“Ah, I see,” he murmured. “You called to the seetar but not aloud. And she needed naught save comfort?”
“She needed understanding, too,” I said, “but comfort most of all. I comforted her and she’s mine.”
“But wenda cannot own property here,” he said in a smooth, easy way. “You are my belonging, and what was yours is now mine. How, then, may the seetar be yours?”
“She is mine!” I insisted stubbornly “Take her if you can!”
“Now you give my own words back to me.” He laughed. “You are able to call to her and I cannot. The seetar is yours.”
He faced forward, and I sat there behind him trying to figure him out. I’d expected a fight from him over the seetar but he’d given up any claim to her just like that. It could have been that he thought he would own her anyway when I left, but I didn’t think that was it. It was almost as if he didn’t need to prove his superiority in so small a thing, almost as if he were rewarding me for proving my point with his own arguments. He was feeling pleased, and I didn’t understand why.
Faddan and Doran turned off at a building, raising their hands in farewell, but we kept going until we came to a much larger building than any of the others, even though it was still single-story. It stood to the left of the road, was faced with some sort of stone, and had a double-doored entrance at the top of two steps. The doors were made of wood, but were metal braced, and a higher, seetar-sized door was all the way to the right. We made our way to the seetar door, and it opened for us. An older man stood there, grinning up at Tammad.
“It is good you are returned home, denday,” he said. “All is as you left it.”
“I would expect no less, Bollan,” the barbarian answered. “I shall unburden the seetarr and would have your Gilor await me in the hall.”
“It shall be done, Tammad.” The man nodded, then stepped back out of the way. We rode past him, my seetar a bit nervous, and entered a covered alleyway that led to the rear of the building. There was a heavily fenced in, partially roofed corral about twenty feet from the back of the building, and that’s where we went. When we were all inside the corral, the man called Bollan closed the corral gate behind us.
“Do you now see to your seetar,” the barbarian said, setting me down on the ground. “I shall be occupied with the others, and there is fodder aplenty.”
“I don’t mind taking care of her, “I said, watching him dismount. “As long as you remember that she is mine.”
He snorted briefly in amusement, then turned to the four seetarr he had to tend to. I looked around and found a nice piece of carcass for my girl, then encouraged her to eat it. She didn’t need much encouragement as she was very hungry, but she wasn’t used to being fed without an aura of fear about her. I stroked her side as she chewed, aware of her deepening happiness.
Suddenly I was nudged very gently from behind, and turned to see Tammad’s saddle seetar less his saddle and bridle. He snorted very softly at me, and let it be known that he was hungry. I shook my head in mock annoyance, then chose another piece of carcass for him to eat. I went back to my girl then, but the big male picked up the meat in his teeth and carried it over to us before he began eating. I laughed softly, and stroked him, too.
“My seetar cares for you.” the barbarian said from where he stood watching my group. He had all of the packs and halters off the animals, and they were searching for food. “I had not understood this, but you knew of it.”
It was more a statement than a question, but I nodded anyway. “I knew. His thoughts are very lovely and calm—and comforting.”
“So you sought comfort from him—and not escape from me,” he said with a small smile. “I had thought it the latter. Come to the house with me, wenda.”
I assured my girl that I would not be far away, then walked over to him. He looked down at me in a strange way, his emotions confusing me for a minute, but then their meaning was obvious. His pleasure came from being home again, his relief due to the fact that I was still relatively in one piece. If I had managed to do something serious to myself, it would have been inconvenient to his cause. He stroked my hair briefly then led the way to the house.
The back door opened into a moderate-sized entrance hall, which had four doorways. A handsome older woman stood quietly in the hall, smiling warmly when she saw the barbarian.
“I am much relieved that you have returned, Tammad,” she said. “I feared that this journey would swallow you forever.”
“There are still many journeys to make, Gilor.” The barbarian grinned. “I am not yet to be swallowed. I would have you know my wenda Terril, and ask that you see to her hand. It was burned on our journey here.”
“Gladly will I do so,” Gilor answered, looking me over. “Bollan has already had me put furs for her near yours. Do you wish food?”
“See to her hand first, then we both shall eat,” he directed “And do not allow her to aid in the cooking of it! She must heal before she faces further peril.”
He strode out through one of the doorways and Gilor watched him go, then turned to me with a grin.
“Such a sour expression!” She laughed. “The denday’s wenda does not care for his humor?”
“It was not humor,” I told her dismally “I burned my hand attempting to cook for him. I shall not make the attempt again.”
“You must do more than make the attempt,” she said firmly, wagging a finger at me. “Think you the denday shall keep his bands on one who cannot tend to his needs? One may spend only so much time in the furs.”
“I am banded for reasons other than cooking or furs.” I told her, staring at the floor without seeing it. “Your denday cares nothing for me, and shall soon return me to my own land. Then shall he search for one who knows the way of his needs. That one is not I.”
“I would see the burn,” she said after a moment, holding her hand out. Although reserved, she was a friendly person, but would not allow her curiosity to ask further questions. I gave her my left hand, and she unwrapped the dirty bandage from it.
“It has begun to heal,” she said, studying the large, round, shiny-red sear on the back of my hand. “It is fortunate that salve was applied to it. Come, I shall add more salve and a clean bandage.”
I followed her through one of the doorways other than the one the barbarian had taken, finding a short hall that led to a large kitchen. There were four young girls moving about in there, but they stopped to stare at me when we walked in. Gilor was wearing four bands, but the younger blondes had only one each, and that on their left ankles. Not only was there little friendliness in them, but two of them were downright hostile inside. Overtly, they smiled.
“Do you return to your work,” Gilor said to them. “Is the denday to turn away guests at his door so that you may stand about and gape? Terril shall not disappear, and you may know her when the men are seen to. Quickly, now!”
The girls grinned and turned back to what they’d been doing, but they still had their attention on me. I was being sized up, but with different feelings from the ones the men had shown. Gilor found a pot of salve and a clean rag and took care of my hand, then went to a large kettle that hung on a hearth and scooped out two metal platesful of what looked like stew. An oversized goblet was filled from a pitcher, two smaller shallow-bowled, long-handled versions of the kettlescoop were put near the plates, then she turned back to me.
“Do you carry your own plate,” she directed. “I shall take Tammad’s.”
“I would take the denday’s trejna to him,” one of the girls interrupted, coming over to stand in Gilor’s way. She was tall and big-busted, with a very pretty face.
“It matters not.” Gilor shrugged, looking around her. “There are other things requiring my attention. Terril, go you with Rapan. She will show you to Tammad.”