Everything that barbarian did turned out well for him. He was in control of every situation and, what was infinitely worse, he was in control of me. As Paulamin Tumley had said, a Prime should be free to do anything that pleased her, but the barbarian refused to see that. He stubbornly insisted that I obey him, that I serve his needs, whatever they were. That it did not please me was of no consequence to him. When we reached Rimilia he would undoubtedly beat me for locking him out, but I was beyond caring.
My small case of belongings was ready when the crewman came to carry it to the transport’s transfer slip. I followed along behind him, holding myself with calm dignity even in the face of the fact that the barbarian would be waiting for me there. The other passengers hovered just out of reach, staring at me and waving slightly so that I might notice them and perhaps even nod. I nodded mechanically-too preoccupied to appreciate the attention, and then we reached the transfer slip.
The barbarian was already seated in the slip, and he looked up as I entered. I nodded calmly to him and took my own seat around the circle, a seat slightly removed from his. As we were the only ones going to Rimilia, I had my choice of seats. I watched the pilot take his place in the center of the slip so I didn’t have to look at the barbarian. The brief glimpse I’d gotten of him showed him looking not at all pleased.
We grounded gently on Rimilia in spite of the pouring rain to be seen in the pilot’s screens. A lone figure stood beside a ground vehicle, staring up at the slip, waiting patiently for someone to emerge. Tammad was out of his seat immediately, standing impatiently in front of the door ramp that the pilot hadn’t yet opened. I took my case and stood behind him, but somehow I had lost my calm and dignity.
As soon as the door ramp was activated, Tammad sprang out into the rain. I went more slowly, grasping my case tightly, reflecting that the warmth of the rain did little to compensate for its drenching aspect. I was soaked through almost as soon as I stepped out in it, my hair hanging in sopping strands down my back.
I stopped two or three steps past the foot of the ramp to see that Tammad had already reached the man at the ground vehicle, and they were pounding each other like long-lost brothers. The other man was considerably smaller than the barbarian, but he gave as good as he got. The door ramp to the slip retracted behind me, the slip lifted into the air, then it was gone in the grey of the sky and I stood alone in the downpour. There was little sense in just standing there, so I made my way through the mud to the ground vehicle.
The man gestured that we were to enter the vehicle, but as he and Tammad appropriated the front of it, I was relegated to the back. At that point it made little difference, as anything out of that rain was welcome. I got in and pulled the door closed behind me, then turned to wring out my hair.
“Terry!” said a deep voice I thought I recognized. “It can’t really be you!”
“Why not?” I asked, looking into the amused eyes of Dennison Ambler. “If the infamous Denny Ambler, sweetheart of the Diplomacy Bureau, can be exiled to Rimilia, why should I be any different?”
“The same old Terry.” He laughed, shaking his handsome, brown-haired head. “You haven’t changed a bit. Tammad, my friend, your cause is won. With a Prime like Terry to help you, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
“There’s very little that he doesn’t do now,” I remarked, throwing my soggy hair back over my shoulder. “I find it inconceivable that there could be more.”
“Uh oh,” Denny said, flinching a little at the coldness in my tone. “Don’t tell me you two don’t get along? Tammad, what happened to the old charm? I thought all women found you irresistible?”
“All women save she who is my belonging,” Tammad answered in a growl, his eyes examining the landscape through the wide, front windshield. “House-gifts do not come properly trained on your world of darayse.”
“House-gifts?” Denny echoed. “How the hell was she—never mind. You can tell me the story later. Let’s get over to the embassy and into some dry clothes first. Did I mention that I almost didn’t recognize you in that snappy Central leisure suit? I’m not used to seeing you dressed up.”
Denny started the vehicle with a chuckle, and drove away from the cleared landing area. We sloshed and splashed our way a short distance to the outskirts of a dingy group of huts that materialized out of the rain. A right turn and another quarter of a mile took us to a large, two-story, typical embassy building. Denny drove the vehicle down a ramp, causing a door to open in front of us. We entered the embassy’s parking level, the door closed behind us, and the rain was shut comfortably out.
“I’ll find a couple of rooms for you,” Denny said as he turned the vehicle off. “Your things are just as you left them, Tammad, all ready and waiting.”
“Good.” Tammad nodded, unfolding himself carefully from the seat. “I am pleased to be home again, and will be even more pleased to once again have room to move myself. On your world, I always feared that something would break. Have you imad and caldin for the woman?”
“Sure, she can have one of Asdir’s,” Denny answered amiably, stepping out of his own door.” Asdir won’t mind in the least since she’ll then have an excuse to wheedle some new ones out of me. So our Prime will be traveling as a native woman, hm? What does she think about it?”
“She wasn’t even consulted!” I snapped, getting out of the vehicle, too. “I brought my own clothes with me. Why should I have to wear someone else’s blouse and skirt?”
“You will wear imad and caldin because you are instructed to do so,” Tammad said, his eyes on me with more than slight annoyance. “Your lessons were incomplete on your world, but we have now reached my world. Do you wish to disobey me?”
“Ah, let’s go find those rooms,” Denny interrupted hastily taking my arm and leading off, but then he stopped suddenly, letting my arm go as if he thought I had something contagious. He turned back to Tammad, and his face had a slightly flushed look.
“Excuse me, my friend,” he said quietly. “Old habits die hard. I didn’t mean to touch your belonging without permission.”
“My friend Dennison need have no fear,” Tammad answered just as quietly as he moved to where Denny and I stood. “What is mine is his, and I would have him know it.”
“I appreciate that,” Denny said with obvious sincerity “And I have a house-gift that’s been awaiting your return. Come and let me show it to you.”
Denny started for the ramp again, and Tammad followed behind him. The barbarian hadn’t even taken his case of clothing from the transport, but then why should he have? He’d probably never wear civilized clothing again. I thought of my own case in the vehicle, then followed them up the ramp.
The embassy visiting level was bright with intricate chandeliers, vibrant wall and floor carpeting, luxurious furnishings, and well placed knickknacks. Denny kept his dripping form away from all that, leading the way directly upramp to his living quarters. Less luxury and more livability prevailed there, and he threw open the door of a room.
“Terry, this is yours,” he said. “I’ll be back with something for you to wear as soon as I get Tammad settled. Help yourself to the hot bathwater.”
I nodded slightly and went on in, swinging the door shut behind me. The room was nice, but the yellow carpeting wasn’t appreciating being dripped on, so I went through to the bathroom and stripped off my soggy clothes. I left them in a pile, stepped into the life-saving warm water in the tub, then transparented the wall-The rain was still coming down in a torrent, and there was nothing to see through it.