He sought to win me with kindness and consideration instead of taking me
by force."

Deliberately Vokal let his eyes wander over the beautiful lines of her
figure. "From your tone I judge that you do not believe all Ammadians
would be so considerate. From looking at you I would say he was more
stupid than anything else...."

"However, that is no longer important. Jotan is dead--and you now belong
to me--to do with as I see fit. You may be sure I will not confuse
consideration with stupidity!"

There was no mistaking his meaning. Dylara felt her cheeks burn, but
before she could voice the angry retort trembling on her lips, Vokal
turned his eyes to the silent and expressionless Ekbar.

"Confine the girl in one of the private rooms in the slave quarters," he
said. "As for her companion, put him in with those slaves who work on
the palace grounds. Keep me informed as to his general attitude. If he
gives you any trouble, have him beaten until he becomes tractable."

* * * * *

Once past Ammad's walls. Tharn permitted the rest of Ekbar's column to
draw gradually away from him until, to the eye of the casual passerby,
he was not a part of that body but only a solitary warrior abroad on
some affair of his own.

He would have liked nothing better than to continue on with the column
until it passed through the walls of whatever estate they were headed
for. But already his luck had held up far beyond what he had originally
expected; to remain longer with Ekbar's warriors would have meant
risking almost certain discovery that he was not one of its original
members.

He must keep the column in sight, however, until it reached its goal.
Once he knew which of these stone walled estates was to swallow up
Dylara and Trakor he would be free to enter in his own way and undertake
their rescue.

At this late hour Ammad's streets were nearly deserted. An occasional
solitary figure strode along with purposeful steps, and twice small
groups of men, staggering and loud-mouthed from too much wine, blundered
and weaved along the paved thoroughfares. On these latter occasions
Tharn was careful to cross the street to avoid contact, for drunken men
were notoriously unpredictable.

At last Ekbar's column ground to a halt outside a wide gate in a high
wall of stone midway along one of the streets. Twin lanterns burned from
a niche above those gates, their rays glinting on the spear points of
four armed gua