Part 106 (1/2)

”I suspect that was their motivation,” said the pit master.

”Accordingly,” said the officer of Treve, ”the blankets of the captain of those of the black caste and the prisoner might have been switched early the next morning, before those of the black caste arrived at the cell.”

”An interesting possibility,” said the pit master.

”And the captain of those of the dark caste then, by using his own blanket, unbeknownst to himself, set the sleen upon himself.”

”That is a possibility,” admitted the pit master.

”You are guilty of collusion in the escape of a prisoner,” said the officer of Treve.

”We need not regard him as having escaped,” pointed out the pit master.

”Too, it was not I who kicked a sword to him, putting it within his grasp.”

”I am not fond of murder,” said the officer.

”I only dreamed of honor,” said the pit master. ”But I think you may have looked upon her, in a cell, face to face.”

”Sir,” said one of eleven men, the current posting of the pit guard.

They were now in the pa.s.sage. Gito was far down the pa.s.sage, crouching down. ”We searched long for you.”

The pit master put his torch in a rack, beside the portal.

”The guard reports for duty,” said the man.

”Feed the prisoners,” said the pit master. ”Secure the pa.s.sages, return to your normal duties.”

”Are you safe?” asked the man.

”Yes,” said the pit master.

”There is not one amongst us who will not take up arms on your behalf,”

he said. He looked about himself, and toward the darkness of the pool area. He touched his blade, slung over his left shoulder.

”That will not be necessary,” said the pit master. ”Our guests have gone.”

The officer of the guard turned about arid went down the corridor, past Gito. His men followed him.

”I wonder if we have done well here,” said the pit master.

”I do not know,” said the officer of Treve.

”I wonder if what we have done here truly comports with honor,” said the pit master.

”I do not know,” said the officer of Treve.

”Nor I,” said the pit master.

”She has many voices, and many songs,” said the officer of Treve.

Before we left the pool area the pit master, by means of the ropes and chains controlling the cage, brought the helpless Lady Ilene, she dangling on the rope, to the wall, where he lifted her up and put her on her knees, on the walkway. He freed her hands and feet, cutting the cords of twisted cloth, taken from her garments, which the peasant had used to bind them. When he freed her of the gag, being careful, in observance of her modesty, not to look upon her features, she pleaded desperately to speak, but this permission was denied to her. She then, kneeling before the pit master, put her head down to the b.l.o.o.d.y walkway.

”She may soon be ready for a cell,” said the officer of Treve.

”Or even shackles,” said the pit master.

”Perhaps,” said the officer.

The Lady Ilene was then reinserted into the cage, and the cage restored to its place over the pool.

I saw her kneeling in the cage, her small hands on the bars. The light cord ran from the walkway, up, through its rings, over its pulleys, to the latch at the bottom of the cage, that securing its gate.

The urts were still feeding.

The pit master lifted up the body of the lieutenant, and thrust it over the railing.

There was a splash in the dark waters below.

The pit master then cut the cords, in the center, that held the pairs of slaves together.

We then left the pool area.

The slaves preceded the pit master and the officer of Treve. We did wait for a moment, when the pit master stopped beside Gito, in the pa.s.sage. ”You will come with us,” he said. ”When we come to the sack in the pa.s.sage, where it was dropped, you will pick it up, and bring it along.”

”Yes, yes, Masters,” said Gito anxiously. He then hurried along with us.

THIRTY EIGHT

”It is there,” said the pit master to the messenger, indicating the sack.

The pit master had been engaged in a game of Kaissa with the officer of Treve.

”The messenger is here,” Fina had announced.

The pit master had then risen, to attend to the business at hand.

”This is to be transmitted to Lurius of lad, Ubar of Cos,” said the messenger.

”As indicated on the orders,” said the pit master, signing them and stamping them.

I did not want to look at the sack. In it was the head of Gito.

”He is your friend?” the pit master had asked Gito, in one of the pa.s.sages, shortly after we had returned from the pool area. Gito had retrieved the sack, and was holding it, opened, as he had been requested.