“It is far different here. This is an estate of death and terror, and our master is the very lord of these. I was a child when his father died, but I think things were different then.” He had looked searchingly at Naran.
“I’ve never mentioned these things before,” he went on. “But there’s something—” He had looked down at the ground, then up again.
“Our master became Kio through the death of his brother,” he went on, “and it was through the deaths of other headmen that I was placed in charge of this village.” He had glanced back into the door of his hut.
“I had no part in causing those deaths. The life of a headman here in Tibara is short and none but a fool would fight for this position of mine. It is not a good one. The master’s demands are heavy and his hand is even heavier.”
[p 41]
This didn’t match with the reputation of Kio Barra as a considerate host—a fair man to do business with. It made him wonder.
Had his brother actually ever left this place? But if not, where were his drivers? What had happened to his train of draft brutes? How had the cargo he carried been disposed of?
Oh, of course, he knew there were caravan masters who would accept freight and ask a minimum of questions. Goods could be disposed of. And this was a breeding estate. The slaves? He shook his head. Too simple!
He brought himself back to the present, looking thoughtfully at the drivers’ lodge ahead of him. Then he probed gently, trying to establish rapport with Dar Girdek. The man could be in real danger.
He frowned and probed with more force. There was nothing. The frown deepened.
After his talk with Retonga, he had established rapport with the caravan master, but the older man had attached no importance to his suspicions.