WARNING: This is a work of erotic fiction. It contains depictions of
nudity and graphic sex.

Author: A Strange Geek
Title: Amanda's Choice
Summary: A 14-year-old girl with a troubled home life is swept away to
another world by an older female lover, where she must make the
ultimate choice between love and freedom.

Part: 7 of 19
Keywords: Fm, Fdom, bd, spank

Note: Story codes are for this Chapter. See Chapter 0 for complete list
of codes

Copyright A Strange Geek, 2005

Feedback welcome! Please email me at astraYOURngegeek@comMINDcast.net
( lose YOUR MIND to email me )

Or to send anonymous feedback, use the form at bottom of HTML version:

/~A_Strange_Geek/novels/AmandasChoice/Chapter07.html



---------------

"I'm so sorry, Tanyee," Sirinna said as she led the almond-eyed girl
from her bedchamber, holding on to her chain loosely. "Things have been
quite busy around the Manor this morning."

Tanyee was the only Trainee to whom Sirinna would so openly apologize,
for she still harbored a suspicion that there was something else going
on here. Tanyee was a model slave. She took to her calling swiftly
after arriving as a Captive, giving very little fuss and getting over
her initial nervousness in less time than most did. By the time Sirinna
had started to train her, Tanyee had displayed an eagerness that she
could only wish for in other Trainees.

"I understand, mistress," Tanyee said in a polite and deferential tone,
though a hint of an appreciative smile curled her lips.

Amanda glanced between the two of them. "Mistress?" she asked. "She has
to call you that, Sirinna?"

"Yes, Amanda. Trainees have to use the same title of respect for their
Trainers as the Overlord," Sirinna explained.

Amanda nodded absently. She looked back over to Tanyee. She seemed
older than Garas had been, and certainly older than Amanda herself.

"You've been cooped up in her all morning, Tanyee," Sirinna said as she
dropped to one knee and reached under her bed. "And it's approaching
the midday mealtime, so there's no better time than to walk you about
some."

"Thank you, mistress."

Somehow it now no longer seemed so strange to hear Sirinna addressed in
this manner, though it was disconcerting to see the collar around the
girl's neck. It was not half as bad, however, as seeing what Sirinna
now had in her hand as she stood up.

"Turn around, Tanyee," Sirinna said.

Amanda looked on with alarm. "Sirinna, what are you doing?"

Sirinna was holding a pair of thick leather cuffs in her hand,
connected with a very short chain. Without being asked, Tanyee had
already crossed her wrists behind her back, and Sirinna paused to
finish placing one of the cuffs on a wrist before responding. "There
are three rules about Trainees walking on the grounds of the Manor,"
she said, closing a tiny padlock through two metal rings to lock the
cuff in place. She began to wrap a second cuff around the other wrist.
"They must remain naked; they must be escorted by a Trainer at all
times, and ..." She closed a second padlock around the other cuff,
binding Tanyee's hands behind her back. "... they must be restrained."

Amanda looked rather shocked at this as Sirinna took the chain in her
hand again and gave it a light snap, tugging at the neck collar. Tanyee
placidly turned in place to face her mistress, voicing not a sound of
protest, nor struggling against her bonds in the least. In fact, Amanda
could find no real distress on Tanyee's face whatsoever. The look she
gave Sirinna was almost affectionate in nature.

"Is this to prevent escape?" Amanda asked, trying not to sound
sarcastic.

Tanyee greeted this notion with genuine confusion.

"No, Amanda," Sirinna said. "It's simply tradition. A symbol of a
Trainee's place. Trainees that graduate no longer have to do that. They
can walk about the Manor more freely and wear light clothing if they
wish."

"But always in the Manor," Amanda said.

"Unless we're contracted to a client, yes."

Tanyee looked on curiously and finally turned to Sirinna. "Mistress,
does she not know of these things?" she asked, and then added quickly,
"No disrespect intended, mistress."

"It's all right, Tanyee. Amanda is an outworlder, but she's not a
Captive."

"Oh," Tanyee said, but looking more puzzled now than before.

"Now, come along. I'm sure you wish something to eat."

Tanyee dutifully stepped before her mistress and started towards the
door ahead of her. Amanda fell into step behind them. Just a moment
before heading out, Sirinna paused for just a moment, then continued,
leading the both of them back out into the warm sunshine.

Keep her in your quarters. Those had been Roquan's words to her. He had
already been most annoyed to hear that Amanda had needed a Healer.
Surely though, he did not mean Amanda needed to stay cooped up indoors
all the time? Certainly taking her out briefly for some food would do
no harm.

Sirinna still wished Amanda were a little more accepting of Narlassi
culture. It would have raised so few eyebrows to just collar her
temporarily. The next moment, she felt it again, that odd twinge of
guilt. If she had done such a thing to Amanda, was it for Amanda or for
herself? She admitted that she grew excited at the idea of holding
Amanda's chain and leading her around. She would be very proud to have
someone like Amanda as a Trainee. Was there anything wrong with that?
Certainly not! A Trainer had the right to show off her Trainees.

Amanda had not thought it had been that warm, but a few minutes in the
sun was all it took to make her perspire. There were no clouds across
the deep expanse of azure sky, and the air was humid. Her hair felt hot
against her neck, and she picked up her feet quickly on the very warm
sands of the path. Even with as light a gown as she was wearing, she
still felt uncomfortably hot.

It was with some relief that they approached a more shaded area, but
tensed again when she saw the others. They passed under a stone arch
and into a grassy area, large trees lining the circular area making
patterns of dappled light under them. Slaves were gathering here,
coming together in groups of two, three, or four, sitting down in rough
circles, conversing in low, soft voices. Unlike earlier, nudity was now
more the norm rather than the exception, yet everyone appeared quite at
ease with this, hardly giving it any notice.

Amanda felt vaguely embarrassed, and at the same time, decidedly
overdressed.

Several wooden posts dotted the area, each with a single hook attached
to the end. Amanda did not understand the significance of this until
Sirinna led them to a spot near one of them, under a rather large and
ancient tree, and slipped the end of Tanyee's chain over the hook.

Amanda noted that Sirinna used no lock or latch. Anyone could have
reached over and lifted the chain from the hook. Even Tanyee herself
could have done it if she were of the mind to do it. Instead, she
dropped to a knee and lowered herself carefully, settling back on her
feet.

As Tanyee knelt, sunlight peeking through the canopy overhead alighted
on her backside. Amanda noticed that it had a slight blush to it. She
shuddered at what the reason for that might be.

"This is the Circle, Amanda," Sirinna explained.

Amanda was distracted at that moment, for as she sat, her gown rode up
in the back and a breeze blew the edge from her legs, exposing her sex.
She blushed and yanked the gown forward, stuffing it quickly between
her legs. "Huh?" she said absently.

"The Circle," Sirinna said, gesturing around her. "We use it as a
gathering place when the weather is nice."

"Oh." Amanda felt a bead of perspiration trickle down her forehead and
between her eyes. She wiped at it in annoyance. While being out of the
sun helped, the air was still rather sticky.

"You know, you'd feel more comfortable without that gown," Sirinna
said.

Amanda's blush deepened. "I don't think I'm that comfortable with all
this yet."

She knew she would have to at some point. That is, if she were to stay.
So far no one had mentioned anything about it one way or the other. She
had to assume that she was. Sirinna would have told her if she wasn't,
wouldn't she?

Amanda looked out over the clearing. Despite the growing crowd, Amanda
felt more at ease here than at any social gathering she had even
attended back home, where the noise and raucous behavior always made
her want to cringe. Here, she heard nothing but calm, soft
conversation.

"Hello, again, you two."

Amanda turned her head at the sound and had to bite her lip to stop
herself from gasping.

It was Hiatha and Garas again, but just from where they stood, what had
come immediately level to Amanda's gaze when she turned was Garas'
crotch. The color again returning to her cheeks, it was a few moments
before she realized she had been staring at the boy's penis, still
sporting a slight sheen from the Kaylaxxa treatment.

By the time she finally looked away, her cheeks were scarlet.

"Good day, Hiatha," Sirinna called out, smiling slightly.

"Good day, mistress," Tanyee and Garas said almost simultaneously.
While both spoke with respectful voices, Garas' was a little edgy, and
his face looked subdued.

"Well, at least you remembered this time," Hiatha said with a small
smirk behind Garas.

Garas appeared to take a deep breath and let it go, looking troubled.

"He's been giving me a little trouble this morning since we got back
from the Healer," Hiatha said, sighing. "Really, I don't know what I'll
do with him sometimes."

"Every Trainee has an off day," Sirinna said, a sly smile coming to her
lips. "I seem to remember that of /you/ on occasion, Hiatha."

Hiatha gave Sirinna a coy smile. "Oh, I was never that bad. At least I
remembered to call you 'mistress' properly."

"Albeit through clenched teeth sometimes," Sirinna said mildly.

Hiatha chuckled. "No wonder your slaves remain so well-trained,
Sirinna. You have such a fantastic memory for their indiscretions." Her
gaze turned towards Tanyee. "And this one?"

"Tanyee is simply being given some remedial training," Sirinna said,
giving Tanyee a reassuring smile. "I don't expect her to be collared
for very long."

"Thank you, mistress," Tanyee said, the gratitude in her voice genuine.

Amanda looked over to Tanyee. That explained why she looked older than
Garas.

"Don't be easy on her just because she was one of your favorites,
Sirinna."

"I don't intend to. You know me better than that." She glanced over
towards the other end of the clearing, where several more slaves were
arriving in a group, but carrying large platters. "The meal is here.
Will I see you and Tanyee later?"

"Yes, I will be bringing Tanyee back for some training later."

"I shall be sure to bring Garas then." She looked towards the boy and
gave the chain a sharp snap, making Garas blink. "Come along, and be a
good boy today for once, please."

Amanda frowned slightly at the condescending tone of voice. Garas
appeared to resist for a brief moment before finally turning away and
walking before his mistress.

Sirinna watched the two of them go with a look of deepening concern on
her face. She admitted to herself even on the best of days that she
thought Hiatha to be a bit more heavy-handed a Trainer than she would
have liked. Hiatha had been one of her toughest to train, and she
privately thought Hiatha had needed more time to develop a more even
temperament before being made a Trainer. But it was not for her to
question her Overlord's actions, and she accepted his choice.

"I'm not sure I like her," Amanda murmured.

"Amanda," Sirinna said in a slightly admonishing tone.

"But look at the way she's treating him," Amanda protested. "She ..."

"Amanda, lower your voice," Sirinna said evenly. A slave came forward
and placed a platter between them. Amanda was momentarily distracted by
this, allowing Sirinna to continue. "Hiatha is a good Trainer."

"But you don't treat Tanyee like that," Amanda said in a softer voice,
her eyes flicking up from the platter briefly.

"Tanyee had already been trained and just needs some remediation. She
was one of my best Trainees."

Tanyee smiled at this.

Amanda looked curiously at the contents of the platter. Around the
edges were bits of diced vegetables. She recognized carrots, celery,
radishes, and cucumbers. In the center was something she could not
identify right away. They appeared to be little round balls of thin
dough, obviously stuffed with something, but she had no idea what.

Sirinna plucked some vegetables from the platter. "Go on and help
yourself, Amanda," she said. "I'm sure much of it is recognizable to
you."

Amanda picked up one of the balls, she looked it over, then glanced at
Tanyee, who still remained kneeling and restrained. "Doesn't Tanyee get
to eat?"

"Yes, after I have finished," Sirinna said. "Another custom. We don't
starve Trainees. In fact, none of us go without food or shelter or
basic comforts. Look at your bedchamber, for example. That's usually
where I would place a Trainee of mine. Not exactly uncomfortable, is
it?"

"I suppose not," Amanda said noncommittally. Amanda finally took a
tentative bite of the morsel in her hand and was pleasantly surprised.
She recognized it at once. It was bluefish, and a rather good one at
that, mixed with some spices and tangy sauce.

"It's like I told you, Amanda," Sirinna said. "It's not at all what you
thought. We're quite happy here."

Amanda was about to ask Sirinna another question about Tanyee, but
stopped herself. Why was she treating Tanyee as if she wasn't here?
Maybe the others did, but Amanda refused to do the same. If it went
against custom, she didn't care.

"Tanyee, are you happy?" Amanda asked.

The question came as such a surprise to the girl that she did not
respond at first, her eyes flicking over to Sirinna.

"You don't need my permission to speak, Tanyee," Sirinna said with a
smile. "You weren't a Captive just yesterday."

Tanyee nodded and turned back to Amanda. "Yes, I am, Amanda."

"You enjoy what you do? I mean, really enjoy it?"

"Oh, yes, I do, very much," Tanyee said. "I'm a good ... or, I like to
think that I'm a good slave, if ..."

"You are, Tanyee," Sirinna said. "Don't let what happened make you
think otherwise."

Amanda was not sure what she was trying to prove with this questions.
For all she knew, Tanyee could be telling Sirinna exactly what she
wanted to hear. Tanyee did not look frightened of Sirinna, but she did
defer to Sirinna quite a lot. "You still enjoy it now? Even ... tied up
like that?"

Amanda felt a little shudder pass through her as she said this,
remembering that day with Sirinna and the rope.

"It's not going to be for too long, so my mistress tells me," Tanyee
said.

"It doesn't bother you at all?"

At this, Tanyee looked truly perplexed. "Why would it bother me?"

Amanda had no follow-up to that. If Tanyee truly believed this was the
life for her, nothing Amanda could say would convince her otherwise.

Amanda had eaten three of the little fish-balls before she even thought
to have some vegetables, as good as they were. Just as she started to
pick at them, she saw someone walking into view from the corner of her
eye. She looked up just as Sirinna said, "Oh, hello, Yanna. Good day to
you."

Yanna gave Sirinna a respectful nod. "Good day, Sirinna," she said
politely. "And good day to you, Amanda."

Now it was Amanda's turn to be surprised at being addressed directly.
"Oh, uh, good day."

"May I join you?"

"Please do," Sirinna said. "We have enough for another."

Amanda only now recognized who the girl was, and she shifted nervously
as Yanna sat down next to her. Her gown had flattened out again over
her legs, and she stuffed it back down over her crotch with a quick jab
of her hand.

"I'm surprised to see you in the Circle at midday," Sirinna said,
grinning. "I sometimes think Master Vanlo has you chained down in
there."

Amanda looked alarmed at this, but when Yanna laughed and even Tanyee
smiled she realized it was just a joke. "Master Vanlo does keep me
busy," Yanna admitted. "So it's just as good as chains sometimes. But
it's been a busy morning, and I wished a change of scenery."

As Yanna and Sirinna made small talk, Amanda's attention wandered. She
glanced over among the others. Just across the Circle, Hiatha had found
a spot with Garas and two other slaves, both older women. Garas,
thankfully, had his back to Amanda.

She was about to turn away when she noticed something odd.

Garas' hands were bound behind him in a manner similar to Tanyee. Yet
while Tanyee was still and complacent, Garas appeared to fidget,
occasionally pulling the chain taut, his body restless. Something
someone said amongst the group must have involved him, for they now all
looked in his direction. The woman nearest him gave the boy a sultry
smile, fingers playing with a lock of his hair, then tracing a slow
path down his arm. Garas appeared to shudder at the touch, and not in a
pleasant way.

Amanda was drawn back into the conversation when she heard her name
mentioned, but drew a blank as to what was said to her when she found
Yanna looked at her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I just wanted to apologize to you, Amanda," Yanna said.

Amanda looked at her in surprise. "Apologize? For what?"

"For earlier this morning. I made you rather uncomfortable during your
examination in the Healer's office."

"Oh. Uh ..." She glanced at Sirinna, who simply looked curiously at the
two of them. "It's ... it's okay."

"I should have paid more attention to the fact that you are an
outworlder. I understand that outworlders are ... well, different from
Narlassi."

"Yes, we are," Amanda said.

"So you understand, Master Vanlo meant well in wanting to examine you.
Had I been a little less forceful about it ..."

"I was uncomfortable with it in general," Amanda said.

"Yanna, you sound like you've dealt with outworlders before," Sirinna
commented.

"Yes, I have, back on the D'glounaas Manor." Yanna answered smoothly.
Keep the lie simple and tell it casually. That was the key. Don't
invite question, and don't offer too much information.

Amanda was distracted again when she suddenly heard Garas' name spoken
sharply.

She turned her head, and saw that Hiatha now had the end of the boy's
chain back in her hand, and was looking crossly at him. She appeared to
say something to him that Amanda could not hear, and gave the chain a
quick but strong snap, followed by a sharp tug and a pointing hand.

Garas appeared to hesitated a moment, his hands clenching behind him
into fists, before he slowly parted his knees under him. Next to him,
the woman that had been gently caressing him, had her hand draped over
his thigh. Fixing her gaze on him, her hand slid further in and out of
view. A few moments later, Garas uttered a low sigh as the woman's arm
began to move back and forth.

Amanda's eyes opened wide as she quickly turned away.

"Something the matter, Amanda?" Sirinna asked.

"Uh, n-nothing," Amanda said.

"Have you had enough of the meal?"

She glanced down at the half-eaten platter. She doubted she could get
much of an appetite back at this point and nodded quickly.

"Amanda?" Yanna began. "I would like to talk to you ."

"Huh? Uh, what about?"

"I'm interested to know a little more about why you were
uncomfortable," she said. "I have a general idea, but I want to know a
little more. If you don't mind, that is?"

Amanda was not sure she wanted to talk about it much, but she did not
want to be rude, either. She already had the feeling that Sirinna was
upset with her for asking some of the questions she did.

"Here, Tanyee, I'm done," Sirinna said.

Amanda looked over briefly to see Sirinna reach behind Tanyee. While
Amanda did not see Sirinna holding any sort of key in her hand, she
nevertheless heard a faint click, and then another, and moments later
Tanyee's hands were unbound.

"Thank you, mistress," Tanyee said with a polite nod. She assumed a
more comfortable position on the grass and began to help herself to the
food.

"I like to learn more about outworlders, you see," Yanna said.

Amanda nodded, her attention wandering again, her eyes shifting over
occasionally towards Garas. Something else was happening. By this time
he was moaning from the woman's firm strokes on his cock, but he was
also growing increasingly agitated. Hiatha was keeping the chain taut,
her expression dark.

Now Yanna was curious as to what Amanda found so fascinating and turned
her head as well. It took her a mere space of seconds to understand
what was happening once she recognized the boy.

/Oh, hellfire!/ Yanna thought vehemently.

Now Sirinna looked as well. "What is it?"

The next moment, she and everyone in the Circle found out.

Garas let out a shout: "/Get away from me!/" and jumped up to his feet,
nearly pulling the chain out of Hiatha's hand.

"Garas!" Hiatha snapped. "Behave yourself!"

"No!" He jerked his body away from his Trainer, as if trying to pull
the chain from her on purpose this time. Hiatha, already alerted, had
wrapped the chain several times around her hand, and the attempt only
made her angry.

Hiatha gave the chain a hard yank, making Garas grunt. He nearly
staggered and fell, his breathing ragged. He twisted to one side, and
Amanda briefly saw his still partially erect penis bouncing in front of
him as he struggled, her mouth dropping open at the spectacle.

"Garas!" Hiatha shouted. "That is enough! That is /quite/ enough!"

The boy cast a defiant look at his mistress, and he tried to pull away
again. Hiatha again yanked on the chain, crossing the gap to him. Just
as she was upon him, it was as if a switch had been turned off. The
rebelliousness that had just filled him with such anger and resentment
abruptly drained away, leaving a look of confusion in his eyes. It was
not enough to placate his Trainer, for before he could utter another
word, Hiatha sounded slapped him hard with her hand on one of his ass
cheeks.

Amanda flinched, horrified.

Garas now looked wildly at his mistress, and then at the others in the
Circle, all of which had fallen silent, most shocked at what they saw,
but for reasons completely different from Amanda.

Garas tried to speak again, but it came out as a whimper as Hiatha
slapped him on his backside again, and began to berate him, punctuating
it with more strokes to his rear, growing harder with the rising force
of her voice.

"Never (slap!) have I seen (slap!) such a reprehensible (SLAP!) act of
disobedience (SLAP!) from a slave (SLAP!!) /in all my life!/ (SLAP!!)"

Amanda bit her lip, her eyes wide and staring.

"M-mistress!" Garas cried, his eyes tearing. "I-I'm sorry, mistress!
I-I don't know what came over me! P-please ...!"

Several other of the slaves in the Circle had dubious looks on their
faces at this. But a few wore expressions of total sympathy, including
Tanyee, who had stopped eating to witness this spectacle with a
haunting sense of deja-vu.

Hiatha simply fumed at him. "Sirinna!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, Hiatha?" Sirinna said promptly.

"Garas will not be available this afternoon to assist with Tanyee. It
is obvious to me that Garas is in need of far more training than I had
thought."

"Mistress, please," Garas begged. "I'm not s-sure what happened, I ..."

"It was plainly obvious to me, and to everyone else here," Hiatha
snapped. She gave the chain another hard yank and thrust her arm ahead
of her. "Move. You've embarrassed yourself and me quite enough."

Garas hung his head in shame, his gaze downcast. He trudged through the
Circle ahead of his still angry Trainer, heading out one of the stone
arches and down the path.

/Hellfire,/ Yanna repeated in her mind in frustration. /I knew I had
put too much in his Kaylaxxa, but I did not think it would take this
short a time to manifest. Jonalla root is so touchy sometimes./

"Great gods," Sirinna muttered.

Amanda turned, her eyes hard. "So much for your happy slaves, Sirinna,"
she said.

"Amanda, no," Sirinna said warningly. "In all my years here, that is
the first time I have ever seen that sort of display. I ..."

"Mistress," Tanyee said in a small voice. "May I speak on this?"

"Of course you can, Tanyee," Sirinna said, still looking at Amanda, as
if daring her to try comparing her to Hiatha.

"Mistress, what just happened to Garas ... that's what happened to me,"
she said slowly. "It was the same thing. I didn't know what came over
me. I was just as confused as he was."

"Maybe you just didn't want to do it anymore," Amanda commented mildly.

"No, it wasn't that, Amanda," Tanyee said immediately before Sirinna
could reply. "I was truthful when I told you that I enjoy what I do.
That was why I was so distressed that I had disobeyed, and I didn't
know why."

Amanda was not sure she believed this, but she remained silent.

"Amanda, I know Tanyee very well," Sirinna said. "I trained her myself.
I was surprised to hear of what had happened."

"Mistress, I'm not sure you know this," Tanyee said. "Since you've been
gone nearly a fortnight. But this has been happening with some of the
other slaves as well."

"What? More? In the same manner?"

"Yes, mistress."

"Great gods. Master Roquan must be beside himself. That explains why he
was so testy when I returned last night. This has never happened with
him before."

Amanda was listening carefully to this. Part of her wanted to simply
say that this was exactly what they should expect when they start
keeping people as slaves. Eventually they grow weary of being
oppressed, and rise up against their oppressors. "Maybe something
changed recently," she suggested. "Something the others don't like."

Sirinna was about to give a retort in defense of her master, but she
paused a moment, and decided to give it the benefit of the doubt.
"Well, Tanyee?" she asked. "Do you know of anything that changed?"

"No, mistress," Tanyee said, shaking her head. "While I was gone the
last half-moon, this started before that. Nothing had changed. No one
was discontent. And when it happened to me, I was Abroad. I had a very
kind and fair master. I had no reason to wish to rebel."

"And what about you, Yanna?" Sirinna asked. "Did you notice anything?"

"No, I haven't," Yanna replied. "But I have been here not much longer
than you were gone, as I was traded recently from the D'glounaas Manor,
so I do not know of Master Roquan before that point. But I have had no
reason to doubt he is as fair a master as the others have said."

Amanda was not sure what to believe. She wanted to think this was just
an example of how slavery simply could not work, yet she could not deny
how surprised everyone had looked. What made it difficult for her was
seeing Garas punished -- actually /spanked/ -- right in full view of
everyone. She remembered Tanyee's reddened backside and wondered if
Tanyee had had the same treatment not too long ago.

Amanda looked at Sirinna and found it difficult to imagine her doing
that to anyone. Surely that was not one of her techniques. She appeared
to treat Tanyee with kindness rather than strict discipline.

"Tanyee, you better finish your meal," Sirinna said. "We should get
some training in for you today."

"Yes, mistress," said Tanyee dutifully.

"I wonder if Master Rennis knows anything about this."

Amanda looked questioningly at her.

"My former master before Master Roquan," Sirinna explained, a fond
smile touching her lips. "He is another Overlord, visiting the Manor
today."

"The same Overlord that was my former master, Amanda," Yanna explained.

Sirinna stood up. Others in the Circle had also risen and were starting
to leave, many still with dazed looks on their faces, as if they still
had trouble believing what they had seen.

The rest of her group also rose. "Amanda, perhaps you'll have a few
moments to speak with me?" Yanna asked.

Amanda glanced over to Sirinna briefly, who was fitting the cuffs back
to the yielding Tanyee's wrists. "Yes, I suppose," she said.

"When you're done, Amanda, head back to your bedchamber until I am
finished with Tanyee for the day," Sirinna said.

Amanda gave Sirinna a sharp look, but the woman did not see it, as she
was still busy with Tanyee. Sirinna was trying to give her orders
again, and she was starting to resent it. "Fine," she said tonelessly,
and let Yanna lead her away from the Circle.



Garas was determined to show his mistress he wanted to be a good slave,
that he wanted to be obedient and loyal, that he wanted to make her
proud of him. He suppressed all his fear and all his hurt, holding back
tears through sheer force of will as Hiatha punished him.

He was on his knees on his bed, his head down against his pillow, face
turned to one side. A wooden bit had been forced between his teeth,
fastened tightly around his head. His arms had been bound behind him
and pulled uncomfortably tight up his back and attached with a short
chain to his collar. His breath was short and heavy, a soft grunt and a
brief close of his eyes the only sign he was aware of the strikes of
the heavy paddle upon his backside.

A stone-faced Hiatha worked her arm in a steady, staccato rhythm, each
blow the same as the last, each time a loud whack against the now
tender and pinkish-red cheeks, each bringing the same stinging flare of
pain. For the first ten strokes, Garas had trouble concentrating on his
desire to be good for Hiatha. As the strokes continued, it grew easier,
his resolve increasing even as the punishment continued.

By the time Hiatha had reached twenty strokes, Garas had completely
thrown off whatever had so adversely affected him in the Circle, and
now each time the paddle impacted with his searing flesh, he grew
excited at the thought of being a good slave again. All his nervousness
that made him occasionally forget things like calling another Trainer
mistress were only from his overeagerness to do well by Hiatha.

As Hiatha landed the twenty-fifth stroke, Garas' breathing grew deeper,
and he sported a hard and pulsing erection between his legs. The
remaining strokes felt as stimulating and arousing as they did painful,
causing him to moan as he longed for release.

Finally, Hiatha stopped at the thirtieth stroke, placing her paddle
down upon the bed. She placed her hands on the reddened cheeks,
fondling them and making Garas shudder and groan, his cock remaining
hard and aching.

"So now you grow excited, do you?" Hiatha said with a sly, sultry edge
to her voice. She reached between his legs and took his penis in her
fingers, stroking it with a much gentler touch than she used on his
backside.

Garas moaned, feeling himself rise quickly, some of the effects of the
Kaylaxxa lingering.

"And you don't pull away this time." Hiatha's fingers moved faster,
causing Garas to pant. Hiatha continued sliding her fingers up and down
Garas' aroused flesh, bringing him higher and higher, only to drop him
from her hand when he was just about at the edge of orgasm.

Garas whimpered, his cock straining for relief.

"I should do this to you the rest of the day!" Hiatha snapped. "Leave
you hanging like that. I am very good at that, as you know."

Garas knew this, to his chagrin. She always knew when a Trainee of hers
-- male or female -- was just about to go over, even if the slave was
silent.

Hiatha paused a moment, then came around the side of the bed and
removed the bit from Garas' mouth.

"Thank you, mistress," Garas said in a drawl, his jaw stiff.

"So you said you didn't know what came over you, did you?" Hiatha said
dubiously.

"Yes, mistress!" Garas cried. "I still do not know!"

Hiatha still did not completely believe the slave, but she had enough
doubt in the back of her mind that she chose to do a kindness for her
beleaguered Trainee. She reached under him and took his cock in her
fingers again. So close and so excited was he that he spurted his seed
copiously after only a handful of strokes, moaning deeply.

"Uhhn ... Th-thank you, mistress," Garas groaned.

Hiatha sighed. "Garas, I will give you one more chance. I will not
punish you further than this, and if the pain continues into the
evening, I will bring you to the Healer. But know this, Garas." She
raised an admonishing finger. "You must be on your best behavior from
now on. Master Roquan is growing less tolerant of disobedience. You do
not want yourself sold away to another Overlord, now do you? One less
generous than Roquan?"

"No, mistress!" Garas cried, horrified. "I-I will do my best!"

"See that you do." She began to loosen Garas' restraints. "Now, I will
bring you to Marisa, who you so insulted earlier by refusing the
pleasure she was giving you. You can repay her by pleasuring her as
many times as she wants." She smiled wickedly. "In whatever way she
wants."

"Yes, mistress."



"Actually, Amanda," Yanna said once the two of them were alone, "much
of what I said back there was for Sirinna's benefit. I do know why you
felt so uncomfortable."

Amanda looked at the girl in surprise, and no small amount of doubt.

Yanna smiled. "You don't think I do, do you?" she asked. "You think
because I'm a slave, I don't know of such things."

"Oh, um, no, I didn't ..." Amanda said quickly, feeling embarrassed
now.

"Yes, you did. But that's okay. Most slaves really don't."

Amanda was perplexed by this, but her curiosity was piqued. Certainly
Yanna was not talking like the others did.

"Amanda, have they told you about the Draught of Forgetfulness yet?"

"No," Amanda said. Certainly she would have remembered hearing about
something named as such. "But ... it doesn't sound very good."

"It's something they give new outworlders that are taken Captive,
before they become slaves," Yanna explained. "Makes them forget their
past before they were brought here."

Amanda looked aghast.

"They say it makes a slave easier to train. Not all the Overlords do it
anymore, though."

"Does ... d-does Roquan do it?"

"Oh, yes. He's very much a traditionalist."

Amanda swallowed, looking terrified. "Oh my God. Are they going to give
that t-to ..." she choked, unable to finish her thought.

"No, don't worry about that, Amanda," Yanna said reassuringly. "It's
too late for you. It has to be given while the Captive is still
unconscious when she first arrives here."

Amanda's mind raced. She tried to remember back to when she first awoke
in Sirinna's quarters. Had Sirinna tried to give her something? She
must not have, for Amanda could remember everything that had happened
to her over the past few days crystal clear in her mind. She even felt
a twinge of anxiety over how her former foster father might be worried
about her. Surely he knew she was missing by now.

"Sirinna wouldn't do that to me," Amanda said.

Yanna shrugged. "I wouldn't know. But you're not a Captive, anyway.
You're not a slave."

"But ... but I'm staying, right?"

Amanda was not sure why she still wanted to stay. Perhaps because no
matter what she had seen, it was still better than what was awaiting
her back on Earth. So long as she did not have to participate in it,
she thought maybe she could handle it.

Yanna paused. So the outworld girl had not been told her time here was
temporary? She pondered this. For the time being, Yanna chose not to
enlighten her.

The two of them had been wandering in the general direction of
Sirinna's quarters, but they had taken a slightly different route than
Sirinna had, and now they turned down a path that brought the rising
sounds of crashing waves and the smell of brine on the air, tall stands
of palm trees swaying gently in the breeze. Overhead, clouds had begun
to billow in from the west, occasionally blocking the sun and providing
a bit of respite from the tropical heat in addition to the welcome
shade of the trees.

"I suppose you'll have to talk with the Overlord about that," Yanna
temporized. "Anyway, back to what I was saying ... I know why you were
uncomfortable. It's not just the slavery thing. It's the casual sexual
contact, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, actually," Amanda said. "I'm glad someone understands
that."

Yanna smiled mildly. "It takes new Captives time to get used to it as
well, even with the Draught," she said.

"And they're expecting me to get used to it as well."

"Well, if you are to stay, I suppose you might at some point," Yanna
said.

Amanda sighed. "I'm not sure I can," she lamented.

The path twisted a bit and dropped steeply towards a narrow cliff that
lay some ten feet above the water. Waves crashed into the rocks and
boulder below, sending up plumes of water and spray. Amanda felt
herself dotted with tiny cold droplets of water that felt refreshing
against the warmth. "The trick with Captives, Amanda, is that they take
it slow with them," Yanna said. "Ease them into it. It can take a
little while sometimes, but it helps if the Captive is particularly
sensuous or interested or curious about sex."

So was that why Sirinna was so interested in Amanda in the first place?
She considered Amanda to be "sensuous"? She wasn't sure whether to feel
embarrassed or pleased.

Certainly "curious" fit. And "interested". Amanda was no prude by any
stretch of the imagination. Even before meeting Sirinna, she harbored
the occasional stray fantasy, and engaged in pleasuring herself when
the mood struck her. She fancied several boys at her school, and
occasionally had erotic dreams about them. Seeing the boy Garas had
reminded her of some of those dreams.

"I am interested," Amanda admitted. "But I don't necessarily want to do
it with everybody."

"I quite understand," Yanna said. "You want to at least feel
comfortable with the person. Or get to know them."

"At the very least."

"So is it safe to say you would not want to give up having sex
completely?" Yanna asked.

Amanda stared at her. "Well, of course not!" she said.

As they crested a small rise, Amanda saw the building that housed
Sirinna's quarters come into view. Ahead of them, the path narrowed and
took a turn around a large boulder, skirting the edge of the cliff
before descending rapidly and joining up with the path that led behind
the building and to the beach where Sirinna and Amanda had trysted
earlier that day. Amanda saw why she had not seen the path before this,
as it had been so narrow that the boulder hid it completely from view
from the other side.

Except for the heat, Amanda actually did like this place. She liked the
ocean and the beach. She liked the beautiful blue, unpolluted skies,
and the winding paths through idyllic, lush countryside. She loved the
way the buildings blended in with the landscape so well, and how she
could walk on soft sands or grass in her bare feet wherever she went.
It was only now, after feeling more relaxed and at ease with someone
who actually seemed to understand her difficulties, that she realized
all the little things about the place that she actually did find
endearing.

"And I doubt that Roquan would require you to do so," Yanna said.

Amanda sensed the unspoken "but" and sighed again. "But he doesn't want
to have to worry about my ... my germs or whatever."

She glanced towards the beach in the distance, and now wondered if
Sirinna would get into trouble for having sex with her after refusing
the Kaylaxxa treatment.

She turned back towards Yanna. "You're going to try to convince me to
have that treatment, aren't you?"

"You said it yourself, Amanda," Yanna said. "He doesn't want to worry
for the health of his slaves."

Amanda could have made a retort about what she thought of this, but she
did not have the heart. It was one thing to wish ill of slavery, but
another to wish ill of the slaves.

"I could try to make it a little easier for you, Amanda," Yanna said.
"I could reserve some time just before midday for just you, so no one
else is there."

"What about Master Vanlo?"

Yanna considered. "I could probably ask him to step out for a moment,"
she said. "Anyway, he skips the midday meal and takes a long walk about
the grounds instead. If I clear the schedule, he won't have anything to
do right before midday anyway. Then it would be just you and me. You
wouldn't feel like you were so on-the-spot. And we could use the
examination table all the way at one end of the room, in case someone
comes in unexpectedly."

Amanda remained silent for a long moment, considering. She had the
feeling that she really had no choice, that no matter what, and no
matter how, they were going to have her take that treatment. If that
were the case, better on her terms than anyone else's, and this was the
closest she was going to get to her own terms.

"All right," Amanda said. "I'll do it."

Yanna smiled. "Very good. I'll arrange things at once, and I'll let
Sirinna know when to bring you around."

Amanda nodded and managed a weak smile in return. She still was not
happy to have to do it, but at least now she found someone that
understood her better.

Amanda started down the path towards the boulder, but Yanna caught her
arm. "We better go back the other way," she said. "That path can get
slick sometimes from the spray, and it's so narrow. Here, this way."

Yanna and Amanda turned away and headed back the way they came,
climbing back over the hill and vanishing behind the rise.

There was a few moments pause, the only sound the gentle roar of wave
against the rocks and the light whoosh of wind through the treetops. A
moment later it was joined by a soft scraping of fabric against rock as
a tall, gray-bearded form edged carefully but deftly around the side of
the boulder, showing no fear of plunging into the foam. Moving with the
confidence of a man that had forded the same path many times over,
Vanlo stepped away from the boulder and clasped his hands thoughtfully
behind his back.

"Interesting," he commented to himself. "Quite interesting."