“She has no chance of escape,” I said.
“She thinks, however,” said Marlenus, “that she had an excellent chance. She does not know Hura’s band. She thinks her bedding has been changed. She knows of no clothing, unwashed, which remains behind her. She will fear only that sleen, if we used them, might pick up her scent from the shelter in which she slept.” “She will think, then,” I said, “that she has a chance, perhaps and excellent on, with her lead and the darkness, of escaping.” “Yes,” said Marlenus.
“But she has no chance of escape,” I said.
Marlenus nodded his head. “That is true,” he said. “She had no chance of escape. “Ubar,” said a voice. It was one of the guards.
“The girl, Verna,” he said, “had fled.”
“Thank you, Warrior,” said Marlenus, dismissing the man. Then Marlenus turned to me. ”You see,” said he, the game is already begun.” I nodded.
Marlenus looked about himself. He saw, to one side, the large board of one hundred yellow and red squares, the tall weighted pieces.
“Would you care for a game?” asked Marlenus.
“Tomorrow,” I said. “It is late now, Ubar.”
He laughed. “Good-night,” he said.
I turned and left. I looked back once, to see Marlenus regarding the board, intently, it placed now before him on the table. He was moving pieces, trying combinations, lines and permutations.
I thought of Verna fleeing through the night forest, swiftly, silently, wary, excited, elated, heart beating.
I looked again to see the Ubar in his tent, his fist beneath his chin, regarding the board of the game.
Verna was a lovely tabuk. Unknown to herself she was still on his tether. Scarcely had Marlenus flung his Ubar’s Tarnsman to Ubar’s Builder’s Seven when we heard the cry at the gate.
It was a hot afternoon, late in the afternoon. It was the day following Verna’s flight.
We rose together, and went to the gate, and had it opened. We saw Verna immediately. There were two short choke straps on her neck, each half by a different panther girl. Her wrists had been bound behind her back. Further, at two places, across her shoulders and belly, her arms with coils of binding fiber, very tight, were pinioned. She knelt between her two captors. There were several more girls, armed, behind her.
She looked up, angrily. Her head was high.
A dark-haired, tall girl strode forward.
“Greetings, Hura,” said Marlenus.
“Greetings, Ubar,” said the woman. I saw that Mira stood behind her. Mira was much pleased.
Verna was clad only in the bit of yellow slave silk she had worn when she escaped. It was half torn from her. Shreds of it were held by the binding fiber on her body. She was barefoot. There were many scratches on her legs and body. About her neck, and shoulders and arms, and back, she had been switched. “We have caught an escaped slave,” said Hura.
Verna struggled in the bonds.
“A branded girl, collared,” said Hura. She struck Verna in the shoulder with the butt of her spear, that of a free woman.
Hura reached to Verna’s collar. She dug her fingers between the neck and the steel, and jerked it, twice. “The collar of this slave girl, she said, “says that she belongs to Marlenus of Ar.” “That is true,” said Marlenus.
Hura laughed. She was a tall, long-legged girl, rather hard looking, not unbeautiful. She seemed strong. I did not trust her. She spoke loudly. Her laugh was not pleasant.
Marlenus was looking down on Verna, bound kneeling at his feet. She looked up at him, boldly, angrily.
“It is true,” said Marlenus. “This is one of my girls.”
“I am not one of your girls!” screamed Verna. “I am not one of your girls! I am Verna! Verna, the outlaw woman! Verna, the panther girl!” “She is pretty, isn’t she?” asked Hura.
“A lovely girl,” said one of the panther girls, holding one of the choke straps. “Slave silks befits such a pretty little bird,” said another girl.
Verna struggled in her bonds.
“Do not injure your pretty body,” warned Hura, “You will be less pleasing to men.” “She-sleen!” wept Verna.
“Doubtless,” said Mira, “she would be even prettier in cosmetics and earrings.” “Traitress!” screamed Verna. “Traitress!” “Slave girl!” said Mira. “Slave girl!” “She fled from us last night,” said Marlenus.
“We have caught her,” said Hura.
“I will give you a steel knife,” said Marlenus,and forty arrow points for her.” “Very well,” said Hura.
The knife and arrow points were brought, and Hura took them.
The choke straps were removed from Verna’s throat. With her foot, spurning her, Hura thrust her to the ground at the feet of Marlenus. She lay on her left shoulder, looking up at him.
“Next time you may not be so fortunate, Marlenus,” she said.
“Get up,” he said.
She struggled to her feet. He took her hair in his hand and bent her over, her head at his waist, holding her as one does a female slave.
“You, Hura,” said Marlenus, “and your lieutenant, Mira, may watch, if you wish.” “We would be honored, Ubar,” said Hura. She, and Mira, followed Marlenus, he holding Verna as a slave girl, within the stockade. I followed them. Behind us the gates were swung shut and locked.
“I do not care if you beat me,” said Verna, in pain. “I have felt the whip.” But Marlenus dragged her past the whipping post. I could see that this frightened her.
Marlenus stopped at the side of his great tent, in an open space.
“Summon the camp,” he said. “Bring, too, the slaves.”
He forced Verna to her knees beside him. He removed his hand from her hair. Soon the camp had gathered around, huntsmen, tarnsmen, retainers, slaves. Watching, too, circled about, were Verna’s girls, in their panther skins, chained together by the right ankle. There was no one in the camp who was not present. Present, too, of course, were Hura and Mira, Verna’s enemies. When we had all gathered about, there was a silence.
It was in the late afternoon. A bird cried in the distance. There was not much stir in the air. It was hot.
Verna looked up at Marlenus, proudly, defiantly.
“Remove her bonds,” said Marlenus.
She looked up at him, startled. A huntsman, one of Marlenus’ retinue, cowled in the head of a forest panther, stepped behind her. With his sleen knife he freed the girl’s arms and hands.
She still knelt, apprehensive.
“Who are you?” asked Marlenus.
“I am Verna,” she said, “the outlaw.”
Then, to her astonishment, and that of all those watching, saving the Ubar himself, Marlenus took the key to her collar from his pouch. He opened the collar and replaced the key in his pouch. He then removed the collar from her throat and cast it to one side, in the dirt.
She looked up at him, puzzled.
“Hamstring the outlaw,” he said.
“No!” she cried. She leaped to her feet but two huntsmen, cowled in the heads of forest panthers, seized her by the arms. “No! No!” she screamed.
“May we go, Ubar?” pleaded Hura. Mira, too, wanted to rush to the gate. “Remain where you are,” said Marlenus.
The two women, frightened, did not move.
“Ubar!” screamed Verna. “Ubar!”
At a gesture from Marlenus the shreds of pleasure silk which still clung to her were torn from her by two huntsmen, they, too, like the others, cowled in the heads of forest panthers.