Assassin of Gor by John Norman Page B

walls."
     
    "It is true," said one of the men-at-arms.
     
    "Do you know the name of the man whom you seek?" asked Cernus.
     
    "I have only this," I said, drawing forth from my belt the wrinkled patch of green cloth.
     
    "It is a faction patch," said Cernus. "There are thousands of such in Ar."
     
    "It is all I have," I said.
     
    "This house itself," said Cernus, "is allied with the faction of the Greens, as certain other houses, and various of the establishments of the city, are associated with other factions."
     
    "I know," I said, "that the House of Cernus is allied with the Greens."
     
    "I now see," said Cernus, "that there is more reason than I suspected in your desire to rent your sword in this house."
     
    "Yes," said I, "for all I know, the man I seek may be of this house."
     
    "It is unlikely though," said Cernus, "for those who favor the Greens are numbered in the thousands and come from all castes of Gor. The Administrator of Ar himself, and the High Initiate, are partisans of the green."
     
    I shrugged.
     
    "But you are welcome in this house," said Cernus. "As you presumably know these are difficult times in Ar, and a good sword is a good investment, and steel in these days is upon occasion more valuable than gold."
     
    I nodded.
     
    "I will upon occasion," said Cernus, "have commissions for you." He looked down on me. "But for the time," he said, "it is valuable for me simply for it to be known that your sword is in this house."
     
    "I await your commands," I said.
     
    "You will be shown to your quarters," said Cernus, gesturing to a nearby man-at-arms.
     
    "Incidentally," said he, "Killer."
     
    I turned to face him.
     
    "It is known to me that in the tavern of Spinduis, you slew four Warriors of the House of Portus."
     
    I said nothing.
     
    "Four pieces of gold," said Cernus, "double tarns, will be sent to your rooms."
     
    I nodded my head.
     
    "Also," said Cernus, "it is understood by me that you picked up one of my girls on the street."
     
    I tensed slightly, my hand dropping to the hilt of the short sword.
     
    "What was her number?" Cernus was asking Caprus, who stood near him.
     
    "74673," said the Scribe. I had anticipated that there would be some mention of Vella, for it was unlikely that Cernus would be unaware of my contact with her. Indeed, I had instructed her, when she had returned late to the House of Cernus, to bewail and protest what had theoretically happened to her in no uncertain terms. Accordingly, I was not surprised that the Scribe had her number ready for Cernus. Moreover, he probably knew it anyway, as she had been assigned to his staff, primarily to run errands in the city, for Caprus, it was said, seldom cared to leave the House of Cernus. I wished to be able to work closely with Vella in the House of Cernus. I was gambling on the unpleasant sense of humor not uncommonly found among slavers.
     
    "Do you object?" I asked.
     
    Cernus smiled. "Our Physicians ascertained," said he, "that she is only a Red Silk Girl."
     
    "I scarcely supposed," said I, "that you would permit a White Silk Girl to go alone on the streets of Ar."
     
    Cernus chuckled. "Indeed not," he said. "The risk is too much, sometimes as much as ten gold pieces." Then he leaned back. "74673," he said.
     
    "The girl!" cried out the Scribe.
     
    From a side entrance to the hall, where she had been kept, Elizabeth Cardwell, Vella, was thrust into the room. She was dressed as she had been when first I saw her near the great gate of Ar, barefoot, the yellow slave livery, the unbound dark hair, the yellow collar. She ran rapidly to a place before the stone platform, before the curule chair of Cernus, where she fell to her knees in the position of pleasure slave, head bowed. I was amused, for she had run as a slave girl is sometimes taught to run, with rapid short steps, her legs almost straight, her feet scarcely leaving the ground, back straight, head turned to the left, arms at her sides, palms out at