“Ah,” said I, nodding quite soberly. “The back in discussion, then, is mine and not yours. And yet I have no memory of being asked my wishes in the matter. Does this not seem exceedingly strange?”
Closely did I look upon him, and comprehension was not long in reaching him. The puzzlement faded from his eyes, to be replaced with something of annoyance, and wryly did he shake his head.
“I see,” he said, resting his forearms upon his thighs. “Again you seek to be difficult. Have you never been taught simple obedience?”
Again this preoccupation with obedience. All males seemed to be obsessed with the matter, and totally did I lack understanding of their views.
“A Hosta war leader need be obedient to none save Mida,” I informed him, and then looked upon him with curiosity. “Lialt, for what reason does a male ever expect obedience? Never have I demanded obedience from a male, save when he was captive to my clan, yet do all males demand obedience from me. The why of this I am unable to fathom.”
He laughed. “You speak as though you have almost no knowledge of men,” he mused, his eyes upon my face. “Surely your father demanded obedience from you, and taught you that you would one fey obey the man who chose you, as well.”
“I know naught of the sthuvad who served she who bore me,” I shrugged, seeing that my words disturbed him. “A mere captive was he, and gone about his business the moment he found release from the leather which bound him. Such is the way Hosta wish it to be, and your words hold no meaning to me.”
“Nor do your words hold meaning to me,” he murmured with head ashake. “That you have had no teaching from men is clear, yet the why of it is beyond me. However,” and deeply did he sigh, “I shall do my best to explain whatever is unclear to you.”
He shifted from his crouch to sit cross-legged upon the wood of the floor, and then he briefly smoothed my hair before taking my face in his hand.
“You,” said he, as though he spoke to one who had little understanding of our common tongue, “are a young, female member of this our race. With infinite wisdom did the Serene Oneness decree that females must be obedient to males, and so would all men have it. Perhaps when you have grown old and gray, younger men may heed what wisdom you have attained from your kalod of life, yet is such a state far from that which you may now expect. For the moment you are a female child who must learn to obey the word of men, else shall you ever find punishment at their hands. Has the matter been made clear to you?”
So serious did Lialt seem, that I could only laugh. “Such is foolishness,” I informed him with amusement as his hand left my face. “Never have I heard of such a decree, nor would it apply to one who follows Mida. Now do I see it as the foolishness of males, fit only to be laughed at by warriors. My thanks, Lialt, for having given me the explanation which I sought.”
Greatly vexed was Lialt then. “You have heard naught of what was told you!” he growled angrily, his face stern. “The wench before me is no more than that—merely a wench! You shall obey as do other wenches, else shall you be punished as they.”
His anger caught greater confusion within me. “For what reason are males to be obeyed?” I asked. “Why should females not be obeyed in their stead?”
Open-mouthed he stared at me, and then his mouth closed in outrage. “Men are ever obeyed by their women!” he snapped, one hand agesture in vagueness. “Females are empty-headed and filled with nonsense, and ever unable to decide upon questions put to them! Should men find cause to obey females, never would the females have wit enough to direct them properly!”
“What difficulty is there in directing others?” I asked, feeling sure there was some matter still beyond my comprehension. “For three kalod have I directed the actions of the Hosta, and only twice did I find the need to answer disagreement with a sword. Your objections do not seem valid.”
Much pained did Lialt’s expression grow, and his hand ran through his hair in the gesture Ceralt had so often used.
“Never before have I had such difficulty in expressing myself,” he muttered, his head ashake. “I think it best, Jalav, that these matters be discussed with Ceralt, I feel sure he shall find the answers you seek with much less difficulty than I. There remains but one further matter to be discussed between us, and the answering of it should not prove difficult to one of your exalted standing. Your back must be tended if it is to heal properly, and I shall see it tended to. Should you not wish to assist in your turning, I believe we shall both find that I am possessed of more than enough strength to see the thing done without your assistance. I will know this moment how you would have it: are you to turn or be turned?”
Amusement had once again returned to him, yet was I not of a humor to share it. Ever do males see their will done through naught save greater strength, reason finding itself totally beyond them. Bleakly did I look upon the grin he gave me, and had I stood, I would have held my head high.
“Jalav has little choice in the matter,” said I quite frostily. “Yet shall it not ever remain so. Lialt had best learn to sleep lightly. ”
With difficulty, I began to turn to my belly, yet was I able to see the grin fade abruptly from the face of the male as I struggled, and the breath of him drew in sharply.
“By the fetid breath of Sigurr the foul, I do believe the wench has threatened me!” he muttered. No further attention did I pay to his ramblings, for movement proved itself more difficult than I had anticipated. Sharply did the spear wounds stab at my efforts, and I felt the moisture break over my face as I panted and nearly gasped. Abruptly were there two strong yet gentle hands to assist my scrabbling, and then I lay belly down, drained of everything within me, yet untouched by the darkness which would have been most welcome.
“I had not meant for you to do the thing yourself,” said Lialt softly, and then was there a cloth at my face to take the moisture. My eyes had closed of their own, and little desire had I to open them once more, therefore did I naught save lie as I was as that about me slowly returned to awareness with the ebbing of the pain.
Lialt sat upon the other lenga pelts and began to remove the furs from about his legs. Each did he draw from him, then he stood the two upon the wood beyond the lenga pelts. With this done, he stood to remove the leather shirt of him, the belt of metal, the leather leg coverings, and lastly, the leather breech, and easily might it be seen that Lialt was well made as a male. Faintly did my interest stir, as ever is a warrior’s interest stirred at sight of an acceptable male, yet was such interest considerably curtailed by the presence of my wounds. Lialt tossed the breech upon the pile of the other of his coverings, and then his eyes crossed mine as I looked upon him in contemplation. Amusement showed at the corners of his mouth, and he folded his arms upon his broad, dark-haired chest.
“Have I been found acceptable?” he asked with faint laughter in his tone. “I should dislike to think that sight of my body has displeased you.”
“Lialt need have no fear,” I murmured, the shadow of a smile of appreciation touching me. “Should you ever be taken as sthuvad to Midanna, your body shall not displease them.”
With full truth did I speak then, for Lialt was made much as Ceralt was. Tall and broad, firm muscled beneath the dark of his skin, flat-bellied, slim-hipped, possessed of a manhood much in evidence even when unaroused. Easily did I recall the look of Ceralt when first he and his hunters had fallen to my Hosta, the heat that had come to him at touch of my body upon his, the heat that he, too, had caused to rise in me. Before my eyes stood the memory of Ceralt, disallowing sight of all else, disallowing banishment from my thoughts, the light eyes of him holding my gaze as none other was able to do. Again was I touched by feelings which a warrior was not meant to know, and the lenga pelt beneath me became a broad, dark-haired chest rising and falling in rhythm, warm with life, precious by cause of the shortness of the time I had been allowed to hold to it without bitterness. Slowly, I rubbed my cheek upon the chest that was not, and again it was naught save a lenga pelt, warm yet lifeless, too soft and too smooth to be that which I had briefly imagined it. Sight, too, returned, and I saw that Lialt was now between his lenga pelts, having moved himself there without my having seen.