Chapter fourteen“San Mrindaban?” said Lokushi. He rubbed up his left tusk. Like the right it had a groove all the way around. That was where the pestiferous Shanks had removed Lokushi’s golden tusk bands. For a Chulik, who are bred from birth as warriors and earn their living going out into the world as mercenaries, he was remarkably friendly. This, I assumed, must be one result of his capture and subsequent slavery. “No. But I know a polsim who might.”
The cell-like room in which we talked had been dug under the foundations of a slave hut. We were not in the bagnios, for which I gave great thanks to Zair and Opaz. Lokushi said we were perfectly safe from detection. The Shanks may be slavemasters, he told us. They do not have the skills in man-management of your normal despicable Kataki.
