Chapter 14

Frialla lay quivering upon the soft furs in the subdued light, her breath a heavy pant against the gentle quiet. Soft moans and whimpers escaped her parted lips.

Her head lay cradled in the lap of another naked slave girl. Frialla had asked what was going to happen to her, but she had received no reply. Then the girl had applied a strange, oily salve to Frialla's nipples. That was when the strange but pleasant sensations suffused her body.

The girl touched Frialla's slick nipples, massaging and tweaking the now hardened flesh. An odd heat gathered in her loins. The more it grew, the more sluggish became her thoughts.

And now her nether regions exuded a hot moisture of its own. She parted her legs in a vain effort to relieve the pressure. Her hairless sex glistened in the subdued light of the oil lamp. She felt an ache, both pleasant and needful. The emotions that drowned out coherent thought were both exciting and confusing.

She wanted to beg, but she was not sure for what to beg. Her body needed something, but she was not sure what.

Another came to her, approaching the edge of the bed by her feet. Frialla uttered a small gasp, and her eyes widened at the sight. It was a man, naked and displaying a part of himself that she had never seen before in this state.

Frialla shivered and let out a husky moan as he spread her knees. Her breath quickened, her eyes riveted on his engorged manhood. She drew in another gasp as he descended on her exposed and helpless sex.

Frialla let out a lusty cry as he parted her folds and slid inside her. It met no resistance, as Evella had painlessly removed the young woman's virgin barrier. All it met was a slick, tight tunnel, and the now escalating moans of Frialla's pleasure.

Frialla realized now that this is what she needed. It was as essential as breathing. Even as the thrusts of the engorged manhood in her virgin sex satisfied her need now, she already looked forward to it again.

For such wonderful pleasure, she would do whatever was asked of her.

The Maiden Elder stared at the Overlord.

"Is there a problem?" Freya asked, her lips curled into a small smile.

"Begging your pardon, my Lady," began Mianna in an uneasy voice. "But ... did you say ten?"

"Yes, ten. You will provide me with ten more maidens from your village, and I wish them to be sent to the Manor in no more than three days."

Mianna swallowed. "My Lady, are you really in that much need of assistance with your gardens? Surely you would want to call the Growers Guild if..."

"I know what my Manor needs, Mianna, and it will be best accomplished if you provide me with ten more girls."

"I just don't know if I could send ... if I could spare that many."

Freya folded her arms, her eyes cool. "Are you refusing a direct request from your Overlord?"

Mianna's eyes widened. "No, my Lady!"

"I remind you that it is I that provided your village with the lands around the Manor. That you reap most of the profit from what you grow on that land."

"I-I understand this, my Lady, but..."

"Or is it that you consider the claims of the Manor to some of the fruits of your labor to be such an overwhelming burden that you refuse to give more when it is needed?"

Mianna looked scandalized. "My village has been utterly loyal to you, my Lady! We would never take your generosity for granted."

"Then prove you are still loyal by acquiescing to this request. Your village has risen to the challenge in the past. Why do you refuse to do so now?"

"I do not refuse!" Mianna cried in a shaky voice. She paused and continued with forced calm, "I do not refuse. It is simply an unusual request."

"But it is well-considered. And I trust you believe I know what is needed to run a Manor properly."

"Of course, my Lady."

"Then I see no reason for further debate on the matter."

Mianna let out a small, exasperated sigh. "I will ... I will send you ten more girls."

Freya smiled. "Very good. Now, I have business to attend to."

"My Lady, just one more thing, please," Mianna implored.

Freya looked bored. "Very well, but make it quick."

"May I see Fina? I wish to see how she is doing. She was a little anxious about coming here, and..."

"You need not worry any longer. She is acclimating very well. And..." One corner of her mouth rose. " ... she is a bit busy at the moment."

Mianna's face fell. She knew she should not mistrust the Overlord. She had no business questioning those above her. But it had worried her that of the girls she had seen working the gardens, all were Freya's slaves. She had not spotted Fina among them.

"I have no more time for discussion, as I must pay someone a visit. She is quite adamant about contacting me it seems," Freya said with a secretive little smile.

This drew only a confused look from Mianna.

"Three days, Mianna," Freya said, showing the Maiden Elder to the door. "No more. I have a lot of work for them to do."

Evella hugged her arms around herself, pacing before the glowing blue pearl. Her Healer robe billowed about her bare feet and clung to her lithe frame. She stopped pacing when the slide of cloth across bare skin reminded her of her predicament.

Freya had restored only part of her dignity. She had been allowed her robes but not her undergarments. It was enough, however, so that she could be presentable for this Farview.

"Out of supplies again, Evella? Tsk tsk."

Evella gasped and spun around. Her hands shook as they scrabbled for the folds of her robe when they parted. Freya looked on in amusement.

"Y-yes, Mistress, I was c-clean out of Keldarra," stammered Evella. "That's all."

"Really? Just supplies? Why do I not believe you?" Freya's lips curled. "I accept the summons."

Evella whipped her head around and shivered in cold shock. Now there were two Freya's in the room. The real one still stood near the door to her office, while an exact replica shimmered over the Farviewing pearl.

Freya casually strolled across the room, swinging her hips nonchalantly. The image did the same, except it did not move from its position. Freya waved her hand over the pearl. The doppleganger winked out.

She picked up the pearl. "If you were really asking for more supplies, you would have used your pearl linked to the items merchant," said Freya. "Instead, you chose to use this other pearl, the one that I substituted."

Evella's eyes shimmered guiltily.

Freya's smile faded quickly. "So who was yours really bound to, Evella? It wouldn't happen to be one of the Healer Guild Elders, would it?"

Evella said nothing. She stared at the betraying pearl and trembled.

"You wouldn't, by any chance, be getting ideas into your head about telling someone back there what you've been doing?"

Evella's lifted her frightened gaze to Freya. "Mistress ... that ... that young woman you brought to me. She wasn't an offworlder. She was Narlassi."

A cold smile warped Freya's lips.

"You gave that Draught to a Narlassi. You're ... y-you're not supposed to do that. Narlassi have not enslaved each other since..."

"Let me make this very clear to you, Evella," said Freya. "You will mention nothing of this if you wish to keep your freedom. And your memories."

Evella gave Freya a horrified look. She stumbled back until she fetched up against the table. "You c-can't ... y-you couldn't use that on..."

"And why not? I have the formula now. You're no longer that useful to me. And you'd never see it coming. I could put it in your fruit juice, or your food. Or perhaps give it to you in tiny amounts so you can feel every little bit of memory leaving your head."

Evella's heart pounded. Tears blurred her vision. "P-please, don't do that to me."

"Hand me your robe, Evella."

Evella stared. "But ... you said I could..."

"I have to leave the Manor for the day and will not be back before evening. I do not trust you not to run away. You will turn over your robe to me now and you will get it back when I return. Now do not make me ask you again."

Evella sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek. Flushing with shame, she slipped off the robe and handed it to the Overlord.

"I will also take all your Farviewing pearls. And if you are contacted by the Guild Hall, you will tell them nothing. I will find out of you do." Freya grinned wickedly. "But I won't tell you if I do. Instead, you'll just wake up one morning wondering why you cannot remember what happened the day before. And then the week before. And then the moon before..."

"I'll do as you say!" Evella wailed. "I promise!"

Freya smiled. "Good girl."

Evella shivered violently.

Jollis remained as still as a statue as he sat upon the bed. Even his chest barely rose with his breath, and his eyes remained fixed. He gaze came to a sharp focus upon what should now be little more than an archaic relic of the past.

And yet the pearl sat in a place of honor. It lay upon a tiny bed of velvet in a corner of his desk, enshrined there like a museum piece, to be seen but not touched. It was wrong. Once it was no longer needed, it should have been destroyed. Or, better, the binding magic upon it dispelled by a competent Mage so that it may be reused. Instead, it continued to lie where it was, within arm's reach, yet unattainable.

There came a soft knock at the door. Jollis slowly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Come."

A Cohort entered the Wanderer's quarters. "I beg forgiveness for interrupting your meditation, Master."

Jollis opened his eyes. His gaze narrowed briefly before he turned his head. "My meditation was already disrupted, and not by you. What is it?"

"I bring news."

Jollis could tell by his tone that it was not good. He tried to keep the tiredness from his voice. "Very well. Speak."

"The Imperial agent continues to elude us, my Wanderer. The last sighting of him was more than two days ago. It is feared that we have lost him."

"Talrad Pass lies between him and Imperial territory. Attempt to intercept him there."

"We will, Wanderer, but that area is riddled with old mine tunnels. It is possible he may elude us still."

Jollis took in a deep breath and let it go, forcing himself to remain in a state of calm. "There is little damage he can do to us. No secrets were divulged in his presence. Killing him would have simply been a convenient delay before the Emperor attempted another strike against us. We will need to be more vigilant."

"I understand, Master," said the Cohort.

"Pursue the matter for no more than four more days. Then abandon the search. It is not worth our time and effort past that point." Jollis stood up. "What else?"

"A message from Overlord Freya. She wishes to know if you would be willing to accept Trainees."

Jollis frowned. "She is apparently hard of hearing. I specifically told her I wished slaves of experience."

"She claims she can get you twice as many slaves if..."

"Trainees have zero experience. Twice zero is still zero. Did you remind her of this?"

"Indeed, Wanderer," the cohort said. "But she is very insistent. She claims this will be valuable experience for them. She claims that such things are done frequently in Oceanus. It is traditional."

"Training is her responsibility and not ours, and we are not required to follow Oceanus tradition."

"Agreed. But her tone suggests that she will make trouble in this deal if we do not acquiesce."

Jollis visibly tensed. As subtle as it would be to an outsider, to the Cohort it was quite surprising and troubling.

"Freya is becoming more troublesome than Gronnus," said Jollis acidly. "Very well. But inform her that she will provide these Trainees in addition to her quota of experienced slaves, and she will receive much less platinum for them."

"Understood, Master."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, unless there is something you wish me to do for you?"

Jollis looked thoughtful. He gazed upon the pearl and its place of false honor. He considered very hard. His eyes took on a pained look.

"Wanderer?"

Jollis let out his breath as a strained sigh and great regret. "Nothing. There is nothing you can do for me now."

The Cohort's gaze flicked curiously towards the desk, then back to his Master. He bowed his head respectfully and left.

And I fail again, thought Jollis with an equanimity that surprised himself. I do not yet have the resolve. I wonder if I ever will.

"Blazing hellfire, Roquan! Letting him have Amanda will only prove the point. You know she cannot act as a normal slave!"

"I know that, and I am not going to ask her to do so. I cannot hide that from him, Doran."

"You can refuse him. Don't let Amanda near him."

"And then word gets back to Freya, and she will make the other Overlords doubt my word even further. If she can get enough Overlords to wonder why I refused him access to Amanda, then they will begin to suspect."

"And how does giving Amanda to him help?"

"I am hoping that the Ambassador will keep his word. He will no longer bring up this point, and we will not need to worry about it getting back to the other Overlords."

The silver-haired Overlord Trennan D'vard was often known as the least political of all the Overlords. Thus it was with great pleasure that Freya watched the grave expression on the man's face as he watched the flickering images of Doran and Roquan hover above the glowing pearl in her hand.

Not that Freya would show this pleasure on her face. Instead, she wore a carefully crafted mask of concern and worry.

Trennan clasped his hands behind his lean frame, his hair glowing briefly in a shaft of afternoon sunlight from the skylight in his earth-toned quarters. His eyes took on a steely look as the record continued to its most damning part.

"The truth about Amanda will come out eventually, Doran. And if that is to be the case, I want to reveal it in my own way, and not at the dictates of circumstance, a political enemy, or a foreign power."

"And you would intend to tell them about using Amanda as a spy?"

"Perhaps. In due time. After the crisis is over. Well over."

"Stop," said Trennan.

Freya closed her fingers around the pearl like a spider ensnaring its prey. The images faded from sight.

Trennan took a step away from the spectacle, his back to Freya. His jaw tightened, his lips twisting into a frown that deeply lined his aging face. When he turned to face Freya, his eyes were resolute.

"Know this, Freya," Trennan said in a low voice. "I find the duplicity you committed in order to obtain this record to be utterly reprehensible and more becoming of corrupt Nobility than an Overlord."

Freya's lips thinned, but she avoided outright bristling at his words. She had expected some backlash as to her methods. She inclined her head in respect. "I accept your censure on this matter, Trennan. But you can see why I felt the need for such extreme methods."

Trennan hesitated, then shook his head. His sigh betrayed both shock and contempt. "A Draughtless slave. Disgusting."

"And used to feed him information on private conversations that no slave has any business repeating. It goes against a most sacred Overlord tradition."

Trennan stiffened. "I do not need the likes of you to tell me what is right and what is wrong. I could go on about the methods you use that I find questionable. But now that you have proof behind the accusations I was so tired of hearing from you, now you force our hand."

"I could not let this go. I hope you understand that."

Trennan's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I am sure you have the good of the Overlords in the forefront of your mind."

Freya's eyes blazed. She flashed him a small smile in her next breath. "Very well. Let's drop the pretense. You know I do not care for Roquan. You know I would like to see him crushed. Hold me in as much contempt as you wish for that."

"I do not engage in petty political games."

"I know that. But this is not political. That's why I came to you. I knew that you of all people would see past the politics and understand how utterly barbaric Roquan's actions were."

Trennan frowned. "And this is the man we lauded at the Conclave!"

"And all to convince the Overlords to stand behind him and his war against the Emperor."

Like the other Overlords, the Emperor had lost favor with Trennan long before Roquan had called for the Conclave. He had understood and agreed with the arguments in favor of a change in regime. But that was when he thought it could be done in a coup, as it always had been. A protracted war was never considered.

Yet Trennan himself had supported the war. He had helped assuage the other Overlords' nerves. But that was when he felt it was a righteous cause shorn of any political trappings. It was simply the right thing to do.

"Perhaps this is not the only duplicity he has perpetrated," Freya suggested. "Perhaps he lied about some of the basic premises of his arguments in favor of deposing the Emperor."

"That is a rather serious accusation, Freya."

"Surely you must see that it is possible." She held up the pearl. "We have evidence that he is capable of great deception and self-righteousness. Hellfire, Trennan, part of his argument was the idea that the Emperor was trampling Overlord tradition!"

"The war cannot be stopped now."

"But the Overlords no longer need to support it on false pretenses."

"We don't know that yet."

Freya stepped forward. "Then we must find out. Call for another Conclave, this one to consider the matter of deposing Roquan. Then everything will come out. And if it is true that this war is built upon a foundation of lies, perhaps we can cut our losses and seek a rapprochement with the Emperor."

The lines on Trennan's face hardened. "And if the Nobility foolishly continue the war and lose? What then? You know the Emperor's attitude towards the slave trade, Freya! Either he will punish the Nobility by banning it, or he will destroy the Nobility and hence our customer base!"

"Not if we find other markets."

Trennan narrowed his eyes. "Other markets? The Urisi, you mean?"

"And why not? Roquan negotiating a treaty for that very purpose."

Trennan scowled. "And you do not consider the Urisi methods to be ... no, of course not. Forgive me, I forgot to whom I was speaking." He turned away, unable to disguise his contempt.

Freya smiled to Trennan's back. "And if I found another market? One far more lucrative and profitable?"

Trennan turned. "With whom?"

Freya paused. "Let me keep that information to myself for the moment."

"More petty political games."

"It is simply that I cannot commit to it yet. I am not asking for a favor in return. If we seek markets outside Oceanus, the Emperor will have less cause to restrict the slave trade. Especially when platinum pours into his coffers from new taxes and duties. And if the Nobility win the war..." Freya smiled. "Then we have doubled our fortunes."

Trennan was silent for a long moment. "We cannot do anything while this treaty with the Urisi is unfinished. As much as it pains me, Roquan must be allowed to continue."

Freya nodded. "Oh, I agree, Trennan. It will give us the platinum we need to remain afloat. Then we can address this matter."

Trennan raised a finger in admonishment. "Do not get the wrong idea. We are not allies. When I pursue this with the other Overlords, your role will be restricted to providing your evidence and nothing more. You will not use this as a means to expand your influence. Is that understood?"

"Absolutely, Trennan," said Freya. "That was the furthest thing from my mind."