Lady Lilly stepped through the market place following Abu’s slave. The sun was setting over the docks but it was still warm. Out of the side of her eye she spied street urts in the alley ways rummaging through bins. These urts were of the Gorean kind, named the same as the rodents that plagued the city, these were street girls that ran in gangs begging from the free, scavenging. Lilly ignored them and moved on swiftly. She didn’t like being out after light unless she was holding court at her favourite tea house or inn.
The slave girl Leyah also moved quickly, but kept looking back to make sure this Mistress was still with her. She had been restless for days wanting to know more of the Scribes Tale, as she called it. She had begged her Master Abu to invite Lady Lilly round for dinner. They would have a small feast on his balcony. Lilly would never enter his or any mans home unless there was some intent on companionship, and it seemed unlikely in Abu’s case. After all she knew his mother.
Abu waited at the top of the steps, he gave a short bow as Lilly climbed, took her hand and motioned over to the sofa, where upon she reclined. The slave had already uncorked a bottle of the Mistress favourite wine Kalana and there were treats already on the low table.
“So Lady, this tale of yours about the Scribe. You were telling me of her enemy that other woman, the clerk. But really I wished to know more of this fellow Terror?”
Lilly paled a little bit, which Abu noticed. “Well as you know, he had dealings with Lefay on and off for years.”
“So she lied about only just meeting him to those guards.”
“Oh yes, and there was never any intermediary as far as I could tell. But she didn’t like him in the city. She didn’t like people to know she used him for work that she did not wish to get her hands dirty with, you understand?”
“I think so,” Abu listened.
“So as I said, he had betrayed her to the panthers.”
“How do you know so much?” Abu asked, and noted that Lilly looked uncomfortable. “He bragged about it, years later but I wasn’t sure if it was true or not. He met the panthers in the woods and they plotted the whole thing.”
Abu nodded to his slave who poured out a goblet of wine for Lilly. “Do tell Lady, I think this will be an interesting evening, and you know how I enjoy your stories.” He grinned to her then in a light hearted fashion. He could tell she didn’t like to talk about this Terror man. So Lilly began to repeat the story Terror had bragged about.
Terror stepped on a dry limb outside the west side of the panthers camp and the cracking sound caused the birds to rustle in the trees. He grumbled then saw movement in the bushes, “Panthers.”
A young woman appeared dressed in panther skins, her feet were also bound in them. She carried a small bow and had a bag of arrows on her back , “Is that a male tramping through our forest breaking all the branches, making that loud racket?” She teased. She had no fear of him, behind her through the trees other lithe figures moved silently. No doubt many arrows were aimed at Terror and he knew it.
He watched her with caution and said in a calm manner, “Come here, I need to talk to your leader.” He added for effect, “I am the Ubar.”
Jaxon the panther woman looked a little puzzled, “Ubar?” She looked at a bush behind Terror where another woman Connie stepped out, she carried a short dagger in her hand and she looked confused.
Terror turned to the panther behind him and motioned with his hand for her to lower the blade. “I have work for you. That is all.” Nearby he had brought a large docile bosk, a Gorean animal much like an earths cow. He had tied it up to a tree stump. It chewed on the grass.
The first woman who was obviously higher in the pecking order than the rest motioned for her friend to lower the dagger. Another woman stepped out from a rock, she too carried a bow though it was slung on her back, “Oh my.” She looked at the bosk and laughed. “We’re not here for milking.”
Terror wasn’t going to deal with all of them, he said to Jaxon, “We need to talk in private.”
“Do tell,” Jaxon slung her own bow back over her shoulders, and placed the arrow in its hold.
“Do you see this bosk?”
Connie quipped, “Is it his sister?”
Jaxon smirked, “How can I miss it?” Low giggles and laughter emanated from the woods around them. Terror smiled at their jokes, but he didn’t like panthers. They could not be controlled like other women, and they were not fooled by his roguish good looks and charm. Jaxon grinned and looked at her panthers and said, “Watch him.” She turned and walked through a clearing down a grassy mound where below was strewn clumps of bushes against a rock face. They were near the mountainside. She called back to the man, “I will come down, no funny business,” then turned and headed for the wooden gate in the wall of stone. After a short while, she returned with some cuffs, the sort used to tie men at their wrists.
Terror said to her, “Look at my hands, I don’t have any weapons. I come here to talk to your leader, and if I go missing the city warriors will scour these woods and find this place. We know where you all hide.” He was still pretending to be the Ubar of Cardonicus. He knew that though that looked suspicious, the panthers would not see it as unlikely. But it was a mistake to threaten them.
“We’ll kick all your asses,” Connie scowled.
Terror put on his full charm, “I’m sure you would like all our asses dear, but I brought a little gift. For you all. No need to cuff me. Surely your leader can show me some hospitality?”
“Our En is busy with important matters. You are not important, talk to me, I am her second.” Jaxon slowly crossed her arms over her chest, then nodded, “Talk.” Her En a name for the leader of the panthers was not too busy to talk with Terror though she had believed it was the Ubar. But she would not show him any respect.
“Well, you know about the problems of Lady Flax in Piedmont?” He spoke of Lady Tomas, who had gone to Piedmont to visit her relatives and ended up getting arrested by the guards of Cardonicus when she returned, for conspiring to have a scribe of the city collared. It wasn’t serious, Storm had done it to her for a jest and to get her to sign the companionship contract.
“We heard from the villagers who we trade with that she was arrested. But your ways are of no interest to us.”
“I trust it can be a convenience to you. Tomas believes it was all Lefay's fault.”
Jaxon looked down at the ground in an attempt to hide the smirk on her face then looked back up smiling. “It’s always good to see someone go rogue” She chuckled, she meant Tomas of course.
“Maybe, if you take that lady.”
Jaxon raised her eyebrows “In what way?”
“Well maybe, you know that Lady Lefay?”
“Ahh...” The panther smiled.
“And make her disappear, for a long time.”
“You wish for my En to order the kidnapping of Lady Lefay? The one that wears those stilts?”
“Yes, the woman of the stilts!” He was surprised they knew that detail of the scribe. Panthers usually scorned the ridiculous fashions of city women. Though they did like beads made from bone. “Look this is the idea.” Then he told them of his plan to escort Lefay a few days later to Piedmont. It didn’t occur to them that it was a strange thing for an Ubar to do. He would go for a piss behind a tree and while Lefay waited, they could grab her.
He added, “If you make that work, this bosk is for you. But no one must know of our arrangement.”
Connie watched with interest. “Why would you want to help the Tomas woman?”
Terror looked up, and lowered his voice, “I’m not helping her, she’s bad for the city. It’s complicated.”
Jaxon threw her head back and laughed out loud, then cleared her throat. “It’s always complicated for you people, but kidnapping one of the city magistrates for a bosk is not only risky but not enough, as you know, to satisfy my En, coin must be discussed.”
Connie smiled to her sister and watched around her for danger.
Terror grinned like a merchant, “It is a big bosk.”
Jaxon stated, “For our services, coin must be paid, it will get us a bosk and a lot of other much needed supplies.”
“You can eat many times with that.” He pointed to the animal who was oblivious to their argument and kept on chewing its cud.
“We’ll keep the bosk, however I know my En and coin will loosen her reluctance to help you with this little endeavor.”
“It is an easy work for you to take that free woman. Besides I am a poor warr..er..Ubar.” He caught himself suddenly. “Of course a few coins, after the woman is taken.” Connie watched him suspiciously, she had drawn her dagger, and was picking at her nails with it. He continued, “But you know I have many expenses to keep up with the new buildings in Cardonicus, and pay warriors.”
“We are not concerned with that, “ Jaxon shrugged, “Five silver coins and we keep the bosk as down payment.” She smiled. “It’s the price if you wish this free woman, other than that a bosk won’t guarantee you a successful delivery.”
Terror sighed, “Five coins...well.” He hesitated. Of course he had no intention of paying them. What did he care what they did to Lefay once she was taken. He only needed to get into that library undisturbed. But the panthers needn’t know his plans.
“Our En could ask for ten?” Laylah Rives their En had only recently become interested in coin, and didn’t really understand its worth. But they did need supplies.
“I can hire any outlaw, to make this work.”
“But name an outlaw that would actually agree to kidnap some free woman for a bosk?” Jaxon snorted. “As I said five coins is needed otherwise you can find someone else to get her.” She smiled.
“Five coins it is, but you must keep this well hidden.”
“We will make arrangements to keep her hidden until we can deliver her to you.”
“Aye good, but it is not a good idea for anyone to know that Cardonicus is responsible for this.”
“Well what do you wish us to do with her once we have her?.”
“Put her in the collar.”
Jaxon Law shrugged “That is standard in our tribe, what else?”
“She will have a set of keys on her. Bring those to me straight away, before you take her to your camp. Then later, sell her far away.”
“So let me understand this, you wish her captured, collared and sold far away?”
“Don’t forget the keys. And remember I'm buying your silence.”
Jaxon laughed and said to her sister Connie, “Take that bosk” Then she looked at Terror. “Well if you don’t deliver, we free the scribe and tell her who hired us. So do not double cross us.”
Terror nodded, “I will keep my word, you comply with yours.”
Jaxon nodded then walked off calling back with a chuckle, “Safe paths to you ...Ubar.” It was obvious to Terror then, she had not believed he was the Ubar. “Be well” he called to the panthers who suddenly all stood up behind the rocks. There must have been twenty. Some hovered behind until he left, still with their arrows pointed in his direction.
This part of the story was finished. It was late and Faelar, Lilly’s thrall had come up the steps to Abu’s balcony. The slave Leyah looked to the floor, kajira were forbidden to thralls.
“Mistress you wish for me to escort you home?” The male slave asked.
“Aye Faelar. Abu it is very late, but I did enjoy the meal.”
“It was my pleasure Lady, but this Terror, why did he want the keys to Cardonicus library?”
“That is for another day Abu. But it will explain much that has happened since.” With that she rose and bidding Abu and his slave well for the night, she left with her thrall back to her house.