was he to me? Could he be, I wondered, my master? Again and again I kissed his feet, I now only a slave, and he so far above me, standing, formidable and powerful, a Gorean male. How far I was now from my former world, from the former Allison Ashton-Baker.
“I would know what is on my collar, Master,” I said.
“Do you beg it?” he said.
“Yes, Master,” I said.
He then indicated that I should stand, and he took my collar in his hands, and lifted it a little.
“Master?” I said.
“It is very simple,” he said. “It says only ‘I belong to Lady Bina’.”
“There is nothing about the house of Epicrates, or Emerald Street?” I asked.
“No,” he said, “but do not be concerned. Many collars are similarly simple.”
“And if I were in your collar?” I asked.
“You are a bold slave,” he said. “It would presumably be something like ‘I am the property of Desmond of Harfax’.”
“It would not even contain my name?” I said.
“One may then change your name as often as one might wish, without changing the collar,” he said.
“It is fortunate I am not in your collar,” I said.
“It is perhaps more fortunate than you realize,” he said, quietly.
“I hate you,” I said.
“That might make it more pleasant to have you at my feet,” he said.
* * * *
The day’s races had been recently finished and our party, the Lady Bina, Astrinax, Lykos, Desmond, and myself, had descended the tiers, and were preparing to leave the grounds when we had encountered a neck- chained, matched set of slaves, both barbarians.
“In what way,” inquired the Lady Bina, “is this a matched set?”
“They are both barbarians,” had said the slaver, “and, apparently, speak the same barbarous tongue. Your girl seems to know them.”
“Can you speak to them, Allison?” asked the Lady Bina. “In their barbarous tongue?”
“Yes, Mistress,” I said. “It is called English.”
“There are several barbarian languages, Lady,” said the slaver.
“Speak to them, a little, in that English,” said the Lady Bina.
Words burst forth amongst us, eager, wild, grateful words. “We are all collared, all slaves!” I cried. “Yes, yes,” cried Jane and Eve. It seemed that my apprehension, which had been separate from the others, had been an accident of my location in the house. The rest had been brought to the parlor, stripped, bound hand and foot, gagged, and placed in a truck, as though they might have been kindling, and taken to a transportation point. Apparently Mrs. Rawlinson had much enjoyed the scene, observing the reduction of her former charges to the status of captures destined for Gorean markets. Jane and Eve had been brought to Venna. I, and perhaps others, had been delivered to Ar. Others must have been variously distributed.
“That is enough,” said the Lady Bina, sharply. We were then silent, frightened. One obeys free persons. One hopes to please them. One does not wish to be punished.
“Interesting,” said the Lady Bina.
“Yes,” said Lykos, regarding Eve.
The fair Earth-girl slave put down her head.
“Yes,” said Astrinax, scrutinizing Jane, as a slave may be scrutinized.
I saw that Jane knew herself so scrutinized. She looked to the side, her lip trembling.
I then saw my friends, Jane and Eve, familiar from a thousand interactions on a former world, afresh, as they now were, as I had never thought of them before, as mere slaves, as lovely, exquisite, delicate animals, half naked, purchasable, timid under the eyes of men. But why not, I thought. They were young, they were beautiful, they were desirable. And they were now, as I, on Gor.
How different were things now, from my former world!
How far were we all, now, from the banalities, the boredoms, the competitions, and trivialities of the sorority!
How meaningless we had been, how worthless!
We now had worth, some value, at least what coin we might bring. And we must strive to please!
We were now such that men would have their will of us.
We were slaves.
And had I seen something in Eve’s eyes, before she thrust down her head, frightened, before Lykos, and had I not noted a momentary start in the eyes of Jane, before hurrying to look away from the gaze of Astrinax?
How can a kneeling slave, looking up, not wonder if he who looks down upon her is not her master?
Surely she knows she has a price.
Perhaps he before whom she kneels will pay it. She does not know. She will then be his. She will then be bought.
The Lady Bina then addressed herself to the men. “Can you understand them?” she asked.
“No,” said the slaver. “No,” said the others.
“Nor I,” said the Lady Bina.
“I assure you that they are competent in Gorean,” said the slaver.
“I trust so,” said the Lady Bina.
“It is certified,” said the slaver.
It was in no way unusual, after the brief indulgence accorded us, consequent upon the curiosity of the Lady Bina, who was apparently curious as to the nature of our native speech, that we had been abruptly silenced.
In the presence of masters it is expected, of course, that the slave will speak in the language of the masters. Not to do so is to invite the lash. Whatever she says is to be comprehensible to the master. In all ways, verbal and otherwise, the slave is to be open to the master. This is fitting, as she is a slave.
“You are offering them, I take it,” said the Lady Bina.
“Certainly,” said the slaver.
“But you have failed to sell them,” she said, “and the races are over.”
“For the day,” said the slaver.
“But you do not wish to return to the house with them still on your chain,” she said.
“I would rather not,” he said.
“I wonder,” said the Lady Bina, “if these two slaves might be of interest to men.”
“Certainly they would be of interest to men,” said the slaver. “They are lovely. They would grace any block.”
“Astrinax,” she said, “do you think these two slaves might be of interest to men?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Assess them,” said the Lady Bina.
“Remove their bracelets, and the neck chain,” said Astrinax.
This was done.
“Tunics off,” said Astrinax.
I turned aside while they were assessed.
“Oh!” said Jane.
I heard Eve whimper.
“Kneel,” said Astrinax.
Both, I gathered, were found suitable for slave meat.
“I will let you have both for ten silver tarsks,” said the slaver.
“One, for both,” said the Lady Bina.
“Impossible,” said the slaver.
“You may as well debracelet Allison,” said the Lady Bina to Desmond. “We are leaving the grounds.”
