Chapter 6

Vanlo examined his experiment with a critical eye, failing to be distracted even by the constant sounds of orgasmic moaning from the examination room as his assistant continued the Kaylaxxa treatments to the now steady-stream of slaves arriving that morning. The progress of the fluids that made their way through the apparatus was slow and meticulous, and nowhere near finished, as the beaker at the end was only a quarter full. Yet what had already collected told him enough.

Vanlo straightened up and turned away from the table, deep in thought, scratching at one ear as he always did while trying to make a mental puzzle fit together in his head. Unfortunately, he did not have all the pieces, so what formed in his head was an incomplete picture. Yet there was enough that he felt he should report this to his Lordship at once.

Vanlo strolled towards the door to the examination room and paused at the threshold.

Of the three examination tables, two were occupied by slaves. One was female, laying with her legs bent and knees spread to either side. She was panting lightly, her mound glistening with freshly-applied Kaylaxxa. The other was male, and in a similarly aroused state, his penis fully erect and also bright with the salve. As Vanlo watched, his hands clenched into fists and he arched his back slightly. The next moment he gave a low groan as his penis started to throb, his seed emerging in small spurts and dribbling down the sides.

Yanna paused from directing another female slave to the remaining table to provide the male with a towel with which to clean himself.

Vanlo silently watched his slave for a few moments, looking thoughtful. When she turned from the third table to fetch another vial of Kaylaxxa, Vanlo attracted her attention.

"Yes, master?" Yanna said dutifully.

"I need to see the Overlord on an urgent matter. I believe I have the answer he is looking for. You are to continue your task here in my absence."

"Of course, master. Is there anything else?"

Vanlo paused a moment, and then shook his head.

Yanna nodded respectfully and started towards the examination table. Behind her, Vanlo silently made his exit through the entry chamber.

Yanna turned her head just as the Healer disappeared from the room as she stood at the head of the examination table, the young female slave upon it spreading her legs in anticipation.

So her sabotage had bought her only a day. She would have to move quickly. As soon as Master Rennis gave her what she needed, she would have to proceed. She had hoped to wait until the last day that the outworlder was here, so that Amanda would be gone soon after she gave witness and before anyone could question her more closely, and when Rennis and Roquan were in the thick of conspiracy against the Emperor.

And if she was to move quickly, she should seek to maximize her time at her original task: disrupt Roquan's slave trade as much as possible.

Yanna smiled to herself as she took a vial from the shelf. She selected carefully, having memorized which ones were those that she had tainted by sprinkling just a few crystals of the forbidden substance from the pouch she had stashed under her bed in her bedchamber. She had done this before dawn, before her master had arisen. Such a small amount would not have been noticed sitting at the bottom of the vials, dissolving into the Kaylaxxa quickly when she later filled them in plain sight of Vanlo.

Yanna gave the vial an extra shake before popping the cork, just to make sure the crystals had properly mixed. She smiled as she came along side the slave, pouring the Kaylaxxa into her palm. "Keep your legs spread, please, and don't tense up if you can avoid it. This is meant to be enjoyable."

Even after they were out of sight from the other Trainer and her slave, Sirinna continued to push Amanda quickly down the path towards their quarters. It appeared a short way in the distance, the sound of the sea and the smell of salt wafting towards them through the air.

"Sirinna!" Amanda cried. "Stop it, I want to talk to you about something."

"Later, Amanda," Sirinna said. "Let's get you inside first, and..."

Amanda pulled away from Sirinna. "No! I'm not taking any more orders from you! Unless you think I'm like that boy and can be led around on a leash!"

Sirinna was sure Amanda would not like an honest answer to that.

"Sirinna, what's going on around here? What's with all this calling people 'master'? What's with the collars and the chains? What's with him calling you 'mistress'? Do you expect me to start calling you that now?"

Sirinna was definitely sure Amanda would not like the answer to that one, either.

"Sirinna, just because I let you tie me up once when we had sex doesn't mean I..."

"Amanda!" Sirinna cried, trying to stop the torrent of words.

Amanda quieted, albeit reluctantly. She did not want to stop. She wanted to keep venting her frustration and her rage. She felt like she was going from crisis to crisis with no respite, and she was finally at the end of her tolerance for it.

"Amanda, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but later," Sirinna said.

"No, you'll tell me now, Sirinna! No more hiding things from me. My father did that to me and look where it got him. Look where it got me!"

Sirinna bit her lip, looking hurt. "Don't you want to be with me, Amanda? I thought you did."

Amanda's eyes glistened. "Stop it," she said in lower tone of voice. "That's not fair."

Sirinna slowly stepped up to her. "You ran after me."

"I know. But... but you left me," Amanda said bitterly.

Sirinna sighed. "I didn't want to, Amanda. I had to. I told you that."

"And then you brought me anyway."

"Because I didn't want you to get killed in that storm."

Amanda absently rubbed the arm that had been injured. It still felt slightly stiff. "So you do care about me," she said softly.

Sirinna reached out to Amanda and embraced her. Amanda did not resist; as much as she was still upset with Sirinna, she welcomed her touch and the softness of Sirinna's body against hers. She uttered a heartfelt sigh and dipped her head under Sirinna's chin, turning her face towards Sirinna and inhaling the familiar aroma of her body. She still found Sirinna to be a source of comfort, and still longed to be alone with her, to just enjoy her company like they had back home.

"Amanda, of course I do," Sirinna whispered. "I am so sorry for any pain this has caused you, love."

There it was again. Amanda felt her skin flush, and her heart beat more strongly in her chest. She clung more tightly to Sirinna, wanting to go back to the way things were before her world fell apart. "Then tell me the truth, Sirinna. Tell me what's going on here."

Sirinna realized she had no choice now. She lifted her head and glanced towards the building, then slid her eyes over towards another path that went around the side towards the sea. "Amanda, do you like the beach?"

Amanda blinked and looked up. "Huh? Oh, I suppose, yes."

Sirinna broke off the embrace and gestured towards the other path. "That leads around the side of the building, onto the beach you can see from my window. Head down that way and wait for me. I need to check on something inside."

Amanda glanced at the building. "You have someone else in there, don't you? In the other bedroom? The one Hiatha called Tanyee?"

Sirinna smiled. "You're so very clever, Amanda."

Amanda blushed but smiled. "No, just observant."

"Yes, I have Tanyee in there. I'll introduce you to her later. I just want to tell her I'm back and that I'll be outside for a little while longer."

Amanda nodded and turned away.

Sirinna watched her go. Her heart began to ache again. It was Earth all over again. She knew they were to separate. For the first time, her lifelong purpose had become a burden rather than a pleasure.

"Whatever it is, Vanlo, it will need to be short," Roquan said, moving with a hurried stride as he adjusted his cloak and smoothed his tunic. "I will be meeting with Rennis shortly, and I fully intend to walk the grounds soon after. I have not shown my face outside these quarters for too long a stretch of days."

"Then I will get to the point, your Lordship," Vanlo said, giving a brief nod of respect. He raised his eyes and fixed a steady, somber gaze upon the Overlord. "I believe I have some information for you concerning the, ah, difficulty you have been having."

Roquan paused and narrowed his eyes. "What 'difficulty'?"

"I refer to the problem with the disobedience among your slaves."

"And where did you get an idea that I was having such troubles?" Roquan said evenly.

"Forgive my bluntness, your Lordship, but now is not the time to protect your ego."

Roquan was rather taken aback at this. Surely, Vanlo had always been very forward with the Overlord even in the best of times, but this was the first time he ever uttered anything that sounded remotely like a rebuke. "Indeed, Vanlo?" he asked, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

"I do understand the need for discretion," Vanlo said in a lower voice. "I have not shared anything I have learned with other ears."

Roquan apparently decided that there was no point in attempting to deny the problem to him any further, as he settled down into a chair in the corner of the room and gestured for Vanlo to speak.

"I have been conducting an experiment, your Lordship. To test a hypothesis. I have taken the liberty of obtaining small blood samples from the last three slaves to be punished for disobedience."

Roquan's eyes widened in surprise. "I would say that was a rather large liberty, Vanlo!"

Vanlo nodded gravely. "If you wish to fire me after this, I can have my things cleared out by the morning."

Yes, it was indeed a breach of protocol. Any procedure that the Healer need to do that involved breaking the skin or leaving some other mark needed to be cleared with the Overlord first. But Roquan knew Vanlo did nothing on a whim. "There will be no need for that," he said tersely. He had a thought, glancing towards the center of the room briefly. "Was Tanyee one of those you 'sampled' so?"

"Indeed."

"I had wondered what that red mark was."

"I admit to taking shameless advantage of the situation, your Lordship. Normally I must invent a plausible explanation for the slave. I daresay that Tanyee was frightened enough that a quick pinprick and a request of 'do not tell the Overlord' was quite sufficient."

Roquan was not sure whether to laud the man for his cleverness or berate him for his audacity.

"In any case, it helped me come to the conclusion that I have now," Vanlo continued smoothly. "That there is something foreign in their bloodstreams."

At first, Roquan was too stunned to react. The next moment, he was too incensed not to. He leapt out of his chair. "What?!" he hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes blazing.

Vanlo was unfazed by his Lordship's anger. He stroked his beard thoughtfully as he continued. "How it was delivered, I am not entirely sure as yet. I simply know that there is a substance there, something that has the mark of a mind-altering drug, though not the exact type."

"And there is no natural means by which this could have happened?"

"Indeed not, your Lordship."

"Vanlo, do you realize what you are saying?" Roquan said, his voice elevated. "You are implying that someone is deliberately sabotaging my Manor!"

"I am implying nothing. I am stating it outright."

Roquan's hands clenched, lines of anger etched into his face, his eyes hard. He had to take a deep breath to control his growing rage. What infuriated him most about this was not simply the act of violation upon his slaves, but the fact that it caused the Overlord to punish his slaves unnecessarily. Discipline was not something handed out on a whim, or simply for the cruel joy of inflicting pain or discomfort, but as a lesson to the slave.

He felt as if he had been manipulated.

"I need to know who is responsible for this... this perversion," Roquan spat. "I will not have my slaves abused in this manner!"

Vanlo nodded once. "Agreed. Unfortunately, I do not yet have a complete idea of who may be the source of this."

"Then find out!" Roquan thundered. "Whatever resources you need, Vanlo, they are yours. You need not even ask."

Vanlo raised an eyebrow at this. He had heard about Roquan's fierce protectiveness of his slaves, but had not witnessed so blatant a show of it until now. "I will do my very best, your Lordship."

"See that you do. In my twenty years as an Overlord, Vanlo, I have never heard of a political enemy stooping to such vile means."

Silently, Vanlo remarked that the Overlord should perhaps travel a bit more.

"Rennis will be interested to hear this. Perhaps now he will come to his senses about the other Overlords."

Roquan started past the Healer and towards the door. "Ah, your Lordship!" Vanlo called out. "There is one more thing. About the one called Amanda..."

"Oh great gods," Roquan muttered darkly. "Never have I so wanted to rid Narlass of an outworlder before her! What has the infernal girl done now?"

"She refused an examination and Kaylaxxa treatment."

Roquan made no note of the fact that the Healer wanted such things from her in the first place. He focused on only one part of that statement. "Refused?"

"Indeed, your Lordship."

"No one refuses anything in my Manor."

"Ah, yes, but there is the small detail that she is not a Captive, so I am unsure of my jurisdiction over her."

Roquan fumed. He was close to declaring the girl such just out of frustration of having to hear about her anymore. Yet it was an expense he did not need right now. Already the Mage that was now working on the Portal had quoted him nothing less than two hundred fifty platinum. "I do not care," Roquan declared. "You are the Healer. You determine what is needed by those that reside in this Manor. You will find a way to get her to accept what you want. Deal with it, Vanlo, so I do not have to."

"As you wish," Vanlo said to the empty air, for the Overlord had already turned and left.

"Where exactly are we, Sirinna?"

Amanda lay snuggled against Sirinna, one arm draped over the older one's body, her face laying just above one of Sirinna's breasts. Sirinna hugged Amanda to her, having already missed this simple bit of affection. Both lay on a large towel that had been spread on the white sands of the beach, just in the shade of a stand of palm trees. Past their feet, the sea moved in slow surges, small waves rolling up and breaking with a continual, gentle cadence. Even with as much as she felt at odds with Sirinna, Amanda longed for her comfort, as she was Amanda's only familiar link to this world.

"We're in a nation called Oceanus," Sirinna said.

Amanda tilted her head up and smirked at Sirinna. "That doesn't tell me much."

Sirinna appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Would telling you that Earth to us is what our Mages call a 'parallel world' help?"

"Yes, that does, a little." Now she understood why the food was the same. "So where would we be if this were Earth?"

"Well, Oceanus is pretty big."

"I'd settle for knowing just where here is."

"Oh, the D'ronstaq Manor? We'd be in an island group I think is called the Bahamas in your world."

Amanda nodded at this and lowered her head. For some reason, knowing a more exact location made it seem a little less fantastic to her. "So tell me about the rest. Tell me what's going on here. What are you? What about that boy? What about all the others?"

Sirinna slid her arm up and placed her hand against the back of Amanda's head. In a delicate voice, she said, "We're slaves, Amanda."

Amanda paused a long moment, remaining still, Sirinna's fingers brushing slowly through her hair. Amanda knew that was going to be the answer. It made sense to her. Yet it was no less a shock, and it took a moment before she could collect her thoughts into something coherent. "Even you?"

"Yes, even me."

"Hiatha?"

"Everyone you've seen, Amanda, save for Master Vanlo."

"And Roquan... he's... he's your owner."

"Yes."

Sirinna played with a lock of Amanda's hair, her eyes glancing worriedly at the girl, each moment without a visible reaction making her grow more anxious.

Finally, Amanda let go with a long sigh. "I don't know what to say to that," she said in a flat voice...

Sirinna paused, then gently prodded Amanda into sitting up. "Then maybe that will give me a chance to explain it better. Because just telling you I'm a slave doesn't tell you very much."

"I know what a slave is, Sirinna."

"No, you don't. Or you would not be looking at me like that."

"Well, I know what it means on Earth," Amanda countered indignantly, trying to grasp at something familiar.

"And this is not Earth."

Amanda sighed. "So are you going to tell me that you have a choice? That you can stop being a slave anytime you want?"

"No, I can't."

"Then what's the difference?"

"But you assume that I want to stop in the first place."

Amanda fell silent.

A small smile came to Sirinna's lips. "Amanda, look at me."

Amanda gave Sirinna a perplexed look.

"Do I look unhappy? Do I look like I want to leave?"

"I don't know," Amanda said honestly.

"Amanda, I was on Earth. Far away from here. If I never stepped into the Portal, there was no way they could come find me." This was not an absolute truth. What was the truth was that no slave actually ever tried, so no one really knew. "And what did I do, Amanda?"

After a long pause, Amanda said in a small voice, "You came back."

Sirinna's smiled widened. "Yes, I came back."

Amanda knew that Sirinna could have told her anything. Since she knew nothing of this world, anything that Sirinna said could be suspect. Yet she had a hard time believing that Sirinna would lie to her. Yes, Sirinna was exceptionally good at withholding truth, but not outright lying.

At the same time, Amanda never really asked Sirinna any personal questions about herself. Sirinna's background was largely a mystery to her.

"So, how did you get this way? How did you get to be a slave?"

Sirinna felt a knot in her stomach. Now they were getting to the heart of the truth. Now Sirinna would find out just how much Amanda could accept.

"I was taken from a parallel world. When I was not much older than you."

There was a pause. In Amanda's mind, two and two came together, and produced an alarmingly greater amount than four.

"You... you take slaves from other worlds?" Amanda ventured.

Sirinna nodded slowly.

"Worlds like Earth?"

Another nod.

Amanda's mind reeled in shock and dismay. "Oh my God..."

"Now, Amanda, please..."

"Is that why you came to Earth?" Amanda cried, her tone growing increasingly more shrill. "Is that why I'm here? To become another slave?"

"No, Amanda!" Sirinna cried desperately. "I can tell you that honestly! I did not bring you here to be a slave."

Amanda stared at Sirinna, her heart pounding hard.

Sirinna sighed, her eyes glistening. "Amanda, I brought you here because you would have been killed if I didn't."

"I don't know whether to believe you or not anymore!"

Sirinna suddenly reached out and grabbed Amanda's arm, pulling it towards her. Amanda gasped, trembling. Sirinna pushed back the sleeve and traced a finger down the arm, where a patch of skin was still faintly yellow. "Remember this? What if I had left you out in that? What if you got hit again? What if you got hit in the head?"

Amanda yanked her arm away. She swallowed, staring at Sirinna, her mind and her emotions in a jumble.

"Amanda, I brought you here because I care about you," Sirinna said, her eyes glistening. "In fact, I was most assuredly not supposed to bring you back here."

Amanda appeared to consider this for a moment, but then leveled her gaze to Sirinna and asked, "Then tell me what exactly were you doing on Earth, Sirinna, if it was not to... to collect me?"