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.Awkwardly, painfully, they did so, stumbling to the edge of the room, thenleaning against the wall, taking a step at a time.Elizabeth, now also free,went to their side, trying to help them.She did not speak to them, however.As far as they knew she could speak only Gorean.When the smith arrived, he took, from a rack in the wall, two narrow, straightbars of iron, not really plates but narrow cubes, about a half inch in widthand fifteen inches in length.The girls were then motioned to the anvil.First Virginia and then Phyllislaid their heads and throats on the anvil, head turned to the side, theirhands holding the anvil, and the smith, expertly, with his heavy hammer and aringing of iron, curved the collar about their throats; a space of about aquarter of an inch was left between the two ends of the collar; the endsmatched perfectly;both Virginia and Phyllis stepped away from the anvil feeling the metal ontheir throats, both now collared slave girls."If your training goes well," said Flaminius to the girls, "you will in timebe given a pretty collar." He indicated Elizabeth's yellow enameled collar,bearing the legend of the House of Cernus."It will even have a lock," saidFlaminius.Virginia looked at him blankly."You would like a pretty collar, wouldn't you?" asked Flaminius."Yes, Master," said Virginia numbly."And what of you Phyllis?" asked Flaminius."Yes, Master," said the girl, a whisper."I will decide if and when they receive a lock collar," said Sura."Of course," said Flaminius, backing away a step, bowing his head."Kneel," said Sura, pointing to the stones before her feet.This time Virginia and Phyllis needed no translation, and they, withElizabeth, knelt before Sura.Sura turned to Ho-Tu."The Tuchuk girl," she said, "keeps quarters with theAssassin.I do not object.Take the others to cells of Red Silk.""They are White Silk," said Ho-Tu.Sura laughed."Very well," she said, "to cells of White Silk.Feed them well.You have almost crippled them.How you expect me to train crippled barbariansIam not clear.""You will do splendidly," said Flaminius warmly.Sura glanced at him, coldly, and the Physician dropped his eyes."In the first weeks," she said, "I will also need one who speaks their tongue.Further, when not in training, they must learn Gorean, and quickly."Page 85ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"I will send one who speaks their tongue," said Flaminius."Also I willarrange that they are taught Gorean.""Translate for me," said Sura, to Flaminius, as she turned and faced the threekneeling girls.She then spoke to them in short sentences, pausing for Flaminius to translate."I am Sura," she said."I will train you.In the hours of training you are myslaves.You will do what I wish.You will work.You will work and you willlearn.You will be pleasing.I will teach you.You will work and you willlearn."She then looked at them."Fear me," she said.Flaminius translated this, aswell.Then without speaking she flicked on the slave goad and rotated the dial.Thetip began to glow brightly.Then suddenly she struck at the three kneelinggirls.The charge must have been high, judging by the intense shower of fieryyellow needles of light and the screams of pain from the three girls.Againand again Sura struck and the girls, half stunned, half crazed with pain,seemed unable to even move, but could only scream and cry.Even Elizabeth,whom Iknew was swift and spirited, seemed paralyzed and tortured by the goad.ThenSura dialed the goad down, and turned it off.The three girls lying in pain ofthe stones looked up at her in fear, even the proud Elizabeth, their bodiestrembling, their eyes wide.I read in their eyes, even those of Elizabeth, asudden terror of the goad."Fear me," said Sura softly.Flaminius translated.Then Sura turned toFlaminius."Have them sent to my training room at the sixth Ahn," she said,and turned, and walked away, the slave bells flashing on her ankle.I left the tiers of the racing stadium and began to walk down the long,sloping stone ramp, level by level.There were few leaving the races but I didpass some late comers, moving up the ramps, who had perhaps been detained orhad been released from their shops only late in the day.At one corner in thedescending ramp there was a small knot of young men, weavers by theirgarments, who were gambling with the inked knucklebones of verr, shaking themin a small leather cup and spilling them to the stones.On the ground level,beneath the lofty stands, there was much more life
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