Chapter 9

As Sirinna walked down the silent path, the break in the clouds had drifted overhead, revealing a sky of velvet blue sparkling with tiny points of distant light. The cool breeze blew against her skin, stimulating her, goosebumps rising on her arms partially in response to the wind, and partially from the growing excitement she felt as she approached the Overlord's quarters. Her skin was already dry from the breath of night air, but a slight dampness lay in her hair, a faint fragrance of the rain imbued within it, just as she knew Roquan loved. Yet even with as good a slave as she strove to be that night, she felt a twinge of apprehension. Roquan had yet to punish her for her transgression that brought Amanda into this world, and she wondered if this were perhaps the true reason for his desire for her presence.

Even the thought of punishment excited her, but in a different way. She was happy in the role of the submissive, and punishment reminded her of this. She did not crave it enough to seek to disobey. Careful training made sure that a slave accepted punishment and grew at least mildly aroused by it, but did not wish for it on a constant basis. Despite best efforts, some slaves did crave it, and a good Overlord would match her with a client that would provide it without doing harm to the slave.

Sirinna paused just a moment outside of Roquan's quarters, her heart beating fast in anticipation for the first time in a long while, and stepped inside.

Roquan sat in his plush chair in the far corner, the same place from which he interrogated poor Tanyee the night before. He had changed from his silks and cloak to a single, flowing robe of dark blue satin. He appeared relaxed, hands folded before him, yet his eyes were cool and penetrating, and focused sharply on Sirinna.

Sirinna said not a word. She stepped quietly into the center of the room, turning to face her master. She dropped to one knee, and then the other, parting them. She dropped her head and lay her hands upon her thighs, palms up, and remained absolutely still and silent.

Roquan gazed at her intently for a moment, watching the rise and fall of her breath, and noting at once that it was quickened. She was excited. Yet there was a very slight tremble to her body. She was anxious, as well.

Roquan slowly rose to his feet. Sirinna did not move; she did not even so much as shift her eyes to the side as her master stepped out of her view, his steps eerily quiet as his bare feet trod upon the soft furs on the floor. She would not move until he told her, remaining in the traditional submissive posture until he made his desires known to her. Each moment that passed, however, made her heart pound harder.

She heard a noise behind her. Roquan had picked up something from the wall behind her. She swallowed, her breath growing short. She felt like a Trainee again, waiting to see what her mistress would do to her now.

A shadow merged with hers from behind her, and she sensed Roquan's presence crouched down behind her. Something fell down in front of her eyes. Her trepidation mounted as she saw what it was, but it did not make her hesitate one second. She opened her mouth, and accepted the polished ball of wood as it was wedged between her teeth. Roquan collected her hair and moved it to the side to fasten the straps behind her head.

Sirinna's arousal rose in nearly equal measure with her fear. Another noise came from behind her, but she knew not what it was. Roquan's hand reached around her, and she drew in a deep breath through her nose as his strong fingers pressed into her mound, a flash of heat making her exhale abruptly as he applied the salve liberally to her labia and to her clitoris. She suppressed a moan as his finger sank into her slot, teasing the entrance to her tunnel, curling up to stroke the now swelling nub above it. A brief thought of longing passed through her mind as the cloying odor of the salve reached her nose, identifying it for her.

Hiroxxa. Sirinna now knew that Roquan intended both pleasure and punishment for her that evening, for she would not experience sexual release until it wore off. And even though Sirinna was too well-trained to beg him for relief before he was ready to give it, the gag was symbolic of his categorical refusal to hear any pleas for mercy.

Roquan was not finished preparing her yet, as Sirinna soon learned when she heard him say in a low voice, "Hands behind you."

Sirinna immediately complied, and felt him wrap the leather cuffs around them tightly. And yet there was more.

"Lift your chin."

At first Sirinna flinched and felt her stomach twist as the collar was slipped around her neck, until she realized it was not a Trainee collar, but a simple restraint. It was not as thick as a Trainee collar, and was secured only by a buckle, no eyelets for a padlock like the other. It did have a single ring attached to it, which Roquan turned behind her, moving her hair to the side again. He threaded a thin chain through the ring, wrapping the free ends around each of her ankles, securing them with tiny locks.

Sirinna knew now Roquan was very serious. He was locking her down in her submissive position, forcing her to remain on her knees. She was totally his.

Roquan stood, walking slowly around her once in a circle. Sirinna was panting lightly, trembling now with arousal as well as anxiety. Her own moisture joined that of the salve, and she longed to be touched, despite knowing she would not orgasm.

Roquan paused another moment, and retrieved an item from a pocket of his robe.

He crouched down in front of his slave, and presented it to her, holding it up to her shimmering eyes. It was round and tapering, as long as his hand, and made of a firm but slightly yielding and flexible material. Sirinna's eyes widened a touch, and she drew another deep breath through her nose.

He held the object between Sirinna's legs and touched the tip of it to Sirinna's swollen clitoris and simply held it there. Sirinna's breath grew more short, and she resisted the urge to try to push herself onto the object. He started to twirl the tip around her womanhood, a light, teasing touch. Sirinna shuddered and moaned, unable to suppress it. Already her arousal was at a fever pitch, just from that fleeting contact, yet she had no power to have him give her more.

Roquan withdrew the tip and tilted the object so that he could slide the side of its shaft against her slot, drawing it back and forth with slow, deliberate strokes, squishing against the moisture of her pussy. Sirinna gasped in pleasure, leaning forward slightly, eyes half-lidded. Yet as she started to rise, he eased off, slowing, then withdrawing his touch altogether.

Sirinna whimpered softly.

Roquan paused a moment and repositioned himself so that he was at her side. He reached behind her and placed a hand over one of her ass cheeks. This time she could not help herself, and leaned into his touch, sighing pleasantly when his fingers curled and squeezed her flesh.

The other hand returned the shaft of the object to her slot, stroking her faster. Sirinna moaned, only to punctuate it with a startled yelp when Roquan's other hand abruptly slapped her ass cheek, just hard enough to sting. He leaned forward and slapped the other cheek, continuing in an alternating rhythm stroking her at the same time. Pain and pleasure mixed to make her soar upwards, panting heavily, until she was straining for release, her mound engorged and aching. Her whimpers turned to muffled, nasal cries as she hung at the edge, unable to crest over.

Roquan relented, at least partially, withdrawing the object from her pussy. He continued to slap her backside, however, keeping her in a heightened state of arousal even as the direct stimulation from her pussy fell back, until her ass was faintly pink. At this point, he withdrew, stood, and strolled casually out of the room and into his bedchamber.

Sirinna remained as she was, still panting, her cunt wet and pulsing with her thunderous heartbeat. It had been a very long time since Roquan had been this way with her, and she had forgotten how overwhelmingly erotic it was, even as frustrated as her body was to be denied the final act. Despite her training, she found herself pulling at her restraints behind her back, the temptation to squeeze her thighs together to stimulate herself very great. Yet she knew that she would eventually be rewarded, that Roquan would pleasure her as much as this pleasured him.

Roquan returned a short time later, still carrying the phallic-shaped object, but in his other hand he now carried two leather straps. He crouched beside her again, putting the straps down for the moment, bringing the phallus to her pussy. He stroked lightly at the swollen nub at the top of her slot for a few moments, making her rise again. He then let it slip down until it encroached on her tunnel.

Sirinna uttered a breathless moan and shuddered as Roquan penetrated her, sliding the object ever further into her cunt, slowly but steadily, twisting it as it went. She felt it filling her, squeezing into her tight, wet passage, driving her mad with desire and unreleased sexual tension. When it was about three-quarters inside her, he drew it back, then in again, thrusting firmly, holding it at an angle so that it stroked the tip of her clitoris each time it impaled her.

Sirinna moaned louder and louder as she rose again, eyes glistening as she again strained and strained, close, but never going over, her body still denied the final crescendo of pleasure. She looked at Roquan with pleading, begging eyes. He ignored her, and with the next thrust he buried the remainder of the object inside her pussy. He released it, leaving it inside her, and picked up the straps. He wrapped one around her waist first, and then threaded the second between her legs. Sirinna gave a long, low moan as he pulled it taut, pressing tightly against her labia and locking the phallus inside her, attaching the second strap to the first.

Roquan stood. Sirinna continued panting, the pressure of the thick phallus in her tunnel preventing her from retreating too far from her plateau.

"You may pause to calm yourself, if you wish," Roquan said. With a small tug at the corners of his mouth he added, "If you can."

Sirinna whimpered again.

"Take as long as you need. Then follow me into my bedchamber. Only there will I release you. In every sense of the word."

Roquan turned and left the chamber, leaving Sirinna trembling and helpless.

Sirinna realized that it was impossible for her to calm down. Even if she could remain still enough, even if the stimulation abated, she was simply too excited.

To someone who had not been properly trained, someone that did not understand, this would have been heinous torture. Yet Sirinna was a proper slave. She knew this was a prelude to a pleasurable end. The greater the build-up, the more she was denied now, the more intense the release.

If only she could make Amanda understand this!

Sirinna allowed herself a pause of only a minute. She drew herself up carefully, the chains on her ankles drawing taut just as she was fully upright on her knees. Roquan had measured the length of the chain perfectly. Slowly she started her crawl across the floor, the chain making light metallic noises behind her as they swung, each swing of her knee forward tugging her collar and rubbing the thick phallic object inside her against her still-sensitized womanhood. It took only a few knee-steps to drive her upwards again and leave her hanging. She tried to ignore it, but after only a few more, the strain was driving her mad, and she had to stop and let it fall back again.

The short path through the curtain and into the bedchamber was now a long trek. She was forced to keep stopping to let herself down. Her moisture trickled out from behind the strap, the insides of her thighs growing damp. Each time she moved, the phallus made wet sounds against her body.

When the curtain fell away from her as she came through it, she saw Roquan standing by his spirit cabinet, casually sipping from a goblet. Upon sight of Sirinna, Roquan put down his goblet and strolled over to his bed. He sat down at the edge and gestured silently for Sirinna to approach him.

Sirinna had to stop three more times. By the time she reached him, she was shaking with need, and panting in lustful desire, her body screaming for relief. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them away, taking another deep breath, forcing herself to hold her body erect, even as her pussy ached badly.

Roquan watched Sirinna through this, and looked quite pleased.

He rose from the bed and removed the straps from Sirinna. Sirinna moaned deeply as the phallus was withdrawn from her with a slick sound. With the pressure removed, Sirinna eased back from the edge again, but as intensely aroused as she was, she would not fall back very far anymore. He unlocked her ankles and removed the chains, and bid her to stand.

Sirinna rose to her feet, unsteadily at first, receiving no help from Roquan. She managed it, however, and the trembling in her legs quickly receded.

"You continue to impress me with your endurance, Sirinna," Roquan said. He reached up and gently cupped on of her breasts. She sighed and leaned into it, adoring the feel of his strong fingers squeezing her warm, soft flesh. "And your sensuality. Rennis could never pay me enough to have you back."

Sirinna's heart soared. That was the best compliment a slave could ever receive from an Overlord. She was momentarily overcome by emotion and looked affectionately at her master.

Roquan stepped behind her. He reached around and played with her breasts, fondling them with careful, gentle squeezes, lifting them in his palms and enjoying their weight against his hands. He dipped a hand down between Sirinna's legs, giving her just a single, light stroke before returning the hand to her breast, twirling his fingertips about her nipple, making it glisten with her own slick moisture.

Sirinna felt her legs grow weak despite her training and despite her endurance. She leaned back into him, feeling his hardness against her backside. Roquan did the same to her other breast, stroking them together, driving Sirinna into a sensual frenzy, making her desperate for him to touch her pussy again, even though she knew climax would never be reached.

He withdrew his hands from her, and she ached at the loss immediately. She felt one of her cuffs opened, but he held onto both her wrists as he guided her towards the bed, Sirinna's excitement again mounting. He released her long enough for her to climb up upon the thick furs and position herself on her back, her breath growing short in anticipation, the softness and warmth of his bed caressing her body and keeping her powerfully aroused.

Roquan took her wrists again and drew them over her head. He threaded the open cuff around a brass pole of the headboard and secured it around her wrist again.

Roquan reached behind Sirinna's head. "Remain quiet, Sirinna," he said as he released the strap holding her gag in place. He tugged at the ball until it unwedged itself with a faint pop from Sirinna's mouth. She looked up at him with sultry eyes filled will burning need, and already she spread her legs wide for him, her pussy wet and swollen from the intense need for relief.

Roquan stood and silently undid the sash about his waist and slipped off his robe.

The rest of his body was very much like his face, the same chiseled, handsome features, his musculature like his eyes, hard and steady, and moving with the same assuredness and confidence as his steel-like gaze.

As he climbed back onto the bed and advanced upon his slave, the hardness of those eyes and of his manner changed. None of his confidence wavered, but the coolness that was always there gave way to a tender warmth and a heated passion. Sirinna saw this, as she always did when he came to her like this, and her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes flicked down to his cock, engorged, thick, and erect, always a pleasure for her to gaze upon. This time, however, it also glistened, as if he had coated himself with something.

Sirinna's eyes widened in surprise and in admiration. He was wearing the antidote to the Hiroxxa.

Sirinna breathed heavily as she felt him slide over her body. Yet he did not seek union with her quite yet. Instead, he lowered his head over one of her breasts and licked slowly and methodically at her nipple, sending waves of pleasure through her body. His hand draped itself over her mound, and she moaned with intensified lust as his fingers teased her anew, driving her upwards yet again. He made her again strain at the edge, her nipple drawn into his mouth, sucking firmly, his tongue lapping her moisture from it. She found it impossible to obey his request to remain quiet, crying out her pleasure as well as her desperation.

Roquan did the same with her other breast, until she was in torment, tilting her head back and clenching her teeth to stop herself from begging him for relief.

Finally, Roquan had mercy on her. He lifted himself from her, Sirinna panting heavily, gazing up at him in a silent plea. Roquan drew forward, Sirinna spreading under him, and then quivering in anticipation.

Sirinna gasped loudly as he slid into her. Already having been driven so far by his hand, she rose precipitously back to the very edge almost immediately. There she remained, straining harder and harder as the antidote to the Hiroxxa mixed with her moisture, diluting it and slowing its action upon her. As his thrusts grew deeper and quicker, so did her desperation for relief, her cries growing more strident. She felt a single throb, making her hips buck, like a single burst of water from a dam about to give way.

Harder and faster Roquan thrusted, his own pleasure growing to a strong crescendo even as Sirinna writhed under her. Another single throb spiked in her pussy, and then another, causing her to hold her breath.

And in the next moment, the dam burst.

Sirinna's shrill cries filled the bedchamber as her orgasm overcame her, her pussy throbbing intensely and unabated, driven by the long, excruciating build-up, as well as Roquan's own climax deep inside her. He groaned in a low, deep, rumbling voice as he sunk himself into her, his own throbs pulsing hard against the sides of her cunt. Sirinna reveled in the pleasure, the reward for being his slave, for being obedient and loyal to him. She had earned it, and Roquan had willingly given her her due.

Her orgasm only began to abate when a spent Roquan withdrew from her, and even then it lingered for a few more moments, her cries softening to moans, and then to sighs as a wave of satisfaction came over her.

Roquan opened the cuffs and released her wrists, then gathered her in his arms. Sirinna clutched at him, embracing him tightly, shaking with the sudden drop from her intensely orgasmic high. She felt Roquan embrace her, bestowing several gentle, tender kisses on her neck, calming her, letting her down more slowly.

"Thank you, master," she whispered in her his ear. "Thank you."

And that is the proper way to treat a slave, Roquan thought.

It was not long after Sirinna had left that Amanda became restless.

Having little to do to occupy her time was not truly the issue. It was more that the lack of activities forced her to think, which made her dwell on all the things that angered or frustrated her.

Amanda rose from the bed and headed over to the window. It had darkened quickly, as more clouds rolled in from the sea, threatening more rain. Already she could barely see the water's edge anymore, though she could still hear the gentle wash of the ocean against the shore.

She turned away from the window. The room was almost black as well. She stumbled back towards the bed, reaching across and groping for the knob on the little lamp. It lighted at once, banishing the darkness with a flickering, cool light. She pulled herself completely over the bed and sat at the edge on that side, sighing deeply. Her bare foot brushed something on the floor.

She looked down and picked up the thin, gold chain that she had found around her wrist just that morning. It was hard to believe she had spent only a single day there so far. Barely one day and now she was told she had to make a decision that would affect the rest of her life.

If she went home, she'd have to face four more years of foster home hell. She'd "age-out" of the system, and face an arduous uphill battle to be emancipated and support herself. She'd have a former foster father she loved that she'd never see again, and she'd be broken-hearted over losing Sirinna.

Stay, and become a sex slave for the rest of her life, something she might or might not find tolerable.

Amanda clenched her teeth and threw the chain across the room. "It's just not fair!" she screamed.

"Amanda? Are you all right?"

Amanda jumped, startled. She had been brooding so much that she had forgotten she was sharing the accommodations with someone else. "Yes, I'm find, Tanyee," she called out.

After a pause, she heard Tanyee's voice again. "Are you sure? You sounded upset."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Do you want someone to talk to?"

Amanda was about to answer in the negative, but then realized that there was no point in trying to pretend that she was alone. She needed something to do, anyway. And Tanyee was left with just as little to do as Amanda had been. While she knew Sirinna could not disobey Roquan, this did not stop Amanda from feeling abandoned.

She got up and walked through the sanitary and into the adjoining quarters.

It was very much like her own, except mirror-imaged. Tanyee lay on her bed, still naked, and the collar still wrapped about her neck. The chain ran off the side of the bed and onto the floor where the bulk of it lay coiled, the end attached to the ring on the top of the center post. This one, Amanda noted, was secured with a padlock.

Tanyee smiled, looking relieved, as if grateful for the company. "Please, come sit down near me," she said softly.

Amanda crossed the room and climbed up onto the bed with her, sitting at the edge. She glanced at Tanyee and the chain. "You still have to wear that even in here?" she asked with some chagrin.

"Yes, Amanda. As long as I am a Trainee I wear this."

"That must be awful."

Tanyee paused. "Not really. I mean, I haven't been a Trainee for awhile, so it's taking some getting used to again. But when I was first one, it was not a big deal."

"But you get left alone like this," Amanda pointed out. "You can't even go take a walk if you wanted to."

"Had Master Roquan not wished Sirinna for himself this evening, she would have stayed and engaged me."

"Engage you in what?"

"Conversation. Or sex. Or instructional training."

Amanda paused a moment. "Tanyee, what was it like when you were first training?"

Tanyee leaned forward, folding her leg under her as she sat up. "In what way?"

"Just in general. What did you feel? Was it hard? Did you enjoy it?"

Tanyee looked thoughtful, her eyes downcast, as if trying to decide what she should say, or what she should allow herself to say. Or she could simply be reliving painful memories in her mind. Amanda had no way of knowing until she spoke.

"It was hard at first," Tanyee said in a subdued voice. "I was a scared. I was... afraid of doing the stuff that I saw the other slaves do. I think... I think I even cried at one point."

"What did Sirinna do? She was your Trainer, right?"

Tanyee nodded. A small smile came to her lips. "Sirinna was very good to me. She was very patient. She showed me how to enjoy everything I did. She rewarded me when I did something well."

"Tanyee, did Sirinna ever... well, punish you?"

"Sometimes. But the punishments are gentle at first." Tanyee paused, and gave Amanda a wan smile. "Well, mostly. Except for the 'traditional twenty' near the beginning."

Amanda looked confused. "The what?"

"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting you don't know about these things. Near the start of training, every Trainee gets twenty strokes with the paddle."

Amanda looked shocked.

"It's just to give a taste of what real punishment can be like."

"That's horrible!" Amanda cried, recalling the scene with Garas.

Tanyee looked surprised at Amanda's reaction. "It's not really that bad. The Trainer comforts the Trainee right after it, and it doesn't happen again." She winced. "Well, not unless you disobey later on."

Amanda remembered Tanyee's reddened backside. "Is that what they did with you? Before they put that collar on you again?" Amanda asked, her voice rising.

"Yes, but I deserved it."

"Why? What did you do?"

Tanyee blushed, and she averted her eyes.

Amanda only realized now what she had asked her to do. "Oh, Tanyee, I'm sorry, you don't have to..."

Tanyee shook her head and lifted her eyes. "It's okay," she said in a strained voice. "I was Abroad, contracted to a client. I... I refused to swallow his seed."

Now it was Amanda who blushed, but it explained what she had seen in the Circle earlier.

And for that they paddled her? Punished her?

Tanyee must have seen the look on Amanda's face, for she was quick with her next words. "I still don't know why it happened. Amanda, I wanted to do it. I wanted to swallow his seed. I was very happy with my master, and I liked to please him."

"But, why, Tanyee? Why did you want to, if not just to avoid punishment?"

"Because he would give me pleasure in return, Amanda," Tanyee said with a smile.

Amanda just looked at her.

Tanyee leaned forward. "A good master or mistress, Amanda, wishes to pleasure the slave as much as the slave wants to pleasure him," she said in a voice hardly above a whisper, as if not wanting to be overheard speaking about what good masters or mistresses ought to be doing. "That's what Master Roquan believes."

Amanda looked surprised. "He does?"

"Yes. Sirinna tells me he is very particular about the clients he does business with."

Amanda sighed and looked away from Tanyee, despairing. Any notion she had that talking to Tanyee would somehow clarify things in her head now seemed like a foolish notion to her. Every time she heard something that would make it tolerable, she heard something else that revolted her.

Tanyee's hand alighted on her shoulder, making her flinch in surprise.

"Is something the matter, Amanda?"

Amanda swallowed. Why was she even thinking along these lines? This decision was no decision at all. A fourteen-year-old girl cannot commit her own life to sexual slavery. And for what? For her love of someone that she wasn't even sure loved her in return in the same way? For some vague promise of transient pleasure?

"Not really, I guess," Amanda replied in a small voice.

"Sirinna tells me you're not to be a slave," Tanyee said. "Even though you're an outworlder. Is this true?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"So you're going back to your homeworld?"

Amanda nodded.

Tanyee leaned back against her pillows. "I don't remember my homeworld," she said in a subdued voice.

"They gave you the Draught?"

"Yes."

Another pause. "I'm sorry," Amanda said darkly. "But I think that's terrible."

Tanyee's dark eyes misted. "Sometimes I have dreams. Small snippets of peoples and places I've never seen before, yet they seem familiar. I wonder sometimes if they are from my past."

Amanda shuddered at the idea of a past being reduced to nothing more the fleeting images and thoughts in the subconscious, to rise into the mind only at night. To her it seemed worse than having no past at all. A parent, a sibling, a loved one, nothing more than a wispy thought, a surreal image in a random dream, unrecognizable, yet insisting that it is known and familiar. Amanda would find that an unspeakable torment.

She felt a surge of sympathy for Tanyee, seeing her in a different light, seeing the more human side of her. Even Amanda was now guilty of seeing these people as mindless slaves. They weren't mindless. They had emotions, and feelings, and dreams, like anyone else. Unfortunately, this also meant that Amanda now had to accept the possibility that Sirinna was right, that they genuinely enjoyed what they did. If they were indeed not mindless, then they could experience joy at pleasing a master, satisfaction at following orders, excitement over playing the part of the submissive.

Amanda rubbed at one of her wrists idly.

She heard the soft clinking noise of the chain moving and turned her head to see Tanyee drawing herself close. Tanyee's hand reached out and touched Amanda's arm, fingers caressing the skin softly. Amanda gave Tanyee a questioning look, but then Amanda's eyes widened as she saw the want in the slave's eyes.

"Amanda, would you stay with me for awhile longer?" Tanyee said softly. "I'd enjoy your company."

Amanda opened her mouth to reply, but the words never made it to her mouth when she felt Tanyee's hand drop down to her thigh. Amanda instead let her breath go as a ragged, anxious sigh as Tanyee's fingers slowly stroked the bare skin just below the hem of the gown.