His footsteps echoed through the audience chamber, the fringes of his flowing cloak of dark purple swirling at his feet. His eyes, already set hard and narrow, squinted slightly at the slashes of sunlight from the skylights high overhead. Despite the brightness of the day and the copious natural light, little could dispel the sepulchral atmosphere of the chamber, or dampen the serious tone etched into the older gentleman's face.

His bejeweled fingers clasped behind his back, the gentleman avoided the throne that rose up on the round dais at the center of the room and instead headed towards the large, gilded doors. It was best to meet someone of this standing as a peer, he reasoned, as much as he loathed those of his guest's ilk now.

The two guards on either side of the door came to rigid attention as their master stopped before them. His eyes narrowed further as they looked towards the door, his slightly hooked nose giving him the appearance of a hawk patiently observing its prey.

Responding to the silent signal, the guards moved as one, converging on the door and opening it.

After a moment's pause, a second man entered from the outside hall. Younger than the other, but no less commanding of bearing, the dour-faced man stepped boldly into the room and stood before his sovereign. Bearing was the only similarity between them. The visitor was thick of body and face, whereas his host was thin, almost gaunt; the visitor had a full head of hair, only faint wisps of gray that showed up in strong light, his host was largely bald, save for some patches around the ears.

The visitor nodded his head once, almost in a perfunctory manner. "My Emperor," he said simply.

"Overlord," said the other in a tone that would have made that one word an epithet if it were any less neutral. Emperor Fenric Z'haas of Oceanus made a gesture towards the guards with a snap of his hand. "Leave."

The guards bowed deeply and exited, pulling the door shut behind them with a soft clang.

Overlord Gronnus D'yoran glanced towards the doors for a moment before turning his intense gaze towards the Emperor. "I have responded to your summons, Z'haas," said the Overlord, making it quite clear from his tone what he had thought of the action.

The Emperor was not at all affected by the Overlord's veiled insult, which was evident in the clipped nature of his voice. "Spare me any of your bluster today, Gronnus. I have no need of it."

Z'haas turned away from Gronnus and began a slow stroll around the periphery of the chamber. The Overlord kept pace beside him. "And you should have known I would call you to the palace. If I had thought you stupid, Overlord, I would never have colluded with you in the first place."

Gronnus allowed himself a smarmy smile, something no one less than an Overlord could safely do in the presence of the Emperor. "You know of the Conclave then."

"Of course I do. Unless you play me for the fool now."

"Never crossed my mind. Yet it has been only a quarter-moon."

"I have my sources." Z'haas jerked his head towards the Overlord, lips becoming a thin line. "More reliable than some I know."

Gronnus bristled. "Despite our association, Z'haas, I had no intention of relaying every little detail of every Overlord business that is conducted. Or do you now wish me providing tallies on slave transactions as well?"

The Emperor stopped and whirled around to face the Overlord. Any remaining politeness in his manner or tone evaporated. "Your association with me, Overlord, is already unprecedented. Did you not think this meant I expected you to inform of me of major developments such as this?"

Gronnus paused. What Z'haas had said was indeed true. Overlords tended to stay out of Imperial politics. So long the Emperor did nothing detrimental to either their slave trade, or the general stability of the nation, they were content to let the Emperor govern as he saw fit.

Yet when that situation changed, the Overlords were quite adept at "adapting" things to suit them better. Staging a coup, often completely bloodless, was a very common means to this end. Where the bulk of an Overlord's customers were nobility and lesser royalty, it made arranging for such a thing, often by proxy, almost ridiculously easy.

"Z'haas, you speak as if this Conclave actual means anything!" Gronnus declared, laughing.

Z'haas' face became granite. "Do not be so flippant about it."

"For the love of the gods, look who is calling it! Roquan, of all people! Do you seriously think anyone will listen to him?"

"He already has two allies."

Gronnus snorted. "What, you mean Rennis D'glounaas? His clan is barely much older than the Ronstaq clan."

The Emperor took a deep breath and let it go, forcing himself to retain a veneer of calm. Dealing with Overlords was extremely frustrating, even with one that had -- supposedly -- thrown his weight behind the sovereign. Clan prestige was important in Narlassi culture, but the Overlords took it to a ridiculous extreme in Z'haas' view.

"I am given to understand, Gronnus, that Roquan's slaves are considered the best in Oceanus," Z'haas commented mildly, a small smile playing at his lips.

Gronnus D'yoran's face darkened. "Two generations, Z'haas!" he thundered. "Only two! Him and his father before him! Before that, the Ronstaqs were nothing. Rennis is only five. Whereas the Yorans go back almost as far as the founding of Oceanus itself!"

The Emperor's smile widened. His statement had had the desired effect. Perhaps the Overlord would be a little more tractable now. "And do you want this mere two-generationer to acquire any more prestige?"

"What prestige? He has none, I tell you!"

"Then why does he have Doran 'serpent-tongue' D'jorus on his side?!"

The last few syllables of the Emperor's angry shout echoed eerily through the chamber before silence fell in its wake. The stunned look on the Overlord's face told the Emperor that this was news to him. Good. Maybe a shock is what the insufferable man needed to prod him out of his complacently.

"Why should that mean anything to me?" Gronnus finally said, though the conviction in his voice was weak.

The Emperor stepped up to the Overlord. His eyes flashed anger and no small amount of worry as well. "I do not want a coalition forming around Roquan's banner."

"His banner? Come now, Z'haas, you make it sound as if you seriously think Roquan wishes to stage a palace coup!"

"If that is not obvious to you by now, then you really are a fool."

"Now, see here, Z'haas! Do you seriously think he will call for such a thing over a trade agreement?"

Z'haas allowed himself a smug smile as he sensed the Overlords growing discomfort. "Are you afraid he'll discover you were behind it?"

Gronnus' face grew red. "You seem to forget that it was you that wanted the trade agreement broken, and you made me convince the other Overlords that we wanted it!"

"You did not have a very hard time convincing them, I recall."

"We needed something to put Roquan in his place."

"Yes," the Emperor said carefully. "And it did not work. An Overlord who has been 'put in his place' does not summon the others to a Conclave."

"And why should this matter? We are no more likely to agree to 'influence' you into restoring the agreement ..."

"It is beyond a mere trade agreement, Gronnus! You are so much in the dark over this that it is obvious that Doran is purposely avoiding you knowing about this Conclave until he has rallied enough Overlords to Roquan's side! You do not know what the true basis of the Conclave is!"

The Overlord stared at the Emperor with a mixture of indignation and anxious curiosity.

Z'haas stiffened, and he took a deep breath and let it go through his nose. "Roquan accuses the Imperium of sending an agent disguised as a slave into his midst. Both to disrupt his slave trade and the alliance between himself and Rennis."

Gronnus' eyes almost literally bugged out of his head. "Are you serious? That's ... that's preposterous! Isn't it?"

The Emperor said nothing.

The Overlord's eyes widened. "Blazing hellfire."

"Roquan is becoming to great a threat. You have no idea how dangerous it would be for him to acquire any more power or influence."

"You ... you actually sent ... you actually trained your own slave?!" Gronnus sputtered. "You ... how could you have even dared to think you could tread on the same ground that ..."

"Enough!" Emperor Z'haas bellowed.

Gronnus was startled into silence.

"I have no time for your sanctimonious blather! There is no law that states that slavery is only the purview of the Overlords! I am the Emperor. I will do what is necessary to preserve the realm. I do not care who considers it 'unorthodox'. The fact that I, the Emperor, do it makes it orthodox. It is about time you and the other Overlords realize that."

Gronnus was too stunned to reply.

"I will repeat: no coalition is to form around Roquan's banner."

Gronnus' eyes widened. "And you wish me to stop it?"

"Is that not perfectly clear to you by now, Overlord?" This time, when the Emperor spoke the title, it was definitely as an epithet.

"And you consider someone the likes of Roquan to be such a threat that you would go to these lengths?"

"Yes, and that should be good enough for you."

"Well, it's not! You are asking me to tread on centuries of Overlord tradition! Yes, Z'haas, there is indeed no written law. Yet that is meaningless to an Overlord. Traditions are as good as law with us. Even more so. Laws can be bent; laws can be circumvented. Traditions cannot. They will not. Asking an Overlord to accept an Emperor that trains his own slaves is like asking them to accept another Overlord training a Captive who has not received the Draught of Forgetfulness! It is simply not done!"

Emperor Z'haas fixed his hard gaze on Gronnus. "Then do what you must to discredit his story. Make him out to be a liar. Make deals with the other Overlords. Keep pushing the idea that you and the other Overlords have 'influence' over me. Tell them this is a veiled attempt to restore the trade agreement with Colos."

Gronnus gave the Emperor an even look. "Really, Z'haas, do you think that perhaps this is going a bit far to achieve your aims?"

Z'haas raised an eyebrow.

"Why not simply concede the point? All of Roquan's bluster started when he lost his precious Far West trade route. Make him content and he will cease to be a thorn in your side."

The Emperor bristled at the idea of kowtowing to an Overlord in such a manner, despite the fact that both he and Gronnus knew this is what Emperors in the past have done. There was a tacit acknowledgment that the Oceanus Emperor remained on the throne at the good graces of the Overlords.

What Gronnus did not know, and what Z'haas now had to contemplate informing him, was that matters of late had become such that abiding by the old ways would surely lead to the ruin of Oceanus. For the first time in his reign of nearly two decades, Z'haas was frightened. It was one thing to be deposed from power; quite another to be deposed and leave no nation to hand over to a successor.

"The agreement cannot be restored," Z'haas stated flatly.

"But it would be the perfect cover," Gronnus persisted. "It would maintain your false image of appearing weak before them."

"I have already recalled our ambassador to Colos, and closed their embassy here. Relations with that nation have been terminated."

The Overlord looked taken aback. "What?! But that is done only if you fear there is to be war!"

The Emperor remained silent for a long moment. "It may come to that yet."

"You cannot be serious! Colos barely has a standing army! They have no ports into our ocean! How can they possibly be a threat to Oceanus?"

Now Z'haas hesitated. He did not trust the Overlord enough with the entirety of the intelligence he had received. To reveal the possibility of the great weapon that was being developed beyond the lands of Colos would be to make him appear utterly mad before the Overlords and virtually assure his downfall.

And while he normally refused to entertain the thought, the Emperor did realize he could be wrong. The information he received could have been distorted. It could have been an exaggeration. Yet there was the fact that in the past two centuries, there had been no serious warfare across the face of Narlass. As a result, war-related technology had stagnated. It was only a matter of time before someone rectified that mistake.

His enemy was not Colos, but it was along the likely path of an invasion, as his intelligence had told him that the threat was from the Far West.

"Roquan will not have his trade agreement," Z'haas said. "He must not be allowed contact with Colos. The danger is too great. You must trust me on this."

Gronnus' face darkened. "You do not seriously think Roquan is in league with an enemy of Oceanus?"

"I don't know. I cannot take the chance. Thus, I will say it one last time: no coalition is to form around Roquan. Keep his allies few and weak. Do whatever you can to disrupt it."

The Overlord paused and then heaved a great sigh. "You are asking a great deal from me, Z'haas. Perhaps it would have been better for you to allow me to think Roquan was lying about your machinations against him."

"It was better to be honest rather than have you swayed by his evidence and move against me."

"And his evidence is that sound? That is not good, Z'haas."

"Then perhaps I can give you something to leverage against him."

Gronnus looked at the Emperor with unveiled curiosity and eagerness.

The Emperor gave the Overlord a wry smile. "Roquan has a new Trainee. A girl named Amanda. She is being trained to be a slave, yet she was never given the Draught."

Gronnus looked taken aback. "Never given ...! Is he mad?!"

"Perhaps so, Gronnus. And perhaps, then, he is mad enough to collude with a potential enemy of Oceanus."

The Overlord considered this for a moment. "There is no way I can get Roquan to admit he never gave the girl the Draught. He is very good at keeping secrets, and the loyalty of his slaves to him is unswerving."

"Oh, come now, Gronnus. You should be able to get the other Overlords to see she has not had the Draught."

Gronnus gave the Emperor a carefully schooled blank look.

"You see, my dear Overlord, I know your dirty little secret. About the Draught."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes, you do. I can see it in your eyes. You may think the Overlords have kept it such a closely guarded secret all this time, but no secret is forever."

The Overlord said nothing.

"The Draught does just a little more than just wipe the past. There's a reason you have slaves engage in sex so intensely during the first season of their training. Does not the Draught help the slave to ...?"

"We do not speak openly of that!" Gronnus spat.

"I am not an Overlord. I am under no such restriction. It is quite possible I just might let what I know slip to the right people in Uris. Then their Slavemasters would no longer need your slaves would they, when they can train them just as well on their own."

Gronnus' eyes burned. "You would not do that."

"Oh, would I not? Do not spar with me on that point when so much is at stake. You will lose every time."

"And you have a lot to lose yourself, Z'haas!" Gronnus thundered. "With the great prestige we bring Oceanus!"

The Emperor viewed the Overlord with disdain. "I can bring more than enough prestige for the realm if I wish it."

Gronnus fell into a seething silence.

"Do what I wish of you, Overlord. Do what you must to keep Roquan in his place."

"And if I fail? What then?"

"Then ... I will have to seek alternate and more ... permanent ... means."

The day after Amanda had been collared, she had wondered exactly what it was she was expected to become; a little over a week later, she was still wondering.

Amanda had yet to be taught anything, save for some very basics about obedience and submissiveness, and this occupied only a short time in the mornings back at Sirinna's quarters. Much of the rest of the day was spent at the Circle, the circular grassy clearing at the center of the Manor where the slaves gathered for the midday meal and for slave training exercises.

It was late morning. Amanda felt her body grow excessively warm as the tropical sun rose towards its zenith, despite the fact that she was well within the shade of the large trees that grew along the edge of the Circle. Very soon, however, her need for sexual release grew to such excruciating levels that she no longer noticed the heat.

Amanda panted hard, barely able to form coherent thought, let alone the words she might wish to use to beg for relief. Her body quivered, or what little of it was not held down did. She lay sprawled on her back, her wrists pinned down above her head by Sirinna. Two more slaves held fast her legs, forcing them to remain spread apart. Between her legs, Marisa's skilled tongue licked at her swollen womanhood.

Much to Amanda's chagrin, Marisa had involved herself in Amanda's training from that first day after her deflowering. Sirinna never solicited Marisa's services, but every time Marisa offered her help, Sirinna accepted it.

Amanda gasped as threw her head back, eyes closed tightly as she felt herself beginning to rise the final distance, her pussy straining hard. Yet as with the last three times, Marisa relented, sliding her tongue down and probing Amanda's tunnel instead.

"Uhhh! ... oh God ..." Amanda moaned. Her voice was breathless and weak, and she struggled briefly against the ones that restrained her.

"Easy, easy," Sirinna said gently. "Don't fight it. Just enjoy it."

Marisa flicked her tongue once against Amanda's womanhood. Amanda's hips jerked as she spiked but did not crest. Marisa paused, then did it again, and again. Amanda whimpered. "P-please ..."

Sirinna corrected her immediately. "No begging for relief. Just let it happen at its own pace."

Amanda bit her lip. It felt like torture to be held at the edge constantly.

She didn't understand the purpose of all this constant sexual activity. Sirinna's explanations had been vague at best. All she knew is that it grew more and more intense as each day passed. She never thought her fourteen-year-old body could be driven to this many orgasms in a single day. By the time evening came, her pussy always felt achy, though this was slowly getting better each time.

Yet it meant she was hardly in the mood for intimacy with Sirinna when it was "their time" in the evenings. Amanda knew Sirinna was disappointed with this, despite her attempt to hide it.

Amanda could not hold herself back anymore. It was too much for her. "Oh God, mistress, please ... please, let me cum ... let ... uhhh ... uhhhn ...!"

Halfway through Amanda's plea, Marisa began to deliver deep, incessant strokes against Amanda's womanhood. She soared up and over what little distance she had to go, her cunt now spasming hard in orgasm. So intense was her climax at the start that Amanda's throat locked up, her teeth clenching and her hips threatening to buck.

When she could give voice to her feelings again, she uttered loud, strident cries as her pussy pulsed and throbbed. Marisa played the tip of her tongue over Amanda's now hyper-sensitized clitoris, drawing out the girl's pleasure until her mind reeled. By the time it was over, Amanda was weak and helpless, her legs falling limply to the grass when the other slaves released her.

Amanda was vaguely aware of Sirinna releasing her wrists, but she was in no condition to move. Her eyes remained closed, her chest rising and falling quickly as she caught her breath. Like before, her orgasm left her with a powerful, lingering ache in her cunt. She knew if she moved too soon, her still sensitized pussy would throb weakly again.

"That was better, Amanda," she heard Sirinna's gentle voice say.

Amanda swallowed and cracked open her eyes in time to see Sirinna lay a hand tenderly on her cheek. "B-better?" she croaked in confusion.

"You went much longer without begging for relief."

Amanda swallowed again and groaned. She wanted to tell Sirinna that she was sure Marisa was doing this on purpose. Marisa was specifically withholding orgasm from Amanda until she begged. This was the third time in a row now that Amanda got the relief she wanted right after she blurted out a plea to be allowed to cum.

Sirinna dropped to her knees and helped Amanda to a seated position in the grass. She reached out and drew her Trainee into an embrace. Amanda uttered a long sigh and clutched at Sirinna tightly for a few moments. Despite the heat of the day, Amanda needed this simple comfort right now, otherwise she knew she would come down too hard from her orgasmic high.

"I'm not sure I can keep doing this, mistress," Amanda whispered into her ear.

"You're doing just fine, Amanda."

"Please ... not Marisa anymore ... just ..."

"Shush, love, she's still standing close by."

Amanda sighed despondently as they separated, and turned her head towards the older woman standing off to the side. Marisa had a small smirk on her face as she looked down at Amanda with an appraising look, her arms folded across her breasts.

"A rather interesting one you have, Sirinna. Not taking quite as quickly to this as your other ones."

Sirinna stood and fetched Amanda's chain. She reattached it to the collar as she replied, "It is still early in her training, Marisa. She's simply taking a little more time to get settled in."

Amanda's eyes darted between the two woman, her teeth clenching. She still did not like being talking about as if she were not there. However, any time she said anything about it, it earned her another snap of that infernal chain from her mistress. She felt a gentle tug on it now, Sirinna giving her the signal to rise to her feet. Amanda resisted it just for a moment, as if to spite her, before finally standing.

"Still, you would think her enthusiasm would be a bit better by now."

Amanda could not resist glaring at the woman.

One corner of Marisa's mouth rose. "Along with her attitude as well."

To Amanda's relief, there came no warning pull at the chain. In fact, Sirinna went so far as to defend her. "She's actually doing quite well in that regard, given how strong her spirit is."

"Hmm. Well, there is a point where a strong spirit crosses the line into disobedience. You may want to watch that with her."

"Duly noted. I thank you for your observations."

Amanda noticed that Sirinna's voice was excessively polite. Was even she starting to grow annoyed with Marisa?

Amanda actually welcomed the tug on the chain this time as Sirinna led her away from Marisa and to the far side of the clearing. Only now did Amanda realize that it was very nearly the midday meal, and they were not likely going to return to their shared quarters yet.

Sirinna reached down and picked up Amanda's leather cuffs from the grass. "Turn around."

Amanda sighed and turned in place, crossing her wrists behind her back. She turned her head and saw that Marisa had engaged herself in a conversation with Hiatha, the other Trainer, at the opposite end of the clearing. "I don't like Marisa at all," Amanda muttered.

"Hush, Amanda," Sirinna admonished softly as she secured the cuffs to Amanda's wrists. When she was done, she took the chain and gave it another light snap.

Amanda dutifully lowered herself to her knees. "She can't hear us now, mistress."

Sirinna attached the end of the chain to a metal hook mounted atop a small wooden post nearby. She sat on the grass before her charge and waited for the meal to be served. "Nevertheless, Amanda, you're not to speak disrespectfully of the other slaves."

"You don't even like her either, do you?"

Sirinna paused a moment before replying. Amanda could see the conflict in her face. "She is the oldest slave here, love. She had already been a slave for a few years when Master Roquan took the Manor from his father."

Amanda did a quick calculation in her head. That would mean Marisa was pushing forty. "So why does that give her the right to torture me?"

"She wasn't torturing you."

"What would you call keeping me from cumming for so long? Or did you forget about the punishment that Master Roquan had given you before?"

Sirinna sighed. It was not something she had cared to recall. Back when the mess with Yanna had happened, Roquan had been so insistent on believing the slave's story about having been put up to the sabotage of Roquan's slaves by Rennis that he would not listen to any evidence to the contrary. Sirinna had been punished for her insistence on sticking to Amanda's claims that something else had been going on.

That punishment had been Hiroxxa. It was a salve that, once worked into Sirinna's pussy, prevented her from reaching orgasm. Naturally, this punishment had been rescinded once Yanna had played her final card and nearly killed Sirinna in the process. Nevertheless, the short time that it had been in place had been some of the worst days of Sirinna's life as a slave.

"This is different. There was no intent to withhold relief completely."

"Then why ...?"

"It simply enhances the pleasure of the orgasm. Did it not do that?"

Amanda paused, then nodded slowly. "I guess I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to be learning with all this, mistress."

Sirinna smiled and stroked Amanda's hair. "I think we discussed this before. It's to help you enjoy your own sexuality. And to increase your endurance as well."

Amanda was not quite sure if she was enjoying this on a level that Sirinna wanted. Yes, the sensations of sexual buildup and release were pleasant. Marisa participated in only one such session with her a day that was so torturous. The other slaves did not tease her as relentlessly.

Part of the problem was the disappointment over Tanyee. Amanda felt as if she had just made a friend in the girl, only to have her returned to her formerly contracted master not two days after Amanda's deflowering. It appeared that the client that had sent her back for her disobedience was still quite enamored of Tanyee, and wanted to continue the contract once Roquan had reassured him that the problem would not repeat itself.

Amanda tried to feel happy for Tanyee, for she knew it was what the girl truly wanted.

She looked up again. Marisa was still speaking with Hiatha. As always, Hiatha was holding the other end of the chain of her Trainee, a boy named Garas. After a moment, Amanda realized that something was amiss.

"Mistress, why isn't Garas restrained?"

Sirinna smiled. "He's close to graduating. Since that incident, he's been a model slave. Hiatha's so impressed with his progress that she's granting him some more leeway before he becomes a full slave."

The "incident" had been Yanna's work again. When it had been still believed by Roquan that Yanna was simply an errant slave, she had been given to Hiatha for remediation. She had nearly overdosed both Hiatha and Garas with sleeping powder as well in order to make her escape.

"How long until he graduates?"

"Probably not more than one moon. Why?"

"But that will leave me as the only Trainee, won't it?"

"For the moment, yes."

Amanda sighed again. One of the reasons that Marisa participated in only one session with Amanda each day was because she split her attentions between her and Hiatha's Trainee. Now with him soon out of the picture, Amanda feared she would suffer for it.

"Mistress, please, can't you tell Marisa you don't need her help or something?"

"I can't do that, Amanda."

"Why not? You don't like her either!"

"I never said that."

"I can tell by the way you talk to her sometimes."

Sirinna gave Amanda a cross look, but it faded quickly.

Amanda could not help but smirk. "And see, you used to value my powers of observation."

Sirinna managed a small smile. "I still do, love. But you need to know when to hold your tongue in matters like this."

"But I'm right, aren't I, mistress?"

Sirinna paused. "Marisa is approaching retirement. She has not been contracted out to a master for four years now. But she has valuable experience. As a Trainer, I would be foolish not to draw on that."

"The way she talks, she sounds like she wants to be a Trainer herself."

Sirinna did not reply to this. Yes, Amanda was right. Marisa had wanted to be a Trainer. When Roquan had needed to select another Trainer to assist Sirinna with the workload, back when times were better and the Overlord had more funds and hence more Trainees, he had to choose between Hiatha and Marisa. Sirinna knew that Marisa had been upset when Hiatha had been chosen over her. Marisa felt her seniority had earned her that position. Marisa felt her chance had been missed now that she was getting on in years.

"I think it's best we no longer speak about it for now," Sirinna said cautiously. She gave Amanda a significant look and added in a much lower voice, "Save it for our time together later this evening, love."

Amanda reluctantly nodded and subsided.

That evening was a happier occasion than it had been for some time.

Sirinna would never admit it, but it was clear to Amanda by the time the skies had deepened to purple twilight that her lover went a little easier on her that afternoon. By the time they lay down to snuggle with one another -- both of them free from prying eyes and Amanda from her chain -- Amanda felt she might be up to something more intimate.

This may have been Sirinna's intention all along. Not very long after they had settled down into the soft furs of Sirinna's bed, Amanda felt her lover's touch grow more intimate and needful. There was little surprise, and even less resistance, when Amanda felt Sirinna's hand on her breast. Her eyelids dropped as Sirinna gently and tenderly fondled her soft flesh.

Very soon, fingers were replaced by lips and tongue. This time, Amanda's surrender was a willing submission to her lover's affections. Now she wished Sirinna had done this before. Despite having had more sex in a given day than she had had in her lifetime, this was so different from what she experienced in training that it might have well been a different act altogether.

Amanda drew in a breath and let it go as a soft sigh as her body warmed to her lover's touch. Her nipple grew hard in Sirinna's mouth, tingling madly as Sirinna teased it skillfully with her tongue. Amanda could not wish for a better lover than Sirinna. If she got anything at all out of her slave training, she wished it would be enough to please Sirinna as much as Sirinna pleased her.

Amanda panted softly as she grew excited, and her legs slowly parted. Sirinna let a hand play along the insides of Amanda's thighs, teasing her into spreading them further until they quivered in anticipation. By the time Sirinna's fingers reached Amanda's treasure, they were greeted with warm, slick moisture.

Sirinna's mouth left Amanda's nipple. Sirinna slid her body up, her fingers never leaving Amanda's pussy, stroking slowly but deeply. Their lips met, and Amanda moaned deeply into the kiss, her eyes sliding closed. Amanda felt herself start to rise, and she clutched at her lover, panting harder as their tongues slid into each other's mouths.

By the time Sirinna finally broke off the kiss, Amanda was breathless.

"Oh God, Sirinna," Amanda moaned.

Sirinna eased up, her fingers drawing back a little, lightening their strokes. "I haven't tasted you in so long, Amanda," Sirinna said softly.

Amanda managed a small smile. "I'm surprised. I thought you'd take advantage of that in during my training."

"It's hard to supervise and participate at the same time, much as I would like to. But we're not training now, love."

Amanda's smiled widened. She needed to hear that. "Then allow me to return the favor at the same time."

"Oh, I had every intention of doing that."

Amanda giggled as Sirinna drew herself up and turned around on the bed. Amanda took a deep breath in anticipation as Sirinna straddled her. As Sirinna's thighs parted above her, Amanda's gaze rose to the woman's pussy, and saw it was already quite wet with arousal. As Sirinna's hips lowered, the next of Amanda's breaths brought the musky, heady aroma of Sirinna's sex, sending a shudder of excitement through her.

At the same time Sirinna's pussy descended slowly towards Amanda's face, Sirinna's tongue teased Amanda's womanhood, eliciting a long, soft moan. Amanda let go another excited sigh as she tilted her head back and pressed her lips to Sirinna's hot flesh. Her tongue found the nub at the apex of her lover's sex and licked at it enthusiastically.

Sirinna moaned softly, her tongue descending further into Amanda's warm depths. The air filled with the sounds of their mutual pleasure, growing steadily louder and more strident. The buildup was slow and easy, Amanda knowing that Sirinna would not simply let her hang just short of desperate relief.

Breaths grew short and urgent. Movements became more deliberate and intense. As their pleasure rose to a crescendo, their bodies writhed against each other. Sirinna lowered her head further between Amanda's thighs; Amanda coaxed Sirinna's hips further down until Sirinna's pussy was pressed entirely against Amanda's face. The increased desire for release made each become more adamant about the other's release.

Amanda reached the top first. Her body shuddered, and she let out a loud moan as her pussy throbbed deeply, yet far more pleasantly than it had during her training sessions. Amanda sucked hard at Sirinna's womanhood while in the throes of her orgasm, driving her lover over the edge the next second. Sirinna's hips actually bucked with the force of her climax, and she panted wildly through her nose. Yet she managed to keep her mouth pressed to Amanda's pussy, drawing out the climax as long as possible.

Finally, both were spent. Amanda closed her eyes and lay limp on the bed. She was aware of Sirinna moving above her, and then finally kissing her again. They savored the taste of one another on their lips, tongues briefly entering each other's mouth.

The two rolled onto their sides, embracing one another tightly, moaning as the last of their throbs faded.

"I love you, Sirinna," Amanda said, her voice still soft and breathless.

Amanda smiled tenderly and stroked Amanda's hair. "I love you, too."

"We need to do this more. It ... it really helps me get through this."

Sirinna's smile faded just a touch. "I'm really hoping you'll take to this a bit better as we go along. It has been only a quarter moon or so."

Amanda paused a moment, ducking her head under Sirinna's chin so she would not have to meet the woman's eyes. "I don't think I can deal with Marisa, Sirinna."

Sirinna cradled Amanda's head. "I know, love."

"Why is she picking on me?"

"I don't think she is."

"It feels like it to me, Sirinna. Just because I mouthed off to her that first day."

"It's like what I said, Amanda. She's an older slave. That's as close to rank as we get here at the Manor."

"Sometimes I think she'd prefer it if she were training me instead," Amanda said. When she realized her own words, she looked up in a panic. "Sirinna, you don't think that's what she's really after, is it? That she wants your job?"

"Shh, relax," Sirinna said soothingly, stroking Amanda's cheek. "Even if she does, Master Roquan makes the decisions about who are Trainers and which Trainer a Trainee is assigned to."

"But what if Roquan ... Master Roquan ... is still angry with you? What if ...?"

Sirinna smiled and placed a single finger over Amanda's lips. "Please, stop worrying."

"I just don't know what to expect from him anymore, that's all. For all I know, when you went to see him before dinner, you got punished by him and you're not telling me."

Sirinna paused a moment, looking thoughtful. "All right, Amanda. Perhaps I better ease your fears on this once and for all. But you have to promise me not to let it slip that I told you this."

Amanda lifted her head and nodded eagerly. She needed something to reassure her right now.

"I was not punished by Master Roquan. He wanted to speak with me to tell me something in confidence. He'll be revealing it later to everyone else, but needed my help with a few things before that."

"What is it?"

"Master Roquan's Manor is going to play host to an Overlord Conclave."

Amanda did not know specifically what that was, but she had an idea of what "conclave" meant in general, and it made her sit bolt upright in bed. "You don't mean ... that there's going to be a bunch of other Overlords coming to the Manor!"

Sirinna sat up and nodded. "Yes. In fact, it appears all the Overlords from Oceanus will be coming. That's fourteen total, not including Master Roquan himself."

"But why?"

"He did not tell me. But I suspect that it has something to do with Yanna and the Emperor."

Amanda swallowed. "Sirinna, what ... what am I going to be expected to do when they ..."

"Hush," Sirinna said gently. "Master Roquan has already told me that it will be okay. If it were just one Overlord visiting, we'd need to be concerned about a Presenting."

"A what?"

"A Presenting. The hosting Overlord presents his Trainees to the visiting Overlord for his inspection and, sometimes, his pleasure. It's a way for the host to 'show off'. Master Roquan has already said he will not be Presenting you, not where you'll be the only Trainee and where it will be a whole Conclave."

Amanda drew in her breath and let it go as a nervous sigh, trying to fight down panic. "Please, Sirinna, are you sure? Are you absolutely sure I won't have to be 'Presented'?"

"These are Master Roquan's words, love. And he has final say what happens with his slaves."

For the first time, Amanda was grateful for the control that Roquan had over her life. "Thank God. I don't think I could handle that."

"I think Master Roquan realizes this as well. The Conclave will start in no more than one or two moons. We won't be all that far along in your training."

Amanda tried to get herself to relax, but it was difficult. Instead, she tried to substitute a less critical concern. "Sirinna, can I ask you something about my training?"

"Of course, love. You can ask anything about it even when we're not having 'our time' like this."

Amanda knew this, but she seemed to get more direct and honest answers from Sirinna this way. "Was what Marisa said about me true? That I wasn't taking to my training as quickly as other Trainees you've had?"

As much as Sirinna admired her Trainee's cleverness and powers of observation, she did admit that it vexed her on occasion, such as now. "Every Trainee learns at her own pace, love."

"That really didn't answer my question."

Sirinna paused. "Well ... you are taking a little longer than most."

"Where am I supposed to be by now? It's only been a little more than a week ... er, quarter moon, I mean."

"Most slaves are quite thoroughly enjoying the constant sexual attention by now.".

Amanda considered this. "Well ... I don't hate it, if that's what you're worried about. I mean, I do like it, just not when Marisa is doing it."

"Do you look forward to it? Excepting Marisa, that is."

"Um ... Kind of. I guess."

Sirinna smiled. "Then that's what we need to work on."

Amanda nodded silently. Knowing now what exactly was expected of her did not quite help her as much as she had thought. What she needed to know now was exactly how to get there.

And to this, she currently had no idea.

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