If there was a response from the walls, it was hard to make it out. "But yet you were preparing yourself quite carefully, hoping to be permitted to belong to one as a slave."
"Liar!" she cried. I saw her small fingers move, but she did not dare to clench her fists. The fingers moved helplessly, but the palms remained facing upward, exposed.
"You were bearing much gold," I said, "which, foolishly, you thought to offer to Cosians, that they might spare you and keep you as a slave. But that was stupid. For they would take the gold and then do what they wanted with you, putting you to the sword or not, as they pleased."
She cried out in anger.
"But if your thoughts in this matter had been correct," I said, "it might have been too bad, might it not, for many of the other women of Ar's Station, women less fortunate, less rich, than you, who lacked the means wherewith to purchase their lives?"
"That could not be my concern," she said, angrily.
"But I assure you, Lady Publia," I said, "the pertinent determinations in such matters, when the women are stripped and stood against a wall, are not made on the basis of gold."
"I suppose not," she said, bitterly.
"Why, too," I asked, "did you, a wealthy woman, of the Merchants, choose to wear artful rags, as though you might be a simple low-caste maid?"
She was silent.
"There are two reasons," I said. "The first is that you feared that the high castes and the richer castes, such as the Merchants, might be less likely to be spared by the enemy, that they might be the subject of more resentment, perhaps because of envy, or perhaps that they would be particularly sought out for vengeance, on the supposition that they, presumably the more powerful castes in the city, might be most responsible for the prolongation of the siege. You, on the other hand, by your disguise, so to speak, might hope to escape such a fate. Cosians would see you, you hoped, not in terms of politics, but merely in terms of loot. The second reason is more interesting. You wanted to be seen in terms of something well worth hunting and capturing. Thus the artful rages, apparently so inadvertently but excitingly, displaying your calves. You did not wish to be brought down with a quarrel at a distance but to find yourself at close quarters with captors. Then you would surrender to them."
"No!" she cried.
"It is for such a reason," I said, "that your rags were designed to be removed swiftly, so easily and gracefully, and on your knees."
"No!" she said. "No!"
"Lie quietly," I said. "And most interestingly, and objectionably," I said, "you had not had your hair shorn."
Lady Publia did not respond.
"To be sure," I said, "you wished to give the impression that you had done so. That was the purpose of the cloth you wore about your head. It was intended to make it seem as though you, perhaps in understandable vanity or embarrassment, wished to conceal shortly cropped hair. certainly I, at first, assumed your hair had been shorn."
"I, too," said Lady Claudia.
"Do you recall," I asked Lady Claudia, "that I earlier suggested that there might be a reason, other than reasons of your sort, for not having her hair cropped?"
"Yes," Lady Claudia.
"Do you now suspect such a reason?" I asked.
"Yes," she said.
"Yes," I said. "With such hair, such lovely hair," I said, toying with it, behind Lady Publia's back, "she would be more likely to be spared." Lady Publia tensed, angrily.
"Let other women have their hair shorn," I said, "donating it to the defense of their city. Not she. It, like the artful rags, their length, their ease of removal, and such, had its clever, calculated part to play in her plan. She would thus, retaining her hair, it enhancing her beauty, if captured, stand out like a paga slave among mill sluts. If selections were to be made, it then seems that surely she would be among the first chosen, not for the sword, but for the chain."
Lady Publia's small fingers moved wildly, angrily, but she dared not close her hands. The palms remained up, exposed.
"There are the trumpets again," said Lady Claudia.
"It is the recall," I said.
"Nut they will come again, will they not?" she asked.
"Yes," I said, "and, if necessary, again, and again." I looked down at Lady Publia.
"Does it seem fair to you," I asked Lady Claudia, "that Lady Publia should have such an advantage over the other women of Ar's Station?"
"I do not know," said Lady Claudia.
"It does not seem fair to me," I said. "When you were going through our friend's pouches over there, did you find any small knives, such as a hook knife or a shaving knife?"
I had a belt knife myself, which was sheathed on the sword belt, to the right, but at the moment I preferred something lighter-bladed, smaller and sharper, if it were available.
"One fellow had a shaving knife," said Lady Claudia.
"Bring it to me," I said.
"What do you want if for?" said Lady Publia, anxiously. In a moment Lady Claudia had returned with the implement.
"What are you going to do!" cried Lady Publia.
"Hold still," I said.
"No!" she wept. "no!"
In a few moments I discarded the small knife, throwing it to the side. Lady Publia was lying in the straw, bawling. She clutched her head wildly, in dismay, in disbelief.
"Kneel," I said, "facing me."
Weeping, Lady Publia obeyed, her hands still on her head.
"Now," I said, "if Cosians come on you, you will be on the same footing as the other women of Ar's Station."
Tears filled her eyes.
I had left her enough hair so that I could get my hand in it, in the scrub of it, so that I might use it as the guard had earlier the hair of Lady Claudia, to control her. Too, thusly, it as now of a convenient length for a Cosian to seize it, should that eventually occur. It was of about the same length as that of Lady Claudia.
Lady Publia, half hysterical, kept her hands on her head. This lifted her breasts nicely. Then, seeing my eyes on her, she wept and put down her head, kneeling low, her hands still over her head.
"Prisoner," said I, harshly, "on all fours."
She assumed this position.
"Go to the place where you put the clothing," I said to Lady Claudia, "by the rope, the leash and collar, and wait there." Lady Claudia hurried to the place.
I then stood up and looked down at Lady Publia.
"Lift your head, prisoner," I said.
She did so.
"Lift up one end of the rope," I said to Lady Claudia.
She did so.
I them, abruptly, seized Lady Publia by the scrub of her dark hair and pulled her, she crying out, half crawling, half being dragged, over to where Lady Claudia waited. It was precisely so that the guard, earlier, had treated Lady Claudia.
"Kneel here," I said to Lady Publia, indicating the same spot where Lady Claudia had knelt, "up, off your heels, your arms at your sides."
Frightened, Lady Publia complied.
It was exactly in such a position that Lady Claudia had been knelt by the guard. I then took the free end of the rope from Lady Claudia's hand and, exactly as she had been tied, with the many coils, beginning near her waist, began to bind Lady Publia.
"What are you doing?" moaned Lady Publia.
"Put on her clothing," I said to Lady Claudia. "Hurry." The most recent assault force, the third of the morning, had been recalled. This meant a lull. At such a time men could be freed from the walls. Too, it was now late morning.
"What does she think she is doing!" demanded Lady Publia, outraged. "oh!" "As I recall," I said to Lady Publia, "you recommended that the ropes be made tight."
"Oh!" she said. Then suddenly, again. "Oh!" Then, "please," she begged, "do not make them so tight!" Then, Oh! Oh!" she said.
Then she was trussed.
"Your calves and ankles," I said to Lady Claudia, "are as attractive as hers." Lady Claudia flushed with pleasure at my compliment. Then she said, delightedly, touching the garment. "I have not worn clothes in days!" I smiled to myself. I thought she might as well enjoy clothes, while she was permitted them.