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Authors: John Brunner
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was going to help me not at all if after I had been whipped I crawled to Pwill and had the order overruled.
I had a sudden idea.
I was sweating, but my voice was steady. I said, “I take it this is the chance you’ve been hoping for, to get someEarthly blood mingled with the Vorrish blood which stains your whip?”
“Exactly. Back into your room; we will attend to the business here. Unfortunately I am commanded to a mere five lashes. Five hundred would scarcely whip your haughtiness out of you. I have often regretted that my duties here on the estate prevented my accompanying Himself to your dirty mudball planet. In my view, the lenient way you Earthmen are being treated means that one day we’ll have to beat you up all over again.”
If he had been impatient. I could not have done anything. Luckily for me he had been looking forward to this chance for so long that he was prepared to savor the joy of anticipation for a few minutes longer.
“Very well,” I said, shrugging, and turned back into the room. I carefully cleared away the dishes from the near edge of my little table. “Will this be a convenient place for you to work?”
That took him thoroughly aback. While he was hesitating over his answer I flashed a glance at his aides. From their faces I could tell they were none too happy about their new task. Maybe they’d already been indoctrinated with stories about Earthmen.
“Tell me, Dwerri,” I went on, “is it true that your whip never leaves you, night or day?”
He hissed his answer. “That’s true!”
“Good,” I said, beginning to remove my shirt.
“What do you mean—good?”
“It gives me plenty of opportunity.”
“Opportunity for what?9 He was really rising to my bait, and his face was darkening still more than usual. I shrugged.
“To settle accounts afterwards,” I said, being as maddeningly evasive as I could.
He strode forward and caught me by the shoulder; the tip of his whiplash shrieked up and caught me on the cheek, missing my eye—fortunately—by a quarter-inch but stinging abominably. When I put my fingers up to the place, I found a drip of blood already running.
The pain brought tears to my eyes, but I managed not to cry out. I simply looked down at my reddened fingertips, and then flicked them towards the worried aides. Red drops flew off.
“Down in the Acre today,” I said conversationally, “I went went to see a magician called Kramer. We had a very interesting talk about blood.”
One of the aides had caught on. He found a spot of my blood on his clothing and began to rub at it frantically. I made a negative gesture to him.
“That doesn’t help,” I said sympathetically. “Nothing helps.”
“What’s all this about?” Dwerri barked, beginning to be alarmed. I looked him straight in the eye.
“Why, just so long as that whip remains with you, Dwerri, with my blood on its lash, I have my chance to even accounts with you. However, since I don’t readily bear grudges against people, suppose we leave it at that, shall we? And I’ll go and see the Under-lady Shavarri.”
The aide who had tried to rub the blood spot off his clothes whispered urgently into Dwerri’s ear. The whip-master took a hesitant pace back from me, his eyes widening.
“I don’t believe it!” he said.
“Try, then!” I offered. “I shall bear the pain gladly, knowing I can inflict far worse on you afterwards.”
Probably Dwerri had never before had a victim who did not struggle to get away, whom his aides did not have to hold down for the infliction of the punishment. That, more than anything, decided him. His mouth working, he turned to the door, beckoned his aides to go with him, and left me alone.
CHAPTER IX
I HAD A first aid kit with me, of course. Knowing the rudimentary state of Vorrish medicine, and knowing that medicines which worked on Vorra might easily be poisons for Earthmen, I had stocked up thoroughly before leaving home. I dusted some quick-acting
I had a sudden idea.
I was sweating, but my voice was steady. I said, “I take it this is the chance you’ve been hoping for, to get someEarthly blood mingled with the Vorrish blood which stains your whip?”
“Exactly. Back into your room; we will attend to the business here. Unfortunately I am commanded to a mere five lashes. Five hundred would scarcely whip your haughtiness out of you. I have often regretted that my duties here on the estate prevented my accompanying Himself to your dirty mudball planet. In my view, the lenient way you Earthmen are being treated means that one day we’ll have to beat you up all over again.”
If he had been impatient. I could not have done anything. Luckily for me he had been looking forward to this chance for so long that he was prepared to savor the joy of anticipation for a few minutes longer.
“Very well,” I said, shrugging, and turned back into the room. I carefully cleared away the dishes from the near edge of my little table. “Will this be a convenient place for you to work?”
That took him thoroughly aback. While he was hesitating over his answer I flashed a glance at his aides. From their faces I could tell they were none too happy about their new task. Maybe they’d already been indoctrinated with stories about Earthmen.
“Tell me, Dwerri,” I went on, “is it true that your whip never leaves you, night or day?”
He hissed his answer. “That’s true!”
“Good,” I said, beginning to remove my shirt.
“What do you mean—good?”
“It gives me plenty of opportunity.”
“Opportunity for what?9 He was really rising to my bait, and his face was darkening still more than usual. I shrugged.
“To settle accounts afterwards,” I said, being as maddeningly evasive as I could.
He strode forward and caught me by the shoulder; the tip of his whiplash shrieked up and caught me on the cheek, missing my eye—fortunately—by a quarter-inch but stinging abominably. When I put my fingers up to the place, I found a drip of blood already running.
The pain brought tears to my eyes, but I managed not to cry out. I simply looked down at my reddened fingertips, and then flicked them towards the worried aides. Red drops flew off.
“Down in the Acre today,” I said conversationally, “I went went to see a magician called Kramer. We had a very interesting talk about blood.”
One of the aides had caught on. He found a spot of my blood on his clothing and began to rub at it frantically. I made a negative gesture to him.
“That doesn’t help,” I said sympathetically. “Nothing helps.”
“What’s all this about?” Dwerri barked, beginning to be alarmed. I looked him straight in the eye.
“Why, just so long as that whip remains with you, Dwerri, with my blood on its lash, I have my chance to even accounts with you. However, since I don’t readily bear grudges against people, suppose we leave it at that, shall we? And I’ll go and see the Under-lady Shavarri.”
The aide who had tried to rub the blood spot off his clothes whispered urgently into Dwerri’s ear. The whip-master took a hesitant pace back from me, his eyes widening.
“I don’t believe it!” he said.
“Try, then!” I offered. “I shall bear the pain gladly, knowing I can inflict far worse on you afterwards.”
Probably Dwerri had never before had a victim who did not struggle to get away, whom his aides did not have to hold down for the infliction of the punishment. That, more than anything, decided him. His mouth working, he turned to the door, beckoned his aides to go with him, and left me alone.
CHAPTER IX
I HAD A first aid kit with me, of course. Knowing the rudimentary state of Vorrish medicine, and knowing that medicines which worked on Vorra might easily be poisons for Earthmen, I had stocked up thoroughly before leaving home. I dusted some quick-acting
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