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."The key to these chains," demanded the prisoner, rising to his feet.Blades were set at the throat of Borchoff.His men were throwing down their weapons.The surprisehad been complete.For the music we had heard nothing.The wire had been cut, with bladed hooks, swung on long lines below giant tarns, cut, and tornfrom its posts.The tarnsmen had approached from the dark quadrant, away from the moons, low, notmore than a few feet from the ground, hidden by the shadows of the world, and then had, withoutwarning, little more than a quarter of a pasang from the keep, swept into the air, the first wavestriking at the wire, the second, third and fourth waves dropping through the cut, billowing wireto the parapets, roofs and courtyard of the keep.Numbers had fought their way almost instantly tothe hall.The plan of the fortress seemed well known to them.They moved with dispatch.Borchoff, angry, half sober, threw the key to the prisoner's chains to one of the intruders.Swiftly they were unlocked.The man stood proudly, rubbing his wrists."Are you the leader of these men?" asked Borchoff."Yes," said the man."You were apprehended making inquiries," said Borchoff, "into the structure of our fortress andthe nature of its defenses.""The inquiries," said the man, "were completed earlier, and the plans devised.It was thennecessary only to let myself fall into your hands.""You intended your capture?" asked Borchoff."Yes," said the man."I was thus brought into the fortress, where I might make furtherdeterminations, of such a nature as to expedite the transactions of my men." He then turned tocertain of his lieutenants, issuing orders.The lieutenants, in turn, communicated with their men.Men sped to their work."You have been observant," said Borchoff."I attempted to improve my time," said the man.He grinned at Borchoff."And your men, as Ianticipated, were most helpful, speaking freely before, and to, one whom they thought destined tothe chains of a slave."Borchoff glared at his men.The leader of the intruders was handed a pouch, which he slung about his shoulders, and a sword."I would continue the conversation, Captain," he said, "But you must understand that we must movewith dispatch.""Of course, Captain," said Borchoff."We lie within the patrol limits of the tarnsmen of Ar.""The evening's patrol will be delayed," said the man."It seems there was a distraction, a burningfield some pasangs to the south.It must be investigated and reported."Borchoff's fists clenched."Chain him," said the man, indicating the very chains with which he himself, earlier, had beensecured.The chains were snapped on Borchoff."Who are you," demanded Borchoff, in fury, his wrists and ankles confined."Is it the nineteenth hour?" asked the man."Yes," said Borchoff."I am Rask," he said, "of the caste of warriors, of the city of Treve."The slave girls screamed, and I broke, and fled with them.Behind us we could hear orders beinggiven.The fortress would be sacked.I fled wildly down a dark passageway.I could hear a man behind me.Then he turned aside, topursue another girl.The silk was half torn from me.I tried to tear off the slave bells on my ankle.A girl sped past me, turning into anotherhallway.I looked wildly about.I saw a steel door.I slipped through.It was not guarded.Beyondthe door was a passageway.I ran panting, slave bells jangling on my ankle, down this passageway.file:///F|/rah/John%20Norman/Slave%20Girl%20Of%20Gor.txt (136 of 227) [1/20/03 3:34:31 AM]file:///F|/rah/John%20Norman/Slave%20Girl%20Of%20Gor.txtThen, opening a door, I saw a new passageway, one in which there burned a lamp, hanging on achain.I remembered this second passageway.I had been conducted through it on my first day inStones of Turmus.It was lined with barred gates.I pulled at the barred gates.Then I backed awayfrom them.It would not be wise to hide within, could I even gain admittance.Behind laytreasures.They would be sure to be looted.I must look for the grosser storage places, those inwhich bulk goods were kept.These places, I remembered, were farther down the passageway, on theother side of a steel door.I fled down the passageway.I came to the heavy steel door.It was notnow guarded.I left it ajar.Gate after gate I tried along the passageway below the steel door,those gates giving access to the storage areas for larger, less valuable merchandise, but all werelocked.I jerked at the bars.I could not open them.I wept with frustration.I looked wildly backdown the passageway, frightened.If anyone should enter the passageway I would be immediatelyvisible, a fleeing, hunted, beautiful, half silked, belled slave girl.I jerked again at the barsof a gate.I could not hide! There was no place to hide! I spun about, miserably, my back to thebars, moaning.I could feel them against my back.I looked again down the passageway.No one wasyet in it.I touched the collar I wore.I clutched the bit of silk which still clung, loose, aboutmy hips.I moaned.I was too beautiful, I knew, to be treated gently by Gorean men.I feared theirropes and whips.I was a slave! Who knew what they would do to me, if they would catch me! I sawthen, below me, down the hallway, the door to the office of Borchoff.I ran to the door, pulled itopen and entered.On the wall I saw the whip with which I had been disciplined, after some strokesof which I had begged, tamed, sobbing, to wear a collar.I touched the collar at my throat.Ishrank back from the sight of the whip.Even the sight of a whip strikes terror into the heart ofa slave girl.She knows what it can do to her.She has felt it.One of the most frightening thingsto a girl about the whip is the knowledge that the Gorean male, if he is not pleased with her,will use it, and without hesitation.I heard shouting from the passageway leading to the otherdoor of Borchoff's office.I heard the striking of swords.I heard a girl scream.I heard a girlcrying out piteously, pounding and scratching hysterically at the other side of the door.Ihesitated.Then I heard her, an instant later, screaming, being pulled away from the door."Bindher and take her to the parapets," I heard."She is your tag," said a voice."I shall take thenext." I heard the girl cry out, in sudden pain.Then, a few moments later, I heard her beingdragged away.I heard other voices.Then I moved back toward the door through which I had entered.The handle of the other door was being tried.Then I heard men kicking at the panels.I saw woodbreaking in, splintering, and an arm reaching through, to unlatch the door.I turned and fledaway, back the way I had come [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]