Chapter 129

Lily,

I send you hugs from across the stars. Or at least I'm thinking of you. It's nice to hear that you are becoming a stronger and more confident woman.

I read some nice things in your last letter. First, that Will is going to be able to make his way back to you. That will mean a lot to Erica and Willow. I know, you are now thinking why it would mean much to Erica. The truth is that the more I'm around my mistresses, the more I realize that they are two women with in many ways one heart. That connection is very special, and means that if Willow is worrying about something, Erica is as well. Both of my ladies want to know that Will is safe and back with his family.

But that might be part of the problem. For Erica and Willow all of us concubines are valued and treasured family. Erica might love me. I mean, if Willow is busy or not around she tends to seek me out first, and I've had more than my share of midnight cuddles with her, but every concubine gets plenty of attention and love from all of the ladies. We even get rather regular videograms from Phoebe since she's currently on Morass as part of the training unit.

Morass is another plan much like Wadi. At least the video Phoebe has sent makes it appear that way. The planet is probably even more swampy than Wadi, with oceans covering more than seventy percent of the surface and heavy rains turning most of the land that does exist into wetlands. Phoebe has said that keeping the tanks from getting stuck in the mud was a bit of an adventure at first, but all of the drivers have now figured out how to tell if the ground might be too muddy to traverse safely.

Yes, I wrote traverse. I was a communications major in college when Erica found me, and I did fairly well in my English classes. Its funny, when I signed up for college, we already knew the Sa'arm were coming, but I had no intention of looking for someone to take me to the stars. My parents were on Earth as were my friends, and I was thinking of getting a job hosting a show on television, or more likely some kind of web podcast.

Not a glamorous life, but if I found a good show to be part of, it would have been a comfortable one. I think the funny thing is that the life I have now is hardly one most people would think of as glamorous, but its one I'm very happy with.

Sure, some people might think that I'm a little "slave girl", but they would be very wrong to think that. No concubine on Trinary Island is a slave. Not one. Sure we are by the laws of the Confederacy "property", but that does not mean we are slaves. In fact, your own observations point that out. Marissa and Will don't treat you as if you were a slave do they? From what you wrote me, you are encouraged to study and learn. Would a "slave" receive such opportunities?