hello Master,” said Saffron as she knelt in the canoe. She seemed pleased to see Brinn. A bit too pleased, perhaps, for my liking. Chloe and I managed to crawl on shaking limbs to the edge of the wharf where we looked down at the long flat bottomed canoe. It was evenly distributed with supplies wrapped in waterproof skins and there were six places from end to end for rowers.

 

“Tal, Emma,” said Mina with a smile as she rubbed her pinched bottom. She seemed pleased to see me.

 

“Mina,” I said back as I lowered my head and kissed her on the cheek.

 

“They could have helped carry the bags…” muttered Chloe.

 

“What, and ruin the joke?” Tijani seemed hurt by the suggestion. “Besides, Brinn doesn’t seem particularly tired out.”

 

“Well, he wouldn’t be,” I said bitterly. The men laughed, enjoying the sight of Chloe and myself looking like death warmed up. Tijani instructed Mina and Saffron to load our supplies onto the canoe to give us a chance to rest, and the girls set about their work with enthusiasm. Mina in particular seemed quite excited by the prospect of a semi-dangerous expedition into the jungle interior, but then I suppose that territory was hardly uncharted territory to her.

 

“Mina will come into her own up river, Brinn,” explained Tijani as he surveyed the kajirae moving tarpaulin wrapped bundles into the narrow confines of the canoe. “She will be able to offer us a lot of advice on surviving in the rain forest.”

 

“Good.” Brinn regarded the girl's thighs as she worked and smiled at her chain sister, Saffron.

 

Canoes are the most common form of transport along the rivers of the Black Coast. The Gorean canoe is a lightweight narrow vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel using a single-bladed paddle in each set of hands. They tend to be longer than a typical Earth canoe because they often accommodate many men and require room for provisions and equipment. Canoes are predominantly made of thick canvas stretched over a wooden frame, built by bending the ribs of the vessel over a solid mould. Once removed from the mould, the decks, thwarts and seats are installed, and canvas is stretched tightly over the hull. The canvas is then treated with a combination of varnishes and paints to render it more durable and watertight. Canoes sit very low on the waterline but are swift and manoeuvrable, not to mention sturdy.

 

I was actually glad to see that Tijani was joining us after all, for I still had vivid memories of that disastrous expedition into the Northern Forests many years ago when Brinn had been a complete ass in underestimating the Panther Girl tribes and we had been captured within hours of entering the tree line. Rain forests are not his natural terrain and I wouldn't trust him not to do something stupid en-route to the trading post. Tijani struck me as more cautious and sensible and would hopefully be able to rein in some of Brinn's headstrong impulses. And, yes, Mina would be invaluable with her knowledge of the jungle. Things were definitely looking up.

 

“I like your hair,” said Mina as she scampered onto the wharf to sit beside me. Without asking permission she ran her fingers through it. She looked at me for a while and then said, “I'm glad we're still together.”  

 

“Mina...” I knew what that look in her eyes meant. “We can't. It's different now. The men don't like to see that sort of thing. You have a master now.”

 

Mina sucked at her lower lip and nodded slowly. I watched as she touched her collar. “I miss you, Emma. Just... being with you. Sleeping together. Holding one another. That's all. We don't have to do anything...”

 

“Mina...” I touched her cheek. “It's different now.” I saw the sadness in her eyes. But what could I do? She would be sleeping with Tijani and I would be sleeping with Brinn.  

 

And besides. I preferred men.

 

There really is no comparison. I like to feel a man inside me. Nothing else even comes close. And yet there had been a time when I was a man that I had longed for the sexual company of women. It gets harder to remember those feelings, as if my body is repulsed by the memories and seeks to purge them from my thoughts. I sometimes worry that I'm slowly losing all traces of my former self. I can no longer remember what Abi Forrester looked like – my first real crush at school. I know from a logical point of view that I adored Abi Forrester and used to stare at her whenever I thought she wasn't looking. I know I was entranced by her developing breasts, her lips, her hair, her smile, everything about her, but I can no longer feel the emotions I know I had at the time. I remember being so excited by the sight of her bare legs beneath her pleated school skirt, back when I was thirteen, but when I try to conjure those images now I feel nothing. Wasn't there a time when I used to lie on my bed in my bedroom, listening to the Smiths' song, 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' on my CD Walkman, desperately longing to be with the beautiful Abi Forrester? I remember being captivated by the way she smelled – that fresh, clean laundry smell of her clothes mixed with the natural scent of her soft skin. I remember the first time we nervously kissed in a bus shelter and I felt like I was going to explode. But I don't remember what it felt like. And the memory no longer gives me any pleasure. Instead my thoughts drift back to men. And then I get turned on and I feel wet between my legs. Did the Kurii do this to me? Did they deep programme my mind to be a pleasure slave at heart? Is my life now a lie? Or was my previous life a lie and I was just too scared to admit the truth at the time?           

 

Sometimes I feel ashamed by what I have become. We are going in search of my sister, Bea, but what will she think of me when Brinn tells her the truth? Her little brother has become a slut. Will she think I'm an insult to her sex? The truth is, I am terrified of meeting her and telling her who I am. Perhaps Naomi had been right, back on the Larl? Maybe it would be better never seeing her again, for both of us?

 

And yet Simon placed her in danger and so I have to find her now. Nothing else matters. She would do the same for me.

 

She's my sister, and I will always love her, even if she is repulsed by what I have become.  

 

“So,” said Tijani with a grin. “Do any of you kajirae wish to beg for clothing?” Chloe and I were currently naked – Brinn had ordered us to lose our cheap rep cloth tunics that by now were soaked in sweat - and so were Mina and Saffron.

 

“Emma begs clothing, Master,” I said quickly, and my words were soon echoed by the other girls, even the once proud Mina and Saffron. We watched as Tijani opened one of the bags stashed away in the canoe and produced four pieces of colourful striped cloth. Each piece of cloth was twelve inches in width and maybe five feet in length. I had seen such garments worn by the black slaves in Schendi. The cloth would simply be worn as a wraparound skirt, wound several times about her hips and tucked snugly in place.

 

“Come here, Emma,” said Tijani and I ran to him as ordered. He smiled and handed me the first of the pieces of cloth. Everyone watched as I wound it several times about my hips and tucked the end tightly in place. I had clothing! Tijani then gave me some necklaces of large colourful wooden beads and a selection of bangles to choose from. I was very happy to adorn myself with these accessories.

 

“Thank you, Master.” I turned to display myself to Brinn who grinned and nodded with pleasure at the sight of me. And then, one by one, my chain sisters lined up to receive their one piece garments too. Chloe, Saffron and Mina seemed to enjoy trying on the various beads and bangles, comparing one look with another as they bickered as to who might have which accessory. I noticed that Chloe chose not to pull rank and simply select the best pieces for herself.

 

I felt Brinn take hold of me and kiss me and I responded to that kiss, raising myself up on tiptoes. I felt his hand rest on the tucked portion of the wrap around skirt and pull it loose with a single motion. It was that easy to strip me if he wished. I rubbed my body against him and purred as I felt his hands explore my naked buttocks now.

 

“Seeing you clothed always gives me the idea of stripping you,” Brinn said as he ravished my mouth with his own. “You will sit in front of me in the canoe, kajira, and you will not wear the cloth until we stop to make camp.”

 

“Yes Master!” I said with delight, for it meant he still found me sexually desirable, despite my short hair. I placed my left hand on the head of his cock and felt it rise under his tunic. “I beg use, Master.”

 

“Brinn, we haven't got time,” said Tijani with amusement. “And Emma, stop flirting with your master. You can be a shameless slut when we make camp tonight.”

 

“I want you so much...” I whispered into Brinn's ear in my most seductive and husky voice and I was pleased to feel his thick cock trembling in my hand as I said those words. “I'm afraid you're not going to get much sleep tonight, Master,” I whispered as I then leaned away.

 

“Do we have to leave now, Tijani?” asked Brinn as he ran his hands over my flanks.

 

“Yes! Put your slave away. She can wait.”

 

“I don't think she can,” mused Brinn as he touched me between my legs. “She's ready for use.”

 

“She's always ready for use,” said Tijani. “Let her stew. I want us to reach the shelter and shade of the palms along the river bank before the sun is at its highest point. That means leaving now.”

 

And so we did, reluctantly on the part of Brinn. I gave him a number of seductive glances as we climbed down to the long canoe, ensuring he was still thinking of me in the way I wanted him to as I settled down on the bench one seat behind the seat at the bow as I assumed that is where Tijani would sit.

 

“That's my seat, Emma,” said Mina as she clambered over the rear benches to reach me. “I'm sitting behind Tijani.”

 

“No, I am,” said Saffron as she pushed and elbowed her way past Mina. Before any of the men could say anything, the canoe began to sway from left to right on its tether as three kajirae jostled for the second seat on the canoe, the one that would mean the girl was sandwiched between the two men.

 

Chloe watched with amusement as Mina pushed Saffron back and the Cosian girl fell backwards onto the floor of the boat. Mina then turned to me and motioned for me to move. “Move back, Emma. Har-ta!”

 

“This is my seat,” I snapped. “I got here first, and Brinn wants me to sit in front of him, and... Ow!” I suddenly felt Mina seize my short hair and drag me back from my seat, kicking and flailing, as she hauled me towards the stern of the canoe.

 

“Kajirae!” screamed Chloe, who obviously had had enough of this. We all froze and gazed up at her as she stood on the wharf with her hands balled as fists on either side of her hips, staring down at us. The men seemed to find this very funny. “On the wharf, NOW!” she shouted. “Nadu!” We all climbed back onto the jetty and lined up in nadu position with our backs straight as Chloe paced up and down in front of us.

 

“Masters?” asked Chloe.

 

“I'm at the bow,” confirmed Tijani. “Brinn will be at the stern. Kajirae in-between. Brinn wants Emma in front of him, so Emma has the fifth bench from the bow. Chloe, you're first girl so you choose from the remaining seats.”

 

“I'll take second seat, behind you, Master. Then Saffron and then Mina.” She turned back to regard us again. “Now do the kajirae know where they're sitting?”

 

“Yes, Mistress,” we all replied.

 

Chloe clapped her hands and indicated the canoe. “Pick up paddles and sit your pretty bottoms down on your benches.” A few minutes later we were all seated with our feet braced against wooden blocks ready for paddling. Tijani hopped down onto the canoe and picked up a paddle of his own as Brinn clambered down to the stern behind me.   

 

“Pay attention, kajirae,” said Tijani as he held the paddle up for us to see. “Place your left hand on top of the rounded end and take hold with your other hand the length of paddle a foot or so above the flat. When you paddle you twist at the torso so that your water-side shoulder shifts forward. Then move the paddle forward and plant it in the water so that the blade of the paddle is submerged. You want to reach as far ahead as you can without moving from your seat or leaning too far forward, otherwise you'll lose your balance. Brace your feet against the rowing blocks and keep the shaft of the paddle as close to vertical as possible for greater strength.” He then proceeded to demonstrate with several slow motion strokes. Brinn reeled in the rope tether from the pier and together we practised for half an hour paddling backwards and forwards close to the pier, trying to learn a regular rhythm that meant we were all paddling with the same motion. We also learnt to switch sides with our paddle every few strokes because otherwise the canoe would begin to turn in a circular motion. Tijani didn't explain this to us to begin with and there was much laughter as a flurry of kajirae paddling caused the canoe to rotate and become a hazard to other boats on the river. We also managed to whack one another with the paddles as we attempted to lift them from side to side, resulting in swear words exchanged between the girls. Tijani then taught us how to cross; pulling the paddle out of the water when it is at your hip and then lifting it perpendicular to the boat and bringing it safely across while switching the position of the top and bottom hands.

 

After half an hour Tijani decided we wouldn't prove too dangerous to other river boats and with the sun rising higher in the day time sky he announced it was time for us to row up river and out of the city itself.

 

By now we were all quite excited and enjoying ourselves - me especially - as Brinn occasionally nuzzled my neck and kissed me beneath my hair line. I felt his hands reach round and stroke my breasts as I tried to keep a straight face while Tijani explained how we would swap paddles from port to starboard and back again.

 

“I am so hot for you right now, Master,” I whispered as I leaned back into his embrace.   

 

“Are you paying attention, Emma?” called Chloe from near the front.

 

“Oh, yes, Mistress!” I cried back as Brinn slipped his right hand around my waist and stroked the front of me between my legs. I squealed with excitement.

 

“Please, Master,” said Chloe in a loud voice, “you're distracting Emma. She needs to learn this.”

 

“I think I'm being told off by my first girl,” said Brinn with a smirk as he moved his hand away from my wet, needy sex. “I should have appointed Candice. She'd be a lot more respectful.”   

 

“I heard that, Master,” said Chloe with a laugh. “I doubt you even remember what Candice looks like!”

 

“Dark hair... big breasts?” suggested Brinn.

 

“Thick ankles. You wouldn't like her,” suggested Chloe as she gazed back at us with a smile. “You made a wise choice appointing a Taharian girl, Master. We know how to maintain discipline with a gaggle of kajirae like these.”

 

“She's not even really Taharian...” I muttered quietly under my breath. “I'm more Taharian than she is...”  

 

“I heard that too, Emma! I have very good hearing you know...”

 

And then with the first proper co-ordinated strokes of our paddles we sent the long canoe moving up the Nyoka river and through the wharfs and canal sides of Schendi towards the jungle beyond the city palisade walls.