Tal Goreans,
Greetings visitors,

Welcome once again to the Booknotes column.

Jason Marshall has now become in very truth the “Fighting Slave” of the title, and he has proved extremely successful at it to date, although one Miles of Vonda, sometime suitor of the Lady Florence, Jason’s mistress, appears jealous enough to be interested in making a serious effort to find someone who will beat Jason. Meanwhile Lady Florence has achieved the downfall of her hated rival, Lady Melpomene, enslaving her and having Jason teach her the meaning of her collar - an unusual privilege for a male slave, but clearly aimed at having Melpomene plumb the depths of degradation as fully and as swiftly as possible. The major problem with this is that by the time Jason was finished with her, Melpomene didn’t seem so distressed at her new station, at that, and Lady Florence seemed somewhat put out thereby. Now to continue.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Jason has been having some trouble with Taphris, a slave girl assigned to the stables in order to spy on him and go tattling to the Mistress at regular intervals. She is interested in Jason’s physical charms and wishes him to attend to her in secret and cater for her whims as though she were a mistress. Being made of stern stuff, he tells her where she can go, but unfortunately, having the ear of the Mistress means that Taphris can get Jason into trouble, and this she gleefully does. Kenneth and Barus, Jason’s overseers and fight-trainers, are not pleased with this, and Kenneth, who is unhappy at seeing the stables going to rack and ruin because of Taphris’s mischief, hatches a plan.

Acting on Kenneth’s instructions, Jason arranges a tryst in one of the tunnels that are used for hatching tharlarion, and in the dark he meets Taphris and talks to her. When she has spoken plenty that can incriminate her, Jason uses her as a female slave, on his terms rather than hers, and then, after she has been awoken to the pleasure of being put to the uncompromising use of a strong man, the lights come on and Lady Florence reveals that she has heard all, including Taphris’s boasting of her own cleverness and disparagement of the Mistress. This results in Taphris’s sale, although on hearing that she is to be sold as a pleasure slave, Taphris pronounces herself grateful. And, once again, Lady Florence seems to be experiencing mixed emotions.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Some little time later Jason is again sent to that same tunnel, where he meets a new girl, one who is so new to her condition as to be uncollared and brandless. He puts her to the same expert use as Taphris and, earlier, Melpomene, which she plainly enjoys greatly; and before he dismisses her, Jason helps himself to a strand of her hair.

Chapter Twenty-Five

It is now time for Jason to face Miles of Vonda’s new champion, one Krondar by name. He is evidently an extremely hard guy indeed and Kenneth does not seem sanguine about Jason’s chances against him; whereas Miles is full of confidence and, rather pettily, instructing Krondar to damage Jason’s good looks as much as possible. Krondar is plainly verging on the sub-human, barely controllable with the direct threat of a sword blade, and heavily scarred by many fights under vicious conditions, using such implements as spiked gauntlets and knife gauntlets.

Kenneth is all for Jason taking a dive to avoid unnecessary punishment, though he admits that despite not giving Jason an urt’s chance of beating Krondar, he has not and will not bet against one of his own men. But Jason has come very far since the start of the book and he first ascertains that he is not under direct orders to lose - and this Kenneth will not do, believing that Jason does not truly belong in a collar - and then directs his trainer to get some money down on him. This Kenneth does, and he gets extremely good odds.

The fight gets under way, and it soon becomes plain that Jason has much ringcraft on his side, enough not only to stand up to Krondar directly but also to laugh off some of Krondar’s cheaper tricks. He proudly informs Krondar that though he has fought in Ar, there are good fighters other than in Gor’s greatest city, and he proceeds to demonstrate the truth of his words. Kenneth places more bets, soon at even odds and then at odds on Jason to win, and before long no-one is taking his money at any price, for it is plain that Jason is a born fighter and even the terrible Krondar is not his master. It takes him just four rounds to dispose of the monster-man, who is admiring and gracious in defeat, and Jason plainly respects him in his turn as a courageous and determined opponent. He little knows that this will be his last fight in the arena.

Even as the crowd is dispersing, news comes through that war is aflame, though it is as yet far distant. And as they are on their way home, Barus calls “Look! In the sky!” and it is doubtful that he is talking about Superman. Kenneth and Barus quickly let Jason and his comrades out of their chains and order them to scatter, for the raiding tarnsmen would probably take slave girls for themselves but will have no use for kajiri other than as sword fodder. Whereupon Jason, Kenneth, Barus, and all hands, flee in as many different directions as possible.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Returning to Lady Florence’s estate, Jason intervenes just in time to prevent his Mistress from being raped and carried off, his mighty fists proving a match for a heedless swordsman just this once. She pleads with Jason to save her from the raiders, and offers and promptly grants his freedom as an inducement. He immediately claims his just reward for defeating Krondar, the woman of his choice, and his choice is Lady Florence, who promptly submits to him as meekly as can be imagined. Shortly afterwards some more of the raiders arrive and Jason fortunately takes them by surprise. Then, equipping himself with the weapons and helmet of one of them as a disguise (for he is under no illusions as to how long he would last against someone who actually knew how to use a sword) he makes good his escape, Lady Florence in tow. They flee to the tunnels, ground which Jason knows well and the raiders do not; and he is not in so much dread of the hot pursuit as to miss his opportunity to put Lady Florence to further use.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

While Lady Florence’s estate burns, after being looted of its portable wealth, Jason and Lady Florence successfully hide in the tunnels and stables, and he seizes the opportunity to make her perform some menial tasks. He brings up the matter of Telitsia, formerly Jason’s favourite treat in the stables, whom Lady Florence sold in a fit of unacknowledged jealousy, and after wringing an apology from her he collars her.

It is thus that they are found a few hours later by Miles of Vonda and his men, and from the turns the conversation takes and the fact that Miles has a set of slave chains about him it is plain that he had come in order to do much what Jason has done; but Jason denies any knowledge of Lady Florence’s whereabouts, and of course Miles has never seen her naked and face-stripped and so does not recognise the slave at Jason’s feet. Miles goes his way for the time being, and Jason further, ahem, “asserts his mastery over” Florence. Indeed, before many hours have gone, Florence is willingly confessing herself no end of a slut.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Florence makes a bluff attempt to regain control, offering Jason a job which would be much like his old assignment as her silk slave, though paid and technically free. The offer is not a tempting one, partly though not altogether because Florence’s fortunes are much reduced and, if she is not actually ruined, she is not far from it. Instead he makes his departure, taking Florence with him naked and in chains.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Florence informs Jason that if he is intending to take a ransom for her, he is letting himself in for a good deal of trouble. He acknowledges this, but he has another plan for her, involving the slaver Tenalion whom we met a little while ago. She is aghast at this but forced to acknowledge the truth of Jason’s position: that though Tenalion knew her as a free woman and was on occasion a guest in her house, this is unlikely to interfere with his objectivity when she is thrown before him as a female slave.

In the course of their conversation Florence rashly admits that the mysterious girl in the tunnel from Chapter Twenty-Four was doubtless a true slave, and it is only moments later that Jason produces the incriminating strand of hair and tricks Florence into admitting it is hers. In truth this would probably not much have affected her fate.

Chapter Thirty

They continue on their way ...

Chapter Thirty-One

... and Jason leashes her in a manner pleasing for him to watch as they walk ...

Chapter Thirty-Two

... and she again engages in further useless entreaties for her freedom, and Jason puts her to further use. She enjoys it greatly and screams out her own slavery, though she is still afraid of it and trying to resist the collar.

Chapter Thirty-Three

And they near the camp of Tenalion the slaver ...

Chapter Thirty-Four

... and enter it, where Jason sells Florence for the high price of ten silver tarsks. Of course her name and former station add to her value (and there is no need for them to be kept secret) but Jason can, on the whole, consider himself fortunate. He makes some enquiries as to the possible whereabouts of his former girlfriend, Beverly Henderson, and makes ready to go in search of her last known master, Oneander of Ar.

So it is that we take our leave for now of Jason Marshall, no longer a fighting slave but a free man, still a fledgling on the harsh world of Gor and yet plainly adapting to his lot with every day that passes. He has gained much in courage and self-reliance and has dealt quite ruthlessly with Lady Florence, although no more harshly than she deserves by Gorean standards for her former pettiness. He has yet a long search before him, seeking out one girl among countless thousands even of Earth girls on Gor, to say nothing of the vast numbers of slave girls in total; but this is a search that we must leave until the next book, Rogue of Gor.

I wish you well,

Socrates