Chapter 15

Amanda ceased to struggle once they were away from the Overlord's quarters. In the east, the sky had brightened into full dawn, the clouds glowing with the sunlight that was soon to rise above the horizon. Until then, the cool of night still lingered, the plants and flowers glistening with morning dew from the still muggy air.

Amanda was using all her willpower not to break down into tears as Sirinna hurried her back to their quarters. She almost made it, until she glanced at Sirinna's face and saw the deep hurt in it, and the heartache in her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but just as the building came into view, tears began to silently flow down her cheeks.

Sirinna stopped them at the last fork in the path. "You go back to your bedchamber, Amanda," Sirinna said in a hollow voice. "I'll get us some breakfast and..."

She trailed off when she looked at Amanda's face.

Sirinna reached out and pulled Amanda towards her, embracing her tightly. "Amanda, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" Amanda cried, sobbing. "How can you ask that?!"

Sirinna sighed, closing her eyes tightly, fighting back her own tears. "Amanda, it's okay."

Amanda shoved her away. "It's not okay!" she bellowed. "You're going to get punished again and it's my fault!"

"No, Amanda..."

"Yes, Sirinna! Stop denying it! Why didn't you just turn on me in Roquan's quarters?"

Sirinna looked taken aback. "Turn on you? Gods, Amanda, why would I do that?"

"Because you should have! I was saying all these things you didn't believe happened about Rennis!"

Sirinna took a deep breath, but when she let it go, there was a quaver to it, and she blinked rapidly to clear her shimmering eyes. She reached out and grasped Amanda by the shoulders, holding on tightly when Amanda tried to yank away. "Amanda, stop it! This is hard enough for me!"

Anything Amanda might have said to Sirinna at this point died before it could even reach her mouth. She just looked at Sirinna in confusion.

"Amanda, you didn't do anything wrong," Sirinna said in a lower voice.

"So you believe me? You believe what I heard?"

"Yes, Amanda, but... I just don't..." Sirinna paused and shook her head.

"You don't what?"

"Nothing, Amanda."

"No, you were going to say something! Say it! In fact, I know what you were going to say. You were going to say you don't think Roquan was right."

Sirinna remained silent.

"Why can't you just say that?"

"Because, Amanda, it is not my place to dispute Master Roquan," Sirinna said, though her voice was weak and had little conviction to it.

"Like hell it's not!" Amanda shouted angrily. "You started to tell him that, but he wouldn't let you. Sirinna, I don't completely understand what happened. I don't even completely understand how what I said affected what happened. But I did figure out that you care about Rennis, and that what I said made him appear bad to Roquan."

Sirinna heaved another sigh, and her voice threatened to break when she spoke again. "Yes, that's about the gist of it."

"And you don't think Rennis did it, whatever it was."

Sirinna remained silent again, but this time she could not withstand the hard gaze that Amanda was giving her. "No, I don't," she whispered.

"And you're not even allowed to say that to Roquan."

"I told you, Amanda. It is not my place. Roquan is the Overlord, he..."

"Then he's a horrible man, and this is a horrible place."

Sirinna dropped her gaze. The conviction with which Amanda said this devastated her. Any hope of Amanda staying in Narlass was rapidly fading.

Amanda sensed that her words had hurt Sirinna and regretted them immediately. "I'm sorry I said that," she said in a low voice, drawing Sirinna into a hug.

Sirinna cradled Amanda's head. "It's okay," she said tonelessly.

"Stop saying that. Stop making excuses for me. I'm causing you all this trouble."

"Amanda, no," Sirinna said firmly. She broke off the embrace, looking deeply into Amanda's eyes. "Listen to me. I will accept Master Roquan's punishment. Ten strokes is nothing, and it was for my own words and my own disobedience."

Amanda started to shake her head.

Sirinna gave Amanda a defeated look. "Amanda, I am not asking you to agree with it or understand it. I've given up on that. But it's the way things are, and I will have to accept it."

"But you don't accept that Rennis is guilty of what Roquan said. Of sabotaging the Manor."

"No, I don't. But without any proof, I can't do anything about it."

Amanda paused a moment. Ultimately, Sirinna was making sense. There was indeed nothing that could be done. There was no evidence to the contrary. The more Amanda thought about it, the more she realized she was more upset over Sirinna being hurt than anything else.

"Sirinna, what's going to happen now? If I go back to Earth, what's going to come of all this?"

"Nothing. Or rather, nothing that would affect me, if that's what you're worried about."

Amanda sighed. She knew the unspoken clause there: so long as Sirinna did not make any more waves about this. So long as she accepted Roquan's judgment like a good little slave.

"Now, I have to get us some breakfast. Master Roquan will be expecting me back at his quarters afterward. I am anxious to see Tanyee freed from Trainee status."

Amanda was also eager to see this as well, even though it meant that Tanyee would not be living with them anymore. Amanda liked Tanyee. She was nice to be around, and was someone to talk to when Sirinna was busy. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with herself now.

"What do you want me to do, Sirinna?"

Sirinna managed a small smile. "Just be here when I get back from Master Roquan," she said softly, brushing a few strands of hair from in front of Amanda's eyes. "I need you, Amanda."

Amanda heaved an emotional sigh and embraced Sirinna tightly once more before parting.

"Yanna has been treated and released to Hiatha, your Lordship," Vanlo said somberly.

Roquan nodded silently as he brooded over his morning meal. He glanced down, his appetite quickly waning even with half a platter of food left to him. He stood up from the table and ran his hand over his hair once. "I am still at a complete loss, Vanlo."

"In what way?"

"How Rennis could have done such a thing to me. I understand the motive, certainly, but..."

"Motive, your Lordship?"

Roquan turned, his face hard at being interrupted, even by one who was a peer. "Yes, motive, Vanlo. He wished to force me to toe the line with the other Overlords. He hinted at threats to my Manor in our discussion, again always tying it back to the others. He ceased caring about doing what is right, and instead wished to do what will no longer hurt his pocketbook."

"And is that very much like his Lordship?"

Roquan narrowed his eyes. "What is your point?"

"I beg forgiveness. I am merely curious."

Roquan paused before answering. "No, this is not like Rennis. To stoop to such treachery is so beneath him that it is almost unbelievable that this has transpired."

Vanlo paused. "Have you considered the possibility, your Lordship, that it may very well be?"

"Vanlo, what are you talking about?"

"Something about this disturbs me. Something does not seem right to me, yet I cannot place a finger on it."

"Did you not hear what was said in this room?" Roquan demanded, exasperated. "What more do you need?"

"Perhaps more proof that Yanna was not lying to us."

Roquan stared at his Healer. "You make less sense than Rennis. Yanna is a slave, Vanlo. Yes, slaves are intelligent. Slaves can be clever and creative. Slaves can even be rebellious, undisciplined, and -- as you have seen -- disloyal. But it is impossible for a slave to lie so brazenly. Even the worst-trained slave cannot do it. It has never happened in the twenty years I have been an Overlord, and I have never heard of it happening to any other."

Vanlo said nothing in reply, but the Overlord saw the dubious look in his eyes.

Roquan stepped up to him. "Vanlo, with all due respect, you do not know as much about the process of slave training as you think. All Captives are given the Draught. Without a past, slaves are more tractable. They have nothing to go back to. Without anything to go back to, there is no point in devising such strange schemes as you appear to be suggesting with Yanna."

"I suggest nothing, your Lordship," Vanlo said respectfully. "I simply wished to voice my opinion on the matter, and it is my opinion that there is more going on here than perhaps any of us realize."

Roquan sighed through her nose. He folded his arms. "Then I offer you the same chance as Rennis," he said imperiously. "Show your proof."

Vanlo paused. He considered the experiment he was running in his lab. He knew what he suspected, but would the Overlord think him mad for suggesting it? He believed Roquan would, in the state of mind that the Overlord appeared to be in at the moment.

"I have none, your Lordship," Vanlo said quietly.

At that moment, Sirinna entered the room, with the collared and restrained Tanyee before her. Tanyee looked towards the Overlord with a glimmer of nervousness in her eyes, but she otherwise remained calm towards the one that had re-collared her just two days before.

"Our discussion is ended, then," Roquan said tersely to Vanlo. "I have business to attend to with my slaves."

Roquan gestured towards the door. Vanlo nodded once and made a quick exit.

"Master, I have brought Tanyee as you requested," Sirinna said. Her voice was subdued, though there was some gladness in her eyes as to what she knew was about to transpire. She hated not being able to tell Tanyee what this was all about. The poor girl had assumed the worst, seeing the mood Sirinna was in when she told Tanyee that she was to be brought before the Overlord that morning.

"Very good, Sirinna," Roquan said, and held out his hand.

Sirinna managed a small smile as she placed the end of the chain into the Overlord's hand, much to the open-mouthed surprise of Tanyee.

The next moment, Tanyee gasped when Roquan reached up and opened the lock on her collar with a click, and slipped it from her neck. "Master?" she asked tentatively.

"You are no longer a Trainee, Tanyee." Two more clicks, and she was free of the cuffs. "The source of your disobedience has been found. You are not at fault, and I am confident it will not happen again."

Tanyee turned around as soon as her restraints were removed, her eyes bright with happiness. "Oh, thank you, master! Thank you!"

Sirinna's smile widened. "You were a good girl, Tanyee, just as I had asked," she said affectionately.

Tanyee smiled broadly. "Thank you, mistress!"

"You can call me 'Sirinna' again, Tanyee."

Tanyee blushed. "Of course, Sirinna. But thank you. I tried hard to be good."

"Since you have a spotless record otherwise, Tanyee," Roquan said as he placed the collar and restraints upon his wall. "I see no reason why I cannot seek an immediate contract for you."

"Master, might I be able to return to Lord K'garon? He was very good to me."

"I can guarantee nothing, but I will certainly ask. Sirinna, can you suggest quarters for her in the meantime?"

"Marisa could use a roommate," Sirinna said. "She was rather fond of Tanyee before she was contracted."

"Done, then. You may go, Tanyee."

"Thank you, master," Tanyee said, and left with a spring in her step.

Roquan turned to Sirinna. Sirinna had followed Tanyee with her eyes as the girl left, a smile still on her face. She was quite happy for her former Trainee, and was relieved that this misfortune had been resolved. When she turned to face her Overlord again, however, she hesitated a moment before casting her gaze downward and folding her hands submissively before her, as was the proper stance for a slave who was about to face punishment.

The pause was not lost on Roquan, nor was the look in her eyes.

Roquan stared at Sirinna for a long moment. Setting his eyes hard and impassive, he silently turned and selected the medium-sized paddle from the wall near the hearth. "Come here, Sirinna."

Without a single word of complaint, and without raising her eyes, Sirinna stepped towards the center of the room, turning to present her backside to her master, and remained still and silent.

Roquan paused. He actually regretted this. Sirinna was one of his best. Not simply a good Trainer, but a good slave overall. Even though the punishment he was to administer was relatively light, he still did not like the fact that he had to do it. Yet Sirinna could not be shown any favoritism. He would not be a proper Overlord if he did that, and his reputation was everything. Now that he had halted the sabotage, he could rightfully reclaim that reputation.

Roquan stepped up to her, drew his hand back, and delivered the first stroke.

The paddle made a loud smacking sound again Sirinna's shapely ass cheeks, making her wince and her body jerk, but otherwise she showed no overt reaction, just like a good slave should.

Without pause and in the same, slow rhythm each time, he delivered the next strokes, each smack exactly the same as the last. Each time, Sirinna showed no more than a small wince and a slight movement of her body. By the fifth stroke, however, her lips parted slightly, and she uttered a very soft, barely audible "uh!" sound with each blow on her backside. By the time she received the tenth and final stroke, she was panting lightly, and her eyes glistened. Still she did not cry out, nor break with her demure, submissive stance even after her punishment was done.

Yes, Sirinna was acting in the way Roquan expected a good slave to act. Yet there was more to being a good slave than this.

Roquan replaced the paddle on the wall before returning to Sirinna, his eyes glancing at her now pink backside. He placed a hand on one ass cheek and squeezed. Sirinna drew in her breath sharply as the pain flared, but let it go slowly.

"Sirinna, why did I just punish you?" Roquan asked.

Sirinna hesitated a moment before replying. "Because I spoke out of turn, master," she said, her voice slightly strained.

"Partially correct. Sirinna, raise your head."

Sirinna lifted her eyes, which immediately found Roquan's. They shimmered slightly, as if she had trouble holding her gaze to his.

"The loyalty of my slaves has never been of such vital importance to me as now. Do you understand this, Sirinna?"

"Yes, master," Sirinna said in a hollow voice.

"I am not sure you do. Therefore, I will make this very clear. I know of your feelings for Master Rennis. You cannot let that affect your loyalty to me."

"It doesn't. I am still..."

Sirinna yelped softly when Roquan slapped her backside with his hand.

"You will not dispute this point with me. You will listen, and you will obey. You are not to defend Master Rennis. You are not to question my decision. If you do so, the punishment will be severe. Do I make myself clear?"

Sirinna's took a short, deep breath. "Yes, master," she said in a choked voice, blinking once.

"You may go."

Sirinna quickly turned away from the Overlord and walked out of his quarters. Once outside, she wiped away another tear that had started to trickle down her cheek.

Hiatha took a leisurely stroll around her new charge, her eyes intense as they swept Yanna from head to toe with an appraising gaze.

As Hiatha came around her side, she paused and gave the chain a sharp yank. "You're slouching."

Yanna had given a soft yelp of surprise at the sudden pull on her collar, and staggered a bit.

"You would not have lost your balance there if you had been standing up straight," Hiatha admonished.

Yanna swallowed and held her head more erect.

Hiatha nodded once and continued walking. Yanna's eyes flicked to the side to follow her. Hiatha snapped the chain again. "Eyes forward."

Yanna blinked and stared straight ahead.

Hiatha came around behind Yanna and looked down at her legs. She reached down and gave Yanna a slap in back of one thigh, making her gasp softly. "Your feet are too close together."

Yanna slid her feet further apart.

Hiatha paused, then reached between the young woman's now parted thighs and up over her mound, where she started to stroke Yanna's clitoris lightly with her fingertips.

Yanna shuddered at the touch, her body trembling nervously, her thighs twitching briefly against the desire to draw her legs together. She closed her eyes briefly, her breathing growing short as Hiatha's touch gradually had the desired effect on her. Hiatha drew her fingers back into Yanna's slot once, then resumed stroking for a few more moments. On the third attempt, Hiatha's fingers squished as they found moisture finally start to ooze from Yanna's now aroused cunt.

Hiatha withdrew her fingers. "You take a rather long time to get wet," she commented mildly. She stepped out from behind her Trainee, tugging the chain to turn the collar around Yanna's neck. "Have you forgotten how to please another as well?"

"No," Yanna said.

Hiatha paused, then gave the chain a very sharp yank.

"No, mistress!"

"I do not know who trained you, Yanna," Hiatha said darkly. "But she was either incompetent, or did only half the job. Which is it?"

"I-I don't know, mistress."

"Ultimately, it matters not. But I am your Trainer now, and I can assure you I am even less tolerant of disloyalty and disobedience than Master Roquan. If it were up to me, I would have been tempted to sell you at auction and cut my losses. I still may recommend that to Master Roquan if I do not see results from you." She gave the chain a snap. "Is that clear, Yanna?"

"Yes, mistress," Yanna said promptly.

"Have you had breakfast yet, Yanna?"

"No, mistress."

Hiatha gave a small sigh. She walked over to one of the doorways and pulled back the curtain with a curt sweep of her hand. "Inside."

Yanna stepped into her bedchamber. It looked very much like Amanda's, and indeed, Hiatha's quarters were arranged much the same way as her fellow Trainer's quarters. Instead of a beach and the ocean, Yanna's bedchamber looked out over the inland forest, tall trees rising a short distance beyond the window, and dense underbrush just in the distance beyond that.

Her eyes quickly darted over the room and the view, taking in as much as she could before Hiatha came up from behind her. Her Trainer locked the end of the chain to center post, giving it a tug to make sure it was secure. "I will fetch you some breakfast before we start," Hiatha said. She grabbed Yanna's arm and turned her around with a yank so she could get at the young woman's cuffs. She unlocked them and tossed them onto the bed. "You will have a few moments to rest. But that is all the rest you are getting today. I am going to work you very hard today. I will see for myself exactly how much you remember of your training, if anything."

Yanna turned in time to see the curtain falling back into place in her Trainer's wake. She kept her expression carefully dispassionate until she heard the outside door close, at which point she sneered.

Stupid bitch, she thought vehemently.

Yanna realized she was lucky she had not yet had breakfast before being collared, or she would never have had this crucial free moment. She looked carefully towards the sanitary chamber, knowing that beyond it was Garas' bedchamber, a soft metallic sound telling her that he was up and alert. The curtain was fully across the doorway, blocking his line of sight.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide. She paused to relax a moment, then reached a hand down and cupped it under her mound as she carefully tensed a muscle and then let it go.

A blue pearl fell from her vagina into her fingers.

Yanna sighed with relief. The pearl was just slightly too big for her pussy to be comfortable for any length of time, but it was the only means she had to keep it concealed until she had a moment alone.

She quickly dropped to her knees and shoved the pearl under the bed. The danger was passed, so she had no worries about her room being searched. But now she had to check to make sure she had the other item she needed. She turned and opened the small cabinet in the night stand beside the bed, and smiled when she saw the small cloth pouch. She took it in hand long enough to open it and confirm what was inside it: sleeping powder.

Yanna heard Garas stir again. She hurriedly put the pouch back and closed the cabinet door without a sound. She stood, satisfied that she had all the means for an escape when the time was right. What she lacked now was a plan.

She had part of one. She knew Amanda was no longer particularly enamored of Narlass and would likely want to return home. Yet she was involved with Sirinna. Yanna knew of Sirinna's past problems with forming attachments when she should not. Was it likely that Amanda did not want to leave Sirinna behind?

Yanna knew there was something here to be exploited. Amanda was a very clever girl. Yanna simply had to find a way to use that to her advantage.

Amanda kept her promise. She was there when Sirinna returned, and had even shed her gown, guessing that Sirinna would want company in her bed. What she had not expected was that for the first time, it was Sirinna that was in desperate need of comfort rather than Amanda.

Sirinna never stated it, but Amanda could see it in her eyes. It was there in the way she hugged Amanda as if afraid the girl would disappear if she let go, and in the way she pressed her body urgently to Amanda's, seeking her warmth, both physically and emotionally. Amanda was burning to know what Roquan had said to her, and Amanda could see the reddened skin of her backside. Amanda chose to hold her tongue for now.

Amanda understood now how serious Sirinna's admission had been the night before. Slaves were not supposed to love, or at least, not exclusively. Sirinna was not supposed to love Amanda. Perhaps if Amanda had known this, she would have tried to deter Sirinna somehow, despite how strong Amanda's feelings were in return.

It was far too late for any of this now. Amanda knew that the moment she chose to give Sirinna a kiss. It was just a show of simple affection and support, yet it lingered far longer than she had intended, and grew more passionate than she had anticipated. She did not resist it in the least, nor did she deny Sirinna's need or fail to respond to it when Sirinna's touches grew more intimate. Sirinna's mouth slid from Amanda's, bestowing gentle kisses down her neck. By the time Sirinna's mouth found Amanda's breast, and her fingers slipped into warm and moist folds, Amanda was already panting in anticipation.

Sirinna made love to Amanda slowly and carefully, keeping Amanda excited enough to want just a little more, but not so intensely aroused that she could barely think. The result was a passion that Amanda had never experienced before, a perfect rising crescendo of desire and love. When Sirinna slid further down the bed, Amanda held her thighs open willingly, breathing hard, uttering soft moans of exquisite pleasure when Sirinna began to lick at her.

To Amanda's surprise, Sirinna used only her tongue. To Amanda's delight, it was all that was needed. At Sirinna's tender, gentle touch, Amanda rose higher than she had ever before, her moans growing more strident, her body trembling. She drew in one single long breath as she reached the top. She let it go as a long, low cry as she crested. Her orgasm was strong, deep, and sweet.

Amanda clutched at Sirinna when the woman drew near, only now realizing how intense an experience it had been. She panted heavily in Sirinna's ear. Sirinna touched Amanda gently and tenderly until she relaxed.

No words were exchanged, but it was clear that Sirinna was not expecting anything in return from Amanda, yet Amanda was going to insist on giving it anyway. Any protest that Sirinna might have given Amanda cut off with a light touch to Sirinna's breasts, swirling her fingertips around the areolae, teasing the nipples with tiny flicks. Sirinna gave in quickly, settling back down into the furs, ignoring the lingering pain from her backside. Amanda thought of this at the last moment, but a single look of longing from Sirinna told her she did not have to stop.

Amanda did not try to duplicate what Sirinna did. She was sure she did not have the experience to bestow something so extraordinary upon her lover. Instead, she simply did what she knew Sirinna would enjoy. From the way Sirinna reacted, however, it might as well have been as good. For the first time, Sirinna yielded completely, lying limp and helpless on the bed as Amanda tended to her.

Amanda tried to take it slowly, drawing out the moment as long as possible. She kept her touch light at first, but not teasing. This was for love as much as it was for pleasure. Sirinna's sighs gradually became pants, her mind thinking of nothing but her feelings for Amanda. Gone were any thoughts of how wonderful a slave Amanda might be, or how skilled she could become at giving pleasure. None of that mattered to her at the moment.

Sirinna lay in complete submission to Amanda as the girl slid down between her legs. A low, breathy gasp escaped her lips as Amanda's tongue touched her. So many times in her life, Sirinna had been touched there, but it never felt as truly intimate as this. The feeling only intensified as she rose, her moans more strident, the mounting pleasure more real.

Her instinct told her to tense, to draw out the climax herself, as would be expected from a good slave. But she fought the instinct down, and let Amanda truly be in control. Sirinna felt herself hang at the edge, Amanda's strokes so measured and tender that there was simply no need for Sirinna to do anything. Moments later, Sirinna moaned in ecstasy as her orgasm reverberated through her body, her throbs slower but deeper, drawn out to an exquisite and gentle drop.

Sirinna hugged Amanda fiercely when Amanda drew near. "Oh, gods, Amanda," Sirinna whispered. "That was so wonderful."

"I'm happy you're pleased," Amanda said softly. "Sirinna, I'm so sorry I pushed you away last night."

"Whatever do you mean, love?"

"You wanted to do this last night, and I refused you."

"Oh, it's all right, Amanda. A lot happened yesterday."

"Well, a lot more happened this morning, and here we are."

Amanda had said it gently, but Sirinna could hear the undertone of self-admonishment in it. "Please, Amanda, don't worry about it. You really ought not to be so hard on yourself."

Amanda sighed, though she smiled weakly. It was increasingly hard to stay upset when she was this close to Sirinna anymore.

Sirinna sighed and stroked Amanda's back. "I needed you today," Sirinna said in a very low, very faint voice, as if she wanted no one else to hear her. "And you gave yourself to me. That meant a lot to me."

Amanda was going to say something else, until she looked into Sirinna's glistening eyes and the sudden desperation in them. Her smiled faded. "Sirinna, what... ?"

"Please stay," Sirinna said in a choking voice.

Amanda's mouth slowly opened. "What?"

"Please stay. W-with me."

Amanda said nothing for a very long moment. "You mean... stay in Narlass?"

Sirinna swallowed, holding her breath.

"Oh God, Sirinna. I... I don't know..."

Sirinna let her breath go in a rattling sigh. "I-I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head and looking away. "I shouldn't have said that... it just..."

"Sirinna."

Sirinna stopped, paused, and finally forced her gaze back towards Amanda, and was surprised to find that Amanda was not angry with her.

"It's okay," Amanda said softly. She sighed. "You're not telling me anything I couldn't figure out for myself."

"I wish s-so much, Amanda, that... that I could make you understand..."

"Understand what?"

"What all this means. What my life here means."

"I think I do understand. I... I just don't know if it's the life for me yet."

Sirinna knew she could offer Amanda no more arguments that could hasten her decision one way or the other. She felt guilty now for all the thoughts she had about making Amanda a Captive and forcing her into slavery, despite the fact that it was how it was always done, how it was done with Sirinna over ten years before. Consciously, she was sure this was still a good life. Her problems with Roquan of late had cast a shadow over this, however, that she preferred not to see.

"Master Roquan thinks I'm a fool," Sirinna said in a hollow voice.

Amanda looked at Sirinna in surprise. "He told you that?" she asked, her voice rising with indignation.

"No. Not exactly like that. But... he thinks... he would think... I was a fool for falling in love with you."

"So he doesn't know?" Amanda asked, though she was not surprised at this.