Chapter 3

The slave splayed out on the grass of the Circle was one of Roquan's most experienced, yet even she was having trouble restraining herself.

Her dusky red tresses lay strewn about her head as she lay panting and trembling. It was a constant struggle to remain silent, to avoid giving any hint of how close she was to release. It had been easy at first, but as the moments crept by and her pussy strained just short of climax so many times that she lost count, it was all she could do not to beg for relief.

Above her, Sirinna gently held the slave's shoulders to the grass, using her body to shade the sun out of her volunteer's eyes. Arrayed around them in a rough semicircle were about a dozen other slaves, watching in a combination of amusement and wonder, occasionally whispering excitedly to one another.

Between the helpless beauty's legs was Amanda. Her hands lay gently along the insides of the slave's thighs, applying just enough pressure to keep them open as wide as possible. Her tongue swirled and lashed as it teased the other slave's swollen and aching folds.

To a inexperienced observer, Amanda's ministrations seemed casual, almost lazy. In reality, she had all her senses engaged, her focus such that she was barely aware of anything else around her, save for the pleasant warmth of the early afternoon sun on her body.

The older slave clenched her teeth to cut off a moan. She tilted her head back as she again rose and strained, her hands shaking and clenching into fists. A very tiny whimper escaped her lips, audible only to Sirinna.

Sirinna shook her head and gently placed a finger across the slave's lips. She then raised her eyes to Amanda and smiled broadly.

She was grateful to see her lover throwing herself into her new training task with a renewed eagerness that had been so lacking. Roquan's promise to Amanda had excited her and appeared to trigger this renaissance of enthusiasm.

"I think maybe now he knows I'm much more than just a slave," Amanda had said.

Much more than just a slave.

Sirinna was happy for Amanda, but she was still struggling to understand Amanda's statement. The two thoughts it expressed were difficult for her to hold in her head at the same time.

One night, Sirinna lay awake trying to understand Amanda's desires to little avail. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she had a fleeting flash of insight. It was like the brief bits of imagery that sometimes flickered through her head in that moment of twilight before full slumber, of people and places she was sure she had never seen before yet seemed strangely familiar to her. In that moment she thought she understood, that it made perfect sense to her.

But for some inexplicable reason, with understanding had come a great emotional pain, seemingly out of nowhere. It had vanished like dew with the coming of morning, and it had left Sirinna even more confused than when she had started.

Suddenly the whispers around her grew more intense and frequent, and a few of the watching slaves glanced past the spectacle, towards the edge of the Circle. Sirinna turned her head, and she was delighted to find who had come to watch Amanda's training.

Roquan stood in a stone arch that rose over one of the paths to the Circle.

Sirinna knew that her Overlord likely was there to talk to Amanda. He had promised her a new task in no more than a handful of days. But she considered it an honor nevertheless, and she was quite proud of Amanda's progress that day.

The red-haired slave suddenly gasped despite all her discipline. Sirinna moved to admonish her silently, but Amanda had already pushed her just far enough that it no longer mattered.

The slave arched her back and cried out sharply as her pussy throbbed. She let out a long cry as her orgasm swept over her.

"Oh, very good, Amanda!" Sirinna cried, clapping her hands once in joy. "That was much longer than before."

Amanda lifted herself from between the other slave's legs and let out a relieved sigh. She smiled faintly and licked her lips clean. She had lost all track of time in her intense concentration and had no idea how long she had been at it.

"Thank you, Mistress," Amanda said as she stood up. It was only then that she had seen Roquan standing by the archway.

Sirinna helped her volunteer to her feet, gave her an appreciative hug, and sent her away. The other slaves also turned their attention elsewhere, many after casting looks of admiration for Sirinna's protege. These were not lost on Amanda, and she accepted the silent praise with gratitude.

Roquan strode forward. "It is good to see you are doing well in your training again, Amanda," he said in an even voice.

"Thank you, Master," Amanda replied softly.

"She is coming along very well, Master, as always," Sirinna said, beaming with pride. She draped her arm around Amanda's shoulders. "She can now sense when a woman is close to orgasm without any verbal cues."

"And I understand she already knows how to do this with a male?"

"Oh yes. After she showed me her prowess, I decided she really didn't need any more training there. And I believe she learned a lot of that on her own."

Roquan nodded once and dropped her eyes to Amanda. Amanda allowed herself to look smug. She no longer cared quite as much about what the Overlord would think. If he was going to accept her as being different, it would have to be all the time and not just when it was convenient for him.

While the Overlord did scrutinize her for a moment, he appeared not to make note of her expression. Instead, he lifted his gaze back to Sirinna. "If you no longer have any further training tasks for her, I wish you to release her to me. I have other duties for her to perform for me."

Amanda tried to contain her excitement, but it came out anyway as her lips curled into an eager smile.

"Of course, Master." Sirinna removed her arm and stepped back. "She is yours."

"Come along, Amanda."

"Yes, Master," Amanda said brightly as she fell in step before the Overlord. She had to catch herself to avoid walking too quickly in front of him, especially since she did not know where they were going.

Roquan solved that dilemma for her as soon as they passed under the stone arch. "To the Healer Office, Amanda," he said.

Amanda's eyes widened. She had not expected that. She was sure he would have her helping till the gardens or prepare the meals. Those at least used some skills that she had learned back on Earth. This was something completely new.

"I have never done any Healing work, Master, not even back on my own world," Amanda said.

"Then this will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn."

While the Overlord's response had been immediate, Amanda could sense some tension in his voice. Did he perhaps believe that she was not up to this after all? If that was the case, then she had additional incentive to do well. "What will I be doing, Master?"

"Vanlo and Lanno are working on a special project for me. They need an assistant to help with everyday Healer duties."

"Special project, Master?"

"I will instruct Vanlo to explain it to you," Roquan replied, subdued.

Now Amanda was intensely curious. Something unusual was going on. But when the realization of what the Overlord had just done came to her, she felt a surge of gratitude for him. "Thank you, Master."

"I will attempt to avoid keeping information from you, Amanda," said Roquan in a low and earnest voice. "But I must warn you that everything Vanlo will tell you must remain in confidence. You cannot discuss it with anyone, even Sirinna."

The prospect of performing Healing work was itself a bit daunting, but now the Overlord had made it doubly so. She would soon have yet another secret that she would need to keep for him.

His eyes remained fixed upon the flask at the end of the apparatus as he walked slowly across the room. They glistened with a liquid, crystal-sharp lucidity and energy that was in contrast to the old, thin frame in which they resided.

"Hmm," mused the old Healer Vanlo G'tort. He lay a wizened hand against his long beard to keep it out of the way as he slowly sat before the apparatus.

At the door, a much younger and fair-haired man stood impatiently. He folded his arms across his broad chest and let out an obvious sigh through his nose.

Vanlo appeared oblivious. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on the pure golden liquid that dripped into the flask. He reached out a single, gnarled finger and tapped the glass. The surface rippled easily. "Yes. Quite."

"It's amber," came the urgent voice from the door.

"Ah. Yes, indeed, it is."

Lanno G'sallan rolled his eyes. Despite having worked for Vanlo for two moons now and having improved the relationship, some things the old Healer did still exasperated him. He still suspected Vanlo did it purely for his own amusement.

Or, more likely, Lanno realized with chagrin, to teach him how to be more patient. Unfortunately that lesson was failing miserably that day. "Vanlo, you said if it turned amber, that meant you got it."

Vanlo lifted a hand and turned a valve. The liquid stopped dripping. He picked up the flask and held it closer to his eyes, his shoulders slightly stooped. "Yes, I do believe I made some comment to that effect."

Lanno clenched his teeth. "Well?"

Vanlo swirled the liquid around for a few moments before setting the flask down. He turned in his seat, wincing as a joint protested loudly. He had to reposition himself in the chair to silence it. "Well what, Lanno?" he asked with a very faint ghost of a smile on his lips.

Lanno might have exploded at the elder Healer if that little twinge he witnessed had not reminded him of his growing concern for the old man.

When Lanno had first met Vanlo, he was rather surprised at how spry the old Healer was. Lanno had tried to discover the man's age, but all Vanlo would tell him was "oh, past seventy I imagine." He finally became curious enough to ask someone at the Healer Guild, and was astonished to learn that Vanlo was ninety-two, though it did explain why Vanlo addressed Roquan with the more antiquated form of address "your Lordship" instead of simply "my Lord."

It seemed as if in the past moon all that age was finally catching up with him. He moved more slowly and had more aches and stiffness than he would acknowledge. His mind and his vision still seemed as sharp as ever, but Lanno had to wonder how much longer that would last.

"You stated that if the final result was a bright amber liquid, that you had isolated the proper combination that causes the degradation," Lanno said with forced patience, though the tension in his voice was obvious. "Have you done it?"

Vanlo looked back at the flask for another maddening moment before giving Lanno a thoughtful look. "Yes. I believe I have."

Lanno's impatience turned to triumph as he stepped more fully into the room. "That's brilliant, Vanlo! That's half the problem solved right there!"

Vanlo paused, stroking his beard as he always did when thoughtful or uncertain. He rose to his feet. "Half in terms of procedure, Lanno, but not in terms of a final solution."

"I don't follow you."

"It is quite simple. We have isolated the exact proportions of the ingredients of the Draught that cause the unwanted affect. That is the first 'half' as you put it, but a relatively easy one."

Lanno did not consider a whole moon of mixing chemicals and herbs, of hitting constant blind alleys and having to start from scratch, of having to ask the Overlord three times for more key ingredients that only he could order from the Guild to be "relatively easy."

Lanno was not hearing the whole story. Vanlo had indeed isolated the proper proportions, but they had not been what he had initially expected. This had largely been the source of the delay.

Vanlo folded his hands behind his back and made an effort to stand up straighter, as if only now cognizant of the fact that his posture was failing. "The next step is more difficult. We must find a combination of ingredients that will nullify the effect and keep the other effects intact."

"Why is that so difficult?"

"Because, my dear Lanno, I do not have the faintest notion where to start."

Lanno's eyes widened in response. This was the first time he had ever heard the elder Healer say such a thing. A moon ago, he might have reveled in it. Finally, something the old man doesn't know!

Lanno had arrived at the Manor as a cocky, freshly-minted master-level Healer from the Guild. The Manor was supposed to be his first real posting, where he was to replace the retiring Healer there. When he had arrived, he instead found that the old Healer had changed his mind, and that Lanno was relegated to being an assistant, despite Vanlo's claim that he was an equal partner.

But it had soon become apparent that Lanno did not know quite as much as he had assumed. Vanlo's experience and knowledge was vastly superior to his own. It is what worried him further about Vanlo's health. Without Vanlo, Lanno would be lost in the realm of chemical analysis. He was struggling to learn as much as he could from Vanlo, but he was only just grasping the basic concepts now.

"Surely you can take an educated guess!" Lanno countered.

"I can. But the ingredients I will need for such 'guesses' are expensive and rigidly controlled by the Healer Guild." He paused. "You will need to order them for me."

Lanno nearly recoiled. "Me? Why?"

"Because, one, I have lost my Farviewing pearl to the Guild Hall items merchant, and, two, I fear I am still not very popular at the Guild Hall and do not want to risk someone rejecting my request out of pettiness."

Lanno could hardly believe anyone wanting to wish ill will of this man, but he understood Vanlo's reasoning. The Healer had rejected several requests to return to the Hall as an instructor, and there was likely some lingering resentment over that.

Lanno nodded. "All right, I'll get right on that soon as you give me a list of what you need."

"Thank you. And to manage your expectations, Lanno, it may very well be a complete season, or several, before we solve this problem."

Lanno waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, nonsense, Vanlo! With your skills, I imagine you can..."

Vanlo held up a hand. "No. I cannot take your accolades, as appreciated as they are. We are dealing with something beyond my expertise, as much as it pains me to admit it."

Lanno fell silent. Vanlo had always harped on Lanno that it was important to admit one's shortcomings before one could be properly taught. Unfortunately, there was no one that could teach Vanlo.

"I fear also I may not be up to the task," Vanlo continued in a lower voice. "It is only a matter of time before my remaining faculties fail me."

Lanno shook his head. "Don't talk like that, Vanlo, you..."

"These things must be said. I have gone for some time without admitting to myself that I am growing quite old. It took the ill-formed potion of the merchant that stilled my Portal sense for me to realize it."

"Vanlo, you recovered from that, at least physically. I know you better than this."

Vanlo looked amused. "Really? Do you?"

"Yes. And you don't give up."

"It is not a matter of 'giving up, ' Lanno, it is a matter of being realistic. It is not to say that I will not try, just that you may need to continue after I can no longer do the task."

"Hellfire, I'm barely scratching the surface on what you have been teaching me," Lanno said.

Vanlo looked surprised to hear such an admission from the young Healer. "Actually, you are starting to advance a bit. I..."

He trailed off and looked past Lanno towards the treatment area.

"You can't expect me to pick up right where you left off," Lanno continued.

"Ahem. Ah, Lanno, if you would..."

"No, don't change the subject, you know I hate that! This is not even a case of just not knowing the concepts, Vanlo, it's that this is the Draught. I never dreamed I'd be..."

"Lanno!"

Lanno stopped, finally noticed the older Healer's gaze, and turned around. He blinked in surprise.

"My apologies if I am interrupting anything," said Roquan.

"Not at all, your Lordship," said Vanlo smoothly. "What may we do for you?"

Amanda gave Lanno an uncertain glance. A corner of Lanno's mouth twitched, and he folded his arms uneasily.

"For once, Vanlo, it is more what I may do for you," said Roquan. He lay a hand on Amanda's shoulder. "You mentioned your need for an assistant. I have brought you one."

Lanno frowned and looked at Vanlo. Amanda carefully controlled her reaction.

Vanlo looked a bit nonplussed as well. "Ah, yes, your Lordship. Hmm." He glanced at the apparatus. Amanda caught it and looked as well. She leaned to one side for a better look.

It look remarkably like a setup she saw in a chemistry class once, where the instructor was showing them how to distill a particular material from another. She had never been into the back room where Vanlo kept his experiments, so it was all new to her.

"Is there a problem, Vanlo?" Roquan asked, but from the trace of amusement in his voice, he already knew what it was.

"Not with the lovely Amanda, I assure you," the Healer said. Amanda smiled at him. "It is simply that there are, as you know, sensitive matters being explored in..."

"You are to tell her exactly what you are doing."

"I am?"

"He is?" Lanno blurted, looking astonished. His eyes darted to Amanda. Her gaze challenged him back.

"Yes. She has already surmised on her own about the additive that increases sexual desire."

Amanda looked back at the apparatus in wonder. So it was about the Draught!

"Indeed, has she?" Vanlo said, impressed. "Remarkable."

Lanno looked amazed. Amanda took some smug satisfaction in this, and let him see it on her face.

"So you are clear to tell her everything," Roquan continued. "She knows to keep it in the strictest confidence, just as she has kept every secret I have told her. You can trust her implicitly."

"Of course, your Lordship," said Vanlo.

Lanno adopted a neutral look and tried not to look at Amanda.

He had no idea how to treat her. When Vanlo had told him of the Draught and his task, he also revealed Amanda's Draughtless status. Since then, he had trouble seeing Amanda as a slave anymore. What he had done to her -- how he had been a little rough with her to "teach her a lesson for her own good" before she was sent abroad to Duric -- now seemed crude and barbaric. It was as if he had done it to another Narlassi instead.

And it was clear that Amanda no longer felt she had to restrain her own feelings about him.

"Please also share with her any advances you make," said Roquan. "I am sure she would be quite interested to hear."

"I will be happy to, especially if it means we will have more time to attend to the experiments. Which reminds me, your Lordship. I will require more ingredients. Some can be procured by Lanno and myself from the Guild Hall, but anything that is specifically a Draught ingredient will require a request from your Lordship."

Roquan nodded. "I will take care of it before the evening meal."

"I do hope you are not raising concerns at the Guild Hall?"

"None that they have mentioned. I am hoping they will believe I am simply collecting more captives."

Amanda shivered. Ever since learning what the Draught could do, she couldn't stand the thought of it being used on anyone else. She was grateful that Roquan had decided not to take in new slaves for awhile longer.

And now as she glanced again at the apparatus, she had a suspicion that one of her worst fears about the Draught was about to be confirmed.

"I have some correspondence to attend to," said Roquan. "I will leave Amanda with you. She is yours until the evening meal. Do with her as you will."

Amanda noted the traditional statement. It was normal for a slave that was assigned additional duties such as this to make herself available for all duties requested of her, including sexual ones. She assumed Vanlo to be past the age of making such demands of her.

But Lanno was a different matter.

She still resented what he had done to her, not so much for any discomfort she suffered (he had never actually hurt her), but for the injury he did to her ego. She had been emotionally fragile at the time, unsure of herself, and he had been no help whatsoever. She dreaded having to submit to him again.

The Overlord left. Vanlo smiled and gestured. "Please, Amanda, if you would step in here, I will explain to you what I am doing."

"Yes, Master," Amanda said, feeling no qualms of using such a title of respect for the old Healer, as she felt he had earned it. She pointedly ignored Lanno as she stepped past him.

Lanno's jaw tightened uncomfortably. He let out an exasperated breath and said in clipped tones, "Vanlo, I will check on the supplies for our afternoon patients."

"There is no need to do that if you wish to ... oh."