Chapter 4

Faintly, a voice came through the darkness.

"Amanda?"

Amanda stirred, her eyes fluttering open. At first it was as if she were still among the trees, for it seemed as dim around her now as it had been there. For a brief moment she panicked, disoriented, and tried to bolt up from where she lay prone on her back. Her muscles refused to work properly, and when she tried to use her hands to push herself up, a bolt of pain in her arm made her wince, shocking her back to reality.

Amanda felt hands on her shoulders. "Easy!" Sirinna said urgently but softly. "You're okay, Amanda. You're safe now."

Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but closed it without saying anything. She turned her head and looked around.

The lighting was as dim as the forest, but at least it was quiet here, so much so that she could hear the ringing in her ears from the exposure to the loudness of the storm. It was also dry, except for the spot immediately under her. She saw that she was no longer outside. Flickering light from a small oil lamp just barely illuminated the interior of a circular chamber. The curving walls appeared as regularly spaced wooden poles, with a tightly-woven thatch-like material bridging the spans. Above her, the roof rose to a peak in the center. It looked vaguely Polynesian in design, or some other similar tropical dwelling. A large, plush bed lay to one side, and she could make out the faint outlines of openings that headed in three directions.

Amanda blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus better. "What happened?" she said in weak voice.

"You blacked out as we made the transport," Sirinna answered. "Here, do you think you can stand? We should get you out of those wet clothes."

Amanda let Sirinna help to her feet. Her legs felt a little weak at first, but they held her, though an initial surge of dizziness when she first stood upright made her swoon.

"Easy," Sirinna said again.

"I'm all right," Amanda said, her voice a little stronger.

She looked around again. Behind and above the bed, an opening had been cut in the thatch, framed with two wood crossbeams to form a wide window between two poles. She felt a light breeze touch her, carrying a faint smell of salt, and realized that the window was open to the air. A shade hung from the top beam, largely rolled up. Through the window, palm trees framed the vision of a beach that sloped steeply downward to meet the edge of an deep indigo ocean under a fading purple twilight sky. Nothing looked familiar to her.

"Where am I?"

"My quarters," Sirinna said, paused, then added, "On Narlass."

"Narlass?"

"That's the name of my world, Amanda."

"Your... oh."

"Here, you're going to catch a chill now that it's night. We need to get you dry."

She started to help Amanda off with her shirt. Numbly, Amanda lifted her arms to let Sirinna pull it from her. There was a wet sound as the soaked material left her body. She looked around again, searching for some clue that would put all this into some perspective, and finding nothing.

"I don't understand," Amanda said finally.

Sirinna unhooked Amanda's bra and slipped the cups from her breasts, even it having been made wet by the driving rain. "I know," she said with a small sigh. She started undoing Amanda's belt. "But it's going to have to suffice for now."

"Sirinna, how... how far away from home am I?"

Sirinna did not respond until she had removed Amanda's shoes and socks and slid the jeans from her body. "Very far, Amanda," she said in a low, somber voice.

Amanda had a thought. "Far enough that they can't take me back?"

Sirinna pulled down Amanda's panties, leaving the girl naked and damp. "Amanda, right now, no one on Earth can reach you."

Amanda nodded at this. A week ago, and the thought would have terrified her. Now, she felt nothing but relief. They could not take her back to the foster care home. That was all that mattered. Everything else she could sort out later.

"Wait here," Sirinna said. She went towards one of the doors that Amanda had seen, a narrow one that stood between two wider ones. As she entered it, Amanda could now see there was not a solid door there, just a light curtain, which Sirinna parted with a sweep of her arm. She reached inside and returned with a large towel.

Sirinna started patting down Amanda's body. When she reached the arm that was hit by the hailstone, Amanda gave a yelp of pain.

"I'm sorry. Here, come over to the light."

Sirinna guided Amanda towards the small table next to the bed. The furs covering the floor of the chamber were delightfully soft against her now bare feet. Sirinna reached down and turned a knob on the lamp, making it glow more brightly.

Sirinna carefully picked up Amanda's injured arm. "That hailstone got you pretty good," she said ruefully. "It's already starting to bruise."

"It really hurts," Amanda whimpered.

"We may have to wait until morning to treat it, I'm afraid."

"Don't you have something you can use on it?"

"No, I have to take you... " Sirinna paused and sighed, trying to run a hand through her hair, forgetting it was still wet. "Amanda, one thing at a time. We got you to safety. The best thing to do is dry you off and get you to bed."

Sleep? Sirinna wanted her to sleep? Amanda sincerely doubted she could do that now, not with as many questions as she had spinning through her head and the pain in her arm.

It was apparent to her, however, that Sirinna was not going to answer any more questions, so she remained quiet while Sirinna dried her off. The towel Sirinna was using was nearly as soft as the furs, Sirinna wiping her with gentle, careful strokes that felt good against her body. She let herself relax a little, enjoying the feeling of someone paying attention to her for a change.

Now that Amanda's initial shock had worn off, this place seemed cozy to her compared to what she had. She turned towards the bed as Sirinna finished with her legs. She reached out and plunged a hand into the thick comforter.

"If it helps any, your bed will be almost as comfortable," Sirinna said with a small smile. "Let me dry myself off and I'll take you there."

Amanda felt a twinge of anxiety. "Take me there? It's not far, is it?"

Sirinna's smiled widened, and she gestured towards one of the wider doors. "Just in the next room."

"I don't want to be separated from you tonight, Sirinna," Amanda said, her eyes glistening. "Please. I... I can't take being alone again tonight."

Sirinna looked at Amanda for a moment, and then hugged her. "You're safe here, Amanda," she said softly into Amanda's ear. "I promise you that."

Sirinna quickly dried herself, squeezing out her hair as much as possible, before taking Amanda's hand and walking her past the curtain into the next room. Amanda could see nothing at first, save for another expanse of deepening twilight through a window over oceanic expanse. The sound of waves crashing against rocks came to her, just a gentle, soothing white noise. A pleasantly cool breeze drifted in through the window.

Sirinna stepped past her. There was a small spark, and an lamp was lighted.

The room was a smaller version of Sirinna's sleeping chamber. Roughly circular, with a bed that was smaller but no less plush, the floors covered in the same soft furs, the walls made of the same wood pole and thatch construction. Over to the side was a narrow door with a curtain partially pulled back. Past it she could see a basin, and a large, wide, squat pot on the floor.

This chamber did have one thing that the larger one did not. In the center of the room, right up against the foot of the bed, a wooden post rose about two or three feet from the floor. A thick metal half-ring protruded from the top.

Sirinna pulled back the comforter on the bed, revealing soft sheets and pillows underneath.

"Sirinna, I'm not sure I..." Amanda started.

"Not now," Sirinna said gently but firmly. "Please. Get some rest first, and we'll start fresh in the morning."

Amanda sighed in frustration and eased herself into the bed, her arm twinging badly. She didn't want to sleep. She wanted Sirinna to prove to her somehow that she really was safe.

She sank into the bed. It really was very comfortable. Even her arm did not seem to hurt as much just lying at her side. But even with all this, and as Sirinna drew the furs over her, she felt like she could do anything but sleep.

Sirinna first went to the window and unrolled the blinds, which was simply a sheet of reeds woven together. She then returned to the bed and crouched beside it, turning to open a small wooden door in the little table to the side. She drew out a small cloth pouch with a drawstring securing the opening.

"Now, this should help you to sleep."

She opened the pouch and pulled out a tiny pinch of dark gray very fine powder from inside the bag. She held her fingers over the mouth of the little lamp and sprinkled it into the flames.

The flames crackled and danced for a few seconds, then flickered dim as wisps of silvery smoke began to issue forth. Sirinna quickly put the bag away and stood up, and gently wafted the wispy smoke over Amanda's bed.

Amanda was unsure of what Sirinna was trying to do, and she tried to sit herself up in bed. At that moment, she breathed in the first of the vapors. She opened her eyes in surprise, and then let her breath go as a long, weakening sigh as a deep fatigue came over her entire body. She slumped back down into bed. As more of the now thickening vapors entered her nose, she drowsed, her eyes sliding closed. She fought the effects of the somnolent mist one last time, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to keep them open. With only one more breath, she lost the struggle, and slid into a still and peaceful sleep.

Sirinna gazed at Amanda tenderly, taking a deep breath and letting it go with a slow troubled sigh. What had she done? Amanda was not supposed to be taken. She was not a Captive. And now that she was here, if she ever were to go back, Sirinna would be devastated.

Sirinna reached down and gave Amanda a gentle kiss on her forehead, holding her breath so as not to be affected by the mist. She drew back quickly and headed for the door.

She had parted the curtain when she stopped and looked back, her eyes falling on a small metallic glint near the floor.

Sirinna bit her lip. Amanda was not a Captive. This was not intended. Surely she didn't have to... surely Roquan would...

She sighed. No, she knew exactly what Roquan would say, and at this point, she knew she was already in quite a bit of trouble with him.

Sirinna crossed back to the bed and swiftly she reached under it. Metal tinkled softly as she drew out a thin, gold chain. At each end was a tiny padlock.

Sirinna drew the covers back far enough to reveal Amanda's uninjured arm. She carefully wrapped the end of the slim chain several times around the wrist and snapped the padlock closed between two links. She replaced the covers, and secured the other end in similar fashion to the metal loop of the post in the center of the room.

She replaced the covers and headed out of the room.

In another sleeping chamber, a man slowly paced back and forth, quietly thoughtful. His strong hands were clasped behind his back, the sleek satin of his robe shiny in the light of the decorative, heatless and smokeless torch affixed to one of the wood poles. He occasionally turned his clear, blue-gray eyes towards his bed with a faint look of longing to his chiseled, handsome face.

It had been a trying day. Another in an ever longer march of such days. As much as he longed for rest, he still had duties to discharge before he could allow himself to retire.

As he completed another walk to the far side of the room, he turned and focused his penetrating gaze upon the curtained doorway to his outer chamber, drawing a small sigh through his nose. He started towards the doorway, but as he was halfway across the room, he glanced towards the small table set against the wall, under the cabinet containing his spirits.

He paused, brushing at an imaginary nit in his gray-streaked dark brown hair. He turned towards the cabinet and drew out an ornate goblet and a cask of deep red wine. After another brief hesitation, he poured himself a generous amount of the wine. As he lifted the drink to his lips, he heard a sound from his outer chamber, and the curtain parted.

"Your Lordship?" said the tall, gray-bearded man at the doorway. "You wished to be informed. I have sensed that the Portal has returned Sirinna safely to Narlass, despite the misalignment."

Overlord Roquan D'ronstaq gazed upon the Manor's senior Healer and gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "At least something has gone right out of all of this, hmm, Vanlo?" Roquan said in a voice with a deep, commanding cadence. The smile that tugged at his lips was devoid of humor.

At the door, Roquan's Healer Vanlo G'tort stepped more fully into the room. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, his tall, imposing presence balanced by Roquan's broad-shouldered commanding one. He looked at his Lordship with a small degree of sympathy, knowing as he did the hard times that Roquan appeared to be having these days. "Has there been word as to what caused the misalignment, your Lordship?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Vanlo."

Vanlo smiled very slightly. He knew he was very good at what he did, but sometimes his master forgot there were limits to what he could so. "My knowledge of magic is limited to the healing arts, I am afraid," he said carefully. "True that I can sense the ebb and flow of Portal energies, but beyond that..."

"Just your initial impression, that is all I wish."

"I suspect... and take this with a grain of salt... that the dewomer that produces the Portal simply has not been serviced for too long."

Roquan paused to take a sip of his wine. A small sip. He wished his faculties to be with him when he dealt with the next task at hand in the chamber behind the healer. "I will summon a Mage to inspect it," he said tonelessly, trying not to think of how many platinum that will cost him.

Vanlo nodded, realizing that he was going to get no further information from his Lordship when the man used that tone, despite the Healer's curiosity. Yes, he was extremely curious, not just at this, but of all the ills that appeared to befall the Manor lately. He had some small inkling of a cause, but not enough to approach Roquan with as yet.

"If you see Sirinna, Vanlo, and it is not yet late of hour, please send her to me," Roquan said evenly. He paused before adding in a slightly lower voice, his eyes softening, "I have missed her since she had been gone."

"Oh, no doubt, your Lordship," Vanlo said with a small twinkle in one eye. "No doubt because she is such a wonderful Trainer. One of your best."

"No doubt."

Vanlo turned to leave and paused. He drew back the curtain and peered back into the outer chamber, then back towards the Overlord. "Will you be requiring my services before I retire for the night?"

Roquan remained silent for a long moment, allowing himself another sip before placing the goblet down. "No, Master Healer. Tanyee is young. Whatever the transgression, I do not expect to punish her severely. At least not physically."

Vanlo gave a single, respectful nod and left.

Roquan sighed deeply, a rare reaction for him, for it signified that he was nearing his wit's end. A man that prided himself on knowing exactly how everything worked, and why it worked, and could control how it worked when it suited him, was now at a total loss as to understand his bad fortunes of late. Of all of them, however, one was something he never had to deal with in such large amounts in his twenty years of running the D'ronstaq Manor.

Disobedience.

Roquan swiftly walked towards the door, swept the curtain aside with a single, deliberate movement, and stepped into the outer chamber.

The room was a not much larger than his bedchamber, but appeared more spacious because of the the way the furniture was arranged around the periphery of the chamber, leaving the center space empty save for the furs that covered the floor. As this was his reception area for guests and new Captives prior to being collared, it was built differently and more permanently. The airy thatch design gave way to more solid wood with stone accents. A large hearth and fireplace was stoked, though its fire was subdued, its purpose more visual than radiant. To the left side of the fireplace, the stone wall was peppered with metal hooks, and from them hung implements of bondage and punishment, while to the right, a map of Narlass lay in a wooden frame. A large desk was set near the outside door.

Roquan stopped and gazed upon the center space of the room, which that night was not empty, but was instead occupied by the form of a girl.

She lay on all fours upon the furs, remaining quiet and still, save for a slight trembling throughout her nude body. Her breathing was steady, though quickened. Long black hair spilled to one side of her, and two almond-shaped eyes were cast downward, glistening and frightened. Despite the darkness of her features, her skin was fair, her body smooth and nearly free of blemish, save for one tiny red spot near one shoulder. Leather cuffs were tightly wrapped about her wrists, a chain joining them. A similar set of restraints secured her ankles. Clenched between her teeth was a scroll.

Roquan looked down at Tanyee with a carefully neutral expression, though inwardly he expressed surprise and confusion. Yes, this one was young. She had just reached her seventeenth year when she was sent Abroad not long before Sirinna was dispatched on her first Slaver training mission. But she was one of Sirinna's former Trainees. And one of Sirinna's simply does not get unceremoniously shipped back to the Manor from what he assumed was a now very angry and very dissatisfied client.

Only the scroll that Tanyee held in her mouth, as she had for the past three hours that Roquan had left her there since returning home, would tell the tale for sure. Certainly it was not good news, or Tanyee would not shaking so.

Nevertheless, Tanyee was a slave. And a slave had to be obedient. He expected nothing less from any of the others.

Roquan crossed in front of Tanyee and sat down in a chair a short distance from her. "Tanyee."

The girl quivered, blinking rapidly a few times.

"Until I tell you otherwise, you will continue to act as a dog," Roquan said evenly. "Save that you are to speak if I ask you a direct question. Now, bring the scroll to me."

Tanyee crawled on her hands and knees towards Roquan, moving slowly from the restraints, the chains clinking softly. As she reached him, she lifted a hand to take the scroll from her mouth.

"That is not how a dog would deliver that scroll to her master, Tanyee."

Tanyee flushed red with embarrassment. She placed her hands on Roquan's knees as a dog might place her paws and leaned over to drop the scroll from her mouth into his lap.

Roquan presented a hand to the girl. Tanyee paused a moment before giving Roquan's hand a few licks with her tongue, her cheeks now burning with humiliation as she blinked back tears.

"Return to where you were," Roquan ordered.

Tanyee sniffed once, her eyes even more downcast than before. Roquan's eyes roamed over her, as if searching for an answer. He briefly looked at the odd red spot on her shoulder, but ultimately paid it no mind.

Just as he began to unroll the parchment, Sirinna entered from outside.

"Master Roquan, I have just returned from... oh!" Sirinna stopped when her eyes fell on the tableau before her. "My apologies, master. I shall return when you're not..."

"No, Sirinna, I wish you to stay," Roquan said, an edge in his voice. "Perhaps you can help me sort out this matter."

Sirinna's eyes fell upon the now quaking form on the furs, and her eyes widened. "Tanyee? But I thought she went Abroad. Her contract cannot be up already."

Roquan cast a hard look at the girl as he unrolled the scroll fully. "Apparently, to Lord K'garon, it was," he said coolly, and began to read from the scroll. "My most respected Overlord Roquan D'ronstaq: I am quite in shock. I expected better of your slaves. You had held the one called Tanyee in such high regard that I contracted for her despite her youth. I believe I am tolerant of small mistakes, but I cannot fathom why you sent me such an obviously mistrained slave."

Sirinna briefly looked indignant at this, but quickly controlled herself after a single look from Roquan, a look that said he was in no mood for the slightest breach of protocol that evening.

Yet the burning anger remained inside her. Mistrained! Not even just untrained, but mistrained!

Roquan continued reading. "I do not even mind a lack of skill in pleasing with her mouth, for I am quite fond of teaching the nuances of such matters to girls so eager to learn."

Sirinna had to take a slow, deep breath to prevent herself from reacting. A lack of skill, indeed! Using her mouth was one of Sirinna's best talents, and therefore it was the same with her Trainees.

"Yet I cannot tolerate," Roquan continued from the scroll, "I will not tolerate, a slave that not only refuses to swallow a man's seed, but spits it from her mouth."

Sirinna's mouth dropped open, her utter shock at hearing this too much for her to restrain herself. "Tanyee!"