Chapter 17

Reminiscing was something that Roquan rarely did. He tended to be focused on the present and the future. Dwelling on the past, whether for good or for ill, was a waste of precious time. Yet he could not help but let himself be taken back to a point that, all things considered, was surprising recent despite how much had happened since.

In Roquan's personal bath off from his bed chamber, Amanda sat quietly near one edge of the pool that surrounded the hot spring. She was being slowly and methodically bathed by Sirinna. Where it was as much ceremony as it was hygiene, Sirinna took her time. She washed her charge with slow, sensuous movements of her hands along Amanda's glistening body.

As he watched, Roquan remembered Amanda's first time in this spring. It had been Roquan himself bathing her in preparation for her deflowering. All new slaves that were virgins upon arriving in Narlass underwent a deflowering. Many Overlords handled this sometimes delicate act themselves, and Roquan had been no exception.

He remembered the incredible variety of emotions that Amanda had experienced: anxiety, fear, defiance, sensuality, desire. They had both surprised each other that day. Amanda's biggest surprise had been how much she had enjoyed the act of intercourse itself. Roquan's biggest surprise had been how much he had been taken with the girl, though he had refused to admit it at the time.

Now Amanda say placidly in the pool, quiet and still, save for the movements she made while Sirinna tended to her. Roquan sensed some resignation in Amanda. On the one hand, this was a good thing. He could not have her being defiant now, just before being given to Duric. On the other hand, it was as if something were missing.

On the thought of Duric, Roquan straightened up and folded his arms. "When you have finished with her, Sirinna, take her to my bed chamber and wait for me."

"Yes, Master, of course," Sirinna said with a wan smile.

Roquan could tell just from the tone of her voice that Sirinna was going to miss Amanda terribly. He would deal with it as best he could. He would no longer berate Sirinna for her feelings. There was no point, as no punishment in Narlass would stop her from feeling.

Roquan headed out of the room, through his bed chamber, and through the curtained doorway that led into his outer chamber. He already had the Farviewing pearl sitting on the hearth of the fireplace, as he had been about to activate it when he had felt he needed to check on Amanda.

The Overlord stepped forward and waved a hand over the pearl. It began to glow as he stepped back.

It was not long before the image of a smiling Duric shimmered into view.

"Good day to you, Lord K'garon," said Roquan formally.

"Good day to you, Overlord!" replied Duric with a wide smile. "I trust you are nearly ready to send me the young Amanda?"

"I am. However, I have what you may consider an unusual request to make on her behalf..."

Sirinna lifted her hands to Amanda's breasts, her fingers cupping supple flesh that was still shiny and slippery with soap.

"You did that part of me already, Mistress," Amanda said in a somewhat detached voice.

"Yes, I know I have," Sirinna said quietly with a tiny smile on her lips. Her fingers curled around Amanda's orbs, squeezing them lightly.

Amanda glanced down, then into Sirinna's eyes as the touch grew more sensual. "Mistress..."

"Shh."

Sirinna placed the pads of her thumbs against Amanda's nipples, flicking at them gently until they began to rise. As they swelled, she rubbed her thumbs against them more firmly in slow, circular strokes.

Amanda let her breath go as an excited sigh despite herself. She squirmed a bit as Sirinna's touch aroused her, unsure of her feelings at the moment. She knew that a short sexual tryst was often part of a slave bathing ritual, but she was not sure it was at all appropriate now in her current state of mind.

If it had been anyone else but Sirinna, Amanda might not have responded. Instead, she felt a quiver pass through her as her body succumbed of its own accord.

"M-mistress, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Amanda said in a husky whisper.

"I need to do this, Amanda," Sirinna said, her voice falling to a whisper. "Don't talk for now. It will make more sense to you in a short while."

Amanda felt the urge to defy Sirinna and insist on an explanation, but it passed quickly. She finally just nodded and tried to let herself enjoy it in mind as well as body.

Amanda moaned softly as Sirinna's fingers swirled faster around her nipples, sending ripples of pleasure through her. It sparked a tingle deep in her sex, as if she were being touched there.

When Sirinna had made her first sexual advance on Amanda back on Earth, Amanda had discovered that her nipples were more sensitive than she had thought. Now they seemed even more so ever since the Conclave had ended. Overlord Freya had used an exorbitant amount of a salve that rendered her nipples hypersensitive during the short time that Freya had owned her. She sometimes wondered if there had been a lingering effect. Vanlo had told her it was entirely possible.

One of Sirinna's hands left her breast and slid down her side and across her belly. She panted lightly in anticipation. Sirinna's hand disappeared into the soapy water and slipped between Amanda's legs. Amanda closed her eyes and shivered in pleasure as Sirinna's fingers pressed lightly into her slit.

"I apologize I can't make you cum right now," Sirinna whispered as her fingers very slowly massaged Amanda's swollen nub. "I just need your pussy a little wet."

"Uhhn... a l-little?" Amanda panted, her eyes half-lidded.

Sirinna smiled. She rubbed Amanda a few more times and then withdrew her hand, to Amanda's disappointment. "There. We have to do this quickly now, in case Master Roquan returns."

Amanda finally understood and felt a little foolish for not thinking of it herself.

Sirinna waded off to the side where she had left the items she needed for Amanda's bath. She carefully reached into the folds of a towel and extracted the Farviewing pearl. "Here, spread your knees a little more, it will make it easier," she said as she returned to Amanda's side.

Amanda nodded quickly and let her knees slide further apart against the bottom of the spring. "Will this make it a little less uncomfortable, Mistress?"

"Well, it will go in a little more easily. I think that's where you were having the most problems when we tried it earlier. Your natural lubrication when you're not aroused was not enough." Sirinna balanced the pearl on her fingers and pressed it lightly against the entrance to Amanda's tunnel. "Ready?"

Amanda took a deep breath and nodded.

Sirinna pushed the pearl carefully into Amanda's vagina. It did go in more easily this time, though it still felt very tight inside her. Sirinna poked the pearl inside about as far as her second knuckle. She then held her hand under Amanda's pussy.

Amanda took another breath and applied what Sirinna had taught her. Her first attempt did not seem to work. When she tried to apply her muscles to gently squeeze the pearl out of her, her nervousness made them spasm instead. As slick as her tunnel was, the pearl slipped further inside her.

Sirinna saw the look of panic on Amanda's face and guessed what had happened. She placed a hand on Amanda's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Just relax, Amanda. You're too tense. Just a gentle push is all you need."

"I-I'm trying. But I think I did something wrong..."

"No, it's okay. Take a few deep breaths, calm down, and try to nudge it back out."

Amanda swallowed and nodded. She did as she was told, managing to take the edge off her anxiety. She tried again. This time she felt her muscles flex more smoothly, and slowly she nudged the pearl back until it popped out and into Sirinna's hand. Amanda breathed a sigh of relief.

Sirinna smiled. "Very good. Think you got it?"

"Got it," Amanda answered. Sirinna carefully reinserted the pearl. When she was done, Amanda looked up, smiled, and gave her a hug. "Thank you so much for doing this for me, I couldn't repay you enough for this."

"I get a reward out of this myself, love," Sirinna whispered into Amanda's ear. "I won't miss you so badly now."

Amanda drew back from the embrace. She could feel the pearl inside her, pressing against the walls of her tunnel. It was still a little uncomfortable, but at least now she did not feel sore like she had earlier after trying this when she was not aroused.

"We're finished with your bath now, if you want to try standing up."

Amanda slowly rose to her feet. She felt the pearl become squeezed a little more tightly inside her with her legs closed, but it did not slip. She wondered how long she would have to hold it inside her. Lack of time dictated that she could not hold it inside her for more than short periods while she learned the technique.

"I think it will be okay, Mistress," said Amanda.

"Good. Now, step out of the spring and lets get you dried off and your hair brushed out."

Amanda climbed out of the water and looked back at the spring. Sirinna draped the towel around her shoulders and began to pat her dry. "I'm going to miss this place, Sirinna," she said in a very soft voice. "I don't mean just you."

Sirinna smiled. "This has been your home, Amanda. Master Roquan cared for you here. It's natural you'd feel that way."

Amanda said nothing in response. That was only part of the answer. There was something more, but she had trouble finding the words for it. But she could not let herself dwell on it. If she did, she was sure she would lose her composure.

No matter what her feelings were, she was determined to get this right. She didn't care what Lanno had said about her. Perhaps she was ultimately just playing at the part. But if that were the case, then she intended to be the best damn actress she could be.

She would at least make others believe she was a good slave, even if she could not believe it herself.

"Indeed, Roquan!" said Duric with a trace of amusement in his otherwise surprised tone of voice. "That is a most unusual request to make for a slave."

"Realize that it is not unusual for a slave to be educated in particular subjects," Roquan countered calmly. "I have a few slaves that are able to engage in fairly intelligent conversation."

"Not many, I would bet."

"No, not many. But a few. Some clients specifically request such a thing."

Duric gave the Overlord a sly smile. "Hmm. I do not seem to recall asking for such a thing myself."

"No, indeed, you did not," replied Roquan, keeping his gaze and voice even. "But you did request Amanda specifically. Thus she comes with everything that makes her Amanda. Unless you believe my skills at slave training so great that I can turn her intelligence off."

Duric paused for a long moment, then burst out laughing. "Oh, don't tell me that I finally managed to break the ice with you after all this time, Roquan? I do believe you came close to cracking a joke."

Roquan gave Duric a polite smile. "Call it as you will. In any case, you have heard my request. You are within your rights to turn it down."

"But you would prefer I didn't, correct?"

Now it was Roquan's turn to pause. He was unsure as to the best way to answer that question, mostly because he did not know what his own feelings were on the matter. He temporized a bit. "I do know that it is important to her."

Duric raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And you are so concerned about what a slave desires?"

"I am concerned with the happiness of my slaves, Duric. Any good Overlord is. A slave that is unhappy does not serve her Master well. A slave that is happy does. I am given to understand that allowing her to continue reading her scrolls would make her happy. That would make her all the more eager to serve you."

Duric appeared to consider this. "You know, I have heard some fascinating things about Amanda, Roquan."

Roquan was not surprised to hear this, considering how adamant Duric had been about wanting Amanda. "I will admit that she is a remarkable girl."

"That is an understatement. Unless what I heard about her having a hand in saving an Overlord's life was an exaggeration?"

Roquan could not tell whether Duric knew the whole story or not. He was surprised that Duric had heard even that much. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. "That story is true. She helped intervene to stop an assassination."

From Duric's reaction, it was quite clear that he had not heard this part. "Assassination? You mean the Overlord in question was about to be murdered?"

"By an agent of the Emperor, yes."

"Great gods! Why have you not told me this sooner?"

"Because it occurred during a Conclave. The Overlords are bound by unspoken rules of ethics about revealing what goes on during a Conclave to those outside of Overlord circles."

"I can understand that, Roquan, but something of this magnitude... !"

"Really, Duric, do you need any more validation of our stand against the Emperor? Would that have really mattered in light of what Z'haas did to the conspirators against him? Does it matter in light of how he is trampling upon the law and our traditions? I would remind you that you came to me and offered to help. I had no need to convince you further of the merits of an alliance."

Duric paused a moment and then sighed. "I suppose you are right on that score. Very well. Amanda may be allowed to continue her studies, so long as her service to me takes precedence."

"It will, in the same way her training took precedence at the Manor."

Duric slowly smiled. "Perhaps I will engage her in conversation now and then. I would be curious to see what she is learning of our history. I am assuming that she is also allowed to have her own opinions?"

Roquan felt that Amanda not having opinions would be like the Great Ocean not having water. The two were inseparable. "She has been trained to be judicious in the expression of such."

Duric laughed. "Not exactly something you would pitch to a client as a selling point, now, would you? No matter. It has only made me all the more curious about the girl. I eagerly await her." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue pearl that was glowing very brightly, so much so that it nearly washed out his own image in the Farview. "I see you nearly have your Portal energized."

Roquan's eyes flicked to the Portal focus Duric held and nodded. "It is of sufficient power now to be opened to your Palace. She is being prepared now and will be ready shortly. I will send her through very soon."

"Excellent, Roquan. If you have no further need for me at the moment..."

Roquan shook his head.

"Then I bid you good day, Roquan."

"Good day, Lord K'garon."

Duric's image faded from sight. The glow in the Farviewing pearl died.

As Amanda emerged from the bathing room and into Roquan's bed chamber, she realized the one good thing to come out of all this. She was now finally rid of her collar.

Even though she had not finished her training, for all intents and purposes she was a full-fledged slave. As such, she had the privilege of no longer having to wear the collar, or be escorted everywhere with her hands bound behind her.

She thought it strange that she felt a degree of freedom in a situation where she was simply being given to another Master. Even the arrangement itself seemed odd to her despite the fact that it was how slavery operated in Oceanus. Slaves were owned only by Overlords, even when given to a client. In effect, the client "rented" a slave's services, paying up front for a contract of a given length.

This time the "payment" had not been in platinum, but the theory was the same.

Sirinna came up from behind Amanda and ran her fingers through Amanda's long hair to remove any remaining tangles. Her dark hair was lustrous in the subdued light of the chamber. "Your hair is so much longer than it was when you started, Amanda," Sirinna said with some admiration in her voice.

"No one ever told me I should cut it," Amanda said softly. "I figured that sort of decision was out of my hands anyway."

"Indeed it is, Amanda."

Both Amanda and Sirinna turned at the sound of Roquan's voice from the doorway.

"It was my decision to let your hair grow," said the Overlord as he stepped up to Amanda. He placed a hand gently on her head and let it slide behind her and over her hair. "I prefer longer hair in my slaves, and yours is quite lovely."

"Thank you, Master," said Amanda dutifully, though she did appreciate the compliment. And she did like it herself. "Does Lord K'garon enjoy long hair as well?"

At first Roquan thought to chide her for speaking out of turn when he remembered that the rule was for Trainees only, and Amanda could not be considered such any longer. Amanda knew this as well, and it was one of the reasons why she had asked. She wanted to see if the Overlord would call her out on it.

Roquan saw it as one last act of subtle defiance. He hoped it would be the last.

"Yes, he does, which is one of the reasons he enjoys Tanyee so much. And you will refer to him as 'Master Duric.' That is the proper title by which a slave should address him."

"Yes, Master, I'm sorry for forgetting." Amanda was sincere in her apology. It had resulted from nervousness rather than negligence. A bit of further scroll reading had allowed her to figure out why the odd mix of titles. In this case, "Master" was the sign of respect to a superior, while using the more familiar form of address of "Duric" showed that the slave was intimately tied to her Master.

"It is time, now, Amanda. The Portal is energized sufficiently, and Lord K'garon has his focusing pearl activated."

Sirinna smiled and eagerly stepped forward, placing her hands on Amanda's shoulders.

Roquan raised his eyes to Sirinna. "If you wish, I could handle escorting her."

"No, Master, that won't be necessary," said Sirinna. "It is my duty to be the one to take her to her Master."

"I know how you feel about this, Sirinna. I am merely saying that I relieve you of the obligation if you need it."

Sirinna gave Roquan a forlorn look. "I appreciate that, Master. But this is something I feel I must do. I'm... very proud of Amanda. I want the honor of giving her to him myself."

Roquan could still see the carefully controlled emotion in Sirinna's eyes. This was still going to be hard for her.

His gaze dropped to Amanda, who was looking at him with a mixture of surprise and admiration. The gesture of kindness and compassion from Roquan had not been lost on her. It was not something she had expected. She was starting to realize only now that this was not quite the same man she had encountered when she had first arrived in Narlass.

Amanda felt Sirinna's hands squeeze her shoulders briefly. She drew in a slow, deep breath to keep herself composed. She had to shut out of her mind the fact that she was leaving Sirinna, or she would never get through this. The constant pressure inside her vagina was a reminder that she had a means of keeping in touch with her.

If no one discovered the ruse in the first place.

"Amanda, I have spoken with Lord K'garon," said Roquan. "He will allow you to continue your study of the scrolls."

Amanda felt a small measure of relief upon hearing this. "Master, will I be able to obtain any more once I have finished with the ones I have?"

"That I cannot say. You will have to inform your Master of this, and it will be up to him whether to allow you to procure any more."

"Yes, Master." Amanda knew it would be awhile before she finished the ones she had, but she was already looking ahead, in case this arrangement turned out to be more permanent. She felt another tug at her emotions at this thought, and quelled it quickly.

"It is time to go," Roquan said, a trace of reluctance in his own voice. "Come along."

Amanda hesitated when the Overlord turned away from them and had to be gently nudged by Sirinna to start walking. Despite the lack of a collar, it was still considered proper for her to lead her Trainer. She sorely wished they could break with tradition this once. She wanted to see Sirinna as much as possible before her only contact would be by illicit Farview.

Yet she dared not be disobedient now. She wanted to give no one an excuse to punish her. She was determined to show she could play the part. It was not a matter of making Sirinna proud of her, or Roquan pleased with her. Instead, she had to satisfy herself, a far worse critic than either of them.

As they left Roquan's quarters, the Overlord stopped at his desk and picked up a parcel wrapped in paper and tied with a string. As he turned with the object in hand, Amanda saw it was her scrolls.

The sun had set only moments ago over the ocean to the west, the glow from the low-hanging clouds casting a ruddy glow over the Manor. A cool breeze touched her skin as they turned down the path to the Portal chamber, but this is not what sent a cold chill through her body that made her visibly shiver. It was the memory of the last time she went into this building with Sirinna, intending to confront Yanna, only to have the girl nearly kill Sirinna and try to take her away through the Portal.

Sirinna sensed her lover's apprehension and broke with protocol. She stepped beside Amanda and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. Amanda was immensely grateful for the gesture, and managed a smile as she looked to Sirinna.

Amanda felt another twinge of apprehension when she walked into the Portal chamber itself, though it was mitigated somewhat by the fact that Roquan was there. By this time, the Portal energies had reached a crescendo, the column of energy pulsing and emitting a thrumming noise that made the ground vibrate under their feet.

Roquan glanced at them briefly. Sirinna squeezed Amanda's hand one last time and took her proper position behind Amanda.

Without saying a word, the Overlord turned back to the Portal device and gestured with one hand. There was a sound like thunder as the energies converged at the center, and the Portal opened.

Amanda felt very anxious, not because of what she was about to face on the other side, but at the prospect of the transport itself. The last time she had done this was when she came to Narlass in the first place, and she had blacked out in the middle of the journey. Sirinna had reassured her that it had been because of her distraught emotional state and the fact that it was a trans-universe Portal. Simply traversing the face of Narlass was much less stressful.

Roquan paused, as if examining the Portal for imperfections, even though he was not skilled in the ways of Magic enough to detect such things. He finally turned to face the others and stepped to one side. He leveled his gaze at Amanda.

Amanda looked impassively back.

"I wish you to bring your new Master great pleasure," Roquan intoned. "And may he treat you well in return."

Amanda said nothing in reply. If it had been a ritual statement, she had not been told if there had been a reply to it. There must not have been, for Sirinna urged Amanda forward the very next moment.

Amanda took a deep breath to calm herself. It did little good. Her heart was pounding and her cunt ached from the pearl buried inside it. She steeled herself and stepped into the Portal.

For a panicked moment, she was sure she had been sent by herself. In the brief moment that she made the passage, she could sense nothing around her except for an incredible feeling of velocity despite that she remained in mid-stride of a single step. It was both instantaneous and an eternity at the same time. Before her mind could make a feeble attempt to understand this, her foot came down softly on a very plush carpet.

The transition was so sudden that she stumbled a bit, only to feel one of Sirinna's hands firmly on her shoulder the next moment, steadying her.

Amanda took a few moments to get her bearings. It felt oddly like the room had simply changed configuration around her in the space of a heartbeat rather than her going anywhere. Only the tingle against her skin of the energies of the still-open Portal behind her convinced her otherwise.

When she looked up, her eyes fell upon Lord Duric K'garon. She was a bit taken by his appearance. Having spent so much time around the Overlords during the Conclave, she had expected that men of influence such as he would be much older. His youth surprised her.

Yet the next moment she forgot this, for standing just off to his side and slightly behind him was Tanyee.

From the look of astonishment on her face, it was clear that Duric had not told her of Amanda's arrival beforehand. Yet soon it was apparent that it was a pleasant surprise to her, for now she was smiling broadly as she gazed at her friend.

Amanda could not help but smile slightly in return.

It took another moment for her to remember herself, where she was, and what was expected of her. Her gaze shifted immediately back to Duric, who stood with his arms folded across his chest, his heavily scrutinizing gaze upon her.

Amanda held eye contact as Sirinna gently urged her forward. As she stepped closer to Duric, she knew at any moment he could reject her based simply on what he saw in her eyes. Keeping her gaze with his was also symbolic that she was accepting her life as his slave.

Amanda stopped a few feet from her new Master. When there was no sign of disapproval, she dropped her gaze and folded her hands demurely before her, bringing her legs together. This caused her a twinge of pain in her tunnel, but she ignored it.

Sirinna began to speak. "This is your new slave. Owned by Master Roquan D'ronstaq, but bound to you and to your bidding. Use her as you see fit. May she bring you great pleasure. Treat her well."

Amanda had managed not to tremble, but her heart was still pounding in her chest. She fought to keep her breath steady. It was some relief to be able to drop to her knees before Duric, as now she could spread her legs apart and ease the pressure from the pearl. She lay her hands palm-up against her thighs and bowed her head.

And now she would wait until commanded.

For a long moment, there was silence, save for the humming energies of the Portal. Something must have happened above her, a silent signal of some sort, for she sensed and heard Sirinna step forward. Something rustled softly.

"Ah, these must be the scrolls she is so enamored of," she heard Duric say. "I would be most interested in seeing what they are myself."

For some reason she did not understand herself, she felt apprehension at the idea that Duric would examine the scrolls she was reading.

"Thank you and Roquan for bringing her to me. You may go now, I accept her as my slave."

Amanda's heart lurched. She held her breath for a moment as there was movement behind her, a pause, and then a resounding boom. And then silence.

For just a moment, Amanda trembled. She felt as if she had been abandoned to her fate by Sirinna. She quelled that feeling very quickly. Sirinna was simply doing what she was required to do. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

At the same time, it was hard to comprehend that she was separated from Sirinna now. Portal transport was still alien to her. Her normal sensibilities insisted that Sirinna could only be as far as the next room.

Amanda heard a rustling noise, and then the unmistakable sound of a scroll being unrolled. After a pause, she finally heard Duric speak. "Well, well, Amanda. It's my understanding that you are quite the fascinating young slave."

Amanda said nothing and remained still. She had not been asked a direct question or given a command. It was proper to do nothing until she received either.

The scroll rolled back up again. "I have heard many things about you. I should let you know that I will have some rather high expectations of you."

Amanda took a very slow, deep breath to steady herself. She was a little worried now. What had he heard about her? Was he referring just to her sexual prowess? Surely he knew she not yet fully trained? She was burning with the desire to tell him this last point, but she had to remain silent. She could not dare to break with protocol now.

"I have agreed to a request made on your behalf by your Overlord," Duric continued as he tucked the scroll back within the bundle. "To allow you to continue your study of these scrolls. I will do as he requested, but only after you have proven yourself to me in other ways."

Amanda was disappointed. She was hoping she would be able to get back to them as soon as that evening or the next. Yet she realized she should be glad that she was going to have the chance at all.

"Tanyee," said Duric.

"Yes, Master?"

Amanda had not heard Tanyee's voice in some time, but she had not forgotten it. She found it a comfort. It was at least something familiar to her.