would have known you."
"Even veiled?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
She pulled at the ropes. "You have then," she said, "a shrewd eye for the flesh of women."
"Perhaps," I said.
"Do you truly know me?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
"What is my name?" she asked.
"You are the Lady Tendite of Vonda," I said, "who was assistant to the Lady Tima of Vonda, a slaver of that city, of the house of Tima."
"Who are you?" she asked, frightened.
I drew away the mask.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Do you not recall me?" I asked. "I was once a silk slave. My name is Jason."
Slowly recognition crept into her eyes. "No," she whispered. "No!" Then, struggling wildly, she tore at the ropes. "No," she screamed. "No!" Then again she lay before me, tied as helplessly and perfectly as before. "No," she whispered. "No, no."
"Yes," I whispered to her. "Yes."
The Lady Tendite now lay on the slave mat, where I had put her later in the morning.
"You will help me get this hated collar off, won't you?" she purred lifting her arms and putting them about my neck, lifting her lips to mine.
"Does Darlene beg it?" I asked.
"Darlene!" she said, lying back, angrily.
"Is that not the name on the collar?" I asked.
"Yes," she said, "it is."
"Does Darlene beg it?" I asked.
"Yes," she purred, again lifting her arms and putting them about my neck. "Yes," she whispered. "Darlene begs it." Then we kissed.
"The request of Darlene is refused," I told her.
Angrily she scrambled to her knees and pulled at the collar. She looked at me in fury. "You sleen!" she said.
I smiled.
"Sleen! Sleen!" she said.
The Ta-Teera had been half torn from her. She had squirmed well.
"Sleen! Sleen!" she wept.
She was soft, and luscious and curved. It was easy to see why men make women slaves.
"Be silent!" I said to her, suddenly.
She looked at me, frightened.
"Do not leave the mat," I told her, getting up. I went to one of the narrow, barred windows in the inn. I saw five armed men running down the street.
"River pirates," I said. "I think they must be."
She moaned, and foolishly tried to cover her beauty. I looked back at her. "Do you think they would permit you modesty in their shackles?" I asked. Then I returned to her side. "They are not coming here," I said. "I think they have decided it is time to leave Lara."
"Why?" she asked.
"Yet I do not smell smoke," I said. "It is interesting."
"What is going on?" she asked.
"Can you not guess?" I asked.
"No," she said. "No!"
I then took her by the arms and threw her to her back on the slave mat beneath me.
"My dear Lady Tendite, or 'Darlene,' as I may choose to call you," I said, "I do not think we have a great deal more time to tarry in this place."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"And you must leave it somewhat earlier than I," I said.
"I do not understand," she said. "Oh," she said, entered and held She tried to press me away, but could not do so. Then she clutched at me.
"Excellent, Darlene," I said.
"What are you making me do?" she whispered.
"Can you not guess?" I asked her.
"You have won, Jason," she whispered tome, lying on her side beside me, her head on her arm. "You have made me yield to you, irreservedly, helplessly, and as a slave."
"As a free woman," I said, "you cannot yet begin to understand the fullness, the helplessness, of true slave yield.”
"I sense what they might be," she whispered, "being fully owned, being fully and legally at the mercy of a master."
"Do the thoughts intrigue you?" I asked.
"I must put them from my mind," she said. "I must not even dare to think them."
"Why?" I asked.
"They are too profoundly feminine," she said.
"And thus not fit for a proud free woman?" I asked.
"Yes," she said
"But suitable perhaps for a collared slave?" I said.
"Yes," she smiled. "Such a woman is permitted to be true to herself."
"I suspect," I said, "she is given no choice but to be true to herself."
"Yes," said the girl. "She is given no choice. She must be true to herself. If
"Even veiled?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
She pulled at the ropes. "You have then," she said, "a shrewd eye for the flesh of women."
"Perhaps," I said.
"Do you truly know me?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
"What is my name?" she asked.
"You are the Lady Tendite of Vonda," I said, "who was assistant to the Lady Tima of Vonda, a slaver of that city, of the house of Tima."
"Who are you?" she asked, frightened.
I drew away the mask.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Do you not recall me?" I asked. "I was once a silk slave. My name is Jason."
Slowly recognition crept into her eyes. "No," she whispered. "No!" Then, struggling wildly, she tore at the ropes. "No," she screamed. "No!" Then again she lay before me, tied as helplessly and perfectly as before. "No," she whispered. "No, no."
"Yes," I whispered to her. "Yes."
The Lady Tendite now lay on the slave mat, where I had put her later in the morning.
"You will help me get this hated collar off, won't you?" she purred lifting her arms and putting them about my neck, lifting her lips to mine.
"Does Darlene beg it?" I asked.
"Darlene!" she said, lying back, angrily.
"Is that not the name on the collar?" I asked.
"Yes," she said, "it is."
"Does Darlene beg it?" I asked.
"Yes," she purred, again lifting her arms and putting them about my neck. "Yes," she whispered. "Darlene begs it." Then we kissed.
"The request of Darlene is refused," I told her.
Angrily she scrambled to her knees and pulled at the collar. She looked at me in fury. "You sleen!" she said.
I smiled.
"Sleen! Sleen!" she said.
The Ta-Teera had been half torn from her. She had squirmed well.
"Sleen! Sleen!" she wept.
She was soft, and luscious and curved. It was easy to see why men make women slaves.
"Be silent!" I said to her, suddenly.
She looked at me, frightened.
"Do not leave the mat," I told her, getting up. I went to one of the narrow, barred windows in the inn. I saw five armed men running down the street.
"River pirates," I said. "I think they must be."
She moaned, and foolishly tried to cover her beauty. I looked back at her. "Do you think they would permit you modesty in their shackles?" I asked. Then I returned to her side. "They are not coming here," I said. "I think they have decided it is time to leave Lara."
"Why?" she asked.
"Yet I do not smell smoke," I said. "It is interesting."
"What is going on?" she asked.
"Can you not guess?" I asked.
"No," she said. "No!"
I then took her by the arms and threw her to her back on the slave mat beneath me.
"My dear Lady Tendite, or 'Darlene,' as I may choose to call you," I said, "I do not think we have a great deal more time to tarry in this place."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"And you must leave it somewhat earlier than I," I said.
"I do not understand," she said. "Oh," she said, entered and held She tried to press me away, but could not do so. Then she clutched at me.
"Excellent, Darlene," I said.
"What are you making me do?" she whispered.
"Can you not guess?" I asked her.
"You have won, Jason," she whispered tome, lying on her side beside me, her head on her arm. "You have made me yield to you, irreservedly, helplessly, and as a slave."
"As a free woman," I said, "you cannot yet begin to understand the fullness, the helplessness, of true slave yield.”
"I sense what they might be," she whispered, "being fully owned, being fully and legally at the mercy of a master."
"Do the thoughts intrigue you?" I asked.
"I must put them from my mind," she said. "I must not even dare to think them."
"Why?" I asked.
"They are too profoundly feminine," she said.
"And thus not fit for a proud free woman?" I asked.
"Yes," she said
"But suitable perhaps for a collared slave?" I said.
"Yes," she smiled. "Such a woman is permitted to be true to herself."
"I suspect," I said, "she is given no choice but to be true to herself."
"Yes," said the girl. "She is given no choice. She must be true to herself. If
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