The Time Traders · Chapter
XVI explained
Ross Murdock, captured by the horsemen tribe, is held prisoner and debated over by the council.
What happens
Ross Murdock, captured by the horsemen tribe, is held prisoner and debated over by the council. Ennar frees him from bonds but he remains captive. The tribe plans to trade him to the alien chief who offered a reward. Ross learns the aliens can speak the tribe's language and have advanced technology. Foscar is killed in an attack, and Ennar vows to make Ross a sacrificial slave for Foscar's burial fire.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Resilience
Ross endures physical abuse, captivity, and the threat of being burned alive, yet continues to seek escape and argue for his life.
The Misfit as Hero
Ross, a misfit from his own time, uses cunning and endurance to survive among primitive tribes and alien threats.
Alien Contact and Ancient Civilizations
The aliens from the ship communicate with the horsemen, offer rewards for Ross, and demonstrate advanced technology like fire magic.
Characters to notice
- Ross Murdock
Captured and bound by the horsemen, beaten but defiant, learns of the alien chief's reward for him.
- Ennar
Frees Ross from bonds, guards him, and after Foscar's death vows to sacrifice Ross as a slave for the burial fire.
- Foscar
Chief of the horsemen, debates Ross's fate, is killed in an attack, and his body is brought back by Ennar and Tulka.
- Tulka
Rides beside Ross, describes the alien chief's appearance and fire magic, helps carry Foscar's body.
Key passages
“He might have fought Ennar to a standstill, but in the eyes of the horsemen he had also been beaten, and he had not impressed them as he had hoped.”
Although Ross held his own against Ennar, the horsemen still saw him as defeated, and he failed to gain their respect.
Ross reflects on his failed attempt to intimidate the tribe.
“Woods rat, Foscar goes to his burial fire. And he shall take a slave with him to serve him beyond the sky—a slave to run at his voice, to shake when he thunders. Slave-dog, you shall run for Foscar beyond the sky, and he shall have you forever to walk upon as a man walks upon the earth.”
Ennar swears that Ross will be sacrificed as a slave to accompany the dead chief Foscar into the afterlife.
Ennar's grim vow seals Ross's fate as a sacrificial victim.