“I’m going to see you all dead, devil take me if I don’t,” Flam choked out, obviously being forced to speak the truth. “I’ll find those females wherever they try to hide, and once I have them I’ll flay them myself. But first I’m going to see all of you dead, just the way you deserve to be for doing this to me. Dead, I want you all dead!”

By that time Flam was screaming, and Gordi exchanged glances with the other two men. Jake knew well enough what he would do in their place, but the decision belonged to the men who lived on this world.

“I can’t help but notice that Flam isn’t taking any part of the responsibility for what happened to him,” the smaller of the two men said slowly. “Considering the fact that he has more than one slave and never hesitates to knock them around, he ought to have at least hesitated before deciding that this is all other people’s fault. I have a feeling that Flam can’t admit that he brought this on himself, not now and not ever.”

“I’m forced to agree with you, Dimmis,” Gordi said with a shake of his head. “I always thought that Flam just refused to admit out loud that he might be wrong about something, but that isn’t true. Even this hasn’t convinced him he’s wrong, which means there isn’t anything that will.”

“And that leaves us no choice about what to do,” the taller man, who had to be Artro, said in the same sober way. “Flam has the ability to talk the hotheads and empty heads into going along with him, and we can’t let that happen again. This time the matter is far too important.”

“What are all of you talking about?” Flam demanded from where he still knelt, his face twisted into a horrible mask. “How can you just sit there without even offering to help me? You deserve to die along with them, and once I’m out of here I’ll make sure it happens!”

“I’ve heard it suggested that you make a habit of seeing people who don’t agree with you disappear or die,” Gordi said, apparently pretending that

Flam hadn’t just promised to kill him. “Is the suggestion true? Are you the one who sent assassins after me and made it necessary for me to have guards around all the time?”

“Of course I’m the one,” Flam answered with a snort of ridicule, glaring at his questioner. “Too many of those damn fools listen to you instead of to me, but the lousy assassin blew it. But don’t worry, I just found some who can reach you no matter how many guards you have, and all I have to do is pay them. Then I’ll never be bothered by you again.”

Gordi’s jaw tightened when he heard that and he sat straighter, but before he could speak Tain interrupted again.

“I think you three men should be free to treat Flam the way he’s begging to be treated,” she said, then glanced toward Jake. “Come on, Killen.

Gordi and his friends need some privacy right now.” Jake happened to agree with Tain, but it still set his teeth on edge to have to follow her out of the alcove. She led the way to the right, away from where the others were and toward the darkness, and then she stopped and turned to look at him.

“I think we’re almost finished here, and while we’re waiting there’s something I’d like you to do,” she said, looking up at him with no expression on her face. “I want you to cancel every order you ever gave me, and then I want you to order me not to take anyone’s orders, including yours, ever again.”

Jake had no choice but to obey, and once he’d done as she’d asked he also didn’t hesitate putting in his own request.

“Now that you’re completely free, how about doing me the same favor?” he said, wondering why her expression hadn’t changed at all. “You can’t really argue that doing as I ask would be anything more than fair.”

“Doing as you ask would have been fair if you’d made the offer of freeing me first on your own,” she said, no longer meeting his gaze. “I spent more than a little time wondering if you would ever get around to making the suggestion, and then I got tired of waiting. I’m going to have the women get ready to leave here, and once the men are done with their chore I’d like you to do the same with them. I want out of here and off this world as soon as I can get them.”

And with that she pushed past him and strode away, making no effort to glance into the alcove to see if Flam had been put out of his misery yet.

Jake stood for a moment and watched her go, finding it impossible to dig out words of his own. He had the feeling he might have screwed up somehow, but right now he couldn’t see where. Tain seemed to feel that he hadn’t considered her, but the same could most definitely be said about her toward him. If she’d cared anything at all about him, she never would have treated him the way she was doing.

Going back to the captives’ alcove showed Jake that Flam was almost dead.

Artro and Dimmis had obviously held Flam down while Gordi smothered him with one of the blankets folded up for easier handling, but the three hadn’t moved back even though Flam was no longer struggling. They were making very sure that Flam was dead before they ended their efforts, which was wise of them. It’s never pleasant when you have to kill someone twice in the space of ten minutes.

The women, two of them helping Char, hurried past the alcove right after the three men stood up, so Jake told Gordi and his friends that they would be turned loose in just a little while. The men nodded to show that they’d heard him, but other than that they didn’t say anything. They didn’t look as if they regretted what they’d done, but they also weren’t particularly happy about it. They spoke together in low tones for a minute or two, and when Tain walked into the alcove again Gordi turned to her. “When Dimmis and Artro are free, they’re going straight to the guard,” Gordi said without preamble. “They’re going to give a statement saying they heard Flam admit that he sent assassins after me, so no one will wonder when Flam can’t be found. I’d like you two to be my houseguests for a little while, at least until the guard catches up with Himlin. My friends intend to mention your associate’s kidnapping along with the rest… And we’d also like to know when we can expect to be freed as far as possible until that antidote can be gotten.”

“What makes you think there’s a way to do that?” Tain asked mildly. “If you’re judging by what I’m wearing, you have to remember there’s such a thing as being in disguise.”

“Please don’t,” Gordi said, his tone and expression both weary.

“I’m not blind, and I do try not to be a fool. Those women who … punished Flam… It was perfectly clear that they were both slaves at some time, but when Flam tried to give them orders they had no trouble refusing him. There’s some way you can be freed of the slave drug and we’d like you to use that way unless you’ve already decided not to.”

“No, I haven’t made a decision like that,” Tain answered, still speaking mildly. “But before we get to your request, I’d like each of you to tell me whether or not you’re speaking the truth about your intentions. Are the plans you mentioned the only ones you have, or are there other plans you’ve decided to keep to yourselves?”

“Our only intentions are to do as I said and to work toward getting rid of slavery as quickly as possible,” Gordi responded at once without the least hesitation. “I don’t blame you for being suspicious, not when I’d be the same in your place.”

“That’s good to hear,” Tain said once the other two men had supported Gordi with their own assurances. “There is a way to free you men and I’ll use it in a minute, but first you need to be told something. If, once you’re freed, any of you change your mind and do something to cause either capture or hurt for me or my friends, you will immediately revert to needing to take orders from everyone—and you’ll never be able to be partially freed again. Do all of you understand what that means?”

Jake saw the three men sigh before they nodded, happily showing nothing in the way of suspicious regret. Tain was trying to make sure he and the others would be as safe as possible, but there would be no true safety for any of them until they were off this world…