The Paga Diaries (49) by Arizona Wanderer

 49. Ubar’s Paga

I stepped into a tavern before going home to Mena.  Niketas hadn’t said that I couldn’t go to taverns, just that I couldn’t go yesterday on my way home from the jail.  The tavern was dark and the patrons were subdued, speaking to each other in low voices and whispers.  Many of them stopped speaking as I walked through the door, looking at me as I sought a place to have paga.  I did not see any paga slaves and I went to the paga attendant at the bar.  There was a tense energy in this tavern and I decided to leave and go to another.

The walk to Tickling Curlies wasn’t far and I decided to get a drink in its tavern since it was close.  This was my second time in the paga section of the large manor and the patrons here seemed subdued as well.  I sat on a floor cushion at an empty low table and immediately a large bosomed brunette paga slave kneIt next to me to take my order.  Four men at a table next to mine had stopped talking when I sat down.  After I ordered and received my paga, they began to speak again. I wondered how many of the patrons here were also staying in rented rooms like me.  I wondered if high quality taverns like this one, which offered nice rooms, had a high ratio of guests who were not residents of the city.

I noticed a man enter the tavern and watched as he found a place to sit.  The talking stopped again as the other patrons watched the man order a paga.  It was Dirk, a fellow guardsman.  He did not look at me.  I wondered if he had been detailed to tail me as the security measure Niketas had mentioned.

Eventually men began to speak again.  It wasn’t until my second paga that conversations around me started to become a little more than just whispers.  But there was no one speaking loud, laughing or flirting with the paga girls.  One of the men next to me said a name that caught my ear, “And where is Stannis, is he fighting in this area?”  I remembered hearing of Stannis Assante, a fearsome mercenary captain who had multiple victories fighting for Argentum.

“Haven’t heard anything about him, I don’t think his forces are near the Agosta River. I heard Isurium was taken by Corcyrus, and all its Free Woman captured and taken away in coffles,” a second man said quietly.

“Why Isurium? It is so small, isn’t it neutral?”

“No, it was allied with Argentum,” the second man said in a voice just above a whisper.

“The people here don’t know that the war is not going well. I think this war might come to a stalemate, an embarrassing armistice for Argentum,” a third man said.

“If Torcadino sides with Corcyrus, it may be the women of Argentum who are in the next coffles,” said the first man, looking over his shoulder.

“Not if Ar joins as an ally to Argentum,” said the second man.

“We should shorten our visit and get back to Torcadino.”

I watched as the brunette paga girl came over to check on me.  She was slightly overweight in her hips but I was attracted to her beautiful face and perfect breasts.  She was topless like the other girls, wearing only a thin modest silk around her waist.  I drank paga and think about my situation, trying not to let the girl or the hushed voices around me distract from my thoughts.

Mirus now expected me to follow his directions, as did Niketas.  I had no idea how I was going to try and do both.  I was sure that at some time Niketas would have me do something which would contradict Mirus, and then things would get complicated.  No one told me why Niketas wanted me to give the scrolls to Mirus.  I assumed that copies of the scrolls had been made before I had delivered them to him.

I wanted to talk to Trem.  Niketas had made it clear that I was to tell no one, including Trem, that I had given Lenious’s satchel and scrolls to Mirus.  I felt sleazy.  I had been dishonest to Mirus and was supposed to be dishonest to Trem.  It was also going to be hard to not confide in Mena.  It is hard to keep secrets from a woman who is close to you, even when she wears your collar.  Women are very good at sensing these things.  Maybe now was the best time to leave town.

I tried to measure who I trusted more, Niketas or Trem, knowing that I would have to be dishonest with one of them.  And which one of the two’s trust would be the safest for me?  None of this seemed safe, not making any decision any easier.

I was very surprised, shocked even, that Niketas had returned all of my wealth to me.  Nothing was missing from the gems and gold coins I owned.  When I saw Mena in jail, I thought that whoever had taken her from my rented room had also gone through all of my possessions and that I would never see them again.  That everything was intact was a stellar demonstration of the honor of Niketas and his men.  I didn’t want him to doubt my honor or create any doubts that I might be dishonest in reporting to him while carrying out his instructions.  I was in a situation where I now had to lie to someone, and picking who that was, was proving difficult.  I had lied to Mirus, but lying to Trem was going to be more difficult for me.

If I were to tell Trem what I had done, taking the satchel to Atticus and the authorities, and then to Mirus, what would he do?  Would he tell Mirus?  Should I tell him part of the truth?  Would he want to know the truth, and how would it jeopardize his safety?  He was already involved to an extent.  He had vouched for me with Niketas.  Had he told Mirus anything yet, and was he planning on telling him anything, even his awareness that I had been kept in the city jail?

I didn’t know what to do, and the paga was making it hard to think.  It seemed the best thing for now would be to go to my suite upstairs and enjoy Mena, giving my mind a break.  She seemed to be insatiable ever since the jail cell, overcome with need and begging for use at every opportunity.  The thought of her stirred me.  I finished my paga.

“Another paga Master?” the paga slave asked, as she knelt beside me.

“No,” I said standing up.

“The use of Sofi is included with the price of paga Master.  Please let Sofi comfort you,” she said looking up at me with a big alluring smile.  For a moment, my attention was drawn to the thin band of steel locked around her neck, below her beautiful face.  The house collar symbolized her status as an owned woman, an offering of the tavern, and hearing the encouragement to use her body was something that I could not resist.  The collar is very powerful, to both the slave and the men whose feet she kneels at.  Her breasts were very enticing, like fruit that should be squeezed for ripeness.  I noticed her brand was pink.  The delicate kef looked new, not as fresh as Mena’s, but still new.

“Brand,” I said, and she immediately extended her left leg out, displaying her fresh mark to me for my inspection.  I noticed her skin blushing as her nipples became stiff.

“Are you a new slave?” I asked.

“Yes Master, but Sofi is well trained to serve in the furs,” she answered quickly, her eyes pleading.

“Does displaying your brand make you oil?” I asked.

“Yes Master, Sofi is oiled for your use.”

“Alcove,” I commanded, thinking sometimes it is good to deny Mena’s needs, reminding her of her place. 

***

In the morning, I trained with the guardsmen, and for the first time, I was given a shield.  Fighting with a shield is a lot different than fighting without one.  I was told that soon I would be trained to fight with a shield in a team with other men, in a cohesive unit, something they called a ‘shield wall.’

After the training and a quick wash in the guardhouse bath, I met with Atticus and Niketas.  Niketas asked me about my visit with Mirus.  He told me to come to training every morning, and after two days I was to go to Mirus’s lumberyard and tell Dimos that I would no longer be working there.  He also told me to go to the tarncot and see Trem, and act normal.  He reminded me not to tell him anything about my new arrangement, only that I would be spending more mornings training with the guardsmen.

“I know you have been put into a difficult situation. Lying to your friends is not easy and I am sure you are questioning your loyalties and what the honorable thing to do looks like. Your loyalty and dedication to the city does not go unnoticed. You will be rewarded for your actions. Please accept this gift from the city, a small token of gratitude for what you have already done,” Niketas said and handed me a large ceramic vessel.  “This paga is from the Ubar’s collection, a fine vintage from Venna.”

“Thank you Sir. Drink some now?” I asked, not sure what the appropriate response or custom was for this moment.

“No, thanks for the offer; enjoy it at your leisure,” Niketas said.  Atticus looked at him as though he had wanted some of the paga.  The vessel was heavy and a leather strap was attached to it for carrying.  I took it and left the guardhouse.

I had mixed feelings about seeing Trem.  I considered him to be my friend, my closest friend on Gor, and I hated the thought of keeping things from him.  I went to the base of the mighty tower, presented my pass at the door, and as I climbed the stairs to the top of the tower, I mulled over what I would say.  I thought about asking Trem questions, hoping his answers would help me to decide what to tell him.  Does Mirus know I was in jail?  Julian?  Still undecided on the best course to take, I knocked on the door to the tarncot.  A man let me in and went to get Trem.  The place was busy, with tarnkeepers moving around with purpose.  Trem came to me and we went into his office, which was a mess of gear and paperwork.

“I am surprised you went to Atticus, I thought we were going to arrange for you to leave the city. What have you gotten us into?” he asked.  I didn’t know what to think about his use of the word ‘us’.  I ignored his question for a moment and began to ask my own.

“Does Mirus know I was in jail?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t tell him. He was asking where you were, saying that he had found some better places for you to live,” he said.

“Does Julian know I was in jail?”

“I don’t know that either. I haven’t seen him in a while. As the Magistrate, it is very possible that he knows you were there.  If you are concerned by it, you should assume that he knows,” he said.

“He is friend of Mirus, and will be bad for me if Mirus knows I was in jail.”

“What is going on Rykart?”

“You told me you owe debt to Mirus, not money, but service. I not know what you have to tell him about things. I trust you Trem, but I not want you to get in trouble, be in danger because of me.”

“The night we met, when you drew your sword and risked your life to protect a man who you didn’t know, interfering with Neris and Otho beating me in the alley, I became indebted to you. You helped me to Mirus’s house but what you didn’t know was that Neris and Otho work for Mirus and had been sent by him to find me. I had been avoiding him, and Neris and Otho were sent to find me. I am indebted to you and Mirus, and if there is a conflict between you two, I am asking you to tell me as it complicates things for me. I know this is difficult for you. You don’t have to tell me every detail, just start with whatever you are comfortable with.”

“Trem, you are not indebted to me. You owe me nothing. You never owed me anything, but if you did, you repaid when you said good words to Niketas. You are my friend and I not want you to think you have to do anything for me if you not want to,” I said.

“Yes, we are friends. I trust you and you can trust me. Just tell me what is going on!”

I told him everything, making sure that he knew I was working for Niketas and had seen Mirus.  I told him that I had also agreed to work for Mirus.  I told him that Atticus had instructed me not to tell anyone, especially Trem.  He said nothing for a few ehn and I became uncomfortable with the awkward silence.

“Is that paga?” he asked, looking at the vessel I had placed on the floor next to me.

“Yes, gift from Ubar. Now gift to you.”

“Let’s see what the Ubar drinks. Open it up,” he said and put two wooden paga cups on his desk.

“This is some fine paga!” he said, smiling.  And it was fine, the best paga I had tasted.  It was very smooth and easy to drink, with an exquisite toasted malt flavor.

“It would have been better for you to have left the city. I know you must have had a reason for going to Atticus, and I am not going to ask you about it. It is still possible to leave, but it will be much harder now. Maybe you and I both should take tarns and fly away,” he said and took another sip of paga.

“I won’t tell anyone, but Mirus will eventually find out, probably sooner than you want. And, as you said, things will be very bad for you when he does find out. If you are staying, I don’t know what to tell you, I need to think. I wish I had more time to take a long flight, I think better in the saddle with the wind in my face. I have a feeling that soon all flights from this tower will be registered. I was going to schedule a dung run for tomorrow morning, maybe we will do it now. More paga?” he asked.

“No mix of paga and tarns?” I said, quoting something he had told me before.

“There are exceptions, and today is one of them. Another nip won’t matter,” he said as I took the paga he poured.