Marauders of Gor Read Online Free PDF Page B

"Put torches in the rings," said Samos.
                The hall was lit. Members of the house came forward. Samos appeared before the table. At his side was Thurnock, a torch still uplifted in   his hand. Luma was present. I saw, too, Tab, who was captain of the Venna. Clitus, too, was present, and young Henrius
                "What is wrong?" I Asked.
                Then one other stepped forward. It was Ho-Hak, from the marshes, the rencer. His face was white. No longer about his throat was clasped the collar of the galley slave, with short dangling chain. He had been a bred slave, an exotic.   His ears were large, bred so as a collector's fancy. But he had killed his master, breaking his neck and escaped. Recaptured, he had been sentenced to the galleys, but had escaped, too, killing six men in his flight. He had, finally, succeeded in making his way into the marshes, in the Vosk's vast delta, where he had been taken in by rencers, who live on islands, woven of rence reeds, in the delta. He had become chief of one such group, and was much respected in the delta. He had been instrumental in bringing the great bow to the rencers, which put them on a military par   with those of Port Kar, who had hitherto victimized and exploited them. Rencer   bowmen were now used by certain captains of Port Kar as auxilaries.
                Ho-Hak did not speak but cast on the table an armlet of gold.
                It was bloodied
                I knew the armlet well. It had been that of Telima, who had fled to the marshes, when I had determined to seek Talina in the northern forests.
                "Telima," said Ho-Hak.
                "When did this happen?" I asked.
                "Within four Ahn," said Ho-Hak. Then he turned to another rencer, one who stood with him. "Speak," said Ho-Hak.
                " I saw little," he said. "there was a tarn and a beast. I heard the scream of the woman. I poled my rence craft toward them, my bow ready. I heard another scream. The tarn took flight, low, over the rence, the beast upon it, hunched, shaggy. I found her rence craft, the pole floating nearby. It was much bloodied. I found there, too, the armlet."
                "The body?" I asked.
                "Tharlarion were about." Said the rencer.
                I nodded.
                I wondered if the beast had struck for hunger. Such a beast in the house of Cernus had fed on human flesh. Doubtless it was little other to them than venison would be to us.
                "Why did you not kill the   beast, or strike the tarn? I asked.
                The great bow was capable of such matters.
                "I had no opportunity," said the rencer.
                "Which way did the tarn take flight?" I asked.
                "To the northwest," said the rencer.
                I was certain the taern would follow the coast. It was extremely difficut, if not impossible, to fly a tarn from the sight of land. It is counterinstinctual for them. In the engagement of the 25th of Se'Kara we had used tarns at sea, but they had been kept below decks in cargo ships until beyond ther sight of land. Interestingly, once released, there had been no difficulty in   managing them. They had performed effectively in the engagement.
                I looked at Samos. "What do you know of this matter?" I asked.
                "I know only what I am told," said Samos.
                "Describe the beast," I said to the rencer.
                "I did not see it well," he said.
                "It could only have been one of the Kurii," said Samos.
                "The Kurii?" I asked.
                "The word is a Gorean corruption of their name for themselves, for their kind," said Samos.
                "In Torvaldsland."