"It sounds far away," I said.

"It is at the outer gate," he said.

"The citizens of Corcyrus love me," I said.

"Do not doubt it," be said. "I must now take my leave. I fear there is little time."

"But what of me?" I said. "I am afraid. Will you come back for me?" "Have no fear, Lady Sheila," he said. "You will be come for."

"Soon?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. He then backed down the stairs. He bowed deeply.

"Farewell, Lady Sheila, Tatrix of Corcyrus," he said.

He then withdrew.

I heard a splintering in the distance, and then, in a moment, a new striking, doubtless on the interior gate.

I heard the closing of the anteroom door behind Ligurious, and then the dropping in place of beams, the sliding of bolts. It had been locked from within, from the other side.

I sat on the throne, clutching its arms, alone in the great hall.

13 The Golden Cage; Miles of Argentum Speaks With Me

I clutched the arms of the throne in terror.

Before this I had heard the screams of the crowd outside the doors, their shouting and pounding, then the striking of a heavy beam against the door. Men and women, many in rags, brandishing knives and implements, mixed with soldiers, poured into the great ball. The doors were open, and one bung awry on its hinges. The mob, with the soldiers, swirling about the heavy beam, now dropped, which had been used to breach the doors, flooded toward the dais. At the foot of the dais, shaking fists, shouting angrily, some restrained by soldiers, the crowd stopped.

"Cut her to piecesl" I heard. "Tear her to piecesl"

"She is "Sheila, Tatrix of Corcyrust" cried men in the crowd. "It is Sheila, Tatrix of Corcyrusl" "It is shel" "It is Sheilal" "It is Sheila, the Tatrix of Corcyrusl"

I moaned. I was terrified that they should know that.

Miles of Argentum sheathed his sword. He handed his helmet to one of the men with him.

He approached the throne.

"Please, don't," I said.

Then he jerked away the veil of state from my features. I, though a free woman, had been face-stripped before free men. My face was as bare to them as though I might be a slave. Face-stripping a free woman, against her will, can be a serious crime on Gor. On the other hand, Corcyrus had now fallen. Her women, thusly, now at the feet of her conquerors, would be little better than slaves. Any fate could now be inflicted on them that the conquerors might wish, including making them actual slaves. The hand of Miles of Argentum then brushed back my robes, that my whole head and features, to the throat, might be revealed to the crowd.

"This is the way in which I am more accustomed to seeing you," he said. "Greetings, Lady Sheila, Tatrix of Corcyrus." if "I am Tiffany Collins," I said, weakly. "I am from Earth."

"Your features," said Miles of Argenturn, "are surely well known to hundreds, if not thousands."

"Cut her to piecesl" cried men in the crowd. "Tear her to piecesl" cried women in the crowd.

"I am from Earthl" I cried. "I am Tiffany Collinsl"

"Bring forth the palace slave called Susan," said Miles of Argentum. Susan, from somewhere in the back, was thrust forward. I gasped.

She was absolutely naked, save that she still wore the collar of Ligurious. Her hands were bound behind her back.

In her nose there was a small, circular, wire apparatus which P;j had apparently been held open, thrust through her septum, and then permitted to spring shut. Attached to this apparatus, tied through it, dangling, was a looped thong, about two feet in length. It was clearly a device by means of which a slave, or perhaps any female, might be led.

"You are Susan, are you not," inquired Miles of Argentum, "who was as personal serving slave to Sheila, the Tatrix of Corcyrus?"

"Yes, Master," she said.

He indicated that she might kneel before the throne.

"Is this she who was to you as Mistress?" inquired Miles of Argenturn, addressing himself to the terrified slave from Cincinnati at his feet.

"Tell them I am Tiffany Collins, from Earth I" I told Susan.

"'She is truly from Earth, I think, Master," wept Susan, and that is what, I recall, she told me her name was."

I almost cried out with relief.

"And putting aside such former names and worlds," said Miles, "as whom do you know her here?"

Susan began to tremble.

"You know the penalties for a slave who lies," said Miles. "Think carefully and well, my small, nose-ringed beauty."

"She is she who was to me as Mistress," said Susan, sobbing, "she whom I served, Sheila, Tatrix of Corcyrus."

There was a cry of elation from the crowd.

"Forgive me, Mistressl" cried Susan. She then, at a sign from Miles, led by the thong, in the grip of a soldier, hurrying, almost running, that she did not place the least stress on the device in her nose, was being conducted rapidly from the room. I supposed she would be placed with other women, perhaps wearing similar devices. They can be tied about slave ring% fastened to other such thongs, and so on. Just before the soldier had grasped the thong I had seen her wildly look at Miles of Argentum. Doubtless she remembered him well from the audience, so long ago. Too, I thought it quite likely that be remembered her. In that audience he had looked upon her as though she might not be likely to quickly slip his mind. Too, he had had her summoned to the dais by her palace name. She had tried to read in his countenance, in that brief, wild instant, before she was removed from the dais, her fate, but she had been unable to do so. He was not, perhaps by intention, even looking at her. She did not know then if, when the collar of Ligurious was removed from her, she would be sent to his headquarters or not. There, of course, if she were found sufficiently pleasing, after perhaps a closer examination and trial, another collar might be put on her. She would, in any case, wear one collar or another, somewhere. She was a slave.

I the captain from Ar," said Miles of Argentum. lean figure entered the hall, and approached now "long aisle.

"Drusus Rencius, Captain of Ar, on detached service to the forces of Argentum," said Miles of Argentum. "I believe you two have met."

I shook my bead, disbelievingly. I had been told he was a renegade from Ar. Twice, I knew, suddenly realizing it now, he could have me from Corcyrus, delivering me to Argenturn, once when we were on the walls near the tarn perches and once, later, when, my whereabouts unknown to Ligurious and others, I had been in the house of Kliomenes, braceleted, half naked and helpless. But he had not abducted me, nor attempted to do so. It seemed rather he had, for whatever reason or reasons, preferred, as he had once remarked on the walls of Corcyrus, to let the game take its course.

"Do you know this woman, Captain?" asked Miles, general of Argentum. Drusus Rencius handed his helmet to a soldier and climbed then to the height of the throne.

He put out his hands and lifted me to my feet before the throne. He then held me by the upper arms and looked down, deeply, into my eyes.

I shuddered. This was not a matter in which he wished to risk any mistake. "Yes," be said.

"How do you know her?" asked Miles of Argenturn.

"I was, for several weeks," he said, "her personal body-guard."

"You know her then quite well?" asked Miles.

"Yes," said Drusus Rencius.

"Can you identify her?" asked Miles.

"Yes," said Drusus Rencius.

"Who is she?" asked Miles of Argentum.

"She is Sheila, Tatrix of Corcyrus," said Drusus Rencius.

There was a sudden cry of pleasure and victory from the crowd. Drusus Rencius released me, and turned about, and, descending ffom the dais and making his way through the crowd, left.