“You’re disgusting!” I snapped, shaking my head to get the sweat-soaked hair out of my eyes. “Just like the rest of the barbarians on this world! No matter what you think, you have no right doing anything to me against my will!”
“Right is viewed differently by different people.” He shrugged, his grin widening. “I can tell from your thoughts that you’ve been taught a lesson about how some men decide what their rights are on their own. I’m looking forward to seeing Gay King learn that same lesson, and from a master.”
“What’s the matter, Len, did she refuse you too?” I pounced immediately, getting a good deal of satisfaction from the thought. “It’s a shame but more power to her.”
“Stop feeling so smug,” he laughed, really amused. “Gay is a stunningly beautiful woman, as attractive to men as you are, and I nearly fell all over myself when we were first introduced. I could have been ready for her any time, but she kept me at arm’s length and I didn’t think it wise pursuing the matter with Murdock McKenzie there. And then I was awakened.”
“And you found out she was too shy and sensitive to be touched,” I summed up, wiping the sweat off my forehead with my arm. I was just about ready to drop—but not in front of Len.
“Hardly too shy and sensitive.” He laughed again, folding his arms. “Gay doesn’t think much of men, and she enjoys using her body to turn them into sweating, trembling puppets. In a way she’s the same sort of spoiled brat you are, and needs someone who can’t be complained about to the Peacemen. I don’t think she’ll enjoy her visit here—or, if she gets lucky, it’ll be the best time she’s ever had.”
I stared at him, seeing the casual satisfaction in his mind, realizing he understood the situation he was in and intended taking advantage of it. Len had had the same sort of upbringing I’d had, and somehow it had prepared him for the sort of life Tammad offered, a life where men were free to do whatever they pleased to women. On Central, Len could have had almost any woman he wanted, but with the one provision that she also wanted him. On Rimilia that provision no longer applied, and I shuddered with the feeling of defenselessness that rolled over me. Wasn’t I a person, too? Didn’t I have the right to refuse any man I didn’t want?
“Don’t feel that way, Terry,” he said very softly, sending me a touch of gentleness as I discovered that my eyes had left him to study the ground at my bare feet. “I know you’re not in a very comfortable position, but don’t you see that I’m in the same position on Central? On our own world, desirable women can have any man they want, whenever they want them, and the men have no way of complaining if they’re made to suffer. Here it’s the other way around and the women have no recourse, but I don’t see many of them suffering. They enjoy being used a lot more than men enjoy not being used.”
“I don’t come from this world,” I whispered, refusing to meet his eyes. “It isn’t fair forcing me to live their way.”
“Of course it isn’t fair,” he agreed, still gently. “But it also isn’t unfair. It just is. It’s my turn to be accommodated, your turn to be taken advantage of. If I struggled through it on Central, you can do the same here.”
I was about to say I didn’t want to struggle through anything, but was interrupted by the appearance of Gay King. She still wore the stylish leisure suit she’d had on earlier, but it looked considerably more wilted than it should have. She dabbed at the light sheen of sweat on her brow, then her finger flicked imperiously in my direction.
“You there, how much longer until our food is ready?” she asked, her voice too lazy to be considered demanding. She knew who I was, but she wasn’t the type to be impressed.
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” I informed her, trying again to stand straighter. “Maybe you’ll be told when it becomes your turn at the spit.”
“Don’t be silly,” she sneered, moving her eyes around the camp in obvious disapproval. “I wasn’t brought here to turn spits. I’ll leave that to those of you who are more obviously suited to it.”
Fury rose in me at her insolence, and I was just about to snap an answer, but once again I was interrupted. Tammad appeared out of nowhere beside the woman, and looked down at the cooking animal.
“I see the krayea is barely begun,” he observed, needing no more than a glance to tell how far along the animal was. “As there is considerable time left before we may eat, I believe I will look more closely at the newest gift given me by the Amalgamation. Come to my pavilion with me, woman.”
He was looking down at Gay King, rating her again with his eyes and liking what he was seeing. Gay was well aware of his inspection, but wasn’t terribly impressed by it.
“I can’t possibly join you until I have something to eat,” she stated, still looking around at the camp. “And while you’re at it, see if you can find something light and cold in the way of wine. There are certain standards due my position, and I see no reason to disregard them.”
“Perhaps you mistake what position is yours,” Tammad answered with his usual calm, then his fist was suddenly in Gay’s short black hair, causing her to pale and gasp with shock. “It is your position to obey my will, my position to command you. It seems necessary to teach this truth to each female of your worlds, and I grow weary of it. My pavilion is this way.”
He turned Gay around by the fistful of hair he held, and led her stumbling toward his camtah. The woman was considerably deflated by what was being done to her, but I could see she wasn’t the sort to stay deflated long. As angry as I was—at both of them—when the idea came I didn’t hesitate an instant. I sent a strong sense of disinterest at Gay, trying to make the emotion soak down into her mind, hoping it would surface again and again during the hours to come. If it worked, I wouldn’t give much for the pleasure either of them would feel, not having to work around an obstacle like that. Tammad was a beast, but he preferred honest response from the woman he used.
“That was a dirty trick,” Len said, most of his amusement gone as he turned back to look at me. “I can understand why you did it, but I don’t particularly approve—or understand how you did it. I was under the impression we weren’t able to—hey, let go of that handle!”
Startled by the sudden sharpness of his words, I looked down at the handle I held to see the blood Len had already seen. As if on cue; I also suddenly felt the sharp stab of pain in my hands, where the blood was coming from, a pain I had only been partially aware of earlier. I stared at the blood very briefly, then continued to turn the spit as I’d been doing.
“Aside from my talent, I’m not worth much on this world,” I told Len, feeling the incredulity be felt that I refused to stop what I was doing. “If I have to be here, I’ll pull my own weight. I was given a job and I’ll do it.”
“You stubborn—!” He choked, staring at me in bright anger. “You’re not trying to do a job, you’re trying to punish everyone for having given it to you by hurting yourself! Get away from that handle and let someone else take over!”
“No!” I spat, holding the handle tighter even against the burning, blazing pain I felt. “Think of it any way you like, but leave me alone!”
“The hell I will!” he snarled, looking around angrily until he saw Loddar, one of Tammad’s l’lendaa. He gestured to Loddar, calling him over, then switched to Rimilian speech when the man reached him.
“You must call Tammad at once,” he told the frowning l’lenda. “This woman is injuring herself, yet refuses to leave the spit.”