Tal Goreans,
Greetings visitors,

Welcome once again to the Booknotes column. Tarl has had a frustrating time trying to meet Karjuk, the so-called “Guard” of the Innuit, who has been identified as the crafter of the mysterious half-eared Kur head that has been one of Tarl’s few clues to date. At long last however Karjuk has made his entrance, as has Tarl’s friend Ram, who has ventured north to find him. Karjuk announces his arrival with the head of a slain Kur, one that had rings in its ears and so appears to have been the one that was dogging Ram’s footsteps. But what is truly going on remains to be seen, and we have no alternative means of finding out than to turn some more pages of Beasts of Gor.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tarl discusses with Karjuk the latter’s hunting of the Kur whose head he has just exhibited, and also asks him if he knows of an iceberg that does not move. Karjuk admits that he does, and agrees to take Tarl to see it. Imnak and Ram both announce their intention to come too, and they decide to take slaves along. Tarl has no objection, for he does not think they will either prove a hindrance or be in great danger. But Arlene, the former Sidney Anderson, is frightened and begs to be allowed to share Tarl’s bed for the night. There she gives ample evidence that she is now fully accepting of her new station, and indeed loves Tarl’s chains. Understanding reasonably clearly the danger into which Tarl is going, she begs him not to do it, but he will of course have none of this. One way and another, the sense of danger seems to bring Arlene to a whole new dimension of slavery - graduating from pot wench to pleasure slave, as Tarl says in amusement and surprise - and pondering the ways of men and women and reflecting gratefully on his good fortune in being on Gor, Tarl slips off into the sleep of the just.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The journey is begun, and now Tarl and company are exposed to the full fury of an Arctic winter and the endless night, relieved though it is by moon and starlight. Tarl tells us something of sledding Innuit-style and how they navigate and live off the land, admitting that even the red hunters can become lost in the trackless wastes of the ice-cap. Still things seem to be going well enough. Tarl and Imnak put their heads together at one point and remark that there seems to be a Kur trailing them, however, and they also mention the severed Kur head that Karjuk brought a couple of chapters ago. Both have noticed something about it, though they do not tell the reader, and while Tarl pronounces confidence in Karjuk the guard, Imnak pointedly a sks: “But whom does he guard?”

Chapter Twenty-Six

When a vicious snow storm breaks out, the expedition becomes separated, Tarl and Imnak plus their slaves remaining together and Ram and Karjuk going no one knows where. Then to compound their woes they become aware firstly that Barbara, one of Imnak’s white slaves, has gone missing, her tether severed, and then that they are being trailed by a starving pack of wild sleen. Their lot becomes rather worse when Audrey, belatedly realizing that her chain-sister is missing, lets out a scream of horror, thus assuring that the wild sleen will find them.

After an initial battle with the boldest of the sleen, Tarl is resigned to his coming death when the remainder of the pack comes in and wishes that Arlene were not there with him, though she loyally proclaims that she would wish to be nowhere else. But these extreme circumstances cause Imnak to show a ruthless side to his character at odds with his usual amiable self. With the assistance of his red slave Poalu, who knows far more about such matters than the helpless whites in the party, Imnak sets a trap consisting of a viciously keen knife embedded in the ice and both concealed and baited with a lump of meat. This simple device leads the first sleen to take the meat to cut itself and then, driven into a shark-like feeding frenzy by the smell of even its own blood, to cut itself more and more severely, attracting the attention of still more sleen who either go the same way or else join in an orgy of cannibalism, attacking their bleeding pack-fellows. Tarl is horrified by the trap once he understands its nature, but Imnak merely observes matter-of-factly that they must do what it takes if they wish to live.

The trap proves quite successful and deals with the sleen pack for the time being, whereupon our adventurers settle down for a well-earned and much-needed meal.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Pressing on, the travellers find themselves trailed by a few remaining sleen from the pack, and Imnak regards them coolly and makes preparations to deal with these, too. Tarl looks on curiously as Imnak crafts a whalebone spring with sharpened ends, folds it up tightly and binds it with sinew, and then inserts it into another chunk of meat. Revulsion causes him to urge Imnak to put the hideous device away, but Imnak only replies that it is them or the sleen. Tarl cannot sleep after the bait is thrown out for the sleen, until after a while he hears it take effect as the luckless creature that eats the meat successfully digests both it and the sinew, and is then eviscerated by the released spring.

Once the last of the sleen have been dealt with, there is no risk that there will be further pursuit, but Imnak confides that they are now in Kur territory. Indeed, as they are in camp one night, in what we would term an igloo (though Tarl informs us, quite correctly, that this term applies to all dwellings and not only the snow-dome to which it is usually applied) they hear the sounds of a two-footed creature outside, though they see none when they go and look. But while they are outside they see a sudden and dramatic Aurora Borealis - dramatic in that it is shaped in the form of a half-eared Kur’s face, and animated into the bargain. Tarl and Imnak alike take this as a sign that it is too late to turn back; but Arlene for her part is terrified of an enemy that is powerful enough to manipulate the very Northern Lights. She urges Tarl to flee, but he states his intention to abide by the Warrior’s Code, which once he broke but intends no such repetition. When Arlene becomes too forceful, Tarl disciplines her, though only by permitting her to engage in “placatory behaviour”, and then, as Imnak stands the first watch, Tarl settles contentedly down to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Tarl awakens in warm and comfortable surroundings and in the company not only of Arlene but of Constance, whom he has not seen since being taken prisoner in Lydius. That is the only good news he has, but of bad news, rather more, as he is once again a prisoner, now in a more high-tech establishment than he has been used to for a while. Evidently, as he discovers with a little questioning of his slaves, he is in the secret Kur complex, Zarendargar’s lair.

He enjoys a visit from Drusus, not seen for several chapters, who is now properly dressed in the black of his true caste. Arlene, temporarily forgetting that she is no longer the Kur agent Sidney Anderson, attempts to issue Drusus an order, but this avails nothing. Drusus only politely passes the time of day and smugly tells Tarl that Imnak has joined the Kur forces, too, before bidding Tarl au revoir; and although Tarl demands an interview with Zarendargar, Drusus loftily informs him that no one sees the great Kur general. Then he leaves Tarl alone with his slaves, one of whom, Arlene, he peremptorily cuffs for her presumption in addressing a free man unfittingly and without leave - it matters nothing to him that Drusus is an enemy.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Caged and being wheeled off somewhere, Tarl meets Karjuk, who mocks him for a fool - although, Tarl reveals, he has been suspicious of Karjuk all along, given that the severed Kur head we saw earlier was not the head of the Kur who had been molesting Ram. Karjuk also corroborates Drusus’s testimony concerning Imnak’s betrayal of Tarl, and though Tarl protests that Karjuk is a liar as well as a traitor, he meets Imnak himself shortly afterwards, and Imnak admits shamelessly that such is the case. He politely asks Tarl not to be bitter; it is not that Imnak is a traitor, so much as that Imnak is loyal to Imnak, who is after all a splendid fellow, even if he cannot sing. Oddly, Tarl cannot quite find it in him to hate the amiable Innuit, but he reflects angrily on the truth of Drusus’s claim that gold buys any man.

Chapter Thirty

Not for the first time in his career, Tarl finds himself in an arena and about to fight for his life, but first it is Ram’s turn. Ostensibly a trader, Ram soon shows himself to be more than capable, and he offers Tarl a warrior’s salute as he is led away having won his fight. Then Tarl is confronted by Drusus himself, who seems to be quite as confident of himself as an Assassin ought to be. Still, we do know that Tarl is no mug with a sword in his hand.

He has time, while he is fighting, to reflect on a custom of the Assassins, to train up their recruits two at a time, each paired with a close friend whom, at the completion of their training, they must kill. Bantering with Drusus, Tarl enquires as to the name of Drusus’s friend, and Drusus angrily tells him “Kurnock!”. They then fight in earnest, but we know that no one man has ever defeated Tarl in hand-to-hand combat, and Drusus not only fails to buck the trend but does not last even half a page. However, when Tarl is about to administer the coup de grace, he announces that this will be in Kurnock’s name, and Drusus bitterly announces that he failed his Caste on that occasion, too, for he spared the luckless Kurnock when it became apparent that he was no match for Drusus. At this, Tarl rhetorically enquires if a Warrior can show less mercy than an Assassin, and spares him.

Unfortunately, Ram is now brought out to face Tarl. Refusing to fight each other, the two friends promptly turn upon their guards and are for a time successful even though the guards are armed with guns. Even such heroes have no answer to knockout gas, though, and that is exactly what is used to bring them down.

Chapter Thirty-One

For his courage Tarl is done the singular honour of an audience with Half-Ear, and the pair of them recognise a certain kindred spirit uniting them despite their being of unlike races. Zarendargar tells Tarl some interesting facts concerning the nature of his species, especially its breeding cycle, and they share paga together. In fact Half-Ear has been saving the paga specially for Tarl, confident that he would turn up to claim it.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Zarendargar speaks of his destroyed homeworld and the coming invasion which will win Gor for the Kurii. He is confident that the Priest-Kings do not have the power to resist them, but he does not trouble to interrogate Tarl, for though he is well able to do so, he still could not guarantee that what Tarl knew was the real truth or only a deliberately false memory. This depot of which he is in command will supply the invaders, and it was to keep the native Innuit at a safe distance and preserve secrecy that the Kurii hatched the plot to interfere with the tabuk migration. He recounts the tale of how Tarl was captured, gassed with the complicity of Imnak and Karjuk, and is somewhat contemptuous, for no Kur would ever betray another to an alien species.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Kindred spirit goes only so far, though, and Tarl is to die nonetheless, sent out on the ice accompanied by a Kur underling who will tear him limb from limb. Tarl senses that Zarendargar regrets the necessity, for all the good this does him. He meets Imnak one last time and calls him a traitor to his face, but Imnak again begs him not to be bitter and even offers him a last meal. Tarl is inclined to refuse, but when he sees Imnak’s stricken expression again and when Imnak hints that it is the kind of food that sleen like, he agrees to take it, his heart suddenly a-leap.

Chapter Thirty-Four

As they trek out on the ice to the place of execution, a safe distance from the complex, Tarl protests his hunger a few times until the Kur, just to be petty, eats Tarl’s food in front of him. The alert reader will divine that it is now only a matter of time. However, the dramatic niceties must be observed, and it is not until the place of execution has been reached, until indeed the Kur is on the point of killing him, that the sleen-traps in its stomach go off. At that, the Kur’s incredible vigour and courage sustain it almost to the point of killing Tarl with its last breath, and it is not until four Ahn later that it finally dies; Tarl is almost moved. Once it is dead, Tarl sets about a grisly job of work.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Disguised by the pelt and head of the dead Kur, Tarl manages to gain entrance to the complex. The subterfuge does not last any longer than the bare time he needs to get inside, but that is enough for him. Soon he has disposed of a couple of guards and stolen himself a uniform and a weapon, and he then crawls through the obligatory ventilation duct (proving that Zarendargar also should have read the Evil Overlord’s Handbook), where he is pleased to meet Imnak, who of course asks what kept him.

Instructing Imnak to find the girls and flee with them from the complex, Tarl sets off in search of the destruct mechanism, confident from his earlier chat with Zarendargar that there must be one. However, when he also suggests that Imnak kill Karjuk the next time he sees him, he finds himself bound on another of Imnak’s circular-logic jags and lets the matter drop.

Soon he secures himself a guide, Lady Rosa, yet another beautiful Earth-girl agent of Kurii who goes by a rather long Spanish name that Tarl decides might as well be replaced by Pepita. At least he doesn’t actually call her a dago. She, by guiding him unwillingly to the point beyond which no humans are allowed to go, gives him his best clue as to where the destruct mechanism might be. He finds Drusus bound on the same errand, for he has responded to Tarl’s unusual mercy by resolving at least to be a man even if he is unfit to be an Assassin. They search without success for the mechanism, until Tarl realizes that they are bound on a fool’s errand and that what they seek will surely be in Zarendargar’s keeping alone.

Searching for a way to Half-Ear’s quarters, the two find Imnak, who has gathered up all their slaves but refused to flee, waiting for Tarl and, for that matter, Karjuk. Tarl is still puzzled, insisting again that Karjuk is a traitor. But as they are cornered by the complex’s guards, there is a sudden shift in fortunes as a horde of the People appear, guided by Karjuk. Tarl personally apologises for having thought him a traitor, and Karjuk forgives him.

The complex overrun and the operation in ruins, Tarl goes in search of Zarendargar. There has been a short and desperate fight in which the general has not shirked his share, but is now badly wounded and about to bring down the complex around his ears. However, Tarl points out that there are still men who were under Half-Ear’s command, and in consideration of their service the Kur, who is a good officer, engages a delayed destruct sequence, allowing time for allies and foes alike to flee. He refuses to be transported to safety, though, evidently determined to go down with his ship.

Chapter Thirty-Six

The victors prepare to depart, and among the slaves to be shared out is a single Innuit, Neromiktok, formerly courted without success by Karjuk, who adopted the solitary duties of the guard on being rejected by her. She is now in disgrace for having been a slave of white men - which offers a big fat “au contraire” to those who would have it that Goreans are not given to racism - and will be sent into the snow to freeze. But Karjuk decides to keep her for himself, under the slave name of Auyark, “Summer”.

The remaining slaves are shared out, including Arlene, who is now pre-orgasmic merely at the touch of her chains and can be said successfully to have made the transition to slavehood. Tarl, struck by compassion, goes to mercy-kill Zarendargar - and finds him gone. There is only a glass of paga, which Tarl drains in salute; and lacking time to organise a search, Tarl and his companions make a speedy exit.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The complex duly blows up, and from the force of the explosion it is clear that the Kurii were not buggering about, as the device appears to have been nuclear in nature. But the fugitives have made good their escape, and are more certain than ever that Zarendargar is no more.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

His mission accomplished, Tarl slips quietly away, leaving Imnak singing in the feasting-hall now that music has come to him at last. He interviews each of his new slaves one by one, telling them what their several fates will be - which is to say, where each of them will be sold, or whether he will keep them for a time. Then he and Ram, and their native guides, begin their long journey into the south, just as the first hint of the spring dawn brightens the rim of the world.

So another journey into Gor’s remotest wildernesses draws to a close, and it remains to be seen what the next move will be in the long game between Kur, Man and Priest-King. Tarl has had an ultimately successful expedition owing no more nor less than usual to a large slice of luck, and as for Zarendargar, only time will tell whether he has truly died or whether, like any self-respecting supervillian, he should be counted among the dead only when his dead body has been duly seen and certified. Whereof perhaps more may be told some day, but Tarl meanwhile is of course due for more wanderings, the next instalment of which is to be recounted between the covers of Explorers of Gor, where we shall pick up next month.

I wish you well,

Socrates