Chapter 10

Amanda patiently waited for her turn to eat breakfast as she lay stretched out on her stomach on her mistress' bed, her head propped up on her elbows. Her backside was still sore and pink from her paddling the day before, though it was tolerable if she did not put too much weight on it. Sirinna had again offered to take her to the Healer, but she had again refused. It wasn't all that bad now, and she felt it better to tough it out, if only to prove to herself that she could do it.

Besides, Amanda had the sense that Sirinna had another bombshell to drop on her, and she was eager to hear what it was this time.

"I'm going to give you over to Marisa for your morning session," Sirinna announced.

"Yes, mistress," Amanda said dutifully. That was not the bombshell. Ever since Amanda had done well on her test the other day at the Circle, she had won some grudging respect from the older slave. Marisa was still hard on her, but no longer tortuously so. Or at least Amanda could cope with it better.

"I need to meet with Master Roquan as soon as I bring you to the Circle."

"Reporting on me, mistress?" Amanda said with a wry smile.

Sirinna chuckled softly. "Well, some of it will be about you. But I think he wants to talk to me about what's going to be happening at the Manor."

"Oh, the Conclave?" Amanda tried to sound casual about it, even though the mention of it made her heart quicken a touch. She was trying hard to put it out of her head and not worry about it. "That's in a few days, right?"

"Yes, but the merchants arrive tomorrow."

Amanda paused. That was the bombshell. "Merchants?"

"The Manor is visited regularly by the merchant clans. They trade goods to us that Master Roquan cannot get from just the lands he owns around the Manor."

"Uh... how does Master Roquan pay for those goods?"

Sirinna smiled. "Some by platinum, some by services."

"Services? Oh... our services, you mean."

"Indirectly, anyway. You see, he allows the higher members of the clan to be quartered with some of the slaves. The slave is expected to provide for his needs while he's there."

"But Master Roquan picks which slaves they get quartered with, right?"

Sirinna paused to push the platter towards Amanda. "Here, love, I'm done."

Amanda pulled herself up and gingerly sat down before the platter. She looked at her mistress expectantly.

"The Clan Leader is being allowed his own pick this time," Sirinna said.

"And what if he picks you?"

"Then he will be quartered with us here."

Amanda paused to swallow a piece of fruit. It went down a little hard, as her throat felt tight. "Uh... will I... will I have to..."

"Please him? If he wishes it, yes."

Amanda couldn't help but let out a small, nervous sigh.

Sirinna reached over and placed a hand on Amanda's shoulder. "Don't worry too much over it, love. It's likely that he'll want me instead of you, because I'm more experienced. Or if he wants us both, I can take the lead and help guide you."

"But it would mean we wouldn't have our time together in the evenings, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that. It will only be for a quarter moon or so."

Amanda nodded, but was not mollified. Just as she thought she had everything sorted out, something new was sprung on her.

"If it helps any, love, merchants are nowhere near as demanding as clients. Or Overlords for that matter. To put it bluntly, if you make him cum, you're doing well."

"I just don't want to screw up, that's all."

Sirinna smiled. "You won't."

Amanda also did not want to get hurt, but she knew she could not say that. A good slave did not worry about such things. A good slave accepted her treatment, and sought to please her master or mistress anyway.

Unfortunately, it made the prospect of getting sent away to a client all the more distressing. Besides being separated from Sirinna, she would have to deal with sexual advances from a complete stranger. She did realize, however, that he (or she for that matter) would no longer be a stranger after a short while. Was that how the other slaves did it? Suppress any hesitation or misgivings until growing accustomed to the new arrangement?

Despite how far she had come in her training and her battles with her own issues, she still felt like something crucial was missing, yet she still had no idea what.

"Roquan, I do not like what I have been hearing about Freya."

The Overlord looked askance at his friend's somewhat disheveled clothing and the tired look on the man's face. "Are you quite sure you wish to discuss this now, Rennis? You spent the better part of the early morning on the road."

Rennis absently swiped at his hair, managing to get it to some semblance of order, but it did not help his overall image very much. "Time is not a luxury, Roquan. Not with the Conclave so close at hand. I even passed the merchants on the way in. They won't be far behind me."

"Did not Doran travel with you? I was hoping he would arrive early as well."

Rennis was shaking his head halfway through Roquan's comment. "He needed every moment to do as many deals as possible before getting here. He's still doing them in transit even as we speak."

Roquan sighed through his nose. "What of Freya, then? Did not Doran say that she was on our side?"

"Well, leaning towards our side. But I have heard her consulting with other Overlords, some that we know are in Gronnus' camp. She even visited Gronnus' Manor!"

Roquan considered this. "Freya was always of her own mind."

"Oh, that's putting it mildly."

"She is female, after all."

"Ah, good of you to notice that."

Roquan frowned. "I mean, as the only female Overlord, it affords her a certain advantage."

"Certainly her bedmates believe it does, yes."

"Oh, really, Rennis. Do you seriously believe all the stories about her promiscuity with the other Overlords?"

"Yes, because they're true!"

"That would hardly be proper behavior."

Rennis laughed humorlessly. "So you would not bed her if she made the advance?"

Roquan straightened. "I would do nothing improper. To bed her during a Conclave would be a breach of ethics."

"Tell that to her."

"I need do nothing of the sort. She cannot force my hand. Or any other part of me I will add, before you decide to make another crude joke."

Rennis just smirked as he cut off a retort.

"Surely you can see what is going on here, Rennis. She is simply playing both sides against the middle."

Rennis blinked in surprise. "Well, yes, that is indeed a possibility. I was just surprised you thought of it."

Roquan gave him a sour look. "I am not totally bereft of wisdom in this matter. Anyway, she is looking for a better deal. We will simply have to offer that."

"I don't see how you can. No offense intended with that, I..."

"I am aware of my financial shortcomings," Roquan said curtly, though not unkindly. "I may need to use other means to persuade her."

Rennis smirked.

"Other means that do not include the inside of my bedchamber!" Roquan added loudly.

"Relax, Roquan, I was just kidding. If we can't see some humor in this, it will drive us both insane."

Roquan's lips tightened. "I already am feeling quite burdened by all this," he said in a lower voice. "This is proving to be a very daunting task, more so than I had thought."

"Speaking of daunting tasks, how is Amanda doing?"

Roquan let his breath go in an relieved sigh so obvious that it made Rennis' eyebrows rise. "Much better, thankfully."

"Oh?"

"If you are willing to stay for a few moments longer, you can hear for yourself. Sirinna will be here shortly, and she will likely give me an update on her progress."

Rennis smiled. "Stick around for Sirinna? I'll muddle through that somehow."

Roquan managed a small smile in return. "At least there is a chance Amanda will not embarrass me."

"I knew we could count on Sirinna. Oh, and you've instructed Amanda about the Draught, right?"

Roquan paused. "No, I have not."

Rennis looked askance at the other Overlord.

"I intend to do so before the Conclave arrives."

Rennis sighed and slapped his forehead in frustration.

Roquan blanched. "What?"

"Roquan, how long has it been since she started training? And you let her go all that time not knowing she should keep that information to herself?"

"Yes, I had thought of that."

"And?"

"I thought it an acceptable risk, compared to the one of telling her too early."

Rennis frowned in confusion. "Telling her too early? Why would that be a problem?"

"Think for a moment, Rennis!" Roquan said angrily. "Think how she saw through the deception of the Imperial agent before the rest of us. Think how she made her conscious choice to stay. Think how she pushed her defiance just to the limits of what would be tolerated."

There was a long pause before Rennis pieced it together, and then he looked at Roquan in surprise and alarm. "Blazing hellfire. You're afraid she'll figure it out, aren't you? Gods damn it. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself before this."

"Because you are too used to dealing with slaves that were properly pacified and... adjusted... by the Draught."

Rennis looked stricken. "But that means no matter when you tell her, it'll let her figure it out on her own anyway. Surely she must be wondering herself why she's not acclimated to her role as well as the other slaves are. You tell her that she can't reveal she was never Draughted, and..."

"Amanda is occasionally too clever for her own good," Roquan said in a low voice.

Rennis ran a hand through his hair. "Roquan, I knew there was a reason we don't try to train..."

Roquan raised a warning finger. "Do not even go there, Rennis. It is useless to question the wisdom of my actions after the fact. We must learn to deal..."

There was a soft knock at the door.

Roquan quickly calmed himself and let the anger and frustration drain from his face. "Enter."

Sirinna appeared before them. She nodded respectfully, and then beamed at Rennis briefly. "Good morning Master Roquan, Master Rennis. I can return later if I am interrupting."

"No, Sirinna, that is quite all right," said Roquan. "Rennis wishes to hear how Amanda is doing."

Sirinna smiled. "Amanda is doing very well. I've helped her smooth over some of the rough spots in her submissiveness training, and she is doing even better at sexual skills. Her enthusiasm has improved remarkably."

"And her attitude?"

"Much better. I have not had to punish her even once in the last half-moon."

Roquan nodded at this. Rennis folded his arms, looking thoughtful. "Has she had the Traditional Twenty yet?" asked Roquan.

"Indeed she has, master, just yesterday in fact."

"How did she fare?

"I was rather surprised. I had never expected her to grow as wet as she did from it."

Rennis' eyebrows lifted and he looked over to Roquan.

Roquan looked nonplussed. "Are you quite sure of this?"

"Very much so. I was able to make her cum rather strongly afterward."

Roquan was quite astonished at this. Yet again, the girl had managed to surprise him!

"Might be an angle, Roquan," Rennis said thoughtfully. "If you're still worried about her performance."

Roquan frowned slightly. He generally did not care to air his negative feelings such as worry around his slaves. Sometimes Rennis forgot that the openness he tended to show around his own slaves did not translate well in the D'ronstaq Manor. "Are you suggesting that I use this to my advantage?"

"You can't say you haven't been thinking about it. Don't be overt about it. Just suggest to one or two Overlords that they might like to give the girl a playful paddling or spanking."

"Master, if I may?" Sirinna said respectfully, trying to keep the desperation with which she needed to speak out of her voice. She relaxed when Roquan nodded once. "Just so you know, she doesn't crave punishment. It is only the application that arouses her, and she's only now getting used to the idea. It might be too much too soon to subject her to it often."

"I may not be at liberty to consider that, Sirinna. If she is handling herself as well as you suggest in her accelerated training, surely she could handle this."

Sirinna nodded once. She had to hope her Overlord was correct. Despite the lingering doubt in her mind, her voice was confident when she acknowledged his decision. "Yes, master, I will see to it that she understands this."

Roquan's gaze met Rennis' for a moment. After a few moments in silent thought, Roquan turned back to his Trainer. "I wish Amanda brought to me this evening. At twilight."

Sirinna slowly smiled. That was the time of day Roquan usually called on her if he wished her companionship for the evening. "Yes, master! I am sure you will be very pleased with how far she has come."

Roquan nodded. "That is all, Sirinna."

Sirinna nodded once and exited the Overlord's chambers.

"So you will tell her tonight, then?" asked Rennis.

"Yes. After I bed her, of course."

"Ah, so you will be testing her."

"Indeed," Roquan said. What he did not reveal was that he wanted the girl for the sheer pleasure of having her. Before, she was submissive to him largely out of fear. He wished to see how she fared now that she was submissive out of duty. He wished to see if she finally had grasped the concept of what it meant to be a slave.

Amanda had little idea of what to expect from Marisa. Despite the new-found respect the older slave seemed to have for her, she was still not very enamored of Marisa. Yet she carefully kept her opinions to herself, absent from both her words and her face. It helped that Marisa's first words to her after removing the chain and cuffs was a compliment.

Or at least she figured it seemed as such to Marisa, anyway.

"You're doing better than I thought you would, Amanda. I truly believed you'd still be as much of a little brat as you were that first time I met you."

"Thank you, mistress," Amanda said in an even voice.

Marisa smirked. "I can still see a little of it left in you, but you're controlling it rather well. Let's see if you have that same degree of self-control with what I have planned for you. Come."

Amanda dutifully followed Marisa towards the center of the Circle, where the trees still shaded the morning sun from the grass. In a loose circle about the spot were numerous other slaves, obviously waiting for Marisa to guide them in Amanda's training.

Marisa pointed. "Lie on the ground on your back. Spread your legs and your arms apart."

"Yes, mistress," Amanda intoned. Marisa was more strict about her title being used. Temporary title, Amanda reminded herself. No way would she tolerate Marisa ever being made a permanent Trainer over her, even if it were to be a co-Trainer along with Sirinna. There was only so much of Marisa that she was willing to tolerate.

Amanda did as she was ordered. She took a deep breath and let it go to try and focus her mind on what she was doing.

"Close your eyes."

Amanda did so after a moment's pause.

"Now listen carefully. You are not to move at all. You are not to open your eyes. You are not to vocalize anything above a whisper. You do nothing until I tell you to do so. Do you understand me, Amanda?"

Amanda's heart was beating faster. She swallowed. "Yes, mistress," she said with a nervous quaver in her voice.

For the next few moments, there was silence, save for gentle movement around her from among the other slaves. Her breathing grew short in anxious anticipation of what they were going to do to her. Finally, she sensed someone on either side of her, and a hand from each direction grasped her breasts.

Amanda bit her lower lip as her orbs were softly fondled, and then squeezed until her nipples were pointed straight up. There was a pause, and she expected to feel warm lips and tongue against her nipples. Her body even quivered in anticipation of it.

What she actually got was anything but warm. Amanda yelped and her body jerked.

"Do not move, Amanda," Marisa admonished. "And do not make any loud noises."

"Y-yes, mistr..." Her words were cut off by a short gasp as it happened again. When she felt something trickle down the globe of her breast, she realized that all that was happening was someone was dribbling water on her nipple.

Another splash fell on her, and she whimpered. It was only water, yes, but it was ice-cold! By the time they applied it again, the nipple was standing hard and erect, the areola around it puckering. More was dribbled on her other breast, until its nipple was in a similar state.