Chapter 6

Amanda's head jerked up and she flinched as she felt a light touch on her shoulder. One of her hands shifted, and the scroll she had been holding open before her rolled back up in the flickering light from the small oil lamp near her bed.

"Sorry I startled you, love," Sirinna said gently. "But you didn't respond when I spoke your name at the door."

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Amanda said, still sounding a bit distracted as the information she had absorbed that evening continued to play out in her mind. "I guess I just got interested in what I was reading."

Sirinna smiled. "I know. You've been engrossed in those for several nights now. Have you been enjoying them?"

Amanda sat up, her chain tinkling as it lay draped against her back, fastened to both her collar and the post past the foot of her bed. She felt a cool breeze blow against her from the window, the night air making her skin prickle. "Yes, very much so. It's exactly what I wanted. The writing is a little small and hard to read at first, but that just means there's more information on these scrolls than I had assumed."

Sirinna placed a hand on Amanda's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm very happy that you're pleased. You will have to make extra sure to thank Master Roquan for it."

Amanda nodded. "I will. I can offer myself to him one evening instead of waiting for him to call on me."

"Yes, Amanda, that would be perfect. You're learning."

Amanda smiled. Normally she did not feel that good about being told, in effect, that she was being a good little slave, but she didn't care. She was so glad to be able to read again that it did not matter to her as much anymore.

"But I do have to interrupt you tonight, I'm afraid. Your services are desired."

Amanda paused a moment. "Not Master Roquan?"

Sirinna shook her head. "He has not mentioned it, but I suspect that he has not called on you this past quarter-moon because he wanted to give you time to read."

"Oh, is it Master Jollis, then?" Amanda felt a bit of heat rise to her cheeks. She wished she could mute her enthusiasm, but she missed him. He had warned her the last time she had seen him that he would be rather engrossed in business for Roquan, and thus he might not see her again for awhile.

It was not the sex she craved from him, although it was always wonderful with him. It was not the companionship. It was how he treated her as an intellectual equal. It was not that people like Roquan or any others that she had serviced in her time at the Manor had made her feel unintelligent. It was that they simply ignored her intelligence and played to her sexual skills.

In other words, Jollis treated her like a person rather than a slave.

Sirinna shook her head. "No. The new Healer, Master Lanno, has requested you this evening."

Amanda's smile faded and she felt her stomach give a small lurch.

"Is something the matter, Amanda?"

"Um... no, Mistress, nothing."

Sirinna gave her charge a level look. "Yes, there is. You still dislike him," she said in a neutral tone of voice.

"I'm trying, Mistress. I'm trying not to."

"You remember what I told you?"

Amanda managed to avoid sighing before responding. "Yes, I remember. A slave accepts her Master with warmth and willingness," she quoted. "A slave thinks of her Master's needs above her own. A slave considers her Master... um, considers... damn..."

"A slave considers her Master to be the center of her world," Sirinna finished for her. She gently cupped Amanda's chin. "You cannot dislike that which is the center of your world, Amanda."

"I-I know... I'll do what he tells me to do. I'll obey him. I'll be a good slave for him... but..."

Sirinna sighed softly. "I know. You will do your best. You always do, Amanda, and I am proud of you for that."

But it's not enough, Amanda thought. That's what she's trying desperately not to say to me. She's expecting me to reach the next level and I'm not ready for it yet.

Amanda was not sure if she would ever be ready. She was learning that being a slave was a whole new philosophy and not just a set of rules to be followed. Each slave dedicated herself to the task. Each slave lived to be a slave. Each slave knew no other ambition beyond this.

Amanda had agreed to live the life of a slave. But she could only act the part. She could not be the part. Sirinna must know this on some level, she reasoned, but it was one of those dirty little secrets that people refused to admit. Roquan of all people must know it as well, yet he persisted in pushing her into the role.

And yet, he got her the scrolls she had requested. How could she not aspire to be something more after starting to read those?

"I'll please him as best as I can, Mistress," Amanda said tonelessly.

Sirinna nodded and stepped over to the foot of the bed. She reached down to the small post that rose from the center of the chamber and detached the end of the chain from there. Amanda rose from the bed and assumed her standard position to be prepared for transport across the Manor. Sirinna slid the leather cuffs around Amanda's crossed wrists and secured them. She then took the chain and gave it a single, brisk snap.

Amanda paused a moment to take a deep breath before she headed out of her room and out of their shared quarters.

Sirinna cast a forlorn gaze at Amanda's back as they walked into the breezy night air of the Manor. She did know that Amanda was different. Part of it was because of their relationship, but she knew that there was something else.

Amanda had never had the Draught of Forgetfulness. Sirinna had brought Amanda to Narlass to protect her from a dangerous storm and not to give her to the Overlord as a new slave to be trained. There had been no need to give her the Draught. She had never expected that Amanda would choose to stay, even if she had secretly wished it. But the only way an offworlder could stay in Narlass was as a slave. There was no alternative.

Amanda had had the opportunity to go back to Earth. She had instead chosen to stay so she would not be parted from Sirinna.

Sirinna knew only that the Draught made a new captive forget her former life and loved ones. She did not know what Amanda knew, that it also imparted a mild addiction to sexual pleasure and made the act of orgasm more euphoric. It was a little secret that the Overlords jealously -- even viciously -- guarded.

Roquan had made Amanda promise not to reveal the secret. Amanda could not see herself revealing it anyway, regardless of the Overlord. Sirinna was so proud of being a slave and how good she was at it. Amanda thought it would break her heart to find out that some of that success was because of a drug. If even she could get Sirinna to believe it.

The night air chilled her, making her shiver a bit, though some of that might have been from her own troubled thoughts. While the season was transitioning from summer to autumn, it never got truly cold in this part of the world.

Sirinna directed her along the south path of the Manor, where they soon came upon the large living quarters marking the end of the path. Amanda hesitated a moment before approaching it. This had been Hiatha's quarters, the other Trainer at the Manor before she was contracted out recently. Hiatha had been assigned to give remedial training to Yanna when they still thought she was a slave. Yanna had nearly killed Hiatha and her other charge with an overdose of sleeping powder.

Sirinna noticed Amanda's hesitation and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before directing her to the door. "Master Lanno, I have brought your pleasure for the evening," she called out clearly.

Amanda shuddered slightly at Sirinna's choice of words but remained still.

"You may enter," came the young Healer's voice from within.

Sirinna pushed open the door and gave the chain a light snap. Amanda stepped inside.

The place bore little resemblance to what she had remembered when Hiatha had resided there. In the few days that Lanno had occupied it, he had made it his own. Brightly colored tapestries festooned the walls, looking almost garish compared to the muted earth tones of the structure itself. The furs lining the floor had been replaced as well, the old gray-white having been sacrificed in favor of deep ocean blue. While Amanda thought the color lovely, it clashed with the tapestries and the bright red blankets that adorned the bed.

Amanda's attention, however, was quickly drawn to Lanno himself. He stood with his head held aloft and his chest out, his body clad in a robe of thin satin that clung to his lean but muscular frame. His impish smile widened as his gaze settled on Amanda. From the slight tenting of his robe from between his legs, it was clear that he was already anticipating the night ahead of him.

Lanno said not a word at first. Instead, he gestured imperiously at Sirinna.

Sirinna nodded once and removed both the chain and the cuffs from Amanda. "May she bring you great pleasure this evening, Master," she said demurely, bowing her head respectfully before ducking out the door and leaving Amanda alone with the Healer.

Amanda did not forget her training. She lowered her eyes and dropped slowly to her knees. She parted them and settled back on her feet. She placed her hands palm-up on her thighs and cast her eyes downward. She then remained still, waiting for him to make his wishes known to her.

Lanno did not hide his pleasure at Amanda's submissive posture. His erection rose full under his robe and he looked upon Amanda with a lascivious gaze. He approached her, paused, then walked a slow circle around her, his eyes taking in her naked body from all sides. He placed a hand lightly on her head and stroked the raven-black hair.

"So pretty, my dear," said Lanno. "And so young. I do love that combination."

Amanda swallowed but remained where she was, forcing her breathing to a steady, slow rhythm. Even though she had not heard anything about him hurting any of the other slaves (Roquan would not allow Lanno to stay had he done so), she was still very nervous, as if she expected him to strike her at any moment.

"And you are so submissive! But are you compliant as well? Totally compliant? As a good slave should be? That would truly excite me quite well."

"I am your slave for the evening, Master," Amanda said carefully. "I am yours to do as you please."

"Oh, very good. Very good. You memorize quite well." There was neither compliment nor reproach in his voice. "But... it is in the action that we discover the truth, is it not?"

Amanda did not answer this, as she assumed it was a rhetorical question. Yet when the seconds crept by with silence in their wake, she worried if perhaps she had guessed wrong. As she was about to think of something to say, Lanno stepped before her. There was the soft sound of satin sliding across skin.

"Look up," Lanno said.

Amanda raised her head. Directly in front of her, the head of Lanno's rather long cock bobbed, pulsing lightly with his heartbeat. Amanda stared at it for a long moment before glancing up at him expectantly.

Lanno smiled broadly. "Very good. You didn't just assume what I wanted and start in. You're waiting for my command."

"Yes, Master. I am for your pleasure. I am to do as you tell me."

Lanno slid his fingers around his cock, massaging it gently in front of Amanda's face. "And you probably think I will order you to take this into your mouth."

Amanda hesitated just a moment before responding. "I'll do as you wish, Master."

Lanno chuckled. "Again, nicely memorized, but that's okay. Let's do something a little different. Tell me what you would do if I indeed ordered you to pleasure me with your mouth."

Amanda's lips parted slightly and she looked at him in confusion.

"Is that a difficult request, my little slave?"

"I... I'm not sure what you want me to do."

"So it is an unusual enough request that you don't have a stock answer for it. Splendid! I am asking you to describe to me what you would do with my manhood. In detail."

Amanda's first instinct was to ask why he wished such a thing from her. But slaves do not ask such a thing. A slave simply obeys. Amanda knew what she would do with his cock. She could picture it in her mind. She knew the moves in detail, and could do them very well. She even liked it to a degree, and seeing his erection before her face was making her sex tingle with anticipation.

But to actually put it into words was something else. It was not just difficult, it was vaguely embarrassing for some reason she could not identify. She could already feel her cheeks flushing hot.

"So I have indeed challenged you," said Lanno, observing her reaction. This only deepened her blush. "I am waiting for you to comply, little slave of mine."

Lanno's tone of voice remained the same throughout: generally pleasant, but faintly condescending. Amanda picked up on the latter much more than the former. Inwardly, it grated on her. She kept careful control over it, trying not to let any of her true feelings show. To Lanno she presented as subservient an attitude as she could muster.

"I-I would take you into my mouth, Master," Amanda began, her voice a little shaky and unsure at first. "And... slide it past my lips. I would... I would press my tongue against the underside, so... s-so I could stroke it each time it slid back and forth. Um... I would start slowly at first... then start moving my lips up and down your cock a little faster..."

She paused and glanced up at him to see his reaction. Lanno was smiling at her. "Please, do go on, slave." His voice sounded a little husky, and his erection seemed to be a duskier color than before, as if he had grown more aroused.

Amanda nodded before continuing. "Um... I would sometimes turn my head to the side... so I could lick your cock very slowly. Sometimes I might, um, flick my tongue at the spot below the head. And I'd start using my fingers next time you were in my mouth again. Just pumping with the same rhythm."

"Mmm, quite good so far, slave. Please... don't stop now..."

Amanda surprised herself at how much easier it was getting to describe it. The blush had all but disappeared from her cheeks. "As you got close... I would move faster. Pump you harder, stroke you with my lips and tongue quicker. And when you came..." She paused. It was harder to describe the nuances here of what she did. She opted for something a little more generic. "... I would make sure you came completely in my mouth. I'd make sure to keep you inside until you were spent. Then I would carefully swallow your seed."

To Amanda's mild surprise, she could hear Lanno panting lightly. His cock seemed to pulse a little harder.

"Excellent. Most excellent, my little slave. You have an eloquence that's unusual for a slave."

"Thank you, Master," Amanda said, smiling slightly. At the same time, she was concerned. Was that another difference between her and a normal slave? Did the Draught reduce intelligence? No, that could not be it. Sirinna was not unintelligent. It was more that her mindset was not geared towards much else other than her life as a slave. She could not think beyond that, so there was no cause for her to become eloquent in speech.

But what would that mean for what Lanno thought of her?

"Hearing such things excites me, slave. But few slaves do it right. They gloss over detail that I know is locked up in their pretty little heads but they cannot form the words to express it. They know the deed, but cannot describe it. The few that do are often too busy training others."

This made Amanda relax a little. She should have thought of that herself. Of course there would have to be slaves that had a greater degree of eloquence, otherwise how could they pass on information to the next generation of slaves, like Sirinna did?

"But then again... there is a lot that is different about you, isn't there?"

Some of Amanda's anxiety returned.

Lanno did not give her a chance to explore this. "Now... I am sure you still expect me to ask you to perform the act that you just described."

Amanda very nearly reached up to grasp his cock as if she were going to do just that. Instead she thought better of it and said gently, "If that is your wish, Master. Please, let your needs be known to me."

Lanno smiled. "Ah, well... back to the stock answers, but that's okay. You'll learn."

"I don't understand, Master."

"About how to please me best. That is what a slave is supposed to do, is it not? Discover the best ways in which to please her Master?"

Amanda nodded at this, though her face did not betray complete comprehension.

Lanno gestured. "Stand."

Amanda did as she was told, smoothly rising to her feet. As soon as she had, Lanno grasped her hard by one wrist and plunged his other hand between her legs and over her damp sex.

Amanda was so shocked by the sudden aggressive movement that she did not react at first. It was not until his fingers sank into her folds that she managed to let out a small yelp. Her body quivered but she suppressed the instinct to bolt. As Lanno began massaging her slit rather firmly, his fingers making soft squishing noises as moisture exuded at his touch, it got more difficult. It brought back memories of how uncomfortable he had made her feel at her Kaylaxxa treatment.

Nevertheless, Amanda's body responded, the touch making her pleasure rise and exciting her further until her nipples rose and hardened.

Lanno yanked her arm. She yelped again as she was pulled towards him. He threw his arm around her waist like a lasso, drawing her body tightly against his. His cock was squeezed against her abdomen, and his fingers were forced deeper into her tunnel. Her legs parted awkwardly to accommodate his hand, making her lose her balance. She was forced to clutch at him to stop from falling.

Lanno pumped his fingers back and forth, moving hard and fast. Amanda shuddered and moaned, partially in pleasure and partially in distress from being held in a position where she was so helpless. The arm around her waist slid downward. His hand clutched at one of her ass cheeks, squeezing it tightly and pushing her even further onto his fingers.

"Uhhhnnn!!" Amanda moaned loudly, closing her eyes and panting hard.

"I'm not hurting you," Lanno said in a low, husky voice in her ear. "And I don't intend to. But it's pretty rough, isn't it? You're worried, aren't you, that I will indeed hurt you?"