25. In the Tavern of Tasdron Men Meet in Secret
'Withdraw, slave,' said Tasdron, proprietor of the tavern of Tasdron in Victoris, off hte avenue of Lycurgus.'Yes Master,' said Peggy, bowing her head, deferentially, and backing gracefully from the table as a slave. She was barefoot and wore a brief snatch of diaphanous yellow pleasure silk. Her long blond hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon.The close-fitting steel collar was lovely on her throat. The rustle of slave bells locked on her left ankle was subtle and sensual. She withdrew to the far side of the room and knelt there, back on her heels, knees wide, as befitted the sort of slave she was, a mere pleasure slave.
Callimachus, sitting across from me, regarded her. She put her head down, unable to meet the eyes of such a man. I saw that she trembled under his gaze. I smiled to myself. I had seen how she had looked upon him in her serving and when she had knelt near the table. Her eys had been soft and moist and tender and vulnerable and helpless. I had sensed how she had restrained herself from lowering herself softly to her belly on the floor before him and extending her hand to him, begging his touch, and that he would make her his. But she did not wish to be slain for such insolence, she only a lowly Earth-girl slave. I had seen the look in her eyes. In her eyes had been the light of a helpless slave girl's love. I recalled that once she had told me that there was only one man of all Gor to whom she would rather belong than myself, and that he did not even know, or scarcely knew, of her existence.
I had not pressed her to reveal his name. But now, I had no doubt I had penetrated her secret. In her head the imbonded Earth girl wa sthe secret love slave of Callimachus, a warrior once of Port Cos. But she dared not make her feelings known to him. She did not wish to be slain. Accordingly she could be to him little more than any other slave, only another girl, self-effacing, deferential, scarcely noticed, who served him in the establishment of her Master, Tasdron of Victoria. In spite of her beauty and his frequent use of the tavern of Tasdron, he had never ordered her, whip in hand, to strip and hurry to an alcove for his pleasure. In the misery of his dereliction and afflicted by the devitalizing consquences attendant upon it, he had preferred the indulgences of self-pity and the delusory solaces of paga to the exultant and proud imposition of his will, as a dominant male, on the hearts and bodies of writhing female slaves. Then when he had recalled himself to the codes of his caste, he had resolved to forgo the victories and the rights, and the triumps of the Mastership until certain serious, projected works had been accomplished. It was in connection with such works that we had met this night in the tavern of Tasdron.
'You understand,' said Tasdron, 'that is it dangerous for me even to be a party to these matters.'Callimachus looked away from the girl, kneeling, head down, by the far wall. She was only a slave.
'If men such as Kliomenes or Policrates should understand that we are met on such subjects, my tavern, at the least would be speeedily reduced to ashes.' 'That is understood, Tasdron,' said Callimachus,'We are sensitive to the danger that there is in this for you.'
'But there is surely,' said Tasdron, 'much greated dnger for you.' 'We will accept that risk,' said Callimachus. 'I, too, then, ' said Tasdron, 'will do no less.'Good,' said Callimachus.
We spoke softly. We sat about a small table in a back room in Tasdron's tavern. Callimachus had kept the reputation of his dereliction a secret from those in Victoria. When he went about in public it seemed his shoulders were bent, his eyes bleared, his step uncertain, his hand unsure.
It was only at times like now, with trusted men, that he sat and carried himself and spoke as a warrior. Victoria knew him still as only a fallen man, one defeated, one lax in his caste codes, one inert and whining in traps of his own weaving. They knew him still as we had decided fit for our plans, as only a sot and a drunkard. They needed not know that he who had fallen had now risen; that once more the codes were kept with pride; that the codes with which he had once, with such pain and skill, bound himself, he had now sundered and torn from him, like an enraged larl, emerging fiercely from a net now too frail to hold him longer. He had recalled that he was Callimachus of the Warriors, one entrusted with steel, one entitled to wear the scarlet of the pround caste. I did not think it likely that he would forget these things again.
'I have spoken to Gloyco, Merchant of Port Cos,' said Callimachus. 'He will fetch Callisthenes, who is captain of the forces of Port Cos in Victoria, he in search of the topaz. He will come to this place at the twentieth Ahn.'He must come in disguise,' said Tasdron. 'Spies are everywhere.' 'That will be made clear to him by Glyco,' said Callimachus.
I observed Peggy, the long-haired, long-legged, blond Earth-girl slave, kneeling head down by the far wall. Her shoulders shook with a sob. She was so near to him whom she so vulnerable and desperately loved and yet, as a slave, must remain helplessly silent.
'Have you made inquiries amount those of Victoria?' asked Callimachus of Tasdron. 'Is theresupport for our work in the town?' I have with circumspection made these inquiries,' said Tasdron, dourly, 'but I fear there is little support in this place for such dangerous labors.' 'We can expet no aid, then, from Victoira?' said Callimachus. 'None,' said Tasdron.
I continued to watch the girl, her head down, at the far wall. She, a female and a slave, had been banished to that place, that she not be privy to the discourse of men and masters. Yet she was close enough to be promply summonded to serve instantly if aught might be required of her.
Her shoulders shook with sobs. I looked away from her. She was only a slave, and slaves are nothing.
'We must arrange that Aemilianus, Captain of the forces of Ar's Station, also attend this meeting tonight,' said Callimachus.'Surely it has not escaped your attention,' smiled Tasdron, 'that Cos and Ar are currently at war?' No,' said Callimachus. 'Yet I think the common interest on the river of Ar's Station and Port Cos, and indded of Cos and Ar themselves, should persuade them to regard our plan with care.'
'Those of Port Cos and Ar's Station would sooner beat one another's throats then share wine in Victoira,' said Tasdron.
'The problems of Port Cos are not idential to those of Cos,' said Callimachus, 'nor are those of Ar's Statioon identical with those of Ar.' 'Ar's Station is in effect an outpost of Ar,' said Tasdron. 'It is unlike Port Cost, which is a colony, and whose ties with Cos are largely historical and cultural.'
'Yet guardsmen of these two places have been for weeks in Victoria and have made no effort to seek one another out.' 'Indeed,' said Tasdron thoughtfully,'they had studiously avoided one another.'
'The location of their diverse headquarters are surely known, one to the other,' said Callimachus. 'That is true,' said Tasdron.
'Does it not then seem that they have other things on their mind more important than the indisputable difference which separate them.' 'Perhaps,' said Tasdron.
'I suggest,' said Callimachus, 'that the security of the river is of greater concern to them both than the distant wars of their allies.'That may be true,' said Tasdron, 'but surely it is nothing they could admit openly.'What could admit it more openly then their common presence in Victoria, without strife?' asked Callimachus.
'Aemillianus will never confer with us should he learn that Callisthenes is to be party to our proceedings, nor will Callisthenes permit himelf to attend a meeting at which he knows that one of Ar's Station is to be present.' 'Each need not now in advance of the projected attendance of the other, ' said Callimachus.
'And what will you do when they learn of this matter' asked Tasdron. 'Attempt to prevent bloodshed,' said Callimachus. 'I trust that you will be successful,' said Tasdron, glumly. 'If either Aemilianus or Callisthenes should be felled in my tavern, I thik the incident would be unlikely to escapt the attention of their allied guardsmen.'
'To be sure,' smiled Callimachus, 'theri vengance would doubless be merciless and prompt.' Tasdron shuddered. Gorean men, in certain matters, tend not to be patient.
'Glyco, to whom I have spoken, being a merchant of Port Cos, can meet openly with Callisthenes without arousing suspicion. There will be no difficulty thus in bringing Callisthenes to our meetl The matter, however, will be otherwise with Aemilianus. It is unlikely that he can be subtly contacted. Here there is danger. He like Callisthenes is doubtless under surveillance by spies of pirates.'
'I am hungry,' I said.'Peggy,' said Tasdron, raising his voice.Swiftly the girl leaped to her feet and with a sound of slave bells, hurried to the table beside which she knelt. 'Yes, Master,' she said. 'Bring me bread and meat,' I said to her.'Me, took' said Callimachus, seeming to llok through her, without really seeing her. She was only a girl who was owned and must obey. 'Yes, Master,' she said. Her lip trembled.'Me, too,' said Tasdron, 'and too bring forth some cheese and dates.' 'Yes Master, she said, 'Do Masters desire drink?'
Tasdron looked at Callimachus. 'Water,' said Callimachus. 'Black wine, ' I said. I thought it best to keep my
