Abu toyed with a cup of black wine on the rooftop of Lady Lilly’s harbour front house. He had come up by the outside steps, knowing that her sensitivities would not allow him to enter her home. He brought his slave, the girl Leyah who had told him of Lilly’s story about the scribe the other day. It had intrigued him, he wanted to know more.
“So you were about to tell me more of this crazy old scribe as you call her, when I had to go across the canal and deal with those men?” Abu asked.
Lady Lilly sipped her black wine slowly, it was the Gorean version of strong coffee, but she had hers with brown sugar and cream. “Oh my, yes I was, but there’s so much to tell about her, Lady Lefay you mean?”
“My girl told me you said she had been kidnapped by panthers?”
“Aye she was and it turned out very badly”
“Well the Northern Woods are full of panther tribes, didn’t the scribe take an escort when she traveled?” Abu was correct of course, most free women would take a male escort while traveling especially in a dangerous wild area. The panthers were groups of women who lived outside of Gorean law, in the wilds hunting and sometimes stealing. They were dangerous, did not enter cities in fear of being forced into slavery and treated much as criminals. However sometimes mercenaries would trade goods with them.
“Well yes she did but she was betrayed.” Lilly picked up a ramberry tart, she was eating as part of her breakfast. The sun was still low in the sky, “At least we think she was.”
“You were not with her then, but back at the library?” Abu did not touch her offerings, he ate light in the morning, though he could see his girl watching the treats on the table and nudged her bottom with his boot. She immediately sat up straighter on the rug.
Leyah blinked and looked out to the sea away from the pastries. Her mouth was watering. If she didn’t pay any attention the Mistress might give her one some other time. Kajira were known to love pastries, and stories, they just loved life itself.
Lady Lilly dabbed her mouth under her light veil, some of the crumbs were sticky. “Well Lady Lefay used to have dealings with a man known as Terror Looming”, Leyah looked from the sea up to Lilly’s face. She had heard of the name, it had a bad reputation. “She started using him in some of her more delicate dealings once she had been made High Scribe and then Magistrate of Cardonicus. So he was supposed to be with her while she went from Cardonicus through the woods to Piedmont the small village nearby.”
“But he wasn’t?” Abu looked at her.
“They somehow became separated. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but she was surrounded by the panthers and they took her.”
“But you say that he, Terror was in Lefay’s employ. Why would he betray her?”
“Coin no doubt. Lefay has always been very stingy when it comes to paying people. Terror resented it, and there had been arguments between them. She once sent him to hunt down a slave, then instead of returning the girl, he took her as his own for a while.” Lilly looked away at that point, she was going down other avenues and brought the subject back on course.”But I digress, the point is he betrayed her to the panthers for coin.”
Abu rubbed his chin. Something was missing from this story, Lilly was always vague about her life as Lefay’s apprentice in Cardonicus, and there was something between her and this man Terror. What a stupid name he thought, obviously made up. But he wanted to know about Lefay. “Well panthers don’t usually keep hoards of coin so who paid him?”
“Another scribe, a supposed historian named Lady Tomas. She hated Lefay ever since she had arrived in Cardonicus, and was in envy of her being promoted so fast through the blue cast of the city. Lefay in turn looked down on Tomas as a local bumpkin, herself having been trained in the capital Glorious Ar. Their hatred for each other began one night near the gate where the warriors patrolled.” Lilly looked out to the sea in memory and took a sip from her black wine...
The warrior Pelopidas leaned on his spear as he saw the High Scribe approach the city gate. “Ah speak of the devil the scribe.” He said to the other guard Alf. The city’s captain Storm looked up too and sighed.
Lady Lefay stopped before them. She wore her customary blue gown as the cast colour most scribes dressed in. “Tal warriors, all is quiet this evening I hope?”
Alf nodded, “Tal Lady”
“Tal Lady, I've heard you got drunk?” Pelopidas smirked. He had just been talking about it and was covering his back. Storm his captain gave him a narrowed look and seeing Lefay’s eyes harden attempted to divert her attention with a little bow and a curt, “Tal Lady Scribe”
But Lefay was not to be diverted, “ I beg your pardon Sir, what do you mean by that!” She snapped.
“Well there was a free woman here, Lady Tomas saying you got drunk.” Pelopidas answered, he watched his friend Alf roll his eyes and wander off towards the weaponry house and shouted at him leaving, “Alf don’t start a war without me!”
“She has room to speak, indeed!” Lefay snorted incredulously.
“And that fellow Terror was involved? What happened?”
“I was drugged I believe by him.”
“That is why you are here?” Storm asked, “To make a report?”
“The sleen!” Pelopidas growled, “I warned him to stay away from you! What happened?”
“I came around on the library floor with him bending over me” Lefay said to them both earnestly. “It was a few days ago, and I thought I had imagined it.” She frowned then in memory, “I found myself lying on the library floor and I thought I saw him over me. But then his face merged into that woman’s Tomas.”
Pelopidas eyes widened in surprise. “What?”
“And I tried to tell her, but I could not move and she started telling everyone I was drunk.”
“Well, what were you talking about?” The captain Storm was studying her.
“Uh, pause here, it was Terror or Tomas?” Pelopidas was confused.
“Then you told me I think, that he had been here the other day.” Lefay wrung her gloved hands. “So now I think he had drugged me, but must have been disturbed before he could do anything.”
“Yes he had been and I questioned him” Pelopidas said darkly and then to his captain, “Storm there’s a fellow named Terror, Lady Lefay here owes him coin, but she has someone to cover the debt and I warned the man not to try anything without the presence of a guard.”
It was a dangerous thing for a free woman to be indebted to a man, especially in coin. In some states the law allowed a man to enslave the woman if she could not repay the debt. But for a stranger to enter a city and try to collar a woman of high cast, especially a scribe of Lefay’s status, it would be seen as an insult to the city and many a stranger had tried that trick and ended up impaled on the city’s walls.
“I do hope she is not spreading rumors about my being drunk.” Lefay spoke of the historian Lady Tomas who had found her in the library passed out.
Storm nodded at the scribe, but also watched her eyes.
“It simply isn't true. I never touch alcohol.” Lady Lefay lied.
Pelopidas continued, “And the man lied to me about his intentions so I'm sure he is up to something.”
“I only drink Bazi tea.” Lefay lied again, raising her eyebrows and widening her eyes in a ‘believe me’ look.
“So next time I see him he is in trouble.” Pelopidas set his mouth firmly.
“Do you have a description”, Storm asked, “I need to be able to recognize him.”
“Well I hired him through a friend,” Another lie. Lefay had known Terror a long time, perhaps originally she had done this but it was many years before.
Storm took out his small note pad. A simple thing of pieces of parchment tied together, “Hired you say?” He wrote that down with a crayon. Pelopidas was impressed by this as he along with most warriors was illiterate. Writing was for scribes.
Lefay was not impressed, but she went on, “So I have not met him yet, except that blurred day.”
Storm made a mark on his pad, “A mercenary, assassin?”
“He is a mercenary.”
Pelopidas looked over Storms shoulder down at the pad pretending to understand the scribbles. “Well he had dark hair, about my height, he was wearing a brown cloak and outfit and was carrying a large sword on his back.”
The scribe opened her hands in an explanatory manner, “Well I asked my friend for help on a delicate legal matter...its a long story. I don’t wish to trouble you with that.” She was almost patronizing to the warriors.
Pelopidas pointed at the pad for Storm to write, “His name was Terror Looming.”
“And my friend hired him.” She had slightly changed her story.
“Quite a name,” Storm noted.
Pelopidas chuckled, “Heh! I made that remark to him as well.”
“But I did not know at the time,” Lefay opened her hands again and shrugged, “It was all a big mix up.”
“Lady he cannot enslave you legally without the presence of a Magistrate, and you are the city’s Magistrate. He would have to appeal to the Ubar or at the least the Administrator of the city. If you can cover the debt all will be well.” Storm looked up from his writing as if he had solved everything.
But Lefay said in almost a whisper. “But I can't.”
Behind Lady Lefay another free woman sauntered down the street. She had a triumphant gleam in her eyes and walked almost with a swagger. Her gown was of the cheaper quality cloth and brown, but she had managed to wear a blue sash, just so that everyone would know her for a scribe. Even if she was no more than a clerk, Lady Tomas had taken it upon herself to be the local historian. Most called her gossip.
Tomas began calling out loudly to the guards, “You Hoo!”
Pelopidas saw the lower scribe and bent his head towards Lefay, “If he tries anything we will stop him. Oh? Didn’t you say a physician might pay for you?”
Lefay smiled at the guard relieved but then immediately stiffened at the voice of the woman Tomas behind her, “Oh by the Priest Kings that woman!”
“What woman?” Tomas sidled up to them. Storm grinned, the clerk amused him. He had threatened to collar her many times as she just would not play by the city’s rules. But somehow he could not bring himself to do it.
“Tal again everyone.” Tomas demanded attention. Pelopidas shrugged “Tal”. Storm’s eyes lightened, “My beloved Tomas.”
But Lefay's eyes sparked and she turned sharply, her expensive skirts rustling. “Lady if I can call you that, I am ashamed to have ever thought you my friend.” They had never been friends.
Tomas simpered, “Lady, are you feeling better than you did before.” Then she lost the honeyed tones, “Excuse me?”
Pelopidas grumbled “Oh here we go, cover your ears”
Tomas stuck her chin out, “What are you talking about?”
Lefay's face drained of colour, “When I was drugged and asked for your help you mean? Instead you have been spreading vicious lies about me.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, Lady, have you been drinking again?”
“I think it, its you who drinks too much Lady!” Lefay stumbled over her words in anger.
Pelopidas looked at Storm for help “are they over?” he whispered beneath his teeth. But Storm was enjoying this, and he kept a close eye on Lefay.
“Lady, you were found drunk in the city library.” Tomas tried to make herself taller by straightening up. How she wished she could afford Lefay's block heel shoes from Ar. “Facts are facts.” Drinking was one thing but a free woman behaving in a disorderly fashion could be said to be tempting the collar.
“Lady I was drugged, and you found me and I tried to ask for your help.”
“We all want to help you, Lady, but first you must admit to your problem. Lady you had a bowl of paga beside you.” Paga was a powerful brew that only men drank. In this Tomas exaggerated. For although Lefay did indeed drink wine, she would never have touched paga that was made from the sul root. That would have been beneath her and the insult vexed her more.
“The only problem I have is slanderous women.”
“Both Octavian and Lucan witnessed it.” These were peasants who kept a stall of light snacks that stood by the great library. “Lady, don't deny your problem.” Tomas accused, glancing up at Storm to see this effect. Storm pondered. Pelopidas turned at the women and uncovered his ears, just to shrug again and take some steps back.
Then Lefay shot back with her own accusations, “Were you not the other day, after being invited into my home trying to offer me favours of the furring kind!”
Storm folded his arms, “Tomas, you are often drunk also.” However Tomas ignored him and carried on, “We all want to help you.”
Pelopidas lowered his hands from his ears, “well a drink or two, isn’t that bad.”
“And I do not mean the latest panther fashion” Lefay curled her lip behind her veil. This was a low blow, what exactly was she saying. It found its mark on Tomas, who was often jibed for her male sounding name.
Panthers, Tomas would show her. She spat out at her, “Ridiculous Lady, you are trying to slur my name. I had to convince Octavian not to collar you, this is the thanks that I get? Lady, can you not discuss your problem with the physician, your dear friend?” What was she implying?
“I am sure that an honorable man such as Octavian would not do such a thing.”
“Oh by the Priest Kings, free women arguing, I prefer an armed tarn cavalry attacking us.” Pelopidas looked skyward in hope. Storm’s face had grown stern, “There will be no collaring this day of high cast Cardonicus women.” He stated this to Tomas.
Lefay had not heard the men, she was squared up to Tomas, looking down on her above her veil, perched on her block shoes from Ar. “Coming into my home to offer me sexual favours...indeed!”
“Are you saying that collaring is not an honorable activity?” Tomas declared. Enslaving was seen as a cultural necessity in Gor and part of law. “Sirs, did you hear that?”
“You twist my words lady.”
“Sexual? Now its getting interesting.” Pelopidas glanced over to Storm. Storm’s voice boomed out, “Hold!”
“Ridiculous.” Spat Tomas.
“Tomas.” Storm looked at the clerk.
“Yes?” Replied Tomas meekly.
Lefay was not going to let her get away with that, especially as she was a magistrate. She knew the laws on enslavement. “Being as I had under my collar two male slaves recently, of course by law collaring is an honorable trade.”
“Why a peasant from the fields would collar a woman from the city, IN the city?” Storm asked Tomas, “Tell me why. He has no legal rights to do so in this place.”
“A free man is a Free Man Sir.” Tomas was correct of course, the peasants were of a low cast but they were still free and had the same rights, or should have of any cast with regards to keeping slaves. Besides Tomas always sympathised with peasants. Her family coming from that stock. But to do so in the city to a high cast woman, now that would be a first.
“He is a peasant.” Storm liked Tomas, but he was a stickler for the rules of cast as well as law.
Lefay was shocked now by the implication of what Tomas had tried to do and was still trying, “but to try and get one of our peasants to collar the city High Scribe when it was obvious she had been manhandled and drugged, is beneath contempt!”
Tomas shrugged her shoulders and looked defiant, “I do not seek to explain the legalities of it.”
Storm was partly ignoring the women now and musing over the rights of peasants, “He doesn't belong from Cardonicus but from the village.”
Lefay's voice grew loud and shrill, “I know the legalities Lady, you forget my caste.”
Pelopidas engaged with Storm, “Free women are protected by law a man can’t simply walk in and collar them or he can try but he will fall by our blades.”
Storm raised an eyebrow, “Does he think he is Cardonicus Ubar?” He spoke of the ruler of the city.
Lefay could see that both warriors were against Tomas on this, she calmed a little. “Thank you Pelopidas. So now you are saying Lady that you even tried to get one of the local village men to collar me?”
“I did not! I said I had to convince him NOT to do it. But this is all very interesting, however Lady Lefay was drunk, drunk, drunk!” Tomas went back to her original attack. Storm looked at her, “as you were many times, Tomas.”
“I cannot believe it. I was not drunk, are you deaf?” Lefay lowered her voice and looked to the warriors for sympathy. “I am very hurt now.”
Pelopidas countered, “Well she claims to have been drugged and no man can act like that inside his city without legal authorities overseeing the issue.”
“She is stubborn.” Storm was referring to Lady Tomas, who was still looking defiant.
“Aye stubborn.” Lefay agreed and said, “Perhaps to deflect from her own shortcomings. All I can say Lady, is not to slander a caste you may need in future. ”
Pelopidas grinned as he could never take Lady Tomas seriously, her dramatics were known throughout the city, “Stubborn women make excellent slaves I hear.”
Tomas puffed herself up, “All I can say is, it was quite shocking to see the Chief Scribe of our city sprawled out on the floor drunk!”
Storm sighed, “Tomas, you will have to change or I will whip you.”
It was not a real threat and Tomas liked to push boundaries, she looked up at him and replied. “Sir, you have no right to whip me.”
Storm raised an eyebrow. “As your intended, I have all the rights, and as warrior also.”
Lady Lefay was lost for words for a moment, then asked, “Intended?” Was Storm seriously thinking of making Tomas his legal companion. No wonder the woman was so brazen. This clerk thought to have leverage over the High Scribe by her affiliation with the city’s Captain. A rank of considerable power among the warriors. Indeed Tomas could change her cast colour to the warriors red. She would almost be equal to Lefay and by cast above her.
Pelopidas was getting lost in all this arguing. He never did have the patience for women squabbling as he called it. “Well woman I'm losing me patience, can't you hear her? She claims to have been drugged by a foreigner, a man that I did meet and a man that was interested in the library, so she might be telling the truth.”
Lefay pushed a little further, she needed to be correct on this matter of companionship. “Are you two forming a contract may I ask?”
Storm answered, “Yes, she keeps forgetting to sign.”
Tomas puffed herself up again, “Storm is under consideration as my companion. Nothing more.”
“and she will sign,” Storm looked at Tomas confidently. Lefay was not so confident. Dallying with a warriors affections was dangerous. Free women often took their time when considering a formal contract of companionship, similar to a marriage on earth. For them though it was more a union of families than something romantic. This was a union Lefay didn’t need. She asked, “Ah and the contract is already prepared then?” It was strange she was not aware of it, but then they could have used any scribe for that in the city.
“Tomas was looking for someone reviewing the contract.”
“Really, well that is interesting.”
Tomas played the hurt woman with Storm, “Your defence of Lady Lefay makes me think your true affections may lie elsewhere. I will only accept the advice of Lady Rya. I trust her absolutely. As far as I know, Lady Rya was never found drunk in the library.” she then went on sarcastically, “Oh excuse me, I meant 'drugged'.” However this did not have the desired effect. Tomas had made a mistake in mentioning Lady Rya, who was not qualified to make out contracts for companionship. This was why it had come as such a surprise to Lefay. Lefay relaxed, Tomas was not going to companion Storm.
“Well I shall have to check my scrolls, “ Lady Lefay turned in the direction of the library. “Storm you can run that contract by me anytime you wish.” She added.
“I thank you Lady Lefay.” Storm gave a little bow. “I'll keep an eye on Tomas, if she bothers you, advise me.”
Tomas tried not to show any jealousy, over Storms now chivalrous behaviour. “Try not to spill your paga on them, Lady! The scrolls are very precious. It would not do for a drunk to be in charge of them.”
Lefay’s eyes were dark above her veils as she said with measured calm to Tomas, “My sensitive ears can bear no more. You are now beyond my contempt.” Then she lifted a hand to the warriors, “Be well warriors.”
Pelopidas chuckled, “ I wish you well Lady.”
Storm nodded to the High Scribe, “I wish you well.”
Tomas exclaimed lifting her nose in the air, “What a dreadful woman!”
Storm turned to his intended, “Tomas, shut up now!”
Lefay walked up the hill towards her library, nearby her scribes girl had been waiting, “All is well my Mistress?” The slave asked, she had witnessed the fight and could tell that although the scribe was angry, she had found out something.
“Aye all is well”
Lilly wiped her hands with a rep cloth. She looked at Abu for a reaction to her story. “So what do you think Abu?”
“All was not well.” Abu drained his cup of black wine. “Seems she made enemies, though the warriors respected her. You will have to tell me more of the abduction though and this fellow Terror.” Abu rose and so did his slave. Lady Lilly saw them to the top of her staircase. The sun was rising in the sky and she had much merchant business to attend to herself.