Chapter 8

Amanda trembled as she lay upon the soft grasses of the Circle. Her breath came in ragged pants as she barely held herself in check. Her concentration was breaking down. Her thigh muscles clenched, trying to draw her legs in. They would not budge, as two slave girls dutifully held them down and kept them spread apart. Nor did the third slave girl cease licking at Amanda's sex, keeping her constantly stimulated.

Amanda's pussy ached, both from the desperate need for release, and the tension on the muscles she was using to prevent that release. It was a losing battle now. Her muscles were tiring and her resolve was weakening. Two more slave girls that lay on either side of her where not helping matters. Each gently fondled one of Amanda's breasts, playing with the nipples in the exact way that drove Amanda wild.

But worse were the naughty whispers into her ears.

"Mmm, you want to cum soooo badly, don't you?" cooed one.

"Your cunny is so close, isn't it? Your little cunny wants to cum," purred the other.

"Yes, let your hot little cunny go."

"Oh yes, it will feel so good, won't it?"

"Cum for me, Amanda, just let go..."

"Let your cunny feel good, Amanda..."

Amanda uttered a keening moan, her eyes closing tightly. Her whole body quivered, the pressure on her pussy increasing as control slipped away from her. She was barely aware of the new voice now from above her. "Just a little more, Amanda, you can do it. You can..."

Amanda let out a sharp cry as her pussy began to throb hard. Her hips bucked against one slave girl's face as she came. The slave girl dutifully pressed her lips to Amanda's sex and gave her womanhood long, firm strokes to draw out her pleasure. The first pulses through her cunt were so intense they seemed to pound through her body, making her gasp for breath. It quickly settled down to a more bearable rhythm, but it was still so strong that she could barely think.

When her orgasm slowly faded, she was aware now that the voice that had spoken to her at the last moment before her climax had been Sirinna. Now she was afraid to open her eyes and see the disappointment she was sure would be there.

Instead, when she finally cracked open her eyes, she saw Sirinna smiling down at her.

"That was good, Amanda," she said encouragingly. "That was very much on par with yesterday."

The other slave girls parted from Amanda after her orgasm wound down. They each gave her a friendly, supportive smile. For the first time Amanda managed to give a weak smile in return.

She knew that the other slaves were just doing their duty and were not trying to "torture" her. But it had taken her a quarter moon to get to that point since this part of the training started. She still had too many bad memories of Freya, and how she had used that magical thing on her that would drive her to the brink of orgasm but never grant her release. It had been horrible going through an entire day like that.

"You mean I didn't do any better than yesterday," Amanda said with some chagrin in her voice as she sat up.

"Not yet, but..."

Amanda sighed despondently. "I'm sorry I disappointed you, Mistress."

Sirinna cupped Amanda's chin and gently turned her head around so that she was looking directly into Sirinna's eyes. Sirinna smiled. "You didn't disappoint me, Amanda. I mean that."

"But I didn't do any better."

"Yes, but you maintained what you can do. That's a good thing."

"But I'm supposed to be the one that can learn things quickly, right? I'm supposed to be getting there so much faster than any other slave, so..."

"Amanda, shh." Sirinna paused and tilted her head slightly. "Is something the matter, love?"

"No," Amanda lied.

Sirinna stood, gesturing for Amanda to do the same. "It's the evenings, isn't it?"

Amanda gave Sirinna an odd look. "Huh?"

"You haven't had the time you wanted to look over more of those scrolls Roquan gave you."

Amanda was a bit surprised. Yes, that was exactly what was wrong, but she had taken great pains not to let even the slightest amount of frustration show. Obviously Sirinna knew her better than she thought. In a way, that was actually a comfort, and her expression softened a bit. She even managed a tiny smile. "I'm that obvious, Mistress?"

Sirinna smiled and stroked Amanda's hair. "I know you in so many more ways than just a Trainer to a Trainee, Amanda."

That frank admission had surprised Amanda, though it registered outwardly only as a slight widening of her eyes.

"So, yes, I do often know when you're upset about something. I just generally don't mention it until I feel it's affecting you in other ways."

"You mean when it affects my training."

"Yes, that is one concern. But not my only one. What I told you on the first day when you made your decision to stay is still true. I only want you to be happy."

Amanda nodded absently. She knew this. She simply was no longer sure whether being a slave was the path to that happiness despite her love for Sirinna. She had to find her own happiness somewhere within narrowly defined limits. The scrolls had helped with that, but now she felt like she was not being given the chance.

"If only Master Lanno would stop calling on me so many nights, Mistress," Amanda said in a low voice.

Sirinna nodded, then waited quietly, knowing that there was still more to that thought on Amanda's mind.

Amanda sensed this and lowered her voice further. "He's... he's a little rough with me, Mistress."

Sirinna's face took on a note of concern. "Amanda, is he hurting you?"

Amanda shook her head quickly. "No, Mistress, he's not."

"Please, don't be afraid to tell me if he is. Master Roquan does not care for people abusing his slaves. And... I don't want to see you hurt, either."

"No, no, really, it's not like that. He doesn't hurt me. He... scares me a little sometimes. Acts like he's going to hurt me, or that he could hurt me, but he doesn't. But the sex is still... it still leaves me a little sore afterward."

Sirinna listened to this, her eyes fixed intensely on her charge's face as if looking for any evidence that Amanda might be covering for him. Satisfied that Amanda was telling the truth, she nodded solemnly. "Sometimes, Amanda, clients will have desires or fetishes that seem extreme to you. Or they like to play out a fantasy. It's the slave's duty to try to fill the role that the client wants."

"I know that, Mistress," said Amanda, exasperation creeping into her voice. "That's why I didn't say anything about it."

Amanda actually suspected that Lanno was not acting out a fantasy or a fetish. If it had been a case of that, she would not be so anxious about it. Instead, she worried that there was something more to his motivations.

It all came back to that infernal Draught. Ever since the Conclave, she had felt burdened by the responsibility of keeping that secret for Roquan. The fact that Sirinna could read her so easily was less a comfort in this area. What if someone else could read her as easily, and learn that she did not have the Draught? What if Roquan got into serious trouble for that? What if he lost the Manor? Then what would happen to her and Sirinna?

"Do you need to see Master Vanlo and receive something for the soreness?"

Amanda shook her head quickly. The last thing she wanted was for that to get back to Lanno. She wanted Lanno to believe that she was strong enough to take whatever he could dish out. She was not sure why she felt this way. "I'm fine, Mistress. I don't think it's affecting my training either. The soreness is generally gone by the morning."

"But it still cuts into your time."

"Yes. I know. Nothing can be done about it."

Sirinna nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Amanda. I'd have to talk to Master Roquan if you wanted Master Lanno to stop calling on you so much, but..."

"But he'd just consider it valuable experience for me and want it to continue, I know. See why I haven't said anything about it, Mistress?"

Sirinna gave her a wan smile. "Maybe we'll talk about it some more later. I can't promise anything but..."

"Ah, but might you excuse a brief interruption?"

Sirinna turned her head in mild surprise at the voice behind her. Amanda was not as surprised as she had seen him approach just as she had finished speaking to Sirinna. She carefully controlled her reactions in front of Sirinna. The last thing Amanda wanted was for Sirinna to get even a hint of what she might be feeling for him.

Sirinna nodded once, smiling pleasantly. "Of course, Master Jollis. What may I do for you?"

"I do apologize for this intrusion into your training session," said Jollis. "From the glances I received from the other slaves, I am most likely breaking protocol. I humbly apologize."

"Not at all, Master Jollis. You are not interrupting anything at the moment. Amanda was simply taking a short break between sessions."

Jollis smiled. "Yes, it was quite the pleasure to be privileged to watch her training earlier. She is quite talented."

Amanda blushed slightly and smiled. Normally she didn't care for people speaking about her as if she were not there, but she knew that Jollis was simply trying to adhere to proper protocol. And she did like hearing his kind words. She knew she could trust that they were sincere coming from him.

"You are welcome to continue observing her when we resume shortly. She will be learning more about pleasing other women."

"Ah, but I regret I will miss that. I have duties for the Overlord to attend to. Which is why I have come forward now, as I might not have time later. Might I request Amanda's services this evening in my quarters?"

If it had been anyone other than Jollis asking for her attentions, she would have lamented having yet another night with little time to herself. Instead, she felt a surge of renewed excitement. He had not called upon her for some time. She had started to worry that he had somehow lost interest in her after all.

Sirinna hesitated a moment. Despite her sense of duty to Roquan, she sympathized with Amanda's lament. She did not want to break the rules for Amanda, but she felt obligated to help in some way.

"Well, Master Jollis, that may depend on how much I work her today in training," Sirinna said cautiously.

Amanda jerked her head around and looked at Sirinna in surprise.

"Oh?" Jollis asked.

Sirinna picked her words carefully in case this got back to Roquan. "As her Trainer, I can assess how much my Trainee can handle. Sometimes if she's had a really intense day of training, I might not consider her up to any further sexual activity for the evening."

Amanda realized now what Sirinna was trying to do. On one level, Amanda loved her for it. Sirinna was breaking out of her pure Trainer mode again, like she seemed to do more often now. It was always just little things here and there, nothing that anyone besides Roquan might notice, and he was not a witness to most of them. This was the biggest thing that Sirinna ever tried to do for her.

But Amanda also felt frustration. She wanted to go. She had not been with him for so long that she was already looking forward to it on multiple levels. She was excited at the prospect of stimulating conversation, and she felt a tingle in her sex at the other possibilities.

"Ah, yes, that makes perfect sense to me," said Jollis. "I would not wish to overtax the young woman."

"I will see if she is up to it later this evening," Sirinna said.

"Thank you, dear Sirinna. But might I be so bold as to ask that I be given first consideration were someone else to ask between now and tonight?"

"Of course, Master Jollis. If anyone else asks, I will tell them the same as I told you, but I will also mention that another has requested her first."

"Ah, thank you, Sirinna, you are most kind and fair. It is little wonder that Amanda thinks so highly of you."

Sirinna smiled in obvious delight.

Jollis smiled in return. "I will not keep you from your duties any longer. I will check with you this evening when the sun has gone down. Good day to you."

"Good day to you, Master Jollis."

Amanda watched Jollis leave, a curious expression on her face. This was the first time that she ever recalled someone actually coming this early to request the services of a slave. Even when the merchants had been here during the Conclave, they would only watch training during the day. They waited until evening to request a slave to share their bed for a night.

She wondered now if Jollis were tired of Lanno monopolizing Amanda's time. If that was the case, Amanda felt rather flattered that he would risk breaking protocol just to ask for her presence that evening.

Sirinna turned back to Amanda. "When the evening comes around, Amanda, I can say that you are too tired to be able to service him tonight if you wish it."

"Mistress, thank you. I... I really appreciate what you just did, but... but I'll probably go through with it anyway."

Amanda was trying to downplay her enthusiasm. When Sirinna appeared to pause for a moment, Amanda thought she had failed and expected Sirinna to start questioning her.

Instead Sirinna smiled and stroked Amanda's cheek. "That's why I'm so proud of you."

Amanda relaxed and smiled in return. At the same time, she felt a twinge of guilt. What she was doing felt vaguely like "cheating" on Sirinna. It was not the first time this had come to mind. She didn't understand why. Surely there was a big difference between her feelings for Sirinna and her feelings for Jollis.

"Let's get back to training, then," Sirinna said. "We have a lot to cover before the midday meal."

Amanda nodded, satisfied that her "secret" was safe for now. "Yes, Mistress."

Vanlo turned and strolled down the path leading to his office, feeling refreshed from his midday constitutional. He recalled the first time he had done this, more years ago than he cared to remember, when he had felt too stressed to have an appetite for lunch. It had been a difficult case he had been assigned, long before his stint at the Manor. No one had thought the man would pull through. They had expected Vanlo to be nothing more than a caretaker for the man until his demise.

Vanlo had known that but fretted over it nevertheless. He was sure had he seen some improvement after he had tried something new. He had hovered over the patient, looking in vain for any more signs he was coming around. A more senior Healer had to finally push him out of the room.

Vanlo allowed himself a small smile as the door to the back of the office came into view ahead of him. He continued to play out the memory in his head.

The senior Healer had told him to get something to eat, as it was midday. He had no appetite for lunch, and took a walk instead. To his surprise, the walk had managed to relax him, and had offered him a new insight into his patient's condition. He had indeed been on the right track, and knew exactly what he had to do to save the man.

The final steps to the door always reminded him of that moment of revelation. It had occurred at the end of that first midday walk. It was what always made him feel relaxed by the time he stepped back into the office.

The man had made an excellent recovery. Since then, he had never once partaken of a meal at midday, and never missed his walk.

Vanlo stepped inside and into his lab room at the back of the office. It took only a few moments to unravel all his relaxation. A simple glance at the counter tops -- which to a casual observer looked as it had when he had left earlier -- told him what had happened in his absence.

His gaze slid over to the small apparatus at the end of one of the counters. Again, to another, it looked as it had been. Vanlo knew better.

He whirled around and leaned out the door into the examination room.

"Master Lanno!"

Lanno looked up from where he had been treating a cut on a slave girl's arm. He had just finished applying the last of the salve to close the remainder of the wound. He took a moment to check it and then smiled at his patient. After the girl rose to her feet, Lanno gave her a playful slap on the rear. The girl giggled and headed out.

Vanlo was fuming by the time Lanno casually turned and walked towards the older Healer, no sense of urgency whatsoever to his manner. "Yes, you wanted to see me, Master Vanlo?"

"In here, please," Vanlo said crisply, disappearing inside without waiting for an acknowledgment.

Lanno paused a moment and sighed through his nose before stepping inside. Before he could say a word, Vanlo rounded on him and gestured towards the counters.

"What is the meaning of this?" Vanlo demanded.

Lanno furrowed his brow and looked around. He looked back to the older Healer and shook his head. "Sorry?"

"What have you been doing in here while I have been gone?"

Lanno reacted with only mild surprise at this.

"Or are you astonished that I would know that things are out of place?"

The younger Healer managed a small smile. "Not really. Perhaps more surprised at your reaction to it."

"You were instructed to leave my research alone."

"Yes, I remember you instructing me on that," Lanno said coolly. "And I followed your instruction to the letter."

Vanlo paused and heaved a long, tired sigh. In a softer voice he said, "My apologies. That was a poor choice of words on my part. Forgive me."

Lanno simply nodded.

"But I do know you have touched my experiment."

"Nothing more than rotating it briefly to examine it in more detail. I did nothing to affect it. Though I am curious as..."

"But what of the rest, Master Lanno?" Vanlo asked, keeping his voice calm despite the edge to it. "You have obviously been doing something in here while I was gone."

"Yes, and I did not believe I needed to seek your permission for that."

"No, you do not. This is your office as well as mine. But when someone specifically performs research in here while I am gone and makes pains to be clandestine about it..."

Lanno looked faintly amused at this. "Clandestine? I fail to see how wishing to return the room to the neat state it was in before I began is clandestine."

"Yet I saw my own experiment disturbed. I can only make the connection that you did something else while you were here."

Annoyance crept into Lanno's voice when he spoke next. "Yes, but it had nothing to do with your experiment. Whatever you're working on is out of my league anyway."

This gave Vanlo pause. It was the first sign of any humility from the young man since he had arrived.

"Now... are you perhaps interested in exactly what I was working on?" Lanno said with a grin. "Since it's not a secret at all, really. I just knew you might be upset seeing me work on it directly."

Vanlo paused to compose himself. He realized that he was getting more angry with the younger Healer than the situation truly warranted. Had it been someone else, someone with a more palatable attitude, he was sure he would have conducted himself with more decorum than this. He took a deep breath and drew himself up, folding his hands behind him. "Yes, please, I am interested to hear."

Lanno smiled and reached into his tunic, pulling out a small vial filled with an oily fluid.

Vanlo raised an eyebrow and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "A salve of some sort?"

"Yes. For Amanda's scar."

Vanlo's hand stopped in mid-motion. He endeavored not to lose control of his temperament again as he had done before, though there was still a bit of a strain in his voice when he spoke next. "Hmm... indeed... well... how do you know it will work? Unless... you have tested it..."

Lanno sensed the darkening tone at once and shook his head. "You said no experimenting on the slaves. So therefore, I did not." He paused and took a deep breath himself, as now it was his turn to control himself and force out the next words. "I wish you to give your blessing to it."

Vanlo's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. "Do you?" he asked, expressing it as a bona fide question.

"Yes, I do, as I respect your experience."

Vanlo gave the man a very tiny smile. He could hear the tension in the man's voice. He could even spot the tightening of the young man's jaw muscles. Old age had affected many things on his body, but fortunately not his eyes.

He took that as a small victory.

He reached out a hand. Lanno hesitated just a moment before placing the vial in it. Vanlo brought the vial up and turned it in his age-spotted fingers, eying it carefully. He popped the cork and sniffed, raising an eyebrow slightly. Finally he placed a finger over the top and tipped it briefly to let a drop sit on his skin. He rubbed it thoughtfully between forefinger and thumb.

"Hmm..." Vanlo mused. "Interesting choice of ingredients. Unorthodox, definitely. As is the technique."

Lanno looked askance at Vanlo. "And you can tell just from that?"

"Hmm? Can you not do the same?"

Lanno furrowed his brow, then smirked.

"Ah. I see. You do not believe me. Well, then..." Vanlo placed the cork back on the vial and held it up. "Aloe. Essence of elderberry, but a smidgen only. Frunalla root, and a rather generous amount at that. I do hope you left me some. Anyway... a few drops of lemon juice. Saroola leaf, concentrated. Some binding magic, level 3, applied by gently stirring an enchanted blue pearl, first three times clockwise, then four times counter-clockwise." He paused. "There are admittedly a few trace ingredients I cannot readily identify, but those are the most important."

Vanlo carefully kept to himself his enjoyment of the look of shock on the younger Healer's face.

"That was rather amazing," Lanno said in a carefully controlled voice. The truth was that he was indeed very impressed. "You're right about the main ingredients and the Magic. But unorthodox?"

"Yes. Unorthodox." Vanlo handed the vial back to Lanno. "I did not necessarily say that it would not work."

"But I cannot use it, since you don't want me testing it on the slaves."

Vanlo drew in a deep breath and let it go as a slow sigh. "Yes, well... perhaps if I supervised..."

Lanno smirked. "Of course, Master Vanlo."

Vanlo was disappointed. If it had not been for that smirk, he would have actually shown a little more tolerance towards the young man. As it was, it irritated him instead. Nevertheless, he bit back a retort. Vanlo decided to let the young Healer have his little victory over the more experienced Healer. Truth be told, he was growing weary of sparring with Lanno.

"Amanda will be having an appointment with me in less than a quarter moon," said Vanlo. "Standard procedure for Trainees in this part of their training."

Lanno grinned. "And what part is that?"

Vanlo had to contain himself again. From the gossip among the slaves, he knew Lanno was bedding Amanda quite often. There were rumors about his rather arduous treatment of her. Vanlo secretly intended to check Amanda for damage in her next examination. "Muscle control. All too often a young Trainee strains herself in her zeal to impress her Trainer or the Overlord. Those types of strains are tricky to heal, so it is best to see the warning signs early."