Slave Race 11/?
by Nan Smith and Linda Garrick
"Lady Frishville!" He didn't realize he had said her name aloud until he saw her brows knit and the look of surprise on her features. Quickly he lowered his gaze, skin crawling.
"You know me, Terran? No, do not attempt to deny it. I saw the recognition in your face and felt your surprise in spite of your shielding. I am an empath, you see."
He looked up at her, surprised that she should so casually admit the bitter fact. The talent of empathy was not admired by the Jilectans. They looked upon it with scorn, as a foolish weakness.
The lady smiled without humor. "I have little pride left, Terran, while I reside on this ship. Now, tell me how it is that you recognized me."
"M'lady, I... I..."
"It cannot be that M'lord Comishvor has spoken of me. He would not do that--not to a Terran."
Cory bit his lip. What was going on here? Who *was* this Lady? Why had she taken him from Lord Yoogashvor's men? Lord Yoogashvor must be her Lord. Why had she brought him here in secret?
"Why do you not answer? For whom are you frightened? Yourself? No, I do not think so. You are protecting someone. I sense that. My Lord Comishvor, perhaps?" Her hand caught him beneath the chin, tilting his face up forcibly. Her eyes held his. "Is it Comishvor?"
Cory swallowed. "M'lady, please..."
"Then do not fear for him. I would never do anything to harm him. Understand, Terran psychic, that I love him."
"You do?"
"Is that so strange?" Her forehead knitted. "Again you display surprise, little Terran. You have heard of me, then--perhaps a rather distorted description?"
Cory tried to look away but her hand gripped his chin tightly. "You will answer me, Terran."
"It... it's my friend, M'lady--he... uh, knew what you looked like. I... saw you in his mind."
"What is your friend's name?"
"Edwin White. Please, M'lady..."
"I know no Terran by that name. You are lying. Tell me the truth now, or I will return you to Yoogashvor at once."
Cory swallowed. "Aren't you planning to do that anyway, M'lady?"
"Not necessarily. Come now, the truth!"
Cory swallowed and threw in his cards. "My friend, Edwin, made an illusion of a lovely Jilectan Lady for Lord Comishvor. It was by his command, M'lady. Ed's an illusionist, and can make people see things that aren't there. Lord Comishvor had ordered him to make an illusion of a Lady. Ed scanned M'lord's mind and came up with you--his--Comishvor's image of the perfect Lady. M'lord was startled into saying your name, and we picked up the fact that your image, and the fact that Ed had created you, bothered him. Later Ed made your image for me."
"Why?"
"Because... forgive me, Lady, but I was curious about what Comishvor's idea of a perfect Lady looked like."
"This is incredible." She was looking at him very hard. "I sense truth, as unbelievable as your story seems."
"And Lady Gootishville--that's Comishvor's wife--called you... a few uncomplimentary names, so I thought perhaps you... well, that your relationship with him had ended unhappily. M'lady, I beg your pardon. I can see now that the things she said must have been said out of jealousy. You're very beautiful, and very kind."
Her face relaxed into a lovely, wistful smile. "Beautiful. You think I am beautiful?"
"Oh, yes, M'lady."
"No one else on this ship does--least of all Yoogashvor."
"Then he's blind, M'lady."
Again she smiled and bent to touch his cheek gently with one long, slim finger. "How very charming you are little Terran." Cory tried not to flinch from her touch. "Do not fear me, little Terran. I think you may find me a good friend in need. You belong to my dear love, and I would do nothing to hurt him. Tell me, is he well?"
"He seems to be, M'lady."
"And what did Lady Gootishville have to say of me?"
"Uh..." Cory tried to look away again, and again her hand caught him beneath the chin, keeping his gaze on hers. "Uh... she called you vile and stupid, if I remember correctly, M'lady, but she was wrong."
She smiled softly and her fingers slipped from his chin to caress his cheek gently. "Terran psychic... how pleasant to meet another empath like myself."
"Does Yoogashvor want me just because I'm a Terran psychic, M'lady?"
"Yes. Terran psychics with strong talents are always useful to pirates. Also, I think, he wishes to spite my dear lord. They hate one another, but Comishvor dares not resist him."
"Why? Oh, because of you!"
"Yes, because of me. I am in Yoogashvor's power. Comishvor loves me, and if he angers Yoogashvor, I will suffer for it."
"I didn't know Jilectans hurt their wives. Are you his wife, M'lady?"
"I am, Terran." Her gaze darkened. "I would rather be the wife of anyone else, but I am the wife of Yoogashvor." She bent suddenly and sat down beside Cory, sinking her face into her hands.
"I'm sorry," Cory said, gently. "Can't you escape?"
"I have tried many times without success."
"But there must be some way."
She lifted her head. "He keeps guards at the lifeboat decks always. They have only to trigger an alarm and I would be caught. He is terribly cruel when I try to escape, little psychic."
"Oh." Cory hesitated, unsure.
"And besides, where could I go? There is no place in the sector that is safe for me. I am the wife of a pirate. I love another pirate. I couldn't contact my Lord Comishvor even if I did escape."
An alarm went off. The lady's head jerked up. "Your disappearance has been discovered." She jumped to her feet and grabbed him beneath the arms, pulling him upright and shoving him toward the wide bed. "Get beneath the covers, quickly!"
"They'll see the lump!"
"Obey me! Quickly!"
Cory scrambled beneath the coverlet and lay as flat as he could. This wouldn't work. They were sure to see the form of a body beneath the blanket.
The Lady lifted the blanket and he stared up at her in shock. She had donned a sleek, filmy night shift which left little to the imagination. "Turn your head to one side and be very still!" she commanded, and climbed into the bed, positioning her body directly over his. Rapidly she pulled the concealing covers over them both.
She was heavy--the weight of her body crushing him into the soft mattress. Her scent overpowered him, and he could hear the slow beat of her heart. He felt her reach for the bedside table and grasp something. There was a soft beep as she activated an electronic book of some sort.
"Keep your shields up tightly, little psychic," she commanded. He couldn't answer. It was all he could do to keep breathing.
A knock sounded on the door. Cory felt the tension in her body, but her voice was perfectly natural and slightly annoyed as she responded with a curt, "Who is it?"
"It is Alvin, M'lady. Please open the door."
Cory heard her shut off the reader. "I am in bed. What do you want?"
"Please, M'lady, M'lord commands that we search your apartments."
There came the sound of the door sliding open, then M'lady's voice again, now angry and affronted. "How dare you intrude upon me, Terran?"
There was unmistakable fear in the man's reply, although Cory could feel him trying to conceal it.
"Forgive me, M'lady, but M'lord has ordered me to... to search your quarters."
"I do not forgive you, and I shall not forget this outrage. Very well, make your search. What are you seeking? The missing rubies from the last raid? I assure you they are not here."
"M'lady, a Terran psychic was taken a few minutes ago in this raid. He... vanished while being taken to the infirmary, and M'lord suspects that someone on board may be... uh, hiding him."
The Lady laughed contemptuously. "If he is a Terran psychic, most likely he has escaped unaided, as M'lord's last one did."
"He was wounded, M'lady. M'lord Yoogashvor doesn't believe he could have managed it alone." Cory heard doors and cabinets being opened. The Lady laughed again. The sounds continued for a few moments, then ceased. Footsteps retreated.
"I deeply regret this, M'lady." The door closed on the last word.
Cory lay still, immobilized by the Jilectan's weight. For the slow count of five hundred she did not move, and Cory remained motionless perforce. He was feeling a little light headed from lack of oxygen, and his arm ached unbearably. Just when he was sure he could endure it no longer the Lady stirred and rolled off of him. He gasped in a deep breath of air as the blanket came away.
She rose gracefully and slipped on a sheer, deep blue robe that had lain across a chair. Her face, surrounded by her tumbled golden hair was quite lovely in the reddish light. Cory sat up.
Frishville promptly pushed him back down again and bent to examine his injured arm, her smooth forehead wrinkled in a frown. "This must be tended at once." She went through a doorway and returned a moment later with a tube and a roll of bandage. Skillfully and gently she spread burn salve over the wound on his forearm, her touch light and sure. Cory relaxed in the knowledge that he was being cared for by an empath.
"It will heal now," she told him as her hands deftly applied the bandage. "I will give you something to lessen the pain."
"Thank you, M'lady."
"You are quite welcome. What is your name, Terran?"
"Cory, M'lady."
"Cory. How very quaint." She handed him a small white tablet and a glass of water.
"Thank you." He sat up and swallowed the pill. "Now what?"
"I do not know. You cannot remain hidden forever."
"M'lady?"
"Yes, Cory."
He hesitated, then made a decision. "If you do manage to escape, I can tell you how to contact Lord Comishvor."
She stared at him. "How?"
"I know the location of his main base."
"You *know* this location?"
"Yes."
She seized his shoulders, making him grimace as his arm was jarred. "*How* do you know this? My Lord Comishvor, who does not even entrust you with a blaster, would not have revealed the whereabouts of his main base to you."
"Not intentionally, M'lady. I found out by accident about a year ago."
"How?"
"During a raid. I was aboard a scout with my friend and Lord Comishvor. M'lord was injured and the navigator was killed. I had to take the controls, and I saw the location on the comp."
Her face glowed. "And you trust me enough to reveal it?"
"I think," Cory said, slowly, "that if I didn't reveal it to you under these circumstances, Lord Comishvor would kill me."
A slow smile curved the corners of her mouth. She placed a hand on either side of his head, leaned forward and kissed him very gently on the forehead.
"Little Terran," she said softly, "if only my species could understand the depth of loyalty and generosity of which you are capable." She released him. "How am I to get away?"
"Well, the raid's probably still going on. I still hear the ship's blasters, don't you?"
"I do."
"Then they'll be occupied. Now's our best time. Have you ever tried dressing as a Terran pirate, M'lady?"
"I have not. How could I dress like a Terran pirate? I am a Jilectan female."
"Exactly. Dressed as you are, you'd never get out, but dressed as a pirate, and with everyone distracted, who would look at you?"
"That is true, but there remains the problem of clothing."
"Whose apartments are beside this one?"
"Yoogashvor's other Ladies, of course."
"Oh. Where's the crew's quarters, and is there anyone as big as you among the Terrans?"
She considered. "Frederick is large. It is possible his clothing would fit me. His quarters are on the second deck."
"Do you know which one?"
"I do not, and in any case, how could you go get them? They are looking for you."
"You'll have to go, M'lady."
"Yes, you are correct." She turned to her clothing, which lay on the chair, pulling off the robe and shift that she wore. Cory quickly turned his back, studying a wall painting in the shape of a fabulous jeweled bird.
"I am dressed." She spoke from directly behind him, and he turned back quickly. "Remain here. If anyone comes, hide. I shall not be long."
Then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her. Cory sat down and drew a long breath.
If he could save her--get her to Comishvor, it would be a feather in his own cap. And besides, he liked her. She was his kind of Lady. It amazed him how sweet and attractive empathic Jils could be. He stood up and wandered slowly around the apartment, touching articles curiously, studying the furnishings. Poor Lady Frishville. From the looks of things, she was, indeed, the least favored wife.
A sound brought him around. Someone was at the door. He spun quickly, then dashed across to the bathroom, concealing himself inside. He heard the door of the room open and close. Soft, quick footsteps crossed the floor. Someone yanked the covers back on the bed.
Blind with his shields up, Cory looked frantically around for something--*anything* to use as a weapon.
A large, ornate metal flask caught his eyes. He crossed the bathroom, lifted it and considered its weight. Gold alloy, probably. It was heavy. A fair weapon in a pinch. Moving silently, he stepped back and up onto the lid of the john. He would be concealed now by the door, which opened inward, should the unknown intruder enter the bathroom. He'd have to strike quickly and hard. Whoever it was, was undoubtedly armed.
A closet door opened, then closed. The footsteps crossed to the bathroom. The door swung open and a figure stepped through.
Cory swung with every ounce of strength he had behind the blow. His burned arm twinged agonizingly. The blow connected and there was a crash. Cory leaped down from the toilet and dashed around the door.
And froze. Lord Yoogashvor lay supine on the deck, his eyes closed and a huge, bleeding cut between his eyes where Cory's blow had landed.
"Holy space!" Cory whispered the words as he dropped to his knees beside the unconscious alien, checking his breathing.
He was alive, all right. Very much alive. Already he was beginning to stir and groan, one hand going to his head.
The golden flask lay beside Cory. He snatched it up, gritted his teeth, and swung again. The article connected with a metallic clang. The Jilectan subsided.
A jeweled blaster was on the alien's hip, closely encased in an ornate, jewel encrusted holster. Cory removed the weapon and spun on his knees, blaster leveled in both hands as the door opened again.
Lady Frishville entered the room.
She closed the door and stopped short, staring at Cory. He stood up, legs wobbling a little. "M'lady, he came and was searching. I... I hit him."
"That is evident." She crossed the room to look down at the still form of her Lord. "Twice, it seems. What did you use?"
He showed her. "I dented it, I'm afraid."
She laughed suddenly, the sound half-hysterical. "Terrans have more strength than they know--particularly when they are frightened. Come, Cory, I have clothing for you, too. Put these on, quickly."
Cory obeyed, taking the articles and pulling them on. The fit wasn't bad--a pair of tight, red leggings and a satin jeweled cape, complete with a hood that concealed his features well. He glanced up at the Lady.
She wore a garb similar to his own, save that the cape length reached only to mid thigh. Beneath it she had donned a pair of baggy trousers that reached to mid calf. Her legs were suspiciously shapely--not the legs of a pirate.
"You need boots, M'lady--something to cover your lower legs."
She looked down. "There are no boots to fit me." She went to her closet and rummaged. On the deck beside Cory, Lord Yoogashvor groaned again.
"M'lady, help me."
She crossed the deck in two strides, took the blaster from Cory's hand and struck the Jilectan with it--a ringing blow on one temple. Yoogashvor subsided with a rattling groan.
"His boots!" Cory said. "M'lady, you can use his!"
"Excellent, my little Terran. Incredible, is it not, how we so easily miss the obvious. Remove them for me."
Cory unfastened the clasps and removed the boots. The Lady thrust the blaster into her belt and bent to pull on the footgear. They were much too large for her, of course, but perhaps, with the rest of the ensemble, no one would notice. She fastened the clasps as tightly as possible and stood up. "Do I appear to be a pirate, Cory?"
Cory examined her. She might pass--briefly. She was tall for a Lady, at least two meters in height, and therefore taller than most Terran males. "Slump your shoulders a little, M'lady. Don't stand up so straight." He reached up to pull the cape more snugly around her shoulders, covering her bright hair more completely with the hood. "And don't look anybody directly in the face. Your eyes are a dead giveaway. And you'd better wash all the makeup off your face."
"I am not wearing makeup, Cory," she informed him.
"Oh." Cory, to his disgust, found himself flushing. "I guess you're just so naturally pretty, I assumed part of it must be makeup."
She smiled, then laughed softly, touching his face again. "We had best go quickly, little empath, before M'lord is missed."
"Yes." He glanced toward the recumbent figure of the Jilectan. The obvious thing, of course, was to kill the alien while he was still unconscious, but his whole soul rebelled against the idea. He swallowed hard.
The Lady followed his glance and he saw some of the color drain from her face. She shook her head sharply. "No, I cannot," she said.
"If we're caught, he'll kill us, after what we've done. At least, he'll kill me."
"I doubt that he would kill you," Frishville said slowly. "But he would certainly kill me. He would realize that I had stolen you and would assume that you were acting under my direction--which, in a sense, you were." She fingered the blaster for a moment uncertainly, then extended it to Cory. "Kill him. I order you."
Cory took the weapon and held it for a moment, irresolute. He stared at the unconscious Jilectan and swallowed.
"I can't, M'lady," he whispered. "I just can't." He felt shamed at his weakness and lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry."
But she didn't press him. "Perhaps it will not matter." She took the blaster back, pinched her lower lip between her teeth, and struck Lord Yoogashvor on the temple again. Cory winced. A blow of that magnitude would have certainly crushed a human's skull, but two years ago, Cory had personally seen Comishvor struck directly in the head by a falling metal girder. It had stunned him, and upon awakening, the resulting headache had rendered him extremely unpleasant company for the next forty-eight hours, but that had been the extent of the damage. Jils, as Edwin had observed more than once, were tough.
"That should deter him for a time," Frishville said.
"Shouldn't we tie him up?"
"No reason to. He is a telekinetic, and anyway, if he awakens he will simply call one of his ladies for aid with telepathy. Come, little psychic, quickly." She went to the door, concentrated a moment, then glanced down at Cory. "No one is there. Stay close to me, and keep your shields up."
"Yes, M'lady. I think the battle must be over. I don't hear the blasters, now."
She listened, then nodded. "It stands to reason. My Lord would not have left the control room during a battle. We must hasten."
She opened the door and went out. Cory hurried after her, closing the door behind him. The Lady strode ahead, head down, as she made for the lift. Cory had to run to keep up.
They reached the lift, encountering no one. The conveyance arrived and they boarded.
The ship intercom came to life suddenly. "Hyperspace in five minutes. Lord Yoogashvor, please acknowledge."
"Hyperspace!" the Lady whispered. "We must get to the lifeboat before that."
"We should make it," Cory told her. "If we hurry."
"Lord Yoogashvor, please respond."
The lift came to a halt and the Lady strode rapidly forward. Cory ran along behind. He caught her elbow. "M'lady, please, slow down. You're attracting attention."
She slowed her steps, glancing down at him briefly. The entrance to the lifeboat bays were now a short distance ahead, and Cory could see guards standing on either side. Beneath the flowing robes, he clutched the golden canister with which he had floored Yoogashvor. If anyone tried to stop them now, he would be in for a nasty surprise.
But the men at the lifeboat doors hardly glanced at them. Cory followed the Lady through, spine crawling. She headed for the nearest lifeboat hangar, steps unconsciously quickening again. Cory ran behind her.
"Hey!" It was one of the several guards who stood along the corridor. "What's your business here?"
Cory dropped his shields and did a hasty scan on the fellow before answering. "Maintenance check, this hangar. The comp reported a short during the battle."
"Oh." The man's mental output told Cory, as he had already predicted, that this was the answer the man had expected. "Well, don't waste any time. That Terran psychic's around somewhere, unless someone's killed him and is afraid to fess up."
"Okay." Cory headed for the hangar after the Lady.
"Hyperspace, two minutes," the intercom announced. "Lord Yoogashvor, please respond."
Lady Frishville entered the lifeboat and Cory scurried in after her. The Lady had to duck to avoid the overhead, but Cory made directly for the controls. With one hand, he activated the emergency start sequence and glanced sideways to where the Lady had taken a seat in the navigator's chair. "Strap in, M'lady."
She did so, knuckles white as she gripped the chair arms. Cory programmed the craft rapidly, setting for hyperspace, and jamming the sequence that would signal those in the mother ship's control room that a lifeboat was preparing to eject. All these years as a pirate's slave had come in useful, after all.
He glanced at the Lady and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "All set. Here we go." Her lips quivered in the ghost of a response.
The intercom, piped into the escape craft, boomed suddenly. "Attention! Attention!"
Cory froze. It was the voice of a Jilectan. The Lady voiced a half scream and covered her face with her hands.
"My Lady Frishville has assaulted me and is probably trying to escape from the ship in disguise. In all likelihood, she is accompanied by my missing Terran psychic. Disable, repeat, disable, but do not kill unless it is to prevent their escape..."
Time was definitely running out, he thought. The board lit up and an alarm shrieked as the doors to the outer lock began to slide open. A voice spoke from the lifeboat com.
"Terran psychic, do not, repeat, do not eject. This is, ..."
The lifeboat leaped outward, jarring them both. Cory leaned forward, slapping the controls. It was a standard lifeboat, thank heavens. The Lady squealed, her face still hidden in her hands.
There was no sign of Comishvor's ship. Cory scanned frantically. "They've gone!"
"What shall we do?" The Lady sounded almost hysterical.
"We head for the base." Without removing his eyes from the viewscreens, he punched in hyperspace coordinates, one-handed. The pirate ship was swiveling around, trying to bring them within its sights.
"Twenty seconds," he said. He reached over to pat the Lady on her shoulder. "I think we'll be okay, Your Ladyship."
She clutched at his hand. Cory glanced at the scanner and triggered the weapons comp. Well, at least they'd go out fighting if it came to that. "Ten seconds..."
"Surrender!" It was Lord Yoogashvor's voice again. "Lady Frishville, as your Lord and husband, I order you..."
With a jolt, the little ship converted to hyperspace. Cory let out his breath in a long sigh and again patted the Lady's shoulder. "We made it, M'lady."
Her face came up. "We are in hyperspace?"
"Yes. Seven hours to Comishvor's base."
Her lovely face relaxed into a delighted smile. She took his face between her hands and again kissed his forehead. "Ah, Cory, I would not have thought that a Terran psychic, which my species despises, could be so brave and gallant."
To his frustration, he found himself blushing again. The Lady let him go, still smiling, and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes.
**********
They came out of hyperspace over the small, airless moon where Comishvor's base was located, and were promptly challenged by the scanner watch. Cory opened a communications frequency and spoke into the unit.
"Lord Lanthzar's Ladies are all frustrated Flossies," he said, giving the password.
"Cory!" It was Ed's voice. "It *is* you! I thought so! Are you okay?"
Before he could answer, Lord Comishvor's voice spoke from the unit. "Cornelius, you have escaped! Did Yoogashvor learn from you the whereabouts of our base?"
Lady Frishville leaned past Cory and spoke into the unit. "Lord Yoogashvor learned nothing, My Lord. Cory and I gave him no chance."
There was a moment of utter silence. Then Comishvor spoke again, his voice strangely hushed. "My Lady? My Lady Frishville?"
Cory saw the Lady wipe a tear from her eye. She smiled delightedly. "Yes, My Lord, it is I."
Lord Comishvor was waiting as they emerged from the airlock. Lady Frishville stopped when she saw him, pushing back the cape she wore to reveal her bright hair. Cory remained where he was as Comishvor stepped forward, extending his arms. "My love! I cannot believe it!"
She went into his arms. Edwin touched Cory's arm. "C'mon, pal, I think they might like to be alone for awhile."
"Right." Cory went with him.
"What the blazes happened to you?" Ed asked as they went toward their quarters. "I tried to call you over and over. You must have had your shields up."
"You bet I did." Cory quickly filled him in.
They reached their apartment and Ed opened the door for him. "So, Lady Frishville was the reason," he said.
"The reason for what?"
"The reason Comishvor wouldn't let us fight back. He just ordered us to run for it, and to go into hyperspace as soon as we could." He closed the door and stood for a moment, his face to the bulkhead. "That was bad. I didn't know what had happened to you."
Cory put a hand on his shoulder. "She's quite a Lady, Ed. And she's an empath too."
"Really." Edwin turned and gave him a shaky smile. "Poor gal."
"Yeah, but she handles her handicap okay--better'n you'd expect for a Jil. I wonder what Comishvor will do now."
"About what? Oh, you mean the Lady?"
"What else? He can't marry her, you know. She's already married."
"Somehow, I don't think that'll deter him. It's Lady Gootishville who's going to have kittens over this whole thing. You'd better..." He stopped at Cory's expression. "Something wrong, Cor?"
The door of their quarters opened and Lady Gootishville entered. Cory jumped backward and bowed deeply. Edwin retreated to the bulkhead, glancing apprehensively at his friend.
The Lady approached. She looked very big and very dangerous. Cory sank to his knees as she stopped before him, icy gaze raking his figure. Edwin came forward and tried to step between them, but a quick sweep of her hand sent him staggering to one side.
Her eyes had never left Cory. "So, vile, ungrateful Terran, you have brought her back--that infamous creature, whom my husband worships!"
Cory felt himself shrinking. She was going to kill him. He had no doubt of it. Her hand moved in a blur of speed, catching him by the shirt and raising him lightly from the floor. Her other arm lifted.
Edwin tackled her, hitting her waist high. The force of the tackle made her stagger and lurch slightly to one side. Edwin's telepathic voice screamed in Cory's mind.
*M'lord! M'lord Comishvor, Lady Gootishville's here! She's going to kill us! Help us! Help us!*
The Lady struck Edwin a violent blow, which sent him spinning away again. The telepathic cries ceased. Cory struggled uselessly in the grasp she held on his collar, tearing at her hands.
Her palm caught him across the face and he saw stars. A second blow, and more stars. His ears hummed, and the air filled with pink mist. His eyes wouldn't focus. Vaguely he was aware that she had dropped him, and that her hand held his wrist, twisting. He felt the knifelike pain, and cried out.
"Vile Terran!" He could hardly hear her voice through the humming in his ears. "I shall break every bone in your body before I kill you! And your friend shall follow! I..."
The word ended in a pained gasp, and Cory felt her hand release him. He looked up, blinking, to see Comishvor standing over him, hand grasping the Lady by the wrist.
"Disgraceful, M'lady! Disgraceful!" Comishvor spoke in the Jilectan tongue, but Cory, who had learned it from Ed, now followed the speech without difficulty. "I will not have you damaging my psychics. I have warned you about this before!"
"Disgraceful!" the Lady blazed back. "You speak of disgraceful. He brings that... slut here--my brother's wife, and before twenty minutes has passed she is alone in your sleeping quarters with you! And you appear, half dressed, to save your wretched, treacherous psychics from harm! Disgraceful? You are a fine one to lecture me!"
**********
tbc
