Enda laughed aloud. “No,” he said. “Our seed will grow more potent if we wait.” Then he turned to Lara, who had been listening to them and struggling to restrain her aversion. “Go into the bushes, girl, and relieve yourself. We will be doing the same. Are you hungry?”
“Aye.”
“Do what you must, and then we’ll eat,” he told her.
Hidden behind the greenery Lara obeyed him, for it was the only sensible thing to do. She gazed down at her pendant. The little flame glowed steadily. She drew a deep breath, and stepped out into the clearing again, where the two men were awaiting her. Enda handed her a chunk of bread spread with the most delicious cheese she had ever tasted in all her life. It was soft and creamy, and had bits of mushroom in it. Lara gobbled it down none too delicately, and Enda, eyes dancing with amusement, handed her a second piece.
“My betrothed wife, Tira, makes the cheese,” he said. “It is good, isn’t it?”
“You have a wife?” She was surprised.
“We wed in the autumn. She is the younger sister of Durga’s wife, Sita. My brother and I are members of the ruling family. It is tradition that our wives come from one particular family.”
“What if a particular generation had no females?” Lara asked him.
“It has never happened,” Enda said. “Our bloodline is pure, and goes back to the days of the Creation. The Forest clans are the oldest families on Hetar.”
They gave her a little wine to drink, and then they remounted their horses and were on their way again. It was very late afternoon when they arrived back at Durga’s hall. Sandwiched between her two owners, Lara mounted the narrow, winding staircase that led to the treetop structure. She was amazed by it all. There was nothing like it in the City.
“I have my own quarters here in the hall,” Enda told her as he led her away. “Although my brother and I both own you, you will remain with me for the interim.” He opened a door at the end of a dim passageway, and led her inside. It was different from anything she had ever known, but it reminded her somehow of the hovel. Yet it was not. The large chamber was dark because of its rough wood walls and ceiling. A big stone fireplace with a blazing fire gave the room a pleasant warmth. The floors were covered with sheepskins to keep out the cold. The furniture, a large table and several chairs, were rough-made of heavy wood. There was no decoration of any kind. She did not know if this was because it was a man’s quarters, or because the Forest clans did not have such finery.
He walked across the chamber, and flung open another door. “This is where you will spend a great deal of your time, Lara. Here, in my bed. When Tira and I are wed I will not live here, but rather in my own hall. You, however, will remain here, waiting on the pleasure of your masters.” He slid an arm about her. “Are you afraid?”
“Of what?” she asked him striving to seem unconcerned. Yes! She was afraid. Afraid of this dark place. Afraid of the knowledge that it would be her task to give pleasure to both of these brothers who called themselves her masters. But she would never admit it. Never!
“Of what lies ahead for you,” he said turning her about to look down into her beautiful face. “Of me.” His lips brushed hers gently.
She felt nothing, nothing but icy disdain, and she was surprised. “I should be a fool not to know that you and your brother have purchased me to be your Pleasure Woman, but I know naught of what you desire,” Lara told him. “In the City a virgin who enters a Pleasure House has her first-night rights auctioned off to the highest bidders, for I am told every girl has three virginities to take. After that first night she is trained in the arts of pleasing the men and the women who visit her. Since the Pleasure Guild refused to have me among them, I have had no training in the pleasure arts.”
“My brother and I will teach you how to please a man,” he told her, “and we shall enjoy taking your virginity. I shall go first, for it was my extra gold that allowed my brother to pay what he did for you. But he shall be with us that night in our bed, and he shall enter your body second, that same night. It is only right, as he is the elder.”
“Why did you pay such an outrageous sum for my person?” Lara asked him.
“Our reasons are our own. You would not understand,” Enda told her. “Do not ask me again or I will personally whip you. I would dislike marking that lovely skin, but I will be obeyed, Lara, lest anyone think me weak. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, my lord,” she replied softly.
“Then we shall not quarrel,” he said, his fingers caressing her arms as he spoke. He could feel his lust for her rising. Durga was right. They would not wait long. Not tonight, for he could see the girl was tired. But perhaps tomorrow. If she had no knowledge, then it was probably best to begin her schooling as soon as possible.
“Is there somewhere I may wash, my lord?” her soft voice made the request.
“There is always water and a basin in the bedchamber,” he told her. “You will want to rest until the evening meal. I will have food brought to you. You will be left in peace tonight. I will have one of the women bring you your belongings. You will not leave these rooms unless I come for you, Lara.”
“Yes, my lord,” she agreed, and watched as he turned and left her.
When he had gone she looked about her more carefully, but her first impressions were only confirmed. Durga’s dwelling was a comfortable but rough place. She went into the bedchamber and looked about. The wooden bed, of course, was huge, with four carved pillars and a wooden canopy. She wanted to see what covered it, but she also wanted to bathe the dust of the road from herself. She hadn’t had a bath since leaving the City. There would be time enough to explore if she was truly to be left alone tonight.
She found a pitcher of water in the coals of the bedchamber fireplace exactly where it should be. She tipped the water into the basin on the little table that stood against a wall. Loosening her gown she let it slip to the floor, and taking up the cloth that had been in the basin, she washed herself all over. When she had finished she shook the dust from her gown. She disliked donning it again as she thought it dirty, but there was no other choice. She did not yet have her pack. Then she went out into the other room, and sat by the fire.
It felt good to sit still and quiet. The warmth of the hearth took the Forest’s dampness from the chamber. She was certain that Durga’s hall was filling up with his family, his friends and retainers as the evening came on, but she heard nothing. And then the door to the chamber opened, and two women entered. One carried a tray, and the other her pack. Lara recognized them at once.
“Belda! Jael!” she cried.
“We’re not supposed to talk to you,” Belda whispered.
“Durga’s orders,” Jael added, putting Lara’s pack on a chair.
“Are you all right?” Lara said low.
They both nodded.
Belda put the tray on the table. “We’ll find a way,” she murmured, and then she and Jael hurried out of the chamber.
On the tray Lara found a bowl of venison stew, fresh warm bread, a piece of cheese and a small cup of ale. Never a fussy eater, she wolfed it all down, leaving not even a crumb for a mouse. Going to the chamber window she looked out, but in the twilight saw nothing but thick green leaves. She wondered if she should bar the door, but there was no lock. Shrugging, she walked back into the bedchamber. She was very weary with all that had gone on in the past weeks. Enda had said she would be left to herself tonight, and she suspected it would be a good time to catch up on her sleep. To her surprise there was a glimpse of the green Forest moon through the trees outside this chamber’s window. She added a bit more fuel to the fire, and then fetched her pack.
Setting it on the bed, she opened it and drew out a clean chemise. She removed her dusty travel gown and put on the clean one. Then digging down in the packet she pulled out the pearwood hairbrush that Tania had given her and began to brush her long gilt hair. Her hair needed washing, but the morning would be time enough, Lara thought to herself. She slowly rebraided her hair as she considered that, for the first time since her grandmother had died, she was completely alone. It was both comforting and frightening. The light had now faded completely, and Lara drew the coverlet from the bed, surprised to find it made with rough but clean linen. Climbing in, she settled down, reaching for the crystal about her neck.
