The Bartered Bride by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online Page B

tenth of that."
    "I want her not for desire, but for honor's sake." Though it would hurt to lose the Helena, he could afford the loss, and build another, even better ship.
    "Work for me and you can have the woman to do with as you will, but the only price I will accept is your service."
    Gavin's jaw tightened as he realized he'd been cornered. He was more than ready to leave the East. Staying would frustrate the ambitions that had driven him for more than half his life. How much did he owe Alexandra Warren? He'd done his best to buy her freedom, offered the ship that was the pride of his fleet. Wasn't that enough?
    He'd given her his word. And after last night, she was no longer a stranger. He tried to think of a solution that would aid her without trapping him. He should never have let the sultan know he cared about her fate, but that had been impossible to conceal from the moment he'd seen her struggling against her captors. Now, because of his interest, she'd become a pawn in Kasan's game. His gaze fell on the twelve-sided dice resting on the palm of the goddess of fortune. Inspiration struck. The odds were long, but if Kasan agreed, it might be possible to free Alex without pledging his future to Maduri. "Your Highness has a reputation as a great sportsman. Will you let me play the Lion Game over the woman's fate?"
    Shocked, the sultan said, "You'd risk your life in the Singa Mainam for a slave? You are a brave, honorable fool, Captain."
    "Not entirely. I won't attempt the Lion Game if it means certain death. Does it?"
    "Death is possible, but hardly inevitable. While some of the tasks require warrior courage and skill, others test the mind, and two are activities in which men find great pleasure." Gorgeous and exotic in his flowing silks, Kasan paced along the elegant pointed archways that divided the terrace from the interior, his brow furrowed. "This would be a Lion Game unlike any other. Special rules must be devised." Gavin folded his arms and leaned back against a pillar, wondering what he was getting into. "I don't even know the regular rules. You said five throws were made?"
    The sultan nodded. "In a challenge for the throne, you would have no choice but to accept each cast of the dice. However, one or two of the tasks would be unfair to ask a man not bred in the Islands, so I will allow you one refusal."
    That seemed reasonable. "When a task involves competing with another man, who would my opponent be?"
    Kasan's teeth flashed white against his black beard. "Me, of course. I will welcome the opportunity to battle an opponent willing to try to defeat me. Few Maduris would so dare."
    "Would there be combat to the death?"
    "No. I want you alive." The sultan obviously did not expect to lose. "What constitutes winning?
    Completion and survival of the dangerous challenges, and defeating you in any that are direct competition?"
    "Exactly." Kasan frowned. "A neutral judge is needed in case of dispute. I suggest Tuan Daksa, the head of the Maduri Buddhist temple, who is known for his wisdom and integrity." Gavin wondered if that would give Kasan an edge before deciding to agree. He knew other Buddhist monks, and all had been fairminded men who would make good judges. "I accept Tuan Daksa."
    "If you win, the woman is yours to do with as you will. If you lose, you serve Maduri at my pleasure for the next twenty years."
    The thought of giving up control of his life for so long made Gavin ill. "Five years only. Trying to plan too far into the future tempts fate." The sultan smiled like a leopard seeing prey. "Ten years. I will accept no less."
    Ten years. Still a large chunk of his life, but he'd do no better. "Ten years, then. In return, whether I win or lose, Mrs. Warren is freed and you attempt to discover where her young daughter was taken after their capture."
    Kasan shrugged. "Very well. I have no interest in her apart from the fact that your strange honor has tied you to her fate. Have we a bargain?"
    For a moment Gavin