Amanda squirmed as she slowly rose to wakefulness. Her eyes fluttered open, and she let out a husky sigh. For a moment she thought she was still asleep and had slipped into an erotic dream. Why else would her sex feel so warm and achy?

Her eyes finally focused and saw Sirinna smiling down at her. "About time you woke up," she whispered softly.

"Huh? Sirinna, did you ... oh! ..."

A hand had slid sensuously over the inside of her thigh. Amanda shivered and moaned.

"I missed doing this with you last night," Sirinna said. "So I thought we'd take a few moments this morning."

"I'm sorry, Sirinna, if I've been seeing Lanno too much. I didn't mean to neglect ... oh gods ... h-how did you get me so horny? I only just woke up!"

Sirinna giggled. "A little technique for arousing someone while they're still asleep. It's the next thing I'll be teaching you in training."

Amanda was about to reply when Sirinna's fingers slipped into her wet slit. Amanda shuddered and spread her legs. Sirinna teased her lover with light, furtive strokes for a few moments before removing her hand. "Let's do this right."

Her body slid over Amanda's, and her tongue descended into Amanda's wanting sex. Amanda let out a sultry sigh and eagerly accepted Sirinna's glistening pussy as it slowly fell upon her face.

Amanda did feel that she had been neglecting Sirinna, and it showed in her technique. Sirinna writhed at Amanda's enthusiasm, panting hard through her nose and trembling with the effort to keep control over her response. It was nearly impossible, and soon her body shuddered in orgasm.

Sirinna responded in kind, and soon Amanda was squirming desperately under the sensual assault. Their moans and whimpers rose in shrill chorus. One would jerk in climax, and the other would follow not long after. Delicacy was not to be found. Each licked as fast and sucked as hard as possible in an escalating frenzy.

Finally, Amanda and Sirinna shared a single simultaneous orgasm, rippling through their entwined bodies and making them moan into each other's sex.

Panting hard, they separated. Sirinna fell to her side and snuggled against her lover. Amanda let out a long sigh of contentment and draped an arm around Sirinna. It took her another few moments to catch her breath.

"That was quite nice, Amanda," Sirinna said softly. "And quite energetic."

Amanda smiled faintly. "I have been neglecting you, haven't I? I've been spending too much time with Lanno. Just like ..."

Sirinna lifted her head. "Just like what, love?"

Amanda bit her lip. She was about to say "just like Jollis." Instead, she shook her head. "Never mind."

"It's okay. I understand."

Amanda doubted that her lover really did understand. It had nothing to do with her intelligence. Sirinna simply did not know jealousy.

Amanda kept telling herself it was not the same. She was sure she was not in love with Lanno. They did not have nearly enough in common. It was not like Jollis at all.

"Are you all right, Amanda?" Sirinna asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Amanda lied.

"Are you sure? You've been ... well, a bit on edge the last day or two. Like you're worried about something."

I am not worried about Jollis! she shouted in her head. "Oh, just ... just everything going on. Stuff Master Roquan tells me."

"Like what?"

Amanda hesitated. She certainly could not tell Sirinna about Gronnus. In only another day, his Manor would be wiped off the face of Narlass by the Emperor's forces.

While she had no love for the Overlord of that Manor, the idea was frightening. Until then, it had seemed that the Overlords were above the fray, that their Manors were hallowed neutral ground. She thought of how horrible it would be for something like that to happen to Roquan's Manor. What would happen to her? What would happen to Sirinna? Or Lanno? Or even Roquan or Vanlo?

"It's ... um ... you really wouldn't understand, Sirinna. And it's pretty boring anyway," Amanda finally said.

Sirinna nodded slowly. "Okay, love. So long as there's nothing you need to talk about."

"No, I'll be fine. Just give me a day or two and I'll be back to normal."

Sirinna tilted her head. "Does that mean something is supposed to happen in ..."

"Sirinna, never mind! It's not important. Here, let's just go get something to eat." Amanda extricated herself from her lover and ducked into the sanitary to freshen herself.

Sirinna puzzled over this for the few moments that Amanda was gone. Amanda had been coy in the past with information, and Sirinna had never made further note of it. She would accept Amanda's explanation, and soon after it would fade from her mind and be gone. She would not think twice about it.

This time, however, it bothered her. She was not sure why. Then the thought came to her: Amanda thinks you're not smart enough.

Sirinna frowned, but it disappeared a heartbeat later. Certainly that was not true. And why did it matter? She never gave her intelligence a second thought. Yet now Sirinna wondered if this is why Amanda hardly talked to her about anything outside of slave training anymore. She wondered if she had to do something to convince Amanda to start talking to her again.

Amanda emerged from the sanitary. Sirinna stood up. After a pause, she smiled. "Ready to go?"

Amanda nodded and offered a weak smile. Sirinna took Amanda's hand, and the two of them headed out together into the morning sunshine.

It was some time before Roquan's summons was answered, and he had just about given up when the bespectacled image of a surprisingly young-looking man shimmered into view.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting," he said, adjusting his spectacles. "I had to find someplace private to answer your Farview. Such places are in short supply for Journeymen at the Guild Hall. You are Overlord Roquan D'ronstaq, I presume?"

Roquan nodded once. "Yes, I am he." He gestured to the side. "And I have my fellow Overlord Rennis D'glounaas with me."

Rennis folded his arms and looked on with interest.

"Very good," said the young Mage. "I am Uroddus Q'garra. I need to ask you a question, Overlord. Please bear with me if the question appears odd, I will explain as much as I can. Have you heard of any Overlord losing a large number of slaves over the last season?"

Roquan gave Uroddus an odd look. "Could you be more specific on what you mean by 'lost?'"

"Kidnapped, perhaps. Or simply disappeared in transit to or from a client. Or otherwise unaccounted for."

Roquan looked at Rennis questioningly. Rennis simply shook his head and shrugged, looking a bit confused as well.

"Please, Overlords, if such a thing has happened, it is imperative that you be open about it," urged Uroddus.

"Do not misinterpret our looks as secrecy, Mage Q'garra," said Roquan evenly. "We honestly do not know of such incidents."

Uroddus paused a moment. "And you are sure of this?"

"Absolutely. We would have heard about such a thing."

Uroddus fiddled with his spectacles. "I have been told that the Overlords ... tend to keep to themselves."

"This is true, but I answer you honestly and openly now. I have heard of nothing of this sort."

Rennis frowned and stepped forward. "Wait a moment, Roquan." He turned to Uroddus' image. The spell on the pearl sensed another participant and made him appear to the Journeyman Mage. "Why do you ask about such a thing? I'm rather curious now."

Uroddus slipped off his spectacles. "Over the course of the past two seasons, the Mage Guild has been detecting a number of Portals of mysterious origins being opened at various locations in Oceanus."

Roquan nodded, his eyes cool. "Yes, I know of them. I can tell you who is behind them."

Uroddus' eyebrows rose. "You can?"

"Yes. It is another example of the Emperor's treachery. He has used his agents to sow deception and ..." Roquan stopped when Uroddus began emphatically shaking his head. "Are you suggesting this is incorrect?"

"While it is certainly possible that the Emperor is acting in such a way through his agents, the Portals that I speak of are being opened from outside of Oceanus' borders."

Roquan frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"We believe that another country is projecting Portals into Oceanus without the need for a focus."

"Wait, what?" Rennis suddenly exploded. "Without a focus?"

"That is impossible," said Roquan. "Any Overlord will tell you that opening a Portal without a focus suffers vast inaccuracy. They would be hard-pressed to place anyone within less than fifty leagues of their intended destination."

"Yes, with known Portal technology, Overlord." Uroddus put his spectacles back on. "The exact explanation is highly technical. Suffice it to say that we believe that this foreign power has learned to target Portals from the source by utilizing someone that is very familiar with the target location."

"Do you realize how fantastic that sounds? I was under the impression that the Mages themselves were emphatic about the nonexistence of mind-reading."

"Yes, well ... even Mages can be wrong."

"But about tenets that have been accepted for centuries?"

"You mean like the basic tenets behind the Draught?" Rennis said in a low voice.

Roquan's head jerked towards him. "You don't seriously believe ...?"

"Why not? Stranger things have already happened!" Rennis turned to the Farview image. "So what does this have to do with your initial question, Q'garra? Why the question about the slaves?"

"It is a theory of Master Q'y ... of my mentor ... that were a foreign power with this ability to use Portals to invade another nation, it would be best done by securing individuals whose memories could provide targets deep inside strongholds of political power, such as ..."

"The Noble Lord palaces!" Rennis said, his eyes wide.

Roquan narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Q'garra, were you about to mention the name of Mage Q'yros just now? Is he your mentor?"

Uroddus paused. "Yes, he is."

Roquan sighed. "I thought so."

"Overlord, please. I know of your feelings towards him, but this is irrelevant. The threat posed by these Portals is real. For one, we do not think we can ward against them."

"But was it not Q'yros that worked for the Emperor?" Roquan declared. "And was it not the Emperor that first engaged in paranoia over the Far West? How do I know this is not some fantastic story, and you are the deliverer of the message merely to instill some sort of legitimacy to it?"

"Roquan ..." Rennis said.

"Overlord, if you would just ..." Uroddus began.

"No, you will let me have my say. I have had enough of this duplicity. I have been burned enough times by that infernal Mage. He is constantly aiding and abetting my enemies against me. I will not tolerate any further ..."

"Roquan!" Rennis shouted.

Taken aback, Roquan looked at Rennis in surprise.

"Who did Gronnus sell his slaves to?"

Uroddus' eyebrows rose.

Roquan hesitated. He looked from Rennis to Uroddus and back. "Surely you don't believe that is connected to this?"

"Where did you last hear Jollis was operating?"

"I have had no reliable intelligence, Rennis, and he has not been a priority for me ..."

"Yes, but where?"

Roquan was silent for a long moment. "In the vicinity of Gronnus' Manor."

"And what is Jollis again? And where is he from?"

Roquan's jaw clenched, and his eyes burned. "This is madness. Utter madness."

"But it fits!"

"Only if you believe this Mage's incredible story! He can invent anything he wishes and gamble that we do not have enough knowledge to refute it."

"Overlords, please," Uroddus said. "I must ask you to explain what you're talking about. What is this about a sale of slaves?"

Roquan looked away in disgust. Rennis glared at him before turning to Uroddus. "A fellow Overlord has sold the entire remaining inventory of his slaves, possibly in one large transaction. And no other Overlord has claimed to be the buyer."

Uroddus adjusted his spectacles. "I see. I assume that Overlords would sell only to other Overlords under normal circumstances?"

"Even Gronnus would not be so contemptible as to do what you are suggesting, Rennis!" Roquan declared.

"How can you say that with a straight face?" Rennis exclaimed. "After everything Gronnus has done?"

"You were just defending him the other day, now you conveniently ..."

"I was defending his dignity as a fellow Overlord! I was not defending his actions or his honor. Gods damn you, Roquan, listen for once! Maybe this is just a farce. Maybe this is just some fairy tale that Q'yros cooked up. But if it's not, do you realize what the implications are?"

"Yes, I very well realize the implications! It means admitting that the Emperor was right!"

The two Overlords stared at each other for a long, tense moment. Roquan's eyes blazed, and he turned his back on his fellow Overlord, taking a few steps away from him and the Farview.

"It does not excuse the Emperor's actions, Roquan," Rennis said. "He was not at all forthcoming about these details. Not to us and not to the Noble Lords."

"With all due respect," said Uroddus delicately. "I am not sure even the Emperor understood precisely the danger. It was not until Master Q'yros and I performed extensive research into this area that we knew for sure."

"I do not believe this," Roquan said in a low voice.

Rennis sighed. "Roquan, do you really want to take the chance that ..."

Roquan turned. "I will pass this on to Lord Duric, and let him decide what he wishes to do with this information. But I for one see this as only another ploy by the Emperor's lackey to distract us."

"You're not serious."

"Has it not occurred to you, Rennis, that the Emperor may be about to lose the war?"

"And how do you figure this?"

"He is making rash and foolish decisions in terms of strategy. Witness his recent attack on the Overlord Manor."

"Yes, the same Manor where we believed Jollis was last seen. Maybe the Emperor knows this, too."

"Or maybe he is preying on our fears. Perhaps he knows of the incident with Jollis and its connection to me. He engineers this story of terrible doom in hopes of shaking our confidence in our rationale behind the war, and he gets Q'yros to do his dirty work for him. He has done this before. My sabotaged Portal. The Farviewing pearl from Freya. What better way to hamper the war effort but to sow the seed of doubt upon our convictions and force some to entertain the possibility that perhaps the Emperor was right? It fits, as you so succinctly put it before."

Rennis let out a long sigh and shook his head. "I'm just not sure the Emperor is clever enough to do all that, Roquan. I'm not sure he's capable of even half the stuff we attribute to him."

"It is far more plausible than the story this Mage is telling us."

"I am sorry," said Uroddus. "But I must terminate this Farview, as I have to get to my next instruction period. Overlord Roquan, I understand your misgivings. I wish I could do something to convince you further. If you would pass on this information to Lord Duric as you suggested, I would be grateful."

Roquan glowered at the Farview image. "I will do as I said I would. But do not expect me to make a case for you."

Uroddus bowed his head. "Understood. Please do not hesitate to contact me again if you wish to ask me more questions on the matter."

"It is unlikely I will. Good day." Roquan waved his hand and terminated the Farview before the Mage could respond.

"Will you actually tell Lord Duric?" Rennis asked.

Roquan frowned as he picked up the Farview pearl. "You should not need to ask me that. Despite my feelings, I am a man of my word. I will inform Lord Duric today, but I will not be loathe to express my doubts."

"To be honest, Roquan, I hope you are right. I hope this is indeed just a fool's errand. Because if it's not, the implications are much more frightening than just having to admit the Emperor was right."

Overlord Doran sighed theatrically. "Well?"

Vanlo drew back from the device. "Really, your Lordship. Please be patient and hold still. It is difficult enough to view a beating heart."

Doran clenched his jaw to withhold a tart rejoinder. He plopped his hands loudly at his sides and stared up at the ceiling. "Things are happening in my absence and I must tend to them."

"And no talking, please, your Lordship."

"May I breathe?"

"Only if you do so quietly."

Amanda clamped her hand over her mouth. She could not hide her mirth even when Doran glared at her.

Vanlo lowered his eyes to the device. What appeared to be a large magnifying class was attached to a metal pole, which in turn was mounted upon a small metal box. Inside, enchanted gears and armatures whirred as he adjusted a series of knobs.

Through the glass, his vision penetrated the Overlord's skin to the muscle below, and then to the chest cavity. He turned the knobs minutely until he was rewarded with a vision of the Overlord's heart, with just a ghost image of the lungs on either side.

His eyes narrowed as he traced the patterns of blood vessels that spidered over the heart chambers. He could see the small spot of dead tissue at the end of one run, the result of Doran's episode the quarter moon before. He spied a second scar from an older attack as well.

He traced back the run from the recent scar, carefully inspecting how full the vessel looked as an indicator of whether it was still blocked. After peering at it intently for another moment, he backed away from the device.

"The blockage is cleared as much as I can manage," Vanlo announced. "You are out of any immediate danger."

Amanda smiled broadly in approval.

Doran gave the Healer a sour look. "I could have told you that!" he boomed as he thew back the furs. He bolted quickly to his feet. "I feel just fine!"

Vanlo tapped the side of the box. It fell silent, and the viewer became normal glass again. "You will not be if you allow it to become blocked again," said Vanlo evenly. "And it is not completely cleared, so you are still at risk. I will give you something to take each day to try to prevent a further blockage, but you must return to your Manor soon so your regular Healer may treat you."

"Yes, yes, I intend to. I never meant to spend this much time here. I just need to catch up on what has been happening."

"Please do try not to stress yourself, your Lordship." He turned to Amanda.

Amanda immediately stepped forward. "Yes, Master Vanlo?"

"See to his Lordship's needs this morning before you return to the office. Please bring the device back with you. Summon another slave if it is too heavy. It is most certainly too much for me to lift twice in one day."

"Yes, of course, Master."

Vanlo turned back to Doran and bowed his head. "Please come see me by midday and I will have the potion ready for you. Good day, your Lordship."

"Good day, Vanlo. And, ah, thank you."

Vanlo offered Doran a small smile before he left.

Amanda watched Vanlo go before she stepped forward. "Master?"

Doran turned to her and smiled faintly. "Much as I would enjoy another pleasurable romp in bed with you, my dear, I do wish to find Roquan so he may bring me up to speed on the latest disasters."

Amanda smiled as well, though she was a bit disappointed. "Very well, Master. Is there anything else I may do for you before I go?"

Doran looked at Amanda thoughtfully. "Tell me, Amanda, and I do not believe I have ever asked this of a slave before, gods help me, but do you actually enjoy being a slave?"

Amanda was a bit surprised by the question. "Well ... I enjoy doing my slave duties, Master."

"That's not quite what I asked. I know you appear to enjoy the sexual aspect of it, and you obey me without question. But what about your status as a slave?"

"That's difficult to answer, Master."

"Please, try."

"I guess the best way to put it is that I don't want to be just a slave. I don't want to be known for just how I can please people. I mean, I like pleasing others, so long as they're kind to me in return, like you were."

Doran offered her a small smile. "I always believe a Master should treat his slaves as they treat him."

Amanda nodded gratefully. "So, yes, Master, I'm okay with my status as a slave. I've grown used to it, so it's part of my life now. But I'm capable of more than that." She paused a moment. "I think Master Roquan recognizes that."

"Ah, yes, especially considering some of the 'tasks' he gave you at the Conclave," said Doran with a sardonic smile.

"I did what I thought was right at the time, Master."

"As I am sure Roquan did. Anyway, thank you, Amanda, for answering my question. You may go."

Amanda bowed her head respectfully at the Overlord. She trotted over to the device, lifted it with a grunt, and headed out the door.

Vanlo pondered the question that had been put to him by Roquan. "I am not sure I ever stopped to discern any difference between one or the other, your Lordship."

"Are you quite certain about that?" asked the Overlord. "You have no recollection of any Portal feeling any different than another?"

"Even when it was at its best, your Lordship, my Portal sense was not very specific on details," the Healer explained. "I could sense power level and direction, but little beyond that. I am afraid that the subtleties you speak of were beyond my capability."

"Very well, Vanlo. Thank you in either case."

"If I may ask, your Lordship, what prompted this question?"

Roquan resisted answering, as he did not want to give any further credence to Uroddus' claims, but Vanlo deserved an answer. "I received a message from the Mage Guild. They claim that someone has invented a means by which a Portal can be opened accurately without the need of a focus at the destination."

"Oh, come now, that's impossible," Lanno said.

"This was my thought as well," said Roquan.

"Hmm, yes," Vanlo murmured, stroking his beard. "Impossible. Yet it appears we have witnessed many impossible things in the past season, no?"

Roquan frowned. "There are degrees of believability here, Vanlo. I would say that a complete change to Portal mechanics is well outside the threshold."

"I think you have a point there, my Lord," Lanno said. "I mean, come on! I may not be a Mage, but you might as well ask me to believe that water will start flowing up a waterfall instead of down."

"Then you do not wish to believe three impossible things before morning meal?" Vanlo asked with a small smile.

Both Roquan and Lanno stared at him in confusion.

"Ah, excuse me. I was paraphrasing something Amanda told me once. Something an author of her homeworld once wrote."

"I am willing to believe in things that initially sound fantastic if someone can point to supporting evidence or ground their theory in something logical," said Roquan.

Vanlo looked thoughtful. "I do seem to recall that incident when the merchant clan was here during the Conclave, when I detected that Portal that was opened nearby. No one ever did find anyone with a focusing pearl, did they?"

"It may have been disposed of it in some manner. Or the perpetrator was standing outside the merchant camp and was able to hide in the jungle."

Vanlo nodded. "Yes, that is possible, certainly. But there is what Jollis did to me soon after. Would it not make sense for him to wish to remove my Portal sense were he indeed opening Portals that required no focus?"

Roquan shook his head. "That is circumstantial evidence at best."

The Healer nodded in agreement. "It behooves me to consider all possibilities, your Lordship. Force of habit from my profession, I am afraid."

"It still makes no sense, though, Vanlo," Lanno said. "I mean, how would they target these things if there's no focus? What's to anchor the other side of the Portal on?"

"The Mage that spoke to me stated that they would read the mind of one that had knowledge of the destination."

Lanno snorted. "Oh, now that really does sound pretty far out there, even for the Mages!"

"I tend to agree," said Roquan.

"Hmm," murmured Vanlo.

The Overlord turned to him. "You have something to say, Vanlo?"

"Just ... a thought. You still have a slave over in the Far West, do you not?"

Roquan nodded. "Yes. I am concerned for her, but I have no reason to believe Jollis' people will be unkind to her."

"But she does have intimate knowledge of the Manor, does she not?"

Roquan sighed. "Vanlo, this is ridiculous. Do not give more credence to this story than it is due. I need to attend to my other duties. If you will excuse me."

Roquan turned on his heel and quickly vacated the Healer office.

Lanno frowned as he stepped up to Vanlo. "Come on, you don't actually believe this story, do you?"

"I am a Healer, Lanno, and effectively a scientist of sorts," the elder Healer stated. "I must consider all possibilities, no matter how strange. I remind you that it was acceptance of a radical idea that allowed me to make headway on the Draught issue."

"Well, yes, but ... well ... that was different."

Vanlo mused. "But was it, really?"

Amanda was happy to be back in the Healer office again, but she appeared to be the only one. There was a sense of gloom that hovered over the two Healers like dark rain clouds. It was hard not to pick up some of the feeling herself, as it only again reminded her of what was happening with Gronnus.

She did not dare approach Vanlo about it, as preoccupied with his experiments as he was. When midday came, and the elder Healer departed for his constitutional, Amanda cornered Lanno. "So, is there something I should know about?"

Lanno blinked and gave her a confused look. "Huh?"

"You and Master Vanlo have been acting like something bad was about to happen."

"Oh." Lanno glanced past Amanda, as if looking for Vanlo to rescue him from having to answer. He let out a small sigh before turning his attention back to her. "Sorry. Just things on my mind, that's all."

"Are you still worried about Evella?"

"I think I have a right to be," Lanno retorted.

"I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean ..."

Lanno was already shaking his head. "No, I'm the one that's sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

Amanda smiled faintly. "It's okay. You said you were going to ask Master Roquan about her."

"Yes, and a fat lot of good that did me. He doesn't want me trying to contact her at all, at least not until Freya is away from her Manor."

Amanda nodded. "But you did anyway."

Lanno raised an eyebrow. "And why do you think that?"

"Because it's what you would do. It's what I would do, too."

Lanno sighed. "Yes, I tried. She wouldn't answer."

"But her Farviewing pearl is still intact, right?" Amanda asked tentatively.

"Huh? Yes, of course it is. She's alive. I just don't know anything beyond that."

Amanda placed a hand on his. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to tell you."

Lanno smiled weakly and grasped her hand. "You don't have to." He pulled her close. "Listen ... do you have some time to spare? Maybe we could go back to my quarters, just for a quick one? I could use something to distract me."

Amanda smiled as she felt something stir against her body. She let out a small, husky sigh as one of his hands squeezed her rear. "I would love to, but I really need to get something to eat, and I have training this afternoon."

Lanno sighed and parted from her with a nod of his head.

"Tonight, maybe?" Amanda suggested.

"Yes, okay," Lanno said absently.

Amanda cast a lingering, sympathetic look at Lanno before she left.

Lanno watched her go. His hand clenched into a fist and pounded once on the counter. A vial tipped, rolled, and shattered against the floor. Lanno uttered a vile curse under his breath and wiped his face with his hand.

Why in hellfire do I care this much about what happens to her? he thought. It's not like she would pay me the time of day anyway.

If he had been back at the Guild Hall when he had asked this of himself, he would have known the answer. It was the thrill of pursuing the unattainable. Sure, he had made some inroads with her, but he knew it would ultimately be a futile effort. He would never get her into bed with him.

Lanno clenched his hands again. Was he so shallow that this was all he cared about? Is it all he cared about now? Was he worried that he would no longer have the pleasure of the pursuit once more? Perhaps his reasons for wanting to contact her and insure her safety were no more than self-serving after all.

He clenched his jaw and went to fetch something with which to clean up the mess.

Sirinna led her charge into the Circle. While most of the slaves stood, sat, or otherwise lounged about the periphery, several lay in the grass in the center, looking eagerly at Sirinna and waving briefly at Amanda. Amanda smiled and returned the gesture, having worked with many of them before.

"Now, Amanda, this is one particular skill that you'll be using much more with a Mistress than a Master," began Sirinna. "As women tend to enjoy this more than men."

Amanda nodded. She already knew there was a difference in the way men and women tended to treat their slaves and what they wanted from them.

"It's all about touch," Sirinna continued. "It's about learning how to touch a sleeping woman light enough to prevent her from waking too soon, but not too light as to tickle instead of excite. And the way you touch is a little different than when the person is awake."

"I think I understand, Mistress," said Amanda. There was an eagerness in her voice. This was something different. She would never have guessed that this was a technique that slaves needed to learn.

"We'll be working on just the technique today. Once you have that down, then we'll borrow some sleeping powder from Master Vanlo and you can actually try it for real on one of the others. Do you any questions before we start?"

"No, Mistress. What do I do first?"

Sirinna smiled and settled into the grass near her volunteers. "Come down here and I will show you ..."

Sirinna felt much more in her element when she was training someone. She was going to miss it once Amanda fully graduated. Even now she struggled to find relevance to her mornings with Amanda working for Master Vanlo.

Even that was odd. In the past, she would simply socialize with the other slaves. She never thought twice about it. Now it was as if some doubt lurked in her mind about what she ought to be doing.

But not here, not in the Circle. There was never any question of what she should be doing here. She sincerely hoped she would get more Captives to train once she was done with Amanda.

The slave that Amanda was working on suddenly let out a giggle. "A little more firmly than that," Sirinna said gently. She placed her hand over Amanda's. "More like that. And a bit over ... like this ... and vary it a bit more ... yes, more like that, very good."

Sirinna needed to train. It was what she was good at. It was even more important than ...

Than what?

For a moment it seemed her mind was about to branch off in a direction it had never taken and balked at the last moment. It manifested as a moment of confusion, as if she had lost her train of thought. So much so that Amanda now looked at her in confusion. "Mistress?"

Sirinna blinked. "Oh, sorry, Amanda. Yes? What is it?"

"I was wondering if maybe I should stop for a bit."

"Stop? Why? Oh!"

She looked at Amanda's partner as if only noticing her condition now. She was panting heavily, her nipples having risen to hard, excited points, her pussy glistening in the sun.

Sirinna smiled. "I'd say you were successful in getting her aroused, at least. Please, help her out if you would and we'll have you practice some more on another."

Amanda nodded. She cast a lingering, concerned look at Sirinna before turning her attention to her needful partner. Soft moans rose from the grass as Amanda's fingers worked the slave's wet folds.

Sirinna tried to chase down the thought again, but it eluded her. She let out a sigh. She was letting herself become too distracted. If she was to continue to be a good slave, she needed to keep herself focused. It was what was expected of her. It was what was supposed to come second nature to her.

The slave let out a cry as she climaxed. She gave Amanda an appreciative smile and embraced her briefly before picking herself up from the grass.

"You're doing very well, Amanda," said Sirinna in a steadier voice. "Now, let me show you some other areas you can try, since your Mistress may be sleeping in a variety of positions ..."

And now Sirinna mused: why anyone would think she was not smart? Look how much knowledge she had. Look how many skills she possessed. She could expertly guide Amanda in techniques that perhaps even Roquan himself could not do. She was as smart as Amanda.

But Amanda had much more knowledge outside sex and slave duty ...

But that didn't matter, it was being a slave that was important ...

But it was important. It had to be, as it was important to Amanda, and Sirinna always wanted to encourage ...

But it was not important not to Sirinna ...

But perhaps it should be, if she considered herself smart ...

"Very good, very good," Sirinna said a bit loudly, as if to drown out her own thoughts. "But not as light. And go in one direction down her back."

Amanda nodded. "I seem to have trouble doing it at the right pressure, Mistress."

"It's all right, Amanda. You'll learn. It's a technique that takes time to master."

Sirinna felt better. This was something at which she was simply more skilled than Amanda. She much preferred to see Amanda learning from her. She was smart after all.

"That's better," Sirinna said. "You're at an advantage, actually, since you're working with other slaves that naturally tend to be aroused easily. You'll likely perfect this only after you've been contracted to a Mistress."

Sirinna took Amanda through more exercises, pausing to let her deal with the inflamed sexual need of her second partner before moving on to a third. Slowly, Sirinna was able to block the other troublesome thoughts from her mind.

After the third partner succumbed to Amanda's ministrations, Sirinna smiled broadly at her charge. "Well done, Amanda. I think that deserves a reward."

Amanda was about to stand up when all three girls that she had worked on suddenly swarmed towards her. She uttered a surprised yelp as they pulled her down onto the grass. Her giggles of mirth soon dissolved into moans of lust as the three slaves mercilessly teased her into a sexual frenzy before slowly satisfying her need with fingers and tongues.

Sirinna smiled. She would have to ask Roquan if she were to have new Trainees after Amanda. She needed to keep herself busy with what was important.

"Hrmph. Sounds preposterous, if you ask me," grumbled Doran.

"Yes, exactly my point," said Roquan. "And the Mage Guild has done little to engender any credibility of late."

"You mean they have not engendered to you," Rennis said. "No one else has had problems with them."

"Really, Rennis, we have been over this before ..."

Rennis pushed himself away from the wall and crossed the room towards the others. "Look, I'm not saying I believe every word I heard, okay? But at least consider the possibility, for the sake of Oceanus if nothing else."

"I have informed Lord Duric as I had promised."

"Yes, but it was not exactly a ringing endorsement, was it? I doubt Duric will give it the time of day. He values your opinion, Roquan, and if you immediately panned the idea ..."

"Oh, let us stop this right now!" Doran called out, raising his hands briefly. "This is getting us nowhere. What are we to do about this, Rennis, even if we did believe it had merit? It is not for us to take action. If it is in the realm of magic, it is for the Mages to resolve. It is about time we start realizing who has responsibility for what and let them do their jobs."

Rennis sighed in exasperation, though he realized that Doran had a point.

"What I want to know is what exactly Gronnus did with all those slaves of his!" Doran boomed. "Gods damn that man to blazing hellfire! He could have at least had the decency to hold an auction."

Rennis stared, incredulous. "And how is he supposed to arrange something like that in less than five days?"

"It could have been done by proxy!" Doran roared.

"Doran, please, do not overexcite yourself," Roquan warned.

Doran sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. He turned away from the two Overlords and stepped over to the window. He looked up at the darkening skies. "Well, it hardly matters now," he said in a more somber tone. "This time tomorrow, his Manor will be gone."

Rennis shook his head. "I don't care what Gronnus did, or how guilty we believe he is. No Overlord deserves to have his Manor taken from him like this, not without a fair hearing."

"Be that as it may, Rennis, I cannot help but think that Gronnus brought this upon ..." Roquan suddenly paused. His eyes blazed. "The damnable ... She has the utter gall ... "

Doran turned and frowned. "What is it?"

"I am being summoned to Farview," said Roquan in a voice of barely restrained rage.

Rennis raised an eyebrow. "Shall we leave?"

"Absolutely not." He turned from the others and headed to a far corner of the room. "I accept the summons."

Doran and Rennis both exchanged a startled look as the Farview image came into sharp relief.

"What in the hells do you want?" Roquan snapped.

"My, my, Roquan, such ill manners," sang the slyly smiling form of Freya. "And me in my darkest candlemark. Not even a tiny modicum of sympathy for a fellow Overlord?"

"I would sooner mourn for the passing of the Emperor than of someone with fewer morals than a highwayman."

Rennis winced. Doran smirked.

Freya was unperturbed. "Sorry to disappoint you, dear Roquan, but I will be making safe passage from my Manor within another day. I have already made arrangements for my slaves ..."

"What did you do with them?" Rennis called out.

Freya stopped and smirked. "Is that Rennis? Shame on you, Roquan, letting someone eavesdrop on the conversation."

"I would not be the one to talk about eaves ..."

"Roquan!" Doran hissed.

Roquan fell silent at once. If Freya had made any connection at all, she did not show it. "And Doran as well. Well, let me state this for all of you to hear. What I have done with my slaves is my business alone, and I answer to no one."

"The other Overlords would dispute that," said Roquan.

"Spare me. I have no time for your sanctimony. I am here to give you a message and nothing more. It is on behalf of my Healer."

Roquan's eyebrows rose. "Evella?"

"Yes. You apparently have a Healer named Lanno at the Manor. He has a Farviewing pearl bound to Evella. He is to cease annoying her with Farview summons that she will not answer."

Rennis frowned. Doran looked on dubiously.

"And why does she not make her case herself?" said Roquan.

"Because she is working for me, and Lanno's constant attempt at contact is a distraction to her and thus affects me. I demand it cease at once."

Roquan's eyes darkened. "I will consider it."

"No, you will do it. Or have you already forgotten about basic Farview protocol?"

Roquan let out an angry sigh. "I will inform Lanno of your request."

Freya shook her head. "Not a request. A demand. Make sure he understands that."

"And as always you believe you can simply order ... blazing hellfire!"

Freya had terminated the Farview in the middle of Roquan's retort.

"If it were up to me, I would tell Lanno to call her ten times as much as he is now!" Doran exclaimed. "The absolute gall of that woman!"

Roquan turned. "I will simply pass along Freya's words to Lanno. He can decide what to do for himself."

"So now we have two Overlords that are selling their slaves to persons unknown," Rennis said.

"Rennis, no more of this. I simply cannot handle it. We have no idea what the circumstances are. I will inquire with the other Overlords, but not now. Give this crisis a few more days to pass."

Rennis appeared about to retort, but subsided and nodded. "All right, Roquan," he said in a gentler voice. "Apologies for making you feel put-upon."

"Thank you. Will you be leaving for your Manor soon?"

"Yes, definitely this time. I really need to get back."

"I will begin powering my Portal this evening. It will be ready by morning."

"I will be departing as well," said Doran. "My Manor is in the northern reaches. I wish to remind the Appalanchian Lords of their duty to their supplier of slaves and wine!"

"Let us hope Gronnus is an isolated incident," said Roquan as he turned to leave. "The last thing we need to see is a general campaign against all the Overlord Manors."

Amanda always knew when something was weighing heavily on Lanno's mind. He approached this tryst with a raw, animal lust, the kind that may have frightened her had she not come to know Lanno better. Amanda simply submitted to it, letting him set the pace.

His thrusts were almost manic, impaling her with a hard, aggressive jerk of his hips each time, sending her body rocking back and forth on his bed. She could barely keep control of her sex muscles, and ultimately gave up. Her climaxes were strong but irregular, and she had to force a change of angle to get final relief with the last buildup as he approached his peak.

Finally, an exhausted and laboriously breathing Lanno rolled heavily onto his back.

Amanda was panting as well. She stirred and rolled to her side, her pussy aching in the afterglow. She draped an arm across his chest and let out a sigh partially of contentment and partially of relief. She was not certain she would have been up to doing anything more that night.

Amanda remained silent. She knew now that trying to ask him what was wrong would only make him defensive. She had to let him speak first.

He wrapped his arm loosely around her. His breath settled to normal. Only then did he break the silence. "She still will not respond to Farview."

"Evella, you mean?" Amanda asked.

"Yes." A long pause. "And now I can't contact her anymore."

Amanda lifted her head. "Why not?"

"Orders from Roquan."

Amanda looked confused.

Lanno sighed and closed his eyes, draping the back of one hand across his forehead. "Overlord Freya got in a snit about it and had Roquan tell me to stop."

"What? Freya? Can she do that?"

"It's common courtesy not to Farview someone that doesn't want it," Lanno said in a flat voice.

"But ... but in this case ..."

Lanno shook his head. "No, I'll stop."

Amanda just looked helplessly at him.

Lanno finally let his hand fall away and opened his eyes. He looked at Amanda. His eyes glistened slightly. "Something's happened to her. I just don't know what."

Amanda hugged Lanno. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Lanno embraced her, delicately at first, and then fiercely. He closed his eyes again. "Amanda ... stay with me tonight. Please. I just don't want to be alone."

Amanda hugged him again. She was reminded of that day she had left Earth, when her foster father had not yet returned home from his job interview. She remembered feeling so alone and vulnerable waiting for him even as the storm blew in from the mountains. She remembered not knowing what was happening, and how she had no one to turn to for help.

"Of course, I'll stay," Amanda said softly. "As long as you want."

"Thank you."

Amanda snuggled up to him. The two of them lay there until first the darkness of night, and then sleep, claimed them both.

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