'What!' cried Boots, in horror.
'You must understand,' I said, 'that I have no intention of hitting her. She is, after all, a free woman.'
The Lady Yanina regarded me, wildly. 'I thought you were an expert!' she cried.
'I have never done this before,' I admitted.
'Good,' said a man. I am not sure, but I think he was the one she had spit upon. He, at any rate, did not appear pleasantly disposed towards her.
The Lady Yanina regarded me with horror.
'Never,' I admitted.
She stood there, buckled in place, against the bright red, yellow-trimmed backboard. She then, suddenly, frenziedly, began to struggle. I did not much blame her. In the end, of course, she stood precisely as she had before. I had not buckled her in in such a way as to permit her to free herself. She was a lovely woman. The costume, too, set her off nicely. Her throat required only a collar. Her thigh required only a bran. She whimpered a bit, pulling at the straps. She knew herself absolutely helpless. It was important, of course, that she was a free woman for this bit of showmanship. Who in the crowd would have been that interested, or concerned, or thrilled with horror, to see a slave in such jeopardy? What sort of take would that have brought in? Not many coins, I feared, would be likely to rattle in the kettle on behalf of so unimaginative an offering. Also, of course, slaves generally have some value, at least to the master, even if not much. They, at least, can be bought and sold. Who would want to risk one in such a foolish manner? Free women, on the other hand, being priceless, have for most practical purposes no value whatsoever.
'Step back, please,' warned Boots, gravely. 'Give him room.'
A hush fell over the crowd.
I took my position.
'Let me ask your forgiveness in advance, lady,' I said, 'should I possibly strike you.'
'Why would you do that, in advance?' asked Boots.
'It might be pointless afterwards,' I said.
'That is true,' he granted me.
Lady Yanina moaned. She tugged weakly at the straps. As she was fastened against the backboard, her wrists were drawn somewhat above her head and far to the sides. Similarly her legs were widely spread.If the board had been laid flat on the ground, the captive then on her back, the position, immediately, would have been recognized as a common binding position, one which girls are not unoften put for slave use.
'Be quiet,' Boots warned the crowd. 'We must have absolute quiet.'
Some fellow sneezed. I think it was the fellow she had spit upon.
'Please!' begged Boots.
'I have something in my eye,' I said.
'Are you al right?' asked Boots.
'Yes,' I said. 'I am all right now.'
'Is it true that you sometimes miss? asked Boots, anxiously.
'Sometimes,' I admitted.
Boots regarded me.
'No one is perfect,' I said.
'Throw,' said Boots, bravely, resolutely.
I unsheathed one of the quivas, and turned it in my hand. I then turned to face the Lady Yanina. 'What is wrong with her?' I asked.
'She has fainted,' said a man.
12 Conversations with a Monster; The Punishment of a Slave
'How did the accident occur?' I asked.
'What accident?' he asked.
There were fourteen pieces on the board, sic yellow, eight red. I was playing red.
I had now been with the company of Boots Tarsk-Bit for several weeks. In this time we had played numerous villages and town, sometimes just outside their walls, or even against them, when we had not been permitted within. Too, we had often set up outside mills, inns, graneries, customs posts and trade barns, wherever an audience might be found, even at the intersections of traveled roads and, on certain days, in the vicinity of rural markets. In all this time we had been gradually moving north and westward, slowly toward the coast, toward Thassa, the Sea.
'As I understand it,' I said, 'there was a fire.'
He regarded me.
'You wear a hood,' I said.
'Yes?' he said.
'That accident which destroyed or disfigured your face,' I said, 'that rendered it such, as I understand it, that women might run screaming from your sight, that even men, crying out, sickened and revolted, might drive you with poles and cudgels, like some feared, disgusting beast, from their own habitats and haunts.'
'Are you trying to put me off my game?' he inquired.
'No,' I said.
'It is your move,' he said. 'You next move.'
I returned my attention to the board. 'I do not think the game will last much longer,' I said.
'You are right,' he said.
'Out of the several hundred times we have played,' I said, 'never have I enjoyed so great an advantage in material.'
'Do you have an advantage?' he asked.
'Obviously,' I said. 'More importantly I enjoy an immense advantage positionally.'
'How is that?' he inquired.
'Note,' I said. I thrust my Rider of the High Tharlarion to Ubar's Initiate Eight. 'If you do not defend, it will be capture of Home Stone on the next move.'
'So it would seem,' he said.
His Home Stone was at Ubar's Initiate One. It was flanked by a Builder at Ubar's Builder One. It was too late to utilize the Builder defensively now. No Builder move could now protect the Home Stone. Indeed it could not even, at this point, clear an escape route for its flight. He must do something with his Ubara, now at Ubara's Tarnsman Five. The configuration of pieces on the board was as follows: On my first rank, my Home Stone was at Ubar's Initiate One; I had a Builder at Ubar's Scribe One. On my second rank, I had a Spearman at Ubar's Builder Two, a Scribe at Ubara Two, and another Rider of the High Tharlarion at Ubara's Scribe Two. On my third rank, I had a Spearman at Ubar's Initiate Three and another at Ubar's Scribe Three. One of my Riders of the High Tharlarion, as I indicated earlier, was now at Ubar's Initiate Eight, threatening capture of Home Stone on the next move. On his eight rank he had a Spearman at Ubar's Builder Eight, inserted between my two Spearmen on my third rank. His Spearman at Ubar's Builder Eight was supported by another of his Spearmen, posted at Ubar's Scribe Seven. He had his Ubara, as I indicated earlier, at Ubara's Tarnsman Five. This was backed by a Scribe at Ubara's Scribe Four. this alignment of the Ubara and Scribe did not frighten me. If he should be so foolish as to bring his Ubara to my Ubar's Builder One, it would be taken by my Builder. His Scribe could recapture but he would have lost his Ubara, and for only a Builder. His last two pieces were located on his first rank. They were, as I indicated earlier, his Home Stone, located at Ubar's Initiate One, and a Builder, located at Ubar's Builder One. The Builder was his Ubar's Builder.
'How would you choose to defend?' he inquired.
'You could bring you Ubara over to your Ubar's Initiate Five, threatening the Rider of the High Tharlarion,' I said.
'But you would then retreat to your Ubar's Initiate Seven, the Rider of the High Tharlarion then protected by your Scribe at Ubara Two,' he said. 'This could immobilize the Ubara, while permitting you to maintain your
