Chapter 6

Rennis dashed up the path to Roquan's quarters, smoothing down his hair as best he could. He cursed himself for oversleeping again. He was loathe to admit that this constant shuttling back and forth between his own Manor and Roquan's was starting to take its toll on him. It was a full day by boat and another half day over land to get from the D'glounaas Manor to the D'ronstaq Manor. He sorely wished Roquan's father had founded the Manor closer to the island's only port.

When he burst into the outer chamber, he was panting lightly from the exertion. It was still early morning, but the heavy humidity made it feel as if the heat of the day were already upon him. He immediately saw that he was indeed late, yet the expression that Roquan cast at him was neutral, and his voice bore no ill will when he spoke. "There is Rennis now."

Rennis took a moment to catch his breath, tugging at his tunic to straighten out the last of the wrinkles before stepping over to Roquan and into the sight of the Farview form of Doran.

"Ah, good Rennis!" Doran said with a wide grin.

Rennis returned the grin with a smirk. "'Good'? You weren't saying that just a few days ago when I bested you for that contract to Lord K'yaran."

Doran laughed heartily. "Business is business, and not worth holding a grudge."

Roquan raised an eyebrow at this and glared at Doran. "At least no one ran to the Emperor over it this time," he said coolly.

Doran withered slightly. "Ah, yes, well (ahem), on to the business at hand, now that Rennis is here."

Rennis cast a sidelong glance at Roquan. "Apologies for my tardiness."

Doran waved a beefy hand. "No need, no need. We had only just begun."

"Doran was about to tell me who, if any, he managed to sway to our side."

"Realize, my dear Roquan, that you should not count anyone as a given. The Conclave's the thing! That's where it will be decided."

"I must admit that I am growing impatient for it to start."

Doran chuckled. "And pass up the wonderful learning opportunity in etiquette from Rennis here?"

Roquan bristled, but said nothing. Rennis hid a smile.

"And just how has that gone, Rennis?" Doran asked.

"Ah, quite well," Rennis said at the unexpected question, forcing his face to a more serious expression. Yet he could not resist a joke at the Overlord's expense. "I don't think he'll quite insult everyone the first day."

Roquan folded his arms and gave the two of them an indignant look. "If you two are quite through... evaluating me..."

"Roquan, sorry to put it bluntly, but this is no time for your ego," said Doran flatly.

Roquan blinked at this. This was the second time now in his life someone had said something like that to him. The other time had been his Healer Vanlo, back when they were still trying to piece together what troubles had befallen the Manor.

"Nevertheless," said Roquan loudly. "I would hope that my words and my evidence will carry the day where protocol may fail. What has happened is of such great import that it should transcend mere custom."

Rennis sighed inwardly. He still had a long way to go with the man.

Doran did not hide his disappointment at this statement, but chose not to agitate Roquan further. "Rest assured, I have relayed your words and your evidence to each of them. Yet even then, they will insist on something in return. And I must admit, Roquan, you are doing me no favors by your aggressive push into the domestic slave market."

"And what would have me do, Doran? I'd remind you of why I am being forced to do this. I am doing what I can to stay ahead financially."

"But not at the other Overlords' expense! Not until you convince them of the merits of your case."

"And even then, Roquan," Rennis said. "As I told you before, they will expect something in return."

Roquan sighed, exasperated. "I have little to give."

"No, you just don't want to part with anything."

"If I were to trade slaves away for a promise of support, that would leave me in no better position than if I left the matter alone."

"I never said you would have to trade slaves away."

"Then what? What is it they want? Doran, do you know?"

"Oh, I do," Doran said with a smirk. "But you don't want to hear it."

Roquan paused, then took a good guess, his eyes growing hard. "No, I do not. I have had enough of hearing about the Urisi."

"Roquan, you're going to hear about it a whole lot more when the Conclave arrives," Rennis said.

"I have made my position on that very clear..."

"Get over it already, Roquan!"

Both Roquan and Doran fell into a surprised silence at Rennis' outburst.

The days with too little sleep had caught up to Rennis, and he was giving vent to his frustrations over both it and Roquan's stubbornness. "Stop treating your slaves like they were fragile glass, ready to shatter if you mishandled them in the slightest! Give some of your older ones credit for having a little more resilience than that."

Roquan cast a hotly indignant gaze at his friend. "And who are you to decide what I should do with my slaves? You are not one to talk, Rennis. You have also shunned trade with the Urisi."

Rennis gave Roquan an even look.

"Ah," Roquan said simply, an icy edge to his voice as he looked away. "I see."

"He did it at my suggestion, Roquan," said Doran. "Very soon after we first spoke."

"The Urisi are not quite as bad as you think they are," Rennis said, forcing his voice into a more calm tone. "Yes, their Slavemasters are rather more strict and punishment-oriented than most Overlords, but if you send them the right slaves, they do well."

"And they do not deny orgasm until the slave begs for sexual release? They do not make slaves go days at a time without touching them sexually? They do not restrain them in uncomfortable positions for half a day at a time?"

"And we don't do that to our slaves on occasion?"

"That is merely a training exercise, to teach submissiveness, and to prepare them in the case..."

"... in the case that client might happen to do that to them! You just made my argument for me!"

"But we blacklist clients that do such a thing!" Roquan thundered.

"You blacklist them, Roquan," Doran interjected firmly. "Not all Overlords are so limited in their thinking!"

Roquan gave Doran an amazed look. "Limited?" He turned and stared hard at Rennis. "Is that why you did it? So you would not appear limited as well?"

"No, Roquan, I did it to help you," Rennis said.

Roquan looked nonplussed at this and said nothing.

"Rennis speaks the truth," Doran declared. "Roquan, you suffer from a lack of respect among the other Overlords. Rennis, however, has some better ties with them. They know you two are close. If they see Rennis concede a point, they will hold out hope that you will as well. They know how Rennis can be, ah, persuasive where you are concerned."

Roquan paused for a long moment. What he did not want to admit was that Doran's logic was unassailable. Finally, he was beginning to believe that perhaps he should have "played the game" more, as distasteful as he found it to be. Yet he did not want to yield so easily. He did not want to appear weak in front of them.

"Then answer me this," he said in a calmer voice. "If they do not wish the competition on the domestic front, why would they want me in the foreign market to the east?"

Rennis chuckled. "Never heard or riding on the coattails of someone else's reputation before?"

"Of course I have. I simply have never had to do it."

"Exactly."

Roquan paused as enlightenment came to him. So that was it. It was another tacit admission from the other Overlords of the simple fact that Roquan's slaves were the best in Oceanus.

"The other Overlords are not penetrating the Urisi market as far as they would like, are they?" Roquan asked. He rarely felt smug about anything, but this time he felt justified in indulging himself.

"The Urisi enjoy private ownership of slaves, as you know," Doran commented.

"Yes. Utterly barbaric."

"Be that as it may, that's considered a huge asset. We're competing with their native Slavemasters, who have been training slaves for as long as we have."

"And not very well, I might add. They break a slave's spirit."

"Not everyone can make a Draught of Forgetfulness like we can," Rennis commented lightly.

Roquan rounded on him. "As I stated before, Rennis, we do not speak of such things..."

"Fine, we won't speak of it. But know this: the nobility over there knows you. By name. They want your slaves. That will whet their appetite for more. You can't possibly satisfy all of them, so the rest of us go in and offer our slaves right behind you."

"And make money from my reputation," Roquan scoffed.

"Roquan, get over yourself! You can't just... !"

"Gentlemen," Doran said suddenly.

Both Roquan and Rennis turned to face Doran. His image had faded a bit.

"I fear the energies in my Farviewing pearl are waning, so we must wrap this up quickly. I will have to leave it to Rennis to further convince you on the merits of the Urisi option."

Roquan's eyes burned at this, but he said nothing.

"Now, I have finished arrangements. The Conclave will arrive in a little more than a half-moon from now."

Rennis' eyebrows shot up. "That soon?"

"And Roquan, let me tell you this now so you may prepare. The one you want to work on the most out of all the Overlords is Freya."

Now it was Roquan's turn to look surprised. "Freya D'yros?"

"Hellfire, she hates Roquan. How did you manage to sway her?"

Doran frowned. "I suspect she has her own agenda. She wants something, I could sense that much. Just don't know what."

Roquan exchanged a look with Rennis. Each of them knew having Freya on their side would be a huge advantage. As the only female Overlord in Oceanus, she tended to attract the most attention from the other Overlords. Where she went, the rest generally followed. Where Doran used his way with words to sway others, Freya used her charisma and her voluptuous body.

"I will likely not contact you again before the Conclave, Roquan, so I look forward to seeing you in the flesh. It will have been a long time indeed."

Roquan gave a single respectful nod, temporarily speechless at this possible hopeful turn to his fortunes.

Doran gave them one last smile before his image quickly faded and vanished.

"I don't like it."

Roquan looked askance at the other Overlord. "I beg your pardon?"

Rennis' face was drawn into a deep frown. "Freya is not one to be trusted, Roquan."

"And here you were telling me I should listen to Doran!"

"Doran sometimes overestimates the power of his words, especially when dealing with Freya. Most men -- even Overlords -- tend to have little reasoning ability around her."

"But to have her on our side, Rennis..."

"Yes, wouldn't that be wonderful?" The sarcasm was heavy in Rennis' voice. "But I suspect that whoever she supports in this will be whoever's bedchamber appeals to her the most. Unfortunately, that is usually how she also gets someone to give her what she wants."

Roquan straightened, anger flickering in his eyes. "If you think me some addle-minded boy with more lust than sense..."

Rennis raised a hand. "I didn't say that, Roquan. One coupling, no matter how intense, would not be enough to sway someone like you, but that's just one thing she may try. Now, if you were paying attention more closely to what the other Overlords were doing, you'd know that she visited Gronnus' Manor just before the Emperor canceled the agreement. Right after, Gronnus generously parted with some of his best slaves. Guess who got them?"

"Freya is not purchasing any of my slaves," Roquan declared. "None will be for sale, regardless of her appearance of lack thereof in my bedchamber. Not from what I hear of how she treats her slaves."

"Just the same, watch your back around her."

Roquan considered for a moment. "Do you believe she may be swayed to Gronnus' side, Rennis?"

"I've been so busy going back and forth between your Manor and mine that I have not kept as close tabs on them as I would have liked," Rennis said sourly. "But I do know that Gronnus has been absent from his Manor for days at a time."

Roquan sighed. "It is getting such that I will be unaware of who I can trust. If anyone."

"Me you can trust. Doran you can trust. Anyone after that, let them prove they can be trusted."

Roquan was silent, his eyes subdued.

"Will you be ready for this, Roquan?" Rennis asked earnestly.

"As ready as I can be," Roquan admitted.

"What about Amanda?"

Roquan was surprised at the question, but chose not to show it. "Improving."

"Not exactly a ringing endorsement."

"Sirinna has accelerated her training. It appears she is picking up her new skills fairly quickly, at least at a basic level."

"And her attitude?"

"Better than it was, for the most part."

Rennis frowned. "Still doesn't sound good."

"Would you care to see for yourself?"

Now Rennis was surprised. "Are you quite serious?"

Roquan cracked a small smile. "You were the one who told me I should adhere to custom more closely. Would you, a visiting Overlord, not care to see my Trainee, then? I shall be highly insulted if you refuse."

Rennis laughed. He gave his friend a wry grin. "You'll be insulted anyway, since I'm shamelessly using it as a chance to see Sirinna again."

The first thing that Amanda noticed that told her there was going to be another change to her routine was the fact that Sirinna left her wrists bound behind her when they arrived at the Circle that morning. Normally the first thing her mistress did was remove them, so her hands would be free for more practice.

She was almost disappointed. She was actually starting to enjoy what she was doing. Using her hands seemed to come naturally to her once Sirinna showed her the basic techniques. She particularly enjoyed the one where Sirinna showed her how to hold and gently tug on the balls to prolong the rise to orgasm; it made her feel like she was in control rather than the other way around.

Garas was already there and standing near the center of the circle. He gave Amanda a small smile, his cock already half-hard in anticipation. Amanda blushed lightly at this, but considered it a compliment. So whatever was going to happen, she knew it would at least involve him.

Unfortunately, Marisa was there as well. With her hands still restrained, Amanda felt very vulnerable as the older slave looked her over appraisingly. Worse, a few days before, Sirinna had applied a salve to Amanda's sex that removed all her pubic hair, leaving her pussy completely bare. She didn't think she could feel any more naked than she already was, but since then she blushed anytime someone happened to look at her for more than a few moments at a time.

Sirinna grasped Amanda's arm and made a gesture with her hand. Amanda knew what it meant but was confused at why it was being asked of her, and she hesitated a moment. Sirinna repeated it and gave the chain a gentle tug. Amanda carefully lowered herself to her knees.

Marisa cast a dubious look at both Trainer and Trainee. "Advancing to this already, Sirinna? You've barely touched on what she can do with her hands."

"I believe she's far enough along for this, Marisa," Sirinna said evenly, a polite smile on her face. "She has been picking up things very quickly."

Amanda allowed herself a small and slightly smug smile at this praise, which she made sure Marisa noticed.

"I haven't seen what she can do with a female yet."

"I have had prior experience with her. I can assure you her skills in that area are quite good."

"I'd like to see that for myself at some point."

Sirinna smiled brilliantly at her. "At some point."

Marisa raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more in reply. Instead, her attention appeared to be distracted for a moment by something behind Amanda and Sirinna. After a moment, her lips curled into a sly smile that made Amanda nervous, but she did not dare try to turn around to see what was happening. She glanced up at Sirinna, but it did not appear that her mistress had noticed it.

So was Roquan watching them now again?

"Now, Amanda," Sirinna said, startling her a bit. "I'm going to start teaching you something else today. You've shown yourself to be very good with your hands. Now I'd like to see how well you can do with your mouth."

Amanda's eyes widened. She turned her gaze forward and saw Garas approaching her, his manhood rising to full hardness.

Her heart started to pound. She knew she was going to have to do this eventually, just not so soon. For the past week or so, she could not shake the feeling that Sirinna was rushing her. Each day was something new, before she had a chance to get used to what she had learned the day before. At first she thought it was just her, but now Marisa's comment had confirmed it.

Her eyes locked on Garas' manhood. It seemed unnaturally large to her, lightly pulsing with his heartbeat as it stood barely inches from her face. Somehow she felt this was more intimate than having it inside her pussy.

Amanda nearly jumped when Sirinna placed a hand on her shoulder. Sirinna could feel Amanda's body quivering. "It's okay to be a little nervous," Sirinna said softly.

"Mistress, d-do you need to keep me restrained like this?" Amanda asked in a small voice.

"It's just to help you concentrate on using just your mouth, that's all. Later I'll teach you to use both your mouth and hands in combination."

Amanda nodded quickly. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but it did little good. For the first time in awhile she was very conscious of the others watching her.

"Like everything else, we'll take it slowly. One step at a time. Now, I'd like you to slide your knees apart just a bit more... "

Amanda complied, heat flashing over her skin as more of her hairless pussy was exposed. She felt embarrassed for the first time in a month.

"Lift your head and look straight ahead."

Amanda was forced to lift her gaze to Garas' cock again.

"Now, Amanda, just remain still until I tell you. Garas, place the head just on her lips."

Garas complied, and now Amanda trembled with the familiar mix of fear and excitement as she remained posed in a still, soft kiss on his head of Garas' cock. A very slightly musky odor tickled her nose. In her mind, she compared it to what she would smell from Sirinna's aroused pussy. It was different, but subtly familiar at the same time.

"Lay your tongue flat on the bottom of your mouth," Sirinna directed. "Then, we start it like we did when I taught you to use your hands: slow and light. Part your lips and lean forward, and start to take him inside your mouth."

Amanda hesitated a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it go through her nose. She opened her mouth and let Garas' cock slide inside.

Her heart hammered in her chest as his swollen head penetrated past her lips and slid over her tongue. She heard a soft intake of breath from Garas. It didn't feel as overly large as she thought it might. At the same time, she was hardly placing any pressure on his penis at all.

She had him halfway into her when Sirinna intoned, "Now stop there and remain still for a moment."

Amanda was trying to resist the urge to clamp her lips around him more firmly. She need not have bothered, for Sirinna cupped one hand under Amanda's chin and coaxed her into doing just that.

"Like when you used your hands, it's not as delicate as you think," Sirinna explained. "Just use only your lips for now."

Amanda felt her mouth growing wet. It made her want to continue on to the next step, if for no other reason than to avoid drooling from having him in her mouth for so long.