Chapter 14

The three Overlords -- Roquan, Rennis, and Doran -- emerged onto a low bluff at the northwest corner of the mansion, overlooking a wide expanse of beach through the trees. Rising up from the center was a wide, circular structure.

It was built similar in design to living quarters. Solid wood poles were spaced evenly about the circumference of the structure, buttresses holding up a pointed, sloped roof. The thatch-and-wood walls, however, rose only to waist-height, and one was missing entirely to provide an entrance. It looked very similar to a rather large gazebo.

All three Overlords were resplendent in their best attire for the occasion and the climate. Doran was a little more formal than the other two, as was his style, though he would be less comfortable from the heavier clothes.

Doran stepped forward with a critical eye. A cool breeze blew off the ocean, the entirety of the beach shaded from the morning sun that rose over the other side of the Manor. He glanced down the path that wound along the edge of the trees and down the more gently sloped side of the bluff. The path followed the curve along one side, towards a group of more wood-pole-and-thatch dwellings closer to the beach. These were smaller and enclosed, and obviously intended as living quarters.

He heaved a sigh as he turned to look back at the other Overlords. "It will do," he said in a disappointed voice.

Roquan raised an eyebrow and gave him an indignant look. "Do? You realize how much I had to pay in platinum for Guild artisans to come and construct these? I was fortunate to get this."

"This is a Conclave, Roquan. For some of them, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! They expect a bit of pomp and circumstance. They expect to be treated, well, royally."

"Well, there's little that can be done to change anything now," commented Rennis.

"I have made sure that the Overlords will have everything they need for their comfort," Roquan said tonelessly. "That includes the use of any of my slaves."

"You're not going to have to worry about that one," Doran said sourly. "And we have Gronnus to thank for that as well."

Roquan sighed. "Now what?"

"He has seen to it that when most of the Overlords make their wishes in that area known, they will all have Amanda's name on their lips."

"Now I know I don't like the sound of this!" Rennis said, stepping forward.

"Roquan, if there is something about that slave that you need to tell me..."

Roquan paused a long moment, glancing over to Rennis briefly. "No. Nothing."

Doran sighed and shook his head. "It is a complete mystery to me why he is so fixated on her, and frankly, I do not care for mysteries!"

"I am within my rights to refuse their request."

Doran leveled a serious look at his fellow Overlord. "I would not advise that. You can't show yourself as being anything less than completely accommodating to them. If they want Amanda, they will have her."

"She is not experienced enough."

"Roquan, these are Overlords. It is their business to know these things and act accordingly!"

Roquan remained silent.

"Sirinna trained her," Rennis said simply.

Roquan ignored this, but decided to let the matter drop. "Doran, you said we may not start until the afternoon?"

"Well into the afternoon, most likely."

"I may need to have some shading set up. I had placed the meeting area here specifically to shade it from the morning sun."

"Yes, I noticed," Doran said with a humorless smirk. He raised his hands when he saw Roquan bristle. "Yes, yes, I know! You did your best and spent your platinum! We will have to concentrate on swaying them with words and deals rather than hospitality."

"When will Roquan need to Present Amanda, Doran?" Rennis asked.

"Oh, I imagine any time they wish it. Most likely right after the initial opening meeting is over."

"As I had thought," said Roquan. "I had planned to have Amanda brought to my quarters to be prepared in advance when it appeared all the Overlords had arrived."

"In that case, Roquan, you should go the gates and await them."

Roquan frowned. "To the gates? Now?"

"Yes, now! You will need to personally greet each and every one of them that come through those gates. And don't hurry them if you see them stop to peruse the wares of the merchants first. Be patient and wait for them to come to you."

Roquan sighed through his nose and carefully straightened his tunic. "This had better be worth all the effort," he rumbled.

"Few things rarely are. We can only come as close as we can."

Sirinna looked at her charge with concern in her eyes. "Love, you have to eat something."

Amanda just stared at the food on the now half-finished platter, her mistress having just pushed it across the bed towards her. She sighed softly and picked up a single apple slice and nibbled at it.

"Are you really this nervous?"

Amanda gave Sirinna a forlorn look and just nodded.

Sirinna smiled gently. "You'll be just fine. The Presenting will not last long."

"What about what comes after it?"

"If you are taken by one of the Overlords, just do as you did with Master Jollis last night."

Amanda sincerely doubted she would be able to do that. She had not told Sirinna what had happened. Sirinna had simply heard her soft moans of pleasure and assumed she had done her duty. Now she wished that Jollis had taken her. It might have at least given her some practice.

Admittedly, she knew it was the highborn status of the Overlords that was getting to her. Sex with them would likely be little different from what she had already experienced. Everything she did would reflect back on Roquan and perhaps even Sirinna. She was not being Presented as herself but as one of Roquan's commodities. She might have resented that had she not been so nervous.

"The Presenting will likely last only today, love. That's all. Then your part is done and things will get back to normal."

Amanda nodded absently and forced herself to finish the apple. She did not dare think the same as Sirinna. Each time she did, something happened to change everything again. She intended to simply do as she was told, and get through this as best as she could.

Roquan quickly decided that waiting for Overlords to arrive at the gate was the worst possible task of this entire Conclave. For a man who prided himself on taking action, to simply stand in wait for long periods of time was quite unnatural to him.

Nevertheless, he dared not show his discomfort. A dozen or so of his slaves were standing close by, consigned to the task of escorting the Overlords as they arrived and seeing to any needs they had. He would sooner look anything less than resilient to the Overlords than his own slaves.

It was fortunate for him that Narlassi custom dictated that the arriving visitor announce himself at the gate. Roquan did not remember the names of half the Overlords, though some he recognized by appearance, having Farviewed with them at some point.

However, it was quite clear to him when Freya D'yros arrived.

She was an Overlord that Roquan had never seen before this, yet it was quite clear that some of the things he had heard about her were true. She was indeed a beauty, more so than perhaps some of Roquan's own slaves. He let his eyes linger on her form, clad in its thin, clingy dress, long legs sliding out from under it constantly through the slits on either side as she strolled about the merchants' stands.

Roquan allowed himself a small measure of satisfaction. Yes, she was quite attractive, but he felt no compunction to bed her by her looks alone. She would have to do better than that if she wished to see the inside of his bedchamber.

And the Overlord that accompanied her could only be Gronnus D'yoran.

This was the first time that Roquan had seen the man. As opposed as they were in all things, they had avoided Farviewing each other. Gronnus looked a lot like Roquan had pictured him: roughly-hewn and overbearing. He could see the man's harsh attitude in the way he practically browbeat the merchants with whom he negotiated a price for some bauble or trinket that was hardly worth arguing over in the first place.

Roquan remained outwardly as patient as possible as the two of them meandered towards the gate. Occasionally, Freya would look up and flash a quick but sultry smile at Roquan, and then urge Gronnus to look at something. It was as if she were purposely delaying their arrival in order to get a reaction out of Roquan.

If this were the case, Roquan sorely disappointed them, retaining a cool and stony face towards them.

Finally, the two of them left the last of the merchant stands, and headed to the gate. Roquan paused until they were at the threshold, and then stepped forward.

"Overlord Gronnus D'yoran," Gronnus rumbled, placing a faint emphasis on his clan name with a tiny, sly smile.

"Overlord Freya D'yros," said Freya, her voice slightly husky, the sultry smile returning to her ruby lips. She let her eyes flick down and back up once over Roquan's form, her smile widening a touch.

Roquan met this with a slow intake of breath, letting it go in his greeting. "Recognized and accepted. Welcome to the D'ronstaq Manor. It is honored by your presence."

"Shame on you for waiting for such a formal occasion to invite us," Freya said.

Roquan had not expected so casual a statement from her, giving him momentary pause. His calm and steady expression did not change. "An oversight on my part, surely."

"Indeed. One would think you had something to hide from us."

Gronnus uttered a small cough and glanced sharply at his companion. Freya's eyes never left Roquan.

Roquan forced a tiny, polite smile. "We all have something to hide, do we not? It is what makes us successful in the market."

"Oh, but you play that role well, now, certainly."

"It is my intent, yes. When all is said and done, we are all, essentially, competitors."

"But not now, eh, Roquan?" Gronnus said with a smirk. "Or certainly that is what you are hoping for, hmm?"

Roquan refused to be baited, despite his already growing loathing for this man. He gave the answer that protocol dictated. "I hope for a fair hearing and for the will of the Conclave to be known."

"Oh, very good, Roquan!" said Freya with a chuckle. "You have improved."

And at this, he could not help but bristle. Freya acknowledged her victory in the first round with a smile and a wink.

Roquan stood to one side and gestured down the path. On this cue, several slaves stepped forward. When he spoke, his voice was a bit stiff. "You will be shown to your accommodations, and your needs will be be met. This is now your Manor as well as mine."

The two walked past him, Freya casting a lingering gaze at the Overlord, and putting an extra wiggle in her step as she passed. Roquan's gaze followed, darting down to the curve of her ass as she receded.

Roquan took a deep breath and let it go. He felt he had passed the first test. He had resisted the charms of the female Overlord. In his mind, he was unaffected by her wiles.

The stirring in his nether regions said otherwise.

Amanda did not have her normal training that morning, as she was to remain available for when she was called. She was told that she would be "properly prepared" before bringing her before the Overlords, but she had not wanted to ask what that meant. She did not want to give herself something else to worry about.

Sirinna did manage to keep her distracted by going over points of protocol and giving her another reminder about loyalty. She also replayed in her mind over and over again what Roquan had told her. She had to remember that she was to act as if she had had the Draught of Forgetfulness. She had thought this the easier of her tasks, but after thinking about it, she was more nervous about this than anything else.

Her reasoning was this: Roquan would not have told her to do this if he were not worried about it being revealed. And if that were the case, then perhaps he suspected someone would try to trick her into admitting it rather than coming right out and asking about it.

So now she had to be wary for any attempts to ask her about her past. She had to give the standard answer that she did not remember anything before waking up in Narlass.

The morning came and went and there was no word. At least she was able to eat at the midday meal. Having had little for breakfast allowed her to have an appetite despite her anxiety.

It was right after the meal, just as Sirinna was restraining Amanda again for her trip back to their quarters, when another slave came up to them and said, "Master Roquan wishes Amanda prepared for her Presenting."

Amanda's heart thumped. Sirinna smiled and nodded. "Thank you. We're on our way now." She snapped the chain lightly. "We need to go to Master Roquan's quarters, Amanda."

Amanda paused and swallowed. "Yes, mistress," she said in a quavering voice as she started out.

Suddenly it again felt like the first day, when she was to be deflowered. She wondered if this would be her life, a series of anxious thresholds to cross, each one a test, each one more important than the last. And each one harder than the last.

To her surprise, Roquan was not present when she was brought inside. Instead, there were three of Roquan's slaves, all of which Amanda recognized as ones that had participated in her training at one point or another.

Sirinna released her from her restraints, her chain, and her collar. The feeling of it being pulled away from her neck was so unexpected that she nearly grabbed at it as if to prevent it from being taken from her. There was only one thing for which her collar was removed, and it gave her an idea now as to exactly how she was to be prepared, and it made her relax somewhat.

"She is yours," Sirinna said with a small smile. "Prepare her in time for Master Roquan's return from the Conclave."

Amanda blinked. The Conclave! So it was about to start, or it had started already. All the Overlords from Oceanus were here, in this Manor, not far from those quarters. The thought of that made her shiver.

The three slave girls smiled at Amanda, saying a few encouraging words to her as they escorted her into the Overlord's bedchamber, and then into his bath.

The memories of her deflowering came back to her in a rush as she was gently helped into the steaming waters. The rush of heat around her body made all of it flash vividly through her mind. She remembered how she had felt, both emotionally before he had begun breaking down her defenses, and physically when he had finally laid bare her desires.

Two of the other slaves slid into the water with her, one on each side of her. The third remained seated at the edge, her legs splayed around Amanda. The two in the water scooped up water in their hands and poured it slowly over her head, wetting her hair. Amanda's body grew warm, both from the heat of the water and the simple pleasure of being bathed. She even smiled. Someone was waiting on her for a change, seeing to her needs, instead of the other way around.

One of the girls dropped some powder into the water, and soon the entire pool was churning with soft suds. The girl behind her slowly worked it into Amanda's hair, while the other two soaped down Amanda's body.

Amanda let her breath go as a soft sigh. The touch of the other slave girls was both soothing and sensuous. As their hands slid over her skin, she was again reminded of Roquan's touch, and how it had affected her. As if in time to her thoughts, the two slaves flanking her each lifted a hand to a breast, slowly soaping it, running her fingers slowly in and around it.