him.
"Right," said Hurtha, "if that is what you are interested in, seems to me a very hard thing to understand. I am not sure there is really any such thing, at all. I have never tasted it, nor seen it, nor felt it. If it does exist, it seems likely to me that it would be on both sides, like sunlight and air. Surely no war has been fought in which both sides have not sincerely claimed, and presumably believed, for one reason or another, that they were right. Thus, if right is always on both sides, one cannot help but fight for it. If that then is the case, why should one not be paid as well as possible for the risks he takes?"
"Have you ever tasted, or seen, or felt honor?" I asked.
"Yes," said Hurtha. "I have tasted honor, and seen it, and felt it, but it is not like tasting bread, or seeing a rock, or feeling a woman. It is different."
"Perhaps right is like that," I said.
"Perhaps," said Hurtha. "But the matter seems very complex and difficult to me."
"It seems so to me, too," I said. "I am often surprised why it seems so easy to so many others."
"Yes," said Hurtha.
"Perhaps they are more gifted than we in detecting its presence," I speculated.
"Perhaps," said Hurtha, "but why, then, is there so much disagreement among them?"
"I do not know," I admitted.
(pg. 49) Rings were then brought, heavy rings of silver and gold, large enough for a wrist or arm, and Genserix distributed these to high retainers. From the same box, he then distributed coins among the others. Even I received a silver tarsk. There were treasures among the wagons, it seemed. The tarsk was one of Telnus. In this small detail I suspected there might be found evidence of the possible relationship between the movements of Cos and the coming of the Alar wagons to the Genesian Road.
"Are there such women as these in the cities?" asked Hurtha, indicating Feiqa.
"Thousands," I informed him.
"Surely we should study siege work," smiled Hurtha.
Feiqa shrank back a bit.
"Such women may be bought in the cities," I said, "in slave markets, from the houses of slavers, from private dealers. Surely you could have such among the wagons, if you wished. You could have strings brought out to be examined, or accepted, on approval. I see no problem in the matter." Interestingly, I had noted few, if any, slaves among the wagons. This was quite different from the Wagon Peoples of the far south. There beautiful slaves, in the scandalously revealing chatka and curla, the kalmak and the koora, tiny rings in their noses, were common among the wagons. "You mentioned, as I recall, that slavers among others, came occasionally to the wagons."
"Yes," he said, "but usually to buy our captures, picked up generally in raids or fighting."
"Why are there so few slaves among the wagons?" I asked.
"The free women kill them," said Hurtha.
Feiqa gasped. I decided that perhaps I had best be soon on my way. She was a beauty, and was extremely sexually exciting, sometimes almost maddeningly so, to men. I had no wish to risk her in this place. She was exactly the sort of female which, in her helplessness and collar, in her vulnerability and brief tunic, tends to inspire jealous hatred, sometimes bordering almost on madness, in free women, particularly homely and sexually frustrated ones.
(pg. 50) "Oh!" said Feiqa, as he called Sorath closed his hand about her upper arm. His grip was tight. There was no mistaking its nature. He had her in mind.
"Hold," I said to him, putting my hand on his arm.
"Hold?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "Hold."
"You are not an Alar," he said. "I will take her."
"No," I said.
"This is our camp," he said.
"It is my slave," I said.
"Give her to me," he said. "I will give her back to you happier, and with only a few bruises."
"No," I said.
"In the camp I do what I wish," he said.
"I doubt that that is always the case," I said.
He stood up. I, too, stood up. He was a bit shorter than I, but was extremely broad and powerful. It is a not uncommon build
"Right," said Hurtha, "if that is what you are interested in, seems to me a very hard thing to understand. I am not sure there is really any such thing, at all. I have never tasted it, nor seen it, nor felt it. If it does exist, it seems likely to me that it would be on both sides, like sunlight and air. Surely no war has been fought in which both sides have not sincerely claimed, and presumably believed, for one reason or another, that they were right. Thus, if right is always on both sides, one cannot help but fight for it. If that then is the case, why should one not be paid as well as possible for the risks he takes?"
"Have you ever tasted, or seen, or felt honor?" I asked.
"Yes," said Hurtha. "I have tasted honor, and seen it, and felt it, but it is not like tasting bread, or seeing a rock, or feeling a woman. It is different."
"Perhaps right is like that," I said.
"Perhaps," said Hurtha. "But the matter seems very complex and difficult to me."
"It seems so to me, too," I said. "I am often surprised why it seems so easy to so many others."
"Yes," said Hurtha.
"Perhaps they are more gifted than we in detecting its presence," I speculated.
"Perhaps," said Hurtha, "but why, then, is there so much disagreement among them?"
"I do not know," I admitted.
(pg. 49) Rings were then brought, heavy rings of silver and gold, large enough for a wrist or arm, and Genserix distributed these to high retainers. From the same box, he then distributed coins among the others. Even I received a silver tarsk. There were treasures among the wagons, it seemed. The tarsk was one of Telnus. In this small detail I suspected there might be found evidence of the possible relationship between the movements of Cos and the coming of the Alar wagons to the Genesian Road.
"Are there such women as these in the cities?" asked Hurtha, indicating Feiqa.
"Thousands," I informed him.
"Surely we should study siege work," smiled Hurtha.
Feiqa shrank back a bit.
"Such women may be bought in the cities," I said, "in slave markets, from the houses of slavers, from private dealers. Surely you could have such among the wagons, if you wished. You could have strings brought out to be examined, or accepted, on approval. I see no problem in the matter." Interestingly, I had noted few, if any, slaves among the wagons. This was quite different from the Wagon Peoples of the far south. There beautiful slaves, in the scandalously revealing chatka and curla, the kalmak and the koora, tiny rings in their noses, were common among the wagons. "You mentioned, as I recall, that slavers among others, came occasionally to the wagons."
"Yes," he said, "but usually to buy our captures, picked up generally in raids or fighting."
"Why are there so few slaves among the wagons?" I asked.
"The free women kill them," said Hurtha.
Feiqa gasped. I decided that perhaps I had best be soon on my way. She was a beauty, and was extremely sexually exciting, sometimes almost maddeningly so, to men. I had no wish to risk her in this place. She was exactly the sort of female which, in her helplessness and collar, in her vulnerability and brief tunic, tends to inspire jealous hatred, sometimes bordering almost on madness, in free women, particularly homely and sexually frustrated ones.
(pg. 50) "Oh!" said Feiqa, as he called Sorath closed his hand about her upper arm. His grip was tight. There was no mistaking its nature. He had her in mind.
"Hold," I said to him, putting my hand on his arm.
"Hold?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "Hold."
"You are not an Alar," he said. "I will take her."
"No," I said.
"This is our camp," he said.
"It is my slave," I said.
"Give her to me," he said. "I will give her back to you happier, and with only a few bruises."
"No," I said.
"In the camp I do what I wish," he said.
"I doubt that that is always the case," I said.
He stood up. I, too, stood up. He was a bit shorter than I, but was extremely broad and powerful. It is a not uncommon build
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