Chapter 21

"I have to head over to Master Vanlo's office early this morning, Mistress," said Amanda. "He said he had a new task for me today, and it sounds important."

Sirinna took one of the last pieces of fruit from their shared breakfast platter. She noted Amanda's lack of the usual enthusiasm. "Perhaps he wishes you to help him find out whatever went wrong with Master Vanlo's potion."

Amanda realized that Sirinna likely intended this to be helpful, but it only exacerbated the pain she already felt. She smiled faintly, though her words were at odds with her face. "I'm really sorry about all that, Sirinna. I didn't mean to get your hopes up."

Sirinna smiled and lay a hand gently against Amanda's cheek. "Really, it's okay, love. I told you that I was not upset. Master Vanlo will find out whatever went wrong and fix it. Master Roquan trusts him implicitly."

Amanda just nodded, knowing that Sirinna was simply intoning the "proper" response. She did not try to explain the reasons why she was upset. That might make Sirinna "think too much" and trigger more bad memories. "Did you sleep all right last night?"

"Hmm? Yes, of course." Sirinna withdrew her hand and took a bite of her fruit. She smiled. "You should know, you lay snuggled up against me all night."

"But it was you that woke me up. You didn't have any more bad dreams?"

Sirinna shook her head. "No, love, I'm fine."

"Please, tell me if it happens again."

"Amanda, don't trouble yourself over this so much. I really am fine."

Amanda sighed softly. She could not read Sirinna as well as Sirinna could read her. She could not tell if Sirinna were being honest.

Sirinna glanced down at the platter. The side that Amanda had been eating from was empty. "If you've finished your morning meal and want to get an early start, please go ahead. Don't keep Master Vanlo waiting."

Amanda managed a small smile and slid off the bed. She was actually excited about her new task. He had said it was something rather important for which she would be well-suited. She could only guess at what he had meant.

Sirinna put down her piece of fruit and stood as well. She hugged Amanda. "Now stop worrying so much, love," she said softly into Amanda's ear. "And pay attention to what you're doing."

"I always do, Mistress. Master Vanlo is always pleased with my work."

Sirinna broke off the embrace and smiled. "And surely you have no other thoughts about the Healer Office?"

Amanda blinked in confusion.

Sirinna's smile widened. "Master Vanlo's assistant?"

Amanda's cheeks pinked and she offered a genuine smile. "My thoughts are not always on that, you know."

"I am simply happy that you are on good terms with him again."

Amanda giggled. "Yes, you could say that."

Her spirits lifted a bit. It helped that she had barely given Jollis much thought over the past few days. She hoped this was a good sign that she could move past him. She did admit to feeling guilty that she was somehow using Lanno as little more than a distraction. She did like Lanno. It was nowhere the same depth of feeling that she had felt -- or thought she had felt -- towards Jollis. Her relationship with Lanno was more casual than that.

He was good in bed. She could at least admit to this deciding factor without feeling uneasy.

"See you at the midday meal, then?" Sirinna asked.

Amanda smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'll see you then."

They shared another embrace before Amanda headed out the door and into the cool, moist air of morning, the first warming rays of the sun touching the Manor only now.

Sirinna watched Amanda go. Her eyes clouded.

Amanda's instincts had been right. Sirinna had not told Amanda the entire truth. She did manage to sleep through the night without trouble, but it was the vivid imagery from another vague familiar-but-not scene that dogged her thoughts as she rose to wakefulness at the first glow of pre-dawn twilight.

She had laid awake with the sky slowly brightened outside, struggling to put the dream into context and coming up short. Yet each time she considered these dreams, the sense of fear and pain that accompanied them grew stronger.

Sirinna would have avoiding thinking about them, but somewhere in her head, she had taken the critical intuitive step and reasoned that these were memories from a past supposedly removed by the Draught. Amanda seemed to place great importance on such memories. Why else would she have brought up the subject so many times?

She was determined to make the effort. She wanted to please Amanda, and show that she was not as lacking in intelligence as Amanda seemed to think. She wanted only to make Amanda happy. That was all she ever really cared about since the girl had come into her life. She should not let a little pain stand in the way.

"I have spoken with Lord Duric prior to this meeting," said Roquan as he paced slowly before his small audience. "The Imperial legions engaged the forces of the Appalanchian provinces at Talrad pass yesterday morning."

Rennis let out a long sigh and shook his head. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Doran glowered and wiped his face. Standing unobtrusively off to the side was Vanlo, but fully intending to be very obtrusive if Doran over-excited himself again. Standing demurely next to Vanlo, but with her attention riveted on the discussion, was Amanda.

As of that morning, Amanda was one of Doran's personal slaves while he recuperated, at least for the morning shift. Vanlo claimed that his decision was based on Amanda's need for experience, and her intelligence would serve her well. Amanda wondered if it were simply a clandestine way to keep her informed about current events.

"We knew this was coming," continued Roquan. "So far, it appears that the defenders can hold their ground for no more than another two days, if that much."

Rennis frowned. "Only that long?"

"Duric had hoped it would be longer, but the Imperial legions assaulting the pass are apparently led by a good tactician. He appears more experienced than his counterpart among the Appalanchian forces."

"Hrm," Doran muttered. "If I have any consolation at all, it is that I get to envision what that coward Gronnus must be doing now."

"I don't see the possible destruction of an Overlord's Manor by Imperial forces to be any cause of celebration," Rennis snapped.

"Well, I didn't mean it that way! Blazing hellfire!" Doran paused and forced his voice to calmer tones. "Please allow me to find some modicum of good from this, Rennis. Things are bad enough as it is."

Rennis looked about to retort, but Vanlo sent him a silent plea. He let out an exasperated sigh through his nose, his lips drawing to a thin line. His gaze flicked over to Amanda for a moment before turning away.

"The reason I bring this up is not for us to lament over it, or debate the disposition of Gronnus and his Manor," said Roquan. "It is because I wish to use this to our advantage in dealing with Freya."

Rennis frowned. "Dealing with Freya?"

"I assume Doran briefed you on what Freya has been doing."

"Yes, I'm aware of all that. But as bad as that is, what can we possibly do about it? We are not in a position to call a Conclave."

"My concern right now is not to bring her to justice. I simply wish her to stop using her Draught on Narlassi peasants."

"Rennis, she's already done this to no fewer than ten young maidens from the village near her Manor!" Doran exclaimed. "And this comes directly from Trennan. Despite the fact that he still wants Roquan's head on a platter, I trust him implicitly when it comes to information."

Amanda shifted nervously. She was only beginning to understand that somehow word of her exploits at the Conclave had become public knowledge among the other Overlords.

Rennis' again shifted his eyes accusingly towards Amanda for a moment. "Then give that information to the other Overlords and let them sort it out. They will call for..."

"They will drag their feet and nothing will be done," boomed Doran. "And in that time, who knows how many more slaves Freya will take from among the peasantry!"

"Your Lordship..." Vanlo said in a soft but warning voice.

Doran sighed and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine," he said in a lower voice.

"Amanda, prepare a dosage of the calming draught to be safe," Vanlo said.

"Yes, Master, right away," said Amanda. She started towards a small table in a far corner, where a flask containing an amber fluid and several small vials lay.

"Oh, stop fussing over me, Vanlo!" Doran snapped.

"It is necessary until I can secure the proper herbs for a potion to clear the plaques from the vessels around your heart," explained Vanlo. "Until then, it is best that..."

"Roquan, does she really need to be here?" Rennis suddenly spoke up, pointing.

Silence fell. Amanda had just picked up the flask. Now she paused and looked uncertainly back at the others.

"Vanlo required her presence as part of his duties to Doran," Roquan said.

"And you can trust her to keep quiet about anything she hears?"

"She is loyal to me."

"That's not what I asked."

"It was your answer, Rennis," said Roquan. "Whatever view you or anyone else has on her past exploits, I remind you that it was done for me and no one else."

"Unlike what she tried to do for Sirinna."

Amanda's face fell. She tried very hard not to react any more than that, but it was terribly difficult.

Roquan frowned. "Whatever issues you have with Amanda in any regard, you will take up with me in private. This is not the time to air them. And her loyalty to me is not to be questioned."

Rennis' jaw tightened. His eyes flicked over to Amanda again and back.

Roquan stepped forward and dropped his voice to a more conversational tone. "Rennis, please. I know you are still upset about Sirinna. But your anger is misdirected. Amanda would no more harm her than you would."

Rennis blinked a few times, his mouth dropping open slightly. He looked at Amanda again, but this time some of the edge was gone from his eyes.

Amanda felt the need to say something, even if it were technically talking out of turn. "Master Rennis, I never wanted to hurt her. Please believe me. I love her too much. I really thought this was going to be something good for her."

Some more of the anger faded from his eyes. He simply nodded, no words coming to him. Part of his problem was that he was having to adjust his thinking about Amanda. Roquan was not treating her as a typical slave anymore, and it was hard for him to let her presence fade from his mind like he might do with a more "conventional" slave.

"Coming back to the original subject," said Roquan. "Doran has a point. It will take far too long for the other Overlords to react. Trennan realizes this, hence the conversation that Doran had with him last night."

Rennis raised an eyebrow and looked at Doran.

Amanda trotted over to Doran and handed him a vial filled with the potion from the flask. "Yes, Trennan contacted me, and essentially gave Roquan leeway to do anything he wanted to stop Freya," Doran said. He tilted his head back and downed the vial. He made a face. "Argh! Blast you, Vanlo, is it a damnable requirement of your profession to make every potion taste like something from a dirty corner of a sanitary?"

Amanda hid a small smile as she turned away with the empty vial.

"That's all well and good, Roquan," said Rennis. "But short of gathering our own soldiers and forcibly removing her from the Manor, I don't see how we can do anything."

"I have an idea that may allow her to remove herself from her Manor," Roquan said.

Both Rennis and Doran stared at him. "Did I hear you right?" Rennis asked. "How do you expect to accomplish this?"

"By, unfortunately, resorting to her own main tactic: deception."

By now, Amanda had returned to Doran with a goblet of water. Doran smiled in appreciation, not having specifically asked for it but needing one at the moment to get the bad taste from his mouth.

"I wish to create a ruse that will force her to leave her Manor," Roquan explained. "It is not the ideal solution, but it will at least delay her use of the reformulated Draught and protect her slaves from further abuses."

"It will take something truly catastrophic to make her abandon her Manor," Doran said darkly after downing the water.

"We will provide it. Or rather, we will make her think that such a thing is happening. We will take advantage of the fact that she is listening in my conversations. Doran had confirmed with Trennan that Freya was still doing as such and had not caught on to our knowledge of her actions."

"And Trennan won't tell her, not after what he knows about her now," Doran declared.

"The Imperial legions will eventually break through Talrad Pass," said Roquan. "It is likely they will continue north towards Gronnus' Manor."

"Well, yes, but we still don't even know if the Manor is really the target," Rennis said. "I hope to blazing hells that it's not!"

"I agree. But it is crucial to the deception in either case. We need to convince Freya that the Imperial forces have split up after breaking through the pass. One legion is continuing towards Gronnus, but another is headed directly for her Manor."

Doran laughed out loud. "Oh ho! Now I would give all the platinum I have ever made in my life to see the look on Freya's face when she heard that!"

Amanda had to admit that she would not be unhappy to see Freya in distress, especially after her experience with the Overlord. Either way, she was quite intrigued now. She returned to Vanlo's side, keeping an eye on Doran, but also listening intently.

"Wait!" Rennis called out, stepping forward. "Okay, great idea as far as it goes, but do you seriously think she will trust that information? I sincerely doubt she will leave based on a single overhead conversation."

"Yes, Rennis, I know," Roquan said. "She will check other sources. In order for this ruse to work, we have to contact as many people as we can that Freya might contact herself and convince them to go along with this deception."

"That is an incredibly tall order."

"But if it will stop Freya, I believe it is worth it."

"Rennis, this could work," Doran said. "Freya does not have as many close friends as she likes to make people think she does. She'll likely try to go to sources that she would trust. All we really have to do is convince Duric, maybe Lord Uras, the Appalanchian Lords, and Trennan."

"If she asked anyone else, Rennis, they would have to tell her that they just don't know," Roquan said. "They would not reveal the deception simply because they are not in a position to have definitive information either way."

"And what of the merchants?" Rennis said. "They are information brokers. They will surely tell her that..."

"Not if I get in touch with Uridon first."

Rennis fell silent, looking intensely thoughtful. Amanda thought it was brilliant. She wished she could say something in support of the idea. Rennis finally sighed and shook his head. "And you expect to get this set up in only two days? I just don't see that happening, Roquan!"

"I will have no trouble with Duric, and he can talk to Lord Uras," said Roquan. "Uras will talk to Appalanchia."

"Assuming they will even do this for us!"

"Duric is a close friend, and we have both been through a lot. He will do this for me. I may even arrange for him to Farview me with the 'news' that the force has split up."

"And Uridon?" said Rennis.

"He gave me a Farview pearl," Roquan said. "I can contact him directly."

Rennis looked incredulous. "He actually let you bind a Farviewing pearl to him?"

"That is how much he supports this effort against the Emperor, Rennis. And it is likely he can quickly contact the other clans as well."

Rennis frowned. "That's going to be some hefty platinum. I mean, we're telling the merchants to give false information. Even if Uridon goes along with it, the other clan leaders..."

"I will provide the platinum," Doran called out. "Anything to stop that witch from plying her new Draught on others!"

" ... and we assume that they even want to do anything for the Overlords," Rennis concluded in a louder voice. "They may not care about our internal squabblings."

"I am aware that are chances for success are not very high," Roquan began.

"Oh, that was an understatement."

"But if it has a chance to work at all, we need to exploit it. The alternative is to do nothing and let her continue her crimes. And continue to plot against me."

"Well, I certainly don't have any better ideas myself. But what do we do about her Manor? Do you really think she would just abandon her slaves like that?"

"To save her own skin?" Doran sneered. "Most assuredly!"

"Freya knows as well as we do that a well-organized Manor can run itself for a short while," said Roquan. He swept his arm before him. "Witness the two of you on extended leave from your Manors."

"And you're making the assumption, Rennis, the Freya cares for her slaves beyond what profit they can bring her," said Doran.

Rennis made a face. "I suppose I was being too optimistic in that area. All right. Fine. Tell me what you need me to do..."

Ambassador Norlan looked over the long parchment scroll for perhaps the third time that morning since the Overlord had dashed off his signature and planted his seal in a most perfunctory way. Which meant something else had come up, and Roquan wanted to attend to it as quickly as possible.

Norlan wanted to find out what it was. His sources told him that the Emperor had made a new move in the civil war, but it apparently defied military logic. He was puzzled as to why this might concern the Overlords, unless it was somehow tied into the power struggle between Roquan and Freya.

His eyes traced the neat, cursive black ink. He had everything he wanted in that treaty, save for two things. First, he never got a chance to speak with Jollis again. Second, Mandas was already back at court, and likely touting the intelligence work he did to anyone that would listen. And they would listen, since he was the straight and narrow one and Norlan was the maverick. Without that connection to Jollis, Norlan had only this treaty, which ultimately would mean nothing.

And he did not get Amanda.

Norlan suppressed a sigh as he re-rolled the scroll. He understood now why owning a Draughtless slave was called "the enticing taboo." The allure was not so much the platinum as it was the sense of dabbling in a forbidden pleasure. It was more of a thrill sealing and unsealing Amanda than any other slave he had ever owned.

Norlan tied a formal ribbon about the scroll, thus making it suitable for presentation to the High Minister for his approval. He would linger at the Manor for another three days. That was about as far as he could push it under the explanation that he was simply enjoying the Overlord's hospitality.

The Ambassador set the scroll aside. He gestured to the slave and let her dress him. He would set off for the island port again. Perhaps he could find someone else that had more information on Jollis' whereabouts.

"Master Doran?" Amanda called from the doorway to the spring chamber. "Your bath is ready."

"Hrm. I do hope you put nothing but ordinary cleansing soap in there," Doran muttered as he rose from bed.

"Master Vanlo had me add some Ressalla, just a little, to help you relax."

"Ressalla, eh? Is there any hope, my dear Amanda, that it will smell a bit better than the entrails of a diseased animal?"

Amanda could not suppress a small smile. "It actually smells rather pleasant, Master. The aroma itself is soothing as well."

"If any other slave told me that, I would suspect she were only telling me what I wanted to hear," Doran declared. "At least with you I know that I am getting the truth."

Amanda considered this a compliment, and her smile widened.

Doran stepped away from the bed and followed his temporary slave into the chamber. It was built much like Roquan's, though a bit smaller. It ran like Roquan's, a set spell keeping the water warm and flowing. Light suds formed along ripples in the water. Steam rose lazily from the surface, carrying an aroma similar to lilac.

Doran sampled the air for a moment, nostrils flaring, before he stepped fully inside. "I suppose that will do," he said loftily. "That infernal Vanlo will always find some way to slip me more of his noxious nostrums."

Amanda nearly giggled.

Doran paused at the edge of the pool and looked towards Amanda. "So you remember everything of your life before Narlass, do you?"

"Yes, Master. I have memories that go back pretty far."

"Tell me, did your world have ridiculous ailments like mine?"

Amanda nodded. "Yes, Master, unfortunately. But it sounds like Master Vanlo will be able to help you."

Doran made a face. "Now you really are just saying something to make me feel better."

"Oh, no, Master. If Vanlo says he can do it, he's generally right. It's better than what they would have to do back in my home world."

"Which is?"

"Probably perform surgery to physically bypass the clogged artery."

Doran looked confused. "Surgery? Just what is that?"

"It's basically cutting into the body to get at the heart and..."

Doran looked aghast. "Blazing hellfire, you're not serious?"

"We don't have magic on my world, Master Doran. It's the only way we can do it."

"I should say they would be better off if they got some magic!" Doran huffed. "Sounds like their cure is worse than the ailment."

Amanda did believe that there were some things Narlass did better than Earth. It seemed that very few worlds beyond Narlass had magic. It was one of the reasons the Overlords were so successful plucking Captives from other worlds. No one could match their magical prowess.

Doran let out a sigh and looked towards the bath. "Anyway, it is time to see what Vanlo is afflicting upon me this time."

The Overlord undid the sash and shrugged off his robe. Amanda swiftly drew it into her hands, leaving the man naked. Amanda was surprised. She had thought Doran heavyset, but much of it appeared to be a large frame rather than corpulence. He was simply a big bear of a man that lacked some healthy muscle tone.

Doran eased himself into the water. Amanda neatly folded his robe and fetched some more powdered herbs and soap. By the time she returned to the pool, the Overlord let out a long sigh of contentment as he sank into the warm water to nearly his shoulders.

Amanda placed the items at the edge of the spring. She slipped into the water and behind Doran. She lathered her hands with the water and the soap powder and spread them across Doran's back and shoulders, working her fingers into the muscle. Amanda's assessment had been right. All he really needed to was to tone himself up and he would be just as hardy as Roquan.

The skin grew slick, the thin film of soap glistening in the milky sunlight that glowed from smoky skylights. She watched his lungs swell against his back as he drew in a deep breath, and listened to the contented sigh that followed. When she ran her hands over him again, the muscles had unclenched.

"Would you believe this is the first time I have relaxed in a moon?" said Doran with some amusement in his voice.

"I think the Ressalla is starting to work, Master," said Amanda.

"No, I believe it is you that is starting to work. You have a most excellent touch."

Amanda marveled at how his speech seemed to vibrate under her hands. "Thank you, Master. I learned how to do this while I was abroad to Master Duric."

"Ah, yes! He is one, I have heard, that demands the comfort befitting his position."

Amanda smiled slightly, but did not reply.

"You may speak freely with me, Amanda. You do not need to wait until I have asked a question."

"Yes, he does enjoy that sort of comfort, Master," said Amanda. "Tanyee taught me how to tend to him, since she had been there longer."

The Overlord fell silent, letting Amanda's hands roam over his shoulders and neck, and then down his arms. He closed his eyes, letting out another pleased sigh. He felt the tightness that had lingered in his chest since his first episode finally loosen.

He eventually heard a gentle splashing sound from his side. He opened his eyes to see Amanda positioning herself in front of him. She drew close, straddling his legs and gently pushing him back against the edge of the pool. She lathered her hands again and spread them over his chest.

"Roquan tells me you chose to stay in Narlass," Doran said in a softer voice. "That you chose to become a slave."

"Yes, Master," she said in a neutral voice.

"That is a rather extraordinary decision to make. I doubt very much any of the Captives we take would choose as such if given the chance."

Amanda looked the Overlord in the eye. Her gaze was serious, perhaps a bit challenging, but not hostile. "No, I don't suppose many would, Master," she finally said in a low voice.

Doran was not sure how to take that response. If a normal slave had looked at him like that, even with overt hostility absent, it would be a cause for disciplinary action. He might not be so hesitant had it not been for Freya's machinations. He was seeing a side to the Draught that he not considered.

Though he had to wonder how much frustration Roquan had experienced with Amanda before they settled into the rapport that they now shared. He would not be surprised if Roquan had wished on several occasions that the Draught could be given after the fact.

Amanda was unsure what to think herself. She was not angry with Doran. He was a product of his culture. He could not be expected to understand her thoughts, or how she felt caught between two worlds.

The Overlord said nothing more as Amanda finished his chest and started on his legs. It did not take more than a few gentle touches along the insides of his thighs to swell his manhood, until it rose nearly to the surface of the water.

Amanda cast a lingering, admiring gaze at it. It was in proportion to the rest of him: large, thick, and quivering with vitality despite his condition.

She shifted her hips in the water. Her sex grew warm in anticipation. By the time she had finished washing him, her folds were slick and wanting. Yet when she reached a hand to him, Doran gently stopped her.

"Much as I would love to, Amanda," said Doran in a softer and slightly husky voice. "You have managed to relax me more than I have been in a long time. This would only excite me again, though admittedly in a more pleasant way."

Amanda smiled gently and nodded, withdrawing her hand. She certainly did not want to be the cause of him having another attack, especially not that way. Even though it left her pussy aching, she could take care of that matter herself when she had a moment.

She started to rise. Doran placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, Master?"

Doran offered her a soft smile, the first time she had seen as such. It made him look far more attractive than his form and demeanor would otherwise suggest. "You are in need. Allow me to take care of that for you."

Doran leaned forward and slid an arm around her waist. She let go a small sigh of anticipation as he drew her close. As his manhood passed under her, she had to resist the urge to descend upon it.

His free hand reached between her thighs. Amanda closed her eyes as his thick fingers touched wet flesh. Her breathing became a soft pant as his finger stroked her firmly. She rocked her hips gently against his hand, her pleasure ascending slowly. He was in no hurry to conclude, and he seemed to enjoy giving her pleasure.

When his strokes suddenly eased and stopped, Amanda opened her eyes and looked at him with a mixture of disappointment and inquisitiveness. A moment later, she felt something at the entrance to her tunnel, and when it pushed past her willing labia, her eyes widened in surprise. Had he had second thoughts about...

Then she realized it was not his manhood but his fingers.

Amanda moaned, eyes half-lidded as her hips sank against three of his fingers. She panted in earnest as her hips rocked faster. She was humping them as if it were his manhood, and felt almost as good.

She burst into orgasm and squeezed his fingers. She let out a cry, pants becoming gasps as his thumb toyed with her womanhood, sending renewed waves of pleasure rippling through her body.

Doran let her down easily, as if loathe to end it. Her orgasm seemed to flare up again a few times even as it faded, until he had finally withdrawn from her. She let out a long, contented sigh. "Thank you, Master."

"It was a pleasure, Amanda," said the Overlord. "As was your company."

Amanda smiled.

The image of Lord Duric scratched at the stubble under his chin as he contemplated Roquan's words. Finally he broke into a wide smile. "Well, I would never have thought. Overlord Roquan D'ronstaq, the Radical Thinker of Oceanus!"