“Woman?”

“What?” she snapped, swinging back around, her glare still in place.

“Had I warned you against entering the petitions chamber, you would not have disobeyed, would you?”

That was debatable, but all she said was, “So?”

“So it was not a warrior you ignored, only a Darash, a small matter that will require only minor correction. You have no reason to look with dread upon that correction.”

Having said this, he disappeared back into the forbidden-to-women room. Tedra stared at the closed door incredulously. He had given her as much as a promise that her punishment would be no more than a slap on the wrist, or the Sha-Ka’ani equivalent. He had no reason to tell her that except that he didn’t want her to worry about it. She smiled, filled suddenly with a warmth that threatened to bubble over. She wanted to laugh in sheer pleasure. She wanted to call Challen back and say she’d changed her mind after all. She did neither. She savored his concern for her peace of mind, but didn’t lose track of the fact that if she didn’t make her displeasure felt over the things she seriously objected to on his world, at least those things that directly affected her, then they would just continue. Now he knew how strongly she hated the chauri, and now maybe he’d make an exception in her case and find something more acceptable for her to wear.

Chapter Twenty-three

Jalla never did make a reappearance, so Tedra continued her tour of the castle by herself. But she soon got bored without the servant’s input to explain what rooms were for what purpose and who was who of the people she happened to come across. She was left with few choices to fill the rest of the day: either return to Challen’s bedroom and do nothing, or return to that large room she had passed through earlier that seemed to be a gathering place for the women, the free women at any rate. There the orphans, young widows, and old women who had outlived their children and husbands, all now under the protection of the shodan, sat around gossiping while they applied needle and thread to cloth.

Tedra couldn’t see herself doing the same, especially after the less than friendly welcome she had received from those free women, several of whom had been downright frigid during the introductions. And out-and-out doing nothing had never appealed to her, so she elected to do neither. She’d seen the castle. Now she’d see the town.

That decision was easier made than done, but after a little more exploring, she finally found a room on the ground floor with no one in it and access to the outside by some handily open windows. Next to negotiate was the gate, but having left the castle from a room near its rear, she quickly discovered another gate, one not so wide or heavily trafficked. In this back area of the castle, where deliveries were made, were mostly Darasha; the males determinedly didn’t notice her, and the females only looked at her curiously.

Tedra wasted no time in crossing the wide yard and slipping out the open gate. It didn’t take long before she was wishing some type of footgear had gone with her outfit, but she didn’t think of turning back. If knowing full well she was doing something she shouldn’t hadn’t stopped her, sore feet certainly wouldn’t.

There was a market of sorts outside the back gate. It was a street of merchants, apparently, and each one had at least half his goods on sale in front of his shop, on tables and carts, in baskets or whatever was handy, or just spread out on blankets on the sidewalks. Of course, there was more to see inside the shops, probably the more expensive stuff, but a glance in all directions showed a wide variety of goods being offered, from food and cloth to jewels and weapons.

She was relieved to see again mostly Darasha here, doing both the buying and the selling, but there were some free women shopping, too, moving casually from shop front to shop front, their brightly colored cloaks tied at the throat and set back over their shoulders. Tedra would have personally used a cloak to cover up if she had one, but she supposed it was a matter of pride for these women to let their chauri be seen clearly, since the chauri was a mark of freedom. Some freedom, when they all had a warrior or two escorting them. The fact that she didn’t shouldn’t be a problem, though. As long as she stayed reasonably close to a woman who did, who was to say the woman’s escort wasn’t hers as well?

She picked one couple and kept up with them. She even took into account that the warrior with the woman would know he wasn’t guarding her, too, so she managed to keep to his back and out of his notice while still seeing what she wanted to see of the marketplace.

This went on for all of five measly minutes before a big hand fell on her shoulder and turned her about, and she knew even before she looked up to see the two warriors that her tour of the market was over. One was grinning down at her, the other displayed disapproval. Both were unknown to her but were typical giants, though not of Challen’s caliber-just lots bigger than she. Tedra still figured she could take them, if it came down to that. What she wanted to know was how they had found her out when she had stayed so close to that other warrior and his lady. So maybe they hadn’t found her out. Maybe they just wanted a little friendly conversation.

With that thought, she said, “Yes?”

“Yes, she says,” the grinning one replied to no one in particular, but then, to her, “Woman, you were given enough time to make your choice. Since you have not taken that time to ask protection from one of us, I now claim you.”

“Oh, for Stars’ sake, do I have to go through this again?” Tedra said in disgust.

Her tone didn’t get rid of that grin. It was still firmly in place as the warrior reached for her. Instead of his hand connecting with her arm, however, her hand caught his, and with one swift turnabout, she had his digits twisted in an extremely uncomfortable position.

“Don’t take this personally, warrior,” she said calmly to the big guy, not even having to strain to keep him from moving an inch. “But I’ve already been claimed, so to speak, or at least my time’s all booked up for the next month. So you understand why I can’t go with you, don’t you? My own warrior wouldn’t like it, and that leaves me honor-bound to stop you from trying to make off with me.”

“Bullan!” was all he said to this, but he said it quite loudly and in the way of requesting aid.

Bullan had to be the warrior’s disapproving friend, and Tedra turned to warn him off, only to find he’d gone. Where he’d gone she discovered in the next instant as steellike bands wrapped around her from behind, getting her upper arms inside that circle to more or less immobilize her-or so he thought.

“Release him, woman,” Bullan told her in a voice sharp with anger.

“And if I don’t?”

There was a long pause, as if the man were struggling to overcome shock or just plain disbelief that she wasn’t jumping to do his bidding. “Do not make me hurt you.”

That warning got her just a little bit mad. “Hurt me? Oh, no, warrior, you aren’t going to ease your conscience by putting the blame for hurting me on my shoulders. I didn’t ask you two clowns to detain me, and I’ve already told you I’m not available for claiming. So any hurting you do to me is your idea, not mine. Of course, that goes both ways,” she added magnanimously. “Any hurting I do to you I’ll take full credit for.”

“Bullan!” the no-longer-grinning warrior cried out again.

He was already the recipient of some of the hurting she could dish out, and he’d just as soon it ended. His friend started seeing about ending it, slowly tightening those massive arms around her. But Tedra had already guessed that would be his move, to steadily apply the pressure until she either released his friend or blacked out. Before that pressure got too bad, she shoved up a bit more on her victim’s wrist, eliciting a moan from him that worked to distract Bullan into easing his hold on her just long enough for her to twist her free arm back and behind her where her fingers locked onto something soft.