Chapter 30

Gronnus stepped away from the gazebo. He had to pause a moment halfway down the path to catch his breath and stop his heart from hammering in his chest.

He glanced over towards the west. The afternoon sun had disappeared behind a storm blowing in from the ocean. The breeze had stirred, bringing with it a promise of rain. Until it delivered, the air was still muggy and oppressive. He turned again down the path, Overlord Freya far ahead of him. She disappeared into her quarters just as Gronnus got to the bottom of the path.

He felt a little sorry for Amanda. He, too, knew of Freya's propensities, perhaps better than any other Overlord, having visited her Manor on so many occasions when he had been courting her vote.

At this point, he was glad to be rid of her. The alliance, such that it was, had likely been ill-fated from the beginning. Having her as an ally now would have made matters worse. She would likely see Roquan's assassination as a means for herself to gain.

Just as Gronnus passed by Freya's quarters, the female Overlord burst out, yanking the door shut behind her. She stood in Gronnus' way.

"All right. Just what in hellfire was that all about?"

Gronnus blinked in surprise at the anger in Freya's eyes. "I am sure I don't know what you're talking about, Freya," he said with forced patience. "Now if you will excuse me, I..."

Gronnus tried to sidestep her. She blocked his way again.

"You accused me of playing games once," said Freya. "Now who's playing games?"

Gronnus sighed. "I do not have time for this..."

"Make the time. I want to know what's going on in your head, scary as that is."

"And just why is this important to you?"

"Why? Simple. I have what I want. I want to get out of here with it."

Gronnus sneered. "What are you afraid of? That Roquan will find out how you're treating the poor girl?"

"Don't get sanctimonious on me!" Freya spat. "I could care less what he finds out."

"Why do I have trouble believing that?"

"Then believe what you wish. The fact of the matter is, Gronnus, that I want out of this infernal Manor as quickly as possible. Why do you think I gave Roquan my vote?"

Gronnus gaped at her. "What?? You gave... you gave Roquan your vote just to end the Conclave faster?! Then why didn't you..."

"Side with you?" she asked with a smirk. "Because you would have been evenly matched. The debate would gave gone on and on, and I didn't want to deal with that."

"You astound me... no, wait, that's not correct. You do not astound me anymore. You disgust me."

"Well, then we're even. So what is it with..."

Gronnus glowered at her. "I am under no obligation to discuss the matter with the likes of you."

Freya stepped up to him. "I'm warning you, Gronnus. Don't cross me. You have no idea how dangerous I can be. Don't push me. I'll push back. Hard."

Gronnus swallowed. He wished he would not feel so intimidated around this woman! It was not natural! He finally sighed in resignation. "I cannot tell you what is happening, Freya. But it will last no more than a day. I fully intend to resolve this with Roquan tomorrow morning."

Freya paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. "So are you trying to copy what I did? Sorry, but you're not Roquan's type."

Gronnus blanched at this, which delighted Freya. He simply glowered at her again and hastened off towards his quarters.

"Roquan, I don't like this!" Doran bellowed. "Gronnus is up to something, I can feel it!"

"What could he possibly do?" Rennis said in a pleading voice. Doran had been ranting the whole walk back to Roquan's quarters. "You said yourself he hardly has any support at all anymore, and Roquan managed to top his deals, so what does that leave him with?"

Doran remained mercifully silent for a moment, the first time he had since leaving the bluff. He was red-faced, partially from his anger and bluster, and partially from the heat and humidity. In the far distance there was a low, rumbling wave of thunder.

"I can understand where Doran is coming from," Roquan said in a soft voice as he procured some cold water for them from the large jug in the sanitary. He handed goblets to Doran and Rennis before obtaining one last one for himself. "I do not understand his motivation either for bringing up such a trivial point."

"Well, in a way, it's not trivial," Rennis commented carefully. "He's questioning the integrity of a witness to a crime, essentially."

"Oh, now don't you start!" said Doran. "That would be well and good were this a trial in an Imperial court. But this is an Overlord Conclave. The rules are different here."

"And the other Overlords thought it trivial, Rennis," Roquan pointed out. "At least from the reactions I saw in their faces. They are as confused about this as we are."

"I can only see it as an attempt to delay the Conclave! Nothing more! It's as you said, he's buying time!"

"But for what?" Rennis asked. "He can't make any more deals. He certainly is not going to sway anyone after nearly making a fool out of himself..."

"Nearly?" Doran snorted. "By that way, that reminds me, Roquan, you handled yourself superbly at the Conclave! You did exactly what you should have done, you turned around his arguments right back at him."

"A lot of good it did though. We're still stuck with the Point of Order."

"As I said, Gronnus is up to something. And you'll likely find out tomorrow morning what that is. This was just an ill-conceived plan to make some sort of deal with you."

Roquan frowned. "Deal? Does he seriously think I will throw the Conclave in his favor for some deal?"

"Well, it's all I can think of!"

"Then he has wasted his time. I shall not deal away the Conclave."

"And I don't expect you to! The idea is preposterous."

"Unless he feels he has something he can hold over you," Rennis said darkly.

Roquan met Rennis' gaze sharply, then softened when he saw that Rennis only had concern in his eyes. "We will simply hope that it does not come down to that," he said quietly.

Doran glanced between the two of them. He was more certain than ever that there was a shared secret between them, but it was not his place to ask. "He has nothing," he declared, downing the rest of his water in one go. "Nothing at all. Perhaps he wants some small trinket for giving his vote to you and removing his further opposition. It is the only thing that makes sense now."

"A face-saving gesture?" Rennis asked.

Doran nodded. "Yes. In which case, Roquan should be gracious and accept it."

"I do not need to give him anything," Roquan said stonily.

Doran rolled his eyes and sighed. "Roquan, you will have to deal with him again. With all the Overlords. You do not want to burn your bridges just as you have built them!"

Roquan sighed in exasperation. "Fine. I will deal with him in that regard. Graciously."

"Good." Doran wiped his forehead. "Great gods, does it ever cool off here?"

Another long rumble sounded, louder this time, causing the poles to vibrate. "A storm is arriving," Roquan said. "It generally cools off behind that."

"You and me both, Doran," Rennis said with a small grin. "Here, let's head back to our respective quarters. We should be getting a good breeze from the ocean by now."

This time, Jollis waited until the Portal had closed completely before emerging from behind the unused slave quarters. In one hand, a blue pearl lay balanced in his palm. He closed this hand and tucked away the pearl on his person. In his other was a large, corked jug. A faintly pinkish fluid sloshed inside of it.

He believed he knew what was about to happen. From what he knew of Herdon, and what he had seen between him and Gronnus, and what he knew of the Oceanus Emperor, he was sure he was right. His master had concurred, and had provided him the tools that he now needed to deal with it.

Or rather, to help others to deal with it, for his hand would not interfere directly.

As he emerged from behind the buildings, the ground shook with a long peal of thunder. Overhead, gray-black clouds rolled over the island. In the distance towards the sea, flickers of lightning danced under the approaching storm.

The air was tinged with electricity, and the first faint droplets began to patter down, hurrying Jollis' gait. By the time he had reached his destination, the ground was damp, and to the west, a dark wall of heavy rain was fast approaching.

Jollis knocked lightly on the door frame. There was a long pause, and then a muffled "Enter!" in a strained voice.

The merchant allowed himself in, and bowed. "I humbly beg your pardon for this intrusion, Overlord," he said. He lifted the jug and held it out from him with both hands, the typical gesture for offering a gift. "But I felt compelled to help."

Gronnus raised his head and blinked wearily at the merchant. The Overlord was not looking well. The combination of the stifling heat and his anxiety over what was to come made him look pale. "Help? Help with what?" he said a bit crossly.

"You mentioned yesterday to me that the heat was affecting you. I bring something that will help."

Gronnus looked at him oddly. "Just who are you?"

"I am the merchant you met the day before, near Roquan's quarters."

"Huh? Oh! Uh, yes. I don't think I caught your name... ?"

"Jollis, your Lordship."

"Your Clan?"

"None, Overlord. I am just Jollis."

There was a loud crack of thunder that jolted Gronnus in his seat. He glanced nervously towards the window and quickly gestured for Jollis to enter.

The merchant smiled pleasantly and closed the door behind him. He quickly fetched a goblet and uncorked the jug. A slightly sweet, citrus scent filled the room. "This is a fruit juice blend from my native lands," said Jollis as he poured out the concoction. "Many of my people that live in the hotter climes drink this every day. Please." He handed the Overlord the goblet.

Gronnus stared into the goblet for a moment, then tentatively gave it a sip. He raised an eyebrow as he found it to his liking and took a larger drink. He looked up at the merchant. "And what do I owe you for this, Jollis?"

"Ah, but did I not make the correct gesture as I entered that this was a gift?" Jollis said with no recrimination whatsoever in his voice.

"Yes, you did. My apologies, I... my mind is elsewhere at the moment."

"Understandable. I am sure there are important decisions to make with regards to the Conclave."

Gronnus consumed about half of what was in the goblet before he looked up again. His gaze was a sobering one. "You have no idea," he said in a low, despondent voice.

"But perhaps I do."

Gronnus lowered the cup and stared.

"I have been faced recently with the need to perform a most distasteful act, your Lordship. So I know how such things can weigh heavily on the mind."

The Overlord paused a long moment. "And is this what you assume I am up to?"

Jollis bowed his head briefly. "I am but a humble merchant, your Lordship. I presume nothing. I simply wish to express sympathy for you in what decisions you must deal with."

Gronnus sighed and leaned back in his chair, downing much of what was left in his goblet. He was not feeling quite as ill as he had. "Sometimes, Jollis, decisions are taken out of our hands," he declared somberly. He looked into his goblet, swirling around what little of the juice remained.

"The rest is yours, Overlord," Jollis said, lifting the jug into view again briefly before laying it at Gronnus' feet. "And if I may be so bold, I would like to leave you with this: whenever I see that a decision has been taken from me, it often means I am not looking at the problem from the right perspective."

Gronnus had picked up the jug and was about to refill his goblet when he paused and looked back up at the merchant, a small frown on his face. "And what would you know of this? What would you know of what that decision was? Or the circumstances around it?"

Jollis knew a great deal indeed. Far too much to reveal to the Overlord. For one thing, he knew that Herdon was at this moment keeping watch over Roquan's quarters. Then there had been the threatening confrontation between Herdon and the Overlord the day before, when it appeared that Gronnus was on his way to see Roquan. From this, Jollis could assume that Herdon wished to keep Gronnus from contacting Roquan.

He also knew of the Point of Order by this time, and that Gronnus and Roquan were to meet privately. Thus, Jollis had concluded, Herdon was manipulating events to get them together at a specific time and place. The only real question was Herdon's background. Jollis' master had not been able to provide anything more than what was already known, that he had been trained as a soldier in the Emperor's guard. Yet where the Emperor was about to strike, this meant that Herdon could very well be serving as the Emperor's hand.

"You are, perhaps, correct in this," Jollis said carefully. "Yet, it is in my nature to help."

Gronnus nodded slowly. "It is not unappreciated," the Overlord said simply as he drank the second goblet-full of juice.

Jollis smiled. "Ah, but this is good to hear. May I be so bold again as to offer one more bit of advice?"

Gronnus paused, then nodded wordlessly.

"Sometimes what prevents us from seeing the solution to a problem is that we are... locked... into thinking that we have to provide it."

Gronnus gave the merchant a nonplussed look.

"I wish to leave you with a second gift." Jollis reached into his tunic and extracted the blue pearl.

The Overlord peered at it with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. When it was offered to him, he hesitated before tentatively taking it from the merchant. "But what does this... ?"

A soft, diffuse noise from all around them grew steadily louder as the rains began to pour down outside.

"Perhaps you should approach your problem as a puzzle. Sometimes all it takes is the one hint to unlock the secret of the solution." Jollis smiled. "Or... it may be your key to finding someone who can."

Jollis turned away from the perplexed Overlord and opened the door. Ran came down in sheets, splattering water on his legs. He turned to the Overlord and gave a respectful bow of his head. "Good day to you, Overlord Gronnus."

Without waiting for a reply, he stepped out into the drenching rains and was gone.

The rains continued off-and-on into the evening.

Amanda tried to focus her attention on it. The sound was always soothing to her back in Sirinna's quarters. It helped lull her to sleep on nights she was too nervous about one thing or another. Now she wanted it simply as a distraction.

It was hard. Her pussy strained and ached very badly. Her hips writhed despite her attempts to stop, as if acting on their own in some vain hope it would make her crest. She could not stop trembling.

Yet she managed it. It distracted her from her sensual torture enough to minister to her mistress. Amanda gently suckled at one of Freya's nipples while lightly stroking Freya's very wet pussy with her fingers.

"Mmm, that's it..." Freya cooed softly. "Slowly... I wish to enjoy this... I wish to enjoy your squirming..."

Amanda simply let her mind be carried further way by the patter of the rain. It had taken less than a day for her to realize that the worst of this nightmare was not the prison on her sex, or the lack of dignity, but the taunts. At least when the other slaves did it to her, she knew it was part of the training, that it was more a game to them than anything else. From this Overlord, it was simply hurtful.

Freya lifted a hand to Amanda's side, sliding down slowly to the girl's hip. She could feel the girl quivering, and the hips swaying back and forth uncontrollably. "You came close to speaking out of turn earlier, Amanda."

Amanda did not pause. Until Freya ordered her otherwise, she kept doing what she was last told to do. She pressed her lips to the areola and sucked the nipple between her lips. Her fingers teasingly probed Freya's tunnel.

Freya briefly closed her eyes and let a small breathy moan escape her parted lips. "Mmm... perhaps I should keep you like this a little longer... do you think you could sleep with your pussy being stroked all the time?"

A shudder passed through Amanda, but she stopped herself from reacting any further.

Freya chuckled. "I won't do that. But shall you get a reward tonight or not?"

Amanda squeezed Freya's breast in her fingers and took the nipple deeper into her mouth.

Freya tilted her head back, panting lightly. "Not bad... not bad at all..." she breathed. "Now my pussy... deeper... mmm, yes..."

Amanda slipped her fingers into Freya, the Overlord's cunt squeezing tightly as they penetrated. Slowly she sank them deeper into Freya, pressing her thumb against Freya's nub, massaging it with firm, slow circular strokes.

Freya closed her eyes again, her pleasure mounting. Her hand caressed Amanda's hip, then one of her ass cheeks before motioning up Amanda's back and playing with her hair. She lay her hand against the back of Amanda's head and pressed the girl's face more firmly into her breast.

Amanda felt her face fill with soft flesh. She had to tilt her head slightly to be able to breathe. She sucked harder, bringing a small gasp and then a deep moan from her mistress. She thrust her fingers in more deeply into Freya's depths and then began to slide them in and out. She tilted them forward, making sure to properly stroke Freya's womanhood each time.

Freya's breath grew short. Outside, the rain was letting up. Amanda let out a small whimper as it got harder to ignore the sensations from her pussy. She tried not to let it affect her actions. As anxious as she was to finish off Freya in the vain hope that the Overlord would see her way clear to granting Amanda relief, she did not want to take the chance of displeasing her.

Dutifully, Amanda drove the Overlord higher and higher, steadily but not too quickly. Finally, Freya arched her back and her cunt convulsed around Amanda's fingers. The Overlord moaned loudly, her body shuddering as she throbbed. Carefully, Amanda drew out the orgasm, easing off slowly, keeping it pleasurable but backing off before it became too much. By the time Freya's body relaxed, one final "Mmmmm..." uttered from her as the last of her climax faded, Amanda had lifted her mouth and and fingers from the Overlord's body.

Freya looked up and smiled. "You have some skills after all."

"Thank you, mistress," Amanda said, her voice strained and breathless. She was panting. The strain in her pussy was incredible. She could not ignore it anymore, and her body shook with the desperate need for release.

"Do you want to cum, Amanda?" Freya asked sweetly.

"It's whatever you wish of me, mistress," she said breathlessly.

"You learn fast. I suppose that is a plus. You will remain where you are."

"Y-yes, mistress."

Amanda remained on all fours as Freya slipped out from under her. Amanda hung her head, breathing hard. A few moments later she felt a hand between her thighs from behind and then a touch to her pussy.

At first, she thought Freya was just going to turn it off again and leave her frustrated once more. She was sure she would cry if that happened. In fact, the tears had already begun to fill her eyes when she felt the fingers press harder into her.

She soared and crested. The throbbing was intense, so much so that she made not a sound, her hips jerking violently. Finally she found her voice and moaned, her orgasm wracking her body. The thing over her mound drew it out, almost to the excruciating proportions of that phallic-shaped device that had been used on her days before. Finally the climax did abate, and it left Amanda shaking.

However, she did not dare collapse. She remained on all fours, even as badly as her limbs trembled, until she was told otherwise.

"Is that all better now, slave?" Freya said in a mocking tone of voice.

"Yes, mistress," Amanda breathed. "Thank you, mistress."

Freya chuckled. She caressed one of Amanda's thighs, and for a frightening moment Amanda thought that the Overlord was going to activate it again. Instead, she slapped Amanda lightly on the ass and withdrew her hand. She picked up the end of the chain and gave it a snap.

"Stand up."

Amanda could not resist uttering a small groan as she struggled to her feet. Her legs trembled but held. There was a residual ache in her pussy from the force of her orgasm. She stood before her mistress and lowered her eyes, folding her hands before her.

Freya considered her young slave for a moment. She placed her fingers under Amanda's chin and lifted the girl's gaze to hers. "Hmm... better. Not yet there, but better. Hopefully it will not be long before I have you back in my Manor and I can train you properly."

Amanda just looked at Freya, trying not to outwardly react to this. Leaving the Manor was the worst thing that could happen to her. Now she was actually grateful for what that other Overlord had done. If it had delayed the Conclave by at least another day, it was another chance for Roquan to find a way to get her back.

At the same time, a little knowledge was a dangerous thing. She now knew enough about the system to realize that the hope she had for this was faint at best.

"You may rest now, Amanda," Freya said, gesturing towards the furs in the corner of the room. "I will likely have no further use for you tonight."

"Yes, mistress."

Amanda curled up on the furs, a small sigh coming from her as Freya secured the other end to one of the bedposts. She tried very hard not to let despair and depression overwhelm her.

She suddenly wished she had contact with Jollis again. For some reason, she felt like he would know what to do.

The rain had slackened by the time Jollis made his way from the merchant camp back into the Manor. Only a very light rain fell around him now, the air misty and moist and finally cool. Towards the west, some breaks in the clouds appeared, allowing hints of the deep purple of fading dusk to appear.

He made very sure to head straight for Sirinna's quarters, and to appear unconcerned with anything else. He avoided going near Roquan's quarters. He knew that Herdon was standing vigil over it, hidden somewhere in the trees off to the side between it and the path that wound down towards the outlying building where the Overlord's Portal lay.