"And now you see this luxurious room—and me. Which would you choose?"
"I cannot believe," I replied, "that the final alternative is without conditions, which might make it appear less attractive than it now seems, for otherwise there could be no possible question as to which I would choose."
"You are right," she said. "There are conditions."
"What are they?" I asked.
"You will become an officer in the palace of the jed and as such you will conduct tortures similar to those you have witnessed in the pits of the palace. You will be guided by whatever whim may possess your master."
I drew myself to my full height. "I choose the fire," I said.
"I knew that you would," she said sadly, "and yet I hoped that you might not."
"It is not because of you," I said quickly. "It is the other conditions which no man of honor could accept."
"I know," she said, "and had you accepted them I must eventually have despised you as I despise the others."
"You are unhappy here?" I asked.