THE THORIAN SAGAS: 1. THE TRADER. (Completed).

Learning more.

Stoker would bed down by the fire tonight with his dog, once his various transactions had concluded and his wagons had been loaded once more with the goods that he had come for. After that, he would have to wait upon the weather.

The Council could say nothing of him staying with them this time, or any time. He was their only contact with the outside world, and they could not afford to see that contact lost. Besides, what the council did not know about, it could not object to.

Stoker was not a true man in the sense of that word, 'man', and was thus not a danger to them or to their vow of chastity, which was a requirement of them being warriors. That vow would be in place for a few more years; until they got to thirty years of age, then they would have to choose some other course in life.

It had been an easy vow for them to make, knowing what the males inside their city were like.

Their own men were weak, and unexciting; low on the social scale. They had difficulty breeding with any woman, and even that, required a good deal of coaxing and delicate maneuverings to avoid frightening them off altogether. However, they did manage to do something right; their offspring were mostly female. There was a ratio of about ten female babies, for each male baby that was born, and that was a good thing; females were much more useful.

They never used that appellation, 'man', for their own males, especially not once they had seen, Yunks... or Stoker... or had heard of Thorians.

Stoker was stuck with them for as long as he was here, but he did not seem to mind having the company only of women.

He could not tell them that they were far more pleasing to look at than men of his own kind, or that they were gentler and smelled better in an interesting kind of way... a way that caused involuntary changes in his body. Nor could he admit to them that their conversation was more intriguing, and about things he never normally heard being discussed.

They were more interesting to him in every way that they should not be, suggesting that other changes were approaching for him, and earlier than they should have been, but there was nothing he could do about that. It was just as well that this would be his last year, trading with them.

The way they looked at him in turn, caused him to sense that he was also interesting to them, and in a way that would be dangerous for them all if anything went wrong.

If they were to break their vows...? Then, everything he'd worked for, for the last few years, getting into their trust and becoming familiar with them in every way; getting into their minds, would have been wasted

It must not be allowed to go wrong.

He would have to be careful, but he would still sleep well tonight; in front of a fire and under a roof; without concern of being attacked while he slept.

He slept lightly anyway.

He and Monique sat together that evening after the other warriors had retired, though not going far from the fire themselves, and still able to hear what they talked about.

And to watch him.

He was easy to watch.

Monique picked up that earlier conversation that still resonated with her.

"You said that the coat is made from the hide of a Mountain Bear? The necklace too? And that the bear was killed by a ... Thorian?"

She dared use that word herself, now that he had used it.

She was insatiably curious. They all were, though they tried not to show it.

He knew where this would lead as soon as he'd seen that look in her eyes when she'd first laid eyes on his coat and that necklace as he'd climbed down from his cart.